Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

A Time to Bake

I found this super affordable print on Etsy from Articipe — a clever artist making fun typography-based art out of simple recipes. You can snag a copy of a classic, like the above oatmeal cookie ingredient list, or commission a personalized print of your granny’s legendary dish. Holiday gifts, anyone?

Speaking of the holidays and delicious baked goods, I’ve been inspiration-gathering for a cookie swap that’s coming up next week! I’m sure all our bases will be covered for the classics, so I thought it might be fun to find other festive cookies to share. A bit non-traditional, but snowflake designs and crushed candy cane bits shouldn’t be a pre-req for holiday cheer!

Some of these guys look pretty time consuming, but the artist in me is tempted to take a stab at the chevron print beauties…

Clockwise from top left:

Lemon poppy seed cookies via With Sprinkles on Top
Chevron print cookies featured on Sweet Sugar Belle
Peppermint pinwheel shortbread cookies from Food Network
Almond butter blackberry jam thumbprint cookies on Poppytalk by Lyndsay of Coco Cakes
Crisp sugar doily cookies from Martha Stewart
Glittering sandwich cookies via the Purl Bee
Quartrefoile iced sugar cookies by Bee in Our Bonnet
Herb de provence orange butter cookies by Luna Cafe
S’mores cookie bars from Baked Perfection

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Spoon Spectrum

This photo from Things Organized Neatly shows a variety of discarded, mismatched spoons dipped in a spectrum of muted paint colors. The resulting rainbow gradient is striking, and although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t so, it made me hope that a matching rainbow of dishes lay waiting just off-camera to aid these spoons in fulfilling their destinies..


Clockwise from top left:
Macaroni and cheese casserole with asiago and white cheddar on Kait’s Plate
Traditional creamed corn recipe on MarthaStewart.com
Roasted butternut squash with sage, pecans and cheese from Blisstree.com
Blood orange tart recipe by Lottie + Doof
Beet dip recipe created by Seaweed Snacks
Purple cauliflower soup from Chez Us
Blue Russian potato photo from Cracked Pot
Blueberry macarons with orange blossom butter cream baked by Not So Humble
Blue velvet cupcakes by Sprinkle Bakes
Braised kale with sesame seeds from the Gluten Free Mommy
Vegan spinach linguine with basil cilantro pesto and artichokes on Go Vegan Meow
Honeydew cucumber salad with lime and mint by The Cilantropist
Burnt honey, orange and yogurt panna cotta from taste.com
Cheesecake with blueberry lavender topping featured on Kat Bakes
Salted watermelon sorbet found on Flickr’s foodiehunter photostream


Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Late Summer Picnic

Lovin’ these photos from behind the scenes at a recent Kate Spade Home photo shoot. While credit is likely due to a Hipstamatic iPhone app, the colors and the retro vibe of these shots are what really draws me in. Admittedly, I don’t often (or ever) wear my heels to a picnic, but this shoot makes me want to get all dolled up for a summer afternoon in the park with my favorite ladies. The yummy recipes below seem perfect for a menu of light, refreshing fare that won’t suffer in the sun.

Clockwise from top left:

Rhubarb Strawberry Lemonade from Green Kitchen
Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad recipe by Vegalicious
Farmer’s Market Crudité photo from CookThink
Lemony Parsley Hummus by Dinner with Julie
Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad from ayngelina on Flickr
Homemade Pop Tarts with recipes for cinnamon, jam or Nutella fillings from Smitten Kitchen
Fresh Edamame photo from World Community Cookbook
Spicy Chickpea Sandwiches from Sunset on My Recipes

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Spice it up

Spices! Oh how I love thee. From everyday flavors to fancy-shmancy culinary delights, a kitchen is hardly complete without a collection of herbs and spices. This DIY wall-mounted magnetic spice rack featured on The Kitchn is a great way to store your ingredients in accessible and aesthetically pleasing way. If you’re concerned about the amount of light exposure (which may hasten the expiration of spices), this system would also work well on the inside of a pantry door, or with opaque jars. No patience for gluing magnets to your lids? Try picking up a ready-to-use magnetic spice rack kit with glass honeycomb-shaped jars from Gneiss Spice on Etsy.

If you’re the kind of person (like me) that will go out and buy a new spice just to try a recipe, I’m sure you’ve amassed quite an arsenal by now. Using an entire supply of one uncommon spice can be a challenge if you aren’t sure how else to use it! I did some searching and came up with a bit of inspiration for dusting off the jars in the back of your rack. Below are some ideas for meals and snacks to help you incorporate a little more spice into your life (sorry, couldn’t help myself).

Recipes with spices and herbs

Clockwise from top-left:

Chicken kokkinisto by Jamie Oliver
Moroccan spiced cous cous recipe on All Recipes
Orange cardamom cookie recipe from Gourmet
Smoked paprika shredded pork with orange fennel marmalade from McCormick
Fennel ice cream recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Cumin coriander sirloin steak from Cooking Light on My Recipes
Parsnip spice cake with ginger cream cheese frosting on Epicurious
Shrimp and yellow squash on saffron mint rice from Eating Well
Indian spiced vegetable fritters on Smitten Kitchen
Black sesame seed and sea salt-encrusted salmon on Serious Eats
Onion-herb focaccia bread recipe from Food Network

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Junk Food

This odd little illustration by Jared Stumpenhorst, originally dreamed up as a t-shirt design for Woot, caught my eye mostly because of the interesting selection of snacks. I’ve seen the burger/fries combo on t-shirts, the cupcakes and candy combo, even a family of fruits with faces–but I’d yet to come across such a fine sampling of junk food. 

The nervous smiles on their faces make me wonder, are they self-conscious about the way some might look down on them? Or are they about to get eaten by someone more like me?

Let’s face it, these snacks may not be the best for your diet, but there are some benefits to cooking them in your own kitchen. Healthy recipes and fresh ingredients can take out a lot of the yuck-factor from these usually mass-produced treats. Alternatively, making a conscious decision to buy all-natural alternatives to your old favorites can help satisfy a craving without doing any real damage. Everything in moderation, right? Ahh, junk food..

Clockwise from top left:
Really simple homemade pizza from (one of my favorites!) Smitten Kitchen 
Copycat Oreo cookie recipe by Cupcake Project 
Soft pretzel recipe from Cooking Light via My Recipes 
Healthy microwave potato chips from Fat Free Vegan 
100% natural GuS (Grown-up soda) available in a variety of flavors
Fried chicken photo from Sweet Tea with Lemon , recipe by Alton Brown 
Homemade peanut butter cups from Genesis of a Cook 
Glazed donut holes recipe by Diana’s Desserts 
Greek lamb burgers with spinach, red onion and Feta from Bon Appétit
Fresh fruit roll-ups recipe by Sugarlaws 

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Earthy Apps

This image above features a logo, color palette and imagery style for Bella Sicilia’s new brand identity, by Denis Olenik. I saw it floating around on FFFFOUND! and it definitely caught my eye! The palette suits this company well, as the earthy tones reflect their commitment to high quality foods made from natural ingredients.

The olives and the mushrooms got my gears a-turnin’ and I set out on a hunt for some simple (and tasty!) apps that complement our palette, above. Really makes me want to set some time aside this weekend to try a few of these recipes.

Miniature napoleons with eggplant creme from Vegan YumYum
Spanakopita photo from DarbCU on Flickr , recipe from Epicurious
Green and black olive tapenade via Top Appetizer Recipes
Italian-style steamed mussels from My Gourmet Connection
Honey and chili glazed nuts recipe by Walnut Grove
Coconut shrimp recipe from My Recipes
Garlic stuffed mushrooms on My Recipes
Bacon wrapped dates on yumsugar
Luscious spinach artichoke dip on bfeedme
Mini Asian crab cakes from Martha Stewart
Lemongrass meatballs by Eat Local Northwest