Quorn Dinner at Staple & Fancy

A few weeks ago, I was invited to taste Quorn for the first time at a media event at Staple & Fancy.  I am a huge fan of all of Ethan Stowell restaurants, especially Staple & Fancy and How to Cook a Wolf.   It was in the private dining room called The Cellar.

I have to admit, I was really curious about trying Quorn because I eat quite a few meatless meals a week on a daily basis.  I recently found out that Quorn foods just  launched in the US and can be found in many grocery stores.

The product is made of Mycoprotein. Quorn is  known as fungal protein, is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “the albuminoid which is the principal constituent of the protoplasm of the cell.” “Myco” is from the Greek word for “fungus” (from Wikipedia).  To read more about it on Wikipedia, click here.

In most of the dishes, you could not tell it wasn’t actually real meat. The meat sauce actually tastes like ground beef especially alongside the hand-made pasta.  It is actually pretty amazing that you can get this flavor without meat.   There was a also a mock chicken dish that tasted very close to chicken. I have to say that the ground beef was my favorite but the chicken was a nice substitute too. We also tried chicken nuggets and Quorn nuggets and it was hard to differentiate between them ( very close in taste) though I wouldn’t eat chicken nuggets anyway.

 

It is nice to know that there is an option if you are not eating meat, that has a flavor that is close to meat flavor. As somebody who is lactose-intolerant, I have tried every type of “fake” cheese and I have not found a brand that actually tastes like real cheese, I wish there were other options. I do still eat cheese with a lactose pill but it would be nice to be able to just swap a slice of cheese for something with a good flavor.

The event was orchestrated by  the folks at Quorn along with Traca, from Seattle Tall Poppy, and they brought some amazing people together to break bread and try  Quorn.

Crave Urban Campfire Party – Aug 21 Giveaway for Tix

I want to tell you about a wonderful event that is coming up  next week called Urban Campfire Party. This event is coordinated by Melody Biringer, one of the most inspiring women around. Melody is known for bringing together the most creative and life-changing people into events and giving you new perspectives on life. She is also the lady behind the Crave books that you see in all the stores, events all over the country, an author and just so much more. 

If you are looking for some inspiration, to connect with smart and interesting women or just to have a good time. You are not going to want to miss this event.  Giveaway: I have two tickets to the event for a lucky winner. To win, just tell me how you like to eat your S’mores in the comments ( Melody loves S’mores). Read her interview here The winner will be chosen on Tuesday, the 19th. Don’t hesitate to purchase tickets because if you win, she will reimburse you.

Buy tickets here

The schedule: 

Urban Campfire is designed to engage women in authentic conversations about business, relationships and life. We are kickin’ it old school with a powerful and time-tested form of connection – storytelling.

August 20th – 7:00pm | Urban Campfire Pre-Funk: The Night Before (Mingling and S’more Making)August 21st – 10:00am-6:00pm | Urban Campfire: The Main Event, Happy Hour and Dance Music

Here’s the down-low on the day’s flow:

10:00am – 11:00am Register and prepare to be inspired – come early to get in on the Girl’s Lounge

THE IPSOS GIRLS’ LOUNGE ZEN TENT 10am – 6:30pm

10:00am – 10:15am Meditation

10:15am – 11:00am Yoga & Stretching

10:15am – 11:00am Discover Your Confidence Signature

 

 

 

11:00am Melody Biringer kicks off Urban Campfire
By sharing her own story, Melody Biringer invites attendees to get personal. Revealing her own vulnerabilities and desire to be inspired, she spearheads the erasing of barriers that ensures the formation of deep connections. This simple but transformational idea continues to be the trademark of her success.

11:15 – 12:30 Guest Speakers – TED Talk style
Kick the “shoulds” to the curb. Throw the five-year plan out the window. Define your own life and own your style. You too can learn how to thrive in challenging times.

• Jamie Greenwood and Aina Ifetayo Oyewole-Williams – “I Own My Style”
• Christina Rassmussun – “You Don’t Need A Tragedy To Wake Up”
• Diane Najm “I Own My Style”
• Panel with Katie Kelley and Mitch Sheppard
  Moderated by Bridgette Boudreau
• Beth Baker “I Own My Style”
• Jeanie Walker “I Own My Style”

12:30 – 1:30 Campfire Stories and Lunch
Facilitated breakout session on the topic – “What in our lives has influenced us the most? Who and what has made us who we are?”

1:30 – 2:30 Guest Speakers – TED Talk style
Our speakers share their superstar secrets on owning your worth, and following your inner barometer in order to lead a more fulfilling life.

• Kate Dowling “I Own My Style”
• Stephanie Johnson - “Exercising Authenticity.”
• Susan Hyatt - “This Is My Body. Got A Problem With That?”

2:30 – 3:30 Campfire Stories and Dessert
Facilitated breakout session on the topic – What do you CRAVE? We will identify what we love and why, to Own Your Style.

3:30 – 4:30 Guest Speakers – TED Talk style
Our last group of inspiring speakers take the stage.

• Tory Johnson – “No Pill, Potion or Plan Trumps Patience and Perseverance: Why Giving Yourself The Luxury of Time (in a ‘right now’ world) Can Be The Best Gift”
• Shasta Nelson – “Reclaiming My Identity Through A Calling from Left-Field”
• Dondeena Bradley – “#silversurfer”
• Andrea Scott “I Own My Style”
• Shelley Zalis  “Confidence is Beautiful”

5:00 – 6:00 Happy Hour, Dance Music and S’mores
Meet and greet speakers, get your hair chalked or braided, join us in the girl’s lounge for meditation, yoga and stretching and discover your confidence signature, enjoy bites from our special kitchen surfing chefs and sample cypress cheese, make a S’more and bust a move.

