Top Ten {Things I Love} :: Holiday 2014

Things I Love-holiday 2014

These are a few of my favorite things…food, wine, cooking tools, home and barware, recipes, cookbooks, etc…just simply places and things I love that I think are notable and worth a big shout out for their awesomeness! And they make great gifts for the holidays as well..Happy Holidays everyone! 

Kitchen in France Cookbook

1. A Kitchen in France: A year of cooking in my farmhouse – cookbook by Mimi Thorisson

This is a gorgeous full color cookbook by Mimi Thorisson of Manger, one of my favorite food bloggers. It’s full of beautiful photos by her husband and lovely recipes from her farmhouse in France. Enough to make you want to quit your job and move there and bake tarts all day long.

Grab a copy on Amazon.com here.

west elm pillows

2. West Elm Velvet, Metallic and Mongolian Lamb Pillows

These beautiful pillows by West Elm are a great gift idea for that person who has everything – a little indulgent, but so pretty and festive for the cold Winter months.

Pick up a few of these beauties online here.

english toffee

3. English Toffee

English Toffee is one of those things I absolutely crave during the holidays! It’s rich, buttery, crunchy and chocolatey and makes the perfect gift, whether you make your own or get some pre-made it’s absolutely delicious and addicting. In fact, I’m planning to make some myself this year for stocking stuffers!

Here’s a great recipe for it on Food.com, or pick up a batch at Williams-Sonoma which comes in a festive holiday tin.

photo: Delicious as it Looks

holiday cocktail party set - Mouth.com

4. Holiday Cocktail Party Collection – Mouth.com

Everyone loves a cocktail party but sometimes it’s more work than  you expect it to be. Mouth.com, a specialty indie food store has a Holiday Cocktail Party set that has all the essentials packaged up by local food producers to get your holiday party in gear. It comes with a variety of cheeses, Ginger Caramels, Old Bay peanuts, Vanilla Pickled Cherries, Sesame Lavish Crackers, Dark Chocolates and more. YUM.

Pick one up online here, and check out their other fun collections while you’re at it!

beaded table linens Neiman Marcus

5. Capiz Shell Beaded Table Linens – Neiman Marcus

Absolutely love these gorgeous Capiz shell beaded table linens by Kim Seybert at Neiman Marcus. It comes in a table runner and placemats with matching napkin rings. Festive enough to feast at Christmas like Queen Victoria. LOVE.

Get them online here.

Il Buco Vita

6. Il Buco Vita 

Il Buco Vita is a hidden gem, above the Il Buco Italian restaurant in NoHo NYC. It’s a showroom full of gorgeous handmade Italian and Mediterranean ceramics, linens, glassware, home furnishings and antiques that will make you swoon.

Visit their store online here and their showroom at 51 Bond Street, NYC

Swedish Meatballs

7. Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs are one of those appetizer dishes perfect for a holiday cocktail party. My Mom makes them every year for New Years Eve and I just can’t get enough of them. Try this recipe by BBCGoodFood, Bon Appetit or Food & Wine. For a cool twist, try this recipe for Nut-and-Seed Crusted Sausage Meatballs with Mustard Sauce. Totally indulgent and pure YUM.

Caramel Chocolate Tart

8. Dorie Greenspan’s Golden Caramel and Chocolate Tart

I love making tarts during the holidays, especially luscious ones made with caramel and chocolate. Dorie’s has a simple recipe for making a perfect tart dough, and the filling is perfect too, with melted bittersweet chocolate lining the crust with a silky, creamy homemade golden caramel on top. Divine.

Get the recipe here

foodie dice

9. Foodie Dice and Mixology Dice

As foodies, I know we all love to cook. But sometimes we get stuck in a rut and need a boost for some new creative ideas for our cooking. Same goes for cocktails – we drink the same old thing and how fun would it be to toss a few dice and get some fresh ideas for your mixology? Check out the Foodie Dice and Mixology Dice – with just a simple toss, you’ll get suggestions for making your own fab creations with fresh ingredients and combinations of your own.

Get ’em online here.

vintage champagne flutes

10. Vintage Etched Champagne Flutes – Williams Sonoma

What kind of holiday celebration would it be without some bubbly? Get these gorgeous vintage etched champagne flutes from Williams-Sonoma for the party, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up some bubbly to fill them with! If you’re in the mood to splurge, try a vintage 2004 Dom Perignon ($160), or try a Cremant de Bourgogne, a little less expensive than Champagne made in a Brut Rose, but just as tasty and bubbly ($24). Or try some sparkling wine (Blanc de Blancs) as an option- Gloria Ferrer has a great one from Sonoma CA.

