In honor of their friendship and desire to stay connected while living across the country, Leela and Tricia started this series. Every Sunday, note is taken of what’s on their tables, in their cups, the day’s color, sound, and mantra as told through a picture and a post.
When it comes to photo shoot days, this question is never a problem. Maddy swoops into the kitchen with groceries in hand and we review the days’ menu. As she rattles off ingredients and dishes, both our grins get wider and wider, then we dash into action. Good food and new recipes abound, creating endless inspiration and total satisfaction. Left overs are divvied up, gloriously stocking my fridge—the best! Here are some of my favorite photos from this past week:
You can find their accompanying recipes here. Have a wonderful weekend!
This month, Sandee and I wanted to go with something a little sweeter. Strawberries, luckily for us, are in season both here in the States and in Spain. Each May I look forward to tasting that perfect jeweled basket of aromatic, sweet strawberries and I couldn’t be more thrilled to find a friend across the Atlantic who revels in some of these same simple pleasures of life.
The recipes we make each month we keep a surprise for each other until the very last moment. We don’t see what the other has done until the day before we post. We then swap recipes—Sandee translates and I create the photo montages of our pictures—it’s great teamwork! This month we were both surprised and delighted with the hot/cold aspect of our recipes. The roasted strawberries are hot, messy, and sexy. Sandee’s ice bowl with sangria is cold, composed, and has a lovely surprise finish.
I was inspired to try roasted strawberries when a blog post over at Three to One, by Dimity Jones popped into my inbox. I was totally seduced by the simplicity of the recipe and the idea of roasting a spring fruit (not even a vegetable)—I tend to save cooking methods like roasting for fall and winter time foods, but am so glad I broke out of that box. The balsamic complimented the sweetness of the berries, bringing out their natural brightness. The brown sugar did it’s job of creating the most amazing caramelized strawberry ooze that begged to be scraped from the pan and licked from the fork. And the smell—the smell!—of these babies cooking is absolutely intoxicating. Strawberry fields were literally in my apartment as they sizzled on their hot little pan, eeking out beautiful dark red juices and creating one of the best strawberry desserts I’ve had in a long while. Personally, I ate this straight from the pan. At one point, I tried to put it on a plate, but really, the forks in the photo do not lie (I ate this directly from the pan and I would have had all my friends do the same if they had been around). However, these berries would also be smashing over some crumbly short bread or biscuit or with a dollop of crème fraiche.
Make sure to travel to Sandee’s blog, La Receta de la Felicidad to check out her frozen bowl of sangria recipe, it’s stunning and is perfect for a hot, spring day. Cheers!
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Toss the strawberries, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake for 1.5 hours. You’ll know when they are getting near done, your house will fill with the most amazing smell of strawberries. When finished, take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle with the sea salt, serve warm with an optional scoop of creme fraiche, vanilla ice cream, or chopped dark chocolate. However, they really are fantastic on their own.
Precalienta el horno a 250º F (120ºC). Mezcla las fresas, el azúcar y el vinagre. Coloca la mezcla sobre una bandeja de horno, y hornea una hora y media aproximadamente. Sabrás que están listas cuando tu casa se inunde con el increíble aroma de las fresas asadas. Saca del horno, espolvorea con la sal, y sírvelas templadas con una bola de helado de vainilla, creme fraîche, o chocolate en trocitos. En cualquier caso, están fantásticas solas!
…this is my favorite SW so far…
In honor of their friendship and desire to stay connected while living across the country, Leela and Tricia started this series. Every Sunday, note is taken of what’s on their tables, in their cups, the day’s color, sound, and mantra as told through a picture and a post.
Last week’s photos were inspired by old Dutch master paintings–colorful, dramatic, and a tinge dark. The shrimp rice pilaf salad was delicious (and fun to shoot), I recommend giving the recipe a try!
Photographing oil and vinegar was also a fun challenge—I love how food has infinite textures, colors, shapes, sizes, and forms. Not only does it keep things absolutely interesting, but I find other non-traditional parts of my brain helping me problem solve when I work with food. Taste and smell are incorporated into my process as I style a photo or think about how I want the finished image to look like. I want the photo to not only be visually pleasing, but I want you (the viewer) to be able to get into it, to taste it, to smell it, and even feel it. I put a little bit of myself in each image as well—how things are arranged, lighting, and mood. The old adage “a photo is worth a thousand words” certainly rings true in my case.
