happy october!
happy non-gmo month!!! yay!
lovin’ these gloves i scored at a thrift shop…
they are perfect for halloween! 😉
stewin’ maters…
and makin’ ’em into a meaty sauce… nom nom.
pretty radishes!
scary spider… but not really that scary.
frost in the mornings… it’s a regular thing, now.
feathers on eggs… not a regular thing, but i think it’s SO COOL!
i recently had a random and brief discussion with a stranger about leeks. he mentioned that leeks are prominent in french cooking, which i found intriguing. he also said something like, “they have a lot of some magic property that is super good for you…” which made me giggle… and which i later discovered was polyphenol – the super antioxidant we all love so much.
i’ve always been attracted to leeks, though i never really cook with them much. i want to start using leeks more often in the food and foto kitchen.
i plan to add them in a frittata… yum! which actually, i do believe i’ve done before…
a little alliteration to start your morning 😉
aaaaaand, some pics from way way west-western colorado…
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to say this state is dry is… well, a gross understatement.
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dramatic sky.
beauty.
…fossils – whoa. Continue reading
it’s that time again!
you walk into the other room and suddenly completely forget why you went in there…
that’s right – it’s MERCURY RETROGRADE!
mercury will be taking his backward journey in the sign of scoprio/libra from october 4th through october 25th. as always, MR periods offer a chance for a “do-over” in some areas of our lives. sometimes people from the past resurface or we get a chance to look at something from a different perspective, and perhaps make a different or more clear decision about it. MR gets a bad rap, but it can really offer a second-chance in a way, we just have to be open. mercury retrograde just wants us to consider things from ALL SIDES, and to make decisions from a more introspective mentality. sometimes we need to see things form a different angle, and that sheds light onto a subject in a way we perhaps hadn’t noticed before. conversely, sometimes MR periods cast “shadows” on matters… afterall, mercury himself is the epitome of duality – having both equal parts dark and light. sometimes the key is to trust the saying, “if one door closes, another one will open.” the key is also to go within, and trust your intuition a little more.
some of the other key things to remember during mercury retrograde are as follows…
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try not to sign any major documents… and if you must, go over all the paperwork with a fine-tooth comb, as they say, and make sure to “dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s” – MR periods tend to cause our minds to easily overlook small but important details, so it is usually advised that one does not do something like say – purchase a home or sign divorce papers – and the like, during this time.
allow for extra time during travel… or try not to do too much of it in general – MR periods tend to slow down travel/transportation overall but by allowing for extra time, frustration can be easily avoided. i always suggest leaving the house an extra 10-15 minutes early on your way to work, just in case.
do your best not to make any major decisions… mercury is the ultimate trickster. it’s important to use this time to “incubate” your thoughts… pay attention to how they may change or how you may suddenly see something in a whole new way. MR periods have potential to cause confusion, so it is advised to let your thoughts simmer rather than act on them right away.
triple check your work… in going along with “crossing all your t’s” and such {which is kind of a weird thing to say in this modern keyboard-driven technological world we live in}, MR periods beg for us to make sure to pay attention to the details. it’s easy to forget something that may seem like a habit to you. so just do your best to take a few extra moments to make sure you shut the garage door, replied to that important email, or sent a text to the right person 😐
be conscious of your words and any miscommunication… it’s one of the biggest downfalls of MR periods. sometimes you may just NOT hear someone right, or sometimes you may struggle to find the proper words to express yourself, or sometimes you may misunderstand what a person said – or vice versa. just slow down, go easy, and remember that it will pass. and try not to hold a grudge against someone if there in fact is some miscommunication… you can always talk it out after the 25th 🙂
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of course, if you are a natal mercury retrograde soul like myself, you always have the green light for any of the things listed above. it’s not to say that these periods don’t effect us in these categories, it’s just that we have a different way of interacting with the energies, since we live it on a daily basis.
mercury will be traveling through scoprio and libra during these 3 weeks. some areas of our lives in which MR may have an effect are – divorce, sex, death, rebirth, finances {scorpio} and relationships, partners, clients, fairness, equality {libra}.
if you want to read more of my rants about mercury retrograde events, you can click HERE.
and i hope you backed up your important stuff recently… just sayin’
have fun! ❤
…this random hash with onion, garlic, potatoes, bacon, tomatoes, and kale.
