{"id":9704,"date":"2012-05-08T06:09:03","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T13:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=9704"},"modified":"2012-05-09T09:05:48","modified_gmt":"2012-05-09T16:05:48","slug":"camp-blogaway-and-chicken-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/camp-blogaway-and-chicken-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"Camp Blogaway and Chicken Inspiration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Camp<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday I breezed down the 91 freeway to the beach after spending two action-packed days in the fresh air of the San Bernardino mountains at Camp Blogaway<\/a>\u00a0– the original boot camp for food bloggers owned by the intrepid Patti Londre<\/a>. I unloaded bags and bags of booty, the sleeping bag I bought for the weekend which, of course, I failed at cramming back into the cute compact bag it came in, washed the fine dust from my car, and took a long hot shower. The dust may be gone, but the adrenaline rush lingers. Even today, I was having difficulty “quieting my mind” during yoga as fragments of words and ideas ricocheted around in my brain.<\/p>\n

It’s not every food blogger conference where you find yourself cutting potatoes<\/a> next to cookbook authors like Amy Sherman<\/a> and Nancie McDermott<\/a>, or sipping wine with\u00a0LA Times writer and food editor Rene Lynch<\/a>, talking recipes with\u00a0Kalyn Denny<\/a>, or having your submitted photos critiqued by\u00a0Denise Vivaldo<\/a>, food stylist extraordinaire!<\/p>\n

Naturally, there was lots of tasting going on: honey<\/a>: alfalfa, avocado, eucalyptus, and sourwood; Kerrygold<\/a> cheese and butter from grass-fed cows in Ireland; mangos<\/a>: we were amazed at the different flavor profiles for green, ripe, and over-ripe mangoes and how each can be used in cooking; and put our signature on yogurt dips made with fresh organic herbs in a tube from Gourmet Garden<\/a>. We even cut two barrels of potatoes for Saturday night’s dinner using premium made-in-America\u00a0CUTCO<\/a> knives, and learned how to cut a mango without mutilating it.<\/p>\n

\"Camp<\/a><\/p>\n

It was exciting to meet blogger friends like Carolyn <\/a>and Laura<\/a> in real life; reconnect with my Pixie girls Nicole<\/a>, Ericka<\/a> and Dorothy<\/a>;\u00a0chat with FBLA’ers Erika<\/a>, Sara<\/a>, Valentina<\/a>, Cheryl<\/a>, and\u00a0Cathy<\/a>; and meet a ton of new folks, too \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"Camp<\/a><\/p>\n

I decided to make a simple dinner using a few of the products from the swag I came home with and some kale from our garden that I hadn’t cooked with yet. Don planted an unusual variety of kale this year called Dwarf Blue curled Vates from Burpee<\/a>,\u00a0more delicate and tender than lacinto or black kale with lovely blueish-green leaves.<\/p>\n

\"Kale\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Paper<\/a><\/p>\n

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Using\u00a0Paper Chef <\/a>parchment bags, farro from Melissa’s Produce <\/a>that I had in my pantry, and Roland Foods<\/a> Pesto = winner, winner chicken dinner \ud83d\ude09 I think you’ll agree.<\/p>\n

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\"farro<\/a><\/p>\n

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