It’s true, I have four mothers. Not only does each have her own distinct personality, but they also have incredibly unique life styles, perspectives, and experiences, enriching my life beyond compare. First, there is my mom, Julie. She’s the quirky one who likes bad, hilarious tv shows and being with her friends. She’s one of the most driven people I’ve ever met and never stops plodding forward at her own, good-for-her pace. After finishing her master’s degree at 56, she’s an inspiration and example of mental agility — even though we age, we are not meant to be stuck. My mom has taught me the importance of letting go, continuous lifetime learning, and making sure to have fun every day.
Then there’s my step mom, Kim. Another hard working woman, she ran her own dental practice for a few decades and is now pursuing new adventures. She’s direct, funny, and real — there is really no dilly dallying with her which I love. I sincerely appreciate directness in every facet of life: just give it to me straight and I’ll deal with the information provided. She has shown me the importance of clearly stating what I need and the clarity in life that comes from doing so.
My Aunt Katie is my mother’s sister and played a very active role in my childhood. She’s also my god mother — but instead of it taking on religious connotations, we joke about it being more like a Soprano’s “god mutha.” Katie went against the grain as a young woman, countered big odds, and received her law degree. She has been my role model for feminine power from an early age; the first woman I saw who could live her life as she imagined and did/does it well with beautiful results. Katie has taught me about listening to our inner voice, trusting our inner strength, and laughing in the face of our own self-created fears.
Becky is my soon to be mother-in-law. She is the pinnacle of generosity and sweetness, always thinking of others and how to be of service to fellow mankind. She’s raised Andrew to be the loving, generous man that he is, as well as the best listener I’ve ever, ever encountered. Becky inspires me to be a better, nicer person. She’s shown me why it is important to stay present with people in the moment, especially as they talk. As human beings, we all need to know that someone out there cares for us unconditionally and will do whatever it takes to help us. She reminds me that we all have that aspect within us and the capacity to be there unconditionally for those we love.
My four mothers add a dynamic richness to my life, which I am so lucky to have. Even though I joke (especially with the wedding coming up—doesn’t Four Mothers and a Wedding sound like a bad rom com movie? ha), they are all essential in my life. There are aspects of each of them which are pertinent to my personal growth and without them, I’d never know or grow! Thank you ladies, for all being who you are. You’ve each contributed to my life more than you know of which I am forever grateful—Happy Mother’s Day.
The cake was a mother’s day celebration cake I made via Sweetpolita via Baked. It was a beautifully light and rich white cake with white chocolate icing, perfectly delicate and sweet for a lady-like celebration. You can find the original recipe here.
Saturday was my bridal shower. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had because of the warmth, love, and kindness that enveloped me and everyone there. Kiija made over 25 of these amazing mini pies (the best I’ve ever had, seriously) as people’s favors — with Andrew’s and my initials on the top to boot. Love was spilling over endlessly that day and will carry me all the way through the week and well into the summer. I am so, so grateful.
In honor of their friendship and desire to stay connected while living across the country, Leela and Tricia started this series. Every Sunday, note is taken of what’s on their tables, in their cups, the day’s color, sound, and mantra as told through a picture and a post.
Hi there! I just wanted to share with you a few snaps from the latest round of photos for Whole Foods. I love the design challenge of looking over the day’s menu, then finding fun props and backgrounds to compliment and enhance the food. The editor, Maddy, is a fantastic chef. She makes the food and does a great job creating it just so for beautiful, easy food styling. This has also been a really fun way for me to document real world, super seasonal foods and recipes. I love this job!
Asparagus Soup
Ingredients for goat cheesy pasta with spinach and olive oil
Ingredients for the asparagus soup
In honor of their friendship and desire to stay connected while living across the country, Leela and Tricia started this series. Every Sunday, note is taken of what’s on their tables, in their cups, the day’s color, sound, and mantra as told through a picture and a post.
