Friends of Ivory Hut – Your Help is Needed

by Kristen on September 2, 2010

Erika from Ivory Hut

“Our house burned down last night. Barely made it out alive. Homeless, possession-less. But we’re all safe & together. Still richly blessed.” - @IvoryHut

Many of you know Erika from the beautiful blog, Ivory Hut. Most of you have probably heard that the night before last, Erika’s home burned to the ground. Thankfully, her family was able to make it out alive, but they lost absolutely everything. Can you imagine, standing in front of your home, watching the flames and smoke take over and seeing your home and all of your possessions disintegrate into the air?

Wendy from the blog Wenderly, Erika’s mom and Erika at the Big Summer Potluck

I had the chance to spend some time with Erika during my recent trip to New York as she was part of the Big Summer Potluck event. She is one of the most genuine, authentic, humble and beautiful people you will meet. Friends, remember that big blog post about community I wrote this week? Now is our time to prove that we really are a family of bloggers and it is truly time to rally around one of our own.

A website has been created to accept donations for Erika and her family so they can get back on their feet. Please take a moment to head over to the website and consider donating. Even a $5 donation will help…skip that latte this morning, log in to pay pal, and give.

If you aren’t able to donate, which is completely understandable, stop by Erika’s blog, read her moving account of that night. Leave her a note of encouragement, letting her know that her blogging family is behind her, supporting her 100% of the way as she rebuilds from this terrible tragedy.




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I have been blogging for almost four years now, and while I am no expert at all to food blogging, I have seen a lot of things as the food blogging niche has completely exploded into something beyond belief. When I first started blogging, there was a small, intimate handful of us. Now, there are more food blogs than any one person can keep track of… it has gotten quite insane!

What I have noticed over the years, however, is there seems to be two different groups of bloggers. Neither “type” of blogger is good or bad… there are just two totally different philosophies on how they will build their blog.

One type of blogger is the blogger who is all about growth and development of their blog. It is all business and getting to the top of the mountain with ultimate success and financial reward as their main motivation. They are not in it to build friendships. They are not in it to assist others. They are in it for themselves and to become a brand name in food blogging. They believe the information they have is proprietary and they don’t really want to share their blogging tips, photography tips, etc. because it might help to make someone more successful than them. Twitter and other social media outlets are used as a marketing tool versus a chance to engage with others. This isn’t saying that they aren’t nice and kind… there are many bloggers who fall into this category who are some of the nicest people in the world. Their motivation when it comes to blogging is just purely business.

The other type of blogger is the one who thrives on building a community of people to help and support each other with their blogging efforts. They rally around each other, celebrate successes, promote each others blog posts, and do not see the other bloggers as competition. They look at working mostly with PR companies and brands that want long term, mutual relationship.  Their first thought isn’t “what’s in it for me” but instead “what’s in it for us”? Sure, it may take them longer to make it to the top of the mountain, but more than likely they won’t be standing there alone…they’ll have a support network of people they’ve built relationships with standing around them cheering them on.

One of my personal goals with blogging is to help as many people as possible find their way along their own, authentic blogging path. This is one of the reasons why I started Adopt a Blogger a little over three years ago. I wanted people to have a person they could trust and count on to provide that sense of community in this big blogging world. Adopt a Blogger will be launching again this month with a new website and a new format! I hope, if you are new or experienced, you’ll join me in building up our blogging community.

I am also excited to announce that I will be speaking about the value of building a blogging community at the BlogHer Food 2010 Conference in San Francisco. I’ll be on a panel with some bloggers that I truly admire: Elise from Simply Recipes, Ree from The Pioneer Woman and Alaina Browne of Serious Eats (I know… pinch me now. I am so lucky to be paired with such a great group of talented ladies!)

So with that, I leave you with this thought (and a link to a killer banana bread recipe from Simply Recipes). What kind of blogger are you? Do the actions you do everyday in regards to your blog speak volumes to the world about how you want to be perceived as a blogger?



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Quick and Delicious Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

by Kristen on August 29, 2010

Have you ever taken a picture and then not realized until after wards that there was a detail totally off? I’ve taken pictures of my kids only to discover after I download them that there is a chocolate smudge on their face or stray hair in their eyes or a fly unzipped.

