I had a wonderful time in Austin Texas for the 2013 BlogHer Food conference. There were a hundreds upon hundreds of foodies there to share and gain knowledge, network and have a great time.

I met so many fabulous bloggers and really enjoyed the talks. From how to make better online videos to knife techniques, there was so much to learn and so much delicious food to eat!

If I had to choose three talks as my favorites they’d have to be the knife skills class by Hank Shaw, the mobile food photography talk by Diane Cu and Todd Porter of White On Rice Couple blog and the “How to Fake Great Photos” course by Colette Martin, Floridian Katie Jasiewicz, and Melissa Skorpil. Here are some of the tips I picked up from Hank’s course.

Hank Shaw Knife Skills Course

• Focus! A sharp knife means not as serious of a cut if you mess up!
• New way to separate garlic. Break it, shake it, and smash and drag it!
• Fish 101 fishy smell…not good!
• Take out the gills for fish stock otherwise it will ruin it by making your stock cloudy and bitter.
• Always buy fresh and cut it yourself. You will know it is fresh by looking at it before you buy. There are too many ways a bad filet can be covered up. Grocery stores know the tricks to covering up bad cuts.

When we weren’t in one of the educational sessions we were likely testing out products, dining on delicious food or chatting over coffee in the conference hall lobby. There were nearly 30 exhibitors at the conference. The gals from Baileys Coffee Creamers provided us with iced coffee with their creamers.

Ninja showed off their impressive blender, steamer and deep fryer. Their triple-blade blender was awesome and it looks like they might be hooking us up with their Ninja Mega Kitchen System for the kitchen we’re building out for future Strawberry Sue video shoots.

I was amazed by the soft-baked, gluten free cookies from Udi’s. We also got a taste of Dannon’s Oikos Greek Yogurt, some Kozy Shack tapioca and these Kikkoman savory chocolates. Blurb books was there with some inspiring ideas for a future Florida Strawberry Growers Association cookbook and the farm gals from Common Ground shared their agriculture knowledge over tiny cupcakes.

On the second day of the conference we went on an Austin-style food truck excursion and photo walk at Lake Town Park.I had a tasty empanada from mmmpanadas and the views of the lake and park were beautiful.

The conference ended with a big party with Texas style barbecue at Stubbs BBQ and an outdoor concert by The Grooves! The next day I headed to Horseshoe Bay Texas for a delicious brunch (we made beignets!) and ended my time in Texas with a dinner at The Oasis at Lake Travis where we caught a gorgeous sunset.

Now I just can’t wait for the next BlogHer Food conference, or any blogging conference for that matter. Who knew learning and networking could be so fun! I cannot wait to see what comes from this conference and hope to build a community of Floridian Foodies through conferences like this to help spread the word on our delicious winter strawberries.

Thursday morning I’ll be flying to Austin Texas to attend the fifth annual BlogHer Food conference. If you’re a regular reader of this blog I’m sure you’ve heard of the BlogHer network and their conferences; BlogHer, BlogHer Food, BlogHer Entrepreneur as well as a few other annual events.

With BlogHer Food over 500 influential food writers, photographers, stylists, chefs, activists and brands come together to discuss the thing their most passionate about, food. And they choose BlogHer Food more than any other conference because it’s the largest annual gathering of an online food community!

At the conference these hundreds of women, and even a handful of men, gather to network, to build skills, to teach and to learn. From those hoping to figure out how to start blogging to those who’ve just printed the second edition of their must-have cookbook, everyone is welcome. At with nearly 8,700 members in the BlogHer Food community, it’s one of the largest online food communities in the world! It’s third in line behind AllRecipes‘s 17,000 and the Food Network 13,717 members.

I’ll be Tweeting, Instagraming, Facebooking and maybe even Google+(ing) the entire thing so make sure you follow along! I promise lots of pictures, a little bit of video and hopefully some share-worthy insight. I’ll also do my best to try out the tastiest places to eat in Austin. I hear great things!

Let me know if you too are going to be at BlogHer Food 2013. Maybe we can meet up over barbecue, cocktails or how about some strawberries? I can’t wait to meet other food bloggers, to learn more about the art and science of food blogging, share recipes, inspire and be inspired, and of course, eat some delicious Texas cuisine!

Crepes, or crêpes, are a thin French pancake whose popularity has been growing across the globe over the last decade. From France to Japan to Quebec to America, crepes are hot. Sometimes savory, sometimes sweet; crepes are a versatile way to serve delicious food at any time of the day.

In this recipe we’re filling crepes with a cream cheese filling and topping with fresh strawberries. If you can’t get your hands on fresh strawberries feel free to thaw your frozen strawberries and macerate as explained in the recipe. If your short on time feel free to buy Melissa’s Ready-to-Use Crepes crepes sold at many grocery stores and even on Amazon.com.

