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4 thoughts on “AZ Blogger Meetup at Kneaders Scottsdale + Kneaders Gift Card Giveaway”

  1. You are an awesome writer. It makes me want to try kneaded again. I only went 1 time and had a bad experience. I frequent wildflowers and love their chopped salad!

    Reply

  3. It seems like the author had a fantastic experience attending a blogger meetup at Kneaders’ new Scottsdale location. The event included mingling with fellow bloggers, enjoying a complementary dinner with a variety of delicious sandwiches, salads, and desserts from Kneaders, and receiving a tour of the kitchen and bakery.

    The author was impressed by Kneaders’ ambience, food quality, and generosity during the meetup. They were particularly pleased to learn that all bakery goods are made on-site, and they found the aroma of freshly baked bread delightful.

    The post also included a giveaway for a $10 Kneaders gift card, where readers were invited to share their favorite thing to order at a bakery for a chance to win.

    Overall, the experience seemed positive, and the author had the opportunity to discover more about Kneaders and their offerings. The meetup was a success, and readers also had the chance to participate in the excitement through the giveaway.

    Reply

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AZ Blogger Meetup at Kneaders Scottsdale + Kneaders Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on by Sarah

Since A Love Letter to Food’s inception a couple of years ago, my main goal in maintaining a blog has been to keep a record of favorite recipes and share some of what I’ve learned in my nutrition program. I’ve never made a major effort to get a following and mostly just ogle those people who do. “Blogging in the background,” if you will. But last week ago I had an experience that made me feel like a legit food blogger.

A former co-worker of my husband’s, who now works for the cafe/bakery Kneaders, reached out to me to see if I would be interested in attending a meetup for bloggers at their new Scottsdale location. Umm, like a real food blogger? HECK YES! As it turns out, the meetup was of the Arizona Blogger Meetup Group, incidentally helmed by another of my husband’s co-workers, Camille of the awesome date-night blog Friday We’re in Love.

I had never been to a blogger meetup or a Kneaders (though they seem to be popping up like Wildflowers–er, wildflowers, in my area) so I knew I was in for some new territory on both counts. The evening started off with some mingling of the several dozen lady bloggers present. I met a couple of DIY bloggers, some “lifestyle” bloggers (this is code for “I just blog about my life”), a mental health blogger, and a photographer who blogs about taking better photos of your kids. Small talk was made. Pinterest optimization was discussed. Business cards were passed. (Really? Bloggers have business cards?? Maybe I should order some instead of hastily scrawling my blog name on napkins…)

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After the initial mixing and mingling, we all sat down to a tasty complementary dinner provided by Kneaders. The spread included their chicken salad sandwich, club sandwich,

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The Club

pesto tortellini with pine nuts, fresh fruit,

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Note to self: search Youtube to learn how to make this pineapple centerpiece

and a variety of their delicious desserts, including a citrus-chocolate cannoli, frosted brownie, and mini German chocolate cake.

Following dinner, we heard a speaker (Stephanie of the photography blog LifeCreated.com) give some pointers on styling food photography shoots. Then it was time for a little tour of the Kneaders kitchen and bakery.

(I’ll take one of everything, thanks.)

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One cool thing I learned on our tour is that Kneaders makes all their bakery goods on-site. (I’m certainly glad to know that, with a name like “Kneaders,” right?) The giant tubs in the picture above are filled with flour.

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Here’s a Kneaders employee using their three-tiered mega-oven to bake a dozen loaves at a time. I wish you could smell this photo. The scent of yeasty, bready goodness was enough to make me say a little prayer of thanksgiving that I’m not gluten-free.

Another thing I didn’t realize about Kneaders is that they have several displays of retail/decor/gift items for purchase.

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Lots of cuteness to choose from. But if cuteness is not your thing, stick to the food and you’ll be in good shape, too! I’m sure I’ll be visiting again to try more of their sandwiches, salads, and pastries.

All in all, I was very impressed with Kneaders’ ambience, food quality, and generosity to the blogger meetup. As a parting gift, they gave each of us a $10 gift card to the restaurant–which I would enjoy keeping for myself, but would rather pass on to one of you as a giveaway as part of a first-week-after-my-blog-redesign celebration!

Giveaway Info:

For a chance at a $10 Kneaders gift card, in the comments, please tell me  your favorite thing to order at a bakery–Kneaders or elsewhere. All entries must be received by 12:00 A.M MST Sunday, August 9th. U.S. residents only. No purchase necessary. I will choose one commenter at random and announce him/her by first name/screen name on this page by 12:00 P.M. MST August 9th, 2015. The winner can then email me at sarah@alovelettertofood.com to redeem the gift card. So be sure to check back after 12:00 P.M MST Sunday, August 9th, 2015!

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT, August 9th:

Well, folks, this one is pretty easy! Since only person commented on this post (haha), the winner is….Cindy Nicholas. Cindy, please email me at sarah@alovelettertofood.com with your street address so I can send you the $10 Kneaders gift card. Thanks for your participation!

New Format, New Look: It’s a New Love Letter To Food!

Posted on by Sarah
ALLTF_ProfileImage_03
Look! I have a logo!

The day has finally arrived! After many months in the works, I am thrilled to announce the newly redesigned, re-formatted version of this blog–now here at ALoveLetterToFood.com! I feel like I should throw a party! Or like FOOD should throw a party:

Fruit Party Vegetable Party

(Made those myself. Strangely, the Internet is not chock full of pictures of fruits and vegetables in party hats.)

Allow me to give you a quick rundown of the new site.

If you’ve read my blog in the past, you were reading at ALoveLetterToFood.Blogspot.com. Having my site on Blogspot was fine for getting started, but there are certain things on it that are not conducive to food blogging. On this redesigned site, ALoveLettertoFood.com, you’ll be able to find posts categorized more clearly in my recipe index, nutrition, entertaining, and other sections. Hooray for user-friendliness!

In conjunction with my site redesign, you can now also find A Love Letter to Food on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google Plus. You know, like a real food blog.

Many thanks to my husband Anthony for his countless hours of work helping me get ALoveLetterToFood.com up and running, as well as to his colleague Will Mejia of Highrise Creative for his fantastic design work.

The food-loving adventure continues! Have a look around!

 

6 Baking Substitutions That Will Make Your Life Easier

Posted on by Sarah
Now, which of you will we replace?

Speaking as a home baker, substitutions in recipes are my very, very good friend, and if you bake, too, I’ll wager you feel the same way. Whether born of an “oh, crap” moment of realization you’re out of an ingredient, or just the desire to bake something a little fancier without having to sign your first-born child away at a specialty foods store, you can always do with the extra kitchen acumen of knowing what can replace what. With a little ingredient do-si-do, you might be surprised what greatness can spring from your mixing bowl. With that in mind, here’s a list of some of my favorite quick and easy ingredient substitutions for baking.

1. Cake flour: When I first graduated from making box-mix cakes to fully homemade cakes, I knew I had to avoid recipes with one ingredient: cake flour. I had seen those $7 “Softasilk” boxes on my grocery store shelf (you know, the one with the box design that makes it look like no one has purchased it since 1978?)


Am I wrong? Does this not look straight out of the ’70s?

and had made the conscious decision not to spend that kind of money on approximately four cups of flour. Then along came the Internet to teach me that making cake flour is ridiculously simple and the Softasilk people have a total racket going on. Here’s how:

For one cup of cake flour, measure one cup all-purpose flour, then remove two Tablespoons. Replace the two Tablespoons with two Tablespoons corn starch. Mix well.

2. Superfine sugar: Like cake flour, I can’t tell you how many recipes I avoided making because they contained superfine sugar. I didn’t know what it was, but I was pretty sure it was going to be expensive, too. It may, in fact, be expensive–I still don’t know; I’ve never purchased it. Because come to find out, all it takes is regular sugar and a food processor:

Place the desired amount of superfine sugar in your food processor with a couple of extra tablespoons to account for reduction in volume; process 1-2 minutes until it feels–you guessed it–super fine, like sand.

3. Half-and-Half: Did you ever wonder what half-and-half is half and half of? It’s half milk and half cream. Therefore, it’s extremely simple to replace by subbing:

1:1 measures of heavy cream and milk (I’d recommend 2%), i.e. 1/2 c. cream + 1/2 c. milk = 1 c. half-and-half.

4. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is a great ingredient for adding richness to breads, pancakes, and desserts. The only problem is figuring out what to do with the rest of that large, perishable carton of buttermilk after the weekend has passed and the pancakes are gone. You have a few options for substituting:

To make 1 c. buttermilk, measure 1 c. milk, then remove 1 Tablespoon. Replace with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Let stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes until curdled.

OR

To make 1 c. of a buttermilk substitute, mix 3/4 c. plain yogurt or sour cream with 1/4 c. milk.

5. Butter/Vegetable Oil: I’d be a fool to say anything can really take the place of butter, but I do frequently want to make my baked goods a bit healthier (though I’m not about to tell you to replace butter with mashed avocado, as I’ve seen on several blogs. Let’s be real here, people.). Even in a rich cake, I’ve found you can get away with substituting up to half of the butter and/or oil content with unsweetened applesauce. I recently did this in a dark chocolate raspberry layer cake and even I would never have guessed it from the taste. Therefore, if you’re actually out of butter, you can:

Mix 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce with 1/2 c. vegetable oil for 1 c. butter.

OR

To decrease fat content, replace 1/2 of the butter with unsweetened applesauce.

6. Unsweetened Baking Chocolate/Cocoa Powder: I had to roll my eyes the time I was looking for a cocoa powder substitute and found a site that recommended subbing 1 Tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder for regular cocoa powder. Like, yeah, I think I would have figured that one out. If you actually are out of one or the other, though, here’s a conversion that works great:

For 1 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate, use 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. softened butter or vegetable oil.

Lastly, one bit of interesting trivia about why the famous baking powder brand pictured above is called Clabber Girl. To “clabber” means to sour, as in soured milk. In the olden days, soured milk was made by leaving milk out at room temperature, to be used as a leavener in baked goods–until 1854, when baking powder was invented. So I guess the Clabber Girl is sparing you the work of actually clabbering, which would take days of waiting for the milk to get sour enough. Thanks, Clabber Girl! Keep on clabbering! Clabber clabber clabber! (Can you tell I really like the word “clabber”?)

At any rate, it’s my sincere hope that this list may keep you from spending extra money on ingredients you don’t need, or running out to the store in your pajamas at 10 PM for some cake flour. Happy baking!

Effusive Hawaiian Vacation Post (aka “Food of Oahu”)

Posted on by Sarah

Three days ago my husband Anthony and I returned from what was hands-down the most incredible vacation of our ten years of marriage–and probably of our entire lives. I can only describe our six days on Oahu as The Apex of Vacation. We went as a celebration of our tenth anniversary–July 16th, if you want to send us a card next year ;)–and if everyone could look forward to a trip like this, maybe more marriages would make it to ten years, because it. was. fabulous. Like Tom Selleck’s Magnum, P.I. mustache fabulous.

Some of the highlights:

We had the good fortune to know an excellent travel agent who booked us at the Moana Surfrider, the oldest hotel on Waikiki Beach (built in 1901), which oozes turn-of-the-century charm:

We even had an ocean view!

And in six days, we got to see so much of the island of Oahu and did several once-in-a-lifetime activities, like a helicopter ride,

swimming with dolphins,

Not pictured: Anthony hurling vehemently off the side of the boat

an off-the-beaten path tour with a guy who seriously needs his own TV show, stat,

“Watch me weave an entire raft out of these tree fibers, then floss my teeth with what remains!”

and hikes to Moana Falls

and Diamond Head.

All in all, it was a spectacular trip and I wish I could send all my friends (especially the ones with kids) on one just like it.

But this wouldn’t be a food blog post without a few words about the food of Oahu! It seems that Hawaii is not a destination people seek out for its cuisine in particular, but we did enjoy some great food while we were there. (Though we may have been a little influenced by the scenery that accompanied it. And I’m not talking about all the beach bodies…but whoa, the beach bodies.)

I’m not sure that we ever exactly ate “traditional” Hawaiian food, but that seems difficult to define, anyway. Wikipedia says there are five distinct styles of food that make up Hawaiian cuisine, representing Polynesian, Asian, and European influences. That being said, we did have some meals that match what I would envision when I think of “Hawaiian food.” At one beachfront lunch at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, Anthony had a firm white fish (I can’t recall the name of the fish–I know, get with it, food blogger!) with vegetables and a purple sweet potato coulis. Who knew sweet potatoes came in purple?

I, like the big fat American I am, ordered the barbecue pork sandwich and fries (but it had a bun made of taro, a native Hawaiian tuber! So it squeaked into the Hawaiian food category.)

Then there were the several farmers’ markets we came across. The tropical fruit was stacked in vivid piles of greens, reds, yellows, and oranges, putting my husband the tropical fruit enthusiast into deliciousness delirium. I think he dropped 30 bucks on fruit in a matter of 15 minutes.

Anthony deeply entrenched in Banana Bliss

One farmers’ market also featured gobs of pastries, coconut peanut butter (MUST try to make at home–it was to-die-for), and this guy juicing sugar cane.

Which we immediately spent another 5 bucks on. (Worth it. Like limeade with a unique twist.)

While we were in Hawaii, one of my goals was to try sushi. Here at home, I’m a very cautious sushi fan…cautious not necessarily for safety’s sake, but rather because I’m just not sure I can convince myself I like it. (Also I refuse to eat imitation crab.) We have one locally owned sushi place in Tempe I absolutely love and compare all other sushi places to. So far nothing has come close. I figured Hawaii would be the place for really top-notch sushi, though, with their water-water-everywhere-and-lots-of-fish-to-eat setup. You’re not gonna believe me when I say that I still prefer Sushi Kee in Tempe, Arizona to a highly reviewed sushi place in Honolulu’s Chinatown. But there you have it.

Bento box: California roll, Ahi, rice, Miso soup, some other kind of tuna, and greens

At least I live close to Sushi Kee, not 2900 miles away. Much easier access. P.S. When you go to Sushi Kee, get the spider roll.

Next, it wouldn’t be a tropical vacation without the requisite umbrella-topped fruity drinks. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cocktail at lunch before, but when we ate at Shore Bird, a veritable institution on Waikiki, it seemed like the time to break my own taboo. (Plus, the mai tais were $3.50. Come on.) A mai tai is a rum-based cocktail flavored with fruit juice like orange or lime–a recipe I really must remember to look up, because it was delicious and super refreshing.

Finally, a tiny Hawaiian language lesson: have you ever snickered reading the words “Pu Pu Platter” on a Chinese menu? (I have not. You’re all so immature.) Well, “pu pu” is Hawaiian for appetizer, usually a mix of meat and seafood finger foods. Now you don’t have to worry about what will show up in your takeout…and how many napkins you might need. As a matter of fact, Anthony and I enjoyed quite a bit of pu pu (pu pus?) during our stay, because our hotel package included access to the Moana Surfrider’s “Beach Club,” a fancy secret room that provided breakfast and a heavy-apps dinner. It was an awesome way to minimize expenses on eating out and the food was quite good.

I’m not going to make any jokes about what on this plate is the pu pu.

So, my friends, Hawaii is an extraordinary place and I am so thrilled and thankful to have traveled there. And happy to be home again where I can do my own cooking in my own kitchen with my own family to feed. (Just wish someone else would keep doing my dishes.) 😉

“Top 40” Exercise Playlist

Posted on by Sarah


So, obviously, this is a blog about food. From its title, that’s probably pretty clear. But sometimes it’s nice to jaunt off on a little side trail that has something to do with another area of interest frequently paired with diet–like, ohhh, let’s say exercise. To maintain good health, I try to exercise regularly, usually by doing yoga, running, or dancing around my living room like a Britney Spears backup dancer slash insane asylum escapee. Each of these activities is enjoyable in and of themselves, but I would be LOST were it not for the music that accompanies them. In fact, one of the main reasons I look forward to exercise is that, as a music lover, it’s my chance to physically jam out all the feelings music evokes. (Which is why I highly recommend getting a treadmill in your garage so you can bring out some Beyonce dance arms while you run. Much less embarrassing to do in your garage than at the gym…not that I would know… Also in your garage you can run in mismatched Halloween socks and your rattiest tank top from high school. Again, not that I would know…)

I’m always on the hunt for great music to work out to–the stuff that gets me singing along loud and busting my best moves. (Like “The Badger.” Available upon request.) The search for body-rocking, soul-jiving workout music must not be uncommon, either, as I frequently see Facebook friends post asking for the same thing. Since replying in their comment thread with a 40-song playlist would probably come off as a bit excessive, I’ll just post it here. Below are:

–24 songs to majorly rock out to (hardest phase of your workout)
–9 songs for medium speed (like a comfortable jog)
–6 songs that are low-key enough to warm up with but still definitely get you moving.

