LoveFeast Table

This coming weekend, July 24 and 25, there is a fabulous festival coming to Annapolis!  The Great Grapes Wine, Arts and Food Festival is an event that encourages families to come out and enjoy a day of tasting organic food straight from the farm, sipping wine and beer and listening to local musicians like The Kelly Bell Band and Junkyard Saints.   There will be over 300 international wines to sample and for the beer lovers, over 40 international brews to taste.

If you bring your kids, there will be a playground where your kids can run while you sip and there will be a market with crafts and culinary gift items to purchase.

For the foodies, there will be a Tasting Theater set up where you can learn from Lauren DeSantis how to make a summer picnic and pair the food with wine.  Wine Coach, Laurie Forster will also guide you through tasting wines and help you understand what you are looking for!

If you’re a blogger or a blogger in the making, I will be there along with an incredible panel of other food bloggers!  I was invited by my friend Dara Bunjon, Food Examiner, to sit on the panel and answer questions about food, blogging, restaurants and other fun facts!  This is a first for us here at LoveFeast Table!  We’d love it if you’d come out and support us!

We are so excited about this weekend, we have two tickets to give away!  The tickets are good for either Saturday or Sunday.  Please leave a comment, that asks a question, you’d like to hear answered at the Blogger’s Panel.  If you want a second chance to win, twitter this post and come back and  let us know you did!

The event is from 12-6 on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday July 25 at the Anne Arundel Fairgrounds in Annapolis.  Kristin will be representing LoveFeast Table at the Blogger’s Panel on Sunday from 1-2.  Make sure you stop by and introduce yourself!!

The contest ends Tuesday, July 20 at 5 p.m. Winner will be announced by Wednesday morning!

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!!

Gathering at the table is always a good thing.  Last Friday I was able to have the opportunity to sit at Lucia’s gracious table at a Farm to Table Event supporting the movie, FRESH: New thinking About What We’re Eating.  It was an opportunity for me, a suburban mom and blogger, to learn a little more about the sustainable food and farming movement from some of the people who are living and leading it in the Twin Cities.

Lucia, of Lucia’s Restaurant (Minneapolis, MN) led the conversation.  Lucia is a leader in the local food movement and has worked with farmers for 25 years.  These farmers supply to her restaurant, which is know for it’s exceptional cooking.  She is passionate about local foods and so are the people she works with.

The conversation was inspiring.  Ben Hertz, of Cornerstone Rooftop Farms is working towards creating Minnesota’s first rooftop farms.  These rooftop farms show the possibilities of producing food on an urban rooftop and providing healthy food for the urban community around it.  His company is going to retro fit buildings for this type of urban agriculture.   The gardens will be providing produce to Lucia’s this growing season.

Gunner Lidden, the executive director of the Youth Farm and Market Project was also at the table.

The Youth Farm provides experiential education in every part of growing food in several neighborhoods.  The farms then support the community through building leadership in the youth, providing shares of food, as well as selling to restaurants.  Gunner shared that these opportunities provide youth a way to “explore their own culture in a way that is meaningful to them”.  Food gives these youths an opportunity to re-discover their culture and contribute in a healthy way to their community.  They are finding food can change a community.

Mary Bess Michaletz, shared about how what use to be a movement is now becoming a revolution.

She is interested in product development and distribution of local foods.  She also was enthusiastic about my home gardening considerations and offered the book Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture as a great resource.

There was conversation about food, community, cooking, and the sharing of meals together.  As someone shared at the table, working with good food in the community just “feels great”.

Beautiful produce and good food makes people healthy and happy.

Like any good conversation it left me with a lot to think about.  I cook healthy food a good part of the time for my family.  But, at times food is chosen out of convenience, rushed between events and eaten on the run.  I don’t think I’m peculiar.  I’m a mom of four kids trying to shuffle and orchestrate a family of six’s schedules.

But, there are ways I can make steps to making better choices.  I will consider my buying choices.  I will participate in a CSA this summer again, shop more often at my local Farmer’s Market and add some more pots of tomatoes and herbs to my deck.  I’m going to look into stealthily building a garden into my landscaping, since gardens and fences are not allowed in the community where I live.  I’m going to look into a local church’s available garden plots.  I’m going to drive a couple of times a month into the city to shop at markets that carry local and organic.  I’m not going to change all at once.  I’m going to add it into my life one step at a time.

Urban communities have their economic and land challenges.  Suburban communities have other challenges.  Thinking about what we value and talking about that is a good subject for any table.  The conversation brought us together last Friday and sent us home with a lot to chew on.