…this. *giggle*
…subtle reminders.
…these $5 birks i scored at a thrift store in moab – never been worn!
…fresh halibut – worth the splurge!
…fishin’ somewhere near paonia.
…creating farm-to-table meals with elk meatballs, wild boletus mushrooms, sauteed swiss chard, fresh salad.
…my new job.
…a perfect tomato from a friend’s garden.
…making wishes at the wishing tree.
…a beehive, right by my house!
…the fact that peach season is officially over… i enjoyed one final one for desert after the bronco game.
…my tomatoes are finally taking off.
…tomato bounty!
…glowing sopris… {and the fact that it’s still been nice enough to even wear sandals!}
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enjoy your weekend!
i had the privilege of taking a little vacation to moab last week. i was desperate for a getaway. when i found out moab was only 3 hours from where i lived, i was super excited to visit. of course, after my accident in december last year, i haven’t been able to do much traveling or road-tripping like i like to do. thankfully, i met someone recently who has a similar love for the great outdoors and for adventures on wheels, and we were able to take enjoy a little getaway together…
the first stop was actually near the colorado/utah border, but i’m saving those pics for another time. i just wanna get right to sharing the images from moab.
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drive-by {foto} shooting 😉
i so wish i would’ve had a sticker to slap on there…
“castle valley”
the landscape in moab looks so awesome in black and white… but the colours are also so bright and vivid. we arrived to our first camp-spot just before sunset. the light from the evening sun casts the most glorious glow all over the rocks. we had a mix of clouds during the time the sun was going down, but i can only imagine how that place lights up with full sun…
i can’t decide if i prefer the B&W images or the colour. what do you think?
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i just returned from a {much needed} camping trip with a special friend and i can’t wait to share more fotos from this awesome desert landscape! ❤
hope you all enjoy your weekend!
i totally fell in love… with this great little town… paonia. i actually considered moving there before i moved to my little neck of the mountains… but i hadn’t yet visited and i’m super glad i had the opportunity to this week! i had heard that there were farms up in paonia where you could pick your own produce for a nominal fee… and obviously – i was all over that!
the season for peaches is almost over, but orchard valley farms still had plenty of trees to harvest from! i had never done anything like this, it was quite the experience! ❤
i left my camera at home, because this was sort of an impromptu trip… but i had the trusty iphone.
hehehee {not a real person, but totally fooled me!} 😛
entrance to the garden and grove… {those are “peach pickers”}
peach trees galore!
ladder to pick the really big ones at the top!
like this! 😀
sipping wine and picking peaches… what a day!
pumpkins! {no pickin’ pumpkins, though!}
no picking wine grapes either… but the merlot/cabernet blend from black ridge winery was just wonderful!
then i spotted this door on the way out… 🙂
enjoy the weekend!
finger food is my favourite! i believe in touching and playing with your food!! 😉
and i’m kind of obsessed with tomatoes… i eat them with almost every meal, it seems. i love the colourful variety of them. little, big, funky shaped, speckled… deep colours, bright colours…
i especially love to make little snacks with tomatoes – any way i can.
and so, i present to you… the most adorable mini-caprese stacks ever. at least by my standards.
how cute are these?!
i don’t even know what to say about this adorable vegetable. when my new boss {i left the corporate world last week – details to follow!} told me that this looked like a watermelon inside, the first thought in my head was, “well, that would fotograph just perfectly with black lava salt!” 😀
now, i am not the biggest radish fan on this earth, but i do occasionally get cravings for them. i roasted some once, which totally changes their flavour – almost making the “bite” more tolerable. radishes are high in vitamin c and potassium, and they are a very low-calorie food.
these watermelon radishes are so pretty…
and sure enough, are a bright magenta colour inside!
watermelon radish…
so i obviously had to cut them into little watermelon-shaped slices…
sprinkle on some wonderful black lava salt.. for taste, and for effect! 😉
hello, watermelon radish!
nom nom… nom.
