Tag: food blog south

Food Blog South Conference This Weekend and Teens

If you haven’t heard, this weekend is FoodBlog South, a great southern food blogging conference in my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. Last year was the first ever FoodBlog South, and it was one of the best conferences of the year. This year has an incredible line-up of speakers and attendees, so check it out. And guess what?  I am so excited that this conference also has a teen blogging conference too.  “Teen FoodBlog South” is for students in grades 7th-12th. It’s a free half-day blogging conference teaching them tips and tricks of the trade. I’ll be there teaching “Recipe Development for food blogging,” so don’t miss out if you live near or around Birmingham.

Virginia Willis New Cookbook Giveaway & Winter Greens and Butternut Squash Gratin Recipe

I was fortunate to meet Virginia Wills several years ago, and I had the pleasure and honor to co-speak with her last year at Food Blog South. Last fall, I attended an event in Atlanta where she previewed some of her recipes for her new book, “From Basic to Brilliant”. I couldn’t wait for it to be released. Virginia is a graduate of  L’Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne and, previously, was the Kitchen Director for Martha Stewart Living. Virginia expands on her incredible style in this 150 recipe cookbook where she offers incredible preparation and presentation techniques (her writing is amazing too). This recipe for Winter Greens and Butternut Squash Gratin is just one of the many stellar recipes in this book. I served it to company this weekend on a cold evening, and I received rave reviews. Her amazingly beautiful photos were taken by Helene Dujardin of Tartlette. “From Basic to Brilliant” can be found at Amazon or any of your favorite online stores as well as bookstores nationwide.

For a chance to win a copy, leave me a comment telling me why you want a copy of this book. Winner will be drawn on Thursday, November 10th and must be a U.S resident. For more chances, leave as many comments as you like telling me that you did the following:

1. Follow Alison Lewis on Twitter

2. Like Ingredients, Inc on Facebook

3. Follow Virginia Willis on Twitter

4. Like Virginia Willis on Facebook

 

“Reprinted with permission from Basic to Brilliant, Y’all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company by Virginia Willis, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.”

Photo credit: Helene Dujardin © 2011

Coming This Fall 2011

RADIO

SOCIAL MEDIA

  • September 1st, 2011 12 p.m central “Twitterview” for Canola Info.
  • September 29th, 2011 7-8 p.m central “Facebook Party” for National World Heart Day for Canola Info

 

PUBLICATIONS

CLASSES | APPEARANCES/OTHER

 

National Pie Day: Chocolate Chess Pie

I’m celebrating National Pie Day with this fantastic Chocolate Chess Pie. If you haven’t heard, the 2011 hot food trend is pie, and pie is also the “new cupcake”. I tasted some great pies this weekend at Food Blog South’s first ever conference in Birmingham, Alabama. The pies were served during a conference break from the incredible Pie Lab located in Greensboro Alabama. This conference was beyond amazing. I am so honored to have been a Speaker (along with Virginia Willis) on the topic of Recipe Development. We had great feedback and a very large attendance in our session so thank you to everyone involved. The conference (which was sold out), was a huge success raising money for the Dessert Island Supply Company and another charity benefiting the gulf. It was one of the best blog conferences I have attended where I met some of the nicest, most sincere and talented writers, bloggers, photographers, stylists, marketing representatives and passionate people.

To celebrate the south, I am so proud to feature this southern pie recipe. I grew up eating chess pie, and many northern and western friends ask me, “What is chess pie?” According to James Beard’s American Cookery, chess pie was brought from England originally and was found in New England as well as Virginia. What sets chess pie apart from many other custard type pies is the addition of cornmeal. I love it flavored with chocolate for extra sweet touch. Enjoy with (or without) whipped cream or powdered sugar.

Citrus at Its Best: Orange Ricotta Pancakes

This weekend, I am so excited to be speaking at  Food Blog South, a conference and workshop in Birmingham, Alabama on Recipe Development along with the talented Virginia Willis. It’s going to be wonderful weekend filled with bloggers, writers, photographers and so many others from around the country. Proceeds from the conference go to support a charity to restore the Gulf, and also support The Desert Island Supply Company, a Woodlawn-based writing center for kids. Recently, I was working on a recipe development project for a client creating recipes made with citrus fruits. I loved how these Orange Ricotta Pancakes turned out: so light and fluffy with the perfect hint of orange flavor. This makes a great breakfast idea for this weekend since oranges are at their peak. Enjoy and have a great weekend!