French Crepes with Cream Filling and Strawberry Topping

Cream filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 6 tablespoons cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Strawberry topping

• 1 pint sliced fresh Florida strawberries
• 1 tbsp sugar

Crepe batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
Place cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar and vanilla in mixer. Blend until smooth. Let filling rest in the refrigerator while you prepare crepes.

Topping:
Rinse, hull and slice fresh Florida strawberries. Toss with sugar and let chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Crepes:
Sift together flour, sugar and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Once well mixed, slowly add in flour mixture just until smooth. Over whisking can cause the crepes to get too rubbery. Next incorporate melted butter into the batter.

A crepe maker or pan is useful but any flat bottomed frying pan will work here. Lightly oil the cooking surface and heat over medium. Pout two tablespoons of crepe batter into the pan, rotating the pan to evenly distribute. If using a crepe maker, use an offset spatula.

When edges are beginning to brown (approximately 30 seconds), turn crepe and cook for 10 more seconds. Remove from pan and cool. Once cool you can stack your crepes and store in a Ziplock bag. Placing a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between each crepe will prevent them from sticking to each other.

Spoon into the center of the crepe some of the filling and roll or fold crepe. Top with macerated strawberries and serve. Feel free to add other fresh fruit and a sprig of mint as garnish.

Three ways you can further jazz this recipe up:

• Substitute 2 tbsp of Cointreau for sugar to macerate the strawberries.
• Add Nutella hazelnut spread to the crepe after folding for a luxuriously chocolate-sweet treat.
• Stuff the crepes with the filling and fresh strawberries and drizzle with strawberry syrup.

This recipes comes to us from Aida Mollenkamp from her work with Attune Foods and The Honeybee Project. I stumbled upon the recipe on Pinterest one day and contacted Aida to see if we could share it with you all. If you haven’t heard of The Honey Bee Project, you should definitely check it out. It is a collaboration between Attune Foods and the Rodale Institute’s Honeybee Conservancy to spread awareness about the importance of honeybees in communities.

It isn’t something many of us think about, especially those outside of the agriculture industry, but our food supply relies on honeybees. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these workers pollinate 80% of the nation’s flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat. There have been several articles and even a documentary about just the importance of honey bees and the dangers their dwindling population brings to head.

Colony collapse hit us pretty hard last year when nearly 1/3 of all honeybees in America died. Thankfully there are organizations and foodies like Aida doing what they can to turn this around.

For The Honeybee Project, it only seemed natural to remake lemon bars with a bit more elevated flavors. So I whirred some pistachios, grahams, and coconut oil together for a crust with depth and whisked together honey, lemon, and strawberries for a bright, sweet, tart fruit curd that’s as gorgeous as it is tasty.

These lemonade bars are sure to be an instant hit with your family and a perfect pairing to a summer barbecue.

Honeyed Pink Lemonade Bars with Pistachio-Graham Crust

For the base:

•  1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6 ounces / from 10 to 12 whole crackers)
• 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil, plus more for coating the dish
• 1/4 cup clover honey

For the filling:

• 2 cups strawberries (about 10 ounces // for about 1 cup puree)
• 1 cup unrefined cane sugar
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 10 to 12 lemons)
• 6 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Powdered sugar and/or toasted coconut flakes, for serving

For the base:

Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with coconut oil and line the pan with 2 pieces of parchment that overhang each side of the pan by 1 inch.

In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs and salt until it resembles a fine meal. Add honey and coconut oil and process until mixture is thoroughly moistened and it begins to lump together, about 30 seconds. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Place strawberries in the food processor and process until they’re a super smooth puree. Pass strawberry puree through a fine mesh sieve and press on the sieve with a spatula to extract as much of the puree as possible; discard any seeds.

Combine puree with all ingredients in a large non-reactive bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour filling over baked crust and return to the oven, and bake until just set in the middle, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cover and place in refrigerator to set up for 2 to 3 hours.

Using a knife dipped in hot water, cut into squares then, as desired, top with powdered sugar or toasted coconut flakes and serve.

Originally posted by Aida Mollenkamp for Attune Foods The Honeybee Project in the Kitchen.

Aida Mollenkamp is a Food Network star and host of the Cooking Channel‘s FoodCrafters. There she’s on a mission to “discover and celebrate the absolute masters in independent food production around the USA” as well as to promote her message that handmade, fresh, seasonal, whole food-based cooking is the key to deliciousness.

But before FoodCrafters, and her celebrated cookbook, Keys to the Kitchen, Aida was just a California girl with European roots and a passion for all things food. Educated at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, and later at the venerable Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Aida honed her culinary skills and cultivated her cooking philosophy.

