For me the best part of any conference is meeting my online friends in person and reconnecting with those I’ve met at conferences before.  I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed, not only did I meet old friends from Foodbuzz  (may it rest in peace) but new friends from Google+,  with the added bonus of making some brand new friends that I met for the first time at the conference.

If you were to ask  me what my favorite session had been at Eat Write Retreat, my answer would be most emphatically the Key Note Address given by Monica Bhide.  Monica is an Engineer, Food /Travel /Parenting Writer, Cookbook Author and a Writing Teacher with online classes available.   If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to Monica speak, you don’t know what you’re missing, as Monica puts its “she’s a storyteller”  for me she was simply mesmerizing.    They couldn’t have made a better choice for the Key Note Speaker.  Monica also spoke on “Writing in the Age of the Sponsored Post”  which was equally engaging and offered some wonderful lesson on working with brands.

Not only did I get to enjoy the company of my food blogging friends but I also got to meet and spend time with the sponsors.  EWR is a little different than some conferences I’ve been to, in that the sponsors actually take part in every aspect of the conference, not just sitting on the sidelines observing.  And because of that I got to meet and speak with many of the people representing the brands that sponsored the event.  We also got to take home a  swag bag full of goodies and all the samples we could carry!

While we were there I got to taste a sugar cookie (or as I tweeted inhaled 3 of them) that was made with Monk Fruit in the Raw,   made by the “In The Raw” sugar company.  I was pleasantly surprised with the taste, and the fact that it had no calories what so ever.

I was so impressed with Monk Fruit in the Raw that I decided to put it to the test myself  in a cookie using more of the wonderful samples I had received at the conference.  I had a box of Erewhorn Crispy Brown Rice Cereal from Attune Foods and more raisins that you can possibly imagine from the nice folks at California Raisins that I wanted to use.  And I even tried out some of new kitchen tools  I had received from OXO.   So you can say this cookie was brought to you through the courtesy of the sponsors of Eat Write Retreat!

I used a recipe I had found on the Joy of Baking site and adapted it to the cookie I wanted to make, and the recipe couldn’t have been better.  The only change I might make the next time I make this wonderful cookie is to reduce the Monk Fruit in the Raw by 1/4 cup (down to 3/4 cup) because if anything the cookie may have been just a little sweet, which isn’t surprising considering Monk Fruit in the Raw is 300 times more sweet than cane sugar.

The cookies were amazingly delicious and very satisfying,  just 2 or 3 cookies and I was a happy camper (instead of my usual half batch…sigh).  They also held up really well (since I was controlling myself) in a sealed plastic container for over a week.

Just to be clear, no one asked me to write this post about Eat Write Retreat or to mention the sponsors or to use their products.  I had such a good time at the event and enjoyed all of the products and wanted to make something tasty as my way of letting everyone know just how much fun I had and how much I enjoyed meeting everyone there.   If you’re looking to cut back your calories a bit ( as I need to) this is an excellent cookie to have around the house for those sweet tooth times!

The post Low Sugar Oatmeal Crispies and Eat Write Retreat appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

Last December Google helped me move closer to achieving that goal, by adding communities to an already robust platform.   The first step in my master plan was in place.

I started the G+ Food Bloggers Community last December in the hopes of bringing food bloggers together in a community where we could share our knowledge freely, helping each other to grow stronger and become better bloggers.    Six months into this great adventure and we already have 1700 food bloggers in our community with more joining everyday.

Two months ago I began thinking about holding a Virtual Food Bloggers Conference, I got a variety of thoughts on the subject and  most everyone thought it was an excellent idea,  so I began planning my Virtual Conference.  Unfortunately work got in the way….sigh.  There was just too much to do at my day job  to give any time to thoughts of my conference.  But at night when I got home,  I began reaching out to many of  “The Superstars of G+” to get their help with this project, and to my surprise almost everyone said yes.  That’s what I love about G+, we are a community, we care about each other and we help each other.   So thank you my friends for helping me to make this dream come true, you’ve got me one step closer to hosting an actual conference.

