use real butter

The winner of the drawing: yes, I had a great scheme to pick the winner in San Francisco, and instead, was utterly distracted by our jam packed schedules and all of the beautiful, shiny people I met. So tonight, Jeremy and Kaweah played a few games and Jeremy produced a random number of 469 based on Kaweah’s ability to dig a treat out of her kong toy several times. Congratulations to Maressa! Because I’m hitting the road in less than 5 hours, I will email you at the end of the week (or you can email me) for your mailing address. Thank you to everyone for sharing your awesome autumn memories with me. Unfortunately, I was craving pumpkin and apples ALL WEEK :)

I’m home just in time to leave again! As some of you know, I was in San Francisco over the weekend for the BlogHer Food conference. If you want me to attend anything, hold it in San Francisco or Seattle, and I’ll be there. So while I’m about to hit the road to hunt down some Colorado Gold (leaf peeping), you can peruse the photos from the conference (it will be like you were there, and in some cases, you WERE there!) and read over my random musings regarding the weekend.

But before we get started with the conference, here is what was happening down the road from my house today:

aspen canopy

this guy was huge

a different bull elk, bossing everyone around

Helen (Tartelette) and I met at SFO for the first time! It’s old hat now when you’ve been friends for over a year that when you finally meet in real life (IRL) all the jokes and laughs come tumbling out. We made our way into the city and had ourselves some sushi for lunch at Akiko’s.

helen at akiko’s

white tuna belly sashimi

**Jump for more butter**

Daring Bakers: I’m sorry to say there is no Dobos Torte here, my friends. For sanity’s sake, I punted this month’s challenge.

Admin: I’ve been falling behind in answering comments and I think this is a problem that will continue to snowball until it sucks me under. So instead of answering every comment, as I have done in the past, I’ll now address those comments with questions or discussions about specifics. Hopefully this will get you more timely answers to inquiries regarding the recipes. Thanks for understanding.

On Friday I drove down to the flats for a gathering of some bodacious ladies. It’s a collection of local bloggers, ski buds, friends from my old workplace, friends of friends – great gals all around. We keep calling these events stitch-n-bitches but really, it’s an excuse to eat and share stories and enjoy one another’s company. There is less and less knitting (in fact, none this time) as we are driven to the point of distraction with full on multi-course meals being served and about 4 or 5 conversations going on at any given time. It’s a party. I didn’t even bother bringing any knitting or sewing because I knew better. I did contribute some chocolate French macarons and two flavors of homemade ice cream since Manisha was making fabulous Indian street food for all of us.

babes who blog: indian food rocks, urb, the kitchen witch, the kittalog

You could take away the “stitching” and the “bitching” – you could even take away the food (but you’d have to pry the drink from Dana‘s cold, dead fingers!) and it would still be a wonderful time because the people make it so. One of the ladies I know through Manisha has stage IV brain cancer. When I met her, my hair was very short as it was finally growing back months after my chemo had ended. She smiled and said she recognized the “cut”. At the time, her brain tumor was shrinking with a radical treatment. Everyone was hopeful. She’s a delight to be around, a lovely woman, calm and sweet with a smile like a million tiny wildflowers.

Her tumor is back and has been unresponsive to treatment. When I offered her a macaron, her hands shook as she reached for one. She had difficulty explaining the next course of action in her treatment because she couldn’t think of the words. That’s all the tumor’s doing – the deterioration. We don’t know how much time she has, but the fear is that it isn’t much longer. Her loved ones are rallying around and making the moments count. She met a lot of new faces at the stitch-n-bitch. The point was for her, for everyone to have a good time. And we did.

Despite leaving my knitting and sewing projects at home, I did have a project that had to be completed at the stitch-n-bitch. I wanted portraits of everyone. I take pictures of my grandmother whenever I visit with her. She used to frown and mutter in Chinese, “Why do you need a picture of an old person?” and I’d tease, “because you’re my favorite old person,” and she’d laugh. She’s so used to my camera now that the last time I saw her she squared her shoulders and grinned, “Take a good one so I can use it at my funeral.” I know she’s only half joking and I oblige not because I want these pictures for her funeral, but because this is a small way to hold on to and remember those we cherish. So we piled into the backyard as soon as it had cooled off and I was able to capture the laughs and goofy antics of these hilarious and beautiful women. It’s something we sometimes overlook. It’s something I used to take for granted – that the people we care about will always be there. They will not. That is why the time we have together is precious.

[I’m still away shooting and getting caught in lightning storms, but I have been planning this post for a few months. I’m so happy to finally put it up!]

This is a day to celebrate. And even if it doesn’t directly affect you, why not do something… celebratory just for shits and giggles?

It all started with this little thing, A Taste of Yellow, in support of LiveSTRONG day. Barbara of Winos and Foodies has hosted this event for the past two years. I became vaguely aware of it last year from other food blogs I followed. There is a fog that sits in your mind for the duration of chemotherapy which folks refer to as “chemo brain” and so one evening while battling said chemo brain, I sat down and tried to puzzle out who this Barbara woman was and why was she hosting this food event. What was her connection to cancer? I was able to gather that Barbara had cancer.

sometimes it is the little things

I submitted a post between my treatment rounds which Barbara accepted ever so sweetly. She is such a lady. I mean that in the best sense of the word. She is classy. For me, seeking out other cancer patients for support groups just wasn’t my thing. Cancer is not my thing. But there are a few people I connected with, not because they had cancer, but because they had pretty kick-ass attitudes toward life. One day I asked Barbara if she wouldn’t mind telling me about her cancer. And she shared that with me. And we exchanged several frank, honest, and sincere emails across the globe. That’s when I discovered what an incredible woman Barbara is. That’s when I discovered what a tremendous friend she is.

all good things

My chemo finished. Then my radiation finished. Peach fuzz began to return to my head. Meanwhile, Barbara’s oncologist wanted her to undergo another stint of chemo – several months’ worth. Would it help? Hopefully, yes. She emailed me when she was well enough, always the gracious and dignified woman with a little snark on the side. It’s what we all love about her.

hand-dipped in *tempered* chocolate

Barbara gets it. She gets the bigger picture. I’ve cried more than once while reading her correspondences, her realistic yet touching thoughts typed through numb fingers. Brave. I told Jeremy last year if my cancer returned, I would not agree to chemo again. But I watch as Barbara emerges from a six-month string of chemo infusions – her third stint – and I think to myself, how could I not? She reminds me by example that the fight is worth it.

join us

Today, we are celebrating the end of Barbara’s chemotherapy. We toast her health, her beautiful person, her wit, the return of her tastebuds, her heart, her friendship, her inspiration, her loving family. A handful of other food bloggers around the world will be clinking champagne flutes for Barbara too. Keep your eyes peeled! Barbara, we love you. Jeremy and I wish you many good and healthy years with Bryan and the boys and all of those whose lives you have touched. To life, my friend. Break out the bubbles!

Be sure to visit the heartfelt and beautiful toasts of these wonderful bloggers:

Becks & Posh
Bron Marshall
The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz
Tartelette

cheers, dearest barbara