I operate on the belief that food tastes better when it’s prepared by hand and made with healthy, whole ingredients. I value the rich artisanal culture and the effort and skill required to produce each element at the table. I believe a successful meal consists not only of good food, but also thoughtful design, artful presentation, and of course, fabulous company!

In 2005 she joined the editorial staff at CHOW magazine writing recipes, styling food and even creating instructional videos. Three years later she had her own shown on the Food Network, Ask Aida, followed by FoodCrafters.

Last year Aida published her first cookbook, Keys to the Kitchen.

This comprehensive manual collects more than 300 innovative, contemporary recipes as well as color photographs, plenty of informative illustrations, a substantial technique primer, and helpful how-to information on subjects as wide-ranging as rust removal, throwing a cocktail party, and knife skills.

For members of the tech-savvy new generation who can’t cook but want to, this essential reference guide makes an ideal starting place and for those already at ease in the kitchen it’s full of “who knew” moments for expanding their repertoire of great recipes.

I encourage you to sharpen your knives and follow Aida’s culinary adventures on her blog, Pairs Well With Food. Aida says her blog’s quest is to “inspire creativity in the meals you craft, the gatherings you design, and the food adventures you embark upon.” Her recipes are European and Mediterranean inspired, universally delicious and feature absolutely  stunning photography sure to make your stomach growl. But don’t take my word for it, check out some her latest recipes.

Avocado Toast with Soft-Boiled Eggs, Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Spicy Chorizo, Seared Lamb Chops with Green Harissa Sauce, Carrot-Cumin Farro Risotto and Strawberry & Rhubarb Shortcakes with Orange Flower Whipped Cream.

Recently Aida partnered with Attune Foods to promote The Honeybee Project. The Honeybee Project is a collaboration between Attune Foods and the Rodale Institute’s Honeybee Conservancy to spread awareness about the importance of honeybees in communities. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honeybees pollinate 80% of the nation’s flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat.

As part of The Honeybee Project, Aida shared her recipe for Honeyed Pink Strawberry Lemonade Bars and was kind enough to let us share it with you here on Strawberry Sue.

Aida currently lives in California, dividing her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles. She spends her free time trying new restaurants, building out her home bar, shopping for antiques, honing her photography skills, dancing, and, of course, cooking.

You can follow Aida on Twitter, like her Facebook page and her delicious Pinterest page.

Faith Gorsky is the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind the blog, An Edible Mosaic. She lives in Upstate New York and loves to travel, especially to places steeped in rich culture and history.

Her favorite thing to do is go into the kitchen hungry, open the fridge, and start creating. Faith also enjoys reading (cookbooks mostly), vintage shopping (especially in old markets), watching movies (of all genres), and is enamored with ancient cultures (especially Rome and Egypt).

I lived in Florida for three years during law school, and I used to love going to the Florida Strawberry Festival – Florida strawberries are fantastic!

Her blog, An Edible Mosaic, explores food in such a way that no matter what your tastes, no matter what your skills, everything is approachable. It’s the sort of food blog that feels as much today a staple in the kitchen as the classic Better Homes and Gardens cookbook did starting in 1930. Here is how Faith describes her blog.

Our recipes don’t focus exclusively on any one cuisine or type of food, but instead embrace the foods of many different cultures. So much can be learned about people through what they eat, and how, when, and why they eat it. It’s our goal to inspire you to get into the kitchen and try something new.

Her first cookbook, An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing), which is a collection of authentic Middle Eastern recipes handed down to her from her husband’s family, was released in November 2012.

Faith shares with us her recipe for Strawberry Grilled Cheese, our latest featured recipe! Faith can also be found on her online photo gallery, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

The following recipe comes to us from our latest featured blogger, Faith Gorsky. She creates delightful recipes that are as delicious as the food photography that accompanies them.

Grilled cheese, the iconic American sandwich, is a favorite of most kids growing up and never stops being comfort food, even to adults. Crisp and buttery outside and gooey with melted cheese inside, it’s the perfect sandwich, even in its most basic form.

For this sandwich, Faith took a cue from her mom and went with her favorite: strawberry jam and cheese, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. It tastes like a cheese Danish; a fresh, piping hot, lovely cheese Danish.

If you like this recipe, you should check out some of Faith’s other amazing recipes from her blog, An Edible Mosaic.

Strawberry Grilled Cheese with Strawberry Balsamic Relish

• 1 teaspoon honey (preferably raw, local honey)
• 1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup (75 g) diced fresh strawberries
• 4 slices of your favorite bread
• 4 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
• 3 slices American Cheese
• 3 tablespoons strawberry preserves
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)

Mix together the honey and vinegar in a small bowl and stir in the strawberries; set aside for the berries to macerate while you make the sandwiches.