What do you think?  Do you think about where your food comes from?  How it is produced?  Do you think your choices affect your health and culture and world around you?  Take a chair, sit down and share your take with us!

Well…I got out Tuesday night!  And…not just out….out-out! Sort of left my bubble…as some would say! Suburbia Man came home from work…I put on my new top from Hot Mama and hit the road on my way to the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.  I was headed to a Minnesota Blog Pantry event at A La Salsa.  The event was planned by Molly of Tastebud Tart.

Kristin and I have been on a blogging events roll….first with me attending Blissdom.  Then, Kristin attended SITS girl’s Bloggy Bootcamp.  And, now I was at this event for the Minnesota Blog Pantry group of women bloggers.  For those of you that are readers and not bloggers…let me tell you that meeting other bloggers in person after you have met them online is quite the fun!  I was so excited to meet Kate from Kate In the Kitchen in person.  Kate was our first guest blogger.

Allison of O My Family came out.  I met Allison last fall at MckMama’s Mudd Lake gathering.

Across the table from me sat Trish who writes Off Camera.  The margaritas were delish! Cheers, Trish!

And, the food was great as well!

Finally, I got to meet Liz, The Kitchen Pantry Scientist and Creative Mama blogger for Hot Mama.

Lenore of Mom Culture chatted with Jennifer of Unplanned Cooking.

There was a bit of Twittering underway!  And, Kate let her wild side out!

Also in attendance was Cindy of From Seeds to Sunflowers, Crystal from Cafe Cyan, Kathy of A Good Appetite and Ellisa of Little Bean Photography.

Then as the evening came to a close Molly handed out a Midtown Global Market swag bag!!

The evening was over and as I was driving out of the parking ramp I saw one blogger I didn’t get a chance to meet!  I made a quick decision to pull my van along side her car and introduce myself.  It was Stephanie the writer of Fresh Tart.   We had a nice long chat as you can see!

Then, I drove home listening to U2 and when I got there I opened up my swag bag filled with this…

and promptly took my Salty Tart Bakery treat and hid it in a tall cupboard where no one can find it.

The Salty Tart’s tarts were something I had waited a long time to try and it was gonna be mine all mine!

*****

Thank you to Molly and Jennifer for planning a great night out for us all!!

*****

There may be a few of you that I missed in my post…if I did, please leave a comment, introduce yourself and leave a link to your blog!!

You could say that I was rescued.  My husband happened to have a business trip in Mexico last week and I had to go with him.  Had to.  Because my back yard looks like this.

And, actually I could be dying of low vitamin D or even C.  So, you could say that this trip was practically a need.

And, of course, being a mother of four and multitasking a kid in every stage of life (high school, middle school, elementary school and kindergarten… I could use a little R&R.

But really the true story is that I went for the sake of research, grueling tedious research.   Because I  wanted to share with you..our dear, dear readers, especially the ones who live in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest… especially those that are mothers, or married, or those of us who work too hard and too long, those whose fingers are tired from typing and twittering, or even those in need of a destination wedding.

Just to let you know….there is nothing here not to like.

Unless of course…you don’t like…relaxing poolside.

Or..the idea of stuffing yourself to the brim with all sorts of delish Mexican food and nonstop guacamole snacking….

and waiters who keep you happy with fresh fruity and frozen drinks like this-

or, if you don’t long to retire at night in a bed that looks like this-

after you’ve taken a dip in your own lovely private-ish pool.

Yes, after, much inspection and fearless research..I have discovered that this place is going to be OK for you to visit –safe, restful, beautiful, maybe even heavenly.   Yes, it’s true..that I knew it right off the bat that I was going to like it here.

This was nice.

But, this was a very very good sign.

So, if your not looking to relax and be pampered,

And, if you’re not wanting to indulge in any way,

Don’t bother going here-

you’ll just be disappointed.

I’ll just save you the trip, ’cause I’ve done the research….you just won’t like it.

*Where was I?  Secret’s Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, in Playa del Carmen.  And, the honest truth is that it’s a perfect place for a haggard mother or a destination wedding.  Unfortunately, they didn’t pay me to say that.

What a day yesterday was!  Now that I’m relaxing in my yoga pants with a double espresso downed and doing laundry, I can barely figure out how to recap!  Let’s just say that Saturday I hit the ground running-but at least I didn’t hit a deer (ahem! Kristin).  First of all, I was double booked.   I had committed to being on the hostess committee for a benefit for Healing House, an amazing residential recovery for women and their children.

