Paarsi Tomato - Poached Eggs

Ingredients;
-  Olive Oil, a few tablespoons
- 1 large Onion (I keep some in my freezer so I always have it)
- 2 or 3 Garlic Cloves (I used minced garlic in the jar)
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Marsala
- 1/2 teaspoon Mild Curry Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cardamon
- 2 1/4 cups of Chopped Tomatoes (I like the ones in the carton better than canned)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander (aka parsley)




Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and cook chopped onions and garlic on medium until they are translucent. Add Indian spices, salt & pepper until they are all mixed in. 





Add tomatoes, reduce to medium low,  and wait for the mixture to thicken slightly. Once you can create little wells for the eggs in your tomato mixture you're ready for the next step. Make four wells in the mixture. 





Crack one egg into each. If you can, don't break the yolks! Cook until your eggs whites are no longer runny. You can make the eggs over easy, medium, or over hard deepening on your taste by letting them continue to cook. Sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander and serve with your favorite bread or toast.





I adapted this recipe from ones posted by Valerie Belew on Hubpages and the blog pot-puree.

Veggies at the Common Ground Fair

While wandering around the Common Ground Fair I met mid-coast Mainers Bill and Lauren. They had the prettiest veggies, and they were nice enough to let me hang out for a while with my camera. They call what they create "Edible Landscape Design" -- don't you just love that concept? I do! Looking back at these shots makes me want to plant veggies in our tiny condo garden! Is it May yet?

And now, on to the beautiful (if I do say so myself) veggie photos. Ahem, yes the Common Ground Fair was 6 weeks ago...better late than never?













Want to find out more about Bill & Lauren and their veggies? Check out their site: http://consciouselements.wordpress.com

"There is no food in our house" quiche

The other night Anthony and I got home from work to find nothing for dinner. I usually keep something homemade frozen in the freezer for a quick & easy meal...but we'd exhausted the supply. I saw eggs, cheese, and not much else! What to do? Quiche!

Corn Flake Crumb Crust:
From EllensKitchen.com

• 1 1/3 cups corn flake crumbs (buy as crumbs or crush 3 cups corn flakes)
• 1/4 cup melted margarine
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Mix together thoroughly. Press into 9 inch plate. May use as is or bake at 375*F for 5 to 7 minutes. Will hold up slightly better and has crisper taste when pre-baked.

Easy Broccoli Quiche:
ADAPTED From AllRecipes.com

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
• 1/2 package of Trader Joe's Swiss Beer fondue
  
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
  Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust saving about 4 tablespoons for a side 4" ramekin. Melt fondue in pan or microwave safe bowl and pour over veggies. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

Note, this crust was very soft and almost more like a corn bread than a traditional crust...but I really liked it with the cheesy eggs!

Free Summer Grilling Cookbook & Grilled Pizza

Summer? Grilling? Free? -- All things that I like. You too?


Then download Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Summer Grilling Cookbook, a free online cookbook
http://www.xmradio.com/marthastewartlivingradio

One of my new favorite things is grilled pizza, so I can't wait to try this recipe.


Afraid of grilled Pizza? Don't be. It's actually much easier than you'd think!

Start with your favorite pre-made Pizza crust or make your own. I like the Pillsbury recipe but I double the amount of yeast (for fluffier bread-like crust) and use 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wheat flour.

Shape Crust.

Gather toppings & place in small bowls so they are quick & easy to add to your pizza.

Brush olive oil on the grill.

Toss on your formed dough.

Let it cook until it is lightly browned and easy to flip. Then, turn over and put on your favorite toppings! Here's what I used:

Left: Garlic Bread Spread, Olive Oil, Sharp Cheddar, Red Onion, Fresh Basil

Right: Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, Tomato, Goat cheese, Arugula

Dear Blog...I owe you a post!

What have I been writing about the last month? Well...plenty on the Stonewall Kitchen blog!

Host a Gumbo for the Gulf Party

End of Summer in our Gardens (See the Facebook photo album too!)

