Also, if you live in the Boston area and are still looking for a special Mother’s Day gift, I’m now offering gift certificates for private cooking lessons. Maybe you can even join your mom for the class? I think that would be crazy fun!

Ook, now that we got that stuff out of the way, can I tell you about my favorite foodie event of the year? Yup, it’s that time again – Taste of the Nation recap time that is!

[Yup, this was an ice sculpture.  I definitely thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.]

I rave about how much I love this charitable event (see 2010 and 2011 recaps here in case you’re bored) but this year given my involvement with Cooking Matters which is part of Share Our Strength, I was even more excited to attend! Btw, before I forget – I did receive press tickets but I am always honest (just ask all of the friends that we convinced to purchase tickets this year and join us!) – it is a fantastic time, every time, and is such a great way to raise money for a fantastic cause!

Sliders galore

Compared to previous years there were definitely fewer tables (although still plenty; it’s still pretty much impossible to try every single thing) and the theme of the evening appeared to be sliders – meat + pickled veggie type combos and straight up slowly braised meat between soft little buns. Pretty much all were delicious although it got a bit tiresome at the end, especially when nearly identical dishes were presented. I felt a little bad for the restaurants because on a stand-alone basis, they were all stars.

Lucky’s Lounge pork belly sliders with pickled vegetables, diakon sprouts, and kung-pao sauce

Del Frisco’s steak sliders

Myers + Chang korean bbq sloppy jo

Whole Foods smoked pork hum bao

Cambridge School of Culinary Arts – least favorite of the bunch

Favorite restaurants I’m now even more in love with

Trina’s Starlite Lounge tomato soup with grilled cheese – so simple yet so perfect!

Trina’s was on my 30 by 30 list so I already had the pleasure of checking out the restaurant (love the decor, the service and the fabulous cocktails). This made me really want to go back!

The Franklin Café crispy pig ear chicharrones – were a fun change from all the sliders

Flour Bakery milky way tartes. I’m obsessed with these guys- they are sweet, light and creamy!! The recipe is in the Flour bakery cookbook (Bridget was actually the one to get me hooked on this stuff when she made it for Megan’s party one day).

Places I really need to make sure I visit now!

Meatball on crouton from Jodie Adam’s of Rialto & Trade

The crouton was super crunchy which shocked me but this was playful and delicious!

Slow cooked beef over corn bread from Gargoyles

Scooped to order whoopie pie ice cream sandwiches

To die. For.

For some reason I can’t find them online now

Thirsty Thursday

Some booze was consumed. It’s open bar so we had to do “a little” tasting  We won’t name any names but someone (not me) was a bit slow the next morning. We didn’t get to NY until 7:30pm the next day, despite all the original plans to leave early in the AM and spend the day in the city (my sister was getting married the following day).

Local hard cider. A little dry with a hint of honey. Yum!

Like I said, there was a bit of drinking

Randomness

Made by Mr. Hamersley himself

Everyone loved this mac & cheese. I’ll stick to their usual leek free kind though (Church is pretty awesome!)

Bianca and Meghan

There were so many other blog friends at the event. I loved seeing familiar faces and of course comparing notes on the dishes not to be missed!

Katie – the pastry chef at Tremont 647 (we volunteered together with Cooking Matters!)

I think they served a deconstructed caesar salad sandwich with house cured bacon. Does this look right to you? I was in a food coma by about this time…

Shady Oaks Organics sells locally cultivated specialty mushrooms (sold at local farmers markets and online). The founders also happen to be from Newburyport where Adam is from

Meh

Tavolo lobster cream lasagna – pretty bland for such a promising dish

Jason made a passive aggressive remark about everyone being a food blogger these days. Way to make me feel special, Jason!

Craigie on Main made hob knobs again! They are crazy delicious but they’ve served them at every food fest I’ve been to. Can we see something else, please?

Surprise

Brasserie Jo pork belly pate with pickled carrots was actually surprisingly delicious, despite the fact that I don’t love the place (I’ve been there several times since it’s one of the closets places to my condo, and found their brunch to be great but dinner a waste!). I liked the mustard bite of these little babies!

