As many of you know, I recently returned from San Francisco where I attended a food blogging conference. I’m not going to write a whole recap. I’m not going to gush about all the wonderful people I met and got to see again. Connecting with those friends was a wonderful experience, but I’m honestly just not up for that. What I am going to do is get something off my chest that has been bugging me since I returned home.

Blogging has changed a lot since I began doing it 4 years ago. Success has been defined in so many different ways, even though I firmly believe that success, when it comes to something like blogging, is extremely subjective.

The air of the conference and many of the people who seemed to be “experts” made it seem like if you weren’t the next big thing, just forget it…why bother? Should I feel that because my goal is not necessarily to write a cookbook that I’m not successful? I don’t have a desire to be on The Food Network, so am I not successful? What happened to just blogging and being the best at blogging you can be and that equating to success? Why is it that simply blogging…sharing our gift and life with the world through this platform, seems to not be good enough anymore?

I am incredibly proud of my friends who have taken the next step in their careers by achieving their goals of cookbooks and shows and a zillion Facebook fans and blog followers, but I’m equally as proud of my friends who are finding their voice and refining their sites in an effort to fine tune what they are delivering. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Becoming the best you that you can be, not the best you someone else thinks you should be?

And I’m being ornery again and throwing in a completely random recipe. Well, maybe not so random… we could all be our own little cookie cutter versions of what someone else thinks is successful, but I certainly think life is a lot more interesting when there is a whole bunch of variety thrown in, don’t you?

Kittencal’s Slice N’ Bake Sugar Cookies from Food.com

• 1 cup butter, room temperature ( no substitutes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract ( can use 1 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• white sugar (optional)

New bloggers are waiting for someone to come and mentor them! Please make sure to check out the new Adopt-a-Blogger website and participate in mentoring a new blogger!

Last night, I returned from a long weekend in San Francisco where I had attended the BlogHer 2010 Food Conference. I was overly exhausted, but perked up the second I saw my husband and four kids peeking through the airport gate, waving enthusiastically at me. I walked closer and when I was close enough I brought each of my kids in for a tight squeeze.

As I stepped away from them, I looked at their faces and noticed that things had changed. They each had grown…looked bigger and more mature, all in the matter of the 4 days while I was gone. Was that possible? Could my kids really had changed that much in the short amount of time I was away?

As I was collapsing into bed last night, I reflected on how crazy the past few weeks had been. On top of work and deadlines, I was helping to coordinate a lovely party I co-hosted at BlogHer Food and prepared to speak on the value of a blogging community at the conference. School was in full swing and life was back to its crazy nuttiness. It was then that it hit me. My kids hadn’t changed while I was away, I just hadn’t been clearly seeing them for the past several weeks. I was too caught up in the noise and the fog of everything else that I hadn’t been focused on what I should really be, which was my family. Sometimes, it takes stepping away for a bit to be able to see clearly again.

This is the same with anything you do…blogging, crafts, photography, painting, writing…it is easy to get caught up in all the noise, but to really see clearly when things get foggy, you sometimes need to step away for a bit. When you return, you’ll have a new perspective and will be able to see clearly again.

This is another post where the recipe has nothing to do with what I am writing about, and if I would listen to some of the talk I heard at the conference, it is perfectly unacceptable to have such disconnect. But, you know what? This is my blog, my space and I want to share this recipe for cast iron skillet potatoes with you because its a good one. So here you go!

Herbed Potatoes Recipe (From the September 2010 issue of Cooking Light Magazine)

• 1 1/2  pounds  Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• 1  teaspoon  butter
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  tablespoons  small basil leaves
• 2  tablespoons  coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes; drain and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat a large cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of potatoes; sauté 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes. Add butter and garlic to pan. Stir in reserved potato mixture, salt, and pepper; sauté 1 minute or until mixture is thoroughly heated and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; sprinkle with herbs.

Want more recipes for your Cast Iron Skillet? These bloggers have some great recipes for you to try:

• Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
• Brownies in a Cast Iron Skillet from Amanda’s Cookin’
• Spicy Pinto Bean Ravioli from The Perfect Pantry
• Cast Iron Skillet Pineapple Upsidedown Cake from A Bloggable Life / Inn Cuisine

A talented and fun group of food bloggers joined me at this Sam’s Club bloggers event. From Left to Right: Lori from Recipe Girl, Peabody from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, Amanda from Amanda’s Cookin’, me, Ann Marie aka This Mama Cooks, Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod, and Estela from Weekly Bite.

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days last week at the Sam’s Club headquarters in Bentonville, AR. I’m going to preface this post by saying I am not a Sam’s Club member currently. The Sam’s Club visit was an enjoyable and eye opening experience. There are several things I did not know that surprised me and impressed me. I know that many of my readers choose to shop at other warehouse stores over Sam’s Club. I thought I’d share with you the enlightening things I learned while I was on my trip that have quite possibly changed my mind about where my membership loyalty will go next time I have to renew. Here is my list of the Top 10 Things You Should Know About Sam’s Club:

1. Sam’s Club has worked hard to enhance their image, including the look and feel of their stores. Wider aisles, more organized departments, and an overall clean, bright feel makes Sam’s Club feel less like a warehouse and more like an enjoyable shopping experience.

2. Sam’s Club is thinking more like the home cook. Buying in bulk now has new meaning because Sam’s Club is changing the way they package many of their items. You’ll find large packages with individual packages inside instead of just one large package that will go bad or spoil by the time you get through it!

