It has been a long time since I’ve been to New Orleans, probably not since 1996, at least ten years before Katrina devastated the city. My memories of the Crescent City back then centered around my beloved Florida Gators playing in the Sugar Bowl, New Year’s Eve crowds of inebriated people, and the loud and smelly Bourbon Street.

I’m here to tell you that Bourbon Street is still loud and smelly. But, oh, that French Quarter is such a charming place, despite the malodorous nature of that one famous street.

And the food. Wow.

I can’t begin to describe how amazing the food was in a way that will do it justice. I’ll just say that these were some of my favorites:

– the charcuterie and the marinated Brussels sprouts from Cochon Butcher.

– blackened swordfish, melt-in-your-mouth butterfish, and sauteed sheephead from GW Fins.

– crab and corn soup from Bourbon House.

– charbroiled oysters and the refreshing Pimm’s cup from Drago’s.

– the BLT salad with fried tomatoes, the arugula and watermelon salad, the brisket, the white beans with bacon, and the shrimp and grits from Nola.

Not only is Louisiana seafood in great shape, but New Orleans chefs know what they’re doing. I was happy to be spending my money in that city, on those meals.

My only food regret? I missed out on the beignets from Cafe du Monde this trip. But that’s okay. It gives me a reason to go back.

The International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) was the reason I was in New Orleans. The conference’s weekend agenda was filled with some fantastic talks on food photography, recipe writing, sustainable eating, the ethics of food blogging, and more.

I even gave a little presentation myself, on time management. Marissa led the session with me, and she and I got along smashingly – plus, she’s cute as can be. Our lives couldn’t be more different, but our different strategies for juggling our busy schedules really work for us.

I head into each conference I attend with the goal of learning one new thing. With that as my expectation, I’m never disappointed.

I went into this conference with the same objective – to learn just one new thing.

This weekend’s conference in New Orleans exceeded my expectations by a long shot. I came out of each session with some new bit of information. What I really walked away from the conference with, though, was an immense love for this community of food bloggers – and food writers, and food photographers, and food people, in general. I met some wonderful men and women this weekend, and I shared meals or conversations or hugs – or all three – with many of them.

I find myself astounded by watching – and being a part of – the relationships that once only existed online, often first through Twitter, transform into beautiful and very real connections. When food bloggers get together, we don’t just sit around and photograph our meals and talk about the latest model of Vitamix or whether tomatoes belong in gumbo or not.

Okay, well, there’s some of that.

Mostly we get together and enjoy each other’s company. We eat and drink together. We learn from one another and we share our personal stories. We cheer each other’s successes and empathize with each other’s struggles and challenges. We lift each other up. We hug and we laugh together. Sometimes we cry together. We take care of each other. And though we miss our families back home, we hate to say goodbye when the time comes.

This food blogging community is pretty damn great. It’s an honor and a blessing to be part of it.

In just a few days, I’ll be sitting in a New Orleans hotel conference room, speaking to a room full (hopefully) of food bloggers about managing time effectively. The goal of the panel discussion is to be interactive, with me and Marissa leading the conversation and offering up our own tips and tricks.

Of course, this comes during a stretch of days – weeks, even – where I feel as If I’m doing everything BUT managing my time effectively.

Sort of ironic, really.

Like most people, I’m balancing lots of different things in my life at any one time, and now seems like one of those times that I have too many balls up in the air. Juggling too many balls means that I’m bound to drop one here and there.

Yesterday, I did.

I forgot that I was supposed to attend my son’s pre-kindergarten open house. I was busy working on a Power Point presentation for work instead. I finally got home just before 7:00, with the presentation done, but feeling awful about missing the open house. Thankfully, my husband was able to attend it since I didn’t remember, and it all turned out to be no big deal.

But still.

That whole mommy-guilt thing really knows how to give a hard kick in the ribs. And then a second kick for good measure.

Let’s move on to the recipe.

We’re closing out the season of summer fruits soon, and I wanted to share this very simple recipe with you. These roasted blueberries and cherries break down into a rich dessert sauce, making a wonderful topping for a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream or even a slice of pound cake. Other than the time it takes to pit and halve the cherries (and wear an apron when you pit them – trust me on this), there is very little active time involved with this recipe.

So make this. And while the berries and cherries are roasting, use your time wisely to catch up on that stack of food magazines you have sitting on the table. Or sort your mail. Or read a story to your kid.

Or just take a little rest at the kitchen table with a warm cup of tea and your thoughts. Go on – you deserve the break.

Many of you know that I was in New York City recently, visiting a friend of mine whose husband died suddenly and unexpectedly.  He was spending time with one of his daughters when he felt he needed a moment to rest. And then he just…died.

By going to New York, I did what so many who know Jennie wanted to do – not  because I’m any better friend, or a more thoughtful or generous person. It just worked out that I could go, I felt like I needed to, and my husband encouraged me to listen to my heart. So I did.

I thank Sam for my being able to be with Jennie during that first week after Mikey died.

Besides being an incredible mother, Jennie is a freelance food writer and recipe developer. Mikey worked very hard so that Jennie could pursue her dream of working from home as a writer. He worked hard so that Jennie and their daughters, Isabella and Virginia, would be taken care of for years to come.

The stories Jennie told me of Mikey – his work ethic, his love for his family, his values – struck a chord with me. Mikey reminds me so much of my Sam.

Jennie is learning to live as a single mother, a widow, and it’s not an easy path. Besides the loss, the utter and complete loss of her true love and best friend, she’s now struggling with bills and and the mortgage and health insurance – things that it took two people to cover before.

I’d like to help again, in a different way this time. So many of us want to help her in this “new normal” that she’s learning to live with. Life without Mikey. And with these bills pouring in.

You can help too.

Some other dear friends of Jennie have helped create #afundforjennie so that donations can be collected for her, and for her little girls, Isabella and Virginia.

If your heart moves you to do so, please consider donating for Jennie and her daughters.

Clicking the button above will take you straight through to PayPal where you can donate to Bloggers without Borders for Jennie.

Bloggers without Borders is a charity that was founded by Maggie Keet of ThreeManyCooks, Erica Pineda-Ghanny of Ivory Hut, and Aimee Wimbush-Bourque of Simple Bites.

And thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.