And there you have it. Despite a bit less variety this year, we still had a really fantastic time. I hope you check out the SOS website to find a Taste of the Nation event near you!

Which dish would you want to try first?

When it comes to losing weight, I’ll be the first one to admit that it’s rarely as easy as knowing what to do and just following through. Our lives get in the way, our emotions get the best of us, and then there are these cravings that seem to come out of no where (you haven’t had pizza in years and all of a sudden that’s all you can think of, now that it’s “off limits.” <– this is of course hypothetical because I eat pizza at least once a month ) So yes, it’s a journey. Sometimes on a long and winding road. We, I,  may fall and backtrack but it’s important to get back up and keep moving forward. My favorite way to do that is by preparing something crazy delicious that tastes completely sinful but is actually quite good for you!  And of course I believe that no matter your health goals, it’s really important to satisfy cravings! Always and forever. No carrot sticks for dinner in this household (although I am having carrot fries with oven fried chicken tonight)!!

This (chicken) sausage and veggie stuffed manicotti was Italian comfort food at its best without the artery clogging or calorie busting properties (by the way, I’m back to calorie counting to get into tip top summer… or 30th birthday… shape). I started following the above linked recipe from Cooking Light but decided to cut the amount of sausage down by 1/3, and then ramped up the veggies. Italian food is good like that – once you cover it in cheese and sauce, it will all be gobbled up in no time!

So after browning the sausage for a few minutes, in went a whole container of chopped mushrooms, one yellow bell pepper and a few minutes later – 2 cups of baby spinach. The hardest part was not eating this whole mixture before stuffing it into manicotti! I persevered (even though it was a bit time consuming) and eventually dinner was on the table. Man, this was goooood!

My changes created even lighter manicotti (220 cals/pop) full of delicious nutrients. Between the spicy sausage, loads of veggies, tangy tomato sauce, creamy bechamel (made with skim milk!) and cheese, it definitely felt like a treat. Adam said this was the best meal I’ve made in a while (although he says it often ). This dish would be a great contender for my cooking parties because it would be fun to make as a team while chatting away (perhaps with a glass of red wine!). I’m thinking an easier and quicker version may be coming next though for those of us that don’t find an hour+ of hands-on cooking relaxing.

Oh and did I mention this meal is freezer friendly and reheats beautifully? All that time paid off for sure!

How much time do you usually spend making a meal?

PS- There is just one day left of the thinkThin giveaway – make sure you enter it!

While I almost always have a little baggie of almonds in my purse (and if I plan ahead maybe even some fruit), given the seemingly unlimited variety of bars available, I just love how exciting and convenient they make on the go snacking! In the mood for something hearty? Go for a protein packed bar. Cravings a candy bar but looking for a healthier alternative? They make those too… and they may even keep you full for a few hours.

For a while I had boxes full of every kind of bar you can think of. And then one day I decided that I should just make my own to save on cost while having fun in the kitchen (I like the whole cooking thing in case you haven’t noticed). I did it once. They were gone in days. And then it’s taken me months to make any again. Other more urgent things seem to occupy my time.

So when I was contacted about reviewing thinkThin bars, I decided to give ‘em ago. And once I got my little stash of 6, I quickly remembered what a TREAT having bars is. So many flavors. So much fun. And no work required. Sometimes the price of convenience is well worth it! The bar monster was reborn.

So let’s talk about thinThin bars. I’ve seen the high protein ones around for a few years now. These natural bars pack 20 grams of protein. They are coated in chocolate and the insides have a texture that reminds of the inside of the peanut butter cup. The cookies & creme (as per below) has chunks of cookies on the inside but the texture is always the same. They reminded me a lot of the Promax bars I used to eat like it was my job about 6 years ago. They have a slight protein powder taste which is impossible to describe – like something is slightly off when compared to a candy bar, but also incredibly addictive. I seriously love them and plan on buying them by the box to curb my sweet tooth in a healthier way. Also, going back to the “I should really make my own” argument, I wouldn’t even know where to start with these so they are definitely worth a purchase if you like them.