This conference will be held on G+ HOA (hangouts on air) and will begin on Friday Evening July 12th, with a Keynote address by a special guest that I’m will be announcing soon.   Following our Keynote address, I’m going to host a Virtual Cocktail Party  where we can meet and greet our friends   (nine of you will be in this event with me).   There will be openings in every session for bloggers, the number of presenters in each session will determine how many bloggers can attend each session.

So if you see a session your interested in and would like to be on the inside of the hangout you can apply for that Golden Ticket.  (You will need to have a web cam and headphones to be inside one of these events ).  Of course everyone will be able to watch each session live as it happens and ask question in the comment bar, and for that you’ll only need your computer.  This will be a public event and everyone is welcome to attend.

I’m still waiting to hear from a few people about their sessions, so I have not included them on the list.   I  will update this post as additional speakers are confirmed, so keep coming back to see whose been added!

G+ Food Bloggers Community Presents

The First Annual {Virtual} G+ Blogging Conference

July 12-14, 2013

Friday July 12  - All sessions in EDT (New York Time)

               8:00  PM – Keynote Address

                                     (TBA)

              9:00  PM  - Virtual Cocktail Party – Meet and Greet

Saturday July 13 -All sessions in EDT (New York Time)

              10:00 AM  - Using G+ to Find and Engage with Your Readership

                                     Martin Shervington

              12:00 PM    - Developing New Markets Through Pod Casting

                                     Ryan Hanley, Chris C. Drucker, Autumn Giles

                 2:00 PM    -  TBA

                 4:00  PM   – Increasing your Readership and your Revenue with Youtube

                                       Hilah Johnson, Stephanie Manley, Joanne Ozug

                 6:00 PM    -Making your Images Google Worthy

                                        Adam Barnes, Taylor Mathis, Naomi Robinson

                  8:00 PM  - The SMO of SEO

                                        Joshua Berg and Mark Traphagan

Sunday July 14 -All Sessions in EDT (New York Time)

                 10:30 AM  - Cookbook Proposals 101- and the role of an agent

                                         Sally Ekus

                  12:30 PM  - Blog Design, Plug-ins and Tech Talk

                                         Kita Roberts

                      2:30 PM  -The G+ Hangouts and how to use them

                                           Ronnie Bincer

                     4:30  PM  - The Other Social Media – Pinterest

                                           Valerie Coffman, Cheryl Sousan, Marla Meridith

Watch for the events on G+, and make sure to mark the times of the events you want to watch live in your Google Calendar.  If you’d like to be inside one of these events make sure to let me know ASAP so you can get on the list.  Tickets will be awarded to community members first, so if you don’t belong to the community, now’s a good time to join! Just make sure if you ask for a ticket that you have a camera and earbuds so you can participate, this is a requirement.  If you just want to watch it live and ask questions via the comment bar all you need is your computer.

The schedule will be updated as speakers are added, check back often!

The post First Annual {Virtual} G+ Bloggers Conference appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

We always had homemade ravioli on hand in my last restaurant, and even though I could eat anything I wanted, ravioli with butter, Romano cheese and black pepper was always one of my favorite dinners.   I think you always lean towards using ingredients you enjoy eating and since I loved ravioli, I used it often in a variety of specials.   Ravioli was fairly inexpensive so that meant I could splurge a little on the other ingredients, and shrimp were always a welcome addition to just about any dish, making an inexpensive average meal into an extra special dinner.

I do most of my grocery shopping at my local Wegman’s  and they have an excellent brand of fresh pasta that is pretty darn close to homemade, and without all the work.  They have quite a selection of ravioli, they come  stuffed with ricotta and  basil , portabella’s , or spinach  each finished in a slightly different shape, so you can tell them apart.

Lisa couldn’t get over how much she enjoyed this dinner ( I couldn’t believe I had never made it for her before).  It just goes to show you how easy it is to make Restaurant Style meals in your own home at a fraction of the cost of going out for dinner.   Just think, this amazing Ravioli Scampi costs less to make per person than the price of most fast food value meals and takes minutes to prepare.   Staying home for dinner doesn’t have to be boring,  and not only do you save money, but you eat better.   I hope you give this meal a try,  just add a loaf of good Italian bread and a salad and you’ll be in heaven.