 

Food On Fire! IACP Conference 2011 Austin TX

Sparks of Culinary Creativity & Inspiration!

IACP Conference 2011 Austin TX
IACP Conference 2011 Austin TX

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A SLIDESHOW OF PHOTOS FROM THE AUSTIN TRIP!

So I finally had a chance to come back down from cloud nine and get back to reality after an awesome week-long conference in Austin, Texas with the International Association of Culinary Professionals. What an incredible time spent with amazing and talented professionals in the food industry! If you haven’t been to Austin before, its a must see foodie destination, full of Texas Barbecue and Food Trailers (not trucks like we have in NYC), and the perfect spot to host this year’s conference with a focus on Culinary Excellence and Innovation. I spent five incredible days meeting other food writers, chefs, cookbook authors, food bloggers, food stylists and photographers, agents and publishers – and was creatively inspired by all the incredible speakers and new foodie friends I met!

Kristen, Rachel and Marie on 6th St
Kristen, Rachel and Marie on 6th St

I flew in on Tuesday night with Rachel (The Fabulous Foodie) and Marie (Food Nouveau) and after arriving at the Hilton Austin, we decided to hit the infamous Sixth Street to try out a few of the hot spots in town. We made a new friend with a bartender who bought pickles to make us Pickleback shots with Jameson and Pickle Juice (per Rachel’s artful persuasion – don’t ask) which clued me in to what was ahead for the next five days in this town!

Day 1 Conference

Migas - Juan in a Million
Migas – Juan in a Million

We had a few hours before the conference started on Wednesday so Rachel, Marie, Nikki and I went to grab breakfast at the infamous Juan in a Million restaurant. We ordered some delicious Migas – platters made with scrambled eggs, potatoes, onions and tomatoes with tortillas and fresh salsa and guacamole,

fajita salad
fajita salad

a delicious Chicken Fajita Salad with Jalapenos and Guacamole..

Kristen and Juan
Kristen and Juan

and had the opportunity to meet Juan himself who was more than willing to get a snapshot with us!

My first session, DIY Video Production for Food Bloggers, was hosted by Daniel Klein of The Perennial Palate, John Mitzewich of Food Wishes, and Sara O’Donnell of Average Betty. We learned video production techniques, equipment and editing tips and saw samples of all the incredible video work that these video bloggers have produced as they told us how they got started and secrets of the trade.

Next we went to the IACP New Member Orientation, led by IACP Board Members including Author Kathleen Flinn and Lia Huber of NourishNetwork.com who gave us tips on how to get the most out of the conference and networking.

Texas Armadillo
Texas Armadillo

We headed over to the Host City Opening Reception at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum where we were greeted by cowboys and armadillos and cows, and sampled delicious Tex Mex food and cocktails from some of Austin’s finest restaurants in town.

IACP Opening Reception
IACP Opening Reception

I hung out with new, fun friends: Liz Burkhart of Whole Foods, Amy McCoy of PoorGirl Gourmet, Dave Dadekian and Jolene Bochon of Delish.com – good times!

Kristen - East Side Showroom
Kristen – East Side Showroom

Of course I couldn’t pass up the Late Night Club Crawl, where a small group of us went to East Sixth Street (led by Wendy Brannen of Vidalia Onion Committee and some other local Austonians who knew the hotspots!) – East Sixth Street is Austin’s funky part of town with groovy lounges, food trailer parks and low key outside bars.

Shangri La
Shangri La
East Side Showroom
East Side Showroom

We hit Shangri la, East Side Showroom, a cool live music and art gourmet bar,

Korean Fried Chicken Bites - Liberty Trailer Park
Korean Fried Chicken Bites – Liberty Trailer Park

and ended up at Liberty for some late night grub in a trailer park, munching on crispy Korean Chicken bites and Tempura Fried Beets. Weird? Yes. Delicious? Absolutely!

Tempura Fried Beets
Tempura Fried Beets

Day 2 Conference

The next day was full on with amazing sessions by Shauna Ahern, Gluten Free Girl, who led the Blog to Book breakout session focused on in-depth discussions with other talented food bloggers and food writers such as Marge Perry and Dixie Caviar, from around the country as we shared our goals and tips for success in the blogosphere.

