Guest Blogger

You are currently browsing articles tagged Guest Blogger.

It’s Friday, and you know what that means, Friday Foodie Feature time. As I mentioned yesterday, I am still pretty behind on blogging and just about everything else, so I was excited when Megan from the blog Cooking Whims agreed to be the Friday Foodie Feature. Megan started out as a baking blogger, and, as a result has some great baking posts, but I also really love her other recipes. Definitely check out the link to the Roasted Garlic Soup below. It looks divine!

Thanks, Megan, for being featured, and for the rest of you, remember I always welcome guest posts and participants for the Friday Feature. Just send me an email to let me know you are interested!

Have a great Friday morning. I’ll be back later with some more wine country fun!

Cooking Whims

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve kept an online journal ever since I was a teenager. But I became serious about food blogging after I started a baking club with my friends after we graduated from college about two years ago. As an excuse to hang out, two of my best friends would come over once a week and we would whip up something tasty. Then I thought, “Hey, why don’t I blog about these?” So I started “Baking Whims”. But once I moved out of my parents’ house, I discovered I had to cook for myself. But I didn’t want it to be a chore, I wanted it to be fun! So I got a ton of cookbooks out of the library, started following blogs, and decided to add onto my baking escapades–so expanded “Baking Whims” into “Cooking Whims”. And that happened about a year ago. 🙂

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Least favorite?

My favorite thing about blogging is being a part of the food blogging community. When I first moved to the Boston area, I was a bit lost. I moved away from all of my friends, so my baking club get-togethers stopped. I didn’t know how to meet people and felt isolated in my little apartment. But once I joined up with the Boston Food Bloggers, I discovered a whole new world of friendships and activities I never would have found out about if I wasn’t blogging!

My least favorite part about blogging? That’s hard to say because I love all things about blogging! If I had to pick something, though, I would say it’s the dim light in my apartment. I live in a basement with little natural light, so it’s really challenging to capture a well-lit picture of my food.

What has been your most fun blog post to write?

I think the blog post that was the most fun to write was my Roasted Garlic Soup recipe. I was meeting up with some Boston Food Bloggers for a soup swap back in January, and I wanted to try something I never tried before. I love taking on challenges like that and stepping out of my comfort zone because then I actually learn something about cooking. Before I made the garlic soup, I had never roasted garlic, or even bought more than two heads of garlic at once in the store. I bought six for this recipe! (and had some left over).
I love writing about my learning experiences, whether they are good or bad, and hoping others can learn from what I learned–and that they’ll go out and try these recipes on their own too! Cooking for me is fun because I’m always finding things I don’t know about. And the blogging is a great way to log what I have done 🙂

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

Hopefully next year I’ll actually buy a domain for my blog and give it a redesign!

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

I look forward to blogging about my cooking adventures every night, and I would have to say it’s become my favorite thing to do outside of work. It’s much more than just a hobby, it’s become a part of who I am, my identity. If people ask me what I do and what I like to do, I always mention my food blog and my love of food! 🙂

Tags: blogger, Food, Friday Foodie Feature, Guest Blogger, guest post

Chicago

Oh, how I loved Chicago! I traveled to the Windy City back in November to attend a wedding, and was able to take in some of the sights while there. The weekend went by quickly, but my fiance and I definitely made the most of it.

We stayed with a friend for the 2 nights before the weekend’s wedding, so were lucky enough to have a “tour guide” of sorts – as well as an awesome hostess for our stay.

The only one place that my fiance just HAD to make it to was Piece Brewery & Pizzeria (http://www.piecechicago.com/flash/index.html) in Wicker Park. He’d heard great things about their pizza (and the beer too), and neither disappointed. They have a quite non-Chicagoan style of pizza – thin, crispy, and loaded with unique topping combinations. Delicious to say the least! They offer traditional red sauce pizzas, white pizza (olive oil, garlic & cheese), and you can even get a BBQ sauce substitution. It sounds odd, but is SO good. They also have a wide range of beers for any taste – but you won’t find a Miller Lite here. They brew all their own, including American-style Pale Ale, German-style Hefeweizen, and Bock.

pizza in Chicago

Photo Credit: Tammy Green (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zesmerelda/)

The night before the wedding, we were able to attend a Welcome Cocktail gathering at Gibson’s Steakhouse (http://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/) in the Gold Coast section of town. (If you watch The League, that’s the pseudo-setting of the bar they frequent!) The passed appetizers we had were AMAZING – gourmet sliders on buttery buns, mini-quesadillas, and many more. We liked it so much that we made it our last meal in the city before heading back to the airport. We sat downstairs at the bar and enjoyed a few beers while splitting (yet another) burger. It was a great atmosphere in the bar there — you saw everyone from the casual guy catching the game, to more dressed-up patrons taking a break from the exclusive shopping the area offers. Would definitely go back!

Gibson's Chicago

Photo Credit: jimmy_karlsson (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmy_karlsson/)

The other restaurant we visited that really stands out in my mind is Hot Chocolate, (http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/) back again in Wicker Park. If you are in Chicago, you NEED to go here! The atmosphere is fairly casual, yet with a definite hint at upscale, with a unique modern decor. When you walk in you’re greeted by a dessert counter of sorts, featuring some of their homemade brownies & hot chocolate mixes for purchase. (I really wish we had bought some…luckily you can find it online!)