Since you saved so much on dinner why not buy a bottle of wine and rent a movie,  now that’s what I call a great home date night!

The post Ravioli and Shrimp Scampi – Inside my Restaurant Kitchen appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

But you don’t have to even work that hard for me to be your Cheesy friend.   Just send me some Aged Cheddar like my friends at Cabot did recently, and we’ll get along just fine.

When it came time for this months focus on Dairy, I decided to go to one of my favorite dishes, Lasagna.   I had somehow managed to find tomatoes that actually tasted like tomatoes (not the usual cardboard variety) and had an abundance of spinach, so I thought a white lasagna would be a nice change of pace.

I made a little Bechamel, sautéed the spinach with garlic, and roasted those lovely tomatoes and came up with a delicious vegetable lasagna.    The only problem I had with this cheesy creation was my lack of patience!  I just couldn’t wait long enough for it to properly set up, and ended up with a lasagna that was just a little loose.  It’s hard to balance being a food blogger and photographer and still get your family fed in a reasonable amount of time.

Even though it could have looked a little better, I don’t think it could’ve tasted any better, it was nicely balance array of flavors.  From the sweet creaminess of the Bechamel, to the roasted tomatoes and garlicky spinach.  Add in the flavors of whole milk ricotta,  shredded mozzarella and grated Romano cheese and you end up with a culinary masterpiece!

There is something very comforting about lasagna and so many ways to prepare it.  But no matter what you do to it the wonder of cheese makes it oh so delicious!   If you have a chance stop by the Dairyspot and check out all the great recipes they share there, as well as nutritional information and dairy farming tours, there’s always something for everyone in the family there.

Thanks for stopping by today, see you soon!

The post Tomato and Spinach Lasagna appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

I decided on a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, but rather than a traditional spring form pan, I used my brownie pan (it hasn’t seen a lot of action lately and it looked depressed).   I also wanted to change up the crust a bit and I happened to see Toffee Sandies at the market and thought they would make an interesting crust.  I love pecan sandies and the toffee sandies may have knocked them down into second place.    I think toffee sandies are going on my to do list!

Cheesecake has got to be one of the most forgiving desserts you can make.  You can add just about any flavor you like, use all kinds of toppings, change the crust, use different shaped pans, but no matter what you do to it, Cheesecake still comes out oh so creamy and delicious!  I don’t know who invented cream cheese but I hope there was a medal awarded for this stellar creation.

Only 17 more school lunch days left in this year……sigh.   I can’t wait to get this summer started, there is so much on my too do list this year.  But for now I’m just concentrating on getting through this week, it’s our biggest catering week of the year at school and a time when my Culinary Team really shines.   It was 4 years ago that they debuted at our largest catered event.  I remember it like it was yesterday  when my girls walked into the room dressed in chefs gear, you could’ve heard a pin drop.    You’ll get to see the pics from this years event next week after my old tired body has had some time to recuperate.

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy week my friends!

The post Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars with a Toffee Cookie Crust appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

But don’t be sad,  because I have one more guest blogger to share with you, and it’s a blogger who absolutely loves what she does and it shows!  Today it’s my great pleasure to introduce Erin, The Law Student’s Wife.   Although I’m a little sad about ending this delicious series of posts, I couldn’t be happier with the last guest blogger to grace this blog as the series concludes.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Erin’s blog, you are in for a treat!  Erin may be posing as a Law Student’s Wife for her blog, but I’ll tell you, she’s shows the creativity of a top chef  as she works her magic in the kitchen combining flavors and creating one delicious dish after another.   And her magazine quality imagery will have you drooling on your keyboard before you finish reading your first post.

So sit back, relax, put your feet up and get ready for some serious stomach rumblings, as I give you……..

The Law Student’s Wife

Let’s go on a picnic date.

