My New Favorite Salad

Babble asked their Top Mom Food Bloggers for a recipe a few months ago and I sent in this Smoked Salmon, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad with Dill as I was infatuated with it at the time.

Turns out it's still a favorite and I've been keeping radishes, dill and lemons on hand just so I can satiate my cravings as often as needed. Half the time I leave out the smoked salmon and grapefruit, and go with crunchier vegetables such as celery, fennel and the aforementioned, radishes.

Top with a few Quick Pickled Red Onions and you have yourself a new favorite salad. Promise.


Its delicate spring colors will entice you, while its vibrant flavors win you for keeps. Perfect for brunch, a light lunch, or a dinner appetizer, this pretty salad is a great way to stretch smoked salmon and make raw vegetables the star of the meal.

Head over to Babble Food for the Smoked Salmon, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad recipe.

Dinner at Empire State South

Restaurant reviews are something that went out the window a looong time ago around here. I posted a few at the beginning and then realized that I strongly disliked writing reviews. I just wanted to enjoy my meal, not sweat the poor lighting for photos and hour long write up upon my return home. Non merci.

Plus, with two little children added to our family, our restaurant outings have slowed to a crawl. It's not exactly like I stay on top of the local restaurant scene. And I don't pretend to.

This past weekend, however, offered the chance for a dinner out on the town - in humid Atlanta, Georgia. Danny and I were in town for a mini second honeymoon and the Blogher Food conference - of course we wanted to eat Atlanta while we had the opportunity.

You can read my full BHF'11 recap on Simple Bites -I had a marvelous time- but over here we're going to talk about dinner.

Danny & Shaina

The destination? Empire State South. A Canadian chef's modern take on Southern food, served up in style, with plenty of love.

ESS proudly considers itself a farm-to-table restaurant, which reminded me a lot of our own Toque! and the scads of in-house charcuterie bordered on Au Pied du Cochon's style.

Needless to say, I felt quite at home at Empire State South.

My dining companions? Eight fabulous rock-star food bloggers. You just may recognize a few names here: Alice & her husband Rob, Sandy, Carrie, Amanda, Tara, Jenny, Lori, Shaina.
Along with Danny and I, we invaded the small-ish Empire State South and proceeded to ordered half the menu.

Thanks to Amanda, I've got food photos from the meal. I was too busy gabbing with the girls to work the camera and was happy to hand it over to the competent Amanda.

Amanda's first oyster! This ain't no New York cupcake - The girl is fearless.

Carrie & Jenny

Soft Poached Farm Egg anson mills grits, maitake, baby celery.

Strawberry Gazpacho, pickled shrimp, asparagus, marcona almonds.

Ramp Orecchiette, carrot puree, carrots, english peas, squash and benne.

Roasted Grouper, pea broth, young zucchini.


There are no photos of desserts to speak of, save this one, snapped with my iPhone.


We ordered eight plates, but they disappeared so fast. I was sitting next to Amanda and I don't know anyone who loves sweets more that that girl!

I knew that if I wanted a fighting chance at tasting dessert, I had to put the camera down. And so I did.

Alice, myself, Amanda

We sampled:

• Coconut Cream Pie, almond brittle,
• Fried strawberry pie, pickled strawberry, buttermilk ice cream
• Coke soft serve ice cream, peanut funnel cake (pictured above)
  
• Grasshopper Terrine, candied chocolate mint

Shaina and I have since been fantasizing over the strawberry pies.I think she's going to have a recipe coming soon. Hopefully just in time for our strawberry season.

Shaina & Lori

Consensus? We loved Empire State South. The entire evening was surreal. Fantastic food. Brilliant company. Inspiring conversation. I think it lasted about three hours, and is definitely going in the books as one of my most memorable dining experiences.

BwoB: An Update

Bloggers without Borders (BwoB) is a blogger-based charity whose mission is to help people—bloggers and readers alike—by harnessing the good will of the blogging community. Its founders are Maggy Keet of ThreeManyCooks, Erika Pineda-Ghanny of The Ivory Hut, Julie Van Rosendaal of Dinner with Julie, and Aimee Wimbush-Bourque of Simple Bites. BwoB officially launches in July 2011.

UPDATE!
Thanks to everyone who gave so generously, we've been able to donate over a thousand dollars each to both Kristan and Sheila and their causes.

You can read their updates here:
Kristan in Arkanasas.
Sheila for Joplin, MO.

* * *

It's been about 36 hours since we launched Bloggers without Borders and our fundraising efforts for tornado victims, so we thought it was time for a progress report. As of midnight, we had raised over $1,200 for tornado victims across the United States. We can't thank you enough for your quick and generous response.

