HEY Y’ALL! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
you can now buy some of my homemade goodies at this link : YUM!
please contact me with any questions or concerns or to directly place your order.
your support means everything!

HEY Y’ALL! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
you can now buy some of my homemade goodies at this link : YUM!
please contact me with any questions or concerns or to directly place your order.
your support means everything!

as many of you already know, i am sometimes referred to as “sally salad” because well… as the kids are saying these days, IYKYK. 😛
i created this big salad a couple weeks ago for a gathering and people often comment on how good my salads are. to be honest, i’m actually not sure why haha. it could be because of the dressing i use {it’s kind of a trade secret but i don’t gate-keep – so feel free to comment or ask}. that said, what i feel may be the case, is that i put a lot of love into food that I prepare/cook. it is truly a love language for me. it’s like – being in the kitchen is one of the only ways i feel i have any sort of control most of the time. i get to create on my own terms, in my own way, with my own rules, on my own time. and i deeply love that… especially in todays world. but also, i truly do enjoy sharing food with others and so i tend to believe that people can feel that when they eat the food i make. it’s a beautiful thing, really.
so anyway here’s a pretty salad i recently made 🙂

starts with a bed of super crispy romaine lettuce… with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, carrots, celery, sweet onions, fresh parsley. sometimes i like to add cabbage or artichokes… or in this case, i did add a little heat with some peperoncinos. always finished with my favourite champagne vinaigrette. very much the epitome of “eat the rainbow” 🙂
nom nom!
how silly is it that i had never made chicken cutlets before yesterday?! haha. my best friend and i were talking about this the other day and was asking how i should prepare them. i did a lot of research and took his advice, but ultimately added my own little flair to it 😉
and basically it doesn’t matter that i had never made them before or that i was making it up as i went along… because when i finally made them, they were AHH-mazing!
after pounding out some already-thinly-sliced chicken breasts…



i created a seasoned flour/egg mixture/parmesan breadcrumb dredging station…


fried in some coconut oil… then i finished them in the air fryer for a perfect crisp… and dusted with parmigiano reggiano…


finally, dressed the cutlets with an arugula salad doused in meyer lemon and olive oil…
OH MY WORD! so good!!!
#nomnom!
this has quickly become one of my new favourite staples in the food and foto kitchen! what is your favourite way to enjoy chicken cutlets?!?!
wow, how has another year gone by so quickly?! (and almost a whole month already!?)
i had every intention of blogging recently and i have sat down several times to do so, but something seemed to get in the way every time. so here i am, trying again. making it happen this time.
as i look outside my window, i am seeing fluffy little puffy flakes of snow fall all around my apartment and neighbourhood. this is probably our 3rd or 4th snowfall this year, thus far. admittedly, i don’t love nor hate it. i just deeply prefer not to drive in it. that said, it has its beauty and charm.
how was your 2024? how are you feeling about 2025? are you the kind of person that celebrates the new year or is it just another day for you? do you make resolutions? do you fall asleep early? do you plan, make changes, start over, etc? For me, the older i get, the less i care about New Years Eve / New Years Day. I get why we celebrate it and all, but it’s quite specifically just another day. i alway say this – i can make changes at any given point of any given day. like on a random tuesday in august, i can just consciously decide to do or not do anything i want. i don’t need to be glutenous for 6 weeks, then promise to clean up my diet drastically overnight. i don’t need to be a lazy slacker for the entire year and then expect to suddenly want make the effort to be in better shape on january 1. ya know what i mean?!
it’s easy to give power to an event, like New Years Day, instead of really focusing on an overall balance. that’s usually been my keyword or phrase or mantra throughout my life :
BALANCE!
as many of you probably know, i am not big on “diets” or “trends” because (i do firmly believe) the best recipe for health is a little bit of everything… well, kinda – in moderation.
i digress.
what is something you are looking forward to? what is something you are thankful for? what is something you’d like to change? and how can you show yourself grace in the process of all of this? these are questions i tend to ask myself during the New Year. and they are also questions i tend to ask myself almost every day. i feel like it’s important to carry the “idea” of the new year throughout the entire year. if the events that have transpired since 2020 should’ve taught us anything, it’s that things can almost quite literally change overnight. whether that be by our own decision or by outside convincing forces is irrelevant. much of what we experience in life is out of our control, but i do very much believe that we still have power over our own lives and choices. particularly in how we treat others. i always aim to be more kind, understanding, patient, honest, and loving.
anyway – here’s one of my favourite recent images to get the new year at food and foto dot com started!

i’m a little late posting this, considering the season is over now. but this is one of my favourite things of ALL TIME! and i was so excited this year when i was able to get my hands on not only one but TWO yellow watermelons! the first time was from a dear friend who shared her CSA {community supported agriculture} box with me when she was on vacation. and the second time was randomly at an amish market – both times were locally-grown, which makes this foodie super happy.





i was thinking the other day about how many farms there are where i live… i literally drive through so many of them on a daily basis, all within 30 minutes in any direction. and i love knowing where my food comes from. seeing the actual field where this watermelon was grown is SO COOL and i believe it makes it taste better! 🙂
the farmer i spoke to about this watermelon said they even grow orange watermelons! so next year i have to make sure to look out for that! i would love to get a red, orange, and yellow and compare them side-by-side.
for me, yellow watermelon has a slightly different taste and texture. it’s hard to explain but i prefer yellow over red. if you have a chance to get your hands on one, i guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
they are usually in season and available in late july or early august… nom nom!

happy farmer audrey 🙂
have you ever had yellow watermelon? i truly hope one year i can try to grow my own!
dill is one of my favourite herbs and it is very easy to grow!
and check out how pretty it looks when harvested in this stage – 😀

this simple concept will definitely remain a new staple in the food and foto kitchen!
as many of you already know, i love to eat my veggies! specifically – lettuce! one of my nicknames is “sally salad” because i’m always the one that brings the salad to any gathering or potluck. 🙂
i also love snacks. and there’s something about eating lettuce this way that makes it feel more like a snack. simply cut the lettuce into little chunks and dip it in your favourite dressing. i used romaine lettuce hearts and ranch dressing… but sometimes i like to mix it up with french dressing or caesar, or a mix… it’s just fun to eat and something different, and it’s nice and refreshing on these super hot summer days!
and the crunch is the best part!


