Fattening Up Mrs. Claus

I love to cook.  Adam loves to bake.  We both like to eat!

This weekend Adam made cinnamon rolls and chocolate filed croissants from scratch!  Uff dah, that man has patience.  Violet could hardly wait to sample Daddy’s hard work.

The recipes for these homemade pastries can be found in Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery.

In Living Color

Today is a typical November day in Minnesota, I know, the weather could be worse, it could be fifty degrees below zero.  Oh yeah winter bring it on!

Meanwhile, I am surrounded by bare branched trees, and by a muted canvas of gray, brown, black, and blah.  On days like today, I dream of different hues-turquoises, pinks, azures….I reflect on my first trip to Mexico last month, the first time I saw proof that these colors really do exist in nature.

Adam and I travelled to Cancun to shoot a wedding (stay tuned for that post) and although I had never before desired an adventure somewhere “tropical,” (remember I’m naturally so white I blind folks) I now understand why droves of bikini clad college students visit Mexico every year.

After celebrating for three days with Brian and Jennifer, the beautiful wedding couple, Adam and I had a full day of vacation before heading back to Minnesota.

There is a lot to do around Cancun, but we were most interested in relaxing by the incredible blue green waters of the Caribbean. So, we took a ferry to Isla Mujeras.  I was charmed instantly by this small “island of woman,” and spent the day floating on my back in the Caribbean (paying homage to my maternal grandmother), sipping the best margaritas I have ever tasted, meeting a great family from Utah, and enjoying some down time with my favorite photographer -my husband.

Okay, you can be extremely jealous of me now.  Heck, I’m jealous of my “October Cancun venturing self.”

Viva la Mexico!

Before getting on the last ferry back to Cancun, Adam and I grabbed a quick bite to eat.  These fish tacos pictured below were excellent…unfortunately, I didn’t end up feeling so good later in the evening, but that’s a story nobody wants to read.

When in Rome, well, you know…later that evening we gussied up and headed to the club district to pay some big money to check out the infamous Coco Bongo.  Yes, we know this place is a money making cheese factory, but somedays ya just embrace your inner cheese and be a typical tourist.

Adam and I tried to negotiate a better price with the club’s doorman, but ended up with two free t-shirts and a DVD.

Coco Bongo puts on a good show; canons shoot confetti, trapeze artists soar above your head, celebrity look-alikes lip synch to songs (instantly I thought of the show Puttin on the Hits,) and Jim Carrey’s mask character gestures obscenely. Around midnight, I kept getting yelled at by a male server for sitting down, obviously the man has never spent 6 hours in heels.

 

Alison & Ben-Monticello, MN

Alison and Ben were married at Community United Methodist church on a wet day in Monticello, MN.  The rain took a break so we could get this couple outside for photos, which was exactly what we were all hoping for.

There was this great grassy “knoll” behind the church, a perfect place for some dramatic photos.

Alison and Ben’s wedding reception was held in downtown St. Cloud, where we snapped a few more shots of this adorable couple.

Beth & Bill-Minneapolis, MN

Beth and Bill traveled from their home in Maryland to Minneapolis to exchange their vows in the elegant Semple Mansion.

This stunning couple exudes a great sense of style, grace, and humor.

Consequently, we had an easy time getting some wonderful photos.

Hen-ly Advice

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year.  Time to eat, spend time with loved ones, and reflect on the blessings we so often take for granted.

Meanwhile, on behalf of their poultry turkey cousin, hens Catherine Howard & Marie Antoinette wanted me to share a totally turkey-free Thanksgiving recipe.

This recipe comes from the AWESOME duo Barb Westman & Sue Hankerson- sisters, friends, fellow foodies and proprietors of Cottage Gourmets catering.  If you haven’t experienced a Cottage Gourmet dinner you are so missing out! I have a difficult time sharing these…you’ve been warned.

Walnut Mock Meatballs

3 large eggs, beaten

4 oz. Colby-Jack Cheese, shredded

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups crushed bread crumbs or herb-season stuffing cubes

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In large mixing bowl combine all ingredients.  Shape into meatballs.  Brown the meatballs in a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil.  Place in baking dish.  Cover with BBQ Sauce (recipe follows) or leave plain.  Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Golden Mustard BBQ Sauce -Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

3/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

1/2 onion, minced

1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 Tablespoon paprika

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon freshly milled pepper

Mix the ingredients, plus 1/3 cup water, in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions are tender and the mixture thickens, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.  Use the sauce warm or chilled.  It keeps, refrigerated, for several weeks.

