BlogHer Food 2014 + The Miami Mocktail



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Where do I begin?! As I mentioned in Friday's post, I spent my weekend at the BlogHer Food conference which took place in balmy {that's the polite way to say it was very humid} downtown Miami.

BlogHer Food is the second large-scale food blog conference I've ever attended, and I couldn't wait to see how it compared to Food Blog Forum... especially because, having been held at the Happiest Place on Earth, it was a tough act to follow!

Some of the festivities began on Thursday night, but I decided to relax and get settled in -- room service, terrycloth robe and Grey's Anatomy -- and rest up for the busy weekend ahead. So far so good! My mom & my aunt were my roomies as they were having their own "staycation" over the weekend. Our suite was lovely with a beautiful city view!

After an early wake-up on Friday morning, I headed down to the ballroom level to check in. Five minutes in, I had a whole bag of swag! A walk around the sponsor tables loaded me up with even more goodies {which I dropped back off at the room, thank goodness}, and soon it was time for breakfast and the opening sessions.



What I learned was this: I was way too amped up to learn much of anything. ;) So, Plan B kicked into effect rather quickly -- Socialize! {And snack on samples!}




Borrowed from Hip Foodie Mom's Instagram feed.

Adorable sea salts from South Walton.

A little early morning cheese tasting with Kerrygold USA!



Can't get enough Brownie Brittle!

Though it was hard for me to focus, I did manage to soak in some good information that afternoon about seeking the "Next Steps in a Food Career." It was probably my favorite session, mainly because JL Fields {JL Goes Vegan} and Meseidy Rivera {The Noshery} were a hoot, but also because they shared a lot of information along with the knowledgeable Carrie Forrest {Carrie on Vegan} & Jeanette Chen {Jeanette's Healthy Living} on the steps I should be taking to turn my passion into a "real job."

{Wordy} Side Note: Currently, I blog part time and though I dream of making my full living from this wonderful little project, a lot of hard work and serious business savvy goes into it! My biggest takeaway? Learning how to balance whether or not a job is "worth it" to take. I have a hard time saying "no", and I hate to turn down opportunities, especially if I like the person or brand who approaches me. But sometimes, the time it would take to work on a project isn't worth the amount I'm making from it -- mostly because I take quality very seriously and try very hard not to throw something together without it earning my own stamp of approval {which can be very hard to attain!}. Though it seems like everything is fun and games around here {and a lot of it is!}, it also takes time, effort, work and patience to put together what I want The Kitchen Prep to stand for. I'll be sharing a more in-depth post very soon that will explain what goes into creating a post & maintaining a blog, in case you were ever curious!


Terrible picture... but that's him! Hi David!

I also got to hear David Lebovitz' keynote address, which I enjoyed because he's super honest and funny! I was thisclose to picking up his book and waiting in line to have it signed, but in the end, I got lured over to the food that was set out and just looked on from afar as he signed away. Can you blame me?

Though I got a lot from the great speakers in the conference, I think I learned the most from speaking with other bloggers who have or are experiencing the same pitfalls and victories that I experience on a daily basis. Not to mention, the girls who I connected with during this conference were just plain awesome, and we had so much FUN!

A special shout out to the lovely & talented:

• Melissa of Hungry Food Love
• Allie of Baking a Moment
• Alice of Hip Foodie Mom
• Connie of Urban Bakes
• Abby of The Frosted Vegan
• Karis of Karis' Kitchen
• April of Food 'n Focus
• Ngoc of San Jose Food Blog
• Jocelyn of Grandbaby Cakes
• Shaina of Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Katie of Ruffles & Truffles
• Brandie of Spoon & Saucer
• Katie of The Hill Country Cook

If you haven't checked out their blogs, take some time to head over there... they are women with hearts as beautiful as their food photography & writing talents!

That evening a group of us headed to the swanky Epic Hotel for a party hosted by Duda Farm Fresh Foods and CrunchPak.

Even though I can't enjoy a real cocktail at the moment, I still got to toast to a day of amazing experiences with a bright and delicious mocktail made by a very sweet bartender! As we squeezed past girls in tight dresses waiting on the never ending cab line at the end of the night with bags of pre-cut apples and celery coupons in hand, I realized that I love my foodie life and wouldn't give it up for all the flat abs and stilettos in the world! ;)

I'll be sharing more about Day 2 in a later post!

.................................................................................................

So, obviously, there were no cocktails for me this weekend despite all the wonderful cocktail receptions and boozy offerings throughout the weekend. Being the only one without a fruity drink in your hand can make you feel a little left out. But not if you concoct your own creation...

Inspired by the flavors of a mojito, this Miami Mocktail contains all the things that make libations fun to sip -- minus the booze!

One thing I find in a lot of mocktails is that they're too sweet without any kick. Adding a dash of coconut balsamic vinegar to this "faux-jito" gave it just enough edge to balance out the sweetness of the mint simple syrup and citrus juices. The muddled grapefruit gives just a touch of bitterness and my newest find thanks to BlogHer Food -- Cascade Ice Sparkling Water -- lends some effervesce with a hint of Citrus Twist flavor.

With a mocktail like this, you won't feel like you're missing out on anything. Except maybe a hangover. And nobody wants one of those!

The Miami Mocktail
Makes 2 mocktails

10 mint leaves, divided
1 lime, halved; one half divided into 4 wedges, the other half juiced
1 grapefruit, halved; one half divided into 4 wedges, the other half juiced
2 teaspoons coconut balsamic vinegar, divided
4 teaspoons mint simple syrup {see below for recipe}
Cascade Ice Sparkling Water in Organic Citrus Twist

1. Divide mint leaves among two highball glasses. Add 2 lime wedges and 2 grapefruit wedges to each glass. With a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, smoosh together the fruit and mint to release the oils from the mint and citrus.

2. Add a teaspoon of balsamic {or more to taste} and 2 teaspoons of mint simple syrup to each glass and stir. Fill glass with ice.

3. Pour half of the grapefruit & lime juice from the remaining halves into each glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with mint.

For Simple Syrup:

Bring 1/4 cup water & 1/4 cup sugar to a boil in a pot over high heat. Boil for a minute until sugar is completely dissolved, then remove from heat. Throw in a handful of mint sprigs and allow to steep until the syrup is cooled. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.