International Food Blogger Conference 2014- Day 1

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A while back after I started this blog that I wanted to go to a blogger conference to learn more about how to food blog.  Most of the conferences would have required a plane to attend.  After a bit of research I found IFBC!  I decided to attend because the cost was very reasonable.

When I was signing up I was just hoping to learn more about blogging.  As the conference became closer to reality I was really hoping to meet new people who enjoy food as much as I do and learn new tips and tricks for my new blog. 

Here is how my prep for the conference and the first day went!

Packing: 
I figured I would be eating...ALOT!  So far that is accurate!  I made sure to pack shirts that were a bit loose and pants that weren't too binding.  So far this has been an amazing choice.
I also packed a backpack because I was not staying at the Westin where the conference was held and I wanted to be fairly hands free  I am staying at a cute little boutique hotel called Hotel 5 that is about 3 blocks down the road.  (I recommend it!  The people are so friendly!)

I also packed my tablet to blog, business cards and a notebook.

Arrival:

I arrived in Seattle around 11:30am and was starting,  Our first IFBC event wasn't scheduled until 1pm so I headed to Pike Place which is about 6 blocks away.  I had Piroshkys. 
YUM!  I walked back to the hotel and it was about time to head to the shuttle to Sur la table. 

I am a total introvert at heart so when I arrived at the lobby I got overwhelmed because there were 49 other people there who all seemed to know each other.  I kept reminding myself that one of my goals were to meet new people but in the moment I felt impending doom.  I swallowed my heart back into my stomach and got onto the bus.  I sat in one of the first seats and hoped that whoever ended up sitting next to me wasn't a total asshat.  Lucky for me, my seatmate was a total sweetie.  We bonded over our introversion and had a good time. 

The Sur la table excursion was fun,  They did a cooking demo of homemade pasta with pesto,  and a cranberry tart ( I will be making that one soon!  YUMMO).

I couldn't believe the swag that we received.  A great start to this conference to a swag whore that I am.

After I returned the two bags of swag back to the hotel, I went back to the Westin to go to the Gift Suite.  The sway whore in me went crazy.  So much free stuff to try.

They also fed us too!

Even though I have eaten a crazy amount of food, I still went out to dinner at a local bar named Palace Kitchen.  I had a drink that had cherry, vodka, and moscato in it.  It was a soft and sweet drink.  I had an appetizer of Olive Poppers and dinner was a potato corn soup that had smoked salmon in it.  It was a great atmosphere and really yummy!

Now I am currently unwinding in my room watching food network and will soon be calling it a day once I finish this post!

So far... totally worth it even if I have to make myself a bit uncomfortable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt's Almond Birthday Cake

adapted from aaronandyolanda.com

I have an almond cake obsession!  So when Matt asked for an almond cake recipe I was excited to look for something outside of the box that I typically don't think of when I make an almond cake.  The coolest thing about this is that this cake is made up of ripped up muffins.  I had about 6 left over muffins that I was able to have for breakfast after making this cake.  It's a twofer!  This was a delicate cake that has soft and subtle flavors!  Right up my husbands alley!

No picture today!  I totally made this amazing cake and forgot to take a picture....You have to trust me...it was pretty and super tasty.  If you want to see what this bad boy looks like check out the link above.

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry Almond Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 large yolk, room temperature

1 1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 cup sour cream, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups strawberries

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, amount depending on desired consistency

Other components:

sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted

raspberry jam 

DIRECTIONS

Raspberry Almond Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs and yolk. Add in sugar, melted butter, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined.

In three additions, pour wet mixture into large bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold together until combined. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide batter into prepared muffin tin.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until muffins are golden in color and a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing and allow muffins to cool on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add salt and vanilla. Mix until combined. Slowly add sifted confectioners' sugar. Mix until smooth and desired consistency is achieved.

Layer Cake Assembly:

Take an 8-inch cake ring and place on a slightly larger cake board. Alternatively, place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cut a 3-inch wide acetate strip to line the inside of the cake ring.

Take the raspberry muffin scraps and divide it into three equal parts. Take one part of the scraps and make the first layer inside the ring. Use the palm of your hands, the bottom of a drinking glass, or a tamper to push the scraps together into a flat and even layer.

Spread about 1/4 cup of raspberry jam in an even layer over the cake.

Spread about 1/3 of cream cheese frosting over the raspberry jam layer.

Add another layer of cake scraps. Repeat the process for the first layer. Add the third layer of cake and cover with the remaining 1/3 of cream cheese frosting. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds.

