Today, I’m excited to announce that I was asked to contribute my Copycat Carrabba’s Minestrone Soup recipe in the AllFreeCopyCatRecipes.com eCookbook! This eCookbook has 8 delectable copycat Italian recipes from some of your favorite restaurants. Just think about it… no need to go dine at the restaurant if you can make your favorites at home (of course remember you will have to do the dishes)!
Disclaimer:I was not compensated to contribute to this eCookbook nor was I required to blog about it! I’m excited to share the eCookbook news with my readers. As always all opinions are my own!
Fondue Week is officially coming to a close. This whole concept started in December when we were brainstorming about future Google+ Hangouts, and thats when we thought it would be awesome to invite a Chef from The Melting Pot to talk on National Chocolate Fondue week. And that is how Fondue Week was born. The week has come and gone and we hope that we were able to not only teach you a few things about fondue but also inspire you to make your own at home. Whether or not you have a fondue pot you can still make the delectable dips at home.
Suzanne from Kokocooks – Swissmar Mont Blanc 15-PC Meat Fondue Set
Tiffany W — Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bar Sampler Gift Box
We’ve emailed all the winners to obtain more information so we can get their prizes shipped! If they do not respond within 48 hours a new winner(s) will be chosen.
Now on to the features…
We know fondue isn’t as common as ice cream or any other sweet treat out there. We had a few people link up and provide gorgeous fondue recipes for us to share.
Wow, I can’t believe today is the last day of 2012. Katie’s Cucina has grown by leaps and bounds this year. I published 189 blog post in 2012! That is a lot of recipe developement, cooking, photographing, editing, and writing that was done this year.
First and foremost the success of Katie’s Cucina wouldn’t have happened without my loyal readers who support me by leaving encouraging and kind comments and sharing via social media. Secondly, I have to thank my family and friends;
To my husband who more than often eats cold dinners because I’m off photographing our meal or trys a dish that is lack-luster in flavor. He’s my number one food critic. I tend to take constructive criticism well but there were a few times in 2012 that I went on strike from cooking for him because of his over-the-top comments. Hopefully, we will have less cooking strikes in 2013. I also hope that he will finally man-up and actually cook for me for a week. It is something that I’ve challenged him to for the past few years and he also claims that he can do it, but has never stepped up to the plate. Maybe 2013 will be the year that I document him in the kitchen for 1 week. And while I’m on that topic maybe I’ll finally get to try his famous chili that no one has ever consumed accept him.
To my mom, whom I get frequent phone calls from because I’ve “outed” her secrets or told a cooking trick she didn’t want exposed to the public. It’s ok… we are all human and real. That’s what makes Katie’s Cucina such a real place to be.
To my god-mother, Aunt Diane, who always emails me and gives me grammar lessons: blog post-by-blog post. I know… I’m working on it. I recognize I have the worst spelling and grammar in the world and hope to improve next year!
To my neighbor, Edie, who is always forced asked to taste-test recipes multiple times and give me feedback. Your opinions are much appreciated!
To my co-workers whom I know I’ve caused to gain several pounds in 2012 thanks to all the desserts I’ve brought in for them to try. Thank you for always being supportive and eating the food I make!
To my food blog friends in real life. I have a lot of them and made so many more of them in 2012. To Julie, Suzanne, Christine, and Julius to name a few. Thanks for always being my rocks and listening to me ramble, giving great advice, and just being all around great friends.
Seriously, 2012 has been an amazing year. The opportunities I’ve received have blown me away. I never in a million years would have thought that my hobby blog would turn into a business! I started doing recipe development and food photography projects this year which has opened up my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. I had the opportunity to attend three food blog conferences this year: Food Blog Forum Orlando, TECHmunch Tampa, and Mixed Conference. I learned new blogging skills and networked with some of the most amazing bloggers and brands out there. I finally added video in 2012 to Katie’s Cucina. Not as much as I would have wished for, but I did do a few cooking videos. I also started a weekly Google Hangout with my friend Christine. It was just a simple idea that we turned into reality.We can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for our weekly hangouts.
Once again, in 2012 I pushed my boundaries and learned new skills to take my cooking to a new level. I embraced the grill finally this year and can now confidently cook on it… no longer needing to call my husband every time I want to grill something. Instead, I just call on him to move it out on our patio for me! While vacationing around Europe in October I had some of my food blog friends guest blog for me while I enjoyed a little R&R. This was a first on Katie’s Cucina and I just want to thank everyone who helped out. I also filmed not one but two cooking segments for nationally syndicated morning shows. This was a goal I had set for 2012 and I’m so happy I was able to accomplish it. A big thank you to the producers who reached out to me to make it possible.
