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Breakfast--Good to Go

This month at the Inspired Plate our theme is breakfast.  As I sat down with the nutrition gal at my gym this last week I realized that I had been ignoring the great meal of breakfast of late. I know from my time as a kid that 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' but frankly in the busyness of the day breakfast was getting lost in the shuffle.  Let's face it's a jungle out there with work, kids, school, church and life...whatever it is that keeps you ticking also keeps you moving.  My breakfast is inspired by the need for speed, mobility and a nutritious kickstart to my day.



Each breakfast in a bottle parfait pairs yogurt and fruit with the crunchy goodness of peanut butter granola. A great way to start the day and add a little fruit, dairy and protein to your diet.

Strawberry Parfait with Vanilla Yogurt

Banana Parfait with Strawberry Yogurt

Orange Parfait with Vanilla Yogurt

So stack 'em up and get going for breakfast tomorrow!

So grab your breakfast and take a whirl around this month's blog circle starting with the fun and fabulous Kim Kelly | San Diego Food Photographer.  She is cooking up some tasty strawberry crepes. I can't wait to taste what's on her plate.

Green Eggs And Ham

I would not eat them in a house, I would not eat them with a mouse, I would not eat them here or there, I would not eat them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am.

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham

We all know the story...Sam's friend will not try, Sam is persistent going through rain, riding on trains, traveling with goats on boats. In the end, trying is its reward. 

Dr. Seuss has long been a wise sage spreading confidence and urging adventures in imaginative and daring ways.  And coming up in just 5 days we celebrate Dr. Seuss Day.  March 2, 1904 was Theodor Seuss Geisel's birthday. My son just happens to share his birthday and we have a long held tradition of eating green eggs and ham as a kick off to a new adventurous year.    

This year I set a goal to 'Do Bold Things.' I'm off to a decent start but as anyone knows who has tackled a goal there are times of discouragement, self doubt, even despair. So in hopes of bouying your spirits and your confidence (and a bit of my own) I share some of my favorite Dr. Seuss  Quotes:

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go! 

 

“When you think things are bad,
when you feel sour and blue,
when you start to get mad...
you should do what I do!
Just tell yourself, Duckie,
you're really quite lucky!
Some people are much more...
oh, ever so much more...
oh, muchly much-much more
unlucky than you!”
― Dr. Seuss, Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? 

 

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!  

 

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”
― Dr. Seuss 

 

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax  

 

So tell me...what is 'your green eggs & ham' today?

Get out there try something new, Do something bold, do something true. Be good and be kind, pick yourself up if you fall, for you are the one that is you so stand tall.  And in the words of Dr. Seuss..I meant what I said, I said what I meant (paraphrase) So go out and do it 100%!

And while you are out there...go check out the rest of the Inspired Plate's food photography blircle.  Starting with the fabulous Jen Olson | Localette | San Luis Obispo, CA Food Photographer   and her take on this month's theme--Eggs.

 

    

Moments to Remember

The Journey

Solitude

Trio

I Heart U

This month the Inspired Plate's Food Photo Challenge is 'Healthy'.  When I hear healthy I automatically pair heart with it and so at this time of the year when it's cold and drab outside what better way to merge a healthier heart with the celebration of the heart. So I put together a little Valentine treat with a healthy twist to say:

 

This tasty treat is swarming with this yummy goodness...healthy right? :)

It's really quite simple and you can even get your Valentine to help decorate. You just need to start with the crust and here's a great recipe including my secret ingredient.

Fruit Pizza

The Crust : Super Soft Sugar Cookie Dough w/a hint of Lemon
1 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
3 Eggs (beaten)
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 tsp. Lemon Extract
1Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
5-6 Cups of Flour
Cream Shortening and Sugar. Mix in 1 beaten egg at a time. Add in sour cream and lemon extract. Add Baking Powder, Baking Soda & Salt. Add flour till dough is soft but not sticky.  Chill in fridge 2 hours, if you are in a hurry put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Shape to pizza crust shape then bake @ 350 Degrees for 8 minutes. 

The Frosting:
1 Brick Cream Cheese
2-3 Cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp Lemon Extract
1 Tbsp Milk
Mix until smooth add powdered sugar to desired spreading consistency.

The Topping: Arrange your favorite colorful fruit on top.
 
        

 

So here is to a happy & healthy way to tell your loved ones that  I ♥ You! And now take a spin over to Jen Olson of Localette | California Food Photographer to feast on her healthy creation this month.

On Black

I've had a thing for black as of late. So much so that I've heard comments to the effect that I should add some color to my life.  To my clothes, to my graphic designs to my photography. I've considered the suggestion and filed it away.  You see, to me black is an anchor, it's constant and it's elegant. It reminds me of a symphony...beautiful notes set off by black, proper clothing. In photography it can do very much the same.

It is however, sometimes hard to photograph.  Exposure is different than 'normal'. There are many 'degrees' of black and of course there is the practicality of black showing every speck of dust imaginable. It can make a subject feel like it's floating, literally in a black hole. Sometimes as photographers we fear it.

You might notice however, that I've utilized it quite a bit. The last two month's challenges were set on black so this month I decided to approach this month's Inspired Plate food photography theme of 'shooting on black' in a way that would be new to me. This time I utilized reflection. I found it to be an interesting challenge to only reflect what you want to reflect, but I feel like the reflection adds a great dimension to black backgrounds.  It adds a sense of place to the subject so they aren't really floating out in the wide world with nothing to hold them down. I found that quite comforting and enjoyable.