That is exactly what happened with the pictures of this Chicken Stir-Fry. I took the pictures, we ate dinner and when I downloaded from the camera onto the computer I noticed that big, glaring, piece of onion right in the middle of the plate. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that big hunk of onion gets on my nerves. So much that I almost didn’t post this recipe, but you know what? This is such a tasty and easy stir-fry recipe I just had to share it with you.

Excuse me if I never return to this post again… it is like forcing myself to listen to fingernails on a chalkboard. I do hope you can get past the hunk of onion and look at this recipe for what it is… a must have stir-fry recipe for a quick and simple weeknight dinner! Enjoy.

Chicken Stir-Fry (Adapted from Allrecipes)

4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless
chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 cup chicken broth
1. Cut chicken into 1/2-in. strips; place in a resealable plastic bag. Add cornstarch and toss to coat. Combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder; add to bag and shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil; stir-fry chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Add remaining oil; stir- fry broccoli, carrots and onion for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add chicken broth. Return chicken to pan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.




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Oven Broiled Low Calorie Blueberry Dessert I am a dessert girl. If you didn’t know that already, just take a look at my thighs and you’ll easily notice that desserts and I spend a lot of time together. What can I say… I like something sweet. Even if I am stuffed full after dinner, I can always find space for dessert.

I enjoy making a delicious dessert, but do you know what I love making even better? A delicious dessert that has a beautiful presentation and takes less than 10 minutes to make. This recipe…the one I’m blogging about today for the easy, low calorie Oven Broiled Blueberry Dessert… is just that. Dump some fresh blueberries in a ramekin, add some yogurt, brown sugar, put it under the broiler for a few minute and voila! The sugar caramelizes on the top, the blueberries warm and soften, and oh my goodness… talk about delicious.

Next time you crave dessert but really don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen whipping up something fabulous, go for the Broiled Blueberry dessert. Delicious enough for company or for a night where you just need that something sweet to fend off a craving.

Low Calorie Oven Broiled Blueberry Dessert (adapted from Aug / Sept 2010 Simple & Delicious Magazine)

  • 3 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup light vanilla yogurt (or sour cream)
  • 4 Tablespoons brown sugar

Divide blueberries among four ovenproof 8-oz ramekins. Spread with sour cream and sprinkle with brown sugar. Place on a baking sheet.

Broil on high 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until bubbly and sugar is caramelized




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ICBINB Farmers Market Event (Farm Fresh Recipes)

August 19, 2010

ICBINB Farmers Market Event – Food, Friends and Fun from Kristen Doyle on Vimeo. Please excuse my videography skills, or lack thereof. I have a new found respect for those of you who are masters of the video camera and putting these things together! Still, I hope you’ll take a moment to view the short [...]

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Flip Video Camera Giveaway (Recipe: Bacon and Egg Cups)

August 13, 2010

This post has nothing to do with this recipe for Bacon and Egg cups, which you can find here, but since I’m talking about back to school, I at least wanted to share a delicious and quick breakfast recipe with you! This giveaway is now closed. The winner, chosen by Random.org, is Comment #277 – [...]

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My Favorite Things (Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies)

August 2, 2010

I have a lot of things that are my favorite. Some things will be forever favorites while other things will be favorites until the next best thing comes along. My favorite pen to write with is a Jonathan Adler teal metal pen, followed closely by fine point Sharpies. My favorite hair product is Chi Silk [...]

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Berry Overindulgence (Recipe: Paula Deen’s Raspberry Parfaits)

July 30, 2010

School starts in two weeks from today. Jacob is so ready to go back to school and is it bad if I say that I am really ready for him to go back to school? Kelly will be in school all day (last year it was just half day Kindergarten) and I’m really not ready [...]

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Super Simple Supper (Recipe: Walking Tacos)

July 27, 2010

Sometimes it is the most simple of ideas that makes you slap your forehead and say, “Duh… why didn’t I think of that?” That is how I feel about this recipe for Walking Tacos. Such a simple idea, inspired by a day at the county fair. School will be starting again in just a short [...]

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In Memory of Ann (Recipe for Life)

July 23, 2010

Photo courtesy of my friend, Heather Morrow, from Hocus Focus Photo. You’ll have to excuse me for this one post, as there is nothing food related involved. You may remember a post I wrote last September about my friend Ann and her heart touching vow renewal ceremony with her husband, Hal, of 10 years. Ann, [...]

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