Food Bloggers Meet at Blogher 2006

Can you tell how excited I was about attending Blogher and getting to meet some of my favorite food bloggers in person? Normally I don't like having my photo on the blog all that much, but this picture by my great friend Elise of Simply Recipes really captured how I felt about the Blogher Conference in San Jose, truly a wonderful experience. So many brilliant women bloggers, and such an opportunity to learn about blogging from people with a lot more experience and expertise. A highlight of the conference for me was meeting so many great food bloggers, some of whom I'd "met" online, and others who were completely new to me. Every food blogger I met was completely friendly and charming, causing me to reflect on how fun it is to connect with people who share your passions. I only hope that a lot more food bloggers can attend next year!

Why I Love My Garden! (Mini Garden Update #11)

Before I left for the Blogher Conference on Thursday, I picked everything in the garden and gave it away to the neighbors. Even though I was away and couldn't do an official garden update this week, I thought some of you nice readers who have e-mailed to say you're enjoying the garden updates might like to see what my garden produced in the four days I was gone. Just a quickie photo on my kitchen counter, but what a beautiful bunch of garden goodness. Since I don't have much food in the fridge, I'll be eating some of this today.

Weekend Herb Blogging #43 Recap. (How Do You Describe Delicious?)

A few hours ago I walked in from the airport, getting home from Blogher where I had a wonderful time meeting some lovely food bloggers, and some very interesting women who blog about other things too. I'll be writing more about Blogher later, but now it's time to recap the herbs, plants, veggies, and flowers that people have been cooking with for Weekend Herb Blogging while I've been off learning how to be a better blogger.

South Beach Recipes of the Week #5 (I'm Having Fun At Blogher!)

I'm having such fun at the Blogher Conference, but you didn't think I'd miss sharing some South Beach recipes, did you? Every Saturday I spotlight South Beach Friendly recipes I find on other food blogs, since a lot of people don't know much about the glycemic index, which is what the South Beach Diet is based on. It's been interesting how every week I start out on Monday and Tuesday worrying that I won't see that many South Beach recipes, and by the end of the week I have a whole group to choose from! Now, I realize that only some of my blog readers are South Beach fans, and rest assured, my goal is not to convert anyone to the South Beach diet. I'm pro-choice when it comes to eating! However, I'd be willing to bet plenty of non-South Beach eaters will think these recipes look good too.

Kalyn Is At Blogher Today, but Here's Your Homework!

I'm writing this early in the morning from my hotel room in San Jose, California, where I'm attending the Blogher Conference, a gathering of over 400 women bloggers from all over the world. What started out feeling like the mother of all blind dates has turned into one of the most exciting things I've ever participated in. I can tell I'm going to learn more than I ever imagined at Blogher.

Recipe for Soy-Grilled Shrimp and Asian Veggies

A few days ago I was thinking of something to cook that had carrots in it, partly because I had a new mandoline that was a gift from a student, and I bought some whole carrots to try it out. I looked a few places for ideas, when I saw a good sounding recipe for carrots with an Asian twist on A Veggie Venture. Of course, if you read my blog much you won't be surprised that I used Alanna's recipe as an inspiration, but changed the recipe a bit. I ended up with a dish of grilled veggies and shrimp with an Asian style marinade that was a keeper for me.

Hires Hamburgers: A Utah Icon. (Four Days to Blogher!)

Hires Big H is the name of Utah's most famous hamburger joint, as well as the signature burger sold there. It's a landmark in Utah fast food eateries, partly due to the delicious food and partly due to the longevity of the place. Hires is a place I've been visiting for a long time, and for many years whenever I had nieces and nephews staying at my house we would always go to to "Hire's Hamburgers" as they called it. This past weekend I've had three of my youngest sister's eight kids staying with me for Pioneer Day weekend in Utah, a celebration of the Mormon pioneers who settled Utah in 1847. Of course I haven't been to Hires much for the past two years, since I've been eating the South Beach way, but a visit to Aunt Kalyn's really would not be complete without a visit to Hire's Hamburgers.

Garden Update #10 and Five Days to Blogher Conference!

