A Food Blog Conference By Any Other Name Would Not Be As Eat, Write, Retreat

Dan    Thoughts     awesome, Canadian beef, eat write retreat, food bloggers, friends, vacations, Washington DC

While on my red-eye flight to Washington, D.C. this past week (I always slap myself for taking those late night flights), so many thoughts were passing through my mind. Many consisted of how I would ninja myself into a fancy VIP event at the White House, but also about the conference I was heading there to attend.

Eat, Write, Retreat promised to be a weekend full of hands-on workshops, expert panels, and, of course, food, lots and lots of food! This was Eat, Write, Retreat‘s inaugural conference, my first as well, so I was excited to see how it would all play out.

(note: All pictures courtesy of Kimmy Bingham, unless otherwise noted on image)

When I entered the Friday night meet and greet, I set out to prove that I was not a twitter recluse (aka chatty online/wallflower in person…Can boys be wallflowers? Anyway…). Turning on the charm, smile, and occasional wink, I was poised and ready to meet my fellow Eat, Write, Retreat-ers.

There is always this slight set of nerves that kick in before meeting someone off the internet in-person. You always wonder…’What if they turn out to be an axe-murderer?” or ‘What if they were lying online and actually turn out to be an interior design blogger?‘ You know, those kinds of things. Luckily, this conference turned out to be axe-murderer and design blogger free! I think. Jokes aside, I was genuinely amazed by how many great individuals I got to know over the three days that would follow.

Here are some key things that I took away from this weekend:

• Never stop learning: I know that sounds infinitely cheesy, but after spending two hours in a writing workshop with Monica Bhide, I was inspired. She had a captivating presence, and I was fully receptive to the entire presentation. Taking a snippet from her workshop’s ‘homework’, whether it’s a new word every day, or a new story every week, being open to new experiences makes for a better writer.

• Nothing happens over night: During a great panel session with Domenica Marchetti, Jennifer Perillo, Shauna James Ahern, and Jael McHenry I learned that if you do what you love, then the reward will come to you. The second you start to think things like: ‘I want more readers now!‘ or ‘I deserve a cookbook deal!‘ you’re compromising the quality behind your work. To steal a line from one of my favourite books, Shoeless Joe, ‘If you build it, they will come.’

• Everyone has a story: I found that meeting countless individuals, so passionate about their writing, regardless of the focus, created a vested interest for myself in each one of them. It’s one thing to follow someone on Twitter, chat online, and read their blog posts, but when you’re standing in front of someone and hearing why they do what they do, write what they write, it really resonates. Not that online relationships are purely superficial, but there is something to be said about a real face-to-face conversation. Now, I can read these blogs through the person’s point of view, not the other way around. I kind of rambled there…does that make sense?

There is so much more I could talk about this weekend. Eating freshly steamed crabs at the D.C. fish market with fellow Canadians Ethan and Isabelle with our bare hands, having lunch with author Jael McHenry, touring the Washington monuments with D.C. local Maisha, or even cooking like show-offs with Mike and Kimmy during our CulinAerie culinary session.

I truly treasured each moment of this experience.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Casey Benedict and Robyn Webb for creating, and making, Eat, Write, Retreat such an amazing experience. Also to Canadian Beef for giving me (and the other four lucky Canadians, whole gang pictured below!) the opportunity to attend this conference. It was a weekend I will not soon forget!

Sweet and Smokey Apple BBQ Sauce

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     apples, bbq, grilling, marinade, quick and easy, sauce, summer

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (chopped)

4 cloves garlic (chopped)

2 fuji apples (cored, chopped)

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup brown sugar

1 TSP cayenne pepper

1 TBSP lapsang souchong tea (crushed…also optional if this freaks you out!)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Over the past couple summers, I’ve become slightly addicted to creating my own BBQ sauces (see espresso or root beer versions) simply because they’re quick to make, and much more pat-on-the-back appropriate than anything that you can buy out of a bottle. This apple BBQ sauce is awesome as a marinade for anything you’re wanting to pop on the grill, except for apples…with apple BBQ sauce? That would be inappropriate, too much apple. Anyway if you’re unfamiliar with lapsang souchong tea, it is a strong black leaf that has a nice hickory-esque flavour to it. Throwing a tablespoon of this dried black tea into the mix will give it an awesome smokey taste. Trust me!

Alright, start things off by cooking down the onions and garlic in a large pan with some olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the onions have softened, about 5 minutes, toss in the apple chunks. Season with some salt and pepper and let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now, add in all remaining ingredients and stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place contents of pan in a blender and puree until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. The cayenne should give the sauce enough of a kick, so I’d lay off on adding a pile of pepper.

This BBQ sauce should last up to three weeks in a covered container in your refrigerator. Slather on whatever you please, and enjoy!

Yields 3 cups of sauce

Total cook time…35 min

Start From Scratch

Dan    Start From Scratch, The Progress, Thoughts     awesome, calgary, cooking, Kick The KD, learning, Start From Scratch

Without further adieu, let me present to you the new face (botox-free) and name of the program formerly known as Kick The KD.

Say hello to Start From Scratch!