As far as I know, these are all available on Spotify. I hope they get you grooving like they do for me! Happy exercising!

Serious Jam Playlist (Intense Workout)

1. Hey Ya! by OutKast.
Probably the best workout song of all time.

2. Don’t Stop by Foster the People.
Listen to The People! Don’t stop!

3. Can’t Stop Running by Todd Rundgren.
No better song to keep you running.

4. Girl by Beck.
Beck sounds like he uses a Random Lyrics Generator, but hey, the music’s fun!

5. Shake Me Like a Monkey by Dave Matthews Band.
Killer song for cardio.

6. Djobi, Djoba by the Gipsy Kings.
Cho-kee-cho-bee, cho-kee-cho-ba!

7. Hummingbird Heartbeat by Katy Perry.
If I were stranded on a desert island with only one artist to work out to, I’d choose Katy Perry every time.

8. Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry.
Not that that would ever happen.

9. Birthday by Katy Perry.
But if it did, totally Katy Perry.

10. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Presidents of the United States of America.
Anyone else associate this song with the soundtrack to The Wedding Singer?

11. Classic by MKTO.
Not to be confused with Vlasic by PIKL.

12. Home Run by Geoff Moore and the Distance.
Digging deep on this one, a CCM song from 1995. Cheesy but a lot of fun.

13. What I Like About You by The Romantics.
Uhhhh-huh! Hey!

14. Love Letter to Japan by The Bird and the Bee.
A lively introduction to The Bird and the Bee, if you don’t know their stuff.

15. Canadian Idiot by Weird Al.
You’d be surprised how many of Weird Al’s songs are compulsively danceable.

16. Hit Me by Dirty Loops.
This Swedish band is a-ma-zing. Look them up.

17. Here It Goes Again by OK Go.
Remember their famous treadmill video? It’s a sign that you should get on the treadmill to this song.

18. Crazy in Love by Beyonce and Jay Z.
If these two can’t make you dance, you are made of stone.

19. Good by Better Than Ezra.
Classic ’90s jam.

20. I Love It by Icona Pop.
There’s a clean version available on Spotify, FYI. Where she’s a “90’s chic,” not a “90’s you-know-what.”

21. You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates.
A great feel-good song that has held up over time.

22. Tonight, Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae.
I don’t know who the heck these guys are, but “there’s a party on the rooftop, top of the world.”

23. Out in the Twilight by Tally Hall.
Tally Hall has got to be the most talented, least appreciated band I know of.

24. Call It What You Want by Foster the People.
Another Foster the People one to round out the list.

Medium Jam:

26. My Name is Jonas by Weezer.
Weezer is a must for any workout playlist. Too bad none of their songs are longer than two minutes.

27. Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson.
Get to see her in concert later this month–super excited!

28. What Is Life by George Harrison.
A beast of a moustache was not the only thing The Quiet Beatle could pull off. The man could also jam.

29. Every Heartbeat by Amy Grant.
This is still a really fun song, provided you can get over the 1991 drum sound.

30. I Want You Back by the Jackson 5.
For some reason, this section of the playlist has a lot of ’70s stuff…

31. I Know What I Know by Paul Simon.
See above. Also, as an aside, I once had this song in my head for ten days straight.

32. Feelin’ All Right by Joe Cocker.
Okay, end of the ’70s streak! (Though it was probably the best decade for music in the 20th century, just sayin’.)

33. Rock and Roll by Eric Hutchinson.
A boppy, poppy little tune.

34. Ready to Run by the Dixie Chicks
Especially good to run to, for obvious reasons.

35. Party in the CIA by Weird Al.
Remember what I said about Weird Al?

Low-Key Jam:

36. Weight of the World by Chantal Kreviazuk.
Love this song for its free-and-happy feel.

37. Five O’Clock World by The Vogues.
Also known as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show.

38. Inside and Out by Feist.
Probably listened to this song 70+ times since getting this album for Christmas.

39. The House That Jack Built by Aretha Franklin.
Had to include a little Queen of Soul.

40. Eyes on the Prize by Sara Groves.
A song about keepin’ on keepin’ on.

41. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Pomplamoose.
Super fun cover of Wham!’s 1984 hit.

Whoops, how did we get to 41? Guess I threw in a freebie. Anyway, for next time, back to your regularly scheduled program: FOOD!