After launching our Joplin campaign, another blogger with another need came to our attention. Kristan of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen lives 5 minutes from where another tornado hit in Arkansas. Fortunately, lives were spared, but her uncle---a father of four who doesn't have much insurance---lost the family business when his flooring store was flattened. Family homes were also severely damaged and the overall loss is heartbreaking.



Kristan's uncle's family store.

When she learned of Kristan's situation, Shelia, our Joplin recipient, generously offered to share half of the fundraising proceeds with Kristan's community. "There is so much need that we definitely need to spread the love," she said. Kristan will distribute her share of the funds to the most urgent of situations in the Etna/Denning, AR community. She will also give us an update on her blog and share how the money was allotted. Truly, this is bloggers helping bloggers.

As we watch the news and the updates that are coming from these tornado-stricken areas, we feel such deep sadness for these people who have lost everything. Many of you expressed the same sentiment but we no longer feel helpless or hopeless, because together as bloggers, we are actually doing something to help in a real and meaningful way.

Our goal is to raise at least $2,000 so that we can give each blogger and her community $1,000. Please help us reach that goal!

And for those who already have donated, thank you for your support. Your tweets and blog posts touch us, and they encourage us to forge ahead. There is much need, yes, but together we're making a difference.


With gratitude,

Bloggers without Borders

Want to spread the word? Want to help us raise money? E-mail us and we'll send you the code for the BwoB badge and donate button.

BwoB: Help for Joplin, MO

Bloggers without Borders (BwoB) is a blogger-based charity whose mission is to help people—bloggers and readers alike—by harnessing the good will of the blogging community. Its founders are Maggy Keet of ThreeManyCooks, Erika Pineda-Ghanny of The Ivory Hut, and Aimee Wimbush-Bourque of Simple Bites. BwoB officially launches in July 2011.

____________________

Everyone around the country is deeply saddened by the tragedy that has taken place in Joplin, MO. And sadly, the tragedy has closely touched the life of our blogging friend, Sheila from Strawberry Cake. Her great aunt was killed when the nursing home she was living in was hit by the huge tornado that devastated the area. Other members of Sheila's family were hospitalized with injuries and have damaged homes.

Photo Credit: Tom Uhlenbrock, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

We know there are many bloggers out there who would like to help the people of Joplin—but, of course, we are not there. We don't know what the needs are. So we are raising money for Sheila's family and the people of Joplin. Rather than give it to a large aid organization, we're going to give it to Sheila so that she can distribute it to the people, organizations or local efforts that need help.

Once the money is collected and has been dispersed, Sheila will share with us what she did with the money—who it helped and how it helped—so that we can share that with you. You'll know right where your money went.

So please give $1, $5 or as much as your financial situation allows. This money will go to people directly affected by the disaster—given to the people who need it by someone from our own community.



Thank you for your support,

Maggy, Erika and Aimee
Bloggers without Borders
@bloggerswob

Want to spread the word? Want to help us raise money? E-mail us and we'll send you the code for the BwoB badge and donate button.

Wordless Wednesday: 9 Years Married. Us.

Up, Up and Away

Photo by Aimee Giese of Greeblemonkey

My menu plan for this week listed only three dinners, Mon-Wed. Tomorrow Danny and I jet down south for a little getaway that will combine work and play - with plenty of great food you can be sure.

I'm attending BlogHer Food, a major conference for food bloggers, in Atlanta, Georgia. Danny has some work-related meetings on Friday and will crash a few BlogHer parties with me. We'll also meet up with some very dear friends from years gone by who live in the vicinity.

Oh, Thursday is also our wedding anniversary (9 years!), so a trip without the kids is much deserved. I'm particularly excited about dinner reservations at Empire State South; hot new resto, hot chef - and dining with no kids!

Why a blogging conference?
It's a fair question. And one that I get a lot. So, um, like what do you do there?

Well, like any conference, it is a chance to hone your skills by taking in the many sessions all tailored to your particular niche. Yep, I said 'niche'. You hear that word a lot at a blogging conference.

It's also an opportunity to network, put faces to avatars, shake hands and exchange a business card. Nothing beats face time when a good part of one's job description is building community.

I also intend to share some laughs (none of this virtual 'Lol' stuff) with good friends I have made. I'm meeting a food blogging mentor (we're doing dinner. someone pinch me, please.) for the first time, and I'm also looking forward to connecting with a long list of individuals I've been crushing on for some time.