I loved all 3 varieties sent to me but if I were to rank them – it’d be caramel fudge, creamy peanut butter, then the favorite – cookies & crème. Big fan of that one in particular!

Now the crunchy bars are more standard granola bars – packed with nuts and dried fruit and sweetened with brown rice syrup (lower on the glycemic index). In general, these are soft and chewy with the “crunch” coming from soy crisps (think rice crispies!).

I liked that these bars were not cloyingly sweet like some of their competitors, and that they contained about 8 grams of protein (not as high as the creamy bars but again – higher than most of the other similar bars on the market).

This guy got a little smooshed in my purse but it was still delicious

Would you like a chance to win some thinkThin bars? 10 lucky Healthy and Sane readers (yes, TEN!) will win a Weight Wellness sampler consisting of 2 thinkThin® Protein Bars & 2 thinkThin® Crunch Bars. Pretty awesome if you ask me!

Here are the rules!

Mandatory for entry:

1) Like Think Products on Facebook and follow @thinkproducts on twitter

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me you’ve done the above. Feel free to also tell me what your favorite on the go-snack is, and if it’s a bar, what your favorite bar is (purchased or made).

Additional optional entries (to increase your chances of winning!):

3) Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (a link to this post must be included to qualify)

4) Pin this post on Pinterest

5) Subscribe to Healthy and Sane by email

6) Like Healthy and Sane on Facebook.

7) Link to this post on your Facebook page.

Add Healthy and Sane to your blogroll.

9 ) Link to this post on your blog, if you have one. If you don’t, let someone else know about this giveaway and tell me so in the comments section after they’ve entered the giveaway.

Please leave a separate comment on this post for each qualifying entry. This giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry!) and ends at midnight on Wed, May 2. I will randomly choose 10 winners (woohoo!) using random.org and announce them in the following post. Good luck!

Anyways, the marathon was the highlight of my week so far but the rest of the week as always revolved around food.  Since I do a lot of recipe testing for my express lunch time lessons, I wanted to share one of my favorite quick and cheap recipes that’s perfect for lunch or a casual dinner – an egg salad BLT. This recipe was originally featured in Best of Cooking Light and it was love at first bite. I adore how light yet creamy the egg salad is, and the addition of lemon zest really brightens it up. Also, I’ve used nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream on many occasions and it works wonderfully.

Side note: Martha Stewart’s method for hard-boiled eggs creates perfect eggs every time.

The best part? The contrast between creamy eggs, juicy tomatoes and crispy, salty, smoky bacon. Oh yes!

What are your favorite quick and cheap recipes? Please share with all of us in the comments!

If you live in the Boston area, you definitely know about Boston Brunchers – a group established by Renee of Eat.Live.Blog that has grown to over 300 local food bloggers. Pretty amazing! And if you don’t live in the area, well you know what it’s all about now… and don’t worry – there  is still some good info for you here (and some drool-worthy food photos and even cute animal pics!) I haven’t been out with Boston Brunchers since a fabulous brunch at The Cottage, but this Farm School brunch was extra special.

[Pastries from Iggy’s]

What’s a Farm School? Well, I’m glad you asked my friends   The Farm School is actually 2 farms located in Athol, MA (about 1.5hrs from Boston) – one providing 2.5-day programs to visiting schools, involving kids on whatever is need on the farm during those days. The kids get the real hands-on farm experience for just a few days and hopefully a new appreciation for fresh produce and humanely raised animals. Most of the food on this farm is grown to just to feed all the visitors (they get about 1,500 children every school year!). The second farm offers a one-year learn to farm program for adult students that want to live on a farm for a year and learn all the ins and outs of becoming a farmer. This farm grows organic produce, meat and eggs sold to CSA members and farmers market. Pretty amazing stuff!!

[Bloggers mingling before we sit down for brunch]

[Farm fresh eggs]

[Adorable animals from the farm. Omg I want to die - these are so cute!!]

[Maple tree planks used as serving plates]

Our hosts for the day:

Brunch time!

Peach Bellini from peaches from the farm (I couldn’t say no to that!)

Pork belly two ways

Pork schnitzel, adirondack red pototoes, soft boiled eggs with dill holondaise and sauteed spinach which was so sweet (naturally) that it seemed like a completely different species. And can you see how bright yellow this egg yolk is?

