A Stack of Dishes

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Chocolate Oat Cookies: and a visit to NYC

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Chocolate Oat Cookies~A stack of dishes.comI needed me a fix. I needed some grit and grime and short attention spans. I needed to walk briskly down sidewalks that required stealth navigation, and I needed the outrageous roar of the subway. I needed a dose of NYC.

Not desiring or requiring anything particular as a gift for my upcoming birthday, I requested a ticket to take me back to the concrete canyons, so that I could spend a long weekend hanging with my kids, and getting my fix on.

My beautiful wife joyfully indulged me.

A Stack of Dishes.com
I love both of these sentiments!

We spent our time walking the streets like tourists, an act I never fully enjoyed as a full time citizen. We wandered flea markets, perused specialty stores, nibbled and drank. My “kids” are all in their 20’s now- beautiful grown adults. It was a marvel simply to move with them, observe them taking in the world as whole people. We laughed and told stories, walked with arms linked or around waists, and took it all in together. Of course I still felt like mother duck parading along with my littles in tow, and what a delicious feeling that is. [Read more…] about Chocolate Oat Cookies: and a visit to NYC

Sorghum Salad

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Healthy Sorghum Salad~ A Stack of Dishes.com

 After a week in Seattle followed by a long weekend in NYC, I am now focused and determined to get down to some clean and healthy eating. This Sorghum Salad is a good start as it is a nutritional powerhouse and quite delicious.

Sorghum is an old grain that has great importance in poor countries in places like Africa, but it’s not thought of as something that would make it onto the average American table- until now. I had always thought of sorghum as something they only made molasses with.

This gluten free grain has a chewy texture similar to wheat berries, but to my taste it’s a little milder. It’s versatile enough to use in a cold salad like this one, or exchange it for rice or couscous in warm dishes, even soups. The pearls are about the same size as Israeli couscous, but you get a whole lot of nutritional value for the same texture and feel. They’re also gluten free for those looking for an alternative grain.

Sorghum may also be popped like popcorn, and it’s wonderful!! The kernels are smaller and so make petite little puffs. As a result you can’t eat them one by one with corn, but rather scoop them up by the handful. Fun! Since many folks can be sensitive to corn, this is a fantastic alternative.

sorghum salad~A Stack of Dishes.com

I was generously given some sorghum by Bob’s Red Mill at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC) and was really looking forward to trying it. I really didn’t know what to expect at first and I was delighted by how easy and yummy these are. [Read more…] about Sorghum Salad

IFBC Seattle 2013

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Fresh Salmon~A Stack of Dishes.comThey’ve done it again! Foodista and Zypher Adventures outdid themselves again at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle. This is my second year and I was no less blown away this year compared to last year.

Conferences are a relative new thing to me. After spending years in a kitchen stewing in my own universe, I find it so much fun and astoundingly fascinating to come together with so many food people- especially my food blogger tribe. Most of the time bloggers toil solo, and yet from reading other’s postings, you start to get the sense that you “know” folks. Putting face and body language to blog names always startles me. It also delights me to learn how we are all swimming in the same cyber soup- so similar, samely driven (we ALL lust for good props), alone, but so conjoined through food.

The conference began with a talk from the charming and delightful Dorrie Greenspan, who is every bit as delicious as her recipes. She speaks with such enthusiasm, humility and grace that when she told us of her homes in Paris, Connecticut and New York she off handedly commented, “Yeah, not bad”, which all the more made me want to get invited with all my heart. I would joyfully scrub pots just to hang at her kitchen counter anywhere- anytime. {Chin in hand leaning on said counter.. tell me more….}

wheelFrom there things only got better. We were barraged with delicious foods from many local Seattle restaurants including a sit down dinner, organized by UrbanSpoon, in which all 320 conference attendees were sprinkled amongst the best restaurants throughout the city. In my case we were treated to a 10 dish feast at one of Tom Douglas’ restaurants, Palace Kitchen, with beautiful wines to match. 

There is so much more to tell, which I will do as I share some of the foods {with recipes} over the next weeks. For now, here are just a few images of Seattle that I thought you might enjoy.

pikefish flowergirl

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