#nomnom
well i’m just full of firsts in 2024! especially in the kitchen!
recently, i randomly decided to make my own reuben sandwich at home. it is most certainly my all-time favourite sammy! there was a glorious place in denver called masterpiece delicatessen and they made THE BEST reuben sandwich! {recently found out they closed, bummer!} and since then, i’ve been trying to find a place that creates one in the same way… alas – to no avail, i have yet to.
BUT! – as usual, when i can’t find what i want, i try to make it myself. and i feel like i was able to artfully recreate this specialty in my own kitchen, and i must’ve eaten one every day for like a week – haha!
complete with homemade russian-style {aka thousand island} dressing and homemade saurkraut! 🙂



this totally hit the spot… perfectly toasted marble rye bread, superbly savory pastrami {sliced thin and stacked high, of course}, delightfully melty swiss cheese, crunchy and punchy {and gut-healthy} sauerkraut, and slightly sweet tangy russian dressing… *chef’s kiss*
what’s there not to love?!
nom nom!
this is another first…
first time i ever tried making this dish from scratch. and possibly the first time i have ever eaten this dish.
a friend of mine came to visit last year and i asked him what his favourite meal was so that i could cook it for him.. and he was quick to respond :
“pad thai”
and i was just a wee-bit nervous because i had never made anything like that before. but – i sought out a recipe through the magic of the internet, and then i gathered the ingredients and followed the recipe and it ended up being pretty delicious! i love the loads of flavour from this well-known dish. AND – it’s actually pretty healthy!


this is the time of year when my diet always starts to change a bit… the transition between summer into autumn, the temps cooling off (although – we are expecting temps close to the 80’s again this week!) so i find myself craving different types of foods… on the precipice of being ready for soups and squashes, but also wanting less “light” dishes like salads, etc. (although – i still eat a salad every day!)
this is one of my favourite in-between meals. i’m calling it “deconstructed sushi” 😀
i love sushi in general… but i had also been trying to find ways to satisfy the craving at home without breaking the bank. i saw something like this on a social media platform and i decided to try it. it’s basically all of the ingredients in sushi, but without the rolling mat. 😉

simply mix all the ingredients together – rice (cooking hack : buy the par-cooked bags so you can heat them up with ease!), imitation crab meat, avocado, cucumber, spicy mayo, sesame seeds… nom nom!


serve with nori sheets like a little sushi taco!


furthermore – i sometimes eat nori or seaweed by the handfuls, just on its own… it’s kind of a (not-so) guilty pleasure 🙂 also, maybe it’s because i’m basically a mermaid?! i could eat seafood of any kind every day!
what’s your favourite kind of sushi?!
it’s that time of year again – HARVEST SEASON!
it seems like everything is producing right now! in my garden, i have lots of herbs as well as tomatoes and cucumbers, which are slow-growing but i’m ok with that…
and at the farmers’ markets, the selections are vast! corn, peaches, berries, melons, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash, garlic… and cabbage! {and the list goes on!}

i am fascinated by the insides of vegetables… especially cabbage! isn’t it just so cool?! the way they grow and form… all those layers and intricate patterns… just so cool!! divine design. 😀
this particular cabbage was so tender!


i chopped up the cabbage, then added it to a super hot cast iron pan with a little bacon fat and diced vidalia onions. after searing for a couple of minutes, i added some water to the pan and covered it to let the liquid absorb and steam slightly… about 6 minutes, stirring once or twice.
{p.s. – how cute is my little pot handle cover – it’s a kitty!}

finally, i served it up with a filet of fish and… nom nom! 🙂
do you like cabbage? what are some of your favourite ways to prepare it?
what can i say?! – i just love alliteration. 😉
i also love anything seafood related… especially scallops! they are one of my all-time favourites! when i lived in NYC, i would make scallops about once a month for my lovely roommate and myself. we always looked forward to it, and she always appreciated it! sharing good food with good people is just one of THE BEST things in life!
i feel like i can confidently say that i have pretty much perfected the method in which scallops should be cooked… particularly fresh scallops. it’s best to treat them almost like a steak in the sense that you want them to be very dry to start, seasoned with good salt, and seared in a hot dry pan {cast iron is my choice.} they are delicate and tender, much like a good steak. i purchased these scallops from my favourite local market and they are locally-sourced and so so fresh! i patted them down with a clean paper towel and added them to a super hot pan for about 2-3 minutes on one side, until they were ready to flip… which is the key step in the process… they should gently and easily remove from the pan when ready to turn. then, the next key step is to add some yummy grass-fed butter {my choice} and baste, baste, baste… for another 2-3 minutes on high heat.
finally, remove from heat and allow to rest for about a minute or so… then use a fork to slice into that buttery sweet goodness with ease and oh my – enjoy every bite!
i served mine with braised broccoli rabe (aka “rapini”) for a complimentary savory/bitter component.
this meal was so divine and delicious!


nom nom!!
p.s. – if you don’t already, please follow me on instagram – @foodnfoto – to further the experience with all things food and foto related! 🙂