an unfolding story of food & adventure.
Carving pumpkins is great, but it’s kind of a means to and end for me. The end being roasted pumpkin seeds. It’s the prize at the finish line. Cut your pumpkin open, clean all those seeds out, pop them in the oven and start carving your pumpkin. By the time it’s all said and done, you can sit back admiring your artistic masterpiece, while devouring pumpkin seeds….
Being a full-time food photographer has many perks. One of those perks is leftovers. Lots and lots of leftovers… In this particular case, after shooting a video for Tablespoon.com called “How to Serve Booze in Your Pumpkin” (I made a pumpkin keg…It was pretty great), I had three very large pumpkins left over. Not one to waste food, I chopped up all the pumpkin and got to roasting. Four hours later, my house smelled very strongly of pumpkin, and I had roughly 60 cups of pureed pumpkin…that’s A LOT OF PUMPKIN! Ever the optimist, I assured myself that Shan and I would figure out ways to use it up. First up, Pumpkin Soup! Surely that will get rid of lots, right? This made quite a bit of soup, yet I only used 6 cups of puree. Guess we’ll be eating pumpkin forever…
This recipe is super simple, healthy, and can be made in 15 minutes if you’re quick! The curry powder does most of the work, imparting a light heat, and plenty of flavour….
Portland has such a soft spot in my heart from each road trip we took as a family. Driving nearly 24 hours from Saskatchewan through various landscapes and emerging on the other side of the Columbia River Gorge was wonderful! It still is. This time was different though, as Bob and I took a trip which gave us the best of both worlds – a quick flight into PDX, and a lengthy but enjoyable drive home.
Our first evening in Portland consisted of a quick stop at a local market, catching up with family, and a brief walk around Lake Oswego where my cousins live. The following morning, we set out to take on downtown Portland, and check out some local spots we had heard so much about. First stop – Stumptown Coffee. Bob and I were not one bit surprised to see a lineup leading to the door, given the buzz going around. Soon enough, with a buzz of our own, we were energized for a long day of walking around. Winding our way through the Pearl district, we stopped to enjoy a fresh salad at Garden Bar, before perusing Powell’s books. Of course, I had to buy a couple books, while Bob just looked and made a wishlist to order from Amazon. (Ever practical, he is.)…
I don’t see my sister as much as we both would like, but this week, we planned a date! When the opportunity presented itself to have her over for dinner, I immediately knew what I wanted to make – Zucchini gratin. We have huge zucchinis at home from Bob’s mom, and sometimes when I make toast in the morning, I feel like they’re looking at me. They’ve been neglected.
Unfortunately, my dream of creamy gratin browning in my new Staub pot will have to wait. I forgot Sarah hates zucchini. She would be a good sport and say she doesn’t, but she really does. With this in mind, I set about making a backup plan. Sarah and I both have a soft spot for pasta, but I wanted to do something a little different. I found a risotto recipe that caught my eye, and knew this would be a satisfying alternative. Bon Appétit’s recipe for white wine braised chicken would be the perfect complement!…
With the first frost right around the corner, my mother has been busy harvesting the last of her garden, while I’ve been gladly accepting the fruits (or rather vegetables) of her labour. I have many fond memories of her sitting at our kitchen table, sunhat still on, reading the paper, while enjoying a freshly picked tomato on toast. It was a simple snack that any other time of the year would be pretty disappointing, but during the summer, became something special. A freshly picked tomato needs nothing more than a sprinkle of salt to taste absolutely amazing. Fast forward a couple decades into my own home, and here I am, inspired by a text from my mother, showcasing a piece of toast topped with slices of fresh tomato. Now I had to have some too. Thanks Mom….
The soup saga continues!
This one came about late one night when Shan and I were pacing around the kitchen, trying to figure out what the heck we could eat for supper. We were definitely due for a grocery run and pickings were slim. After some deliberation, we settled on tomato soup inspired by the generous donation of garden tomatoes from my mother. Rather than stick with a traditional tomato soup, we decided to spice things up (literally), with some coconut milk and curry powder.
Given that I’ve never made tomato soup or coconut curry from scratch, this turned out great. I added all the ingredients, tried a couple spoonfuls, hummed and hawed a bit and made a few final adjustments. The coconut curry really mellowed out the acidic tomatoes, making for a rich, refreshing soup, with a good amount of spice. Paired with some grilled cheese, it was the perfect late night supper. …
Days are getting shorter, the weather is cooling, and soup is simmering. Shan and I aren’t quite ready for summer to be over, but we’re embracing fall with open (sweater covered) arms. Soup season is upon us, and we couldn’t be more excited! Shan has been warning me of a rising urge to make some hearty soup, so it was no surprise when I heard faint chopping, and found her in the kitchen, huddled over the cutting board prepping Mirepoix. It was just past lunch and my hunger pangs were setting in, so I got to work helping out. Although we had limited groceries on hand, we settled on a Tuscan-inspired soup, using up leftover veggies from the Farmers’ Market, a bag of barley buried in the cupboard, and some turkey sausage from the freezer.
Although we had no intentions of putting this on the blog, the soup turned out so good we had to share it….
Growing up, pizza was hands down my favourite food. One that I certainly felt met the criteria of a buzzworthy “superfood”. Dairy, meat, vegetables, bread – it had it all. I have fond memories tormenting my mother every single day on our drive home, waiting mere seconds before stating “we should get pizza for supper!”, to which she usually responded “maybe tomorrow” or “I’ll think about it”. My mother was very good at saying no, without actually saying no. Nonetheless, I would make my daily request, because there was no sweeter feeling then the rare moment I was granted pizza for dinner!…
I consider myself pretty lucky to be dating a girl like Shan. There is a long list of reasons why (she makes great salads for example ↑), but I think one I’m most grateful for, is that she’s a total babe is her calm, reasonable nature. We’ve never got in a fight, which is strange to most people, and frankly, sometimes it’s a bit unbelievable to me as well. We’ll chalk it up to being up front with one another, and listening to each other before getting upset. Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t irritate Shan some days…like today. I have this tendency to be a little “too helpful” – a quality that usually rears it’s little annoying head in the kitchen. Just read some of our other posts, it usually appears subtly, like this:…
