LoveFeast Table

Fancy Friday is here!!  And, this Friday we are feeling very fancy about all the bloggers that showed up to the first Minnesota BlogLove™ event!!  BlogLove events are meant to be inspiring and experiential networking events.  In June, LoveFeast hosted a BlogLove in Kristin’s stomping ground at Zeke’s Coffee Shop in Baltimore, Maryland.  We had a coffee tasting and learned about roasting beans and picked our LoveFeast Brew.  Here in Minnesota the theme was European Market Place and was held at Camille en Rouge in Prior Lake.

Janelle, created a beautifully designed apron for a giveaway.

Kelli, custom designed BlogLove swag bags.  They were reversible and each on was unique!

Rachael and Patty from the Aveda, Southdale Mall in Edina, MN came out and treated us all to hand massages!  Word at the party was that our husbands were tucked under a tent receiving hand massages!!  We think it was on the down low cause we don’t have any pictures to prove it!!  If anyone does…please share the love!!

Why were our husbands at BlogLove?  They are not bloggers!  They were there cleaning up dishes, swapping out platters, and serving food!!  They put the love in the feast!!

Edelweiss Bakery in Prior Lake provided French croissants that went with the amazing Spanish Caesar Salad made by Devon, Kristin’s husband.   Many of you have asked for the recipe and with a little cajoling Devon’s agreed to share it!  It is one for the LoveFeast Cookbook though!!

Camille, of Camille en Rouge shared her store and her passion for picking out beautiful treasures with us all.  She said, “If you love it buy it!”  She also shared…”You can never have too much passion!”

That is something we believe in too!!  So, thank you to all those who showed up for BlogLove Minnesota & to Amanda who made us these signature cookies!!  We heart you!!

We had an amazing time this past Tuesday night!  We were so excited to meet so many local bloggers we had never met before!  We are working on a recap post for tomorrow, but for now, we wanted to share a list of all of those that attended!  So, for those of you who attended, get your posts ready to link up here tomorrow for FancyFriday BlogLove and for those of you who weren’t able to attend, we hope you enjoy reading all about it!  We hope you are inspired just by the stories!

At the Table,

Chris Ann and Kristin

Erin Purland www.foodalyst.com
Cat Usher www.zipbagofbones.com
Kristina Stiffler www.ktinajoy.blogspot.com
Amanda Rettke www.iammommy.net www.iambaker.net
Carrie Pauly www.Thisfamilyof4.blogspot.com
Janelle Miller www.queenofthehouseofboys.blogspot.com/ jandjinspirations.com
Sallisha Armour www.sallishamarie@gmail.com
Kara Zitnick www.JensenhausDesigns.com
Dawn Thibodeaux thibco@yahoo.com
Anna Bererd @motherlylaw motherlylaw@yahoo.com
Jen Olson www.coconutbelly.blogspot.com/ coconutbelly@live.com
Crystal Grobe www.cafecyan.com
Micaela Preston www.mindfulmomma.com
Anna Rendell girlwithblog.blogspot.com
Susie Shubert @findingborneo
Kelly Abrahamian www.Ihadadelicioustime.com
Shaina Olmanson @foodformyfamily
Moriah Sunde www.JosiahsNest.com
Allison Olfelt www.omyfamilyblog.com
Molly Snyder www.thesnyder5.com
Trish VanPilsum www.offcamerwithtrish.com
Maggie Whitley (Gussy) www.maggiewhitley.com
Erin Olson www.houseofturquoise.com
Jen Westpfahl www.growwithgraces.com
Kellyn Fritz www.fritzfacts.wordpress.com
Kelli Liesener kellileadesigns.com
Johanna Price www.theseprices.net
Suzanne Thompson www.suzannejean.blogspot.com
Mela Kamin www.melaKamin.com
Tracy Morrison www.sellabitmum.com
Kristi Pohl www.ohfercute.blogspot.com/ maybabykp.etsy.com
Jennifer Samuel www.unplannedcooking.com
Rob Barrett PR@cookingfordads.net
Kristen Thompson www.highheelsandahammer.com
Heather King www.extraordinary-ordinary.com