IronWorks BBQ
IronWorks BBQ

We went on a search for some BBQ and ended up at The Ironworks Barbecue,

IronWorks BBQ - Beef Brisket, Ribs and Sausage
IronWorks BBQ – Beef Brisket, Ribs and Sausage

where we loaded up on plates of fat, juicy Ribs, Beef Brisket, Sausage, Beans and Pickles washed down with huge Iced Teas to quench our thirst in the midst of the heatwave!

Ellie Krieger
Ellie Krieger

After lunch we saw a live demo with Ellie Krieger and Joan Auritt who showed us How to Cook on Camera with poise and confidence, and if anyone has those two qualities, Ellie does!

My last session of the day was on Networking – run by Mark Bitterman, Author of Salted and professional Selmier. In the session I had the pleasure of meeting Dianne Jacob, author and food writer, Tara Wilson, Event Planner and owner of Savvy Southerner, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, and Jessica Merchant of How Sweet It Is. Great conversation, great networking tips and great people to get to know!

The Driskill Hotel
The Driskill Hotel

The evening ended with an Awards Gala and Ceremony at the beautiful historic Driskill Hotel and Paramount Theatre, where some of the most accomplished food writers, editors, photographers, stylists, cookbook authors, chefs and food personalities were accoladed and awarded for their culinary excellence.

Kristen, Jessica, Marie and Rachel
Kristen, Jessica, Marie and Rachel
Marie, Nikki and Nader at the Awards Ceremony
Marie, Nikki and Nader at the Awards Ceremony

The ceremony was a classy affair, with classic cocktails and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, prepared by Executive Chef Jonathan Gelman and award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Tony Sansalone.

Shrimp Creole - Annie's
Shrimp Creole – Annie

My friends and I headed out for drinks and dinner afterwards to Annie’s Cafe & Bar for a delicious meal of Shrimp Creole, Watermelon Blush Martinis and Sauteed Spinach and Garlic. After all the festivities I still mustered up enough energy to attend the Food Styling session by master Denise Vivaldo – who is super talented and hilarious — perfect ending to a perfect evening!

Day 3 Conference

Penny De Los Santos and Kim Severson
Penny De Los Santos and Kim Severson

The next day was jam packed with superstar talent speaking about Crafting a Great Story led by Penny De Los Santos, Daniel Klein and Kim Severson from the NY Times. Penny is an amazing photographer and told us heartwarming stories about her trip to Mexico on her last photoshoot for Saveur Magazine with food writer Molly O’Neill – true passion and talent that shined straight through in her storytelling! Daniel showed us more of his fun food adventure videos and Kim Severson led the panel with wit and charm – she is the funniest person known to man!

Cacao Rouge
Cacao Rouge

The Culinary Expo and Culinary Book Fair was incredible – food artisans, vendors and gourmet products were on display including some amazing French Chocolate

Yummy Appetizers
Yummy Appetizers

..and tons of food samples to accompany our delicious Tex Mex lunch!

Dorie Greenspan
Dorie Greenspan

I met Dorie Greenspan outside at the Culinapp Trailer and got some amazing cookies and checked out the cool new iPad app she is featured in. I also bought two cookbooks at the Cookbook Fair – Fried Chicken and Champagne by Lisa Dupar (winner of the Cookbook Award!) and Good Food to Share by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan of thekitchn.com (whom I both met at dinner that very same night..how cool is that?!)

Jacques Pepin and Amanda Hesser
Jacques Pepin and Amanda Hesser
Kristen with Chef Jacques Pepin
Kristen with Chef Jacques Pepin

One of my favorite sessions was a French Cooking Demonstration with Jacques Pepin and Amanda Hesser – Jacques made some of his delicious recipes – Mini Savory Cheesecakes, Chicken Supremes with Tapenade and Mushroom Sauce, and Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons, as Amanda interviewed him about his life as a celebrity chef. Talk about a treat!

Chicken Supremes and Chorizo Asparagus
Chicken Supremes and Chorizo Asparagus

After the demo, I was able to meet him and sample more of his goodies up front afterwards which was an eventful part of the conference and a true honor to meet such a culinary legend as Jacques.

We ended the day in our Committee Breakout Meetings and I joined the IACP Food Styling and Photographers group for some inspiring ideas for our group and networking amongst talented peeps such as Jamie Tiampo, Derek Richmond, Nader Khouri and LeeAnn Wright.