I hope you’ll like the new look and title! We’re working on a new website for this program, www.startfromscratch.ca, which will go live in July 15th! I’ve had an overwhelming amount of support with this program, and am excited to bring it back in the fall, offering it both to University of Calgary and Mount Royal University students. For now, I’ll be taking a brief, and much needed, vacation to Washington, D.C., but will return refreshed and eager to start planning for the fall!

If you would like more information about this cooking initiative, or are looking for sponsorship or volunteer opportunities, feel free to email our team at info@startfromscratch.ca!

Stay tuned for more updates on Start From Scratch!

You can follow us on twitter at @StartFrmScratch

KTKD: New Program Name TBA at 4PM May 15th!

Dan    Start From Scratch, The Progress, Thoughts     awesome, calgary, Kick The KD, learning

It’s almost time!

It’s been just about one month since I was ‘encouraged’ to change the name of this cooking initiative. Now, the wait is finally over…well…almost…Check back here at 4PM on Sunday, May 15th to check out the new look and title of this program, formerly known asKick The KD!

The official announcment of this new name and logo is happening during our graduation party, which is taking place at Home Tasting Room. I’m excited, and hope you are too! Until then, please wait with baited breath.

Stacey: A Look Back on the KTKD Experience

Dan    Stacey, Start From Scratch, The Progress     calgary, cooking, KTKD, learning, Stacey, thoughts

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the KTKD program.  I hope you have gotten the sense from my blog posts that I am grateful to Dan for his vision and inclusion of me in this experience.  I started the course with some cooking knowledge and am leaving with the confidence and creativity to put it to use.  I hope that my fellow participants who had less skill going in than me realize that all that it takes to start cooking is finding what you like, learning to read a recipe, and the ability to chop .  The rest we learn as we go along.

One of the most surprising things I learned in this course was that following food blogs can be fun!  I really thought this would be my least favourite part, however, I have learned that food bloggers don’t just post recipes, they post life experiences too.  For example, my food blogger Ethan shared with his readers his personal story of love and loss of his ‘Bubbie’ and her love of food.

Additionally, things I could never dream up on my own are revealed by those who have a talent with the culinary arts.  Yelp community manager Wendy shared her molecular gastronomy project which inspired me to plan to create my own ‘caviar’ and I have found many other exciting projects simply by paying more attention to the immense amount of information available by friends and contacts (i.e. on Facebook, Twitter, etc).  I might wager that food bloggers use Twitter more than any other group of collective hobbyists.

I went into each class with the goal of learning at least one new thing each time.  As a result I have built a rich collection of memories and tools that I hope will impress my dinner guests who have all been jealous of this opportunity and keen to hear about it.

I hope Dan’s program will continue to expand and be successful; University students are smart when it comes to a lot of things, but we are often too complacent when it comes to the necessities of life.  All too easily we settle for KD (or something like it) because it uses one pot and is ready in 15 minutes.  Dan has showed us that making just a little extra time for proper cooking is easy and rewarding. Thank you

–Stacey

Blue Cheese & Honey Risotto with Roasted Scallions

Dan    Mains, Recipes     cheese, delicious, italian, rice, risotto, stir crazy, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

5 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock for vegetarians)

2 TBSP butter

1 yellow onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 TBSP honey

1/2 bulb roasted garlic (chopped)

1/2 blue cheese (cubed)

2 bunches scallions (trimmed)

olive oil

salt and pepper

I used to be afraid of risotto. Maybe it was the risotto disaster of 2007, an emotionally scarring event that left me with a pan of mush, and three unhappy dinner guests. I try not to bring it up anymore…too painful. Anyway, after significant culinary counselling, I have conquered my rice demons. My first risotto venture for this site was this one, which I made last summer. A bit odd, I admit, but tasty nonetheless. I enjoy a good risotto once in awhile, when I have the time to focus and stir. The time you put into this dish is always worth the wait when you finally put it on the table. If you’re wondering about the blue cheese/honey combo…trust me…it works!

Start by preheating your oven to high broil. Then, place the chicken stock in a small pot and let come to a simmer on medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, turn to low heat so the broth stays nice and hot! Next, melt the butter in a large pan. Add-in the onion and garlic to let cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until the onions start to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Now, add the arborio rice, again, stirring regularly, and let cook for a few minutes.

Time for the liquid additions…Pour in the white wine. Stir frequently, and once the wine is almost completely absorbed, you can start ladling in the broth, what until the liquid is absorbed, then repeating the process, all the while stirring like a crazy man/woman. This process will last approximately 20 minutes.

Amidst your busy schedule stirring, we’re going to quickly roast some scallions. Place the greens into a small, prepared baking dish. Drizzle with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, then pop into the oven for 12-15 minutes. Turning once halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once your risotto rice has reached that nice al dente bite (again, about 20 minutes or so), add the honey, blue cheese, and roasted garlic to the pan. Still stirring, always stirring, until the cheese has melted and blended into the mixture. Finally, add a good helping of ground black pepper, and salt if you think you need some, but you probably won’t.

Scoop the risotto onto the plate, top with some of those roasted scallions, and serve. I recommend that you also suggest to your dinner guests that a round of golf claps are in order for making a successful batch of risotto. Enjoy!

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…30-35 min