One of our favorite parts of throwing a party, is creating atmosphere.  We love to brainstorm a theme, create decor that reflects that theme, develop a menu and of course, come up with inspiring gifts for our guests!  BlogLove Minnesota™ is tonight and this party is no different than any other!!!  When Camille en Rouge offered up her antique store and we knew that delicious croissants were just around the corner at Edelweiss Bakery, a European Marketplace theme was the perfect title for our event!

We told Devon the theme and he brainstormed a menu.  He will be serving one of our favorite salads that he created.  The dressing is made with Greek yogurt and lime…we’d tell you more, but that will ruin the surprise.  We then thought about tablescaping.  And quickly decided that an antique store was tablescape enough!

Maybe we’ll bring in a few cut flowers from Chris Ann’s garden and some tea lights, but in some situations, less is more!  We will have sparkling water and French wine.  Because we like our BlogLove events to be experiential, we have Aveda coming and doing hand massages for all of our guests!  Don’t all European women have soft hands when shopping at the market?  We have a few stories lined up so our guests will get to know each other and then there’s the swag….bags…

For this event, we kind of went a little crazy!  It started with a custom designed bag.  We had an idea and our friend Kelli at Kelli Lea Designs took the idea and ran with it!  Kelli just started a seamstress business and was exploding with creativity!

Then, Chris Ann got on a roll with a few boutiques she loves and it didn’t take long for her infectious excitement to wear off on the shop owners!  Kristin brought pounds of our new LoveFeast Brew, so everyone will have a sample of what good juice is to come!  And The Vintage Pearl, made BlogLove necklaces for each of our guests!

We are so excited!  But, we must run because we still have dessert to make, bags to stuff and a tent to set up!!!

We can’t wait to meet each and everyone of you who are coming!!   And, we are already planning the next BlogLove event for those of you who couldn’t make it!  See you tonight!  Chris Ann & Kristin

Wow!!  We have had an unbelievable response to our BlogLove™ event in Minnesota!!  We are so excited to meet those of you that are coming!  Many of you have called and tweeted your bloggy friends and now we have new faces joining us as well!  While we hate to turn anyone away…our event is filled to capacity!!

We are also very excited to thank our BlogLove partners!

Aveda Store, Southdale Mall, Edina, MN

Camille en Rouge Prior Lake, MN

Kelli Lea ~Sewing ~Prior Lake, MN

The Vintage Pearl

I Am Baker

Suzanne Jean Photography

Houndstooth, Savage, MN

J & J Inspirations

Edelweiss Bakery, Prior Lake, MN

Sweet Goddess Chocolates, Savage, MN

We are looking forward to seeing you all this Tuesday, August 17th at 7pm!!

At Camille en Rouge, 16220 Main Ave. SE, Prior Lake, MN  55372

Today was a busy day! We sent out our invitation for a Minnesota Bloggers’ event.   Kristin was busy at a wine tasting panel at Annapolis’ Great Grapes Wine, Art & Food Festival.  I was in the home office pulling together as many emails as I could to send out our evites.  Our invitations for another BlogLove™ event have gone out.  This event is happening in Minnesota!  Kristin and family will be making yet another road-trip to visit our family as well as be here in Minnesota to host the event with me!

We held our first BlogLove™ gathering in Baltimore in June.  We had our gathering at Zeke’s Coffee Shop.  We had a great time with some of our east coast blogging peeps!

This event is going to be held at Camille en Rouge in Prior Lake, Minnesota.  Yeah, it may be a bit of a drive but Camille’s little shop is well worth it!  She is stocking it up with pretty things and you won’t believe how great her prices are.  We’ll all get to meet, mingle, chat, sip a little wine and enjoy a few surprises!  Kristin’s husband, Devon will be whipping up a LoveFeast Table menu perfect for the occasion!