My friend Teena Dietz, founder of Intentional Serenity was the co-chair of this event, Fashion With Compassion.  She has tons of enthusiasm for dreaming big and can always…

……she and so many other volunteers made the benefit a big success!!

Here I am with some wonderful ladies that joined LoveFeast Table at this event!  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch, fashion show, and a silent auction.

LoveFeast Table donated our signature silver framed chalkboard!

So, while I was enjoying tea, fashion, and friends for a wonderful place…my posse was wrangling toward Nordtrom’s court at the Mall of America for a book signing by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for her new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Because, I didn’t think I would make both events, I had to send my willing entourage instead.  Pioneer Woman likes to brag on her Marlboro Man but, I’d like to take a minute to brag on my Suburbia Man.

My Suburbia Man, suggested, yes SUGGESTED that he go to the Pioneer Woman signing on my behalf!  He got into line at 12:30 pm and waited for three hours…

with my Punks from the ‘burbs and five cookbooks!

He chatted with others in line…

and according to some, proudly tweeted his endeavors.

“LoveFeast husband standing in line at Mall of America for Pioneer Woman Book signing – new definition of payback! 1:39 PM Nov 21st from Echofon”

“OMG,Lovefeast husband still in line at MOA for Pioneer Woman book signing. The honey-do list just got a lot shorter. about 24 hours ago from Echofon”

There were a lot of things that went on in those three hours they waited in line, some of them that I would not have approved of…such as children dribbling smoothies over future Christmas presents!

Eventually, I finished up at the Healing House benefit and made it to the Mall of America in time to still see The Pioneer Woman.  Suburbia Man continued to hold my place in line, while I went to get Marlboro Man (Ree’s husband) to sign the back of my cookbooks.  At first I thought one of Ree’s Punk’s had a scar on his face from like a barbed wire fence or somethin’ at the ranch, but then I saw that it was only pen.

Punks in Suburbia like blue pens too..maybe one of your punks can marry my punk..

After I wake up and get her some etiquette training…

But, I digress, I’m getting ahead of myself here.  So, after three hours of waiting in this line, Suburbia Man was free to do more carpooling and soccer games.  Ava and I continued to wait for three more hours.

And, look who I found in line?   It’s my blogging friend, Jessica, that I met at the MckMama & Friends outing at Mudd Lake!

Finally, we got our turn on the MOA stage to meet The Pioneer Woman.

Ree, is incredibly gracious and patient signing all my cookbooks.  I am wondering how she is able to multitask so effortlessly signing books and making conversation for 7 hours straight.

Here, I asked her where she went for dinner last night.  Manny’s.  She had lobster.  It was fabulous.

And here I am explaining who I am.  Who am I anyway?

Here I am saying who knows what…

about to get starstruck and black out…

Everything went into a haze at this point, my mind went fuzzy, my brain is multitasking: Who am I?  Who is Ree?  Where are my real questions like how do you do it all?  What kind of hair product do you use?  How do you cook, clean, blog, parent four kids, and book-sign?   This apparently bored Ava to sleep.  I tell Ree I’m new at this food blogging thing.

But, hold over folks, LoveFeast Table seemed vaguely familiar to Ree!  Was it my attempt to make her Strawberry Shortcake Cake in a coffee can (Note to self: do not repeat this offense).

Maybe it was my pathetic attempts at being her Minnesota weather radar.

@thepioneerwoman If you need a play-by-play for the weather when coming to MN, I can look out the window and let you know. 8:38 AM Oct 13th from web

Unfortunately, there are more of these tweets out there in tweet-land!

@thepioneerwoman MN Weather update, come prepared for snow, sleet, fog, warm sun or blizzard. Just sayin’ 8:32 AM Oct 17th from web in reply to thepioneerwoman

This poor lady was put to work, she’s still signing…she’s thinking too, why is LoveFeast Table so familiar?  Is it the tweets, the Strawberry Shortcake? Facebook?  The sequestering of her former guest blogger, Ryan of This is Reverb, in a LoveFeast TakeOn.

Anyway, at this time my mind, like our outfits was in shades of gray…I don’t even recall thanking you for the moment…so THANK YOU, Ree for such a kind conversation and enduring my stack of books with a smile!!  I am sure if I lived on a ranch next door instead of Minneapolis suburbia, we’d be great, fast friends.  And, thanks for visiting our blog LoveFeast Table!!  Maybe, if we work real hard we can follow in your blogging shoes..we have what means the most..the support of our families.  Here is my Ava-girl soliciting Mall of America shoppers with a LoveFeast Table flier.

