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
Aperitivo in Milano
August 8, 2012
Americans traditionally think of happy hour as a time to enjoy discounted drinks once the workday is over. Italians however, have an entirely different (and far better) concept for these pre-dinner, post-work hours. I was first introduced to aperitivo, or drinks with complimentary food, in Milan a couple years back when visiting my friends. I imagined bowls of chips, pretzels and popcorn. I should have known better that this would be a disgrace to the Italian culture, and rather we would feast upon an open buffet of various pastas, meats, cheeses and vegetables. Fast forward to 2012, and I found myself once again in Milan, enjoying an evening with friends at Luca e Andrea Cafe on the Naviglio Grande. Although meant for just a warm-up to dinner, their macaroni and cheese and pasta salad left me far too full for anything else.
Cocktails on the canal
Pasta, couscous, chicken and vegetables
Navigli
Pasta
Macaroni and cheese
Pasta & Shrimp
May 15, 2012
Pasta dishes are always great solutions for dinner parties, they’re quick and easy to throw together for a crowd-satisfying meal. Last time I was in Syracuse we served up this fettucini dish with shrimp scampi, eggplant, portobello mushrooms and a garlic butter sauce. Another fun dish I photographed was this side of rice and broccoli.
Fettucini and shrimp scampi
Pasta and portobello mushrooms
Rice and broccoli
Pasta and cheese bread
Ingredients
Sunday Sauce
March 23, 2012
One of my favorite days of the week are Sundays. Nothing beats a morning browsing the farmers market and and an afternoon cooking with friends or family before yet another work-filled week begins. After hearing such great things about D.C.’s Eastern Market, it was on my list of places to check out. Comparable to New York’s Brooklyn Flea, but with a great indoor food market as well, we explored the cute streets of Capitol Hill, shopped and stocked up on fresh food to make homemade sauce for dinner. I couldn’t have asked for better hosts, as they prepared a delicious salad, sauce and pasta all the while I had fun shooting and using their fantastic Anthropologie-inspired kitchenware. Happy Friday and don’t forget to explore your own local farmers market this weekend! x
Foccacia and fresh basil
Salad with dried cranberries, blue cheese and nuts and garlic
Eastern Market
Fresh basil and a Capitol Hill garden
Eastern Market mushrooms
Cooking up the sauce
Taste test on toasted foccacia and garlic chive cheese
Eastern Market asparagus
Short ribs and pasta
Grapes for dessert
Sunday Family Dinner
February 29, 2012
This weekend I was back in Syracuse spending time with the family. Sunday was the perfect winter day with crisp blue skies, a few inches of freshly fallen snow, a fire in the fireplace and the aroma of my father’s Northern Italian dish for dinner filling the house. We started with a couple fresh loaves of Columbus Bakery bread, followed by an antipasto platter with lettuce, tomato, greek olives, cucumbers, salami, ham, provolone, blue cheese and topped with a white balsamic vinaigrette. The main dish was homemade marinara sauce with tomatoes, chicken stock, fresh garlic, onions, zucchini and a touch of sugar. After simmering for a few hours with the chicken breast and thigh meat, it was poured over fettucini and garnished with parsley and parmesan cheese.
Marinara sauce with chicken and fettucini
Antipasto platter
Columbus Bakery bread dipped in olive oil
Grating parmesan cheese and Columbus Bakery bread
Antipasto platter
Bread and Pasta
White balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Pasta and bread
Antipasto
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
Bringing in the New Year
January 4, 2012
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the start of 2012 than with great food, friends and skiing. I’ve been pretty bummed because a photographer’s worst nightmare came true when my card with all of the Christmas holiday food shoots was damaged, and even after attempting recovery at New York’s top repair services, there was no such luck. But that just gives me an excuse to revisit some of the locations, like Elderberry Pond Restaurant, to enjoy yet another great meal. Well, enough of the disappointments, it’s time I look forward in the New Year and share with you some amazing meals from this past weekend spent at Killington. We were lucky enough to have a friend/personal chef join us for the 3 days and prepare all the meals– I should add for 16 people– with more enthusiasm than anyone I’ve seen. Here’s the menu we had, and check out the highlights below:
Taco Night–Pulled Chipotle Chix, Ground beef , Soft and hard shells, Assorted toppings, Black beans, Rice and Corn
Steak and Scrimps’ Night–Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, Grilled Ribeye with fried onion strings, Marinated grilled scrimps’, Roasted Garlic Parm potatoes, Broccoli, Dilaurios butter rolls
That NYE staple known as Champagne
Filet wrapped in applewood smoked bacon
Sunday's pre-pasta meat and cheese plate
Lobster Bisque
Lobster Bisque
Baklavah
Killington
A skier's breakfast
Bacon, Egg & Cheese sandwiches
Berries & Yogurt
Homemade croutons
Pasta & Cheese
Loster Bisque
Shrimp & Broccoli
I Heart NY
November 11, 2011
This morning was one of those, “I love NY” moments while I was walking to work. The sun was out, the fall colors at their peak, and I just finished shooting last night’s dinner. Part II of my autumn pasta is finally here. I tossed together the pasta with olive oil, some seasonal herbs and goat cheese, adding in arugula, almonds, raisins, apple chardonnay chicken sausage and topped it with asiago cheese.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Fresh arugula
Salted almonds
Pasta with Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage and Arugula
Salted almonds and raisins
Fall Harvest Pasta
October 21, 2011
How cute is this pasta? Knowing my love for this time of year, and anything autumn, my mom sent it to me the other day, and I’m so excited to make a festive pasta dish in the coming days. Now I just have to brainstorm a recipe.. Happy Friday! x
Pumpkin and Leaf pasta
Garlic & Pears
Pasta
Tarry Market
June 24, 2011
One of Mario Batali’s many creations, this Euro-style gourmet market in Port Chester has the freshest in pastas, meats, cheese and breads. Crossing off some of our grocery list here last weekend, we grabbed mozzarella and pasta to contribute to the Father’s Day family barbeque at my friend’s parent’s home.
Pasta
Pesto Pasta dish
Fresh mozzarella and tomato
a camera in the kitchen 