Friday night I went to an amazing dinner at Fonda San Miguel, a longtime favorite Mexican restaurant in a gorgeous neo-Colonial building

Fonda San Miguel
Fonda San Miguel
Herb Garden at Fonda San Miguel
Herb Garden at Fonda San Miguel

with a backyard herb and vegetable garden full of corn stalks, lavender, cilantro, parsley and more.

Fonda San Miguel Exterior
Fonda San Miguel Exterior
Fonda San Miguel
Fonda San Miguel

The establishment was vibrant with color, charm and character – wood carved doorways and Mexican folk art on the walls,

Carne Asadas
Carne Asadas

and the food was outstanding – Zucchini Gazpacho Soup, Mini Shredded Beef Tacos , Carne Asadas with Black Beans and an Enchilada Mole.

Caramel Flan
Caramel Flan

Of course there were plenty of Mango Margaritas floating around to accompany homemade chips and fresh salsa, and a mesmerizing caramel Flan for dessert!

Day 4 Conference

Dorie Greenspan
Dorie Greenspan

Our last day of the conference was studded with food stars – I watched Dorie Greenspan talk about her new digital cookbook on the newly launching Culinapp along with Lorena Jones of Chronicle Books and Rux Martin of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I couldn’t pass up Dorie’s cookies on the way out!

Kalyn Denny, Lisa Stone and Elise Bauer
Kalyn Denny, Lisa Stone and Elise Bauer

Next up on the line up was the dynamic trio of Food Bloggers: Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’s Kitchen, Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes and Lisa Stone of BlogHer.com discussing the ins and outs of food blogging, offering sage advice to the audience.

WhiteonRice Photo
WhiteonRice Photo

Last but not least, and one of my favorite sessions was on Light and Photography with White on Rice couple Todd and Diane Cru – I was truly inspired by their beautiful and simple photography, their sheer talent, passion for their work and amazing presentation and offering of advice.

Boggy Creek Farm BBQ
Boggy Creek Farm BBQ
Pepper Rubbed Beef Brisket
Pepper Rubbed Beef Brisket

The party we were all waiting for was the Up in Smoke BBQ at Boggy Creek Farm – talk about crazy fun! A full on BBQ bash was awaiting us with Ribs, Brisket, Smoked Pig, and all the dressings: corn, beans, cole slaw, german potato salad and some fine Handmade Texas Vodka cocktails..

Backyard BBQ
Backyard BBQ

..as we sat outside listening to jamboree musicians on the big white southern back porch of the farmhouse.. Nothing better than this!

Liberty
Liberty

On our last night out, Rachel, Marie, Dave and I went out on East Sixth Street (again!) and hung out at Liberty –

Food Trailer at Liberty
Food Trailer at Liberty

a groovy dive bar with an awesome dirt patio in back with a food trailer, picnic benches and amazing food (same place we got the Korean Chicken Bites and Tempura Fried Beets).

Flaming Dr Pepper Shots
Flaming Dr Pepper Shots

We eventually moved on back to main Sixth Street to find some Flaming Dr. Pepper shots (aren’t those illegal now? The last time I had one of these was in college in Upstate NY!) and hit the pizza truck on the way home. Definitely a colorful street and colorful crowd – now I know where they got the saying “Keep Austin Weird!”

Heading back home to NYC

Gueros Taco Bar - SoCo
Gueros Taco Bar – SoCo

After four full days of talking and eating and networking and eating and talking and drinking – I had to get one last Mexican meal in. Rachel and I headed to SoCo (South Congress) to visit the legendary Guero’s Taco Bar.

Gueros Making Tortillas
Gueros Making Tortillas

The tortillas were handmade and grilled in front of our eyes as we watched with anticipation..

Gueros Tacos and Beans and Rice
Gueros Tacos and Beans and Rice

We noshed on Chips and Guacamole and Salsa, a few Pulled spicy pork and chicken tacos with beans and rice, and some Iced Tea to diminish the slight hangover from the Flaming Dr. Pepper shots the night before! (Not my idea, thanks)

Indian Food Tent
Indian Food Tent

My head is still spinning from all the sights and sounds, amazing food and amazing people I met, and I have to say that my trip to Austin will stay close to my heart forever. The new friends and talented culinary professionals I met have inspired me to do my best work, to follow my heart, to pursue my dream of a food writing and photography career – and I thank all those I shared it with for making this an incredible event I will never forget. Can’t wait for next year’s event in New York City – see you all then.

Austin Mural
Austin Mural

Austin – I LOVE YOU! Stay Weird.