It’s never to early to work toward your own Mall of America book signing!!

**Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook GiftAway coming soon!!**

It’s easy to have your head stuck in your own little world….especially if you are fixated, possibly addicted, and definitely obsessed with winning a certain contest. (Not me!)  And, therefore, with all my stalking of possible breathing bodies to vote for us in the Baltimore Food Blogging Awards….I was just just a little narrow sighted…(who? not me!) when my friend, Mela, mentioned a gathering of bloggers & mama’s that were going to be at a place called Mudd Lake.

Initially, I thought I wouldn’t want to leave my darling cozy home & family.  Never once did I think to myself, hmmm, this may be the perfect excuse to get out of the house, avoid dinner, dishes, laundry, and bedtime.  Definitely, not me.  And, when Mela told me there would be great food, charming scenery, amazing shopping, and a chance to meet some neat people, really…I hesitated, perhaps my time would be better spent at home sorting socks.  OK, not me.

So, off  I went to this beautiful place called Mudd Lake, with these two mamas, in a minivan! I would never confess we don’t get out much.  Not me.  And, I never once worried about Mela’s driving or her ability to pick out charming home decor.  Not me.

Who was hosting the event, you might wonder?  Well, it turns out a gal called Jennifer (a.k.a. MckMama) who is quite the impressive blogger, hostess, mama, and person.  Never once during that wonderful evening did I turn to a group of ladies, and make the biggest faux pas ever, by asking, “Who’s Jennifer?”.  Why are you blushing?  Really, I’m not a party crasher!  Not, me!  The, ladies, in turn, did not all at once look up to see who had uttered such a thing?  I mean she was the reason we were all here!!  Well, certainly, it wasn’t me.

One faux pas, is enough for an evening. Therefore, I am perfectly sure I never later introduced myself to Mudd Lakes’ exquisite decorator, Michelle, by asking her in an excited twitter, “Are you the decorator girl?”.  How tacky would that be?  Definitely, not me.

Especially, since she creates amazing vignettes that you would like to swoop up into the back of your van and take home instantly.

Never once  did I consider stealing her amazing decorating ideas, gathering my supplies, and making it myself for cheaper.  I mean really who has time for that?  Not me.

Also, I never once coveted my new friend‘s darling new black mirror set.  Not me.  Or, hid a lamp from my husband, that I purchased that night, in our dining room.  Our marriage is sacred and strong.  So, definitely not me.

We enjoyed this very fire pit.  And, I did not try to snag an Adirondack chair early, at all.  Not me.

Nor, did I consider taking a picture of this baby, just so you would go awhhhhhhh!  Not me.

Also, not once during this evening did I ever try to convince, bribe, or talk Bob Kratch, the owner of Mudd Lake, into giving me part of his batch of utterly secret and fabulous and soon to be famous sauerkraut.  Not me.  Nor, did I attempt to convince him to share that secret recipe here, on this very blog.  Not me.

Then, after, Bob generously gave me a bag of frozen sauerkraut, I never once worried it would smell up Mela’s van or give me food poisoning, since it had been in the freezer for 6 months.  I was so very thankful, so, not me.

Further more, I believe, that vanity is shallow.  Never once did I suggest sarcastically during all that photo taking, that I looked like a Hungarian peasant, cupie doll head, or pregnant.  Really, how dull is that?  Not me.

Everyone gathered at Mudd Lake had such interesting lives to share and stories to tell.  I met many new people whose names will not be forgotten, next time we meet up.  I never forget a name.  Nope, not me.

And, obviously, I did not try to pick MckMama’s head on how to run a blog.  Not me.

What a great night out!  And, as I tiptoed into my house, hit the lights, and dropped into bed… do you know who felt so very thankful and excited to have met such a charming mama & her friends?  OK, I’ll fess up!  Me!

There.  I was brutally honest.  We’ll see if I end up with sauerkraut in my face!  This post was part of a Not Me! Monday! blog carnival, created by MckMama.  You can visit her site and read more!

And, stay tuned we’re giving away a Breville Espresso Machine soon!!  And, chocolate sauces!!  Espresso & chocolate & friends at the LoveFeast Table!!  Coming soon!   What more could you want?

Friday night I went with two friends on a road trip to meet up with a gathering of gals, out in the country, in Watertown, Minnesota – at a place called Mudd Lake.  Here’s a little taste of the gathering, hosted by  Jennifer of MckMama, and the time that we shared.

