Kristen over at Dine and Dish recently organized the second Adopt A Blogger event. Experienced bloggers “adopt” new bloggers and offer advice, ideas and assistance to help them navigate the blogosphere. I’ve adopted Carmen of Carmen Cooks.

Last week, Carmen mentioned that she is really interested in improving her food photography. She mostly cooks and photographs at night, so it’s a big challenge to capture good colors and resolution in the artificial light. Boy, have I been there. Until recently, night time was my only opportunity to cook and photograph too. And it’s certainly a huge disappointment when you make a fantastic meal, but cannot capture a good shot.

Now – full disclosure – I am still learning about taking the best photos myself. But here are a few notes on photography to help you along.

Lighting

It goes without saying that natural lighting is always best. It brings out the richest colors. But, if you cannot use natural lighting, then a photo studio in a box is a good alternative for the beginning to intermediate photographer. The good thing about units like this is that you can pack them up and put them out of sight when you aren’t using them. Further, they provide even results every time.

If you aren’t ready to invest in a photo studio in a box though, some people simply use colored posterboard for background and prop it up on a laptop or books. This creates the same even background.

Avoid the Flash

Avoid using the flash that comes on most cameras. Notice how the indents and texture of the cupcakes above are white in the flash photo? The white of the flash catches on shiny surfaces like this and creates the glare and distortion that you see. It ends up being a lesser shot. Read the rest of this entry…

Kristen over at Dine and Dish has a busy life. With three adorable kids, a thriving work at home business and a great blog, you’d think she never sleeps. With that in mind, I have no idea how she found the time to spearhead the second Adopt A Blogger event. Experienced bloggers “adopt” new bloggers and offer advice, ideas and assistance to help them navigate the blogosphere.

Well, I’ve adopted a blogger. (Longtime readers may remember that I adopted Rachel from Fairy Cake Heaven last go around.)

This time I am helping out Carmen of Carmen Cooks.

Read the rest of this entry…

If next Sunday is anything like today – sunny, blue-skied, relaxed – then it will be a fantastic Mother’s Day. Now, before you go off railing on how it’s a Hallmark holiday and blah, blah, blah, just listen. Mother’s Day has been celebrated since the early 1900s. It was created by a daughter who wanted to honor her mom’s work after her death. (Read the story here.) Woodrow Wilson made it an official holiday . . .

Heck, the celebration of mothering is something that has been done for centuries. So, please, don’t malign this one. I happen to like it. Maybe it’s because I am a mother. Regardless, I think mothers do deserve their day after carrying their children in the womb for months and months, and then birthing them. Oh, the wonders of birthing . . . and the stories I could share.

The simple fact is that mothering isn’t easy. Read the rest of this entry…

I had a rude awakening on Friday when I suddenly realized that it was Friday and the meat I had planned to serve for dinner was a big no-no. If you are in a similar situation and looking for a yummy dish to feed your brood, check out these recipes from Sarah’s Cucina Bella:

• Grilled Tilapia
• Light and Healthy Tilapia
• Fillo Clams Casino
• Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms
• Smoked Salmon and Brie Sandwich
• Seared Tuna with Sesame Soy Drizzle
• Baked Tilapia with Warm Tomato Relish
• Easy Sauteed Catfish
• Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon-Caper Pan Sauce
• Lobster Risotto
• Beer Steamed Clams

I’ve seen the links elsewhere around the blogosphere and at first I thought, “Nah, I don’t have time to enter that.” But then I realized I didn’t need to create sometime new — I could use a post I created weeks ago. So, I did it folks. I entered Culinate’s Death by Chocolate contest.

Here’s the details:

The Culinate Death by Chocolate Contest sends one reader, and one food blogger, on a trip for two Napa Valley to attend the Copia Center’s annual Death by Chocolate Festival on Feburary 23, 2008, featuring a day of chocolate and wine tasting, demonstrations by pastry chefs, and other sessions with chocolate aficionados and experts.

So, go here to VOTE FOR ME!!!! (Oops, I should tell you what I entered, right? It was my delicious Deconstructed Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies  — SO tasty.)

Oh, and the blog entries are being judged by the several esteemed people: pastry chef/blogger David Lebovitz, baking expert/blogger Dorie Greenspan, blogger Deb of Smitten Kitchen (winner of Culinate’s GrillMe contest in 2007), Chuck Siegel of Charles Chocolates, and members of the Copia and Culinate staffs).

