Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 2}

{For Part 1 of my Food Blog Forum recap, click here.}

How do you deal with meeting new people for the first time? What's your reaction when you find yourself in interesting social situations? {i.e. Meeting people you've already read all about.}

Me? I'm a babbler.

{I know what you're thinking. Me? Babble? Never.} ;)

I start talking and then I can't shut myself up. I talk to fill the silence with timid people. I talk to "put it all out there" and be open. I talk because I want the other person to feel like they're not the only one sharing. Or oversharing as the case may be.

So, even though I consider myself quite social, I can also be quite socially awkward. At least, that's what it feels like when it's happening.

You can imagine how I felt going into Friday evening's welcome reception with 125+ of my closest "friends" that I've never met.

Disney did their best to make us all feel at ease... beautiful little bites of food circulated the room, an open bar served up some liquid encouragement for flowing conversation, and the surroundings weren't too shabby, either.

Within the first few minutes, I found myself chatting with Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes {one of the very first food blogs I ever stumbled upon}, Megan from Wanna Be a Country Cleaver {one of my more recent favorites! I totally hugged her. I'm a nerd.}, Julie from The Little Kitchen {whom I had the privilege of meeting last year at Central Florida BlogCon}, and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil.

Can I tell you what I said to these lovely folks? Nope. Not a word of it.

I was tuned into the Babble Station. All babble, all the time. I proceeded to yammer on for the rest of the hour with various other bloggers.

Fun Fact: I spoke with Tina from My Life as a Mrs. and we discovered that we're practically next door neighbors. Like, we shop at the same grocery store and everything. I also got to meet 2 more local bloggers -- Denise from Creative Kitchen and Michelle from The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook . South Florida Bloggers represent! ;)

By the end of the reception {which, by the way, was signaled by a woman walking around the room playing a xylophone-type contraption... Oh, Disney.}, I had made my way around the room and spoken to quite a few people but still had so many more I wanted to chat with!

We quickly changed into comfier "play clothes", and made our way to the Magic Kingdom in hopes of getting to ride a few of the highlights and catch the fireworks display & the parade.

Did I tell you we recruited a new park-hopping friend to our group at this point? Erin from Eat Drink Bake Cook {For the life of me I cannot remember the order of these words. I say it differently every time.} ... she was a doll!

It was just a tad windy waiting for the boat on the dock.

So, the three of us took on the Magic Kingdom after dark. As we discovered, there were a lot of changes to the park since the last time I visited, which made it sort of difficult to navigate. {Read: We got lost. A lot.} But we still managed to get to ride a couple of the "Mountains", and even some of the attractions in the new and improved Fantasyland.

Over by the new Beauty & The Beast area in Fantasyland.

Most importantly? I got a Dole Whip.

That is one happy Dole Whip-eating girl. 

We called it a night after the parade since we knew we had to be at breakfast by 8:00 a.m. and before I knew it, my alarm was going off and it was time for the conference!

..................................................

I'm SO not a morning person. But I have to say, the whimsical breakfast spread presented by Disney definitely made losing some sleep a little less painful.

How often do you get to start your day with a light-up fruit salad?

As if glowing breakfast items weren't enough to wake us up, we also received our swag bags around this time... oh, the swag! Our sponsors and friends really spoiled us rotten. I'm pretty sure I've already gained a few LBs from exploring all the edible goodies we were given.

Swag, unloaded from the bag at home. I'm pretty sure some of the stuff isn't even pictured here.

Guess what I'll be talking about in the next post??

You guessed it: More FBF, and more FOOD! 

I'll be sharing some of the insights I gained from listening to the wonderful presenters, as well as our Disney-tastic lunch. Can you believe everything I've shared all happened within the first 24 hours of the conference weekend?? No wonder I'm still recovering!

Since I've been busy getting back into the groove this week, I haven't had too much time in the kitchen, so I'm sharing an older recipe that was popular at a 4th of July party last year that you can bust out at your Memorial Day gatherings. 

It's a Strawberry-Peanut Butter Tart, and I'm pretty sure there's no way to mess it up. Not even if you're tired from a weekend of Disney fun. It's pretty, can be made to look "patriotic", and basically tastes like a big PB&J flavored cookie. How All-American is that?