Join us for making genuine “off line” connections.

Kathleen Flinn’s Book Release Party on August 14 and a Giveaway, Win VIP Tickets

Author Kathleen Flinn  of “The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry” ( a New York Times bestseller) is releasing her second book this month and throwing a party  to celebrate!  We are giving away a VIP package here, including ( the book), admission for two and a special bag!To win, just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite restaurant in town is or just leave a comment. I will choose the winner by Wednesday afternoon. Good luck. I hope to see you there. The link to purchase tickets is below.

 

Here is the insider foodie invite from Kathleen herself:

Join me for a fabulous party to celebrate the launch of my third book from Viking Press/Penguin Books. Not your usual book launch party, the night will feature live music, and all kinds of surprises, plus door prizes including kitchen gear, private cooking lessons and more. The event is this Thursday and details are below.

Special Facebook ticket price: $10 + purchase of a book includes food, drink, select beer and wine. Type in the password “Facebook”

Seattle’s legendary Elliott Bay Book Company is the official book partner.

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/748900

AAJA Chef’s Showcase and Kaisho, Asian Street Food

Last Monday, the Seattle Chapter of the Asian American Journalist Association hosted the first Chef’s Showcase event. The event was held at the Columbia Tower Club and showcased some delicious bites and the best view in town. Local celebrity chefs shared their favorite recipes and cooked for the crowd. There was wine pouring, tasty nibbles and lots of networking.

The line up…

Tyler Hefford-Anderson, who has shown off his culinary skills at Salish Lodge and Spa and Opal and is now executive chef at the Columbia Tower Club.
– Lisa Nakamura, an alumna of The French Laundry and Allium who has delighted Seattle foodies more recently with her sold-out pop-up gnocchi bars.
– Rachel Yang, a James Beard-nominated chef and co-owner of Joule and Revel restaurants in Seattle.
– Prometheus Brown & Chera Amlag, purveyors of pop-up Filipino food venture Food and Sh*t. Brown is also known as Geo, one half of the Seattle band Blue Scholars.
– Steven Ariel, formerly of Canlis and now executive chef of TRACE at W Seattle

Chef Lisa Nakumura showing the crowd how to make Hijiki rice balls. You can learn more  about her upcoming Gnocchi bar here .

 

After the event, we stopped to check out the newly opened Kaisho , which serves Asian Street food with Northwest Flare in bustling Capitol Hill. The name, which means a gathering place is the perfect place to go for drinks and some bites with friends in a hip evening vibe. The menu has items like Bao burger, Green Curry Daikon Noodles, Dim Sum and Papaya Quinoa Salad. The fried chicken was a good choice with a nice kick to it and some waffles on the side.

Kitchenbug Launches New Mobile App at Foodportunity

With  Foodportunity event just around the corner, we are prepping for a fun-filled, tantalizing and delicious time!

This year’s premier sponsor is Kitchenbug.  I joined the Kitchenbug team last year as soon as I realized that there was a smarter way to collect recipes and that this company marries her two favorite things, food and innovation. I am really excited to share what we do at Foodportunity!

 

 

With Kitchenbug being the premier sponsor, you are guaranteed to get personal in our awesome Seattle Photobooth with crazy props, selfies galore and loads of surprises.  We are teaming up with Chef Wayne Johnson of Shuga Jazz Bistro. After 30 years in the restaurant industry, Chef Wayne Johnson has Seattle jazzing at his new hot spot,  serving upscale and classic southern cuisine. Having earned many accolades for his contributions to the food industry, Chef Johnson still humbly continues to give back. His contagious love and passion for food, as well as his recognized dedication and mentoring to his community synergize into the perfect combination of excellence.

We have surprises including a booth for photos from Seattle Photo Booth. We promise to bring funny and crazy props so we can take photos with our friends and remember this night in photos. After lots of food and wine, it will be so much fun to take all those photos.

 

And a little more about Kitchenbug!

Just What You Have Been Waiting For 

Kitchenbug is also excited to announce the launch of their new mobile app available for iPhone. This app will get you a cool recipe analysis that makes cooking healthy, fun and easy. Kitchenbug’s algorithm analyzes recipe content, calculates nutritional facts and shows you all the recipes’ “pros and cons”. This cutting-edge and innovative app can be your daily companion with everything food and dietary related. Just what you have been looking for, right?

Are you coming? Get your tickets here

 

Photo credit: Jackie Donnely Baisa

 

 

Love to Thank Talks Foodportunity

We love getting love from Love to Thank, check out this post about us, part of our Foodportunity contest!

 

Apps I Love- Buffer

 

 

Do you want to manage your social media better? Buffer is the answer to that.  Say you want to post something to Facebook but you want it to be up at a certain time, Buffer is how you do it.  I know there are plenty of ways to schedule Facebook posts but I found Buffer to be the easiest and smoothest for me.

You download the bookmarklet to your desktop and then just click on the image and Buffer takes the image and puts it into your feed to be posted at the times you scheduled ( in advance)  or if you prefer, the times that Buffer thinks are best.

You can Buffer with many of your social media accounts: Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Groups, Linked In, Google +.   A limited and free account is avalable but for  $10a month,  you get the  Buffer “Awesome ” Plan which lets you connect another user, posts up to 200 posts and put in 12 social media profiles. There is also Buffer for Business with lot of other features which I have not used because the Awesome plan has been enough.

Buffer also gives you analytics for each post, which is also helpful when you need a quick view of the stats. At the end of the day, the most awesome part of Buffer is how awesome the staff are.  In the beginning, when I was figuring it out, I had questions and guess what, I got instant answers, right away. If you have a question for the people at Buffer, you get responses almost instantly ( or maybe it was my luck). Really, I use them as an example of a company that does things right!