On Friday, two days before Irene, I looked out at the setting sun and saw this sky. It was viciously orange and red, and made me think of that rhyme “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; Red sky at dawn, sailors be warned.” I think that should have meant that Saturday would be a mild day … but it wasn’t. More like threatening. A warning.

Anyway, when I saw the sky, I grabbed my camera and took a bunch of shots. It was too pretty to pass up. Here’s another. Made me think of Cate too. She loves pretty skies at dusk.

Anyway, Saturday was ugly. Sunday was … well, I’ve already told you about the storm. It left this tree in my yard … it’s big. And had it fallen at a slightly different angle, it would have crashed into my house and landed where I sleep. Counting my blessings …

While we were without power for all those days, our meals weren’t gourmet. Dry cereal, fruit, take-out. Sandwiches. But last night, I tossed this plate together of cherry tomatoes and heirlooms. The kids went crazy. Turns out they love green zebra tomatoes as much as I do. It was a bright spot during our dirty, electricity free days (I am so happy to have our electricity back. I hope everyone has it soon).

This is my favorite bacon. It’s thick and a little sweet. So delicious. We had it on Friday and Saturday, which was a nice memory when I was spreading PBJ on bread and dishing out bowls of soup.More on it tomorrow.

Earlier today, I realized that it made so much more sense to move tonight’s post to next week when it will be more timely. I started working on another post, but the recipe isn’t there yet. And frankly, Snoopy here has the right idea. After shoveling snow a couple times today (don’t worry, we didn’t get a lot this time), and digging a path to the side of the house (way more strenuous), I am exhausted.

The food will return tomorrow.

Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken, Take Two

If you are a longtime reader of Sarah’s Cucina Bella, you might remember my recipes for Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts. It was a long post with adorable pictures of the kids, and a bad picture of the chicken. On Tuesday, I had the chance to reshoot this recipe with the help of professionals to figure out how to take something basic like this and make it look fabulous. The photo above is the result.

When I created my (ridiculously easy) recipe for Salt and Pepper Chicken, I was clueless how to make it look tasty in a photograph. I ended up tossing one piece on a white plate and snapping a picture.

The original photo ... Would you crave that?

And did it look irresistible? Like that special, easy recipe that everyone should have in their back pocket to make when you have no time to cook dinner or when you need a lightly seasoned chicken breast for topping a salad or drizzling with an extra special sauce? Um. No. That’s the original photo at the right … See how it looked more like a bland piece of chicken? The darkness and poor lighting didn’t help anything at all. I doubt anyone gave it a second look.

As a food writer who has had to learn to shoot photographs of the dishes and recipes I create, it’s been an uphill battle. This photograph frustrated me, but I just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Yea.

So, when my buddies (and coworkers!) at Tablespoon asked me to choose a couple potential recipes for my photography lesson with General Mills pros on my recent trip, this one topped the list. Fortunately, they agreed.

A closer look ...

The food stylist suggested turning this one recipe into a meal on a plate for better photographing. She made some couscous as a side dish, and that doubled as a way to prop up the chicken, giving it more body in the photograph. For a vegetable, we used a few carefully placed fresh cooked green beans. What a big change, right? I can hardly believe that I took these photos.

I learned so much during my training session, so I wanted to pass along a few tips for you too …

5 Food Photography Tips for the Non-Photographer

1. Don’t just pick a plate. It’s important that the color and shape of the plate compliments the food. Hold a few up to see which works the best with the colors in whatever you are photographing … or even try the food out on it first. Don’t be afraid to shoot a test shot to see which looks better in the digital realm.
2. Go small. The smaller the plate, the better your food will look — you really don’t want all that empty space around it, since it will just make the food look diminutive.
3. Take test shots. Trying to decide which place mat or napkin to use? Choose a few, and put them around the plate so you can compare how they look. Then take a test shot and whittle the linens down. Same goes for plates and other decorations.
4. Use either complimentary or contrasting colors. You can’t just choose red because you like it. Instead, consider using similar colors (such as a green napkin and plate) or contrasting ones (such as a dark brown plate and a pale khaki napkin). This will make the food stand out.
5. Don’t let the props/plates/background be distracting. Ultimately, you want the food to stand out, not the decorations that you put around it. So be sure the food is front and center and in focus (and remove anything that overshadows it).

Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts
serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
course black pepper
olive oil cooking spray

Heat a skillet over medium heat on your stove. Make sure the size of the skillet will hold all the chicken.

Rinse the chicken breasts in cool water and trim away any excess fat. Place in the center of a long (about two feet) sheet of wax paper and fold the paper over the chicken. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the chicken to about 1/4-inch thickness.

Cut each breast into two even pieces. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

Spray the skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom side. Flip and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan and use as desired.

The kids and I often dance in the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning up from a meal. As soon as I turn the music on, they come running … it’s so much fun.

Whenever I turn it on, it buzzes at me and the power and lights flicker on it. Scary stuff. So that effectively killed my plans for roasting sunchokes and baking brownies.

But, you know what? That’s okay. Today is a wonderful snowy day. The flakes keep falling, collecting on the branches in that oh-so-beautiful way that makes you stop and take back all the unkind things you’ve said about snow recently. I have to say, snow-enrobed branches are one of my very favorite outdoor scenes … and the pristine whiteness of everything is so calming.

Sure, it’s cold outside – it’s snowing, after all! But no matter, this is a day to enjoy. The kids and I bundled up (I employed the techniques I learned recently while researching an article on bundling up that I wrote for SheKnows) this morning and headed outside.

With big flakes falling around us, today is a perfect sledding day, so Will and I took advantage, making run after run. It was so much fun … and something we ought to do more often (weather permitting, of course).

Meanwhile, Paige set about to clear snow off the slide and swingset. She loves playing outside, but wasn’t so fond of snow on her gloves. Will didn’t when he was her age either.

All in all? A wonderful day … though I pray my oven troubles are quickly and easily resolved.

When I was peeling carrots for dinner the other night, I came across this nobbly fellow in my bag from the farmer’s market. I couldn’t resist snapping a photo …

So, what do you see?

Sometimes, things don’t need to be complicated to be fantastic. A peach, pealed and sliced. An apple dipped in honey. A slice of bread spread with a thin layer of hummus.

Or, in this case, a simple salad. Sungold cherry tomatoes, tiny balls of fresh mozzarella, freshly torn basil, a swig of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt (I was all out of sea salt). It’s simple as can be and takes just a few moments to pull together … and yet, this is something that the kids and I just devour.

Sometimes, simplicity really is the best thing.

What’s your favorite simple dish?

Ever since hearing my cousin talk about grilling pizza recently, I have been somewhat obsessed with doing it myself. I consulted with her on technique (she grills first, tops and then broils to melt the cheese), I set about to grill a pizza from start to finish. I really want to avoid that added step of transferring to the oven, if possible.

So far, we’ve loved the toppings (pesto, fresh mozzarella, sungold tomatoes, prosciutto) but the bottom of the crust is just getting too done (read: burnt) while the cheese melts. Fortunately, the toppings have made up for the over-done crust.

Anyway, I am still working out the technique. I am thinking a mid-cook flip might solve the problem (obviously topping the pizza right after flipping), but I haven’t tested that yet.

Any hints, tips or tricks to share?

Rainbow cupcakes.

’nuff said.