I feel like all I’ve talked about in this post is burgers, but all of them that we had were amazing! Our friend ended up getting a great combo of creamy soup & a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. The two of us ended up with their famous burger, featuring house-ground beef, organic bacon, Widmer 4-year aged cheddar, and house-made pickles on a garlic-toasted bun. My fiance got his with a fried egg on top – genius! And if you do find yourself at Hot Chocolate, please try a dessert. Any dessert. They are all beautifully plated and sure to please.

Hot Chocolate Chicago

Photo Credit: mpieracci (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpieracci/)

Luckily, before heading back to Boston, we had a bit of time for sightseeing. On an unseasonably warm Sunday, we took the Architectural River Cruise. (http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com/rivercruise.php) So much fun! You got a view unlike any other, coasting down the Chicago River and looking up at the massive buildings. You also learn a bit of history along the way from quirky & quite knowledgeable tour guides.

Chicago

Chicago

Photo Credits: Amie Fedora (http://www.amiefedoradesign.com)

Thanks, Amie from Amie Fedora Design for this guest post! I have not been to Chicago since before I started blogging, but it is a beautiful city with a lot of great food to be found!

If you get a chance and want to see more beautiful photography, make sure to check out Amie’s link above! She does weddings!

Tags: burgers, Chicago, Food, Guest Blogger, pizza, Travel

Today’s guest post is brought to you by Jason from the blog Ancient Fire Wine, a site you will definitely want to check out if you have any interest in wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, or good food!

In 2010 my wife and I embarked on a project to make virtual visits to different wine regions around the world. We do make in-person visits several times per year, but the project offers a greatly expanded experience and is likely to set us up for future visits to areas we are particularly intrigued by. So far the trips have involved researching the regions to understand history, climate, typical grape types and wine styles, culinary influences and of course the tasting of wines hailing from the region. We have visited Stellenbosch in South Africa, the Elqui valley in Chile, Napa, Tuscany, the Columbia Valley in Washington, Douro and Madeira in Portugal and Ribera del Duero in Spain. When Meghan put the call out for guest posts I immediately thought of picking a new region and taking a trip.

Carneros

(View of the California wine region of Carneros in Sonoma)

For this trip I picked the Carneros region in California. The Carneros AVA (designated American winemaking region) is located north of San Francisco and contains parts of both Napa and Sonoma counties. The region was first officially designated in 1983 and is about 90 square miles in size. The region’s proximity to San Pablo Bay creates a climate that is cooler than areas further north in both Sonoma and Napa. This more moderate climate led to an early focus on cooler climate grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These are still the predominant grapes grown in the region today, although plantings and experimentation with other grapes like Roussanne, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Albarino has been ongoing for some time. The wines are typically higher in acidity than similar wines made farther north in the warmer areas.

In the 1980s considerable investment was made by sparkling wine interests including Domaine Chandon and Gloria Ferrer resulting in Carneros becoming, and continuing to be, one of the centers of sparkling wine production in California. I don’t believe I have enjoyed any sparkling wines from the Carneros region, something I surely must remedy!

Producers that you would want to visit when in the region might include Domaine Carneros, Cuvaison and Truchard Vineyards. I have enjoyed wine from all three of these producers in the last several years, with the Pinot Noir from Truchard being particularly notable for its lighter body and balance of fruit and spice flavors.

Specifically what to expect from Carneros wines can be hard to say. An open debate on what the signature of Carneros Pinot Noir is has producers divided. What is interesting about this particular situation is that there is a range of specific Pinot Noir grape clones being grown and vinified in the region, with a good deal of variation in the flavors, from mint, earth and herbs to intense dark fruits like blackberry. The alcoholic strength also varies, all together making it hard to define a singular style.

2008 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay

The wine we chose to review from Carneros is the 2008 Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Vineyard Chardonnay. Clos Pegase is a Carneros producer located in the Napa portion of the region. This particular vineyard was a Valentine’s Day present from the owner of Clos Pegase to his wife over 20 years ago. What a present!

The color of the wine is of straw with a clear rim transitioning through several shades to the center. My initial impression of the nose I summed up as smoked savory pear. The nose is moderate with pear, peach and toasty notes of oak. I would classify the wine as medium dry and just from tasting I would guess a moderate to high amount of alcohol, around 14%. The label indicates 13.9% alcohol making my guess pretty solid. I found flavors of fig and a warm flavor that I proclaimed as Chinese Five Spice. I think that outcome is a unique expression of the intersection of the alcohol, oak and fruit in this wine. The wine has a nice rich body to it and a long finish. From a quick look at the Clos Pegase web site I found that the wine is made with extended sur lie aging and battonage, which means the wine is aged on its lees and that they are frequently mixed back into the wine during the aging. This process can have a profound effect on the final wine, producing one with more intense aromas and flavors and considerable mellowing from contact with spent yeast and aroma/flavor compounds that would normally have been discarded much earlier. I very much enjoyed this wine and would recommend it as an excellent example of a cooler climate Chardonnay with some oak influence.

That wraps up our visit to Carneros. Hopefully there was something new and interesting here, and that you might even be thinking about looking for wines from the region to try yourself. If you have been to the region be sure to leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Cheers!

–Jason

Thank you for your post on one of my favorite areas of California, Jason! You have to get your hands on some Gloria Ferrer bubbly soon. It is definitely one of my favorites.

Interested in more food, wine, beer, and cocktail information, including homemade wine and spirits? You have to visit Ancient Fire Wine, Jason’s blog and a direct link into his home drink adventures!

Image sources:

#1 – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Carneros_Sonoma_from_Artesa.jpg

#2 – Bottle label, my own

Tags: Carneros, chardonnay, Guest Blogger, Pinot Noir, wine, wine country, wine regions

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera