all recipes, australia - 9 November 2008, 21:47
‘dya think they’re gonna lock us foodbloggers in a room and then kill us?’ was a question that did the rounds a few weeks ago when an invite to a website launch was received. ‘nah they wouldnt bother feeding us if their intention was to kill us’ came the slightly reassuring response. alot of people still believe blogs are all about the mundane ramblings of the average joe and there has been alot of talk on the blogosphere on whether or not we have the right to write if we are not ‘professionals’ pfft
the problem now with print media is that by the time this seasons fruit and vegetables start appearing at the farmers markets us food bloggers will see it and immediately cook/bake and then blog about it straight away. theres such a huge collection of blogs out there, all with different takes on recipes that when the magazines hit the shelves it feels as if weve already seen it which we have because blogging is so immediate (and free heh). the website launch that we (helen from grab your fork, lorraine from not quite nigella , christie from fig and cherry, anna from morsels and musings, lisa from spicy icecream and kathryn from limes and lycopene) were invited to was for all recipes. all recipes is the world’s largest food-focused social networking website and has recently launched an aussie website where all measurements are in the metric and if youre unsure on how to start a blog you can register as a member, create a profile page and add your own reviews and photos.
step 1: start with one comfortable and unique venue. after a one hour crazy cab ride to surry hills, i found myself climbing up 3 flights of stairs (almost there! the signs encourage) and step into a gorgeous open plan room filled with tea light candles and sparkling fairy lights. in the centre of the room is a long table with namecards that have been strategically placed and are surrounded by bright red chillis.
a nametag! i chortle to myself oh how i feel so special!
step 2: add twenty flavoursome guests. and flavoursome they were! a mix of food bloggers and industry media as well as the reps from all recipes
step 3: stir thru 3 delicious hand-picked authentic dishes. dinner tonight was made from recipes on the all recipes website.
grilled kangaroo and cactus tostada
jamaican prawns
but the star of the night were these absolutely awesome chilli chocolate brownies. crispy crunchy outsides and gooey fudgey chocolatey innards with the perfect amount of chilli heat that was not too high in the burning. i polish off my brownie super fast and start eyeing christies untouched dessert who hands over her plate about halfway thru and then the gorgeous darcie from zing tells me she doesnt eat chocolate and also hands me her plate. i dont argue. 3 brownies are better than 1 =D
step 4: top with good conversation, great wine and a relaxed atmosphere. our food matching wines were from starvedog lane. the bartender also made one sexy mojito mmm
step 5: season with 2 guest speakers – lisa sharples, company president and ian ‘herbie’ hemphill, spice guru. sadly i didnt take any photos when they gave their little talks but this was the awesome gift pack i got- a shiny silver mixing bowl from all recipes and a box of herbies spices. the dinner was a lovely relaxed event and i got to chat to some of the reps from the website who had flown in from the states. it was thrilling to be recognised and be treated ‘like a rockstar’ (heh heh found that on the zing blog) but its great that food bloggers are finally getting some credit. much thanks to all recipes for inviting us to the launch and to darcie for making sure we arrived there and back safely we had an awesome time!