Holiday Sneak Peak

Give aways & Discounts (Enter to win a trip to Maine)

Wordless Wednesday (pretty photos):
8-25-10
8-4-10

Meatless Monday:
Garden Vegetable Lasagna Roll Ups
Spicy Gazpacho

North Conway NH SWK Company Outlet (aka my billboard - below)

Quahog is a type of clam...not just a fictional town in Rhode Island

(Quahogs stuffed with onions, breadcrumbs, olive oil, celery & fresh parsley )

Anthony & I were lucky enough to be invited to stay with our friend Lauren on Cape Cod in Falmouth, MA. We had all the ingredients for a great weekend: friends, fun, & really good food! You know you're a food lover when you take more photos of your eats than anything else!

I had plenty of happy-toe-time at the beach (below) but luckily Lauren's Dad was out there Quahogging and he's a man that likes to share!

When I wasn't beaching it I ran a new personal best of 6 miles. I'm training for a 1/2 marathon...but I really run so I can eat more food! Like this Pasta with Quahog sauce.

More of this meal entailed:

Sauteed Vegetables

Grilled Swordfish (with soy sauce, garlic, olive oil & fresh parsley. Gas grilled outdoors on foil.)

Anthony & I brought this Cavit Pinot Noir, a lighter red wine, as a hostess gift. (We also gave them some Stonewall Kitchen Pancake Mix, Jams & Syrups) We usually prefer a heavy red like a big cabernet - but this is great for summer & it doesn't break the bank.

And...how did we spend our Saturday evening? Listening to live music at Liam Maguire's. We were happy find that Danny Quinn was so entertaining. He sang a mix of old Irish songs and bar sing-along-songs like 'Piano Man' and 'American Pie.' I was drinking Wachusett Blueberry beer- a delicious summertime favorite of mine.

(Above: Me & Anthony) (Below: Lauren & her boyfriend Ryan)

It was such a great weekend, I can't believe that now it's almost Monday. I need to take more long weekends on the cape!

Why you should switch to organic milk

Growth hormones and antibiotics in milk don't sound like a good idea. However, most people think - organic milk? I can't afford that!

I am well aware that organic milk is more expensive, however, it's totally worth it! Why? Let's say that all you are looking for is a milk that lasts longer in the fridge. Choose organic! Don't believe me? Check the dates on the grocery store and you'll see... organic milk has later expiration dates than other milks.

I used to pour a lot of milk down the drain because I didn't use it in time. So, organic is more expensive per ounce - but a better deal for me! Oh yeah, and now I'm not drinking hormones & antibiotics... a win-win! It does have a slightly sweeter taste than other milk because it is heated to a higher temperature in the preservation process than regular milk. I do have a sweet tooth, but this extra sweetness is very minor and you'll easily get used to it.

What an expert opinion? Let Scientific America tell you exactly why organic lasts longer.

Or, read about Organic milk in the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/business/13organic.html

Chicken with Orange Veggies

Why all orange veggies? Because I love Syracuse... and they played (and beat) Georgetown tonight. Go Orange!

Ok, on to the food. I've been thinking about writing a foodie post for a while. I'm perhaps quite different from many food bloggers; I'm a photographer first and a cook second. I'm the type of cook who usually just tosses in a little of this and that until I get it right. So, writing down a recipe might be a touch difficult but why not give it a try.

Chicken with Orange Veggies - a one pan meal
Makes a full dinner for 2 with plenty of leftover chicken for soup or sandwiches!

Ingredients:
1 small chicken
2 sweet potatoes
4 medium carrots
Poultry Seasoning Mix
Olive Oil (for drizzling over the top) about 4 tablespoons
Salt
Pepper

- Buy fresh or defrost Chicken in fridge (defrosting will take a day or two).

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Rinse chicken and don't forget to take out the package inside (contains heart, liver, & kidneys). Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place in the center of a 9"x13" roasting pan. If you use a larger pan than mine you can just fill it with more veggies... but not yet! Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning mix (to taste).

- Place the chicken in the oven.

- Chop sweet potatoes and carrots into 1/4" - 1/2" slices. Put in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to coat evenly and season with salt and pepper.

