Scrumptious Snickerdoodles

     Making homemade cookies is always a great idea. Never in history
     has the following conversation been recorded:

     Person 1: "Do you want fresh homemade cookies?

     Person 2: "No, I don't."

Making homemade cookies is both rewarding and very enjoyable. The anticipation, waiting for that timer to ding, is excruciating. As the aroma fills the room, all you can think about is, "How much longer until I can taste that cookie?" This is the reason store-bought cookies were created -- because people couldn't handle the wait. True story, look it up! (Don't actually.)

To light this shot, we used two point-light sources from the back. One light was coming from the left and one from the right. The purpose of these lights was to skim across the surface of the cookies to bring out their texture. A large, soft light source from above filled in the shadows and kept the contrast low. But even with the overhead light, we still needed some light to highlight the main cookie. To do that, we brought in a modeled mirror to reflect the back-lights onto the front of
the cookie. 

Make them now

The comfort of biscuits

  Everyone loves warm biscuits, fresh from the oven…

When it’s cold outside, a warm biscuit just seems like the natural bread selection to go with most meals or for a special treat. A biscuit is the original comfort food. Take a bite of its crusty golden top and soft, fluffy inside and you’ll be on cloud 9. Pure creamery butter is a requirement, but you might also add some honey.

Biscuits go with almost everything, and in fact, they make ho-hum meals better. You’re in a hurry and have a quick bowl of soup or a quick salad; think how much better each would be with a simple, mouth-watering biscuit!

Biscuits are national and international favorites. Add gravy to a biscuit and you have a proper Southern breakfast food. In England, a biscuit's a cracker and in Canada, it's a cookie. And cooks everywhere are always trying to improve upon the almost perfect. We now have recipes for cheese biscuits, pizza biscuits and the pièce de résistance – bacon biscuits!

Good news, you can actually make perfectly simple and simply perfect biscuits like these in a half hour.

Game Day Menu

We wanted to create a menu for our game day party.  The problem with doing that when you're a photography studio is you can't just have a "word" menu.  We needed a photo menu!

When you have 15 people in your house, nobody wants to take the time to look at and read a regular menu; that takes valuable attention away from the game and commercials. Pass around a photo menu, and people just have to grunt and point.

Whatever you serve for game day, make sure its something good.  As long as its warm, heavy and goes well with beer, you should be good to go.

NOTE: Many of these recipes are already in our archive!

Morning Parfait...

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day. Some people see that as: “I know it’s important, but I don't have time, so I'll have to make it quick.” Quick is not always the best way to go, not only for the sake of your health, but also for your taste buds. What if you could have all three: quick, healthy and tasty?

The French parfait is a frozen dessert, dating from 1894.

 

A parfait is a great way to start the day, and not just for a special treat, like a brunch item for guests. This breakfast recipe includes everything you need to jump-start your day, even without coffee (haha). The natural sugar perk you get from fresh berries and fruit, the fiber and protein from the grains and nuts, and a splash of dairy with the yogurt – there’s no real need for anything else,
except a spoon.

Not all parfait has to be this elegant or complicated. It’s very easy to get a large mixing bowl, scoop in some cereal and nuts; add some yogurt, lots of berries, and mix. Then, spoon into individual bowls. You can always experiment with yogurt and fruit combinations to create something unique and delicious. But layering is the key to parfait, and its presentation in a transparent bowl or stemmed glass is perfection. As a matter of fact, parfait in French literally means something perfect.

Simple recipe for two

Steamed & Seasoned Baby Potatoes

The perfect side

Meat and potatoes, chicken and wild rice - some of the best foods in the culinary world are enhanced by their pairing. The side dish doesn't always get the credit it deserves for making the meal complete. These baby Yukon Gold potatoes are steamed perfectly, so when the skin is pierced, the potato is so soft and creamy, it practically melts in your mouth. The potatoes are buttered before cooking for even more savory flavor, and often get another touch before serving, for good measure.

To light this shot, we used a very large soft light source from the left rear, and a point light source from the right rear.  To fill in contrast, we had a light coming in from overhead, and a hand-held mirror, from the front.

These gems were pretty easy to shoot and even easier to make.

Chips with Parmesan Bits....

 Absolutely nothing satisfies a potato craving like a crispy chip. Oven fried or baked, they’re now essentially guilt free. Toss in some Parmesan cheese and coarse salt and these simple chips are ready to enhance a prime steak or chop. 

To light this shot, we started with a large soft light source from the rear left.  This gave us a general light and a little bit of direction.  We then came in from the rear right with a point source.  This light was low, as we wanted it to skim across the surface of the chips and show all the texture of the chips.  After those 2 lights, the shot was too contrasty for our liking, so we used another very large soft light source from directly above to fill in some of the shadows.

The shot was simple too, nothing complicated. Just a few browned and golden-edged slices with highlights in the foreground and enough charred cheese bits to inspire your taste buds.

Easy recipe ~

Steamy Apple Cider

Fall's bounty, with or without the rum.

Okay, so you spent the morning complaining about the end of summer and the afternoon raking leaves. After a long walk with the dog, wearing your favorite sweater, you reward yourself with a warm, golden nectar that fills your kitchen with the soothing aroma of fall. Add allspice, cloves, nutmeg and a cinnamon stick. Better still, add a splash of rum, whiskey or Port. You've come home to the magic of hot apple cider and you're almost ready to face the holiday season.

Make it quickly and easily...