Autumn is undoubtedly my favorite time of year! The weather is perfect, the colors are gorgeous and it is a time to celebrate all that we have accomplished before winter arrives. Pank and I have really been enjoying all of the greens, radishes and late tomatoes this fall. We never seem to tire of them. As the frost hit this past week, we had to put to rest all of the summer beds. With that came pickling all those jalapenos, drying herbs and saving seeds for next year’s crop. Pank has become a master seed saver. I just love him so! He encourages me to be the best I can be and supports me every step of the way. I definitely feel like my true self with him.
During the month of October, I have enjoyed attending three conferences pertaining to food, writing and/or branding. They included Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, The Southern Coterie Summit and KEEN Digital Summit. Not only did I learn a great deal, was inspired by everyone’s energy and creativity, but I also met a lot of interesting people whom I treasure our new found friendships. At all three conferences, there was a common theme of authenticity. Pank always asks me what my weekly blog is going to be about. This morning when he asked, I replied with my title “Be Yourself.” He smiled and exclaimed, “I wish everyone would just be themselves.” Being yourself is certainly key to living a life full of abundance and joy. Your company’s brand and messaging is no different. It is in the genuine personality of a brand that people want to engage. Listing your daily specials or upcoming events can be a start, but social media is much more than a message board. Use the 80/20 rule. Twenty percent of your activity should be sales related, but the other eighty percent should be interaction. At the end of the day, know your audience will appreciate you being human.
There are several conferences coming up that I am looking forward to. There is the Local Food Summit happening in Nashville the first weekend of December. Follow me on twitter @mdcorbin for more information as we get closer to December. If you are interested in sponsorship and/or becoming a vendor or volunteer, please message me. Foodblog South 2014 will happen in Birmingham, Alabama January 24-25. I cannot wait for this one! There will be accomplished writers, photographers and chefs presenting. Virginia Willis will welcome us with a special breakfast on Saturday. If it is anything like those grit muffins she served at the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium I will be in heaven. The Foodblog South folks have been sweet enough to offer a discount for bloggers that spread the word. If you are interested in attending, click here for a special $10 Corbin In The Dell discount. Click here for more information on the conference.
Now, back to those greens…
Tuscan Turnip Green Stew
1 diced onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Pinch of red pepper flake
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lemon
4-6 cups chicken broth
1 bunch roughly chopped turnip greens
1 can cannellini beans
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Drizzle a fair amount of olive oil into a large skillet on medium heat. Add thyme, rosemary, pepper flake and black pepper. Stir in onion until they are soft and glossy, then garlic for just a minute before stirring in the turnip greens with a pinch or two of salt. The greens will wilt pretty quickly. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the wilted greens. Add 4 cups of chicken broth and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until the turnip greens have become soft. Stir in the chicken and beans. At this point, you can add more broth according to consistency preference. Cover skillet and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
