The past few weeks I have seen some fabulous Halloween inspired food out there by some of my favorite foodies.  I thought I would take some time today to share with you some fabulous Halloween goodies and I hope it gets you in the mood for Sunday.  Also, leave me a comment and let me know what goodies you’ll be cooking up this weekend.  I think I may try to make some scary cupcakes for our house.  After all, what’s a holiday with cupcakes?

 

First up are these super cute Monster Cupcakes from Annie Eats.  If you have never stopped over to Annie’s blog you must.  She is super creative and has a bunch of mouthwatering goodies on her blog.  I’m always amazed by her posts.  She adapted this idea from the recent What’s New Cupcake book and claims these were actually easy to make.  These are on my list to try for my little ones now that she says they are easy.  Aren’t they the cutest?

Annie also had these super cute and scary Halloween cookies.  Amazing if you ask me!  I’m still trying to battle royal icing and sugar cookies.  Made a large batch for a friend for a bridal shower and cursed them off it off for awhile.  Annie makes it look easy.  Amazing!

I am constantly amazed by the creativity of Amanda from I am Baker.  She is ubber talented when it comes to baking and decorating.  You must go to her blog now and see for yourself.  When I saw this Ghost Cake I have to saw I thought it was Boo-tiful!  Get it…ok, never mind.  But seriously could this be any more amazing?

Next are these Graveyard Brownies by another super creative foodie Jenny from Picky Palate.  She is constantly amazing me with what she creates in her kitchen.  She has a lot of amazing Halloween goodies this year too so it was super hard to just show you one.  If you are looking for some other ideas you have to run over now to PickyPalate.com for more goodies.

And how cute would these on Sunday morning when your kids wakeup?  These Pumpkin Pancakes with Black Cinnamon Syrup come from the creative and always wonderful blog Tidy Mom.  I always love seeing her latest posts.

And here are a few items you can find right here that I’ve attempted to make this Halloween and last.

Brownie Ghost Pops

Oreo Pumpkin Lollipops

Halloween Pumpkin Blondies

Halloween Cookie Lollipops

I hope everyone has a spooky and safe Halloween filled with more treats than tricks!  Happy Halloween!!!

BlogHer Food 2010 was this past weekend in San Francisco and what a trip it was!  It was filled with learning, eating, and meeting some other food bloggers.  I was eagerly awaiting this trip since the moment I received news that Carrie from Deliciously Organic had a ticket only 2 short months ago.  Since the arrival of the girls, it is very rare that I actually get to go anywhere much less across the US for a food blogging conference.  Thanks to my wonderful hubby though I was off and “running” to SF on Thursday night with my bags packed and mind opened to learn.  This was my very first BlogHer conference (or any conference for that matter) and at many points I was overwhelmed by it all.  There was so much to take in and so many to meet.  I’m a shy person for the most past too so meeting and talking to all these other bloggers was the most overwhelming part of it all.  I am happy to say that I left inspired, exhausted and with a renewed understanding of why I love sharing, cooking, and blogging.  It also made me thankful for my readers because it is you that inspire me to be better not to be the next “it” blog.  Kristen from Dine and Dish says it best in her recap of the conference.

I thought I would recap you on some of my favorite parts of the trip instead of going into mass paragraph form.  If you are anything like me, points are good.  Easier to read I like to think.  Also I am now realizing that I hardly got any “people” pictures.  Sorry about that! 

Here is my Top 10 of BlogHer Food 2010

1. Just being at BlogHer Food!  3 months ago I didn’t have a ticket and then the stars fell in line and I was lucky enough to get a ticket so it was great to be in a room filled with other people with the same passion for food and cooking. 

2. The Food Styling session put on by the fabulous food stylists Delores Custer, Adam Pearson, and Tami Hardeman.  And Wow!  That’s really all I can say about their work and the points they shared with us.  Amazing ideas were shared and I’m hoping I can try to start using those tips soon.

3. San Francisco – What a fabulous city!  I used to live there only a few short years ago (at least it feels that way) but it really is an amazing city.  The weather was beautiful for the conference too.  Every day was sunny and not a cloud in the sky.

4. I cried like a baby and my heart ached while hearing Shauna James Ahern‘s moving story about her daughter’s early challenges and the other obstacles her family faced after the birth of her daughter.  Now that I am a mom, this story touched me in more ways than one and I was so happy that Shauna shared this part of her life with us because in small ways I think it touched many people on Saturday night.  

5. Having lunch at the Ferry Building with Chris from Nestle Kitchens and Rene from Epic Baker.  I think I will always remember that amazing Dirty Girl Farm Tomato Sandwich from Il Cane Rosso packed with tomatoes, basil, and fromage blanc…yum! Just wish I had taken a picture of it now!

6. Seeing some of the bloggers that I look up to and admire in person! Like, Ree from Pioneer Woman, Joy from Joy the Baker, and Helene from Tartelette, and Matt from Matt Bites. 