Another Sunday garden udate, and one thing I've learned about the new camera, when there isn't much light yet, you can 't really get a good shot with a macro lens, at least not with my limited knowledge of what all the dials and buttons on the camera do. When fall comes I'm looking forward to maybe taking a photography class. For now, I'm learning by doing, and I have learned a lot. I've been having fun doing my food shots with an early Christmas present my brother sent me, called Photo Studio in a Box, (more coming later about this, since I'm so taken with it.)

South Beach Recipes of the Week #4 (and Six Days to Blogher Conference!)

Since I've been eating the lower glycemic way I've often had people say, "But what do you eat?" It seems a lot of people don't know much about the glycemic index, which is what the South Beach Diet is based on, so I've decided once a week I'll spotlight South Beach friendly recipes I see on other food blogs. I know only some of my blog readers are South Beach fans, and rest assured, my goal is not to convert anyone to the South Beach diet. I'm pro-choice when it comes to eating! However, I'd be willing to bet plenty of non-South Beach eaters will think these recipes look good too.

Dining in L.A.: Gaby's Mediterranean.

In June when I visited Venice Beach, one of the great places I had dinner was Gaby's Mediterranean. This is a regular dining stop for Rand and Bradley, and if I lived in this area, it would quickly become a favorite of mine too. Gaby's features middle eastern cuisine, one of my most preferred types of food, and everything I tasted was outstanding.

Recipe for Spinach and Sorrel Chopped Salad with Pecans and Goat Cheese

At the Salt Lake farmer's market I purchased a ziploc bag full of pointed greens the farmer told me were sorrel. "The small leaves are good mixed with lettuce in a green salad," he told me. "It's delicious." Hmmmm. This sounded interesting. A new type of plant I hadn't written about yet for Weekend Herb Blogging

Recipe for Tomato, Egg, and Olive Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

Sometimes the simplest combination can result in a dish where the combined flavor seems greater than the sum of the ingredients. I shared this salad with my nephew Jake, and we both agreed that's what happened here. Simply fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced and layered with slices of boiled egg and olives, then drizzled with a vinaigrette that had bits of gorgonzola cheese. What could be simpler or more delicious? And since the temperatue in Salt Lake has been over 100 F for days and days, this is the perfect thing to eat on a hot summer day. You'll have to turn on the stove to boil the eggs, but otherwise, no actual cooking is involved.

An Easy Summer Lunch For South Beach Dieters

People keep telling me to post more "easy" recipes for South Beach Dieters, so here's a super easy idea for something delicious to eat for lunch in the summer. Of course, when you have tomatoes and cucumbers in your garden, this is even better, but even with store cucumbers and tomatoes, this is pretty darn good.

Weekend Herb Blogging #41 Recap

It's Weekend Herb Blogging time again, and this week there are lots of new participants, and some very interesting entries too. It's been gratifying to see how people have accepted and supported the rules for Weekend Herb Blogging that I announced on Monday. I appreciate the efforts of everyone to make this event so unique and educational because learning new things each week is what makes Weekend Herb Blogging so much fun.

Garden Update #9

It's Sunday morning again, the time when I wander out into the garden in my bathrobe and see how the garden has changed from the previous week. If I wanted to be brutally honest, this week I should have photographed lots of weeds, since I've been neglecting my garden something horribly. In this coming week I need to be doing some serious weeding. But I did get to eat some things from the garden this week, and wrote about how to cook spagetti squash as a summer squash for Weekend Herb Blogging. I even gave away a few cucumbers, peppers, and spagetti squash to some neighbors and friends, so that's a good week in the garden in spite of the weeds.

South Beach Recipes of the Week #3

Since I've been eating the lower glycemic way I've often had people say, "But what do you eat?" Because most people don't know much about the glycemic index, which is what the South Beach Diet is based on, I've decided once a week I'll spotlight South Beach friendly recipes I see on other food blogs. I know only some of my blog readers are South Beach fans, and rest assured, my goal is not to convert anyone to the South Beach diet. I'm pro-choice when it comes to eating! However, I'd be willing to bet plenty of non-South Beach eaters will think these recipes look good too.