Boston Brunchers brunching

Last course: maple bread pudding made with Iggy’s brioche bread and Farm Schools eggs and maple syrup

The food was seriously outstanding! Obviously the recipes were fabulous but I would largely contribute this to the high quality of ingredients. Every bite was incredible but I was especially surprised by the spinach and the potatoes. They seemed so simple but I honestly have never had spinach and potatoes this delicious. Farm School grows 30 kinds of vegetables and 100 varieties. This is one of my favorite benefits of eating locally – you get to experience artisanal produce, varieties of fruits and vegetables that have been mostly lost to mass production.

I left the brunch with a high (it was also an unseasonably warm day out so everyone was extra happy soaking up the sunshine). I’ve been thinking for a long time about signing up for a produce CSA but was too nervous about getting a box of onions or other produce I had no use for. Actually speaking to the farmers and learning about the programs this particular farm supports, as well as literally tasting the difference, made me reconsider. Here are the pros and cons of a produce CSA as I see them.

Cons:

• Expensive compared to supermarket produce + you pay upfront for the season (this covers seed money and pay for the farmers)
• Quantities fluctuate depending on the weather and how bountiful the season is
• Most CSA boxes are pre-packed so someone else decides what you’ll be eating that week.
• You may get produce you do not enjoy or know what to do with, which may contribute to food waste.

• Your money goes directly to the farmers, cutting out the middle man.
• You are essentially a small shareholder of the farm for the season, so if the season is especially bountiful, you get to reap the benefits
• You get to support your local economy and a farm you believe in, in a way that may not be available otherwise (outside of the CSAs, Farm School for example only sells produce at the Belmont farmers market which is not convenient for me).
• Since the food is grown and distributed locally, it is picked at the peak of its freshness – which is extra delicious and nutritious (compared to imported produce that is picked when it’s still green and ripens in trucks and grocery stores. Green bananas and avocados are my biggest pet peeve ever.)
• If you buy most of your produce at farmers markets, it should actually be cheaper.
• You may try new types of produce or varieties of your favorites you’ve never even seen before!
• Pre-packed boxes add a challenge. This could be a great way to be “forced” to experiment in the kitchen. I’m up for it!

I’ve been thinking of taking the plunge for a while, but what really sold me on Farm School was that they actually have the option of picking your own box for the week. I love that! They basically set up a farmers market type stall (specifically for CSA members), and you get to choose your own 10 different veggies for the week. No onions for me! I also love that all the produce is organic. I checked other organic farms in the area offering CSAs, and Atlas Farms is cheaper but does not have a pick up location in or near Boston. They do have a stall at the Copley farmers market so I’ll still be able to support them if I need to supplement my loot from Farm School (Sienna Farms is amazing but is in contrast a lot more expensive).

Hope your week is off to a lovely start!! See you soon, I promise!

You as my loyal readers already know about last year’s decision to quit my job in finance. Most of us spend more time at work than with our families and friends. It takes up most of our waking hours and whether we like it or not, it’s part of us. I took my job home with me (even when I wasn’t officially working, I was worrying about it, complaining about it, and even laughing about it… when that was the only thing to do to stay sane). After quitting, this huge part of my identity was gone. I felt happy but also a little lost.

Although it seemed like eternity at the time, luckily it only took me a month to figure out that my Cooking Matters classes were the highlight of every week. And not only did I love to be a part of my students’ healthier future, I also realized that after years of healthy cooking for myself and my family and friends, I was actually damn good at it. I realized how many tips and tricks I had up my sleeve. How so many of us struggle with the same exact things in our attempts to eat healthier, and that through first hand experience – I figured out solutions to these things!

So I decided to make a career out of helping people eat healthier through hands-on cooking classes! And that’s how Satisfied Cravings was born!!

