It seems like forever since I returned from BlogHer Food '11 in Atlanta, but in reality it was only a few days ago. Here are five things I want to remember:
1) Homemade popsicles are the best. Amongst my wanderings in downtown Atlanta, I visited King of Pops, a handmade popsicle stand. The salty chocolate was a perfect midday chiller to the humid Atlanta heat.
2) Sugar-coated Radical is doing amazing work, through candy. I walked by this micro-company's stand twice at Sweet Auburn market before stopping at their bicycle transported stall. The handmade caramels and lollipops included wild flavors (even tobacco plant!) infused into the cream. The company philosophy is as imaginative and hopeful as the candy tastes.
3) Roasting peaches is a magnificent idea. The coffee shop serving roasted peach lemonade was a hit among food bloggers for good reason - the drink was comprised of real fresh peaches, roasted and blended with fresh lemon juice and a slight bit of sugar. It was refreshing and healthy among a conference otherwise filled with carbo-fatso-goodness.
4) Cakes and Ale serves a fantastic, local-intensive meal, the best of my trip. I fell in love with chef's palate because it is so similar to mine: vegetables in every dish, err on the salty side of things, and playful with temperature and texture.
5) Pork is 'done' at 145 degrees F with three minutes resting time!! The USDA just announced this update. Many of us have been disregarding the old temp and cooking to 145 for years because stopping there leaves a more tender and juicy meat.
Of course, the food news and restaurants pale in comparison to the connection and conversations I had with fellow food writers. My blog reader list grew by hundreds, including these new friends:
Nicole (Arctic Garden), Amy (Idiot Mom), Melissa (Taste Sip Travel), Janet (A Cook at Heart), and Kate (Blue Chair Fruit), my Cakes And Ale dinner companions.
Fellow Ohio dwellers I had to fly to Atlanta to meet, Faith (Apartment Therapy and cookbook author) and Tricia (Once a Month Mom).
Kim (The Yummy Mummy), Cathy (Mrs. Wheelbarrow) and Sean (Punk Domestics) served up a rousing Charcutepalooza workshop, with contributions from Winnie (Healthy Green Kitchen) and Hank Shaw (Hunter Angler Gardener Cook) in the audience. This is the kind of hands-on demonstration I would like to see more of at conferences.
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