Happy Belated "Blogiversary"

to The Ethicurean! They've been "chewing the right thing" for two years now! Congrats!

King Arthur Flour

has a blog!

Dine and Dish has moved

into a delicious new space on the internet(s.)

Note to self...must update Blogroll

Meet The Fresh Loaf. Cookie Madness.

Ahhhhh....the big companies are taste testing

the blogs!

...Food blogs "may not have the mass reach, but it's a more engaged, specific audience," said Greg Zimprich, a spokesman for General Mills Inc. "Their readers are going to care a lot more about a product of ours."

The Minneapolis food giant tracks dozens of small blogs devoted to rating foods. Most don't get more than a couple of thousand daily visits, but General Mills nevertheless sends off its cereal bars, soups and other packaged foods in hopes of a mention.

Keeping track of popular blogs is part of the job for nearly all the company's public relations officers, who use online services like Google alerts, BlogPulse and Technorati to track brand mentions. The blogs are often among the top links returned in online searches for certain brands or categories.

The way any given company reaches out to food blogs varies widely, of course.

The Hershey Co. invites bloggers to product launches along with the mainstream media. Kraft Foods Inc., which owns Post, makes it a point to keep blogs aware of all its newest products and even advertises on the more popular sites like HungryGirl and Best of the Bite, said Sydney Lindner, a company spokeswoman. - SFGate

Menu for Hope IV

Chez Pim is hosting her 4th Annual Menu for Hope.

Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising event in support of the UN World Food Programme. Five years ago, the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia inspired me to find a way to help, and the very first Menu for Hope was born. In 2006, Menu for Hope raised US$60,925.12 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.

Each year, food bloggers from all over the world join forces to host the Menu for Hope online raffle, offering an array of delectable culinary prizes. For every US$10, the donor receive a virtual raffle ticket toward a prize of their choice. This year, the prizes include once in a lifetime experiences such as touring the elBulli laboratory with Ferran Adrià , dining on a historic British meal prepared by Heston Blumenthal, or joining Harold McGee on a lunch date to satisfy a lifetime's worth of cooking curiosity. You can also tag along with your favorite blogger on a tour of their favorite markets, restaurants, or even receive a care package fashioned especially for you from your favorite bloggers themselves. All you need is $10 and a bit of luck.

We may never eradicate hunger from the face of the earth, but why should that stop us from trying?

Stop by. Browse. Enjoy. Donate!

A Food Blogger Event

Dine and Dish has come up with a terrific idea...."Adopt a Food Blogger"

And, by the way, I am remiss in noting Dine and Dish's "Blogiversary!" on the 26th of November. Happy One Year, Kristen!

Welcome back online

FOODPORNWATCH!

with new editors, Nika, Hande, and Judith!

Anyone know what happened to

"Food Porn Watch?"

The URL is up for sale for $1,000.

What happened? I kept up with some terrific foodie blogs via them. I was wondering why I hadn't gotten any hits from them of late.

A Tragedy in the Kitchen - 1968

June 6, 1968.

Bobby's words have always inspired me.

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were and ask why not."

Franklin Avenue had a wonderful blog noting the slow destruction of The Ambassador Hotel.

Friday Chef Blogging

Anthony Bourdain meets up with a Los Angeles Blogger who loves Noodles....and more

It's the First Saturday in May

that means only two things. Kentucky Derby. Mint Juleps.

Oh, make that three things. The third being checking in on Left at the Gate to see who he likes in the 9th at Churchill.

The Perfect Mint Julep from Maker's Mark

1 liter Maker’s Mark
Lots of fresh spearmint leaves
1 cup distilled water
1 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for garnish
Mint sprigs for garnish

1. To prepare the mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves – wash and place in a small mixing bowl. Cover with 3 ounces of Maker’s Mark. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Then gather the leaves in a clean, soap-free piece of cotton cloth and vigorously wring the mint bundle over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times. Then set aside.

2. To prepare the simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water in a cooking pot. Heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.

3. To prepare the mint julep mixture, pour 3 1/2 cups of Maker’s Mark into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. (Pour the remaining whisky from the liter bottle into another container and save it for another purpose). Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the Maker’s Mark.

4. Now, begin adding the mint extract 1 tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You may have to leave the room a time or two to clear your nose. The tendency is to use too much mint. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste – generally about 3 tablespoons.

5. When you think it’s right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to marry the flavors

6. To serve the mint julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) half full with shaved ice. Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup. Then, insert a straw that has been cut to one inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.

7. When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice. Makes 26-30 servings.

A Taste of Yellow

Kristin over at Dine and Dish alerts me to a terrific "food blogging event" put on by Winos and Foodies for a good cause. "A Taste of Yellow" to benefit LIVESTRONG.

LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation's (LAF) grassroots advocacy initiative to unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues on a national level and in local communities across the country. LIVESTRONG Day 2007 will occur on Wednesday, May 16.