- After chicken is about half way through cooking take it out of the oven. (I baked mine at 350 with convection turned on for 1.5 hours) Place veggies around the chicken in the roasting pan. Return to the oven. You'll want to cook it until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees and the chicken juices run clear. Looks like this ↓

Eating is a political act

(Image from http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php)

Before I start I'd like to say that I am not a food expert or a politician. I'm a food photographer who recently watched Food Inc ... and I have a sister who is a hippie and bit of a food activist. I like food & I enjoy eating. I, like many people/women/eaters, spend a good deal of time thinking about what I eat and how it will affect my body.

It is no deep secret that natural less processed foods tend to be healthier for our bodies. What IS less widely known is that we're presented processed unhealthy food partially because it's what we buy, but also because of food subsidies, policies, and big corporations. You don't have to be a political scientist to begin to understand the problem, and I have no interest in fully deconstructing it. (I dropped my dual major in political science to a minor mostly because I find politics depressing.) What I can take away from both my 'International Political Economy' class (even sounds depressing right?) and Food Inc is that we are more powerful than we know as consumers. If we buy it - they will produce it. If we demand other products we can affect change! The Story of Stonyfield Farms in Food Inc. is very inspiring and Gary (CEO aka CE-Yo) talks about this very idea.

I'll leave you with the 10 ways to change our food system suggested by 'Hungry for Change' - http://www.foodincmovie.com/get-involved.php

Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages.

You can lose 25 lbs in a year by replacing one 20 oz soda a day with a no calorie beverage (preferably water).

Eat at home instead of eating out.

Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food prepared outside the home.

Support the passage of laws requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards.

Half of the leading chain restaurants provide no nutritional information to their customers.

Tell schools to stop selling sodas, junk food, and sports drinks.

Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have tripled in children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.

Meatless Mondays—Go without meat one day a week.

An estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals.

Buy organic or sustainable food with little or no pesticides.

According to the EPA, over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the U.S.

Protect family farms; visit your local farmer's market.

Farmer's markets allow farmers to keep 80 to 90 cents of each dollar spent by the consumer.

Make a point to know where your food comes from—READ LABELS.

The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to your dinner plate.

Tell Congress that food safety is important to you.

Each year, contaminated food causes millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the U.S.

Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors, ensuring fair wages and other protections.

Poverty among farm workers is more than twice that of all wage and salary employees.

My New Year's Resolution...

is to come back to my blog.

Hold me to that :)

Why have I been MIA? I've started blogging for Stonewall Kitchen (SK). I haven't acutally stopped blogging - I've just stopped writing MY blog. This is not a bad thing. I've very much enjoyed blogging for SK. I've realized that the reason I could so easily blog about weddings was because my job was wedding centered. I still photograph some weddings - but my job has become more food centered.

Here's the new blog idea. It will still be about photography (that hasn't changed) but I will add food into the blogging mix. Since I will still be photographing some weddings I will still answer wedding questions and offer tips. I'll just be writing about whatever is happening with me at the time. I plan to start talking about food and healthy eating too! Plus, I think I can help more people with healthy eating tips than I can with wedding advice! I'm ready for my new blog adventure... I hope you enjoy!

Wonder what I've already been saying about food:
• Warm cups of Holiday Cheer
• In the kichen are you and artist or a scientist?
• Is that fruitcake?
• Celebrate with cocktails
• 'Twas the night before Thanksgiving
• How to cook a turkey
• What does it mean to be all natural?
• Roasted Garlic Onion Jam

Hello Garden

Look at my cute little corner of the Salem community garden @ Palmer Cove! I know, it doesn't look like much now but I can't wait for nicer weather so I can start planting. The best part is that it's just down the street so I can walk to my garden. I even have an ocean view! ;)

What should I grow? I wish I knew what was already planted there - I'd hate to big up anything good. I'm thinking I'd like some wildflowers to make it look pretty. Other than that, I'll plant easy veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and chives. Please comment with your suggestions! This beginning gardener is going to need all the help she can get!

If you'd like to learn more about the Salem Community Garden visit their website: http://growsalem.org