Spread 1 teaspoon butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Place 1 slice of bread (butter side down) on a cutting board; top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons strawberry preserves and 1 1/2 pieces of cheese. Place the remaining slice of bread on top (butter side up).

Grill the sandwiches in a large skillet (or on a griddle) over low heat until golden on both sides.

To serve, transfer each sandwich to a plate and sprinkle on a dusting of powdered sugar if desired. Serve the sandwiches hot along with the macerated strawberries to spoon on top.

Chef’s Note: Faith prefers this recipe with fresh sourdough bread

Originally posted at An Edible Mosaic.

Popsicle season is just around the corner. When I think of popsicles I think of hot summer days and of a freezer full of these icy treats. Invented in in 1905 by an eleven year old boy, over two billion popsicles are sold every year. In a way, they’ve become one of the official summer treats here in America.

Little Frank Epperson accidentally left a cup of homemade soda on his front porch one evening. The next morning he found it frozen solid with its stirring stick sitting in the middle. This was the first popsicle, though Frank called it an “Epsicle.” 18 years later he patented the Epsicle as a Pop Sicle, pointing out that it was made from soda pop.

These days popsicles have grown up into gourmet foods and companies like Zoku have entire lines of popsicle making tools. Time to get creative for another hot summer! Here’s a recipe to start you off.

Florida Strawberry-Yogurt Freezer Pops

• 1 pound Florida strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 10 freezer pop molds and sticks

In blender or food processor add half of the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Purée ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a small pitcher or container and add the rest of the chopped strawberries.

Fill each freezer pop mold by alternating layers of strawberry mixture and yogurt. Insert handle or stick into each freezer pop and freeze at least 5 hours. To serve, run warm water over outside of molds until pops come out easily.

If you don’t have freezer pop molds, use small paper cups. Cover tops of cups with plastic wrap and poke the sticks through the plastic to keep them standing upright while in the freezer.

Florida Strawberry Growers Association hosts 31st annual Agritech trade show.

As a vendor you will meet with growers and industry representatives, and enjoy great food. There are 50 booths available on a first-come first-serve basis. To exhibit, Associate membership is required. Gold Associate members get a free booth with membership. This is one event of the year where we have almost 90 percent of the industry in one room.

Click here to download the 2013 Agritech registration form. Online registration coming soon.

This year’s theme is Hunting. Ribbons will be given out to the top three booths that participate in the theme by decorating their booth. New this year is a Clay Shoot and dinner on Monday night. After the exhibitors set up at Agritech we head to the Fish Hawk Sporting Clays in Lithia for a fun event!

Agritech guest speakers and sessions are currently being lined up. Topics will include food safety, immigration, fumigant alternatives, trace back, and labor issues along with the latest information on research and technology.

This recipe comes from Shannon Kohn, winner of the professional division’s starters/salsas category in theFlorida Strawberries — A Taste of Summer All Winter Long recipe contest last year. Her entry, Floridian-Style Strawberry Shrimp Ceviche, garnered Kohn a $500 cash prize!

Gluten-free diets are all the rage in Hollywood it seems. Many restaurants now have gluten-free sections, along with low carb and heart healthy options. But do you know what gluten is or why someone would follow a gluten-free diet? Let’s see what the Mayo Clinic has to say about the subject.

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).

A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps people with celiac disease control their signs and symptoms and prevent complications.

Initially, following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating. But with time, patience and creativity, you’ll find there are many foods that you already eat that are gluten-free and you will find substitutes for gluten-containing foods that you can enjoy.

Ceviche (sometimes spelled seviche) is a popular Latin American seafood dish often made up of raw fish, marinated in citrus juice. The citrus acid works to cook the raw fish. Once marinated, the fish is tossed with spices, fresh onions and peppers and served as an appetizer. In Shannon’s recipe, she has substituted raw fish for cooked shrimp and jazzed it up to match the culinary styles of Florida.

The types of endive.

We’ve posted this recipe before as a bruschetta-style dish. This time around we’re replacing the toasted, gluten-rich bread with endive. Endive is a slightly bitter-flavored green rich in vitamins and minerals, such as folate and vitamins A and K, and is also high in fiber.

You might hear endive pronounced “in-dive” or “on-deev” but did you know that there is actually a difference between the two? Yes, both pronunciations are correct but in this case we’re working with “on-deev”. The “on-deev” variety has leaves shaped into scoop-like petals while the “in-dive” varieties are curly and leafy and what you will often find in a spring-mix salad.

Gluten-free Floridian-Style Strawberry Shrimp Ceviche

• 1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) container fresh florida winter strawberries, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
• 1⁄4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh key-lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• endive leaves
• garnish: fresh cilantro leaves

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, strawberries, onion, coconut and cilantro.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add to shrimp mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover ceviche and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Spoon ceviche into endive leaves. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Yield: about 6 servings