It’s pretty much impossible to put into words how excited I am to finally launch my little business! I’ll be doing private (or semi-private) express lessons out of my Back Bay condo. I hope that business people in the area (like I used to be!) and stay-at-home moms will want to make the most of their lunch breaks and make healthy lunch + dinner with me. We’ll key in on their current healthy eating challenges and make meals that will be customized specifically to meet their needs and taste preferences. I would have loved such an escape from the office back in the day and more time for rest or fun at night! I’ll also be hosting cooking parties at clients’ houses during which we can work on specific skills or just make fun dishes in a more social setting.

I can’t wait!!

Thank you all of your support on Healthy and Sane. Without this blog, I am not sure if I would have developed this passion for healthy cooking. And a special thank you to my sister, Adam and all the friends that read numerous drafts of the website and provided valuable feedback. By the way, I will continue blogging here – no worries!

I hope you guys have a chance to check out the Satisfied Cravings website. I’d love to have you in my class some day and would really appreciate it if you could pass on the link to anyone you think might be interested in my services. Thanks in advance – I need all the help spreading the word I can get!!

This is the scariest and bravest thing I’ve ever done. Bring it!

Most days I go about my business without much thought to my history. The days of bread lines and food stamps are long gone. I’m very comfortable in my home in the center of Boston, with every needed amenity within a few minutes of walking distance. And then something happens that reminds me of how lucky I am – most of us are – to have such simple things as running water, electricity and internet (and plentiful food). We didn’t always take those for granted in Kishinev (I specifically remember filling up buckets of water for showers and cooking – water outages were quite frequent) and I learned to appreciate them once again after the power outages this week. It was rough.

It was a gorgeous day in Boston when a transformer caught fire and contributed to a 15-block power outage in Back Bay. We were just 2 blocks away from the fire and had the largest impact. We had no power at all for 2 days straight and then we had random power outages (of course every time I was about to cook us a meal!) for the next few days after that. It’s crazy how much we rely on electricity these days! Besides the obvious (lack of light in the house so you can’t see anything, especially when even the street lights don’t work), there is no heat, no access to the fridge or stove top (which makes it really hard to stay on your diet!!) and no tv/internet (those were down for almost the whole week). We downloaded the flashlight app on our iphones to help guide us through the house, but after a while our phones died too (since you couldn’t charge them!). Pain in the butt for sure

I lived out of coffee shops, my parents’ and friends’ houses all week and I’m so so happy to be back to normal in my own home right now. Who knew that having power and internet would feel like such a treat?!

[Left: 2 standard pork chops; right: pounded chops]

Anyways, this recipe for Russian “chicken fried” pork has nothing to do with all that (I just wanted to vent ) but it’s a classic and absolutely delicious so you should make it! Otbivnii or betki are both common names for these guys and basically mean that the meat was “beaten” (aka pounded) into thin cutlets. You then dip them into an egg/flour batter and pan fry them. The result is a juicy piece of meat with a delicious eggy crust. It’s definitely a favorite!

Pork is sort of the “original” meat of choice but my mom tells me she recently started buying thin chicken cutlets and doesn’t even pound them. They are ready to go right there! Serve with a simple tomato/cucumber/sour cream salad (and maybe mashed potatoes) and feel like a cool Russian. I did

Open wide!

Printable recipe

Which ordinary thing are you thankful for having today?

I’m back on the dieting bandwagon. At least for a little while. I know I said I was done with dieting for good and maybe I forgot the struggles and ups and downs associated with restrictive measures (and need to relearn this lesson), but honestly – I got tired of the mental capacity intuitive eating requires. I still believe it should be everyone’s (including mine!) ultimate goal. I want to have the freedom to eat what my body and mind desire, drama-free. But in order to get “there,” you need to do a lot of digging and self-evaluation and discipline (yes, intuitive eating requires a lot of discipline… at least while you are learning the ropes of it) and at a time where I’m dealing with so many changes and emotions in my life, I just need a little break from all of this work.

Leaving my job created a lot of possibilities, but also a lot of old and new emotions. I still struggle with unrealistic expectations about how much I can accomplish in one day (which bring about anxiety and disappointment), perfectionism (in every aspect of my life… which turns into a lot of discomfort when I can’t completely control everything that’s happening… even myself), laziness (yup, I said it… that carries a lot of guilt too) and loneliness (that’s a new one from being at home alone during the weekdays…hoping to change that when my business launches!). Guess what? To cope with it all, I found comfort in food. Followed by shame. Here I was, finally pursuing my dreams and still dealing with my shit in the same old ways.

