Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

I grew up in the bay area, where the arrival of May 5th marked a day filled with delicious spicy Mexican food, festive music by brightly colored mariachi bands, and the gleeful squeal of children chasing after treasures of a freshly broken pinata. Cinco de Mayo, which translates into the "Fifth of May," celebrates Mexican heritage and pride, specifically Americans of Mexican ancestry. And although I am not of Latino descent, the lessons and fond childhood memories affiliated with this day remain fervently with me.

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A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa Meets New York

It's been months since I met Diana Bauman of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa but I can still remember the intense sparkle of enthusiasm that radiated from her eyes upon our meeting. It's always a neat experience when the worlds of virtual and tangible collide. In early February, she and her husband, Gabe, visited New York City when she won the opportunity to participate in the Electrolux Cake Decorating Contest to raise money for ovarian cancer research. And even though I was dazed from a long international flight, I was only excited to meet her.

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Simply Orange Review & Giveaway

Recently I received a complimentary sample of Simply Orange juice, which is one of several juices in the Simply line. In the past I've purchased Simply Apple, which I can testify tastes just like freshly pressed apple juice right from the farm, so I didn't expecting that Simply Orange was going to be any different. Simply Orange has a pure sweet citrusy freshness that makes it a superior product to most other orange juices in the supermarket aisle. While nothing will replace home-squeezed orange juice, especially if you are lucky enough to have a generous orange tree in your backyard, Simply Orange is a good way to get your fresh-squeezed experience with this orange juice.

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Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

It has been a whirlwind of a trip, first San Francisco, then Sausalito and next a stop in one of the most beautiful coastal regions of America - Pebble Beach! I was one of the very lucky ones to receive complimentary passes from Foodbuzz to attend the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival Grand Tasting, a grandiose hedonistic affair bringing together some of the top chefs of the bay area with some of the best wineries of California. Even with the torrential rain and relentless gusty winds over the weekend, foodie extraordinaire Sherry Page from Culinary Getaways and I made the trek to Pebble Beach to experience all of the incredible food and wines. It's tough to capture extravagance of food and wines that were showcased, but I here are a few that were most memorable to me.

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Smörgås Chef & Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

One of the great joys of blogging for me is forging great friendships. There have been several wonderful meals I have had over the past few months with warm and kind food souls, including with Diana from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Laura from The Cooking Photographer, and Andrea of High/Low Food/Drink.  One of the more recent lunches was with Jenn of Tiny Urban Kitchen, Jessica of Food Mayhem, and Andrea of High/Low Food/Drink at Smörgås Chef at the Scandinavian House.

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Truffle Mushroom Risotto

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How to Roast a Red Bell Pepper

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