I spent last weekend in the hilly wine and avocado country of Temecula, California, about an hour outside of San Diego. I was there for a food blogging conference cum retreat founded by Maggie and Pam of Three Many Cooks and Erika from Ivory Hut. Founded two years ago in Philadelphia as the Big Summer Potluck, the ladies have taken their show on the road and foraged their way west, in the incarnation of the Big Traveling Potluck.

This event is far from a traditionally architected blogger conference. Absent are formal seminars, sponsor booths and non-engaged attendees wondering what to do next. It’s less about what to wear and more about connecting over food, drink and the occasional chia seed pudding.

We were all there for the same purpose, to contribute to one another in a less formal, more intimate environment.

Let me make one thing clear: less formal does NOT mean less grand in scenery, attention to detail or heart.

I’ll be detailing far more about both conferences in the Summer issue of FoodieCrush coming this June. Until then, you truly owe yourself a read of the following recapif you’re of the food blogging variety. Or self-growth variety. Or if you’re just curious what happens when food bloggers gather together.(...)
Read the rest of Big Traveling Potluck 2013 Recap and Friday Faves (667 words)

©FoodieCrush for FoodieCrush Magazine, 2013. | Permalink | 26 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: big traveling potluck, conference, Friday Faves, Instagram, photography

Arrrriiiibbaa! And welcome to this 70 recipe Cinco de Mayo round-up.

And that my friends is as far as 6 years of Spanish classes has gotten me. Besides my two most used Mexican speaking phrases, “Una cerveza por favor” soon to be followed by, “Dondé es el baño?”

Bi-lingual I am not.

A happy eater of Mexican food I am.

I was trolling through some recipes on this dear 2-year-old bloggity blog and suddenly realized I have quite a stash of Mexican flavored dishes that I have shared with mi amigas y amigos.

So let’s  keep this short and sweet on the yakkity yak end of things and get straight to the meat, beans and cheese of the matter. And please, let us not forget the  tortillas.

First off,  we have  a re-share of 10 of my favorite Mexican recipes ala FoodieCrush, quickly followed by a round-up of 60 favorite,  spiced-up tastes from around the foodblogosphere.

I started off thinking there would just be about 10, 15, maybe 20 recipes but I couldn’t stop. I mean look at these talented recipe makers, how could I put a limit on deliciuos?

If you have a great recipe you’d like to share, post  the link in the comments below. I’m always looking for new blogs and recipes to share so links are always welcome.

Feliz comiendo a todos mi amigos. And Happy Cinco de Mayo. (...)
Read the rest of 70 Cinco de Mayo Mexican Recipes (591 words)

©FoodieCrush for FoodieCrush Magazine, 2013. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: entrees, mexican, recipes

This is the thing I like about nachos. If you agree, you’re invited to the party. If you don’t, I’ll be the first to pass along an elementary-style lunch tray to ensure all of your primary food groups stay at arm’s length of one another.

Nachos. They’re layers upon layers of my favorite tastes. A little bit of salt, a lot of spice, maybe a little bit of protein—if I’m feeling the urge to act like a well-rounded adult—all blanketed in cheese, aka the glue that melds this flavor bomb together.

Last week I asked my friends on Facebook for help on what recipe they wanted to see this week: spring pasta or salsa? By the looks of today’s post I think you can see which dish came out as the clear winner.

The confirmation that this recipe was the clear winner came from my Smudge who declared it would had judiciously been added to her birthday party menu. This is serious stuff folks. Maybe it received this exclusive validation because she had become invested in the recipe as my scribe, studiously practicing her cursive skills as I dictated the ingredients and portions. By the way, I DO know there is no “t” in avocado. Most of the time. Can you even tell the difference between my handwriting and a 3rd graders? Aye—yi—yi. Scary.

Cinco de Mayo is on the calendar for this weekend’s celebrations replete with menus full of chunky guacamole, tacos (you gotta try this fried avocado version), enchiladas and a serious round of salsa. I thought about adding to the Mexican madness by recreating a standard savory affair, but headed off on a bender, pointed South and conquered the sweeter side of the border, thanks to mangos in my refrigerator in dire need of a destination resulting in this Mango, Strawberry and Avocado Salsa.

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Read the rest of Dessert Nachos with Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salsa (331 words)

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©FoodieCrush for FoodieCrush Magazine, 2013. | Permalink | 41 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cheese, fruit, mango, mexican, nachos, salsa, strawberry, sweets

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