Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged abstract art, bananas, colors, Dr. Seuss, food, food photography, fruit, humor, imagination, Inspiration, Photography, poetry, prose on March 13, 2013| 4 Comments »
I do not like bananas.
I do not like them green or gold.
I do not like them hot or cold.
I do not like them with pretty brown spots.
I do not like them cut into pots.
I do not like them sliced thick or thin,
not even when placed in a bright shiny tin.
Eat a banana that looks like gourmet abstract art?
No, my dear Sam.
I’d rather eat my wheat bread with ham.
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged blood oranges, cocktail, colors, drinks, food, food & drink, food photography, fruit, moro, Photography, recipes on March 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I have a friend who loves to make a gin and tonic cocktail of sorts, and he loves to eat moro, or blood, oranges. One day I asked him why not try adding blood oranges to the recipe. This is what he came up with. Not rocket science he would say, but oh so very delicious with or without alcohol.
Blood Orange Cocktail
1-2 moro (blood) oranges
sparkling water
limeade (something all natural with no added sugar)
gin*
Juice the oranges, retaining a bit of the pulp. Split the juice and pulp between 2 chilled glasses. Add gin (or not*) to taste. Top off the drink with sparkling water and limeade. If you want to be completely over the top, add some sliced limes just before serving. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, food, food photography, fruit, Inspiration, Photography, red, strawberries, sweet on March 12, 2013| 7 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged black radish, food, food photography, Inspiration, radishes, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian on March 6, 2013| 2 Comments »
A few folks have asked so here it is: a view of the black radish next to the more commonly seen red radishes. I picked up my first one simply as something new to photograph. I had no idea how it would taste or how to prepare it. When I mentioned this to a friend of Russian ancestry, she shared some of her family’s recipes. Tastes a little bitter but the carrots and red onion add sweetness. Very high in Vitamin C and full of other good stuff. Just what’s needed as we await the next snowstorm. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged black radish, colors, dinner, flavor, food, food photography, Inspiration, Photography, recipes, red onion, vegetarian on March 6, 2013| 2 Comments »
black radish salad
1 medium size black radish, peeled and grated
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/4 cup or so of finely chopped red onion
a little chopped fresh parsley
Toss all ingredients in bowl with a little olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, black pepper and pinch of salt. Cover and place in refrigerator to marinate for a bit. Serve alongside saucers of sliced toasted bread that have been lightly rubbed with garlic, sliced red tomatoes and homemade aioli dressing. Smoked salmon on the side wasn’t bad either. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged cooking, food, food photography, garlic, Inspiration, lemon, Photography, quotes, recipes on February 19, 2013| 5 Comments »
“You could starve to death in the midst of plenty if you didn’t have garlic!”
— quote by SFH
I’ve always loved the idea that no matter how tart the lemons of life, you can always find some sugar to sprinkle on top. You know, sweeten things up. I forgot you can also mix garlic with lemon and create some tastiness too.
I was reminded of that fact this morning by that fellow in my life. He is quoted above. He is absolutely notorious for his use of garlic. And while one might think that he is joking about starving without garlic, let me assure you that he is not. In our time together, I have gained a whole new appreciation for garlic spears in steak, garlic-based marinades for beef, chicken and pork, and garlic-rubbed toasted bread served with sliced tomatoes and smoked salmon.
He is perhaps most famous for his pesto. Traditionally, he makes it with fresh basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil, some black pepper … and a ton of garlic. Now at the drop of a hat, he can make all sorts of variations to accommodate allergies, e.g. replacing pine nuts with carrots for my young cousin. At some point he started adding sundried tomatoes. When pine nuts became a bit scarce, there was a hazelnut experiment. Black walnuts didn’t work so well.
One day I hope to convince him to sit still long enough to write about his philosophies of food, especially around garlic. But I suppose most people would prefer he just keep cooking. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged blood orange, citrus, colors, food, food photography, fruit, Inspiration, moro, Photography, weather on February 7, 2013| 8 Comments »
Here in New England we’re awaiting the arrival of what’s being called an epic snowstorm. A might coating of white will cover the land soon enough. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to the warm oranges and reds of the moro or blood orange. Given the amount of digging I’ll be doing over the next few days, I’ll need all the Vitamin C I can get. Wherever you are in the world, be well. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, digital photography, edible flowers, emerald, flowers, food, food photography, green, Inspiration, light, nasturtium, nature, Pantone on January 31, 2013| 4 Comments »
Not sure this nasturtium leaf is emerald, Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2013, but I think it is a lovely shade of green just the same. And it is very tasty, in fact peppery, sprinkled on top of salads. 😉
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged aurora, cactus, colors, food, food photography, fruit, Inspiration, nature, nature photography, plants, prickly pear, still life on January 29, 2013| 6 Comments »
… it was an impulse buy. I had traveled to my local grocery store with a specific list of items to purchase. Prickly pears were not on that list. And yet as I passed by that basket of fruit …
… I guess the overhead lights struck the skin in such a way that I was reminded of iridescent glass. How could I resist such a display?
And yes, if I look close enough, I still see stars in a night sky. Perhaps an aurora. 😉
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, flowers, food, food photography, Inspiration, leaves, light, nasturtium, nature, nature photography, plants on January 22, 2013| 7 Comments »
Words + Images 