Tag Archives: food photography

{end-of-season tomato and goat cheese toasts}

17 Oct

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aren’t these cherry tomatoes just gorgeous?!  it’s sad that the season is over… but i’m still eating as many as i can when i find them at the market…

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i just eat them like candy… popping one at a time… nom nom

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i was inspired by the pretty-much-nothing-left-in-the fridge emptiness of me almost moving and therefore having no food in the house… and i looked around at the half-loaf of bread and jar of cream cheese i had laying around…

“it’s like a little mini pizza… kind of.”  {i thought to myself…} Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday – dehydrated kale chips}

16 Oct

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so, i bought a dehydrator... it’s amazing and it’s already changing my life.

i know that may sound drastic, but at this stage in the game – pretty much everything in my life is drastically changing…. so – this is no exception. owning  a dehydrator has totally changed the way i shop, too.  if i have an over-ripe fruit or veggie, but i’m not sure i’ll eat it right away – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT!  if there is a one-day sale on fresh fruit and i want to stock up but it won’t fit in my freezer – I CAN DEHYDRATE IT!  i can make my own fruit-rollups, trailmix, and even dehydrate herbs like sage or rosemary.

my favourite thing to make lately is kale chips.  i wish i would’ve had this thing in the summer – totally could’ve kept the house cooler than making kale chips in the oven! Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays : rainbow quinoa featuring my homegrown tomato!}

9 Sep

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as i mentioned saturday, i harvested my first tomato from my early girl tomato plant… it was so exciting!

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i used it in this quinoa dish with some chopped zucchini and sauteed sweet onion…

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i ate two slices just to savour the flavour of hard work and dedication… plus, it’s the only one i’ve had all season so far!!  sigh… patience. Continue reading →

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{my first tomato ever!}

7 Sep

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this is terrance, my tomato plant.

i haven’t written about him much because i actually thought maybe he was dying… i only got this ONE tomato from the plant and i believe critters got to the rest of the fruit before i could…  i hadn’t seen any new life in almost 2 weeks so i was concerned… but then recently, i started seeing new growth!  i have 10 little tomatoes growing at the moment, woohoo!!

i’m not sure why it seems my terrance is a late-bloomer… most of my friends that have plants are harvesting TONS of fruit right now.  it’s just funny, it seems like everything i own takes on my energy… i’ve always said i’m a late-bloomer… 😉

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this was my very first homegrown tomato – an early girl 🙂

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i picked her at the beginning of august…

stay tuned for the recipe i used this yummy fruit in!

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{adult tea parties : way better than when you were a kid!}

3 Sep

just be aware : this post is very foto-heavy! 🙂

hope you had a nice holiday weekend!  welcome september!!

———

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so, i had a little tea party with some girlfriends last week… and it was just so charming…

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my favourite quote from the day was from my friend mary who said, “i didn’t even know that could happen!”  i also overheard my friend noel say, “this is WAY better than when you were a kid!”

😉

it truly was a magical day! and my camera was there to document the entire event.  the guest of honour?!  my mom :

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judi.

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a few months ago, while unpacking some storage stuff, i found this beautiful china set – almost completely intact.  as it turns out, it was my mama’s.  i had been keeping it stored with her stuff ever since she passed away.  now 20 years later, i decided to dust if off, sparkle it up, and honour her life by having a party for her on her birthday – august 21st.

she would’ve been 60 years old!

Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays : heirloom cherry tomato risotto}

2 Sep

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you know how i feel about risotto right?!  that it’s like the greatest thing ever and i love to make it and eat it all the time?!

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like here…

this was great, too.

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for this recipe, i featured these beautiful cherry tomatoes…

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i love the different colours and shapes… like humans! 😉

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hehehe 😉 Continue reading →

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{a week of vitamix smoothies – day four : blueberries, spinach, dates, orange juice}

29 Aug

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this one was definitely green… albeit an odd shade…

tasted great, though!

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– frozen blueberries

– frozen raspberries

– fresh spinach

– 2 pitted dates {could substitute honey or agave}

– lots of orange juice

– few splashes almond milk

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i usually use more “milk” than juice, but i wanted to switch it up this time….

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i bought a TON of blueberries on a one-day sale and froze them. when they are in season, they still taste great, but the freezing process zaps some of the sweetness.  the dates really help sweeten without overpowering.

drink the rainbow! 😀

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{a week of vitamix smoothies – day three : bananas, blueberries, flax seeds, coconut milk}

28 Aug

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yep…

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– frozen blueberries

– frozen banana chunks

– flax seeds

– coconut milk

– 1 pitted date or teaspoon honey to sweeten {optional}

…that’s it.

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kept this one SUPER SIMPLE.

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and what a lovely colour, i must say!

drink the rainbow! 😀

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{a week of vitamix smoothies — day one : blueberries, pineapple, coconut milk}

26 Aug

the kids are up early and back in school, the leaves are slowly beginning to change their colours, the air just smells different, and the produce section is starting to feature those fall harvests we look forward to…

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and i figured since the seasons are about to change, i would honour the idea of cleansing with the seasons.  so, this week i will feature 5 different vitamix smoothie recipes – each creation will also feature seasonal blueberries… mmmmm…

so here’s the first one :

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this mix created such a pretty colour!  it’s always a surprise when one experiments with smoothie concoctions in the vitamix… but it’s also {obviously} half the fun! 😉

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– blueberries

– pineapple

– black grapes

– teaspoon local honey

– mango juice

– coconut milk

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{righteous rambutan}

20 Aug

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have you ever seen this crazy interesting fruit?!