Click over to the recipe here. 

Food Blog Forum Orlando {Part 1}

I'm back from my weekend in Orlando for Food Blog Forum {well, I've been back since Sunday. I've just been too paralyzed by an excess of things to share to actually post anything}, and I'm just going to warn you: I am on a sugar/Disney/learning/foodie high.

That's kind of what happens when you're surrounded by food blog superstars and spoiled rotten at The Happiest Place on Earth. And you know I'm going to tell you all.about.it.

What you will not see in this series of posts: Pictures of people posing with oversized Disney characters, small children watching the parade with a dreamy look in their eye, fanny packs.

What you WILL see: Obscene amounts of food, pictures of me posing with food bloggers with a dreamy look in my eye, the occasional Mickey-shaped dessert.

Warning given... now for the good stuff!

Sloane {from Life, Food, & Beer} and I headed up to Orlando bright and early on Friday in hopes of getting some park time in before the reception they were holding for us that evening to kick off the conference weekend.

We arrived at The Grand Floridian Resort and got settled in so we could spend some time at the park before the welcome reception that had been planned for us by the lovely folks who put together FBF.



The last time I stayed at the Grand Floridian, I was about 8 years old. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be spending a few days in this Victorian-themed beauty.

In true Disney fashion, no detail is ever overlooked. From the verandas to the patterned wallpapers to chandeliers and the gingerbread trims, The Grand Floridian promptly takes you back to a time and place where elegance and luxury reigned supreme.

Sloane and I decided it would be best to visit Epcot that afternoon since we weren't sure if we'd have time to get back to the park throughout the rest of the weekend, so we hopped the monorail which is conveniently located on the second level of the hotel {erm, AFTER we waited 15 minutes for a bus that would never arrive. Oops.} and immediately made our way to the World Showcase for some snacks & drinks!

We happened to be there during one of the last weeks of their 20th Annual Flower & Garden Festival, so the park was even more expertly landscaped than usual. Because of the festival, we got to see some really beautiful floral masterpieces which, of course, all had Disney themes.

There were also special food kiosks set up where you could sample small plates of global fare, and we knew we definitely wanted to hit up a few of those. But first... cold drinks! Did I mention it was a sweltering 91 degrees that day?

Our first stop was the Mexico pavilion, and though we had only been at the park for a few minutes, we were already glad to go inside to get out of the heat and cool down with a cocktail.

In doing a little Disney digging on the internet before the conference, I discovered that the Mexico pavilion houses a hidden gem of a spot that serves some pretty spectacular drinks: La Cava del Tequila.



Did I say "hidden"? Because it was pretty packed when we stopped in for a visit. Sloane opted for a beer {sticking with the theme of her blog and all} but I had my eye on the Blood Orange Margarita with Berry Foam. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, but the interesting combination of blood orange, hibiscus syrup, and of course, tequila {and LOTS of it!} balanced with a Chili-Salt rim kept me coming back for another sip as we continued our stroll through the park.

About 3 sips later, I was already feeling kinda loopy! I am here to tell you that when you drink a margarita before you eat a solid lunch, you get pictures like this:

And let strangers convince you to have your picture taken like this:

And decide to "Gator Chomp" next to a landscaped crocodile: 

You also think it's cute to do the obligatory totem photo op in Canada:

And stop to pose with faux donkeys because.... well, why not?

Thank goodness for a nearby food kiosk in China selling Vegetable Buns... had I not started to get a little food in my belly, things could have gotten real ugly, real fast. We also tried some Lasagna Primavera {pictured over at Sloane's recap post} at the Italy kiosk, and of course, I asked to stop for dessert in France where we picked up a pretty Raspberry-Lemon Curd Macaron.

As much fun as we were having, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's festivities because after a day spent walking "'round the world" in the hot Florida sunshine, freshening up was definitely necessary!

In my next post, I'll be sharing more about meeting some of my all-time favorite bloggers {and some new faves, too} and our adventures in some more of the parks.

Plus, I'll be sharing more pics of food. Always more food.

Meanwhile, here's a little easy to make snack, inspired by my {potent} margarita!

