Archive for the ‘News From Andrea’ Category

Fork Fingers Chopsticks 1 Year Anniversary & Top 10 Posts

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Popular Posts Anniversary Fork Fingers Chopsticks

This week my blog is one! It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since I started Fork Fingers Chopsticks.

It’s been a labor of love – all of it, except for the dirty dishes. I’m the researcher, recipe developer, cook, writer, photographer and marketer. I have no staff to manage and very rarely do I have the luxury of a sous chef. But, I dig it!

The nerd in me likes researching food history and finding the intersection of culture and food function, the unusual details of the exotic and the mundane. On this journey, I’ve become a hobbyist food anthropologist – digging deep on the different cultural uses of a particular ingredient.

When I created this blog, I wanted it to be different – I hoped to create a place for recipes and great content.  I have cooked every recipe that is featured on this site and sometimes I had to make a dish several times to get it just right for you. Let’s just say, we ate a lot of arroz con pollo at my house last April.

As I embark on the next year, I want to say thanks to all of you – friends and people whom I’ve never met from across the globe. You read my posts, try my recipes, and take the time to make comments. It means a lot, knowing that you find value in my food blog. I also send a special thanks to my husband for his support and for washing so many dishes.

If you haven’t done so, start following me on Facebook and Twitter. I frequently post other food-related news. In the next month, I will be adding a new feature on my Facebook page about pantry staples – such as spices, oils, chiles, etc.

In homage to FFC’s first year, check out this year’s most popular posts. If one of these is not your favorite, tell us which was and more of what you’d like to see in the next year.

Happy cooking and eating!

-Andrea

10.  Sweet Potato: Jamaican Sweet Potato Curry

9.  Lentils: Lentil & Plantain Salad – Ensalada de Lentejas Y Platanos

8.  Sofrito – Puerto Rican Fresh Bouillon

7.  Green Tomatoes: Chow Chow – Pickled Relish

6.  Quinoa: African Peanut Quinoa Soup

5.  Cabbage: German Russian Cabbage Burgers – Runzas & Bierocks

4.  Zucchini: Mexican Succotash – Calabacitas Con Elote

3.  Rice: Puerto Rican Rice with Chicken – Arroz con Pollo

2.  Rice: 5 Ways to Make Horchata- Mexico’s Rice Drink

1. Black Eyed Peas: Vietnamese Sweet Rice & Bean Pudding – Che Dau Trang

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Salsa Wars July 31 in Denver

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Salsa Wars - Denver Public Library

Image courtesy DPL

Writing a food blog has its perks. No, I’m not living the big life off the ads on my site nor have I signed a lucrative book deal (yet). But, I occasionally get to participate in some pretty cool events. In May, I attended Camp Blogaway, a food bloggers conference in southern California and this weekend I’m one of the judges at Salsa Wars.

Because you know how much I like to cook and eat (or maybe that should be vice versa), you should assume the “salsa” is a reference to the condiment kind versus the dancing kind. Although, I’m told there will also be some salsa music from DJ Manolo and salsa dancing by the Fafa Dance Conclave.

I’ll be judging salsa recipes for Denver Public Library’s Fresh City Life events. Salsa Wars is an event scheduled in conjunction with the Biennial of the Americas here in Denver and DPL’s Street Food series in July, which highlighted food from Peru, Brazil and Mexico.

If you’re thinking about bringing your abuela’s secret salsa, sorry submissions are closed. On Saturday, judges and the public will be tasting the top six recipe submissions. Here are the details:

Salsa Wars – Saturday, July 31 @ 12:30 pm

Denver Public Library Central Location , Acoma Plaza (between the library & the Denver Art Museum)

10 W. Fourteenth Ave. Pkwy., Denver, CO 80204

Also fyi, if you want to attend a free Mexican food cooking demonstration, come down at 10:30 am to see Chef Shellie Kark make a cup o’ corn with lime, sour cream and smoky chipotle followed by memelitas with caramelized onions, black beans and queso fresco. (Memelitas are like sopes.)

For my Denver-area followers, here’s my plug to encourage you to check out our public library:  DPL is awesome and has been rated as one of the top 10 libraries in the country by a few sources (including me). In addition to great programming, they have an amazing collection of books and reference materials, independent movies and music. And, those reference librarians help me find the quirkiest of facts for this blog.

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