A little yellow squash given as a gift by a friend, earlier in the autumn. Still catching sunlight in the kitchen.
Archive for the ‘Kitchen Inspirations’ Category
yellow
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged autumn, colors, friendship, Inspiration, kitchen, Photography, squash, sunlight, yellow on November 24, 2013| 1 Comment »
olives plus oregano make …
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged abstract, colors, food, food photography, Inspiration, olives, oregano, Photography, salads, simple recipes on November 20, 2013| 2 Comments »
Olives scooped out of a jar. Oregano leaves pulled from little stems. Everything tossed haphazardly onto salad greens. A drizzle of olive oil. Black pepper and salt. A hunk of bread on the side. An abstract, if tasty, lunch for sure.
white petals
Posted in Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged flowers, hiking, Inspiration, Middlesex Fells Reservation, nature, Photography on October 30, 2013| 5 Comments »
rose petals and rice
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged black rice, creativity, flowers, food, Inspiration, mochi ice cream, petals, Photography, recipe, rice, rose, rose petals on October 30, 2013| 2 Comments »
That was my intention when I walked out of the Brazilian grocery store with the bag of dried rose petals. To mix rice and roses. Perhaps sprinkle the petals on top of steamed black rice. Or photograph them as they fell upon a bit of mochi ice cream. But so far I’ve just let them sit in a small bowl in the kitchen, catching that light, their pinks and golds stirring my imagination. I did find this really cool recipe for rice with rose petals. The ingredients of the recipe read like a poem. I’m not into pomegranate and I don’t think I can afford saffron. We’ll see what variation on a theme unfolds in my kitchen this winter.
a petunia, in parts
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, family, flowers, gardens, Inspiration, kitchens, memories, nature, petunias, Photography, white on October 22, 2013| 3 Comments »
I did not think the petunias would grow indoors. I thought they’d bloom for a short while and then fade away, but somehow they have lasted the summer and now bloom confidently into the fall.
They have outlasted the basil, thyme and mints.
They soak up the sun near the hardier herbs – the oregano, sage and rosemary. The plant’s white flowers shade the poinsettia that is still bright green and the stellar red garden mum, a hostess gift still hanging on.
I think I have tried to grow petunias indoors before with little luck. They are a complex flower for me, not my favorite and yet I can’t help but think of them as my mother’s plant.
She grew them in wooden boxes and converted tires that my father made and arranged in the yard for her. We shall see if this plant thrives into the winter months. Not to rush time, but I can’t wait to see the white blooms against the window with snow falling down.
steve’s hands
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Photography, Publication Updates, tagged food photography, hands, humor, Inspiration, life, literary magazine, Photography, publication, relationships, Vine Leaves on October 17, 2013| 2 Comments »
Steve Hands for Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue 8
The best part about having been given carte blanche to use his words and my images of him however I choose … well, it is just so much fun to say out of the blue, “Hey, Steve, guess what? There’s a picture of your hands appearing in a magazine next month.” He pauses, takes a deep breath and then says, “So, when did you take this picture?” And I get to make statements like, “Oh, don’t you remember that afternoon you were peeling shrimp and we were talking politics?” Anyway … 😉 His hands are paired with a vignette in the online and print publication, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, Issue 8. As explained on the journal’s website, a vignette is a word that originally meant “something that may be written on a vine-leaf.” A snapshot in words. Here’s a link to the freshly launched issue filled with great brief reads and a wonderful array of images.
no politics, just corn
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, corn, food, food photography, imagination, nature, perception, Photography, texture on October 3, 2013| 3 Comments »
“It’s rather dreamy,” is how I described the corn to Steve this morning, the 4 cobs lying snug as you know what in a rug in the refrigerator crisper. I pointed out the soft light from the various sources, the opaqueness of the crisper drawer …He looked at me, shook his head and went back to his coffee. Of course, after he left, I pulled out my camera.
Only a few golden kernels were visible in one of the cobs.
The rest had the husks still tightly wrapped, until I started to unwrap them.
I haven’t told Steve yet, but I know what we’re having for dinner.
watermelon at friday’s market
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, Copley Square Farmers Market, food, food photography, fruit, green, Inspiration, Photography, watermelon on September 22, 2013| 7 Comments »
“stroking lemons and lavender will not pay the bills”
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, cooking, creativity, food, food photography, herbs, indoor gardening, Inspiration, Photography, writers, writing process on September 5, 2013| 3 Comments »
That thought crossed my mind this morning as I did everything except the one thing I needed to be doing — write, write, write. But, eventually, I remembered that part of my creative process, especially when I am feeling stuck on a writing project, is to get up from the computer and to walk toward … something. In this case it was toward a small table in Steve’s kitchen.
On the table is an eclectic mix of items: an antique silver pitcher against which leans a postcard of Hiroshige’s Plum Garden, a small pot of basil, two pots of red peppers separated by a pot of Cuban oregano, lavender that needs to be replanted and some lemon verbena.
Nestled amidst all of these herbs are bits of pottery filled with fruits of the season, glass votives, an empty wooden basket, and another postcard, Romare Bearden’s Autumn Lamp (Guitar Player).
Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy sits open upon the table, too. I think I have it for two more weeks from the library before I have to return it. It’s a good book that I think I am going to add to my Christmas list. I flipped through the book for a bit, letting my eyes dance over her words and images. And then guess what?
I closed the book (after marking what I intend to try for dinner tonight). I sat back down at the computer and began to put fingers to the keyboard, feeling just a little bit less stuck. 😉
good sharing
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, cucumbers, food, food photography, friendship, garden tomatoes, Inspiration, Photography, salads, sharing, vegetables on September 4, 2013| 1 Comment »
A friend’s gift from her garden — tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Simple ingredients that produced a tasty salad once the items were sliced, layered, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt, pepper and other seasonings. The meal was accompanied by toasted bread rubbed with garlic. The bread was also provided by a friend, but I forgot to photograph the bread before I ate it. Next time … 😉
Words + Images 