This recipe is mine, as in, I created it for the Wheat Foods Council. My first recipe development outing with these folks was a complete pleasure, a twelve-recipe pleasure. Lovely to be home, in my one-turn kitchen, thinking and cooking and thinking. About waffles, pasta, crepes, croissants, cinnamon rolls and...did I mention lasagne? Pretty darn fun.
Read Moreblog posts
The 3-Minute Interview
Time it took to be interviewed : 10 minutes. Time it takes to read the interview: less than 1 minute. Value of reading the interview: priceless because it is free!
Read MoreKojo knows
'Say Cheese!': Food Photography: A conversation on with Kojo Nnamdi, Lisa Cherkasky and Rachel Tepper on WAMU.
Read MoreFriends in round places
No stranger to The Meatball Shop, I will never forget the lunch of pure lusciousness I licked off my plate and arms and fingers last year while in NYC. Had to hose myself off and run right home to blog about it. Now, should one need the miracle of those meatballs in the privacy of one's own home, thy will may be done.
Read MoreHigh Rise
Did I know what I was getting into when Kinnaird+Mangan enlisted me to build a "bread centerpiece" for an American Bakers Association reception? No. Do I ever really know what I am getting myself into? Nah.
Read MoreSychronicity
Ms. Krieger had come into my close radar about two years ago, when I wrote a profile of her for The Food Magazine. I found her to be engaging, charming, smart and unpretentious. While her first focus derives from her outlook as a registered dietician, an ascetic she ain't. Ms. Krieger obviously gives in happily - and healthfully - to sensuality and enjoyment.
Read MoreWhat I did on my winter break
Styling a casserole, hot dish, covered dish, or whatever you (or your mom and grandma) may call it, can be tricky. The thing is heavy and and hot and crusty, and smells delicious! Conveying that with only two dimensions is, well, limiting.
Read MoreMy Work, Working
Sometimes, watching ads on TV especially, I feel for the foodstylist. Oh, just how many of those perfect strawberries did they roll down that corrugated steel, smashing the berries to bits, before getting the shot? And did she plan for that shot? Was she scrambling for berries? This happened to me. True story.
Read MoreLaunched!!
I'm super excited about the launch of the Wheat Foods Council's new site. And proud of my contributions. Several features were penned by me - In the Spotlight, a profile of chef David Guas, Books That Cook, a review of Joe Yonan's recent release "Serve Yourself", It's Tool Time, and a craft column, Decorate Your Tree.
Read MoreThat's One Big Cookie!
Styling for USA Weekend Magazine is always creative for me, and gives me an opportunity to work with a new recipe. Makes my world bigger, too. Ginormous.
Read MoreAbundance
My Thanksgiving secret is no secret. Loud and clear, this year has been one of abundance. Plenty and more. Thank you, the powers that be, lady luck, clients fidelious, and mother nature.
Read MoreDream Job: Foodstyling for Radio
Styling for the NPR Morning Edition Thanksgiving segment with Steve Inskeep, Renee Montagne and Christopher Kimball of America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Cook's Country has been a plumb job for me going back a while. I am a radio girl, and a cooking girl, and, on every level, this gig makes me happy.
Previously the taping has been done in homes. This year there was a change up and we gathered at Zola, the lovely restaurant inside the International Spy Museum.
Listening is a big part of cooking, particularly if you are multi-tasking. The pitch of a sizzle will vary depending on temperature and moisture. When your back is turned, you can hear if the pan is ready for de-glazing. Heavy cream being beaten in a stand mixer will sound much different as it becomes stiff. When your back is turned, you can hear that you are about to get butter. As chunks of dry bread whirl in a food processor the sing will heighten as the crumbs turn finer. When your back is turned, you can hear that it's time to press stop before the crumbs become dust.
One of these days, some fine engineer will invent a cook's radio. As the din rises and falls in your kitchen, the volume on the radio will adjust automatically to accomodate. I will buy the first generation.
You gotta keep your ear to the track, so to speak, to avoid a train wreck.
Drat, I wish I had taken more snapshots, but dang was I busy. Tuned in with all my senses.
I Get a Kick Out of You
My story is much to sad to be toldBut practically everything leaves me totally cold The only exception I know is the freezer case When I'm out on a quiet grocery shopping spree, fighting vainly the old ennui Then I suddenly turn and see Your fabulous package in the space
Read MoreTemperamental Stars
Lights, Roll, Action, Drip! Typically, companies use television commercials to introduce new products or to remind consumers about old ones. Regardless, the goal is the same: show the product, and do it in a way that makes people want to eat the TV.
Read MoreGetting Crafty
My friend Cindy, who manages the Crystal City FreshFarm Market, pulled a Tom Sawyer in her plans for the market's harvest festival. Clever girl, she invited a group of friends to her place for food - delicious goat cheese and other stuff from the market, drinks and autumn crafting. Cindy handled the supplies and most of the thinking, while we wielded the paring knives, scissors and elbow grease.
Read MoreAn Inspiring Blog
Some mornings I do not want to leave the house. If I go straight to my computer - a bad habit, I know - Seth Godin's Blog is there to greet me and to help me seize the day at my best. Here is a recent post to which I could relate:
First, make rice.
Fledgling sushi chefs spend months (sometimes years) doing nothing but making the rice for the head chef.
If the rice isn't right, it really doesn't matter what else you do, you're not going to be able to serve great sushi.
Most of the blogging and writing that goes on about marketing assumes that you already know how to make the rice. It assumes you understand copywriting and graphic design, that you've got experience in measuring direct response rates, that you've made hundreds of sales calls, have an innate empathy for what your customers want and think and that you know how to make a compelling case for what you believe.
Too often, we quickly jump ahead to the new thing, failing to get good enough at the important thing.
Putting together a burrito means starting on a nice foundation of rice. At Burwell and Burwell Photography I build burritos for the California Tortilla Company. Making peace with the rice is imperative.
Make Yourself Useful
While on a shoot at High Impact Photography with Larry Sherer, I had some time on set between food shots. The client wanted snow falling behind the window, I suggested we also stack snow on the sill, and then stepped in.
Read MoreA New Endeavor
Today I'm headed out to work on a book for an up-and-comer, Tianna Feaster. She's a bright, beautiful, vivacious young woman creating an excellent niche for herself. I can see Tianna going far and becoming a star. This is her first book and she is very excited to see how it will come to life in the studio.
Antar Hanif is the photographer and this is my first time out with him. I'm looking forward to collaborating with a new team and hope this is the beginning of a strong, long relationship.