We’ll kick off our shoes, stretch in the sun, and seriously contemplate eating every meal for the rest of our lives atop a red-and-white checkered blanket.  Coleslaw is nice, and it was thoughtful of you to bring the potato salad, but let’s be real: today’s picnic is all about Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars.

Before our picnic continues (and I launch into exactly why you need Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars in your life rightthisinstant), please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Erin, author of The Law Student’s Wife, a (mostly) healthy and budget-friendly cooking blog.  I’m convinced that cheese and chocolate are the answers, that you can love sweets and veggies equally, and that delicious, satisfying food should be accessible to everyone. My recipes focus on lighter twists to classic comfort foods, money-saving alternatives, and quick weeknight meal ideas, all shared with a pinch of pizzazz.

A warm thank you to Chef Dennis for allowing me to guest post today. Not only do I have tremendous respect for his expertise and work, but also he’s given me the delightful opportunity to share a slice of summertime bliss with you: Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars.

Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars are the taste of early, endless summer, topped with a puff of whipped cream, and gobbled with sticky fingers.

To create these sunny delights, we spread sweet strawberry jam over buttery shortbread, add a light cheesecake topping, then smother our work with fresh berries. Zippy lemon zest dances throughout, creamy cheesecake and shortbread make a perfect couple, and strawberry brings the fruity fun to this summer celebration. Each bite is loaded with the flavor of long days spent playing outside, pretending not to notice Mom calling you home for the night.

Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars also include a few sneaky swaps. I love developing lighter twists on traditionally heavy dishes, and these dreamy Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars are no exception. The cheesecake layer is made with a combo of Greek yogurt and light cream cheese, and I snuck a bit of whole-wheat pastry flour into the crust. Fear not: all you will taste is buttery shortbread and luscious cheesecake. I served an entire plate to my friends, and no one believed me when I told them the secret ingredients. You’ll fool your friends and create the perfect excuse for a second helping. High-five!

Bright, creamy Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars taste worthy of a special occasion, yet are simple enough for a weeknight treat. I hope you enjoy a bit of summer in every bite, and to see you around The Law Student’s Wife soon. It’s been a pleasure to share this recipe with you!

Now, who’s up for a picnic?

What a delicious guest post, those strawberry lemonade bars would certainly be a hit at my house!  Now before you forget, head on over to The Law Student’s Wife and say hi to Erin, just remember to tell her Chef Dennis sent you.

Have a great weekend!

The post Strawberry Lemonade Shortbread Bars with the Law Student’s Wife appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

If you’re wondering why I brought up Alaska, well last week I came across a new new variety of fish at the market, Alaskan Rockfish.    I didn’t know too much about it Alaskan Rockfish, so I pulled out my phone and Googled it.   What I read made it sound like a wonderful choice for this weeks home menu.

It has a firm, white and meaty flesh, with a higher oil content that makes it perfect for marinades, wood smoking or the addition of other flavors.   That being said the Rockfish is a blank canvas awaiting  a pallete of flavors.  There’s so much you can do with this beautiful fish, you’ll never have to serve it the same way twice.

I decided on a marinade with an Asian twist for this dish, and of course I went with what I had on hand.  Tamari sauce and pomegranate molasses made up the base.  I could have let it marinate a little longer than I did, but I didn’t want to overwhelm the Rockfish.  What I discovered was it needs the infusion of flavors.

While the texture of the Rockfish is amazing, it is a little on the bland side so don’t be afraid to give it a good soaking in a tasty marinade, add your favorite flavors to the marinade and whether you grill it, pan sear it, or oven roast it, I promise it will be a hit with your family.   I think I might even try pan frying it next time, who knows it might make one tasty fish sandwich!

Have a wonderful rest of the week my friends, and Have a Happy May Day!

The post Grilled Alaskan Rockfish appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

But it wasn’t until my second trip to Italy that I fell in love with blood oranges.  On our journey from Rome to Naples one Easter Sunday many years ago on board the Circumvesuviana, one of the stops was at Pompeii.  It was a fairly warm day and as we got off the train to walk to Pompeii, there was a food truck selling freshly squeezed ice cold blood orange juice….sigh.  I had 3 glasses of that delicious nectar and would go back to Pompeii in a heartbeat, just for more of that perfect blood orange juice.   It was without a doubt the best orange juice I’ve ever had,  and that my friends began my love affair with blood oranges!

