A Few of My Favorite Things...

No, this is not a picture from last weekend's Snowmaggedon... turns out the storm was all a bunch of phooey anyway here in the city! Prepared to face the storm with shovels and bags of salt, we were instead blessed with about 1/2 inch of powder! But they closed the office at 2pm just the same! Flash back to mid-October when I took this shot from the highway approaching MA from the south... This was the first snow of the season and I truly didn't believe that what we were seeing pummeling the windshield was snow until it turned into the size of golf balls. This New England weather certainly keeps you on your toes!

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And now, a few of my favorite shots from sessions I did at the end of last year. This one took me back to the little worlds we create for ourselves when we're little. Whatever happens to all that creativity?

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This picture was taken during a shoot this Fall. Kids are such a balance because they are adorable, of course, but also wiggle around a lot! It was nice having the structure of the glass cases to keep the frame steady, and we got more keepers than I expected on a gloomy day! But, then, how could this face not cheer you up? 

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My thoughtful husband has been so great about ensuring we don't eat Anna's burritos and take-out pizza all week long, so tonight I decided my turn was long overdue. I went with an old favorite - Shepherd's Pie - but off the recipe books this time! A blend of onions, peas, ground beef, and the secret ingredient... about half a cup of Port. But let's face it - Port is pretty good in just about anything. I have been practicing more with Sherry in sauces too. It's got me on the hunt for a good sauce-cooking class. You know, in my free time!

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Do you ever judge the success of your cooking ventures by how closely the result matches the picture in the cookbook? Me too. I'm not even sure how people manage to get excited about cooking without the pictures. Particularly when there are so many beautiful ones out there. I watched Baking with Julia this morning and sighed on cue as she helped make a flourished chocolate cake with a pastry chef colleague. And sometimes it is just all about the flourish!

Anyway, here's a recent holiday effort to make an apple tart courtesy of Smitten Kitchen via Alice Waters, via Jacques Pepin. Unfortunately, the picture didn't come out like I'd hoped, and I (gasp)skipped a couple of steps, so this version is missing the fold-over crust. I'd give it a "6." But, as they say, it's good to have goals.

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I love our neighborhood!! This is just one that one of our local restaurant cooks up on Saturday mornings, and this is what we had on Jason's birthday this year - the first celebration of many! Lately, I've become something of a quarter-dozen cook - I don't do it quite enough to justify more than three eggs in the refrigerator at any given time, and since that causes me to buy eggs much less... it's very important to have a breakfast joint nearby! I only wish the coffee were a little stronger, but this food will get you started - with or without the caffeine!

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