It is not our intention to leave anyone out so if you are a blogger and you would like to attend please let us know (@lovefeast) and we’ll quickly send and invitation out to you!!  And, feel free to bring a blogger friend…just let us know so that we make sure we have a swag bag prepared with some beautiful products and items for them as well!

We can’t wait to meet you all and spread a little BlogLove!! More details will be coming soon!

The guests arrived at Zeke’s to join us at the Table for our first BlogLove™ Event!  First to show was Mary from Sweet Mary’s!

She had trays of biscotti, crepes and bar cookies!  (She even made an espresso, chocolate brownie that added to the evening buzz!)

Then, Elizabeth from Strawberries in Paris and Dara from The Baltimore Examiner, rolled in!

Jennifer made a trip from Fredrick because she’s Hip As I Wanna Be!

Beth from 990 Square and Cara from Land of Bean, came to round out our party!

We spent a few minutes on intros and welcomed everyone.  Then Thomas took over!

He lead us through 5 different shots of espresso, pulled by barista, Devon and served in espresso cups brought all the way from India (the day before) from our friend Vivek!  We passed out tasting books for all the guests and they made notes about what they tasted.

Espresso 1: Buttery, sour, nutty, bitter but smooth, deep, dark, mellow aroma, caramel, wheat

Espresso 2: dark chocolate, noir, rich, more complex than number 1, spicy, chocolaty, smoky, deep and rich, reminds me of nature, delish! smooth and creamy

Espresso 3: lemony, Italian, clean, strong and hearty, and “eye opener”, reminds me of espresso my Italian grandmother used to make, less acidic, woodsy, good

Espresso 4: earthy, smells amazing, tropical, flowery, bitter, almost burnt

Espresso 5: nutty at the finish, caramel, sweeter, smells chocolaty, ashy

We quickly realized, we should have held a tasting earlier in the day! All of our senses were wide awake!

Thomas told us his story of how he was working at the Daily Grind’s flagship store in Fells Point.  (I remember going there in the late 80′s when Nirvana and Pearl Jam and grunge was full swing!  It was the artsiest coffee shop in Baltimore with it’s cobblestone floors and back room checkers! I still remember the smell of that shop!)  The owner asked if he wanted to learn how to roast coffee beans.  Thomas jumped on board and began to learn all that he could about the tiny gem.  When Key Roasters sold, Thomas took a leap of faith and started his own roastery.  He sold his beans under the 83 at the Baltimore Farmer’s Market.  It did not take long for Zeke’s to establish a cult like following!  Last year, they opened a store front where groupies could buy beans 7 days a week!

There is a picture of a gentleman in a suit on their menu board.  Amy, Thomas’ wife, explained to me that he was Thomas’ father.  He passed away right before the store opened.  He use to call everyone Zeke.  It didn’t matter what your name or background was, you were Zeke.  Amy said, “There’s a little Zeke in all of us!”

Thomas explained how some beans were grown on volcanoes, like espresso number 4.  And others on high mountain tops like the Jamaican Blue Mountain.  He also showed us the Tanzanian Peaberry (one of my personal favorites).  Normally there is one coffee bean inside of the fruit, but with the Peaberry, there are two.  They are smaller and packed with flavor.  He also gave us a quick explanation of the Kopi Luwak bean.  On the streets this coffee is known as “cat poop coffee“.  The coffee berry eaten and digested by the Asian Palm Civet. Then the animal, poops it out on a log.  The farmers collect the sample and then roast the beans.  It is said that the enzymes in the civet’s body, change the flavor of the bean.  A shot of this retails for $10 at Zeke’s.

Thomas then lead the group down to the roastery where they got a first hand look at how beans go from green to oily and fragrant.

BlogLove was created to be experiential! We wanted our guests to walk away trying or discovering something new!

After the tour, the group came back to the coffee shop to indulge in homemade crepes!