I tried pep talks and inspirational books, but like I said – it was all just too much for me right now. My weight gain was making me uncomfortable and I just wanted to get rid of it first and deal with my issues later. I know a diet is a band aid, but I feel like that is what I require right now. I own this decision. I think some of you may relate.

So anyways, I tried going back to calorie counting. I couldn’t do it this time. It was too flexible. I was good for a few days, then I would totally blow it the next day (of course stopping tracking once I was over my daily allowance)… and starting over seemed harder and harder each time until it gave me so much anxiety I would start overeating right away (this is why I decided that I was done with the diets in the first place – it created this vicious cycle!). So I’m now doing something that’s a lot more restrictive just to shock my body a little and take certain trigger foods (chocolate, I’m looking at you!) out of the equation. On Monday, I started the 2-week phase I of the South Beach Diet. For the next 2 weeks, I am restricting my sugar intake and eliminating most starches from my diet (basically, it’s a low carb diet for the first 2 weeks) and then I can bring back some whole grains, fruit and booze back. This first phase is the one I’m most excited about because it is already teaching me that discipline I’ve lost (and the scale has finally reversed direction!). Because the foods I normally would turn to in my discomfort are not available to me right now, I am forced to find solutions that don’t involve food. And that’s the best “side effect.” I really am feeling better already! By the way, Adam is doing it with me so I’ve been extra motivated. There will be no cheating here!! We are in it together.

PS – Even on a diet, I refuse to eat “diet food.” This chicken cacciatore recipe from Cooking Light was incredibly delicious, diet or not. Skinless chicken thighs are well seasoned and beautifully seared, then baked over a medley of peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. I omitted the shaved parmesan topping because I was lazy and the meal was fantastic without it, but I think the cheese could add a nice sharp bite to the dish. Highly recommended!

Are you an effortless healthy eater or do you sometimes need the kick your own butt and get a little more “serious?”

The other day (and by that I mean several months ago) I was looking for a great veggie-full recipe to make in a crockpot and the idea of stuffed peppers came to mind. They are sort of a blank canvas so you can fill them with whatever you want (including uncooked rice – my favorite magic trick! <—your surprised face when you try it too), go about your day and then come home to a healthy dinner all ready for you. Pretty fab if you ask me.

And then I came across this turkey and artichoke stuffed peppers recipe from Cara. It uses bulgur which is sold parboiled, which means it cooks quickly. No magic required and it’s a whole (delicious!) grain to boot! You combine it with browned ground turkey (just 1/2lb goes a long way here!), chopped up artichokes, garlic, herbs and cottage cheese and then try not to eat the whole filling all by itself. But hold off, because topped with a little tomato sauce and cheese and stuffed in peppers it becomes this awesome little package of goodness. Fantastic!

No, this was not the crockpot meal I originally intended; there were quite a few steps (although none were complicated) but this was incredibly flavorful between the nutty bulgur, the savory turkey, slightly acidic artichokes and tomatoes, creamy cottage cheese and lots of garlic (I looooove garlic!). It went immediately on our favorites list and I hope it becomes your favorite too!

Thank you, Cara, for another winning recipe!

Do you have a great stuffed pepper recipe? I still want to do another crockpot version with rice.

Last week I did something super cool; any food blogger’s dream really – I attended a real professional food photo shoot!! You guys know I’ve been volunteering with Cooking Matters for a little while now (just finished another 6-week class as chef instructor and getting ready for another, woop woop!). In the February newsletter I noticed a call out to volunteers to assist in a photo shoot of all of their recipes. You know I got on that right away! The position was actually to do the cooking of the recipes. It was going to be an aggressive schedule so I quickly realized I would be stuck in a kitchen without a real insight into how the magic happens. So I asked to do a half day of cooking and a half day of assisting the food photographer and stylist. This was met with some hesitance at first but then I got a call back from photographer Ellen Callaway (check out that link, she’s super talented!) who said she got a little more flexibility and I was welcome to come down for a few hours. Done and done! [Moral of the story – ask for what you want or you will likely be disappointed.]

