trying out the tomatillo...

the stonecutter mentioned tomatillos last week. hmmm. i've never cooked with tomatillos. 

i felt inclined to explore this ingredient, but with something somewhat simple at first. i dug up a pretty straight forward scrambled egg recipe, invited the stonecutter over, and gave it a whirl. (and i put him to work, of course!) 

the eggs were super yummy, and i served them with sausage and fresh apricots. i'm no longer afraid of the little tomatillo, but am interested in more ways to use this tasty veggie... ideas?

figgy butter love...

i had a couple of parties this past saturday. instead of trying to make two different dishes, i found one awesome treat and doubled the recipe. 

the awesome recipe was a fig jam. after i made it, i renamed it figgy butter because it has hazelnuts blended into it and it just seemed to be more nutty than figgy. next time, i'm dialing back the hazelnuts, yummy as they are. 

this is Giada De Laurentiis' recipe: 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 12 dried black mission figs
• 3 tablespoons brandy or apple juice
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted * see Cook's Note

Directions

For the jam:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, figs, and brandy (orapple juice) over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, andsimmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Pour into a food processor and add the hazelnuts. Blend until smooth and thick.

*Cook's Note: To toast the hazelnuts: preheat a 350 degree F oven. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

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how to hide an egg...

i have a good friend who isn't opposed to eating eggs, but prefers that they are hidden. hmmmm. sure, you can wrap them in a breakfast burrito or hide them under salsa. those are excellent options.. but then THIS occurred to me... here's my suggestion... french toast!

egg? what egg?

just add "you"!

before i shoot anything... a portrait, pin up, family, wedding, event, food... really anywhere that i've been hired to shoot... i like to go ahead of time and scout the location.

i've got a wedding this weekend at the gateway center in collinsville. the location for the formals and wedding party shots has not been picked yet, so i took the liberty of exploring. i found a spiffy little put-put golf place across the street, some really cool walls on main street collinsville, and of course, the willoughby heritage farm.

what i tend to do is run around looking for "back drops". i will take a photo and imagine your fabulous face in the picture. 

i've been asked about this before, so i thought this was a perfect opportunity to share with you a little of my process. 

take a look at these photos and see if you can "see" a wedding couple in them. 

to me, this is like going out for ice cream.... a creative, mental treat!

cinco de mayo 2012

cinco de mayo 2012 was a much more laid back affair for me this year. sometimes, it's nice to simply gather with the girls, nosh on tasty snacks and wash them down with margaritas. we had a lovely night with simple foods... awesome taco dip, fresh fruit, fresh avocado, killer soft pretzels and the ever popular taquito!

there was a point, while we were soaking in the last moments of twilight, when the light shifted and everything turned pink. light like that doesn't happen often! it was stunning!

all in all, it was a lovely girls night... with secrets and a super moon and jose cuervo. how can you beat that?

the prettiest drink ever!

two very special ladies... lisa and shannon.

the lovely shannon graciously poses...

sometimes a taquito is just a cigar...

even little miss roz got in on the fun. :)