3.  Shopping is made easier with more organized shelves, signage and labels. Tone’s spices, for example, are now organized alphabetically with a large label indicating what the spice is. No more hunting and searching for the right spice. You can now walk right up and get what you need without a bunch of hunting around. Seems like a no-brainer doesn’t it? I know that many of you can relate to going to your local grocery store and searching and searching for the right spice! Having them alphabetized makes shopping a cinch.

4. Did you know that Sam’s Club puts every food product that is on their shelves through a blind taste test at their corporate headquarters? If it doesn’t get a 7.5 or higher out of 9, it doesn’t get sold at Sam’s Club. They take what goes onto their shelves very seriously and are extremely particular about quality and value alike. Read this article, The Taste of Science Behind Sam’s Club, to get a great view of how seriously Sam’s Club takes what is put on their shelves.

Maria, Lori, Amanda and Michelle show off just a few of the delicious cakes that will be available at Sam’s Club for the holidays.

5.  Gorgeous holiday cakes and cheesecakes for an unbelievable low price…delicious. Need I say more? (Plus, when you see me at BlogHer food and I’m 15 pounds heavier, I’m blaming it on Sam’s Club and all the delicious food we were forced to eat.)

6. The focus on cost savings for the customer goes all the way down to the Sam’s Club corporate employees. They are all in charge of cleaning their own cubicles and emptying out their own trash cans which means they spend less money on cleaning services to do the job.

7. My biggest “a-ha” moment came at the produce section of the Sam’s Club we visited. Gorgeous, fresh, bountiful, delicious produce. Sam’s Club is very picky about what growers they work with and really work hard with the farmer’s to ensure that only the best quality produce is on the shelves at a great price for their consumers. Seeing and tasting their produce was enough to get me thinking about making the switch over to Sam’s Club!

8. I know it is too early to think about the holidays, however, once you do get in the mood to decorate, head to Sam’s Club. They have an amazing assortment of beautiful home and table decorations at unbelievable prices!

9. Did you know that Sam’s Club now has a large assortment of artisan cheeses and artisan breads? They travel the world to find the best cheeses for their members, working directly with the producers. Oh, and don’t get me started on the Irish Butter that I tried. I’ve never tasted a butter like it… yummmm!

10. Finally, if you are like me and have some pre-conceived notions or past impressions of Sam’s Club, I would highly encourage you to give them another chance. They have, in my opinion, come leaps and bounds and are worthy of you taking another look!

A special thanks to Sam’s Club for their hospitality. Sam’s Club provided meals (and by meals, I mean seriously… I gained 15 pounds), transportation and lodging for the trip. I was not paid for my opinion. What is stated in this post are my own impressions.

I just returned from the beautiful Canyons Resort in Park City, UT where I was fortunate enough to attend the first annual Evo ’10 Conference (Foodies – I know you want to think that Evo has something to do with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but it is really The Evolution of Women in Social Media).

For those of you who are getting ready to head to the BlogHer 2010 Conference in New York, or for those of you who are returning from the Evo ’10 conference, you might find yourself with an overwhelming feeling of trepidation and exhilaration.

When I went to the BlogHer conference in Chicago last year, I came back feeling motivated and discouraged, all at the same time. Motivated because I had the opportunity to listen and learn from some extremely talented people in the world of blogging. Discouraged because I realized in that one weekend how much of a little fish in a huge sea of other bloggers I was. It was such an eye opening moment for me when I realized there were thousands of people who cared that much about their blog to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to network and nourish it at a blogging conference.

I will be honest.  My first day at Evo, surrounded by Mommy / Lifestyle bloggers, many of whom had no clue who I was, I felt the same way. Why bother blogging? What do I want out of all of this? At close to 4 years of blogging, what is my intention and where do I plan on taking things? What have I accomplished? I listened, I learned, I felt and I, after day 1, was ready to give up blogging and go home. Seriously.

Day 2 arrived and I listened, I learned, I felt and it hit me… I blog for more than just recognition. I blog for more than just money.I blog for more than traffic, comment and stat numbers. I blog because I am blessed to have a platform that has allowed me to leave a legacy of stories, recipes, photographs and memories for my family. I blog and attend blogging conferences because, through the power of the internet and a simple little thing I call Dine & Dish, I have had the opportunity to create a “Blogging Sisterhood” (as my Evo roomie, Jessica, from Momma’s Gone City called it) with ladies who I am proud to know, who “get it” and whom I know I will be lifelong friends with. I blog because of the personal connection. I blog because of you…those reading my posts and supporting me along the way. I blog because I know that deep down, many of us have similar stories and through sharing those stories, we can love and support each other and make it through life a little easier. In reality, I blog out of a big thing called love.

The Evo conference ended up being an amazing experience. I can’t thank my sponsor, Melaleuca, enough for making it possible for me to go. I have come back home to my family and can honestly say I have been impacted and changed for the better.

For more pictures of the Evo ’10 conference that feature some of your favorite food bloggers, head over to this photo album and this photo album on my Facebook Page! You can find 2 different albums capturing all the fun.

Since the most fun and amazing closing conference party was sponsored by Bush’s Beans, I found it only appropriate to share a recipe with you from the side of a Bush’s Beans can called Italian Style Rice and Beans. This recipe makes a delicious and easy side dish that you can put on the table in just a matter of a few minutes.

Italian Style Rice and Beans (from Bush’s Beans)

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 can (15.5 oz) Bush’s Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (or Cannellini)
2/3 cup instant rice
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning or ½ teaspoon dry basil
Fresh pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in medium saucepan. Cook 3-4 minutes, covered, over medium-high heat. Uncover pan and continue cooking 2-3 minutes, or until rice is tender. Dish is slightly saucy when completely cooked.