The Creamery at Twin Maple Farm
June 10, 2013
I’m excited to share with you a recent project, after taking a bit of time off this year. Back in February, we visited Twin Maple Farm, and a few weeks ago returned for a 3-day weekend getaway to capture the true beauty of spring in the Hudson River Valley. Not only did we get a behind the scenes lesson in cheesemaking, but were able to spend our afternoons wandering the gorgeous hills and trails around the farm during a much needed city detox. If you’re ever in the area I highly recommend checking it out. You can read more about it here.
The Creamery at Twin Maple Farm
The Heart of Winter
February 15, 2013
Last weekend we saw our first significant snowfall in awhile. There’s nothing quite like waking up on a Saturday morning and venturing through the neighborhood as the sledders, skiers and snowshoers come out and transform Central Park into a great outdoor adventure. Feeling a bit lazy by the afternoon, I pulled together a meal for the apartment to enjoy thanks to Zabars. It included a couple pastas to warm us up– pesto and three cheese with mushrooms, our favorite rosemary bread with sun-dried tomato tofu spread and a side of asparagus.
Sun-dried tomato tofu spread
Pesto pasta and asparagus
Rosemary Bread
Three cheese and mushroom pasta
Pesto pasta
Upper West Side
Rosemary bread with sun-dried tomato tofu spread
Shake Shack
February 3, 2013
If you’re in New York and craving some fast food, you should make a stop at one of the quintessential burger joints of the city, Shake Shack. The other day I opted for their Smoke Shack burger– including cheese, applewood smoked bacon and peppers. About to get a milkshake for dessert, once I laid eyes on the Mast Brothers chocolate bar made just for Shake Shack, I had to splurge and try out the latest from my favorite Brooklyn chocolatiers instead. It was well worth the $9 for the delicious dark chocolate blend with earthy notes of cranberry and cinnamon, and of course the adorable packaging and artwork certainly helped sway my decision.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! x
Smoke Shack burger with cheese, Niman Ranch all-natural applewood smoked bacon and chopped cherry pepper with fries
Smoke Shack burger
Fries and ketchup
Mast Brothers Chocolate Bar– A Shake Shack dark chocolate blend with earthy notes of cranberry and cinnamon
Columbus Circle Holiday Market
December 5, 2012
One of the best parts of New York during the Christmas season is the markets that pop up across town. I was thrilled to hear that my favorite beef jerky boys at Field Trip were going to be setting up shop at Columbus Circle’s Holiday market, where I frequent often. I’ve already made a couple visits and certainly plan to stop by more before Christmas. The market has expanded from years past to include a more diverse aray of food options, so you can not only shop but grab a bite as well. Happy Holiday Shopping! x
Field Trip Jerky
Pepper vinegar pulled pork and green apple coleslaw from The Fat Beagle
Grilled Cheese from Mrs. Dorsey’s Kitchen
Central Park
Chicken from the Red Basil Thai Kitchen
Happy Saturday!
November 17, 2012
It’s a beautiful start to the weekend, and I’m thrilled to say that I’m staying local and enjoying the city. With the cooler season just upon us, one of my favorite ways to pass the hours on a Saturday afternoon around the Upper West Side is to take a glimpse around the Natural History Museum and go across the street to the New York Historical Society for lunch. A huge fan of the decor, they combine perfectly the look of a traditional home dining room with a modern flair. Our recent visit left us a little too full for lunch hour, but the food was just too good to not indulge.
Arancini
Salad
Artichoke Mezzaluna with porcini and parsley
Gnocchi Gratinata with black truffle fonduta
FIELD Beef Jerky
March 5, 2012
A few months back I introduced you to my friends’ new all-natural beef jerky, FIELD. In the months following, they’ve grown tremendously, distributing nationwide and becoming ever more popular. Saturday afternoon we all met in Williamsburg at Moon River Chattel, an enchanting antique shop near the waterfront that is filled with inspiring treasures and the perfect backdrop for our shoot. Capturing not only the uncut beef jerky, it was fun to shoot the other ingredients and spices used in their three flavors, Original No. 3, Honey Spice No. 11 and Teriyaki No. 23. To keep up with their latest news visit their facebook page, website or get yourself to the grocery store for a taste!
Original No. 3
Ginger root and other ingredients
Jerky and spices
No preservatives, added MSG or nitrates
Ginger root
Original No. 3
Garlic and Dube Putz homemade red pepper flakes
Honey Spice No. 11
Beef jerky
Jerky and spices
Photo Montage of the day
Foundry Café
February 21, 2012
This welcoming café in the heart of Cold Spring was a perfect last stop of the day to warm up with a cup of freshly ground coffee and grab a slice of their cheesecake for dessert. If I wasn’t already too full from brunch, I would have loved to try out some of their quiches or soups. I suppose I can save that for next time. With an acoustic, rock ‘n roll flare, this café doubles as a music outlet for small performances, open mic nights and some great nostalgic photos and albums for visitors to check out.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Foundry's Original Cheesecake
Foundry's Original Cheesecake
A Dish for Grandma
February 3, 2012
I’ve spent the past few weeks Upstate with my grandmother during her final days, and with my family once she passed away. Now that I’m back to work, I’m looking forward to getting my food shoots up and running again. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off my return than with a tribute to the amazing woman she was. One of her favorite meals was pasta and meatballs, an Italian classic that happens to be one of my favorites as well. I had so much fun pairing the vibrant red sauce with some old B&Ws of my grandmother and her sisters on their 4th of July holiday in the city circa 1941.
My Aunt Nici and Grandma sightseeing in NY
Aunt Flory, Aunt Nici and Grandma getting off the subway
Grandma, Aunt Nici, Aunt Flory in the park
Aunt Nici, Grandma and Aunt Flory strolling down Broadway
A Taste of Russia
January 22, 2012
Last weekend while up in Washington Heights we made a stop to a Russian specialty food shop, Moscow on the Hudson, to prepare for a dinner in celebration of the traditional Russian Old New Year. A friendly small shop, the cashier and a customer were chatting at the counter when they gave us all the insider tips needed to have a successful meal. After I explained I was going to photograph the dinner, they even gave me a traditional Russian cuisine calendar as a gift, and made sure I left with everything I needed. Top on the list was Pelmeni Sibirian, Russian style ravioli with Lithuanian sour cream, and Vareniki stuffed with cheese, similar to the Polish pierogi. They also recommended we get a side of the Russian beet salad, sausage and their milk cookies for dessert. Приятного аппетита!
Russian raviolis, ring pretzels and sausage
Pretzels and Russia's version of salsa
Beet Salad
Vareniki and sour cream
Beet salad and ring pretzels
Raviolis and pickles
Sausage
Cookies
Bleu Evolution
January 15, 2012
I ventured uptown to the neighborhood I explored last summer, but have yet to familiarize myself with all the hidden gems, like Bleu Evolution. An eccentric restaurant tucked into Manhattan’s Washington Heights, it has great brunches without the typical Saturday crowds and lines found further downtown. We were able to relax with some great tunes and enjoy hearty omelettes, duck and potatoes.
Duck confit with potatoes, peppers and poached eggs
Duck confit with potatoes, peppers and poached eggs
Broccoli and feta omelette and a Bloody Mary
Bacon and cheddar omelette
a camera in the kitchen 