A Taste of Yellow has been approved by the Lance Armstrong Foundation as an official LIVESTRONG Day event . Winos and Foodies is organizing the event to raise awareness of cancer. However if you wish to make a donation you can do so by visiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation donation page.

Here's the blogging challenge: make a dish containing some type of yellow food. This can be anything you like as long it features a yellow food. Some ideas to get you started are lemon, banana, saffron, corn, eggs, cheese. On the 16th of May, to coincide with LIVESTRONG Day 2007, Winos and Foodies will post a roundup of all the entries. Please make and post your entries using any yellow colored food and send it in to them. (check for email here....)

Get out your kitchen gear...take out your extra change....let's get cooking for a cure!

Virtual Vines

Make your own wines...keep your day job.

David Dain Smith lives in Missouri, but his California winery is just a click away, waiting to spring to life in the dim glow of his computer screen.

Smith is making wine through Crushpad, a winery where the grapes are real but the experience is as virtual as members want it to be with e-mail updates, live chat and Web cams.

For Smith, a 49-year-old microbiologist working in pharmaceutical sales, the dream of making wine seemed like it would have to wait until retirement."Do you have $3 million sitting around? Well, I don't," Smith said.

He's now making Dain wines, to some acclaim, while keeping his day job. At $5,000 to $10,000 to make the minimum one barrel a year, Crushpad costs more than stomping grapes in a garage. But it's far from the financial plunge of setting up a winery. - AP

And normal wine reviews leave you a little dry....want a little more poetry in describing your wine tasting?

Pink Blogspot Template
The Red Wine Haiku Review
Paints Purple Hued Prose

I've got Meme

That dear sweet "in my neck of the cyberwoods" George, who deftly helms "I'm Not One to Blog, But...", has tagged me. Big time! Thanks, George. All I can say is "revenge is a dish best served cold." bwhaaaa haaaa haaaaa.

FOODOLOGY

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Ranch Dressing. It was "created" here in the Hidden Valley area of Santa Barbara!

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. Don't really do fast food. However, I have been known to go into Chipotle.

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. Local? Hmmmm.....Wine Cask (for "Free Wine Fridays" lunch) or Louie's. The City? Farallon (can you say "Emily Luchetti deserts?".

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. 15-20%

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick off of?
A. Chocolate

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. Non gingivitis?

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. Oh, silly. You put wallpaper on the walls. What is this...a trick question?

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. 3

BIOLOGY

Q. What’s your best feature?
A. Eyes

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. All 3 wisdom teeth at once. Had to eat jello for a week.

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Humour (that is one of the options, isn't it?)

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. Many moons ago.

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. My milk crate full of cookbooks.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. Yeah. I fell off a horse.

BULLSHITOLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. Ah...no. I saw that episode of X-Files.

Q. Is love for real?
A. Yes. There are several forms of love and they are "for real", most just not "forever"

Q. If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
A. Francesca.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Blue. People say I look good in red.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. Yes...but you don't want to know what it was.

Q. Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. No.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. Yes.

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. Depends on which street and which public.

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. Can I pick the recipient?

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. No. But I would gladly show the person offering me the money a certain "middle" finger.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. Ah...no.

Q. Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000?
A. Ah...no.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000?
A. Ah...no.

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. Ah...no. Who thought up these questions?

Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
A. That I could do. (YouTube clips don't count, do they?)

Q. Give up MySpace forever for $30,000?
A. Never had MySpace to begin with...so...YEAH, baby.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. My hand.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. Ah...no.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. Both. AND tile! :-)

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. Depends on who is in there with me.

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A. I do. I live in Santa Barbara...land of $1.2Mil median priced houses. LOTS of us have roomies.

Q: How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?
A. 1...but I'm oogling some cool ones over at L.L. Bean.

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. One pulled me over to tell me that my tire was underinflated.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. I don't want to grow up...I'm a Toys 'R Us kid....

LASTOLOGY

Q: Friend you talked to?
A. The bus driver who told me his jazz show moved to Friday nights at 8:00.

Q: Last person you called?
A. The front desk at work to tell them I'm leaving.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A. The bathroom.

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A. Send George a Meme.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A. Pan's Labyrinth.

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A. Generally yeah. Why the hell does someone want to know? Let me at'm.

FINI! Geez. Who can I curse now....hmmm....speaking of CURSE....that means only one dude. CARNACKI! and fellow Santa Barbarian, Ellen, who I adore, over at The Broad View, needs some encouragement to do some more blogging, so I'll meme her, too!

*UPDATE* Carnacki has completed his meme. And, may I add, he's not afraid to shed some blood.

Synsepalum dulcificum

It's the newest "hot" food. Really.