I have been back to Pompeii since and the tree lined sidewalks are beautiful, and the town itself quaint and friendly.

I always look for Blood Orange Juice and every time I see it pre-packaged, I buy it in hopes of finding one that comes remotely close to that perfectly blended blood orange juice I had at the Pompeii train station, but sadly none have even been acceptable as a juice, most being bitter or lacking in flavor.  So I patiently wait for the growing season each year and enjoy those lovelies until the seasons end.   I know most of the Blood Oranges in this country come from Texas or California, and as good as they can be, they just don’t compare to the Italian Variety.    If we could perfect the Blood Orange and the Sorrento Lemon, I would be in Citrus Heaven!

I decided to use the last of my Blood Oranges (which hadn’t been as sweet as I like them) in a muffin, and thinking of my Texas roots I thought of adding one of our other home state treasures the Pecan.  The muffins were a nice blend of flavors and good way to use a less than satisfying blood orange since I could compensate for the lack of sweetness with the other ingredients in the muffin.

Freshly baked muffins are such a wonderful treat and take even less time in the morning if you prepackage the dry ingredients in small ziplock bags.  When ever I make scones or muffins, I always make up one or two extra portions of the dry ingredients for mornings that I stumble down into the kitchen half awake.  It makes the process faster and easier!  Just do yourself a favor if you try this time saving method and write what type of mix it is, along with the date you packaged your ingredients on the bag.

These muffins freeze very nicely and give you a second morning of freshly baked muffins to start your day.  Of course I like to toast them before serving if they’ve been frozen it’s a nice way to freshen up the muffin.

Cheers!

The post Blood Orange Pecan Muffins appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.

I began thinking about a sauce for the dish and how to combine the ingredients and as I prepared them individually.   But the more I thought about it, I really didn’t want the flavors all jumbled together and I wasn’t really in the mood for a sauce, buttery or other wise.

I cold have easily assembled the ingredients in a pleasing order to make the picture look inviting and get those gastric juices flowing, but sometimes simplicity is really the best way to present food, especially if that’s the way it was prepared.

As usual my culinary instincts served me well, dinner was exceptional!  And although I added in those sweet little heirloom grape tomatoes for color, they were a welcome addition to the dish, adding another taste profile to an already spectacular array of flavors!

What started out as one of my signature sauté dishes ended up as a deconstructed meal, or simply put  ”pan seared chicken with assorted sides”

With summer approaching and all of the wonderful Jersey Fresh product that will be available, you can be certain I will be enjoying variations of this meal all summer long!   Sometimes the simplest meals can be the most satisfying.

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With fish prices steadily rising that makes experimenting with new fish riskier, and for that reason I try to stay with mild flaky varieties when ever possible.    I always tell everyone how lucky we are to have such a good source of fresh seafood  in our area and for the last few weeks our market has been featuring Black Sea Bass.  From what the fish monger told me about that variety it seemed like it fit the bill perfectly.

Just to be on the safe side I topped the my oven roasted sea bass with  jumbo shrimp finished in a lemon scampi sauce.    The Sea Bass was tender and flaky with a mild sweet flavor, and the lemon butter sauce with those delectable shrimp took the sea bass to the next level!

If you can’t find Black Sea Bass, this topping would work well on any white flaky fish, turning even Tilapia into a memorable meal or even without the fish served over  pasta.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you enjoyed my Black Sea Bass with those lovely jumbo shrimp.   It did make our list of approved seafood, so hopefully when the local variety starts running next month, I’ll be able to give it another try.   We do have a fair amount of fresh seafood from the Jersey waters and its always better to eat local when ever possible!   It reduces the carbon footprint, and helps support the local economy, so eat local when ever you can.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I’ll see you soon.

The post Black Sea Bass with Shrimp in a Lemon Scampi Sauce appeared first on A Culinary Journey With Chef Dennis.