What a thrill to meet MckMama.  She rules as a Mommy Blogger Queen.  And, even though I’m a food blogger….I think having four kids and being trapped in suburbia, made the evening out quite fitting for me, if not mandatory.

This event had lots of mamas & babies.

And, mamas & friends.

And, bloggers who have eclectic good taste in frontier jackets for children.

There was shopping in rustic barns and sheds on a picturesque lake.

There was relaxing and eating by the fire.

And, there was the piracy and seizure of some really really good sauerkraut.

So, that was the overview.  Now, if you want the real scoop from my end….come back tomorrow and read  “My MckMama’s Mudd Lake Confessional” and you can see for yourself that the evening was smooth sailing, filled with grace and charm and definitely no faux pas happened, at all.

******************

Here are some links to some lovely ladies I met.  Gals, seriously, I am a tad ADD, so if I missed you send me a reminder and I will continue to add you to this list!  It was lovely to meet such a great group of people gathered from the blogging world!  So glad you’ve been part of the journey of LoveFeast Table!

Allison of  O My Family

Karlynn of Our Fully Caffeinated Life

Mela of 4:10 Ministries

Janelle of Queen of the House of Boys

Jessica of Jessica Pearson Knits

Alicia of Alicia O. & The Gang

Christy her blog

Elena of La Reina Elena

One week ago, I was looking at this lovely view.   I was in New Mexico at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, on the Santa Ana Pueblo.  It was the perfect day to hike, or swim, or sunbathe and read a book.  It turned out to be the perfect day to bake Pueblo Oven Bread.

This is the perfect oven to bake this bread in.  This is a horno.  This one is heated by gas.  When the oven has reached 500 degrees, the gas is turned off and the mud bricks of the horno bake the bread.  It has holes in it, so you can view and control the baking process. Wet rags can close up the holes to create better browning.  I learned all this from Nan, a member of the Santa Ana Pueblo,  a very experienced bread baker and therefor the perfect teacher.

Nan and her family make this bread for their family members.  She said it is often eaten on feast days and  with red or green chili stew.  Typically, Nan makes about 30 loaves from a 25 pound bag of flour in her horno at home, which is heated with wood.  But, this day she made it with 11 hotel guests and one camera toting, picture snapping, question asking food blogger.

The guests gathered around Nan’s table and she began to teach them how to feel the consistency of the dough.

They added water and kneaded up their balls mixed with lard.  Lard?  What if you can’t get lard?   Nan chuckled, and added, “well around here you can”.

Then, after everyone mixed their dough up, she gave each person a new dough to work with.  This dough had already gone through the rising process and was ready to be shaped, into a traditional flower and baked.

An artist named, John, created this non-traditional face.

The face shaped bread went into the oven.

And, came out looking like this.

This is the Pueblo Oven Bread Recipe used at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Hotel, checked and verified by the ladies of the village of the Santa Ana Pueblo, who would never need to follow a recipe card.

Pueblo Oven Bread

Approximately 9 cups of white flour

1 Package of Dry Yeast

2 Tablespoons of Salt

2 Tablespoons of Lard (you can substitute with butter)

2 Cups of Water

Soften and dissolve yeast in warm water.  Mix lard, flour, salt and dissolved yeast in a large bowl.  Add warm water a little at a time kneading and rolling to even out all ingredients.  Let dough rise in bowl, covered with cloth.  Set near warm place of approximately 5-6 hours.  After dough has risen knead the dough and let rise once more for approximately 20-30 minutes.  After the dough has risen a second time knead the dough for 2-3 more minutes.  Shape into balls and other shapes and put in greased baking pans.  Cover with a cloth and let rise one more time in a warm place.  Bake in 400 degree oven 50-60 minutes or until tops are browned and loaves sound hallow when tapped.

The color and the texture at a Farmer’s Market always inspire me.

Farmer’s Markets’ say linger, look, stroll, savor, and relax.

Only two people asked me why I was taking pictures at the market.

One was an old farmer who when I answered, “I have a food blog”, shrugged, as in, whatever floats your boat.

The other was a young tween boy, who I answered, “I’m taking pictures for fun”.  He replied, that’s weird.

One of my favorite stops at the Prior Lake Farmer’s Market is Cocoa & Fig.

Brioche for Breakfast anyone?

This is the Prior Lake Farmer’s Market.

What’s your favorite farmer’s market treat?