We had an amazing time and can’t wait to do it again!  We are hoping to make BlogLove Events a more regular occurrence!  Keep an eye out for more information on the next one in Minnesota!  We just confirmed our location!

Most of you may know, we love to gather people around a table!  Chris Ann and I decided to plan a blogger’s networking event called BlogLove™.  We’ve attended other networking events and met some wonderful people in the process.  Truth be told, we just love to have an excuse to have a party!  We love to design cards and plan a menu.  We like to tablescape and give gifts!  Years before we were bloggers we threw many a party together!

We wanted BlogLove Events to be special and unique.  We decided that at every BlogLove, we would have a couple of people tell their story, give us a glimpse into their lives and tell us about their passions.  We also wanted BlogLove gatherings to be experiential in nature.

For the first BlogLove, we decided to continue with a theme we hold dear to our hearts, coffee!  Years ago, when my husband and I owned Jahva House coffee shop, there was a roaster named Thomas that worked for Key Coffee Roasters, the company we bought our beans from.

My husband, at different times in our lives, worked for Key Coffee and he and Thomas became friends.  Thomas has since opened his own roastery, Zeke’s Coffee here in Baltimore.  His coffee quickly grew in popularity and has spread all over the Baltimore area!  Then just last winter, he and his wife Amy opened their own coffee shop, Zeke’s.

This first BlogLove was going to be extra special, because, little did our guests know, we were gathering them to do an espresso tasting to determine which blend we would use for a LoveFeast Brew.  You see, on the back end here at LoveFeast, we are working on developing an online boutique that features items that reflect our journey.  Our first line will reflect our coffee roots.  But, more on that later!

So, we set a date and sent out an evite!  But, being old school, we asked for snail mail addresses so we could send out a handmade invite as well.

We gathered some fabulous swag from generous business owners.  The Vintage Pearl made these beauties for us!  We almost cried when we opened the package! They were beautiful!

Urban Halo Comfort Couture, filled an envelope full of their very chic headbands.  Not one was alike!

The Melting Pot in Washington, DC donated a $50 gift certificate to give as a door prize.

And one of Zeke’s vendors, HEALing Fields Whole Body Care (healingfields@verizon.net), let us set up a table full of their soap samples! One of which is made with Zeke’s beans.

Chris Ann and I got our swag on and made these fork magnets to embellish the bags.

And Chris Ann painted these babies to put on the Table!

Because food is the center of all we do, we created a menu that would surprise our guests!  The first hour of the event we would be tasting 5 different espressos.  We decided to place cake stands on the tables with little nibbles of biscotti, cherries and almonds.

The second half of the night, after a tour of the roastery, our guests would come back only to find we had laid out a spread of crepes with fillings of strawberry rhubarb compote, wild mushrooms with sherry, apple and pear compote and spicy, gingered shrimp…all prepared by Devon.

The bottles of wine would be open and we would gather to network and share a bit about what we were doing with LoveFeast Table.  We contacted Mary at Sweet Mary’s to see if she would bake up some of her delicious biscotti (she teaches biscotti making classes) to add to the Table.  She quickly accepted and also said she’d make the crepes and throw in a few bar cookies as a finale!  Our guests were in for quite a delicious evening!

We had gotten our swag on!!

What a great night out with the Minnesota Blog Pantry gals!!  What could be better than a blogging evening with friends and aebleskivers? The event was organized by Kim Moldofsky, of Hormone Color Days and MomImpact at Local D’Lish in Minneapolis.  The evening was a great blend of socializing, making aebleskivers as well as a donation of money and diapers to Help A Mother Out.

Meeting new bloggy friends such as Molly from The Snyder 5 and Jilene, from Be Put Together, as well as catching up with Elissa, from Little Bean Photography , Kristin from High Heels And A Hammer and Liz, from the Kitchen Pantry Scientist is always fun! (Kristin & Liz pictured below)

But there is no party like one that starts out with something yummy like an aebleskiver!!  During the first part of the night Chad Gillard of Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver taught us all how to make aebleskivers.