So without further ado, I would like to share my top 12 recipes of 2012 (as viewed by my readers via Google Analytics)!
Last Friday, I left for a 3 day, 2 night trip to Mountain Lake Resort; outside of Roanoke Virginia. The fabulous Paula from bell’allimento and Susan from Doughmestic put together a one-of-a-kind conference. Very hands on and topic specific all pertaining to food!
There were about 90 energetic food bloggers ready to learn and network! We spent our weekend at Mountain Lake Hotel where parts of Dirty Dancing were filmed. This was definitely a dream come true. Back when I was 4/5-ish my parents took me to Lake Lure in North Carolina to see Johnny’s cabin, the staff cabins, and to walk those infamous steps that Baby carried the watermelon! Now, as an adult I got to visit the other half of where Dirty Dancing was filmed. Very surreal and brought everything into perspective! Can you tell I’m a die-hard Dirty Dancing fan?
I got to the hotel pretty early and began helping Paula and Susan almost immediately. Upon arriving I had no clue who my roommate for the weekend would be. Little did I realize that Angela who I had chatted with from the airport to the hotel would be my roommate!
I helped check in various bloggers, answer questions, give directions, and even carry luggage up stairs. I loved that Paula and Susan thought to make a map. Each food blogger put a sticky note of where they were from. Of course, I was the lone Floridian (in my parka all weekend)! lol.
So while I was helping out that evening at our opening party, I took a detour to the dining room where I sat in THE corner that “Nobody puts Baby in the corner”. Seriously, a highlight of my life!
My first session of the day was with Bree from Baked Bree. She spoke about photography. All the way from the basics of camera bodies and lenses to finding the best light. Like almost all the photography talks I’ve listened too the speaker always encourages you to read your camera manual and get off programed settings and start shooting in manual. Every time I leave a talk I say I’m going to do it but I never really do it. This time–I’m sticking with my word. I need to truly learn every function of my camera. So I’ve started (little by little) reading my camera manual in hopes that come in January I can switch to manual 100% of the time!
Next up, it was time to get creative with Marian of Sweetopia! REAL Butter sponsored the cookie decorating session with fabulous instruction by the ever-so-sweet Marian! Seriously, she is one of the nicest and most sincere people I’ve ever met. Marian showed us basic cookied decorating techniques that we could all use at home.
Even with Marian’s fantastic instruction my flooded royal icing ornament looked disastrous. Thankfully my tree, came out ok minus the fact that I decorated it upside down so my branches were going up instead of down! lol.
After cake decorating with Duff and gang it was time to learn about video. I was super excited to listen to this talk since I’m trying to add more video! Lenny from Chez Us shared so much information. Here are just a few things that Lenny said that really resinated with me. Making a video is like a recipe you have your ingredients and directions. You must map out your video like you would a recipe. Common mistakes people make when creating a video: standing to close to walls, too far from the camera, background is messy, no tripod, no b-roll, poor lighting, audio, and crazy long titles. And after talking to Lenny over the weekend I now know that I have quite a few more items to add to my Christmas list!
After an action packed morning it was off to lunch (and I even got to sneak in a quick power nap before it was time to decorate cakes)!
One of the 5 sessions we got to participate in was Cake decorating with Duff Goldman from the famed Food Network show: Ace of Cakes. Just like for the cookies I paired with Lynda from Me and My Pink Mixer.
Both of us were pretty much at a loss for how to decorate our cakes. Nor had we ever decorated a cake before. Thankfully they had all of Duff’s products that you can buy at Michael’s Craft Stores. I felt that these products were perfect for the beginner cake decorator. We picked up a box of the fancy gum paste flowers and some of the cake tattoo decals!
And with much of the amazing Elania’s help we went over to the paint sprayers and she showed us how to paint our flowers.
So, what do you think of how our cake turned out? I love the pre-made gum paste flowers! I mean they look like a pro made them!
Of course, when I lined up to take my photo with Duff not only did my camera battery die but my apron had practically fallen off. Yep, that’s Duff. Fixing my apron for me as I balance our cake! lol.
The proper photo of Duff & I holding my cake.
So on our 1 hour break between sessions Brandy, Melissa, Lauren, Angie, and I went on a self-guided Dirty Dancing walking tour. Scenes filmed at Mountain Lake included all of the dining scenes, Kellerman’s Hotel, the beach games, Penny crying in the kitchen, and the Houseman family’s cabin.