So without further ado...My three takes on black backgrounds.

Sprite Slush

 

Harvest Corn

 

Fall Trio

Next take a peek at Stacey Siegal | Longboat Key & Bradenton FL Photographer.  She never fails to amaze!

Texture

"There's an ecstasy about doing something really good on film: the composition of a shot, the drama within the shot, the texture... It's palpable."

William Shatner 

Good 'Ole Captain Kirk hit it straight on.  Texture in a photograph is euphoric and why?  Because an image with texture that you can 'feel' with your eyes has entered into a higher realm  The photograph becomes more than a visual art expanding to one that you can touch...and touching leads to speaking to your soul. 

tex·ture [noun] 1. the visual and especially tactile quality of a surface.

Shadow Berry

 

Cluster

Scars

Trio

This month's challenge utilizes texture in a variety of visual and digital ways to add a new dimension to food photography.  Next check out the talented Tammy Bilodeau ~ Whitecourt, AB Photographer  

Summer Sweets & Treats

An Ode to the Cupcake

small

powerful

elegant

sweet

moist

textured

individual

portable

mysterious

treasured

favored

creamy

precise

versatile

upscale

down home

The Cupcake

 

Now take a spin over to see Stacey Siegal | Longboat Key & Bradenton FL Photographer.  Despite prepping for Hurricane Isaac she has created a delectable summer time treat.

The JUST Project

Welcome to the just project.  I often hear people marginalize parts of their life as they refer to them as 'just'.  I'm 'just' a mom or these are 'just' my kids. I 'just' do this for a living or I'm 'just' a hobbyist.   As I notice the trials and blessings (many are one in the same) in my life I have begun to notice that the 'just' things are not little things but the things that bring meaning, hope, faith and purpose.

Our lives are filled with moments.  They might seem routine or ordinary or pointless. But in moments of eternal clarity, we see that these moments are but stepping stones or puzzle pieces to something bigger, something grander, something meaningful. Just take a moment to find the divine in the every day moments. Just this...just that. It is those things that I will be searching out and documenting on this journey. Below are just the first nine images.





Click on any image to make it larger
As an added incentive, I have joined the cmpro Daily Project. cmpro is a professional organization of women photographers. To join, one must successfully submit to a portfolio review including such things as exposure, light, composition, processing and creativity. I am pleased that I recently passed this review and became a cmpro member. The attainment of this goal is a milestone for me.  And it's just another stepping stone along the way of my photographic journey. The daily project is a collaboration of many cmpro members submitting inspirational and personally meaningful images accessible in one space. I am honored and pleased to be joining them. I will be posting daily there and will occasionally update my images here on my blog.

Grillin' Time

This month’s theme at The Inspired Plate is Barbecue.  This word is interesting as it means so many different things and especially different depending on where you live.{Just check out the video on Carey Pace's blog}   So for my readers, here is my first entry from Kat’s Food Blogging Dictionary.

bar·be·cue {bahr-bi-kyoo} noun, verb; The act of cooking AND the celebration surrounding really great food prepared outdoors usually on a grill.  And like most occasions that usually happen indoors but are moved out, there is likely a bit of a celebratory feeling about said food preparation and consuming especially in the month of July.

Now that we’ve got that settled…and the fact that I probably won’t be writing for Webster’s anytime soon despite the fact that I think all Moms should have an open opportunity to work for a dictionary and or encyclopedia company because of their answering endless questions at the drop of the hat on every subject from abalone to zippers, we can continue with the good stuff.

I like to grill.  Probably, because it’s pretty simple. You don’t have to have a lot of ingredients and if you work it right you don’t even have to be the one doing the actual cooking. 

So the first thought on grilling is the standard, the normal and maybe the boring.

The Dog

 

The Dog itself is greatly enhanced with the magic of the grill.  The little bit of smoke and char singed sides makes for a tasty summer treat.  You can go traditional with mustard or branch out for a bit of crunch and texture as well as added flavor.

The grill however, is versatile and welcomes many types of food. (You’ll see everything from veggies to desserts as you round the blircle today).

So without further ado…let me introduce you to the Kabob family…First there is Beef Kabob, Veggie Kabob and Chicken Kabob.

All quite tasty, and equally easy to prepare.  Here's a few tips to help along the way.

Tip 1: You can mix veggies and meat..but they cook at different rates so you might try all veggie and all meet kabobs to streamline the  process.

Tip 2: Cut your meat in similar size 'squares' so they cook evenly. Make your veggies chunky so they can hold up to the grill and stay juicy.

Tip 3: Use a nice pair of insulated tongs to easily rotate kabobs from one side to the next.

Tip 4. Olive Oil is your best friend.  All three preparations were created with a douse of olive oil then a pinch of seasoning.  In this case a mixture of peppers, garlic for the beef, seasoning salt for the chicken and Italian dressing seasoning for the veggies.  YUM!

So enjoy your next BBQ and your trip around The Inspired Plate as you try veggies, meats and even dessert.  Your next stop is to a BBQ down under. Sabrina Wong, Perth Food Photographer.  This girl is amazing she is a medical student by day and a superb Food Photographer…by…well I have no idea how she fits that in.  But she rocks it!

 

Favorite Fifty

For some time I have been working on creating a portfolio for professional critique and personal growth. A portfolio is not static. It is always growing, reaching and becoming. But at any given moment it is a glimpse at the soul of its maker. Here is a glimpse at my soul. 50 of my best and favorite images, my portfolio that is for today, me. Click on any image to see it larger.