Meet some aebelskivers.

Aebleskivers are Danish round delicacies that are a sort of crossover between a pancake and a popover.  They are made in an Aebleskiver pan over the stove and are traditionally filled with an apple slice.  They can be savory and sweet and often topped with a jelly or sauce.

After making and eating aebleskivers we were treated to an informal chat about blogging and marketing led by Kim.  It was great to learn from her experience and expertise.  She also handed out some fun gifts.

Anna from Motherly Law was excited to receive Minnesota Twins baseball tickets.

Jennifer, got herself a Chork..handy and what she might need for any Unplanned Cooking she might get herself into!

Farm to Fork by Emeril was perfect for me!!  Especially after learning so much about it at the movie viewing of FRESH and the gathering I attended at Lucia’s.

Crystal of Cafe Cyan got a cook book as well.

Crystal was also the proud winner of the night’s aebleskiver making contest.

She received her very own uniquely created 9-Hole Aebleskiver pan from Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver!

Now don’t feel left out of all the goodies!  Chad was kind enough to share some of the fun with the readers of LoveFeast Table!!  One of you can win an Aebleskiver Starter Kit.  The kit includes an Aunt Else 9-Hole Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan, mix, handle hot pad, and stainless steel chopstick for turning the aebleskivers as they bake!!

LoveFeast Table Aebelskiver GiftAway:  Three chances to enter!

*Leave a comment answering the question: Have you ever heard of an Aebleskiver before and what would you put inside yours?

*Twitter this post and let us know in the comment section below.

*Link this GiftAway in a post and let us know in the comment section below.

GiftAway will end on Wednesday at 12 midnight central time.  GiftAway winner must live in the US due to shipping!!

” Simply Leap, is about these shifts. Sometimes it’s a huge step into the unknown. Usually, it’s altering how you think and your view of what’s possible.” ~Lauree Ostrofsky (life coach at Simply Leap)

Lauree went on to explain to us that sometimes when a person is ready to take a risk, they jump right off the cliff!  But, others need to have subtle shifts in their thinking before even making a small step.  Chris Ann and I quickly shared that we are cliff jumpers…it’s in both our first born personalities.  We usually risk and leap, then adjust the other steps to catch up.  We are both passionate.

What are you passionate about?

That was the question asked to us by Lauree at the Momz Share event we attended this past weekend.  Chris Ann and I usually answer, “What aren’t we passionate about?!”  We are passionate about our families, art, sharing meals, the moment, the future…and helping others find their passions!  We really like that part! We find ourselves constantly encouraging others to pursue their dreams.  “Why wait?! Leap!”  But, Lauree gave us a new way of seeing those who need to make subtle shifts first.  We tend to blaze right on by.

During Momz Share I found myself lingering behind during the raffle drawings.  I gave Chris Ann my tickets and we split up.  It was great, because I had all the food vendors to myself for a few moments!  I was first drawn to Theresa Luongo, Chief Sweetness Officer of Treets.

Treet is an online bakery that specializes in gluten free products that use local and organic products.  I loved her turquoise look! The girl was branded to the hilt!

Being totally curious, I asked her how she got in the business.  She was living in NY and was in marketing.  She decided life was too short to not be able to contribute back to the the world.  She started thinking about how she could make a difference.  Sweets! Treets!  She realized that such a simple thing makes people smile.  I was hooked!  She quit her job and entered pastry school.  She is pursuing her passion and making people smile along the way! Not to mention her Vegan Hot Chocolate Brownies are to die for!

Please go visit her and place an order.  You won’t be disappointed!

After sampling one of everything at Treets, I introduced myself to The SouperGirl.  This is a fabulous idea! Just like with Treet, you order soup online and they deliver it to you!  The soup was delicious!  I tasted a lentil apricot soup.