Let cake rest in freezer for at least 1 hour. Gently remove cake ring and gently peel off the acetate strip while cake cold. Let cake defrost in fridge for a couple of hours before serving

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Hamburger Pie

Please excuse the horrible picture of this.  I totally forgot to take a picture of this while it was hot and yummy.  This is all that was left when I remembered to snap a picture.  Maybe this is the best picture I could have cause you know we ate a large portion of this!  

This recipe is a fun way to change up cheeseburgers.  Especially for the winter months when you can't get outside on a grill. The best thing about this recipe is the flavor of the meat!

Get in the kitchen and make this!

Adapted from melissassouthernstylekitchen.com

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 [20] oz package refrigerated hash brown potatoes
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 large egg, beaten
For the filling:
4 slices bacon
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp mustard
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
12 dill pickle chips, pat dry

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a 9 inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.  Mix together the crust ingredients and press onto the bottom and the sides of the pie dish.  Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.  Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.

On the stove top, cook the bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and crumble.  Discard all but 2 Tbsp of the pan drippings. Add the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Season with salt and black pepper to your taste.  Add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains.  Drain any excess fat from the pan.  Season with hamburger or steak seasoning [Tip: Adjust the amount based on the brand used] and Worcestershire sauce.  Remove from the heat.  Add panko breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, 1 cup of shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and beaten eggs.

Mix until combined then spread over the hash brown crust.  Arrange the dill pickles on top.


Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until set and the edges are golden.  Rest for 5 minutes before cutting.  Serve with an additional drizzle of mustard and ketchup if desired. Yield: 6-8 pieces


© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Ginger Cookies

So I have never been a huge fan of ginger cookies.  I would rather eat oatmeal raisin cookies.  That was until I was introduced to these unassuming cookies.  They are simple to make and are chewy disks of happiness. They have a great spice and kick to them while staying sweet.

I hounded my friend until she gave me the recipe. I have tweaked the recipe a smidgen by adding cardamom to the mix and occasionally ginger nibs (when I have them on hand). They have since been my go to cookie.  They freeze SO WELL!  I love to make huge batches of these and then thaw them in the microwave for 10 seconds when unexpected guests come over or I have a cookie craving that can't be ignored!  They are a regular cookie I make for Christmas too! I have yet to find someone who hasn't loved these cookies.  I dare you do try!  (P.S. if you do find that person...unfriend them because they have no taste!)

Enjoy!

Ginger Cookies
Adapted from Jess Carey
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 egg (Room temp if you can)
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar and I add sugar sprinkles to this sugar for texture
Optional: 1/2 cup Ginger Nibs (http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/crystallized-candied-ginger-chunks-slices-and-nibs) these add great texture and a bit of zip (Add to the flour mixture)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer cream butter and sugar together in a bowl.  Once mixture is incorporated beat in egg and molasses.

In a separate bowl sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves & salt  together. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in small increments.  This will reduce the flour mushroom cloud and ensure even distribution.

Once the dough is mixed together, use a cookie scoop to make cookie balls.  If you do not have a cookie scoop you can just take the dough in your hands to make a 1 inch ball.  Roll your balls into the sugar to make sure you have an even coating over each dough ball.

Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet.  I have mine lined with a silpat.   I can put a dozen cookies on one sheet.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes for a soft and chewy cookie.  If you like a crunchier cookie bake for a few minutes more.

Makes at least 3 dozen cookies (Mine often yields 4 dozen cookies)

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Eating my way through Vegas!

So I recently took a girls weekend with some lovely ladies to Las Vegas.  I have to say that this was one of my favorite trips to Las Vegas as our only intention was to sit by the pool, go to 3 different Cirque shows (O, Michael Jackson and Zoomanity) and EAT.  This was the first time I had ever seen one of their shows and to see 3 shows in a 4 day span was amazing!  However, I was also able to visit 4 different celebrity chef restaurants while out in Las Vegas and this made me VERY happy.  The only other time I have been to a celebrity chef restaurant is when I was in Las Vegas last year for a roller derby convention and I snuck away to go to Gordon Ramsay's Burgr.  It was more than I could have imagined!

So for this trip, the best thing about eating with this group of ladies is that we all liked to eat.  And not like a bird!  We ordered multiple things and shared them all! I was so happy we did this as it allowed me to get a real sense of the each menu.

So let's get you to the food porn.  First Stop was Guy Fieri's Kitchen & Bar at the Quad.  We had just arrived in Vegas after a series of flights and a hotel mishap.  We were starving.

Picture of the front menu!

 Picture of the back

For appetizers we ordered buffalo fries!  (The sauce was the same that I used to make at Franks!!! YUMM) We also ordered crispy wanton tacos!