Did I mention parties? And swag?
OK, that's not why I'm going, but obviously, it's all part of the fun. In the shot above I was at the 2011 Blissdom conference, headed to a party, and looking pretty happy about it, no?

So that's the update. Now I've got some packing to do.

Backyard Chickens and Other Spring Projects

Spring has sprung on our little semi-urban homestead and so have several much discussed outdoor projects. Our chicken coop has been built, five brown hens moved in, and egg production is in full swing.

We knew it would be a thrill to add feathered friends to our family, but could never have anticipated the extent of the boy's enthusiasm over the fowl.

Noah scampers out in a dressing gown and flip-flops each morning to lower the ramp from their loft, give them a scoop of feed and check for eggs. His toes curl up, withdrawing from the dew-drenched grass as he crosses the yard, and he arrives back at the breakfast table with bright eyes and rosy cheeks.

What a way to start the day. It makes me so happy.

The coop is low enough for both boys to handle most of the chores. The design is such that the coop is moved every couple of days to give the hens fresh greens to eat and ground to scratch. It is working very well for us.

Danny and I have decided that we're going to 'off' the birds in the late fall. We both have plenty of experience in this area. The only question is how much - if anything- we will tell the boys. More on that hot topic later.


A Garden of Our Own

After admiring my neighbour's garden all last summer (no time to put one in last year with birthing a blog, hosting a family reunion, and everything that comes with settling into a new home) we are determined to get our raised beds up and producing this spring.

Danny, ever a man of thorough action, has sourced us the wood pictured above and will be building four raised beds. Not, as it would appear, a log cabin.

The whine of his skilsaw eating into the logs last night sent me into a tizzy of excitement and I abandoned the post I was drafting to tap out a quick list of vegetables and herbs I will be planting.

And for now, I look out over the woodpile and dream of fresh parsley, baby beet and colorful chard.

Ah, Spring! She always brings exciting new possibilities.

WW: Easter Egg Hunt

Wordless Wednesday: Our Backyard Chicken Coop

Get the full story: Bwaaakk! Our Journey to Backyard Chickens.

Eccles Cakes for the Royal Wedding

We've been keeping so busy with Easter, Earth Day, building a chicken coop, and the arrival of spring to the back yard, that I hadn't given much thought to the impending royal wedding.

Then last Saturday, over at my in-laws, my sister and I browsed a small stack of magazines dedicated to Will, Kate and big event. The ring! The story! The romance! I fell hard for the whole package.

The next day I bookmarked The Website, followed the Twitter account and even took a peak at the You Tube channel.

It's pretty magical, you have to admit. A prince, struck with tragedy so young, forever in the public eye, now marrying for love.

My mother married a British man nearly 40 years ago, my dear dad. I was delighted when she told me today that she was making her wedding cake again - a traditional English fruitcake- in honour of the royal wedding. She was also planning to rise at 3 am, go over to her sisters (my parents don't have TV) and watch the whole shebang. Mom, you are so cool.

Of course I've done a bit of baking of my own. Buttermik Scones are prepared for tomorrow's breakfast and wedding viewing. Although I'll be playing catch up online. No 3 am wake up for this mama.

If you're looking for an accompaniment to your tea tomorrow, may I suggest Eccles Cakes? Imagine a layer of black currants and sugar pressed between two sheets of puff pastry and baked to a crisp, caramelized delicious morsel. They've been a favorite of mine forever. That British background working its influence on my palate, I guess.

This particular interpretation of a classic British tea-time treat is more of a Canadian version of the original tea cakes of Eccles, England. With only three ingredients it is fast to make and you can easily whip up a batch for afternoon tea. So put the kettle on.


Eccles Cakes

ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs puff pastry, chilled
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup currants

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Plump currants in hot water 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

Roll chilled dough in a floured surface in to a rectangle 3/16 inch thick. Put aside for a moment while removing all dusting flour. Sprinkle the work surface generously with sugar and continue rolling dough to 1/8 inch thickness.


Trim the piece in to a precise rectangle. Cover half the dough solidly with currants in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Fold the remaining half of the dough over the top of the currants.

Gently press a rolling pin over the entire surface until the black currants show through the sheet of thin dough. The result is a nice speckled appearance.

With a knife or pastry wheel, cut the dough into 2-inch squares and place 1-2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Place in the refrigerator to relax the dough for 25 minutes while the oven heats.


Reheat oven to 375F.

Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven. When the bottoms have caramelized and are light brown, carefully turn the cakes over and finish baking. ( I forgot to do this step, so my tops are less caramelized.)

Place cakes on rack to cool. Enjoy!

Ed note: excerpts and photos from this post were previously published in October, 2007.