use real butter

It took longer than I had anticipated to get this recap posted what with all of my activities in and around Seattle for the past 8 days. Best to get on with it before the next conference, right? I’m super sleepy and I’m trying not to be snarky here, but it’s REALLY hard. Bear with me, please.

After that gorgeous-turned-rainy-muddy backpack in the Cascades, I went from eating instant rice and sleeping in the dirt (and rain, did I mention the rain?) to bougie food and a luxurious bed at the (gloriously waterproof) Hotel Monaco where IFBC kicked off with registration, swag baggery, evening reception, and a great speech by Morgan Spurlock. Also, I met tons of food blog pals like my girl Peabody.

some of the fancy pants food: geoduck ceviche

pistachio crusted rack of lamb (lambipops)

full room while morgan spurlock spoke

I skipped the after-reception party in favor of a fantastic sushi dinner with my buds Allison of Sushi Day, Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, and Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes at Nijo Sushi just down the hill.

finally looking at the menu after spending 30 minutes gabbing and gossiping!

Being the fuddy duddy that I am, I retired to my room and proceeded to process backpacking photos until 2 am. I got your party girl right here, folks. That wasn’t such a good idea because the IFBC organizers had planned something ridiculous like a 13-hour day at Theo Chocolate which is a 20-minute bus ride from the hotel. Note to conference organizers: please don’t do that anymore.

Just my luck, I was so used to waking up at 6 am, that I got up at… 6 am. I caught one of the buses to Theo Chocolate (the main venue) and felt like my head was about to explode. Or maybe that was Amy Sherman chattering away next to me on the bus?

Breakfast – an assortment of pastries and berries – was really lovely, but a platter of bacon would have brought tears of joy to my eyes. You know what is better than a platter of bacon (I know, few things, but this really is)?

seeing shauna and danny‘s beautiful new book

**Jump for more butter**

I’m in Seattle for the IFBC (International Food Blogger Conference) 2010 right now. I love this city and it’s especially wonderful with so many terrific fellow food bloggers all in one place. I flew out a few days early to spend time with friends of mine who are soon to be wed. Not long after I touched down in the Emerald City Tuesday afternoon, we went to dinner…

at coastal kitchen

and visited a park

That evening, Nicole and I sorted, gathered, and packed gear for a backpack in the Cascades. In the morning, we drove east to Wenatchee National Forest. The first day in was sunny and hot. There were mosquitoes and several miles of trail overgrown with plants taller than us between the trailhead and our camp destination. Oy.

lovely views, but hot!

happily setting up the stove to cook dinner after local sunset

The next day started out perfectly cool and gorgeous for our hike to White Pass, but by 12:30 pm the wind, clouds, and rain moved in. Here’s how lovely it was before the weather enveloped us in fog. We even saw a bear (but no pictures).

corn lily in bloom

glacier peak

lush high country

stunning patches of lupine

The rain soaked us to the bone (curiously enough, there were no more photos taken after White Pass). When we got back to our tent, it was raining steadily with some nasty winds whipping rain and dirt about. Rain + dirt = mud. Lots of mud. In the morning, we packed up our sopping wet belongings and hiked out the way we came in. Walking through the tall and wet overgrowth was akin to a several-mile stretch of car wash.

Nicole dropped me off at the hotel just in time for me to unpack all of my muddy gear (don’t tell the hotel!) and wash up before the IFBC reception. There were so many friends, old and new, to meet. However, the highlight of my evening was…

having a picture taken with morgan spurlock (thanks andrea!)

More on IFBC after the weekend. I’ll see you on the flip side!

Did any of you catch the Perseids on Thursday night? Jeremy, Kaweah, and I spent the night on the deck. Those two slept while I shot the meteor shower. We had clear skies and even when a few clouds began to build on the Continental Divide, they dissipated after a little bit. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such good viewing conditions before! But first, you need to see the Milky Way from my deck. It’s gorgeous.

our galaxy, the milky way

The reddish lights are town center, but they didn’t interfere too much with my shoot. The rest of the Milky Way photos are here. We saw many many meteors Thursday night (a lot fewer Friday night, but still at least a dozen after sitting around for an hour). If you didn’t get to see any, these shots are for you to enjoy!

here’s a nice streaker

satellite (white), meteor (color), jupiter (bright dot upper right), andromeda (oblong dot bottom center)

And you can find the rest of the Perseid meteor shower photos on the photoblog.

My parents are visiting with us for a few days and Kaweah has been in heaven because my dad spoils her like crazy. They are loving the cooler and drier weather here (in comparison to hot and humid southern Virginia) as well as the lovely Colorado scenery. Saturday was my mom’s birthday, so we went to celebrate in grand fashion at Flagstaff House for dinner. We all had the Chef’s nine course tasting menu. I’ll leave you with photos from the night’s meal. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

lovely little flowers at our table

hors d’oeuvres and a special birthday wish on the menu

complimentary appetizer of thin pastry over duck confit with mushrooms

kusshi oyster, lime, tanqueray gin

ahi tuna carpaccio, terrine of foie gras, arugual, extra virgin olive oil

alaskan halibut over sweet corn and mussel chowder

australian barramundi, lump crabmeat, eggplant caviar, roasted garlic, nicoise olives, zucchini

grilled pancetta-wrapped quail, king trumpet mushrooms, white truffle infused polenta, sauce of garlic

marsala-braised kurobuta pork cheeks, haystack goat cheese agnolotti

snake river “kobe-style” gold ribeye cap, twice baked potato, asparagus, black truffle sauce

the sugar plate (accompanies coffee)

blackberry, kiwi, and white peach sorbet trio

sticky toffee pudding, bourbon toffee sauce, minted white chocolate ice cream

petits fours and birthday surprise