What an adventure!

I just spent a week in Florida attending my first bloggers conference called Food-Fight-Write. I didn’t know what to expect but decided I was ready for a new experience. I applied and was honored to be chosen to attend.

The conference was held in conjunction with “The World Food Championships” which is a big cooking competition featuring cooks from all over the world, competing in nine categories, for a prize purse worth $350,000.  I was lucky enough to have qualified to compete in the “Sandwich” category and my husband qualified for the “Recipe” category. We practiced our recipes and were ready to spend 3 days attending Food-Fight-Write and then on to our competition….. Let the fun begin!

Let’s be Happy

Our conference began with a breakfast sponsored by the “Happy Egg” company. Yum! Always a good start! They are the first ever egg company to be given a seal of approval from the American Humane Association. Their chickens are given the ability to roam cage free, without being fed antibiotics or other food additives. That would make me happy!  http://thehappyeggco.com/eggs/

 Kansas City Here We Come!

So, where do they have the best steak in the country? Did you say the Midwest and the Kansas City Steak Company? If you did, you are right! Lunch consisted of steaks, perfectly cooked. Melt in your mouth tender! Ah, true perfection.  https://www.kansascitysteaks.com/

Oh, you Saucy Mama!

Part of the blogger conference was a competition so we could experience what it felt like to compete in a real food competition. Our assignment was to pair a Kansas City Steak with a Saucy Mama product. Saucy Mama makes lots of products from marinades and mustard to salad dressings and horseradish. Take a look here for their products  http://barhyte.com/brands/Saucy-Mama.html


 

Let the competition begin!

The day of the competition we were given three Kansas City steaks and our Saucy Mama products. We were told to create our own version of a perfectly prepared steak. We had 90 minutes and needed 5 sample portions and 1 display steak. (No one was gonna eat it, it just had to look pretty) Most people were cooking by themselves but I was lucky enough to have my trusty sous chef (Greg, my husband) with me. We’ve been married 36 years so we work pretty well together. I decided to make a fig sauce which used Saucy Mama Sesame Ginger Marinade and Dressing. I also added some Saucy Mama Poblano Dressing in the grilled onions on top of the steak. My sous chef cooked the steak perfectly and he is sure that is the reason I came in 4^th in the competition. 

Overall, it was a very successful, fun competition and a great way to end my first ever blogger conference. My husband had so much fun attending with me that he has decided to join me on my blog so he can attend next year. He’s a much better writer than I am so it makes sense he would want to contribute. I can't wait until next year and hope to be invited again.