Dining in L.A.: Annapurna Cuisine and Reflecting About India

If you've read this blog much at all, you know I'm not really a serious restaurant reviewer like some food bloggers. So when I give you these little glimpses into my restaurant-eating-life, it may be overstating it to call them reviews. For the most part, these restaurant photos are simply my way of recording good memories. I only write about restaurants I've loved visiting, and I hope you enjoy sharing the memories with me.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash as a Summer Squash

The weekend is approaching, which means time to start thinking about Weekend Herb Blogging. Earlier this week I wrote about some rules for Weekend Herb Blogging, so if you might like to participate, check them out. Thanks to all the herb bloggers who've written to express support for the rules.

Recipe for Caprese Salad with Apricots

My brother Rand is a pretty talented cook, even when he's not spontaneously being a guest blogger on Kalyn's Kitchen. This unique version of Caprese Salad was something that Rand came up with when I was visiting him in Venice Beach in June. It was not only delicious, but adding the apricot slices to the tomatoes makes it more nutritious than the traditional Caprese Salad.

Three Days in San Francisco

Three days in San Francisco, no responsibilities, no diets, and no budgets. What would you do? Here's a little snapshot into what I did with my good friends Mary and Jacque.

Establishing Some Rules for Weekend Herb Blogging

For a long time I avoided having official "rules" for Weekend Herb Blogging, in keeping with the whimsical way the event began. However, now the event is quite popular, and since other people are sharing in the hosting duties, I've decided to establish rules to keep Weekend Herb Blogging unique among food blog events.

Garden Update #8 Rand's Garden

Usually on Sundays I show you the progress in my garden, but this week I'm in San Francisco having fun with some good friends. I did take some photos of the amazing variety of plants in my brother Rand's garden when I was visiting him in Venice Beach a few weeks ago, so I thought it might be kind of fun to update you on a different garden this week. Next Sunday I'll be back with another update on my own sure-to-be-weed-infested-when-I-get-home garden. Stay tuned; I did see a slightly pink tomato before I left.

South Beach Recipes of the Week #2

Since I've been eating the lower glycemic way I've often had people say to me, "But what do you eat?" Because most people don't know much about the glycemic index, which is what the South Beach Diet is based on, I've decided that once a week I'll spotlight South Beach friendly recipes I see on other food blogs. I know only some of my blog readers are South Beach fans, and rest assured, my goal is not to convert anyone to the South Beach diet. I'm pro-choice when it comes to eating! However, I'd be willing to bet plenty of non-South Beach eaters will think these recipes look good too.

Happy Fourth of July, No Cooking Today, Two Birthdays, and An Announcement

Photo from patrioticicon.org

It's Independence Day in the U.S. and all over America people are indulging in their individual way of celebrating, acknowledging the freedoms we have in the United States. Our country isn't perfect, and lots and lots of Americans, including myself, have serious concerns about things our government is doing. But the ideals of equal opportunity, freedom, justice, and equality that this country was founded on are great. Let's acknowledge and celebrate those today.

Weekend Herb Blogging #39 Recap Holiday Weekend in the U.S.

This week, many Americans will be attending parades or holiday barbecues, celebrating the United States and the freedoms we enjoy here. While that's happening, a group of people in Washington D.C. are sponsoring Troops Home Fast to make a statement about the war in Iraq. The right of every American to express his or her individual brand of patriotism is what makes America a great nation. Those of us who are in the U.S., let's celebrate that on July 4, and appreciate how lucky we are to be in a place where diverse points of view can be expressed.

Garden Update #7

It's another Sunday and it's a bit windy in Utah, which means that a lot of the photos this week are not my best. I want a new camera, and the American Express card is burning a hole in my wallet, but the truth is I can't really afford it just yet, especially since I barely got a new laptop. I love being a teacher, but I want more money! Ok, enough ranting about that.

South Beach Recipes of the Week #1

Since I've been eating the lower glycemic way I've had people say to me, "But what do you eat?" Because of that, I've decided that once a week I'll spotlight South Beach friendly recipes I see on other food blogs. I know only some of my blog readers are South Beach fans, and rest assured, my goal is not to convert anyone to the South Beach diet. I'm pro-choice when it comes to eating! However, I'd be willing to bet plenty of non-South Beach eaters will think these recipes look good too.