 Our waiter was pretty amazing and recommended we have the turkey burger off the menu!  I am so glad we did!  It was my favorite thing on their menu.

More turkey burger pictures.

Next thing we ordered was a bacon cheeseburger that had macaroni and cheese on it!  Yum!

Lastly, we finished off with the ultimate cheesecake which had chocolate, pretzels and potato chips on it.  This was a pretty spectacular work of art but in the end this was the only thing that we had that I would not order again.  It was just regular old cheesecake at the end of the day!

 The next night we went to Gordon Ramay's Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace.  The waitress we had there was not nearly as amazing as the one we had the night before but that did not effect the taste of the food.
Pub and Grill Menu

Pictures of the menu!

My drink for the night (a bit fuzzy...the room was super dark)

Pan-seared diver scallops with steamed clams with leaks, potato bacon chowder and confit tomatoes.  We were so hungry that we already started dishing out the food...so this plate is a bit messy!

Trip of pot pies- Chicken Pot Pie, Steak and Ale, and Shepherd's Pie (My favorite was the chicken)

I am not a curry fan but this was called Madras Butter Curry Chicken- Tomato with Butter, Yogurt, Aromatic Spices and Basmati Rice.  I LOVED IT!  First time I have ever had one I liked!

Lobster Mac and Cheese with Gruyere, English cheddar and Parmesan cheese!

Yum!

Night 3 we went to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill!  I am not sure what I was thinking but when the food came out to the table I was so excited to stuff it all into my face that I missed out on the majority of the pictures.  However we tried the following: Blue Corn Lobster Tacos, Tiger Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale, Rough Cut Tuna "Nachos and Yucatan Chicken Skewers!

We were still hungry after all of that so we ordered the grilled chicken  that had a cilantro pesto mashed potato.  I will be recreating these mashed lovelies at some point!

Our last stop was to Fleur by Hubert Keller!  We only had time for dessert and drinks and here is what was ordered!

Needless to say I ate my way through Vegas and would not have changed a single thing!  

Sticky Chicken Wings

I love chicken. It is one of the most versitle meats out there. Back in high school and college I used to work at a place that sold buffalo wings. I have actually lost a lot of sensitivity in my fingers from sticking my hands on freshly fried chicken to test if the food was done cooking. Any chance I get to make buffalo wings brings back fond memories of that job. Frankly any chance I get to make wings, grill burgers or hot dogs reminds me of a simpler time where all the money I made went to fun things instead of bills. Ahh to be irresponsible again!

Anyho, I have had these pinned on my pinterest for ages and I finally decided to make them. They were so tastey! I couldnt get enough of them. They had such a concentrated flavor. I even added a bit of seasame seeds to the top of my wings and it made all the difference! I imagine you could use this recipe with bonless skinless chicken breasts too and it would be tastey too! If you are looking to have a fun hands on meal I would reccomend using this recipe!

Sticky Chicken Wings
Adapted from all recipies 

 Ingredients
4 pounds chicken wings, tips discarded
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 (12 fluid ounce) can cola-flavored carbonated beverage
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Seaseme Seeds for garnish
Green Onions

Directions
In a pan on medium heat, brown chicken wings then add all other ingredients to the pan. Reduce liquids down and reduce heat and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid starts sticking to the wings.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal

Angel Dream Cake

Even though I love to bake and make things from scratch there are many times where this bitch ain’t got time for that.  So I have a few go to recipes in my back pocket that are always a big hit when I don’t have a lot of time to fuss around in the kitchen.  They typically include what I call “cheats”.  Instant pudding or box cake mix or recipes that can be made in less than 10 minutes.

This is a cake that I have been making for those last minute events for over 6 years.  Every time I make it I get asked for the recipe!  It’s a perfect dessert for the summer. Every bite is light and fluffy and not filling.  Plus there is fruit so it makes this dessert healthy! I may be guilty of calling this breakfast on occasion. It’s that good!  All the flavor without the guilt!  That’s my kind of quick dessert!

Make this for your next bbq or family gathering and I can promise it will be a hit!

Angel Dream Cake
adapted from Kraft 

What You Need
1 can (20 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple in Juice, undrained
1 pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 pkg.  (10 oz.) round angel food cake (can also use 2 pkg. (5 oz. each) dessert shells (12 shells))
2 cups mixed fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) (washed and strawberries hulled and sliced)

Directions
Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix. Stir in COOL WHIP.
Cube cake.
Layer in cake, pudding mix and fruit in trifle dish.
Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Makes 12 servings.

© Kim Bohme and A Bohme Cooked Meal