Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Photography Exhibits, tagged Davis Square, exhibits, food, Inside Out Gallery, Photography, Somerville on June 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This month the Inside Out Gallery (located in the CVS window in Davis Square, Somerville) is featuring a juried exhibit showcasing international cuisines. I’m proud to have three photos in the exhibit of images taken during a visit to Kyoto, Japan. There are many other beautiful works on display. I hope if you’re in the area you’ll pause a moment to check out all of the tasty images.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged carpaccio, food, Inspiration, Photography, photos, pictures, recipes, vegetables on June 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I’m lucky to live in an area where pretty much any day of the week I can stumble upon a farmer’s market in a park or public square. So inspiring both my writing and photography right now are the foods and flowers of the season. The idea for this recipe came about after Steve and I had actual beef carpaccio at a local restaurant. The artful arrangement of the meat and other ingredients on the plate made me curious if it was possible to create a similar dish using just vegetables. The answer: absolutely! 😉
Vegetarian “Carpaccio”
* 2-3 medium white summer beets
* 1 stalk green garlic
* 1/4 cup diced red onions
* capers
* olive oil
* black pepper
Directions: Thinly slice beets and layer on a plate. Top with thinly sliced green garlic, diced red onions, and capers. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with black pepper.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged edible flowers, nasturtium, Photography, photos, pictures on June 4, 2011| 1 Comment »
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged culture, food, lifestyle, Photography, southern cooking on May 17, 2011| 1 Comment »
Though I grew up in the South, and my mother cooked in the southern tradition, I must admit that I gasped when Jay added a whole stick of butter to the pan of browning Jimmy Dean sausage. For years, Jay had been offering to share his mother’s biscuits and gravy with Steve and I. And finally last week we took him up on his offer. The basic recipe …
* In a cast iron frying pan, brown one pound of sausage.
* Once the sausage is nearly browned, add the stick of butter. Let the butter melt.
* Toss in some flour. The flour browns in all that buttery goodness. Pour in some milk.
*Add some spices (e.g. cumin or chili powder or whatever you want). Then, the secret ingredient is added. Molasses! Have you ever heard of such? Keep cooking until the gravy is thick and golden brown. Stir occasionally.
As the concoction bubbles, whisk up some drop biscuits.
Once biscuits have browned, split one open on a plate and ladle on the gravy. Simply delicious.
Posted in Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged Arlington, fungus, mushrooms, nature, Photography, wild mushrooms on May 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged coffee, family, fathers and daughters, food, nostalgia on April 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A gray day in the Boston area. I am trying very hard to focus on all the writing projects I have due this week. The only legit excuse I’ve given myself to rise from this chair is for coffee. Coffee is one of those substances in which as an adult I have at times overindulged. As a child, I associated coffee with my father. My mother, by the time I was old enough to notice, drank only hot tea (Lipton’s with a half teaspoon of sugar). My dad preferred instant coffee.
Pop
One teaspoon of the dark brown granules in his orange plastic cup. The resulting brew liberally lightened with canned Pet evaporated milk, and sweetened with two heaping teaspoons of sugar. Sometimes if I sat on his lap he’d let me have a slurp or two. It wasn’t until I went away to college that I had fresh brewed coffee. Took me a while to get used to the complex flavors. I continued to buy instant, but less for the flavor than for the connection to my dad, especially on Sunday mornings when we would speak by phone. Years later, after I had moved to Boston and began working for a start-up nonprofit, brewed coffee became manna. Didn’t hurt that I lived in a Boston neighborhood with a coffee shop at every corner (and that was before Starbucks made inroads). I always had a coffee cup in hand. In fact, one year for my birthday, Bert, a good friend and colleague, drew my cup of the moment.
Today I drink from a simple white mug a coffee recently roasted by Steve’s son-in-law. I had to grind the beans myself before brewing. I’ve already had two cups. I think I’ll give myself permission to have one more cup … after I complete a couple of items on my list. Until then … enough of these coffee musings. I hope your day goes well! 😉
Kyle's Coffee
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged light, Photography, sunlight, whimsy on April 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes, when I have a lot of writing to do for clients, I give myself (and especially my lower back) a break by getting up, grabbing my camera, and following the light around the house.
The Pillow
The Plastic Tower
Behind the Curtain
The Sake Bottle
Posted in Books I Love, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged birdsong, poetry, Shadow of Sirius, W. S. Merwin on April 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
There is no more selfish act, no more powerful gift I give to myself, then when I find a quiet corner to read a book of poetry. Through the author’s words — and the images evoked by those words — my experiences of this life are deepened. I especially felt that way today as I found a moment to read W. S. Merwin’s The Shadow of Sirius. You see, for days now, each morning as night gives way to morning, I have lain awake in bed listening to birdsong. I have struggled with how to capture the experience on paper. And then I read Merwin’s poem The Laughing Thrush, and I thought, “Well, one day the words may come about my bird and his song. But for now let me enjoy another’s.”
The Laughing Thrush
by W. S. Merwin
O nameless joy of the morning
tumbling upward note by note out of the night
and the hush of the dark valley
and out of whatever has not been there
song unquestioning and unbounded
yes this is the place and the one time
in the whole of before and after
with all of memory waking into it
and the lost visages that hover
around the edge of sleep
constant and clear
and the words that lately have fallen silent
to surface along the phrases of some future
if there is a future
here is where they all sing the first daylight
whether or not there is anyone listening
* from The Shadow of Sirius
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged flowers, Photography, pottery on March 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Branches, Guest Contributor, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, On the Road, Photography Exhibits, Postcards, tagged art, collaboration, family, nature, open studios, Photography on March 10, 2011| 3 Comments »
It was back in December that I last posted a Words+Images update. It focused on end of year inspirations. Now with spring on the horizon, I thought it time to share new updates. Let’s see … 😉
Preparing for Somerville Open Studios
Somerville Open Studios 2011 is rapidly approaching and so I am trying to get myself in gear. I’ve been sorting through images, selecting a set that will be turned into notecards and others that will be matted and framed. For the first time, I will also have postcards available for sale. The images will be representative of the changing seasons. Seasons is the theme of my collaboration with artist Zoe Langosy.
Leading up to show there are many wonderful opportunities to exhibit including the upcoming SOS2010 Volunteer Show.
Sharing Stories
My business cards say “writer/photographer.” A better title would be “storyteller.” That is what I do whether with words or with images. With the passing of my Aunt Thelma recently, those fires within have been stoked to listen closely to those around me and to tell their stories well.
Finding Perspective
There’s all sorts of things I could say about finding perspective this year. With my camera, at least, let’s just say I found perspective by getting up close and personal with house plants and cut flowers.
One snowy day, I found a lemon …
And when the sun came out, I spied this bird sitting high in a tree.
I think that’s about it. More to share in the spring … which is only 8 days away!
Words + Images 