Va: You are one of the most driven people I know.
Me: Thanks. … But I am actually disappointed that I didn’t do more when I was younger before I was married or had kids. Chalk it up to finding myself, I guess.
Va: A lot of people would disagree with you on that.

A good friend and I had that conversation this week . . . I made an offhanded, but serious, comment about being a millionaire by 30 and needing my book to hurry up and come out. I know I am harder on myself than anyone else is on me, but I have very high expectations of myself. I have a lot of goals.

This past year has been a whirlwind. It seems like just yesterday I was in Miami, enjoying the sights, tastes and sounds and taking in my first-ever professional football game in the rain (how awesome is it to have the Super Bowl be my first?!?). In the months that followed, I signed to write a cookbook, got pregnant, wrote that cookbook, my office moved, my son turned two, I learned how to save and had that baby. As far as I am concerned, 2007 went way too fast and I didn’t get a chance to stop and enjoy it enough. The holidays — St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas — all flew by in one great big blur. And summer was over before I realized.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this post and how to say what it is I want to say best. When I sit down to write it, it just doesn’t seem to come out right. So, I am going to say it in the simplest way possible and hope it makes sense to everyone else. Read the rest of this entry…

Considering that one of the most frequent hits to this blog early on was “Bella Cucina,” I know there is a company by that name out there. But I had never run across their store or wares … until now. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what they sold.

But then a close friend gave me the most thoughtful of birthday gifts recently(no, my birthday wasn’t recent, but we don’t get to see each other as much as we like): specialty salts from Bella Cucina.

She gave me three varieties: Wild Oregano and Sage, Citrus and Fennel, and Rosemary and Lavender. My husband and I almost immediately broke open the Wild Oregano and Sage and rubbed it on a steak we were making. Mmmm, was it good. I cannot wait to sample the other flavors (and have been playing with ways to incorporate these Bella Cucina Aromatic Savory Salts into recipes). There is also a new Tuscan Rose and Pink Peppercorn variety on the Bella Cucina site that looks yummy.

I think this Cucina Bella blogger may have been instantly turned into a Bella Cucina junkie – lol.

So anyway, if you are here looking for Bella Cucina, you have come to the wrong place. But do stick around and check out my recipes, writing and food facts. Click one of the salt links above to go to the Bella Cucina website.

Oh, and I just had to show off these adorable little bowls she gave me. I have all sorts of ideas for how to use them (mixing herbs and rubs, dipping bowls, mini ice cream bowls, etc).

Thanks, Rhian! I love this stuff!!!

Sunday afternoon was a blast. My good friend Virtual Frolic, Will and I went to Jones Family Farms in Shelton, Conn., to pick strawberries. It was the perfect day for it — not too hot, a nice breeze and a good amount of sun.

As a little girl, I used to go strawberry picking with my grandmother every year. It was among my favorite activities. I remember teeming with anticipation, waiting for the little sign to appear and point the way toward the pick-your-own farm near where we lived. Then, I would start asking when we would go. Incessantly. When we finally went, I would eat as many strawberries as I picked and ultimately leave covered from head to toe in red strawberry stains. One year in particular, there was intolerable heat under the bright sun . . . but that didn’t stop me. And when we’d get home, the first thing on my mind was eating more berries.

I daresay this will be an annual tradition for us, as it was for my grandmother and I.

Fortunately, Will eats his berries plain. Me, on the other hand? For years and years I would dip the berries in powdered sugar when consuming. In fact, I still do once in awhile when I want a taste of childhood.

Special thanks to VF for the great pictures – of course I left my camera in the car! Isn’t that always the way? And a double thanks for carrying my gigundo box of strawberries all the way so I could carry Will.

2. Place in a flat layer on a baking sheet or in a freezer safe container.

I need a tried and true coffee cake recipe. What I am imagining is a cinnamon swirl coffee cake with the yummy streusel topping. But it cannot contain sour cream or an absurd amount of butter (I am beginning to think this is a tall order). I’ve searched the web and blogosphere and haven’t found what I am looking for yet.

Can anyone help me out? The baby needs coffee cake (it’s all I’ve been able to think about for two days).