Loving Local Food – I launched this blog in February 2009 after Molly Hoyne suggested I start blogging about my passions. I started falling in love with food when I moved to Seattle six years ago and Loving Local Food was the outlet that finally helped me bring my culinary passion to the next level. I am able to share and connect with friends and family through food, regardless of whether or not we can all sit down at the table together.

Seattle Food Bloggers – I happened to mention Loving Local Food to a work acquaintance and within moments he was introducing me to Keren Brown via email. Keren (Frantic Foodie) organizes food blogger events throughout Seattle and is a master at networking within the food community. I have connected with numerous food bloggers, met professional food writers, and had the chance to take a class by well-known photographer, Lou Manna. The opportunities (or foodportunities as Keren would say) have been endless.

Food Writing Class – I signed up for Candace Dempsey’s food writing class this fall to learn a few professional tips and check an item off my life list. I was inspired to write an ode to my heritage with Minnesota Hotdish: A Farmwife Classic Your Family Will Love. I learned to craft pitch letters, read stories from professional food writers, and received invaluable feedback. The praise and constructive critique I acquired was reassurance I should continue to put words on paper.

West Seattle Winery LLC – This past summer, my husband and I converted our garage into a winery. It is fully licensed and bonded by the state and 2009 was our first commercial crush. We had long weekends and purple-stained fingers, but our wine babies are in barrels and demijohns and we are looking forward to their release in 2010. Next step? Creating a brand name for the winery. Any ideas?

A Greener Kitchen – After six months of researching vendors, building up inventory, and cursing at shopping carts we launched A Greener Kitchen. Officially released to the world on December 31, 2009, A Greener Kitchen was born out of my obsession with the kitchen and focuses entirely on eco-friendly kitchen tools, gadgets, and accessories.

Cheers to the progress made in 2009, and here’s to everything 2010 has waiting for us!

We got the invite from Frantic Foodie, Seattle-food-blogger-networker extraordinaire, and she was the first person I spotted at the event. I peeked around the room in search of familiar faces and landed in a conversation with Culinary Kyle (Mise en Place Seattle) and Katrin Rippel of Menu International. We ranted on blogging sometimes feeling like a chore which somehow turned into a discussion on making liqueurs, beer, and wine including a how-to from my husband on starting a winery (he is in the throws!).

We sampled Chef Wayne’s fare starting with a hard-boiled egg cooked inside a “shell” of ground lamb (lamb burger meatball, on the menu). This was by far my favorite dish of the evening with earthy flavors and an interesting progression of textures. (Click here to learn how it’s made.)

The potato croquette was a guilty pleasure; the crisp duck cake a delight; and the halibut skewer light and flavorful. We finished with a cucumber gazpacho served with crab and paired our meal with Andaluca’s sangria. It featured the spices of a mulled wine, but was chilled.

On our way out the door, we stopped and stared at Chef Wayne’s cookbook. It chronicles a salmon fishing trip he made, then shares tips for filleting and preparing. When I was younger, I watched my brothers filet fish, but as I eat more sustainably and buy whole fish, I need to learn to break it down myself. Chef Wayne’s book could assist in easing the fear.

I will definitely be back to Andaluca and will keep my eye out for Chef Wayne around town. (Did you try his crab and avocado crostini at Sunset Supper? Yum!) Andaluca has been woven into my restaurant rotation.

A regular attendee of Keren Brown’s Seattle Food Blogger events, it would have been foolish not be present at her inaugural Foodportunity event. I marked the date on the calendar, lightly twisted my husband’s arm to come with me, and visited the website on a regular basis. The clock was ticking, but for some reason I was not buying tickets. I decided to set a date, pay day. The message arrived via Twitter only twenty four hours before the influx of cash into my bank account – Foodportunity was sold out! I was absolutely crushed; I think I might have cried. I sent Keren a note, trying to hide my embarrassment of not buying tickets ahead of time, “Bummer! I barely missed out.”

Two days later, Frantic Foodie (Keren) was on the hunt for volunteers. It was destiny; I signed up for the task immediately. The night of the event I donned my Foodportunity t-shirt, met my fellow helpers, and parked myself at the front door to check in the K-Z attendees. I welcomed panelists Nancy Leson and Rebekah Denn, bumped into Twitter followers and followees, and reconnected with a former co-worker I had not seen in years.

When my volunteer duties had ceased, I grabbed my two drink tickets, picked up a glass of 2008 Les Amis (Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer blend) from Vin du Lac, and began to wander from one food vendor to the next.

Highlights include a whole roasted pig (behind the salmon in the photo) from Tom Douglas, saint basil truffles from Intrigue Chocolates, pepper bacon-esque hummus from Sound Bites, and blueberries and corn with beef tenderloin from The Chef in the Hat.

How could I forget Serafina’s green gazpacho, Olivar’s anchovy and avocado on a toasted baguette, and the honeycomb wine pairing combo from Heavenly Honey Farm.

To top it off, On Safari Foods sent me home with a long link of lamb sausage. I tossed the souvenir with sweet onions, basil, and fresh beet noodles from La Pasta. Talk about a Foodportunity!

At 5 o’clock, I scrambled to leave work as fast as I could. I wanted some additional time to pick up a few items before the event got under way. My first stop was at the Grateful Bread Company tent for a sample of their Struan multigrain and French breads. I was heading out to Chelan for the weekend and the French bread seemed like an ideal companion for a grilled steak, so I picked up a loaf.

Collins Family Orchard brought overflowing boxes of cherries to the market and I was more than thrilled to help them get rid of a few.

I introduced myself to Jason from Local Roots and snatched their last bag of “not so spicy” mixed greens. These eventually made their way into a cherry, goat cheese, and walnut salad (enjoyed with the aforementioned steak).

After one more look around and a quick contemplation of nut butters and eggs, it was time to reconvene with my fellow food bloggers at Queen Anne’s Eat Local.

I have driven by Eat Local more than a handful of times. I was intrigued, but didn’t quite understand what they offered. Verbatim from their website, here is the description: Eat Local is an artisan food store offering prepared meals made with seasonal, organic ingredients bought directly from local farms. Even though I enjoy cooking on a regular basis, I decided this would be a great option when I am low on time, but still want to consume a local meal. In addition to their frozen appetizers, entrees, and desserts, Eat Local also retails Washington wines, Rockridge Orchards cider, Bluebird Grains, Woodrings spreads, and local cheeses.

(I met and reconnected with a collection of fabulous food bloggers at this event, including Hungry Grrl, Mise en Place Seattle, and Nude Food.)

The pig-shaped food truck serves braised, pulled pork and veg sandwiches, slaw with cabbage and fennel, and chips sprinkled with Maximus Minimus Seasoning Salt. [Bonus: They use compostable products to serve their fresh fare!]

Making each combination unique is the chance to choose your sauce, Maximus (savory and spicy) or Minimus (tangy and sweet). Always a bit wimpy when it comes to spice, I chose the minimus pork sandwich with Beecher’s flagship cheese, a side of minimus slaw, and hibiscus nectar.

The whole wheat bun was soft and slightly sweet, the pork was tender and full of flavor, the slaw light and crunchy. Before I was finished, I was brainstorming a list of friends I needed to meet up with for lunch. Maximus Minimus is open every day from 11:00am to 4:00pm on the corner of 2nd and Pike, the perfect place to meet downtown. My next order at the oinker on wheels? A Maximus pulled pork sandwich with a side of chips and ginger lemonade.

(I met a collection of fabulous food bloggers at this event, including Hungry Grrl, Sonja’s Kitchen, Tastefully Overcaramelized, and Mary Eats.)