7. The food!  There was so many amazing sponsors of BlogHer Food!  In between sessions we weren’t lacking of food and samples to fill our tummies.   There was Cuties California Clementines, Nutella, Nature’s Path, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Athenos, and Stacy’s Pita Chips, among others.  My favorite happen to be the Scharffen Berger chocolate who had Elizabeth Falkner on hand to bake the cupcakes on Friday afternoon. Yum!

8. The Closing Party put on by Ree, Jaden and Elise!  I was only able to stay a very short hour because I decided to take the red-eye home on Saturday night but from the one hour I was there it was amazing!  The HP photo booth was a lot of fun too! 

Thank you ladies for that fabulous event and for the amazing swag bag!  I got home and I think the girls were more excited with what was inside then I was!

9. The market at the Ferry Building!  If you have never been to San Francisco this is a must have stop on your trip.  I have to warn you it does get packed but the amazing fruits, veggies, and flowers everywhere are amazing.  I was a little obsessed with the flowers!  I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them!

10. Last and certainly not least was meeting some amazing bloggers.  There were a few that really stood out and who I will always remember.  Chris from Nestle Kitchen, a fellow mommy of multiples.  Chis is a fabulous person inside and out and it was so great to meet her! I really wish we lived closer.  I met Amie from The Healthy Apple on the first day at breakfast and I’m so happy she sat down because I really enjoyed talking to her and she has a true passion for food and it shows when she speaks.  And really that’s what it should be about when blogging…the passion!  Then there was Debra and the Professor from Smith Bites.  What a great couple and really a breath of fresh air.  Two very real individuals that blog because they love to and nothing more.  I really enjoyed speaking to them and even more about our common love of Charleston.  

I finally got to put a face to those that I had already met on twitter, facebook, and in foodie land.  I also had the great pleasure to meet new bloggers.  I really wish I had more time to have met more!  But I have to saw it was so great to meet these foodies…

Chris, Nestle Kitchen

Amie, The Healthy Apple

Dani Spies, Dani Spies

Wendy, Wenderly

Sandy, The Reluctant Entertainer

Carrie, La Pomme de Portland

Debra and the “Professor”, Smith Bites

Dara, Cookin’ Canuck

Kathy, Panini Happy

Rene, Epic Baker

Jamie, Foodie Reflections

Maria, Two Peas & Their Pod

Jenny, Picky Palate

Lori, Recipe Girl

Jamie, My Baking Addition

Carrie, Deliciously Organic

Marla, Family Fresh Cooking

Amanda, I am Baker

 I really hope I didn’t miss anyone! After all it was a packed weekend full of faces, names and memorable moments. It was fabulous to finally meet all of you!  Hopefully, I didn’t seem as overwhelmed as I felt inside.

I do have to say the very best part of my trip was coming home and being greeted at the front door by my two happy munchkins and my very tired, but still smiling husband who held down the fort while I was having fun in SF. Love you babe and thanks!

Now the question is would I attend again??….I’m on the fence still on that one.  I was really unsure before leaving about what to expect and I came home still unsure.  There were parts of the conference that didn’t sit right with me.  It wasn’t the session or what was talked about in the sessions it was some of the other bloggers.  I guess I was expecting something different.  Lets just say I painted a different picture in my mind.  But I guess that is always going to happen, right?  No matter what, it was a great experience and I learned a lot.  And it will be something I will remember for a long time to come.

Note: On video the picture of the BlogHer sign is via Jenny from Picky Palate

Ok, so here they are…my pictures from my evening with Paula.  Last Thursday night I was lucky enough to attend an event right here in South Florida called an Evening with Paula Deen which was hosted by Publix and Smithfield.  It was a great night and I think the best part was actually meeting Paula and Michael up close and personal.  She is as sweet in person as she is on TV.  I got to the front of the line and the nice lady handed her my book and told Paula “This is Heather Paula she is a guest blogger for Smithfield.com“….wow and from that moment on I acted like a total dork.  You know when your talking but you really don’t know what’s coming out of your mouth?  It’s like everything around you is going at regular speed but your in slow motion.  I compare it to being in high school and talking to the guy you have the hugest crush on and then afterward saying to yourself “why did I say that?”  Or even better…like the scene from Dirty Dancing when Baby tells Patrick Swayze…”I carried a watermelon”.  Ok, I hope I painted the picture for you because that’s exactly what happened to me.  As I walked away all I could do was shake my head.  Luckily, I had great friends with me that reassured me I didn’t embarrass myself too bad.  Thanks Jenn and Dawn!

Now there was specific rules that there could be no photographs with Paula so the closest I could get to having a picture with Paula was to stand in front of the Smithfield sign.  Since I’m one of Smithfield’s guest bloggers too I thought it was perfect. 

An evening with Paula couldn’t be without food and there was a lot of it.  All the food was Paula’s own recipes.  Like this Crab Martini

and my very favorite of the night …the Fresh Tangerine Cake.  This was so good!!