perhaps you may know by now, that i have a major affinity for salt. himalayan pink salt being my top pick… in fact, i love salt so much that sometimes people buy it for me or bring it back from france as a gift… {how lucky am i!?}
this beautiful salt is called “black lava” and i recently discovered the most interesting thing about it. apparently, it is simply salt from the hawaiian shore that has been “infused” with activated charcoal… typically from coconuts. WHAT! did you know that??!! crazy! therefore, this awesome salt is also very detoxifying and has been used in spas across the country. furthermore, i discovered that it is considered a “finishing salt”… which i must’ve known instinctively {thanks to my intuitive-eating lifestyle}, because i totally just put some on this delicious tomato the other day and devoured it…
it has a slight smokey flavour and i just love the colour!
definitely nab some up if you find it in your specialty department or store. it’s worth the extra expense, and the trace mineral content is also very high in this salt, which just adds to its awesomeness.
oh how i wish i could dig my toes in the warm sand right now… inhale the ocean air and feel the breezy salty mist on my face… listen to the crash of the ocean waves and the peaceful sound of the ebb and flow of the water… i’m desperately seeking a rendezvous with the big blue! ❤
what have you been daydreaming about?! have an awesome weekend!
… i took this kickass foto…. that i just love. ❤
{oh – and it rained like, a ton!}
… i was housesitting, and this awesome little chicken was one of eleven that i had the fortune of feeding and watching while the owners were away… they are so cool!
… i had this for breakfast : a sausage & cheese croissant roll, two flax seed chocolate brownie muffins, and my trusty half caff americano {with a little cream}…
… i totally saw this dead snake in the road………. oddly, the first one i’ve seen at all since moving here.
… i made my famous morning smoothie………… a few times 😉
… i looked up at the sky.
… i took a silly selfie on the bus and tried to be all discreet but made myself look even sillier… 😛
… i harvested these absolutely beautiful organic cherry tomatoes and some mixed baby greens from the garden outside of the house i was sitting…
{so grateful!}
… and i added in shredded chicken, olives, cucumbers, sharp cheddar, red onion, and dressed it in a french vinaigrette… YUM!
… i saw like, four billion ants………… i wonder what they were all working on…
… i saw these carrot-tops poking through a cute little community garden…
… i ordered and devoured an entire 12 inch pizza called the “BLT” from my favourite local spot… it’s seriously like eating a blt on a round pizza pie : “crispy bacon, smoked provolone, garlic, onion & house-made sundried tomato pesto topped with shredded leaf lettuce tossed in our famous house-made ranch” it’s one unique and delicious pizza. they serve the lettuce and fixins’ on the side so you can dress it by adding the lettuce topping at the end. it is AHH-MAZING! one of my favourite pizzas, for sure!!!!
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happy sunday!
and, always be sure to eat a lot of {healthy, colourful} food and take a lot of {awesome} fotos!! 😉 ❤
first of all, i just want to send a quick shout-out to all the newcomers… i’m always humbled whenever a new follower joins the fun! welcome to food and foto and thank you for your support! ❤
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i just love this shot from the archives, taken by my friend michele when i first moved back to colorado in 2011… it’s been 3 years, almost to date. i do love parts of this great state – especially the mountains, the peaceful sound of the nothingness in the air, and the sunsets. however, there is such a dichotomy to my personality. i miss the city – the hustle and bustle, the lights, the diversity, the people.
i miss new york more than i ever thought i would. it’s kind of funny how i always say i went there to pick up a piece of me…. and yet – i feel like when i moved, i left a piece of me there…
hey gang!
i just wanted to share a few headshots from a recent session with my new client, john. we met somewhat serendipitously when i was working for aspen ski resort last winter. john was going for a laid-back “brooklyn vibe” in his headshot session with me, and i think he embodied that quite well!
john is a talented freelance consultant, writer, and blogger. check him out here. we wandered the little town of carbondale, chasing light and looking for the perfect “new york city” type background. i’m grateful john was up for the adventure – sometimes it can be hilarious to tag along with me on a shoot…
here are a few of my favourite shots :
grazing cattle at sunset…
my beautiful edible-flower mixed-green salad…
this sweet red tabby kitty i met on my walk home…
this yummy wild rice dish i whipped up – with onions, tomatoes, and fresh english peas….
a penny i found between my feet…
this amazing bag of chocolate peanut butter cups that a coworker so kindly bought for me…
this beautiful… whatever it is…
me…
have a great weekend, gang!! ❤
food & foto 