Cookies | a camera in the kitchen

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2012

May your day be filled with lots of love and delicious desserts! x

Heart cookies from Eleni's

This time of year is always a whirlwind for me. Between holiday prep, recent traveling for work, gift buying and festive gatherings, I haven’t had any time to spare, and am just getting around to sharing some of my favorite gift ideas this season– brought to you by my amazing friend, Leslie. She recently launched Gifts Curated, a collection of carefully handpicked items from independent artists and vendors, ranging from food to body products, candles, bags and more. Last weekend she hosted a brunch and trunk show at her apartment. Not only selling her items, but giving customers a taste of her products and leaving them with inspiring ideas of recipes they could try at home. On the menu was grilled chicken and tofu sandwiches using the spicy pumpkin ginger and tomato apple chutney sauces, popcorn with sea salt, cookies with raw organic cacao chips and her grandmother’s homemade pound cake recipe with caramelized bacon using barrel-aged maple syrup. I also included shots we did for her website of my other favorite products that I couldn’t resist sharing with you. Happy Holiday Shopping! x

Gold rimmed spoon and bowl perfect for olives

Alta Cucina's Basil Olive Oil is perfect dipped in a fresh loaf of Eli's bread

Oil & Bread

Spicy Ginger Sauce and Sandwiches

Saucy By Nature Spicy Pumpkin Ginger & Tomato Apple Chutney

Sandwiches, Pretzels and Saucy By Nature

Popcorn with Salt Farm's gourmet sea salt

Vandalia Street Press Card & Salad

Pancakes with Langdon Wood's Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup

Pound Cake, Bacon and Maple Syrup

Homemade cacao chip cookies

Graham Crackers and cacao chips

JC Hot Sauce

Sydney Hale Company Candle & TM1985 Hand bag

TM1985 Handbag

Aromatherapy bath salts

Annie of Gift Shop Brooklyn makeup bags

Posted by maheimerman
Filed in Dessert, Food Photography, Holiday Dining, Home Cooked, Lunch
Tags: Cookies, Foodie Gift Guide, Gifts Curated, Holiday Shopping, Lunch, New York, Salad, Sandwiches

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A Rustic Post-Thanksgiving Picnic

November 27, 2011

It’s that time of year for my second seasonal themed dinner party. For autumn, I decided to go with a rustic outdoor picnic, inspired by my family’s leftover Thanksgiving food and style inspiration from my great grandfather’s fishing gear. For the ingredients I couldn’t find in the fridge, I spent the morning in the quaint village of Cazenovia getting fresh, local food from Troyer’s, a general store opened by the Amish (I have a whole other post on this I’ll share soon).

The Menu…

Drinks: Pellegrino Sparkling Orange Drink and Saranac Craft Beers

Appetizers: Maple Popcorn, Roasted Edamame, Vegetable chips and Homemade Trail Mix from Troyer’s Country Store

Main Course: Roasted Turkey Sandwich with homemade toasted bread, lettuce, tomato, basil infused mayonnaise, provolone and caramelized onions

Side: Saratoga country fried potato crisps seasoned with oregano

Dessert: My mother’s chocolate Italian roll cookies and homemade banana bread

Styling Tips…

• Pack each meal individually in a small cardboard to-go box for an easy transport to your great outdoor picnic location. Cut gift wrap from Anthropologie in thin strips and adhere to the sides of the box and label the menu on a strip of tape on the top of the box

• Birch bark as name cards and propped up at each place setting with one of my grandfather’s fishing lures

• Brown paper bags folded over, tied with ribbon and a burlap bow make for great serving bowls for snacks

• Sprinkle the center of the table with leaves and pine needles

• My great grandfather’s blanket from World War I as a table cloth

• Centerpiece floral arrangement, dried hygendra with a plume from ornamental grasses