After our little self-guide tour around the hotel I made my way to Food Styling with Tami Hardeman from Running with Tweezers. She gave a few really great tips during her talk. I never thought about it this way but Tami said “When you choose your recipe that is when food styling begins“. That makes so much sense. I have started thinking about what dishes and natural elements I will use as I’m cooking the recipe. That way I’m prepared and ready to photograph once its done. She also made another great point. That is that you don’t always have to put every single ingredient to the meal on the plate. If your making a beef dish and it calls for vegetables with it. They can be on two separate plates if it makes the plate look too busy with both ingredients on it. “Let your photo be lived in–wipe your mouth off with the napkin”. I loved this concept… and hope to embrace this in the next few months.
The last session for the day was mind blowing. To be honest. I’ve heard at least a handful of eBook talks this year, and none were as powerful as the one given by Heidi Larsen of FoodieCrush. Here are a few take-aways from Heidi’s session:
Ask yourself why you should create an eBook?
Write something that you care about, that you know about, and that your readers want.
Draw from your own experiences
Think like a beginner
All-in-all I think Heidi’s session was my favorite. She really inspired me and gave me so many tools to get started on an eBook!
That night we had a killer closing party equipped with tons of prizes from all the amazing sponsors, a live band, and a stocked bar compliments of Captain Morgan, Crowne Royal, Smirnoff, and others to boot…
After the party, we moved from the Barn back to the hotel where most of us watched Dirty Dancing! It was surreal watching it while staying at “Kellermans”. How I managed to stay up and watch the movie was besides me. I think it was pure adrenaline.
It’s always such a wonderful thing to meet people you’ve connected with online for years. Julie from Table for Two and I met earlier this year at Food Blog Forum Orlando. I finally got to meet Rachel from Baked by Rachel, Ali from Gimme Some Oven, Lauren from Healthy Delicious, Heather from Basil Momma, and Erin from Eat, Bake, Drink, Cook. I never got to attend sumer camp as a kid, but I imagine that our goodbyes are just like the ones you make at the end of summer camp!
Our driver that took Angela, Maeghan, and I to the airport asked if we had a little time. There was a lookout and he wanted to stop and let us take pictures. We had a good couple of hours so we were totally ok with stopping. Thanks to the iPhone panorama app I captured this beautiful photo.
Getting on that crazy small plane was definitely not a highlight of my trip.
It was a whirlwind of a weekend and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go. This was the first time I had taken a “girls weekend” since my bachelorette party almost four and a half years ago! It was so nice to do something for me although you know the saying “Theres no place like home” and that’s so true. I was so happy to be home after such a fun and exciting weekend.
Once again a BIG thanks to Paula and Susan who made Mixed Conference possible. And a very big thanks to KitchenAid who sponsored my trip to Mixed Conference!
This is a gorgeous eBook that is FREE for anyone to download! I hope you’ll head on over to Homes.com and download this guide that is packed full of holiday decor ideas, recipes and more!
Yesterday, I posted about my Carrot Cake Rice Krispies Treats and mentioned that I was going to be on The Daily Buzz morning show for National Rice Krispies Treat Day! This was my second time doing a cooking segment on tv in the past week although my first go last week hasn’t aired yet. Don’t worry I’ll let you know once it does! This time around it was “live-live” as in… no edits, no re-takes, just me, the co-host, and camera crew.
If you’re not familiar with The Daily Buzz they are a nationally syndicated morning show in over 170+ TV markets across the nation. Yah, this was kind of big deal. The fact that my aunt from Los Angeles, California was able to watch me on national tv was a little mind blowing for me.
So after multiple emails, tweets, Facebook message request to see my segment… here is my first cooking segment on National television.
Now, I want to show you a few photos from behind the scenes… I always like to see what goes on back stage when the camera isn’t rolling. Please keep in mind that all of these photos were taken on my iPhone–I wasn’t about to schlep around my DSLR.
I was asked to arrive at the studio at 5:45am. Keep in mind I had a days notice to get prepared (and I work a full time day job), so Monday night I frivolously worked to cook up a wide variety of Rice Krispies Treats. The worlds BIGGEST thank you to my husband who helped me cut and package rice krispies treats, clean endless dishes, and pack my car the night before. I could not have done this segment without his help! It was team work at our best.
I arrived at the studio at 5:45 am and then rushed to get my display set up since the cast was going on-air at 6am and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a lot of noise.
I think it was around 6:25 when Lisa Spooner did a teaser segway in the kitchen with my Rice Krispies Treats! After this was filmed I went and sat in the green room for an hour and a half and worked on blog stuff and watched the show.