There was a lot of food served and as you can see I was more interested in looking and trying then I was to take pictures, but I promise there was lots of yummy food served.  There was even fried macaroni!

Then it was time to take our seats for Paula to come on stage and talk to us all.  We were super lucky to have Michael there because he was hilarious.

And most the night this is where you found Michael…

That’s right…cooking!  Here he was frying up some bacon and the whole place smelled amazing.  Don’t worry though, Paula did get back there for a little bit to teach those in the audience how to make the perfect grits.

My friends and I had a great time seeing Paula!  I think we all laughed so hard that we cried!  Ok, maybe I was the only one that actually cried I was laughing so hard?  But I have to tell you she is a hoot and will say anything and everything.  If Paula ever comes to your town be sure to go see her.  I promise you will enjoy every moment.

As you all know I have had the great opportunity to be a guest blogger over at Smithfield.com and today I’m sharing some of my tips for making things fun in the kitchen for both you and your little ones.  The girls are just showing lots of interest in what mommy does in the kitchen and we’ve already had a blast.  It’s really a great way to spend time as a family.  So pop on over to Smithfield’s blog to see my 5 tips for making it fun in the kitchen.  Would love to hear any tips you may have too, so just leave us a comment.

And another added treat is I’m sharing with you a recipe for some super easy and fun Cheesecake Cookies.  Your kids will love helping you make and eat these cookies!  Here is a peek at the cookies

The recipe is over on Smithfield too so drop by and make sure you share any tips you may have for getting kids involved in the kitchen.

Yesterday “S” and I got the great opportunity to head to the South Beach Food and Wine Festival down on the Miami Beach.  All thanks to Foodbuzz! About a month ago they had a contest/raffle to win two tickets to the festival.  All I had to do was answer this question: “Who is your favorite celebrity chef?”  Of course I entered not because I thought I would win, I never win anything, but because the question was too much fun not to answer.   Paula Deen is one of my favorite celebrity chefs.  I grew up in the south and pretty much was there until I moved away after college to pursue a job.  When I left, I was incredibly homesick but I found Paula one rainy day while living in SF and she reminded me of home.  Every since I have loved her!  She reminds me of many of the southern women I grew up surrounded by.  After answering who my favorite chef was I went along with things, again not thinking I would win.  Then in late January I got an email from Foodbuzz telling me I won the tickets!  I actually won!  I was so excited that I almost cried!  I know crazy right!?  Over tickets!  You have to understand though, I have been wanting to go to the South Beach Food and Wine Festival for several years but never got the chance.  Even more so after the girls arrived.  When Foodbuzz contacted me to tell me about winning the tickets I was overly excited and have been the days and weeks leading up to it.  And yesterday was all that I dreamt it would be!  What an amazing well planned out event!  There was food, wine, more food, and lots more wine!  Wow, I mean it when I mean lots of wine!  You have to really be careful because it can be a little overwhelming.  And now the food….wonderful!  Lots of different types of food from a lot of great local restaurants and chefs.  Some of our favorites from the day were (and some pictured above): Cheese and Pear Tortellini, Misha’s Cupcakes , Flank Steak Sandwich, Paula’s mixed green salad with pecans and fried shrimp, and blakened shrimp with fruit gazpacho.  There was a lot of great food and as I mentioned a lot of great wines.

Not only was there food and wine but a lot of Food Network celebrity chefs were on hand for book signings and cooking demonstrations.  It’s always neat to see some of the faces you watch on a daily basis in person.  The first two chefs we saw were Duff from Ace of Cakes and Michael Symon from Iron Chef.  Duff was there with the other Charm City Cakes personalities signing books while Michael was doing a cooking demo.  Some of the other chefs we saw that day were Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Sandra Lee, Ingrid Hoffman, Rocco, Claire Robinson, Anne Burrell, and Guy Fieri.

Of course I was especially excited about seeing Paula and I think everyone else was too.  It was a packed house!  She was a little late getting there which actually was ok because Bobby Flay popped by while we were waiting to say hello.  Once Paula was there it was pure entertainment!  What a hoot she was!  She wasn’t afraid to say anything, and I mean anything!  I was crying at points because I was laughing so hard.  Michael joined her on stage too as well as her assistant Brandon.  Robert Irvine (from Dinner Impossible) also joined Paula on stage briefly.  He had stopped by and was watching from the side wing when Paula spotted him and pulled him on stage.  Paula was supposed to be doing a cooking demo, but it ended up being Paula talking the whole time while Michael and Brandon attempted to do the cooking behind her.  It was all a lot of fun.  I think everyone enjoyed seeing Paula.  She had everyone laughing.

It was a great day and luckily great weather.  Thanks Foodbuzz for this wonderful opportunity to attend a spectacular event!  Next year will be the 10 year anniversary and from what we overheard they have a lot of things planned.  So if you live in the area (or even need a great vacation) keep your eyes and ears open. 

Thanks SOBE Food and Wine for a spectacular day!

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