IFBC 2010
September 1, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Conferences
Last weekend I was in Seattle for the second International Food Bloggers Conference. I had to miss it last year and was very excited about the chance to participate this year. The conference was held at the Theo Chocolate factory in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, and the agenda had a number of sessions that caught my interest as well as a few that turned out to be pleasant surprises. Though the cost of the conference may make you feel a pinch in the wallet, I think it was an excellent value considering the quality of the sessions as well as the chefs they brought in to cook the lunches and dinners. Read more
Asian Tuna Salad (LifeCafe)
A few weeks ago our Lifetime Fitness location hosted a Culinary Night that was sponsored by Toyota, and Michael and I thought it would be fun to see the cooking demonstration, which featured dishes from the LifeCafe. There were plenty of samples to go around and everyone received a handout with recipes, so of course we decided to try some at home.
Of all the things we sampled, our favorite was the popular Asian tuna, which the cafe serves on ciabatta rolls or as a green salad topping.
Pasta with Chicken, Garlic Scapes, Tomatoes, and Basil
June 28, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Main Course, Pasta, Poultry, Vegetables
The garlic only has a few more weeks in the ground, then it will be time to dig it up, and if the flavor of the scapes is any indication, we are in for some spicy garlic this year. We harvested the scapes over the weekend and made three different things with them: pesto, cannellini bean dip, this pasta with chicken, tomatoes, and basil. We saved the pretty flowers and curved parts for the pasta and use the stems for the pesto and bean dip. Read more
Lego Star Wars Stormtrooper Birthday Cake
My husband Michael, the engineer, is the designer for all our sons’ birthday cakes. He’s a big fan of Duff Goldman and watches Ace of Cakes often trying to pick up any tips he can. We only tackle cakes like this three times a year and we are definitely not pros. I bake the cakes and whip up the frosting and fondant and he does all the assembly and decorative work. Here’s our story on how we made the Lego Star Wars Stormtrooper birthday cake.
We always begin planning the birthday cakes months in advance because Michael likes to let the design percolate in his head for a while, so back in March we asked Top Gun what kind of cake he wanted for his next birthday, and for some reason he just couldn’t decide. He asked for a delta wing green airplane, Mater from the movie Cars, a dinosaur, Transformer (that would have been hard), and Yoda. He eventually settled on a dragon and we almost had it figured out, but then at the last minute he changed his mind and asked for a Lego Star Wars Stormtrooper cake. He was very specific and even picked out the stormtrooper model. We managed to dodge the Transformer cake for now, but Michael is pretty sure it’s in our future. Read more
One Color Foods for Autism Awareness
Our family’s journey through an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is no secret, and I’ve shared about it on several occasions at DC Metro Moms Blog (article list below), but the one thing I really haven’t talked about is how meals were impacted in our home as a result of our son having Asperger syndrome.
From the moment our children could safely eat solid foods, we encouraged a varied and healthy diet, and our oldest son was an adventurous eater from early on. He would try almost anything, and even at the age of two one of his favorite foods was spinach pizza. Getting him to eat healthy fruits and vegetables was never a big deal, but then the spectrum symptoms started and our son changed rapidly. Read more
Toby Train Birthday Cake
My husband Michael, the engineer (aerospace, not trains), is the designer for all our sons’ birthday cakes. He’s a big fan of Duff Goldman and watches Ace of Cakes often trying to pick up any tips he can. We only tackle cakes like this three times a year and we are definitely not pros. I bake the cakes and whip up the frosting and fondant and he does all the assembly and decorative work. Here’s his story on how we made the Toby train birthday cake. Read more