Around 8am while the cast was on air, I worked on a side table to prep my ingredients for my on-air cooking demo, and carefully and quietly brought the ingredients to the kitchen.
At 8:37 it was my time to shine and overall I’m happy with how I did. Although, as you may have seen I had a little marshmallow faux pas! The marshmallows had been heating for over 15 minutes and by the time we got to my segment they were turning rock hard and beyond overworked.
One of the camera guys was kind enough to take a few photos of me. This was after we filmed the cooking segment. Oh, and for the record. I did not purposefully match (Le Creuset pot, apron, shirt).
And well, because I’m short, I had to stand on a riser box so I could be around the same height as the cohost! lol.
After the show ended I started cleaning up, and this is what I was faced with. I packed up my car (with the help of the lovely staff from The Daily Buzz) and drove home to soak my Le Creuset pot and put everything away.
I stopped by good ‘ol Dunkin for an (extra large) Iced Coffee to keep me going since at this point it was 11am and I still had to get to work and stay awake for the next 8 hours.
And this is what I got home too… I was praying that the dish fairies would swoop down and clean up the kitchen for me. All-in-all I had a phenomenal day yesterday and can not thank all of your enough for the kind comments and support I’ve received!
Disclaimer: I was not paid nor required to post about my cooking segment on The Daily Buzz. I simply wanted to share my experience with my readers. This post contains affiliate links.
Next, Saturday, September 15th I’ll be attending the second annual Central Florida Blogger Conference. One of the initiatives they have started this year is a program called “Blogging for Good“. They have partnered with six nonprofits in Central Florida in hopes that our voice as a blogger can spread the word about these organizations. Fittingly, I choose the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.
We have a huge problem in Central Florida… too many residents are going hungry on an almost daily basis. No one in our country should be going hungry–let alone the world. It kills me to waste food of any sorts in our house because I know there are so many people who would do anything to get a hot meal in front of them.
Approximately 1 in 5 of our population—732,000 people—needed food assistance in Central Florida last year. That statistic blows my mind.
Second Harvest Food Bank distributed 33 million pounds of grocery products last year that number has almost doubled since 2007 with a 75% increase!
Do you know how many meals come from 33 million pounds of grocery products? 21 million meals in just ONE YEAR people!
Watch this two minute video to see what goes on in Central Florida and how you can help.
Doesn’t this video break your heart? It breaks mine. In our unsettling economic times any of us could be affected in the matter of weeks or months by needing this amazing services. A spouse looses a job, a severe illness, death in the family and all of a sudden you are left with difficult choices. Know that you don’t have to go hungry! There is help out their for you. Even if you aren’t in Central Florida there are food banks all across the United States wanting and willing to help! At the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida 47% of clients served are children and 33% of households served have at least one working adult. Everyone needs help every now and then–don’t be afraid to ask if you need it.
I was recently contacted by Bonefish Grill about a fundraiser, that just so happens to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida! If you live in Central Florida and love Bonefish Grill like I do, this is another great way to help!
Date: Saturday, September 22 Time: 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: 6730 Central Florida Parkway, Orlando Bonefish Grill in Orlando celebrates their grand opening Charity Night with an evening of fabulous food, wine, spirits and fundraising with 100 percent of the evening’s proceeds to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. A $35 donation provides 2 drinks and a full tasting of the menu.RSVP is required as only limited amount of seats are available. Located at Bonefish Grill, 6730 Central Florida Parkway, Orlando (on Central Florida Parkway, π mile from SeaWorld entrance.) Email orcall Jennifer Landress at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida at jlandress@foodbankcentralflorida.org or (407) 295-5009, ext. 28for more information.
If you can’t make it to Bonefish Grill and live in Central Florida you can donate money, grocery products, and/or time to help volunteer! Click here to see how you can get involved with the the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Disclaimer: I was not compensated or required to write this post. I did this out of my kindness of my heart because it is a charity and cause that I believe in. I will be entered for a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes.
Summer is my favorite season. I yearn all year for beach days, road trips, good food, and great wine! My friends at Robert Mondavi are spending their summer on a virtual tour of California’s Central Coast! I have a few family members who live in California. I’ve never made it to the Central Coast and hope to visit their one day. The photos look breath taking… take a look at the photo below that I found on the Robert Mondavi Facebook page. Doesn’t this look breath taking?
Robert Mondavi Private Selectionis kicking off summer by taking consumers on a virtual tour of California’s Central Coast. Breaking the perception that great American wine only comes from Napa Valley, wine industry leader Robert Mondavi Private Selection puts the California Central Coast appellation on the map. Spanning from Santa Cruz County to the Santa Barbara County, the appellation represents a region which Private Selection is proud to source their grapes from.