Juicy orange segments are dipped in dark chocolate, then sprinkled with a mixture of salt and chili for the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy. And since it's fruit, there's no need to feel guilty about indulging in a few slices! {At least that's what I'm telling myself.}

Chocolate Dipped Orange Segments with Chili-Salt

1-2 oranges, peeled, segments carefully separated
3-4 ounces favorite dark chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon chili powder*
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt*

1. Prepare a sheet pan or plate by lining with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. Place peeled orange segments on a paper towel to soak up excess juiciness. This will help the melted chocolate adhere better to the slices.

3. In a small dish, mix together chili powder & salt.

4. Dip peeled orange segments in melted chocolate, then place on parchment paper.

5. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with a pinch of chili-salt.
*The measurements above are, of course, optional. You can put as much or as little chili and salt as you'd like. I found a pinch of the mixture to be just enough for a light dusting.

6. Allow chocolate to set {for faster setting, place in freezer for 6-8 minutes}.

Enjoy!

Poblano Corn Muffins with Chili-Honey Butter

It's been one of those, "Let's clean out the fridge & pantry by making random meals out of whatever I can find." kind of weeks.

Do you do this, too?

Both Steve and I will both be out of town on business {Can I call going to Disney World "business"?? I think so! Steve's trip is not nearly as fun. :P }, so we're trying to get ourselves in order so that we come back to a semi-organized home upon returning. There's nothing worse than coming back from a trip to a messy house. ::shudder::

Even though I have a billion things I need to get done before heading to Orlando, I wanted to make sure I still get around to posting a few recipes this week. See how much I love you guys??

After a quick sweep of items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry, I came up with a shelf full of baking supplies {except I'm out of all-purpose flour. GASP!}, one {quickly deteriorating} poblano pepper, 3 bags of frozen corn on the cob that I forgot to make during my Derby party, a half gallon of whole milk {which we don't drink} from a previous project, and some tiny leftover nubs of cheese.

So, naturally I made these:

I've posted Poblano & Corn recipes before {in fact, one of them made it to the pages of Taste of the South Magazine in print!}, and I don't know why exactly, but I feel like the two veggies just go hand in hand.

I adapted Ina Garten's Corn Muffin base and added in the corn kernels and poblano pepper to spice it up a bit. But I didn't stop there.

I also made a compound butter to smear on these little babies. The sweet honey and smoky chili powder mixed in with the butter pair fantastically with the sweetness of the corn and the subtle "smokiness" of the roasted poblanos. 

The best part about this last minute undertaking? Now I don't have to clean out the fridge... and I may have a snack to share with my blogging buddy, Sloane, on our roadtrip!

I'm ready for a Margarita at Epcot's Mexico Pavilion!! I mean... a weekend of learning and networking.  It is a "business" trip, after all. :)

Poblano Corn Muffins with Chili-Honey Butter

Adapted from Food Network 

1 1/2 cups flour {I used 1 cup whole wheat & my last 1/2 cup of all purpose}

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornmeal, medium coarseness

1 tablespoon baking powder

Scant 1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 stick {8 tablespoons} butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup fresh corn kernels {or frozen, cooked} removed from cob

1 roasted poblano pepper, peeled, seeded, and chopped {Click here & scroll to the bottom for directions on how to roast a poblano pepper}

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese {optional}

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray or arrange liners in cups if using.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and cooled butter.

4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. With a spatula, fold in corn kernels and chopped poblano pepper until well distributed, but don't overmix.

5. Using an ice cream scoop {my favorite method}, evenly fill the muffin tins with batter. {I used a heaping scoopful in each.} 

6. If desired, sprinkle or grate a little bit of sharp cheddar cheese on top of batter. {The cheese was hardly detectable in flavor but gave a nice golden top to the muffins.}

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Serve warm with Chili-Honey Butter.

Chili-Honey Butter
Adapted from Budget Bytes

1 stick {8 tablespoons} butter, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

1 {heaping} teaspoon chili {more, if desired}

Salt to taste {I think I used a bit less than 1 teaspoon}

Combine all ingredients by either mashing with a fork or mixing in a stand mixer until well incorporated.

Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts

The past few weeks have been a cooking blur! Between celebrations, events, and preparing for Food Blog Forum {Which is this weekend! Squeee!!!} it's been one recipe after another. I might as well just set up a cot in the kitchen.

