I was chatting with Melissa from CupcakesOMG! last week about food photography—cameras, techniques, etc. I’ve also been submitting several recipes and pictures to TasteSpotting, foodgawker and Photograzing. It got me thinking a lot about food photography. I’m not the best authority on food photography, and my pictures are far from perfect, but I have taken several photography courses over the years. Throw me in a darkroom, even ask me to develop my own film, but don’t ask me to get much accomplished on Photoshop. Suffice to say that I have basic SLR photography skills but I’m still learning about the digital editing side of it all. That said, here are my top 10…
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So I’m a little corny…
Corn-centric recipes have been all over the food blogs this week, and I’ve posted a few myself. I wanted to chill out on the corny posts, but I had to use up my leftovers, so here goes: Mexican corn muffins You’ll need: 1/2 cup cilantro-lime corn (you can also just use regular sweet corn) 1 cup masa 2/3 cup water 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 cup shredded cheese, divided in half 2 tablespoons butter, softened ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder 1 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine ingredients, using half of the cheese (1/8 cup). The dough should be close to the consistency of…
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Recipe relations: pupusas and corn cakes with shredded chicken
Per my post about smart shopping, here are two great recipes that are very closely related, yet pleasantly unique. We’ll start with the pupusas, but first a background story. It’s quick, I promise. When I worked at the ad agency, we had several clients in the food industry, and one particular client that did amazing work in flavor and ingredient manufacturing. I was a PR account manager and copywriter on this account, which required me to subscribe to and read loads of fabulous food trade publications. Picture Bon Appetite for restauranteurs and food product formulators. One particular article I discreetly ripped from our agency’s copy of Flavor & The Menu has…
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Smart shopping, smart cooking
I think I know one of the many reasons many people don’t cook. I’m not generalizing here, but for me personally, Portions and Price were the two P’s that hindered my culinary experimentation. Cooking for one or two people is hard because the portions are always too big and you can only stomach the leftovers of one dish for so many meals in a row. Also, I hated myself for buying and then throwing away unused, perishable ingredients (mostly fruits, veggies and dairy products), hence the price variable. But I’ve since smartened up. Now, when I grocery shop, I keep several recipe ideas/”themes” in mind, and only buy perishable ingredients that…
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Yummy Links 08/14/09
Orange Slice Jello Shots from Liesl’s Confection Dissection Homemade Fruit Leather from Hot off the Garlic Press The Threadless cake contest, Threadcakes, at Serious Eats Homemade street fair food at Kitchn Melissa’s Orange Creamsicle Cupcake at CupcakesOMG
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Not so sweet
My non pareils scattered to the floor when I heard this news. So much for my comment about candy being recession-proof.
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Bad Economy Brunches
So yes, the economy is in the crapper. I was laid off several months ago from my job as a copywriter at a downtown ad agency. Several of my friends are either in the same boat or are experiencing the joy of Furlough Fridays (unfortunately accompanied by a not-so-joyous pay cut). But this isn’t a pity party. Oh no. My freelancing and furloughed friends and I have adopted the “this economy sucks so let’s brunch” position. Apparently this has become a collective outlook, because for the past five or so weeks, our regular Friday brunch spots (so far Bongo Room, Ann Sather, Nookies and today, Uncommon Ground) have been packed…
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Scooters: 1; Custard Haters: 0
In response to my previous post, it seems as though the Scooter’s may be on their way to getting their chairs back. Hooray!! Power to the Custard Eaters!
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Mmmm…Beer…
So I have to admit, even though our friend Jim is a rep for Sam Adams, I’m not a huge fan of the stuff (I do love Twisted Tea, which is owned my Sam Adam’s parent company, Boston Beer). It’s not that it’s bad per se, it’s just too … (hoppy? malty?) … something. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll drink it if you put a free six pack in front of me. But today, Jim brought over some Cherry Wheat from the Sam Adam’s Brewmaster’s collection. I guess it’s been in year-round rotation since 1995, but I’d never had it. The bottle says the beer “combines Michigan cherries with a generous…
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Cilantro-lime corn
When we go to Joe’s, we rarely stray from our usual side dish: Jennie’s Potatoes. But since it was six of us this time, we decided to “whack it up” as my dad would say, and order several sides, including a seasonal specialty—cilantro-lime corn. It was beautiful and delicious—summer in a side dish. The cilantro and lime weren’t overpowering, as I had expected, but gave the sweet, charred corn a tangy zing. I’ve done my best to recreate the dish. Cilantro-Lime Corn You’ll need: 5-6 ears of sweet corn 4 tablespoons butter (softened) 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped juice of one half of a lime 1/2 or a whole jalapeno,…