At a party here one recent Friday, Jacob Grier stood on a chair, pulled out a plastic bag full of small berries, and invited everyone to eat one apiece. "Make sure it coats your tongue," he said.

Mr. Grier's guests were about to go under the influence of miracle fruit, a slightly tart West African berry with a strange property: For about an hour after you eat it, everything sour tastes sweet.

Within minutes of consuming the berries, guests were devouring lime wedges as if they were candy. Straight lemon juice went down like lemonade, and goat cheese tasted as if it was "covered in powdered sugar," said one astonished partygoer. A rich stout beer seemed "like a milkshake," said another. - Truth About Trade & Technology

EatFoo(d) has more about this strange little berry dubbed "the Miracle Fruit".

The power of "The Blogs"

An interesting article I saw the other day in the San Francisco Chronicle, and also forwarded to me by "Sara" at Blogabarbara.

If you think restaurant critics from mainstream newspapers, television and magazines are tough on the food industry, you haven't spent much time in cyberspace. Online message boards, gossip columns, city restaurant guides and food blogs are proliferating and having a profound influence on where consumers spend their eating dollars. The once-genteel discipline of restaurant reviewing has turned into a free-for-all, celebrated by some as a new-world democracy but seen by others as populist tyranny.

Many restaurateurs say these amateur critics don't even give them time to press the wrinkles out of their table linens before posting negative write-ups. They long for the days when they had to contend only with mainstream critics, who generally wait at least 30 days before reviewing a restaurant so chefs and staff could work out the glitches.

But, bloggers believe they are doing a public service. Eating out is costly, they say, so why shouldn't buyers be forewarned before plunking down good money?

..."There's a depth of obsessiveness in these blogs that's making them fun to read, and they can have instant impact on a restaurant," said David Kamp, author of "United States of Arugula," a book about the evolution of the American food culture.

To change with the times, restaurateurs are doing what any smart businessperson does -- listening to their critics. They're also wining and dining powerful Internet food writers. - SFGate

I don't walk into a place and say "I'm a blogger. Cater to me" as I have seen some folks do. I'll leave that to them, although I will post some personal experiences that might not sit well with the owner of a place. I'm not a "completely fanatic foodie"...I enjoy that basics without the "airs." But, I'm more interested in the news behind the food industry...and sharing some recipes that I stumble upon. Hopefully that makes for good ingredients of a "tasty" blog experience.

Forget the "foaming at the mouth" reviews...I want "foamy in the cup" delish.

Velvety Foamy Chocolate in a Cup

Serves 4

Nancy Coupal of the Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto, Beverly Hills and Caracas, Venezuela says you can use nonfat milk in place of whole milk.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup bottled water

3 tablespoons fine cocoa powder (Valrhona or Scharffen Berger)

3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Guittard, Lindt)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat slowly. Blend the cornstarch into the water and then whisk into the milk. Continue whisking. When the mixture is hot, add the cocoa powder and chocolate. Whisk until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and blend for 1 to 2 minutes with an immersion blender. Tilt the saucepan and keep blending until liquid really foams up and thickens.

If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender but lift lid about 1/4 inch in a corner and cover with a towel.

Using a large serving spoon, spoon the chocolate into cups carefully so you do not lose the foam. The flavor improves if you make the chocolate the day before serving.

Store in refrigerator and heat before serving and re-froth. Serve with churros, cinnamon toast, or buttered sourdough toasted so it is dark around the edges.

Bloggers write books, too

and two of my favorite food bloggers, "floggers" if you will, have books out that I recommend you check out.

Heidi, over at 101 cookbooks, has "Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways: To Incorporate Whole & Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking"

Clotilde, from Chocolate & Zucchini, has "Chocolate and Zucchini, Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen."

What's Mardi Gras....

without a little King Cake, chicory coffee and beignets and cajun/creole flavored blogs.....

Looka! (aka The Gumbo Pages)
Metroblogging New Orleans
Survival of New Orleans Blog
NolaCuisine
Do You Know What It Means (to Miss New Orleans)
Tim's Nameless Blog
Your Right Hand Thief
Third Battle of N.O.
Wet Bank Guide
Traveling Mermaid
Squandered Heritage
NOLA-dishu
Moldy City
Humid City
Building Big Easy
Da Po' Blog
Confederacy of Dunces
Gentilly Girl
The Katrinacrat
Yat Pundit
b.rox
Blagueur
and of course, NOLA.com (the Times-Picayune) with the infamous "Bourbo-Cam!"

Go visit.
Never forget.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez.

Say "Hello" to....

some terrific, tasty blogs to check out.

• Santa Barbara County Wine Notes
• Dine and Dish
• Rurality
• Kate in the Kitchen
• Food Porn Watch
• 360Eats
• Sweet Nicks
• Food Blog S'cool
• Foodblog Blog
  

Slowly rebuilding my delicious linkies since blogger had a "snack attack" on my template and ate everything.