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it’s called rambutan.  and it is by far the most bizarre-looking food i’ve eaten so far. Continue reading →

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{stunning and scrumptious squash blossoms}

19 Aug

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i mean, these are just gorgeous… right?!

i’ve always wanted to make something with squash blossoms, but due to the fact that they are hard to find and have a small window of availability, i often miss my opportunity…

…but not this time 🙂

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goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms… stunning and scrumptious.

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i could’ve had full-on foto shoot with them, but i got hungry… so this will have to suffice…

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…for now 😉 Continue reading →

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{beautiful bouquet of herbs}

16 Aug

i’m thankful i have a dear friend who has a lovely garden in her back yard…

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she occasionally gives me bunches of beautiful herbs, among other things like fresh farm eggs and summer squash… delicious!

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and chives, parsley, cilantro, mint…

and lavender…

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mmm, can you just smell it…?! !!

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{specialty produce – passionfruit}

6 Aug

definitely one of the more interesting and bizarre-looking fruits i’ve eaten…

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have you ever had a passionfruit?!  i bet you’ve had something with the flavour of passionfruit in it, like a drink or something… they are an interesting fruit. as they ripen, they begin to look like this foto – kind of wrinkly and you may even think it’s gone bad… but no no no! it’s just right…

when you first cut into a passionfruit, you may take a look inside and be like, “what in the world…?!”

passionfruit-2 Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays : my very first “official” product review : hilary’s eat well veggie burgers

5 Aug

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hey gang, i hope you enjoyed the weekend.

lots of fun things happening around here at food and foto!  for starters, i gained my 600th {+} follower last week!  i am always so humbled and grateful when anyone subscribes to the blog.  please allow me to take this moment to thank those of you who take time to read and follow and comment and engage… i just really appreciate it!  this blog wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for you!

also, i received an email from a lovely rep at Hilary’s Eat Well a few weeks ago, asking if i would be interested in trying and giving feedback on some of their products.  i was familiar with hilary’s eat well, but had never actually had the pleasure of eating any of their products… so i was super excited for the opportunity to not only try them, but to write about it on my blog!  my first official review 😀

once i read up on the company, i was even more excited for the experience. Continue reading →

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{whatever wednesday – some delicious sandwiches i’ve eaten recently}

31 Jul

so, right now i’m cleansing… and all i want to do today {my day “3”} is eat a friggin sandwich!  i’m craving carbs and dairy most, which is usually how it goes in the beginning.

it’s all good.

so since i’m not eating them right now, i figured i’d virtually live through eating them again… since lately i fotograph everything before i eat it… even if i’m not intending to use it for the blog.

😉

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buffalo chicken, blue cheese, red leaf lettuce, and some kind of amazing dressing on a ciabatta roll… from whole foods market.

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beef baloney, havarti cheese, spring mix, and mustard between french boule slices… from yours truly.

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you may recognize this one… grilled cheese, tomato, and ramps on a whole wheat boule…. by yours truly. Continue reading →

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{meatless mondays : rainbow quinoa w/ volcanic garlic and heirloom tomatoes}

29 Jul

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quinoa dishes are great for many reasons.  one thing i love about them is they are great served hot or cold.  quinoa is a wonderful source of protein and it is even a complete protein which means it contains all 9 essential amino acids.  this makes it particularly good for vegans or vegetarians.  i also love quinoa because i find it sustains my active body for a good while.

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i whipped up a quick batch to take to lunch for a few days using my amazing volcanic garlic, 1/2 a sweet onion, and 1 medium beautiful heirloom tomato.   Continue reading →

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{cherryfest!}

24 Jul

this foto is from the archives…

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circa 2003 – captured at a farmers market in san jose, california.

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{organic golden kiwi}

22 Jul

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golden kiwis are not the same as regular green kiwis you see in the stores….. i mean, of course they aren’t, right?! – they’re being featured on food & foto 😉

originating in china, golden kiwis are now mostly from new zealand, and they blow regular kiwi out of the water!  {sorry, kiwi}

their thin skin is different from the regular kiwi – smooth and hairless with little freckles throughout.  they ripen just like regular kiwi, so look for one that slightly gives to the tender touch…

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the flavour is similar, but the golden kiwi boasts a less-acidic quality and taste. they have almost a pineapple flavour… and i just LOVE THEM!!! Continue reading →

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{volcanic garlic – beautiful, incredible, delicious, nutritious…}

19 Jul

…shall i continue?!

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i first discovered this beautiful goodness from mudd’s harvest at the arvada farmers market…

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i bought two small bulbs after spotting it and trying it… i fell in love with the colour! {and the outstanding flavour!} Continue reading →

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{thirsty thursday – delicious beers you ought to try}

18 Jul

just some suggestions for a few life-celebrating libations…

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good juju is brewed with ginger – a unique one for sure!  it compliments spicy snacks rather well…

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colette is a wonderfully bright and bubbly farmhouse ale that finishes like champagne, with a high alcohol content…

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fire rock is a kona brewing company pale ale. this yummy beer gets its dark colour from roasted hops, which aren’t too overwhelming… and the flavour does not disappoint!

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new belgium brewery just knows how it’s done.  i’ve never had a beer i didn’t like from them… loft is a seasonal brew full of citrus notes from the kaffir lime and is in the pilsner family.

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