On a gray day in Somerville, a fun respite to quickly capture colors in the kitchen. Hope your day goes well. 😉
Oregano in Salt
Greek Oregano Drying
Lemon Thyme & Peppercorn
Clementines
Toasted Bread
Tomatoes and Cheese
Posts Tagged ‘food’
Culinary Colors …
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged cheese, colors, food, fruit, herbs, Inspiration, Photography, photos, pictures, vegetables on November 16, 2011| 1 Comment »
Dark and Lovely: Black Radishes
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged black radishes, culinary inspiration, food, Photography, photos, pictures, vegetable, vegetarian recipe on September 7, 2011| 1 Comment »
Yesterday I walked into my local grocery store with a very specific agenda: buy bread, butter and carrots. Somehow I left with those items plus a package of two large black radishes, a vegetable completely new to me. I decided to photograph them, and I was curious what Steve might do with them in the kitchen. Thanks to a Chowhound thread and his own imagination, it was a lovely experiment. The following recipe made one pancake-like serving that we split as an appetizer.
Steve’s Black Radish Latkes
Peel one large black radish. Grate approximately one-quarter of this radish into a bowl. Squeeze a tablespoon or so of lime juice over the top to help preserve color and cut the strong horseradish flavor.
To the bowl add the following items, grated as well or finely chopped: white potatoes (the grated amount should be double the amount of grated radish), a small to medium red onion and a clove or more of garlic.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix with olive oil.
In a small frying pan, heat olive oil and butter. When hot, press the potato-radish mixture into the pan.
Initially cook the cake over high heat so that the bottom browns forming a crust. Once crust is formed on one side, flip it over to brown the second side. Once each side is browned, turn down flame and cover.
Cook over low flame for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are done in the middle. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
For added deliciousness, add grated parmesan cheese as part of the overall mixture or specifically to the crust. Steve thought adding grated apples might also be tasty. As for what variety of apple, when I asked him that question, he looked at me perplexed and asked, “Is there another apple beside Macintosh?”
Ahem. In the end, it’s your choice. If you can track down a black radish, try your own variation on a latke-theme. 😉
Illumination …
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, food, illumination, Inspiration, Photography, photos, pictures, sunlight, wine on August 30, 2011| 2 Comments »
Food Acts (International)
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged aid, charity, children, East Africa, famine relief, food, images, Somalia on August 17, 2011| 2 Comments »
Around Christmas, my mother used to invite the gentleman across the street over for dinner. We called him Mr. Joe Boy. He was mentally challenged but living independently with the support of family. My mom would assemble a plate of food so that he could eat in the living room, and the rest of us could hang out in the kitchen. She then left Joe Boy to my dad. My dad was more a people-person than my mom. He would make small talk with Joe Boy. The two of them would watch westerns or whatever was on television. Sometimes Joe Boy would nod off in his chair and we kids would sigh wondering when he was going home. My mother would frown at us but we knew she was thinking the same thing. Eventually my dad would nudge him awake and see him to the door. Over many Christmas holidays that same act would be repeated. Not because this man was starving for food or asking for anything. We did it because my mom felt it was the right thing to do, to be neighborly to this man who spent most of his time alone. It is a trait that I admire in Steve who practices a similar ethos around food and dining. Food is on my mind today because I finally stopped turning away from the pictures coming out of Somalia and East Africa. Most disturbing are the pictures of the skeletal children.
AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam
This little man in particular gave me pause because he is in such contrast to the picture I shared earlier of my young nephew growing up in this country. What to do? If I find some money to give, where should I send it? Will it have any impact? I decided I needed to do my homework. Here’s a bit of what I’ve found so far.
* In response to a donor query, Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, asked different aid agencies to share what they are doing in the region. Read more here.
*Interaction, an alliance of U.S.-based international NGOs, has produced a straight forward list of 45 aid agencies with contact information viewable here.
*CNN just posted an article, Famine in East Africa: How You Can Help, providing basic information including simple ways to give via texting and other social networking tools.
Culinary Inspiration
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged blue, colors, family, food, life, Photography, photos, pictures, rice, white on July 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s article highlighted how much the kitchen inspires the photographer in me like in the above image. Here I remember I just wanted to play around with the colors white and blue. The kitchen also inspires the writer in me, in part, because the sights and the scents bring back so many happy childhood memories of growing up in Virginia. For most of my childhood my parents and my brothers and I only went into the living room for a few hours at night to watch television and on Sunday afternoons to greet family and friends visiting after church. Otherwise, we were in the kitchen around the table eating or playing games. In talking with my oldest brother, I recently realized that when he shares family stories they most often center in the kitchen as well. The latest stories focused on our father’s wine making. More to follow about that! 😉
Hot Off the Press: To Define or Not to Define …
Posted in Contributing Writer, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, Photography, Publication Updates, tagged beauty, creative writing, creativity, food, Inspiration, nature, Photography, photos, pictures on July 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Hi, all. I have a new article posted on the lovely website Creativity Portal.com. Check it out and let me know what you think. Meanwhile, wherever you are in your day, I hope all goes well! 😉
To Define or Not to Define: That is the Question
A Seasonal Collaboration
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged collaboration, food, gardens, herbs, Photography, photos, pictures, recipes, spring on June 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Well, just the other day, Steve snatched a large white serving bowl from my hands. As he clutched it tight, he said, “I best put this back on top of the cabinet else you’ll plant herbs in it.” He’s probably right. It’s just been one of those springs. Indoor gardening has consumed me a bit. During the long winter, I collected a lot of seeds. And so now, in pots and cups and old vases, on two floors of the house I live in, are growing: basil, dill, lemon thyme, marjoram, and two types of sage.
Later today, as a reward for completing a few writing projects, I’m hoping to run by the local flower shop for some mint plants. Mint used to grow wildly across my yard growing up in Virginia. My mom showed me how to make mint tea with it. Fun, but not really a palette pleaser. Then I learned that there are MANY varieties of mint. Today I intend to pick up chocolate mint, orange mint and pineapple mint plants. The boon for me is twofold in planting all this greenery. One, of course, they make great photographic subjects. And, two, Steve loves to cook for family and friends.
Lemon thyme plus olive oil, two egg yolks, a hot pepper, and a little mustard were transformed into this delicious lemon thyme aioli. Nasturtium blossoms and leaves are tossed on top of green salads. Fresh basil is layered between mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and then drizzled with olive oil. Toasted bread is rubbed with garlic before being piled high with chopped tomatoes, sage and marjoram. And then … I think you get the idea! 😉
New Exhibit: Inside Out Gallery, Davis Square
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.
Recipe: Vegetarian Carpaccio
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.
