CTW: Cook Travel Write
The exploration of friends, food, travel, great stories, and everything that makes life spectacular!
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Recipe and photo from foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 4 small red-skinned potatoes (about 6 ounces), quartered
- 1/2 head broccoli (about 10 ounces), broken into florets, stem peeled and sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 baguette, sliced into 8 1/4-inch-thick pieces
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 8 thin slices
Directions
Cook the bacon in the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat until it renders slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic andcelery seed and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Scatter the flour over the mixture and stir to coat. Gradually add the broth and the milk, whisking until smooth.
Add the potatoes and sliced broccoli stem; increase the heat to medium and simmer, covered, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue cooking, uncovered, at a rapid simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler to high. Spread the mustard on each piece of baguette and top with a cheddar slice. Place on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese melts; serve with the soup.
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I made this today and it turned out great!
Photo and recipe from food.com
Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken pieces- 1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
- 4 tablespoons melted butter (divided)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions:
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1Place chicken pieces in crock pot and sprinkle Italian seasoning over chicken. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
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2Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
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3Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan and saute onion and garlic. Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth. Stir until smooth.
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4Add this mixture to crock pot and cook on low for an additional hour.
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Photo reblogged from Encore! Life
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Photo reblogged from Encore! Life
| ♕ | Old Town corner - Aarhus, Denmark | by © Peter Gutierrez
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Photo and recipe from Delish.com, courtesy of Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 2 stick(s) (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup(s) plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoon(s) plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarse salt
- 6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
- 2 1/4 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup(s) plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
- Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Keep oven at 350 degrees.
- Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.
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Photo reblogged from saving the world one bit[e] at a time
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Image from www.pattyhodapp.com
Here is an article from freelancetravelwriter.com about breaking into the business of travel writing:
“Becoming a travel writer isn’t easy, but some of the prerequisites are pretty simple to tick off. Do you love travelling? Do you regularly travel, or plan to start a new adventure soon? If the answer to those questions is “Yes, definitely!”, you’re off to a good start.
If you want to become a travel writer, you shouldn’t expect to get an article published right away. After all, this is the dream job and so competition is fierce. Editors often rely on just a few freelance writers that they commission time and time again.
Tools of the trade
If you’re serious about becoming a travel writer, you should probably invest in a small laptop or netbook to carry in your hand luggage. Insure it and keep a separate back-up of all your work!
Becoming a travel writer takes discipline. Don’t overestimate how much spare time you’ll have. Between planning your next steps, finding places to sleep and eat, booking coach tickets and making new friends, the time will disappear. Dedicate an hour or so each day to making notes, jotting down ideas for articles or recording memories that might come in useful.
The long road to stardom
Having a portfolio is very important. Editors will want to see samples of your work before they even consider your ideas. If you’re starting from scratch, a good idea is to write a blog. Make it look professional with online software such as WordPress, or sign up to a specialist site such as Travel Pod.
To be a freelance travel writer you have to be your own publicist. Get your friends and family to leave comments and hand out the link to fellow travellers. Use social media to try and get your blog noticed and if you’re lucky, it might get featured on a popular travel website.
Set yourself apart
What are the current trends in travel writing? What are travel magazines publishing articles about? You might think that a trek to Machu Picchu or diving on the Great Barrier Reef is pushing the boundaries, but to be a travel writer you’ll need to be more creative.
To get published and make money, you’ll have to write about places very few people have been. So if you’re not feeling intrepid, you’ll need to get a sense of adventure… fast!
Alternatively, is there anything that you have personal knowledge about? Maybe you know a lot about cooking, or used to work in the technology sector? Use your previous experience to focus on describing destinations from an alternative perspective, whether it’s a hundred ways to cook a sheep’s head in the Mongolian wilderness, or an African village’s novel approach to solar power.
A picture speaks a thousand words
Becoming a freelance travel writer isn’t just about being a word whiz. One thing many travel writers forget is the importance of great photos. Buy a decent SLR camera which comes with editing software. These days, a little bit of digital magic will make even the most amateur photographer’s shots look breathtaking.
Try to capture unusual imagery that will grab a reader’s attention and draw them into your article, and take every photo in both portrait and landscape so you can offer the commissioning editor both shots.”
Another great article written by travel writer, Brendan van Son, can be found at: http://www.wild-about-travel.com/2011/11/5-tips-finding-work-travel-writer/
