Dear Friends

Dear Friends of San Pedro Daily Photo,

It has been a busy month! Lots of traveling, building a new little home in Las Vegas, and getting ready for the start of another school year. I had planned to resume my daily posting on the first day of autumn, but I have decided to push that back just a wee bit further as I have entered my food blog Taste With The Eyes into a contest called PROJECT FOOD BLOG in search of the next Food Blog Star sponsored by Foodbuzz.

The first challenge started with the charge to write about "what defines you as a blogger," which I have reposted here. The next week's challenge is to cook a Classic dish (with heavy competition from 400 talented bloggers), followed by the hosting of a Luxury Dinner Party (my specialty). This is so much fun! And time consuming. So San Pedro Daily Photo is taking a back seat until the contest has run its course. I look forward to resuming the daily postings from our charming little town! Thanks for your continued support and patience.

Lori Lynn

What is Taste With The Eyes?

Come, have at seat at the table. Can I get you a glass of wine? A crisp Grüner Veltliner, a luscious Pinot Gris, or perhaps a jammy Pinot Noir?

Taste With The Eyes is my other home, the one without walls. It's here that I'd like to introduce you to my precious family and my cherished friends. It's where we'll have a blast cooking with my nephews Stone, 8, and Jett, 6. Join us as we celebrate the holidays, Passover and Thanksgiving being my favorites. Smell the roses, take a tour of my garden. Attend our themed dinner parties, like the Tribute to Jackie O dinner complete with pillbox hats or our over-the-top Top Chef Dinner with Stephanie Izard.

Travel with me and dine at the world's finest restaurants from Chicago to Las Vegas, New York to Paris, and the local hole-in-the-walls too. Oh, and don't miss our underground-style restaurant, The Sunken City Supper Club. It's a fresh, local and secret place to seasonally mingle with friends and neighbors – to enjoy the camaraderie, great food, wine, and the awesome intimate jazz standards performed by local musicians. We hold one event per season, and the menu always reflects seasonal ingredients.

So please, be my guest. I've spruced up the guest room just for you. Stay as long as you'd like. You inspire me with your enthusiasm, your kind and thoughtful comments brighten my days.

Taste With The Eyes is not about last night's dinner, baking, or a recipe blog. There are many talented bloggers who write about those things very very well, and I am a devoted fan. I'm a visual learner and a visual cook, and it is from that style of cooking that Taste With The Eyes "where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook" was born. On Taste With The Eyes I share dishes that are unique, special; ones that highlight a technique, ingredient, or combination of flavors that titillated me.

I am also thrilled to share our restaurant adventures with you. After spending nearly 3 decades in the food and wine industries, it would break my heart to contribute to a restaurant's troubles by posting a negative review. If I come across a problem while dining, I discreetly communicate my disappointment with the management and leave the reviews to the critics. So on Taste With The Eyes, you'll experience only our favorites, the places that impressed us the most.

Lastly, you may have read about my personal challenge with high cholesterol and that I sadly lost my father to heart disease when he was just 49 years old? Last year my doctor informed me that if I couldn't get my cholesterol down by diet and exercise, I would have to go on medication. That news was the motivation for a brand new way of cooking. So in addition to all the fabulous entertaining and dining, I am sharing my passion for satisfying heart healthy dishes. Sure, I still serve sumptuous foods to company, but I am equally enthusiastic about heart healthy cuisine.

Project Food Blog

Competition Overview

• Project Food Blog is the first-ever interactive competition where thousands of Foodbuzz Featured Publishers are competing in a series of culinary blogging challenges for the chance to advance and a shot at the ultimate prize: $10,000 and a special feature on Foodbuzz.com for one year.


• Voting for entries on the first challenge will kick off September 20th, and contestants will be whittled down over the next 12 weeks via exciting challenges related to food blogging.


• Entries are voted on by Foodbuzz Featured Publisher peers and rated by our panel of judges including: Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD & WINE Magazine; Nancy Silverton, Founder La Brea Bakery, Co-owner Mozza; Pim Techamuanvivit, Author of ChezPim.com and The Foodie Handbook


• Winners advance to the next challenge, including one lucky Reader's Choice winner who earns auto advancement to the next challenge (solely based on Reader votes; not applicable in the final round).


• Join the fun! Follow Project Food Blog for contest updates and help us discover the next Food Blog Star!

(from Foodbuzz.com here)

Challenge #1: Ready, Set, Blog!

Cooking, photography, and writing about my culinary adventures on Taste With The Eyes is a source of much joy. This little food blog is an ongoing learning experience, a terrific creative outlet, and a source of pride. It is an excellent medium for making new friends from all around the globe. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences with you.

Reading your blogs provides an unlimited source of inspiration, a conduit of creativity, and a heartfelt connection through your personal stories. Your enthusiasm is infectious. I cook, dine, laugh, and cry with you. I learn so much from you, way beyond food and cooking. You amaze and inspire me.

Is the feeling mutual? If so, I would be honored if you would consider Taste With The Eyes as a contender for the next Food Blog Star.

Top 9 Photos

Top 9 Photos are the best of daily posts from the Foodbuzz Community, as chosen by the editors and users. Over the past year it has been such a delight to have many photos chosen as Top 9. Thank you! Below, I've created a "meal" from several photos that were Top 9 picks. Enjoy!

Snack: Unique Almond Pizza

Soup: Albondigas with Hatch Chiles

Salad: Dreamy Meyer Lemon Salad with Edible Violas

Pasta: Heart Healthy Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Tuna Sauce

Vegetable: Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Miso Butter

Main Course: Black Cod with Miso, Black Radish & Ponzu

Dessert: Profiterole Trio
vanilla, chocolate & caramel ice cream filled pastries
hot double chocolate fudge sauce

Beverage: The Absinthe Ritual

Is a picture worth a thousand words? I hope you feel warm and welcomed by Taste With The Eyes' hospitality. It has been an absolute pleasure to have you as a guest in my home. Please come back soon.

Bon Appétit and Cheers to Our Healthy Hearts!

Fondly,

Lori Lynn

UPDATE:

Votes may be cast by clicking on the header button "Vote For This Entry" next to the red heart, here:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/1/view/626