Eat Write Retreat Recap & a Giveaway!

This past weekend I attended the Eat Write Retreat 2012 Conference, which was held at The Madison Hotel in Washington D.C.  This was my first food blogger conference, and I was a little nervous- but I was also excited about meeting some new friends!

I decided to participate in Eat Write Retreat 2012 because I’d like to grow this blog, I’d like to meet other bloggers and hopefully learn new things about the blogging and food community.

The first thing you need to know about food blogger conferences is the swag!  Check out what I brought home:

Most of these things fit into this bag (perfect for grocery shopping!):

I did get a couple more things which did not make it into this picture: an OXO cutting board, a Calphalon Convection Oven and a watermelon!  It’s clear to say that this was like Christmas for my kitchen!

I started this blog as a hobby, and I enjoy trying out new recipes and sharing them with all of you.  It’s inspiring to hear about how many people have a blog as a business, and how much they love what they do!

Of course this conference would not have been as much of a success if it wasn’t for the sponsors!  They were: OXO, Calphalon, National Watermelon Promotion Board, Jarlsberg Cheese, Harvard Common Press, Fresh Mushrooms, Dogfish Head Brewery, Qualia Coffee, Honest Tea, Endives, Lindsay Olives, Barboursville Vineyards, GooGood Clusters, Feastie, Chix DC, and DRY Soda.

Some of the sessions included:

• Lisa Cherkasky & Renee Comet discussed food photography and styling
• Monica Bhide inspired our writing and blog focus
• Michael Natkin told us about writing his cookbook
• Andy Schloss talked about how blogs can make money

None of this could have possible without the organization and hard work done by Casey Benedict and Robyn Webb.  Thank you!

Check out the list of bloggers who participated in this conference here!

Now it’s time for the GIVEAWAY!!!

Since I came home with a number of goodies, some of which won’t fit into our tiny fifth floor kitchen, I’d like to give some things away.

The first ever giveaway at Fifth Floor Kitchen!  One winner will have a chance to win an OXO Mini Chopper and Goo Goo Clusters Supreme (3 clusters in one box).  *These are items I’ve received at the Eat Write Retreat 2012 Conference, and this giveaway is not affiliated with OXO or Goo Goo.

The winner will be chosen at random, and will be notified by email (please make sure your email is correct)- they will have 3 days to respond to me with their address, otherwise I’ll choose another winner.  (Note: you must have a US address to be eligible to win)

This giveaway is open until Friday (05/11/2012) 11:59:59 EST.

***This giveaway is now closed***

Green Veggie Rice with Fried Egg

As I’ve mentioned previously, I try to use up all of our produce- rather than throwing it all out!  Sometimes I might not get to a recipe I wanted to try, or I get a little crazy at the Penn Quarter Farmers Market and buy too many greens.  Or as I browse through other blogs, magazines or cookbooks I get inspirations about trying new things.  Where do you get your cooking inspiration or recipe ideas?

How did this recipe make itself?
1) I was walking through Whole Foods, and I came across Lundberg Black Japonica rice.  It’s a whole-grain blend of short-grain black rice and medium-grain mahogany rice which originates from Japanese seeds.  It looked so pretty, I just had to buy it!

2) I’m not the hugest fan of kale, until I tried this recipe.  Although I’ve added it to many dishes (kale lasagna, kale white bean & potato soup, pomegranate and kale orzo salad), I haven’t been sold on it.  Until I saw baby kale in the grocery store, and I decided to give it another chance.  Although I didn’t have a recipe for it, I wanted to incorporate kale into something.

3) Fried eggs make everything better.  Trust me!  (burgers, pizza, BLTs, asparagus, soups, noodles, salads- have I sold you yet?)

4) I wanted to clean out our fridge, and I hate taking everything out and putting it back in.  I prefer if the fridge is very very empty- makes the chore so much easier!

As a side note: This weekend I’ll be attending my first food blogger conference- Eat, Write Retreat 2012.  I’m very excited to meet other fellow food bloggers and learn some new things!  And I can’t wait to check out what’s in my swag bag!

Green Veggie Rice with Fried Egg
Fifth Floor Kitchen original

If you don’t have this specific rice, you can substitute with brown or wild rice- both will taste equally delicious.  As noted above, feel free to experiment with other greens if you don’t have kale or swiss chard on hand (ex: spinach, arugula, beet greens, mustard greens, bok choy, etc).

1 cup Lundberg Black Japonica Rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of swiss chard, roughly chopped
1 bunch of baby kale, roughly chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
juice of 1 lemon

In a medium saucepan, cook rice in water per package instructions.  Drain and keep covered.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Then add the garlic, cook for another 3 minutes.  Next add the swiss chard and baby kale.  Cover and cook, stir a few times, until the veggies are tender.  Add the rice into the saucepan, mix all of the ingredients together.  Season with soy sauce, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and lemon juice.  Allow to simmer while you fry the egg.

In a small pan, fry an egg per each serving.  We prefer runny eggs, but fry it to your preference.

Plate the rice and veggie mixture, top with a fried egg.