Evelyn & Hai-Minneapolis, MN

I am a xenophile, and so being asked to document an event from a culture other than my own is a no-brainer.  Although, neither Adam and I speak Vietnamese, we had a terrific time capturing the love between Evelyn and Hai.  And it seems love really needs no translation.

We met with this beautiful couple a week before their Window’s on Minnesota wedding, to take some time for pictures. Scheduling a separate day for a photo shoot is a great way to really get some awesome pictures!

We highly recommend scheduling a couple’s portrait session.

The couple decided on shooting at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, on the streets of downtown, and at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Sunnyside Up

Grandma and Grandpa generously flew us out to Arizona for the weekend.

It was a short, but sweet, getaway to the breathtaking Superstition Mountains.  We spent the weekend in the pool with the kids, soaking up as much sun as we could…hoping to pack some in our suitcases and bring home to Minnesota.  That sunshine stowaway plan didn’t work.  I couldn’t believe the thick fog we arrived home to.

While swimming in the pool with my children, and listening to my daughter’s enthusiasm over flying above the clouds and mountains, I pondered on what is really important in life to me. Stripped away of all my daily distractions and desires, I could clearly see it isn’t money or fame.  What I value more than ever are the small and simple moments of wonder and amusement with the people I love the most.

The little things in life matter to me now more than ever.  I know, cliche, but so very true.

Tricia & Pat-Minneapolis, MN

This is going to be one jam packed, visually titillating blog entry!

Yes. It. Is.

I just can’t help myself.  This is what happens when you hire Digital Art House to cover all paparazzi aspects of your event.  Multiply this by a stunning bride, the awesome Nicollet Island Pavilion location, and you have a plethora of gorgeous footage.

Okay folks I will now let the video and pictures do the “blogging” for me today.

Enjoy!

Mariposa Cupcake Coat

Violet is one of my favorite people to knit for.  Why?  She loves helping me pick out yarn and has the patience to spend hours in The Silver Creek Cabin fiber store, and she actually wears the things I knit for her.  In fact, her favorite hat is a crummy stretched out pink cap I knit for her years ago…

I wanted to knit something from my vintage stash of Vogue Knitting magazines.  So, I dug out my 1965 issue which focused on knitting for children and knit her a roomy “sweater coat.”  It really is huge on her, but she loves it and I hope she wears it for many years to come.

Because this is a vintage pattern the yarn suggested for use is no longer available, so, the fiber I used is from Malabrigo yarns. A chunky fiber, it is 100 percent Merino wool and the color is called “Mariposa.”  Since I was knitting this for my butterfly lover, I thought this color choice was perfect!  Of course, I had to add a bit of pink for my Pinkalicious little girl.  To finish the project, I found the perfect mother of pearl buttons online here.

It was a pretty straightforward and simple pattern; however, I did learn finally to crochet (a simple single chain) for the edges and because the pattern was vintage there was much more shaping, e.g. you actually knit a HEM in this sweater!

Violet really wasn’t up to modeling for me.  I had some extra skeins left after the sweater was completed, so I knit her a little matching hat.

Mickie & Brent-Fairhaven, MN

Organized, creative, energetic, fun-these are a few describing words that come to mind when I think about Mickie.  I can’t remember ever having so much fun photographing a wedding.

Brent & Mickie were married in a little church in Fair Haven, MN conveniently located one mile from our studio!  Seriously, we could have walked to the wedding-that was a first.

The awesome garden and wheat field photo shoot was taken at a private home with amazing gardens.  Meanwhile, being the small world that this great one is, we found out that the owner of this home grew up in the original farm house property where our home now sits.  Furthermore, that he once camped where Adam camps with our son Sage.  Too cool!

After the ceremony the wedding party boarded a coach bus and stopped at a few local watering holes, including my favorite area pub-S.O.B.’s or Son of a Butcher Bar in Kimball, MN.  I hear they have excellent burgers at the bar, but as a vegetarian I can only say that the atmosphere is outstanding and the service is fabulous.  The wedding had a great time going “coyote ugly,” literally dancing on top of the bar!

At the reception Mickie & Brent’s guests proved not only that they can boogie, but that they can share with others less fortunate. Thus, showing their generous natures by bidding on Mickie’s garter for a charitable cause, inspired by the passing of Mickie and Brent’s dear friend.