When I got to Ellen’s house (where the photo shoot was taking place), I saw that the cooking was very much under way and that I was basically invited to observe. The atmosphere was super casual. Catrine Kelty did the food styling, her daughter did the cooking, and Ellen took the photos. They worked really well together and made the whole thing look effortless (we all know it’s not!)

I was surprised to see that Ellen works with almost 100% artificial lighting. Those giant black “curtains” purposely blocked any natural light coming in. And the set-up was relatively minimal – some crates, a table top, and then… thousands of dollars worth of lights, cameras, stands and a strobe that automatically sets off the lights when the flash goes off (fancy stuff!).

Of course equipment is not everything – you need to know what you’re doing! Ellen has been doing food photography since 1997 and Cartine has been styling for over 15 years. They were pros for sure.

Little pieces of white paper bouncing light in just the right spot:

Ellen first took several hand held shots until the right angle and general styling was agreed on. This “draft” was emailed to the client (he couldn’t be there). He then let us know if he wanted any changes (different spoon, plate, more visible veggies, etc.). In the meantime Catrine also perfected the dish – like a surgeon. She had these giant tweezers and tiny spatulas, placing bits of veggies, herbs and chicken in just the right spots; fluffing up layers of lasagna; adding chickpea chunks to hummus. I’m usually hungry when I take my food photos so it was interesting to see how much care goes into each shot when it’s done on a professional level (and there is no husband standing over your head asking if dinner is ready to eat yet ).

Once the general shot is approved, Ellen takes the final pictures with a tripod and makes sure that all the shadows are in the right places and the lighting is well balanced. The final shot gets sent to someone else to post-process.

Just a few super quick snap shots with my point and shoot… I didn’t want to be in the way. Sometimes the food looked better in pictures than in real life – impressive! [It was all delicious though, we ate it for lunch.]

Obviously I don’t have money or space for crazy equipment but this did teach me to at least try to take more time to get the right shot (especially with things that don’t have to be eaten immediately… like muffins and cookies). And I like the idea of practicing the layout with a hand held camera and then busting out the tripod. It’s still one of my 30 by 30 goals to master that beast (which has been collecting dust). One of these days for sure…

So yeah, that was awesome. Thank you Ellen and Catrine for letting me be a part of it!

I thought this would also be the right post to share with you my little DIY project from a while back – portable table tops for photo backgrounds. You may remember that I set up a little photo studio in my bedroom – this was my next project to tackle.

There seem to be a lot of wooden table tops made of planks, but when I went to Lowe’s to get the supplies, the guy at the store convinced me to try this easier route, reminding me that most tables are made of solid wood. So true!

I just bought some 2’x2’ wooden boards (1/2” thick) and stained them. All you need a stain of your choice (I picked out “walnut” stain), an old t-shirt and space, preferably outdoors (the stuff is stinky). And then you just rub a thin layer of the stain over the wood. It was surprisingly runny. I was afraid it would be thick and hard to apply but nope, it took seriously less than a minute.

Easy peasy!

It gets tiny bit darker after drying. This is when you can apply another coat if you want. I got lazy and did just 1 coat. It’s been working just fine.

Some photos on the new “table”

[The colors look different due to exposure in the photos – it’s the same board]

I don’t really miss those planks!

Next up, I wanted to do the distressed look and once again decided to go for a shortcut…

Crackle paint! Btw, this is just the other side of the stained top above. You get 2 table tops in 1!

So the idea is that you paint your surface like you would with any other regular paint, and when it dries out the paint starts to crackle. The reality of it? No cracks in sight!

I was cheap and forwent the primer but reading reviews online, it seems like many people found that it didn’t really crack even with the primer… so I guess I’m glad I saved myself an extra $7.

The board looks almost plain white in the photos. It kind of worked in this little photo shoot so I’ll leave it to it.

Have you ever been to a professional food photo shoot? What would you ask the stylist or photographer? I asked Catrine for styling tips and she referred me to Food Styling by Dolores Custer and Food Fanatics.