The 2011 SAVEUR Best Food Blog Awards: The Winners When we opened nominations for this year's Best Food Blog Awards, we had no idea we'd find ourselves deluged with over 40,000 individual plugs for websites. Narrowing them down to six finalists in seventeen categories was no easy task — but an even harder job fell to the thousands of you who voted, picking just one blog above all others in its category. Our warmest thanks go to everyone who cast their vote; our heartiest congratulations to all our finalists. Here are your 2011 SAVEUR Best Food Blog Award winners! Finalists Finalists Epic Meal Time Food Curated Food52 Perennial Plate Sky Full of Bacon BEST REGIONAL CUISINE BLOG WINNER: Homesick Texan Indian Simmer Jun Belen Just Hungry Lucullian DelightsShe Simmers BEST KITCHEN TOOLS AND HARDWARE COVERAGE WINNER: The Kitchn Alkaline Sisters GolubkaWhat the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway? BEST RESTAURANT/DINING COVERAGE WINNER: The Girl Who Ate Everything BEST PROFESSIONAL BLOG WINNER: David Lebovitz
Green chile chicken salad The other day a friend in Texas was telling me about all the Hatch chile items she’d bought at the store on a recent visit. Besides whole roasted chile peppers, she also picked up salsa, tortillas, cobbler, and chips. But the thing she gushed about the most was a limited-edition Hatch chile chicken salad. “We ate the whole container in one sitting,” she said. Chicken salad is something that I enjoy, especially when it's hot outside, but I’ve never felt compelled to eat a whole quart at one time. My interest piqued, I asked my friend what made the chicken salad so special. Now when you think of Texan cuisine, I will admit that chicken salad isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. The chicken salads I grew up eating were usually made with chicken, pecans, and grapes, combined with either an herbed or a curried mayonnaise. While I had no idea if my green chile chicken salad tasted anything like my friend’s, I was very pleased with the results, as it was tangy, spicy, and good.
Sassy Radish Black Bean Salad Recipe What is it about a black bean salad that practically shouts, “summer potluck”? The mercury has been edging past a hundred degrees lately here and I’ve been getting nostalgic for some of the picnic foods I remember having often as a kid. The basic structure of a black bean salad is black beans (canned or freshly made) with corn kernels (canned, frozen, or fresh). Obviously, this salad will be extra good if you have freshly cooked corn and beans on hand. Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans. Ingredients Method 1 In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. 2 Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Yield: Serves 6 to 8.
Joy the Baker — I feel like I’m grasping tight to the things around me these days. I’m probably the first to shrug off the change of season, the change of moving cities, and the change of traveling a ton as no big deal…. but it all adds up to matter and I have to admit I feel a little crazy in the brain. This season I’ve started a new workout routine. Since I’ve moved away from my beloved SoulCycle in California, I’ve started practicing Bikram Yoga in New Orleans. I’m terrible. Who knew bending could be so dang challenging? I’ve also taken out my Tender cookbook (a Spring go-to) and am daydreaming my way through Donald Link’s Down South cookbook in an effort to acclimate myself to my new city and surroundings. Here are a few more Spring flings I’m into these days. 1•• I am very pale. 2•• I absolutely LOVE this Ellovi Body Butter. 3•• I’m thinking of sporting short fingernails with Blue Orchid Nail Polish as the weather gets warmer. 5•• When I was a teenager my mom told me that I had a ‘hat face’.
Tomato pie with bacon and jalapeños On my refrigerator is a photo my mom sent me from last Thanksgiving. It’s a shot of a long wooden table that’s been topped with an array of pies. There are cream pies, pecan pies, fruit pies and chess pies. They’re not perfect, as the crusts may have rough edges and the meringues don’t always form even peaks. At family gatherings, pies are usually the way we conclude our meals, but lately I’ve been thinking about ways to incorporate pies into the beginning and the middle of the meal, as well. There’s a classic Southern tomato pie recipe that calls for an abundance of mayonnaise. Adding lots of bacon seemed like a good idea, as it’s a natural partner with tomatoes. The end result is a hearty, satisfying slice that works well as a main dish. Because it’s baked, you could make this pie with those hothouse tomatoes you find at the store when they’re no longer in season. In other news, I'm heading to Abilene next week for its annual cookbook gala. Tomato pie with bacon and jalapeños
smitten kitchen Mexican Restaurant Relish We all know the best part of going to a Mexican restaurant is pigging out on all the good stuff they bring you before your dinner gets there. You know, so you're full up to your eyeballs, and then the enchiladas show up and you curse yourself for eating all those chips? Why do we do that? They should just have Mexican restaurants that don't serve entrees. You just go in and your dinner is chips, queso, salsa and tortillas. Mexican Restaurant Relish 1 package frozen crinkle cut carrots 2 cups onions, chopped 1 (16 ounce) jar pickled jalapeno slices 4 ounces white vinegar 2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 2 cloves garlic, chopped Drain jalapenos, reserving liquid. Prep Time: Approximately 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 needs to chill 24 hours