My apologies for being absent, I was busy eating foie gras…

A chunk off of a 3-pound foie gras terrine…Just a little WAG party snack.

To many people the word wag is a verb, often referring to the movement of a dog’s tail. For me (and my co-workers), WAG means Wild About Game, a huge meat-fest that our company hosts every fall on Mt. Hood in Oregon.

We invite a bunch of chefs from the Pacific Northwest, head to the mountain and basically eat and drink for an entire weekend. Though the event itself is hard to organize, it is amazingly fun and a great opportunity to actually hang out with many of our customers in a non-work environment, something that’s pretty hard to come by in the food industry!

WAG has become so infamous in the PNW that it’s one of the events that everyone in the culinary field wants to attend. It could be due to the high-end snacking (foie gras, Iberico ham, freshly shucked oysters) or to the booze (free beer, gin, whiskey and wine). And that’s just the day event — the afterparty is where people really let loose.

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Wild About Game: The meatiest culinary event in the NW!

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’re well aware that I work as a meat distributor. You might even know that every year the company I work for hosts a huge meaty gathering where our vendors and other friends (think people involved with salt, cheese, and alcohol) get to mingle with our chefs. Four and a half hours later, everyone — staff included — is full of beer and booze and practically shaking from the meat sweats.

This year I even gave away two tickets to the event on my Facebook page. I would say it was a huge success — I’m pretty sure I saw the winner and his guest still hanging out at the after party bonfire around midnight.

What can I say? We know how to have a good time!

Anyways here’s some pictures I took of the day event to give you an idea of how deliciously awesome it was:

The grand prize winning dish of the cooking competition. Guinea fowl leg stuffed with guinea fowl sausage, plum sauce, pea tendrils and carrots. By Chef Aaron Barnett of St. Jacks, Portland, OR.

The view of Mt. Hood from the Timberline Lodge

Foie gras ice cream in sugar cones, by Chef Chris Carriker of 23 Hoyt, Portland.

IPNC: My favorite midnight snack is a foie gras torchon

Wine, glorious wine! IPNC 2013

As a college student, my to-go snack after a night out was always a super crisp apple and extra sharp cheddar cheese. Years later, I still eat my fair share of fruit and cheese, but at post-work afterparties my co-workers and I snack in style.

First, a little background:

Vacation Cooking: Why I Married a Chef

The main reason we rented the place we did in St. Martin is because it has a fully equipped kitchen. One trip to the Grand Marche and we were all set to make a few meals “at home” instead of eating out. Luckily I got to sit out on the balcony while my husband did the cooking!

Soft Boiled Egg, Mache, Lemon Zest Salad…with some Foie Gras and Proscuitto thrown in for fun…

Gratuitous Food Porn: Brunch of Champions

A while ago, I helped my husband do a Brunch and Bloody Mary event at the Oregon Zoo’s World Forestry Center. He was one of several chefs sampling out amazing bites to a very hungry crowd. I was lucky enough to attend as his assistant, which meant I spent the morning double-fisting bloody marys and dishing up divine treats like these:

Cherry “Toaster Strudels” with Foie Gras Mousse

Gratuitous Food Pic: Foie Gras at Hokusei

Seared Foie Gras, Shrimp & Scallops on Eggplant…with a touch of gold leaf for extra luxuriousness. It was amazing! Hokusei, Portland, OR 2012.