Mowielicious

Pumpkin Downcakes Topped With Bleeding Figs

Hello my pumpkins =)

It's been a bit of a mad week, what with helping organise Food Bloggers Connect, wrapping up the final shoot for Mooli's, and trying to get this post ready - not to mention the fact that the first batch of photos I took for this post all ended up in my trash can! It's safe for you to assume that I'm surviving on no sleep at the moment, and I have to say it's got my creative juices in overdrive!

Before I go on, I just wanted to say a big 'Welcome & Thank You!' to all my new RSS feed readers. For some reason, over the last few weeks a whole lot of you thought it would be a good idea to subscribe to my blog - I'm absolutely thrilled and I hope I can live up to your expectations! To all those that are not sure about RSS and would like to know what it is, have a look HERE. To anyone that would like an alternative to RSS (all my latest blog posts delivered directly to your email address) please click HERE. 

I'd been cracking my skull thinking about what to do with all these pumpkins for a Halloween-inspired blog post - I needed to capture that gorgeous orange! I knew that figs were also in season and I hadn't eaten any yet this year. I also wanted to make something that looked slightly gory (yet hopefully appetising at the same time!) without having to necessarily draw or carve out a face on a pumpkin. I just happened to catch the 'Alien' movie on TV the other night and, well, what can I say? I was totally inspired!

I decided on a light, fluffy and very moist pumpkin cake recipe, using muscavado sugar instead of normal sugar, chopped figs instead of the usual raisins and sultanas, and with freshly grated organic pumpkins instead of the canned version. Oh, and freshly drained kitten's blood* for the red sauce - yum! 

Continue reading for the recipe...

Food Blogger Connect - First UK Food Blogger Conference

 

Last weekend, I met up with the stunning Beth from Dirty Kitchen Secrets and she told me she'd been wanting to get some UK food bloggers together for some time now, something that happens annually in the US (eg. BlogHer), but hasn't quite caught on in the same way over here. So, along with the gorgeous and lovely ladies Hilda (Saffron & Blueberry) & Jamie (Life's A Feast), countless emails later, we've finally managed to put together an event and flyer for what must be the quickest & best organised event ever! Beth, Hilda & Jamie are the original Semtex Girls - explosive and ready for action!

As for my next dessert blog post, it will be up soon - suffice it to say I've gone pumpkin crazy. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.

We’ve shared recipes, great meals eaten and glimpsed into each other’s lives through our food blogs, we’ve shared photos and revealed personalities on Facebook, we’ve given cooking tips and encouragement on Twitter. Now isn’t it about time that we met?

In this day and age of the internet, we have lost our connectedness. Friendships are made and lost, love affairs carried on across oceans, bonds created though on different continents, fans found and clubs joined, yet how much of this is 140 spaces maximum or quick status updates? Disconnected and discombobulated, we can only carry on so far in the blogosphere.

So let's meet! Some of us have already met but there are still many of us who haven't. Everyone and anyone is invited from long-time bloggers, newbies or even people thinking of starting their own food blog. Food Blogger Connect 2009 is the time to connect: get to know your fellow food bloggers and meet new ones, share tips and ideas, network and organize projects. And have a blast doing it!

Food blogging no longer need be a lonely, individual sport. Forget those days when you feel like it’s going no where, when you wonder if you really belong to that great, funny, passionate family of bloggers out there. Come and connect, be inspired, partake of our favorite food group!

Food Blogger Connect 2009 is the first meet up of its kind (the first official conference being held in the U.K) and is being held in London on November 28, 2009 at Levant from 1 p.m to 5 p.m, serving delicious Lebanese cuisine. Don’t miss it! After all, Food Bloggers share!

Please note:  On October 28th, we will call for your ideas, and we look forward to hearing from you about the topics you'd like covered and who you would love to see cover them. Food Blogger Connect is the first Food Blogging conference to take place in the U.K and we need you to take the lead. We are also looking for people to help spread the word. So, if you are interested in posting about this event on your blog, then please email foodbloggerconnect@gmail.com and we will be happy to send you a flyer with all the pertinent details. You can RSVP @ www.rsvpit.com. The event number is 2009.

 Here's a quick recap:

WHAT: Food Blogger Connect
WHEN: November 28th, 2009,  1 PM to 5 PM
WHERE: Levant Restaurant, London, W1
WHO: Everyone who is or wants to be part of the Food Blogosphere. Food Blogger connect is open to all, and you don't have to be a long-time blogger to attend. This event is open to Non-UK Food Bloggers as well. 
HOW MUCH: £30 for food and 1 glass of wine. This is the only fee and it covers the meal.
WHERE CAN I RSVP: Go to www.rsvpit.com. The event code is 2009.  

We can’t wait to meet you in person!

Mowielicious, Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Life's a Feast, & Saffron and Blueberry

Anita & Gerald's Wedding

Following my first wedding post, I finally got around to sorting through Anita & Gerald's wedding photos this week!

Bruce & I had a few meetings with Anita & Gerald before the wedding to discuss what it was they wanted - candid photos, reportage style and nothing too posed for. Bruce was the main photographer taking all the official photos, while I was to capture some of the special moments and details, like the food, the cake, and the flowers.

If you like the pictures and know someone that's getting married that would like similar wedding photographs, I'm looking to expand my wedding portfolio and would be honoured if you would pass on my name and blog details to them.

View all the photos HERE.