Pint-Sized Prep Bowls

Every girl has a weakness for smaller versions of regular things.  There is something about a common item in a mini format that is irresistible to the female psyche. Chihuahuas, bonzai trees, muffins, and even babies which are, after all, miniature humans.  Think about it, would girls be so taken with babies if they were chubby full-size humans who cried and needed their diapers changed?  Doubtful.

Take a brief walk through any Container Store and you'll find a place that caters to the "small"-minded. The place is lousy with miniature jars, boxes and containers in every color and style.  I, too, fall victim to the diminutive proportion of these goods that would normally be of no interest.  A chrome shopping cart in my kitchen?  No way!  But a mini chrome shopping cart that could hold lemons on the counter?  Of course!

My mind races as I walk through the aisles, "Oh my gosh, this is so cute, what could I put in it? Buttons? Spices? Loose diamonds?"  "I have been looking for a new paper clip holder just like this one!"  Inevitably, the minimalist angel on my shoulder pokes me in the ear and I leave them all on the shelf with a wistful look back.

The same self-control evades me when I can find a reason to buy a miniature for someone else. And so it went when I found these happy little silicone prep bowls at Cost Plus World Market for my friend Elaine.  My eyes got big and I threw them straight in my basket without hesitation.  They were just too tempting to leave on the shelf this time. But first, a couple pictures.

Food Blogger Camp Part Siete

So, this was a Food Blogger Camp, what about the food you say?

Club Med Ixtapa did a great job at offering a wide variety of food every single day, always with an eye for presentation.

Watermelon Flower

Crudité

Seafood composé

Always a cheese display.

Pastries almost too beautiful to eat...almost.

 

I had to post this one because it cracked me up. Stephanie from Wasabimon got this shot of me. You will just have to take my word for it that I did have a top on.

Campers
A Beach Home Companion
Catalina Center
Copykat Recipes
Dianasaur Dishes
Food Woolf
Foodspiration
FRANtastic Food
Good. Food. Stories.
Indigo Days
Lekkermunn
A Plate Full
Recipe Girl
Ronndezvous
The Runaway Spoon
Self Preservation Store
Sonndapond
Spoon and Chair
Vanilla GarlicWasabimon!

Instructors
Matt Armendariz, Matt Bites
Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes
Diane Cu and Todd Porter, White on Rice Couple
Jaden Hair, Steamy Kitchen
Dianne Jacobs, Will Write For Food
David Lebovitz
Adam C. Pearson
Michael and Donna Ruhlman

Food Blogger Camp Part Seis

Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write for Food, led today's session on writing about food by--what else?--having us write about food. Her choice was a bit tough though because it was hard to find a lot to say about corn pops. Okay, it wasn't hard for some people. Garrett from VanillaGarlic and Brooke from FoodWoolf hit it out of the park. I was not going to be reading mine after their inspired prose.

But the exercise served to remind me of some very important storytelling rules. Let's just say that you may start seeing shorter posts from me from now on! Here's my try at it:

"The box, covered with grungy corn-pop characters, promises an aggressive breakfast-eating experience. It is my hope that the addition of milk will not turn them into the rampaging hooligans of the Gremlins variety. 'Don't get them wet or they multiply!' "

"The actual product inside reveals something a little more subdued--a handful of small syrupy- sweet corn nuggets the approximate texture of styrofoam peanuts."

Casey from GoodFoodStories and I took some time to exercise our visual creativity.

Food Blogger Camp Part Cinqo

I was supposed to leave today, but can you blame me for extending my stay?

You can't see that I am sipping a new drink called "The Lebovitz Isle." Champagne and pineapple juice, just invented by David and carried to the beach by the handful. How very appropriate for a Parisian in Mexico.

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Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes (another blog powerhouse) spoke about creating a blog that is 1) useful 2) entertaining and 3) relevant to a specific audience you have targeted. She asked us to complete the following sentence: "I want my blog to_____." Here's my answer: "I want my blog to serve as a representation of my photography and writing in order to pursue a career in food, travel and lifestyle photography and journalism."

Food Blogger Camp Part Cuatro

We started out Day Four with a trip to the nearby seaside town of Zihuatanejo. Our guide explained that unlike Ixtapa, which was built specifically for tourism, Zihuatanejo is where the locals actually live and shop. As nice as Club Med Ixtapa is, I'm always more interested in seeing life from a local's perspective. There's nothing I like more than walking the streets of an unfamiliar town and finding interesting photos.

A fisherman's rusty scale at the beach.

Funny, I don't remember The Red Baron flying in a canoe...

These little berries at the local market looked like green blueberries, but are actually closer to gooseberries, like the tomatillo.

Anson's reward for holding down the fort while I was gone--a bottle of tequila reposado, 100% agave, of course. I love the poetic terminology that describes tequila aging: plata means "silver" and is not aged. Reposado means "rested," and anejo is "aged." Who could argue with a liquor that has been rested?

The iglesia appeared to be decorated for a wedding, with doors flocked with tulle and delicate flowers lining the aisle. I loved the vibrant murals that flanked the doors. If you look closely, they are made with colored rice.

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The afternoon brought a much-anticipated session by bloggers extraordinaire, David Lebovitz and Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen. These two are living the food blogger dream and gave us a lot of insight into how they have achieved success in the new digital world.

David started out as a pastry chef and glacier at the seminal Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He went on to write several cookbooks and now has a very popular blog that details his life and cooking exploits in Paris.

Jaden has just the opposite story--she turned her very popular blog into a cookbook of the same name. She's quite an inspiration in that she has only been blogging for 2 years.

Both David and Jaden spoke about the importance of having multiple points of entry when pitching a book to a publisher--Jaden's fans can find her book through her website, her blog, her newspaper column or her television appearances.

Food Blogger Camp Part Tres

Monday was another double header as food stylist Adam Pearson and food photographer/blogger extraordinaire Matt Armendariz both lead sessions.

Adam talked about a few simple supplies a home food blogger can easily incorporate into his or her photos to create a more professional look: a variety of linens, small plates and various wooden cutting boards.

He demonstrated the plating of a simple pasta dish. Adam is trained as a chef and uses those skills in conjunction with the tricks of the trade to make food camera-ready.

Some of his tips included using museum wax to hold forks in place, Poligrip to keep a taco standing upright, and diluting red wine with water to keep it from going to dark in photos.

He explained he takes a more modern approach to food styling, prefering to use real food rather than those stand-ins we've all heard about (like glue for milk).

Matt has a really fresh style and he set up a shot to show us how just a simple shift of the camera can make all the difference.

No matter what your style is, knowing how to use light is the key to making your readers want to lick their computer screens.

Food Blogger Camp Part Dos

The workshop today was a two-fer: husband and wife team of food writer Michael Ruhlman and photographer Donna Ruhlman.

Michael spoke about creating relevant content for your blog and the importance of writing with a consistent voice. He has focused on food writing for over 12 years and has written cookbooks with many of today's greatest chefs.

For her part, Donna not only has a skillful and practiced way of photographing food, but she's got great advice and she's happy to share it. It's great to learn from these two professionals who have successfully transitioned into the digital age and are making the most of it.

Food Blogger Camp Part Uno

Allright, so here I am at Club Med Ixtapa for "Food Blogger camp." "Camp"? If the KOA poured drinks like they do here, I would be camping every weekend.

I have to get up tomorrow for Day 1, but I thought I'd share a little before I go to bed. (Bear with me if the color balance is a little off.)

This is the actual view out my window at sunset. What's that you hear in the background? Oh, that's waves crashing on the beach 20 yards away. Yep.