Some food highlights I haven't had time to share:

1. My Kentucky Derby party was a success. Truth be told, I still spent far more time in front of the oven than I hoped to despite having made almost everything ahead of time. In the end it was all worth it to see my guests holding frosty juleps, full plates, and happy faces!

I created a Mint Julep Bar where everyone could DTOJ. {Design Their Own Julep} By far, the most popular flavor was the Peach-Basil.

   

The foods I heard the most about were the Beer Mac & Cheese and the Chicken & Waffle Bites with Peach-Horseradish Maple Syrup. {Sadly, I failed to get good pictures of pretty much everything.}

But what was most raved about were the Maple Cupcakes with Candied Bacon. In fact, a few days later I started seeing a friend go candied bacon-crazy on one of her Pinterest boards... I think I may have started something!

Maple Cupcakes with Candied Bacon & some with Candied Pecans

And {after a few Juleps!} people started to have a lot of fun taking pics in front of the "photo booth" backdrop I painted just for the event.



There was fun for the whole family, too! Look at these precious girls in their Derby hats, and fur baby Parker joining in the festivities. Pure adorableness!

P.S. Do I not have the cutest friends ever??

2. Brunch Week went off without a hitch thanks to the hard work and organizational skills of Christine from Cook the Story and Terri from Love & Confections. I have never seen so many amazing recipes in one place!

My Brunch Week recipes: Pineapple-Basil Tea,
Caramelized Onion & Bacon Croque Monsieur, Dark Chocolate-Orange & Walnut Banana Bread

Our sponsors really outdid themselves with the prizes they donated for the giveaway and I'm still enjoying some of the goodies that they sent to us for participating! {See today's recipe!}

3. For Mother's Day, I hosted a little luncheon at my place. We went with Italian, and I made a tasty salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Chicken Sausage Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Rosemary-Bacon Focaccia.

My mama opening her gift.

My Mom bought a cake from a local spot that is known for Cuban pastries and other assorted sweets. The cake is called "Chaja", and it was the first time I'd ever tried it. It's an Uruguayan sponge cake layered with peach filling & dulce de leche, with a creamy frosting and topped with crumbled baked meringues. Though I'm not much of a peach person, I was surprised at how much I liked it.

4. These. I made them for a private event and decided to add the toppers last minute. So glad I did!

5. All of this celebration-related eating has been blissfully wonderful, but the guilt caught up to me today and I decided to eat a salad for lunch. Except it topped it off with these ridiculously addictive Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts and basically turned my "healthy" salad into a dessert.

Leave it to me.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And the road to perpetual stretch pants- wearing? Paved with salads-turned-desserts, I'm pretty sure.

I had some leftover California Walnuts that had been sent to me before Brunch Week, and I don't know why I thought to change up my normal candied walnut routine, but I'm sure glad I did.

Sweet vanilla & brown sugar, spicy cayenne pepper, and crunchy walnuts form an addictive substance  when combined. That mild heat from the cayenne wakes up your taste buds and keeps you reaching for "just one more". You know exactly what I mean.

Snack on these alone, add them to granola, top your "healthy" salad with them... I doubt you'll have any trouble coming up with ways to use them up.

Vanilla-Cayenne Candied Walnuts

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon {more or less depending on your spice tolerance} cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts

Special equipment: Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, silicone spatula

1. Combine brown sugar and water in a small non-stick pan and set over medium-high heat. Stir once {using a silicone spatula is helpful since the mixture becomes very sticky}, and bring to a simmer.

2. Sprinkle with cayenne and stir. Allow to boil for 4-5 minutes until the bubbles slow down a bit and the mixture looks more syrupy and less watery.

3. Add vanilla extract and walnuts. Stir, tossing to coat all of the walnuts.

4. Continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes until most of the mixture is stuck to the walnuts and not to the pan.

5. Spread walnuts out onto parchment or a silicone baking mat to cool, separating the large pieces so that they don't fuse together. Cool until "dry", about 6-8 minutes.

Snack away!

*I'm sure there is a more technical way of doing this using temperatures and candy thermometers, but that's not my style. I've made these multiple times using this method & they always turn out great. Just a warning to those of you who are more "exact"! :)