Having owned a vegetarian coffee shop, I told owner, Sara Polon, just how needed this was in the wholesale market as well.  When we owned Jahva House, it was nearly impossible to find vegan and vegetarian soups that were organic and delicious!  Sarah AKA SouperGirl, cooks with her mom AKA Soupermom.  They are the dynamic duo in the kitchen! Helping each other leap off tall buildings in a single bound!

Then I crossed the room to introduce myself to the token men of the evening, Jason Suggs and Gabriel Hawkes from Done Right Catering.  I love their story! Five friends who had a passion for food and service, quite their jobs, pooled their savings and took a major jump!  They started this catering company on pure passion!  I tasted their cheese and pepper dip and really was amazed.

Now I have to say here, that it takes a lot to get me to enjoy a “cheese spread” but this one was good!  They explained the love that went into the wings…aged jalepenos and habeneros soaked in rum.  I knew (being a total foodie) these were not just Sysco, outta the bag, caterers.

We began to share stories and favorite foods.  We talked catering and parties.  (These guys shared my language!)  Gabriel even let me in on a “family” favorite that is prepared by Jason every year.  White chocolate and cherry ham.  When I asked if it was “food high” worthy, they both murmured in agreement a firm yes! (They even knew what I meant by food high!) Now, I am always curious.  So I asked about this recipe.  “White Chocolate sauce…is it creamy?” They exchanged glances and obviously wanted to check with each other to see if I could be trusted.  “It’s more like a slurry.”  That was good enough for me.  We also talked following passions and what it means to gather people around the Table.  As my new brothers said, “We were havin’ church!”

At LoveFeast Table we love to meet people who follow their passions!  We love people who are leaping and taking risks!  We’re sorry we didn’t get to meet all of the risk takers that night, but we could feel the passion in the air!

Here are a few other women we met that night who are out there doin’ their thing!

Nilsen Life this lady can write!! Plus she hails from Catonsville…the town where Chris Ann and I met!

Land of Bean Cara is in a play group with me and has another amazing site BlogTrotting.

EllieBellie Kids Jennifer sells capes for those who want to fly!

Seriously A Homemaker Angie will keep you laughing with her antics!

Parentopia‘s Devra was incredibly helpful and full of much needed knowledge! Thank you Devra for taking time with us!

The Bingham Diaries This lady is one amazing mother and cool Casual Blogger!

A Parent in Silver Spring She did a wonderful job hosting!

Hip As I Want To Be Jennifer along with Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom’s Dipaola Momma are the masterminds behind Momz Share!

Thanks for a wonderful night~~We tip our Espresso Martini With a Kiss, in the air to all of your dreams & passions!!!

Last week I had a nice springy day out at the Macy’s Flower Show in downtown Minneapolis with my friend, Kristen.  Kristen and I go all the way back to college and she also was my maid of honor.  We occasionally get together for lunch and shopping.  Every year the Macy’s 8th floor get’s decorated to the brim with flowers for the spring show.  Kristen has gone many years.  But, this was my first.

(There are flower shows in several other cities as well.

The 8th floor was flower sensory over load.

Mixing in some ferns like this, in the ground, is a great idea.

There were surprises everywhere.  And, even a little screened house with birds.

These pots resting on swings were lovely.

And, a water feature-every good garden has a water feature.  I have yet to put one in mine..but I love the idea.

I’ve had my eye’s on a weeping larch tree for years.  They’re strange.  They’re soft.  I’ll let you know if this year is the year I get one.

What a great idea-a path of small logs.

Whimsical bees.

Pathway’s over a sea of purple.

We take a rest on some garden tables.

We breathe in one last breath.

The Macy’s Garden Show is going on until Sunday, April 11th.  It’s a great stop before a lunch date.

Where do you go to get your garden inspiration?

We like to share our fancy on Fridays here at LoveFeast Table.  Share your Flower fanciness this Friday when we host our first Fancy Friday Flowers Blog Party.  Share what inspires you and makes you happy around the theme of flowers.  Here’s the details.