Through the use of social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube, Robert Mondavi Private Selection will discover and share hidden gems of the Central Coast, showcasing the ‘best of’ landmarks ranging from Hearst Castle, to cafes and diners, bed & breakfasts, antique shops, vintage clothing stores, and other favorites most commonly known only to locals. These ‘locals-only’ hideouts are pure and true to California’s Central Coast culture as is Private Selection. Robert Mondavi Private Selection sources 100% of their grapes from the region’s growers – a characteristic unique to the brand and one which sets it apart from super premium category competitors.
The allure of the California coast was obvious to Robert Mondavi who believed that wine can enhance any meal and be enjoyed by everyone. The Central Coast region holds tremendous varietal quality and versatility that could be used by Mr. Mondavi as a winemaker. The result: high quality, affordable fine wine born of the best of California’s diverse growing regions. The digital tour stops at some of the least expected businesses and locations further proving that high quality food, wine, and fun doesn’t have to come at a high price.
Launching at a time when gas prices might deter folks from taking their annual summer vacations, an event that two thirds of Americans generally take, the Robert Mondavi Private Selection Central Coast tour kicks off north of Santa Cruz and heads south through Monterey Bay and San Luis Obispo. The tour wraps up in late August in the Santa Barbara County.
Food and wine enthusiasts are encouraged to check the Robert Mondavi Private Selection Facebook page daily for updates including recipes, interesting Central Coast information, and educational messaging about the winemaking and tasting process. Readers should also stay tuned to Pinterest for contest opportunities.
About Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Robert Mondavi’s visionary pursuit of great California wines led him to the Central Coast in the 1990s because he believed that great wines begin in the vineyard. The unique geography and fascinating history of the region reveal a character as distinctive as the wines it produces.
He transformed wine culture in the U.S. by creating Robert Mondavi Private Selection as quality wines of affordable elegance. With appeal to the novice and enthusiast alike, Robert Mondavi Private Selection offers a history of success and excellence across all varietals. For more about Robert Mondavi Private Selection, including history of Robert Mondavi and information about the vineyards and winemaking, please visit www.robertmondavi.com.
Now for the giveaway… the fine folks at Robert Mondavi Private Selection are offering a gift pack (valued at $100) so that one lucky reader could have their own mini-road trip up the Central Coast (or comparable trip in their own area)! You can expect to find all the items below wrapped up in a Robert Mondavi Private Selection tote bag:
$25 gas card
$10 Starbucks card (for coffee along the way)
$15 iTunes card (for that perfect album)
Neck pillow (everyone needs to be comfortable in the car)
Disposable camera (old school! to capture the moments)
The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes Cookbook by Ted Allen
cooking apron
aluminum water bottle (perfect for wine to-go)
wine opener
cork pen
Please note that Robert Mondavi Private Selection does not promote drinking and driving. People are encouraged to drink responsibly.
To enter please follow the prompts via Rafflecopter.
Disclaimer: I received one Robert Mondavi Private Selection tote bag prize pack and was given the opportunity to giveaway one Robert Mondavi Private Selection tote bag prize pack to one lucky reader. I was not compensated to write this post. All opinions are always my own!
As we conclude my virtual ice cream social I look back over the past 6 days. I’ve had a blast sharing my google hangout video, ice cream recipes, toppings, and a cake! I’ve also enjoyed looking at all the tasty recipes that fellow bloggers shared! Here are a few of my favorite recipes that were shared this week. PLEASE DO NOT pinother peoples pictures from my blog. Be a responsible pinner and visit the recipe you like and pin from their blog!
From May 17th through May 23rd, look for the “Running Out? Run In.”event at your local Publix store and “run in,” to take advantage of the great savings available on some of your favorite brands from General Mills and Procter & Gamble, including Cheerios, Totino’s, Charmin, and Crest
If you are an avid Publix shopper make sure you look in-stores for over $15 in coupon savings – coupons are valid May 9th through June 2, 2012.
Receive a $5 Publix® gift card to use on your next shopping trip when you purchase $30 or more in participating items during the event (5/17 – 5/23); simply mail in the rebate form found in-store or online at runningoutrunin.com along with your original receipt(s).
I can’t wait to stock up on Cheerios (we eat those daily for breakfast), Crest toothpaste (because that is the one and only toothpaste we will use, and of course some Grands!® Biscuits!
So who wants to win a $25 Publix gift card? Enter using Rafflecopter below.
Disclosure: The Publix gift card, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are always my own.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. {more}
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. 
