Category Archives: Styling

Cherryvale Farms on Pinterest!

Posted on by
Reply

Dear Pinterverse (aka the Pinterest universe) -

We love Pinterest and we know you do too. You can’t lie…we see your pins. We know what you’re up to during those supposed “work” hours huddled behind your monitor. It’s not spreadsheets and emails, it’s pins and boards! Millions of amazing photos from across the web, shot by professionals and novices alike, all getting incredible attention for being something fun to look at.

We want in on the action. I (Lindsey aka http://pinterest.com/mipaloma84/) have been blowing up the pinterverse for a while now – I think I saw the light early on (especially because I’m planning my wedding for later this year!!!) so I thought it was totally time for Cherryvale Farms to get in on it.

So what’s the Cherryvale Farms Pinterest all about? Food, of course! We have boards for baking, all things chocolate, fun kids foods and more being added every week.

Our most favorited / re-pinned pin? Blow Your Mind Microwave Popcorn. Yes, really. Posted on this very blog almost a year ago. Pinners love it. You will too.

So today, tomorrow, next week when you’re on Pinterest at work or home, dilly-dallying or pretending to pay attention to that conference call, check out our boards. Get some inspiration for dinner, or that kids birthday you’re attending next week. Or ooh and ahh over some chocolate desserts you’ll want to bake up for friends. We’re at http://pinterest.com/cherryvalefarms/ and we can’t wait to pin you back!

Pin you very much,

Lindsey

 

Holiday Sugar Cookies!

Posted on by
Reply

So I’ve been folded over my kitchen counter for, um, about the last three hours.

Doing what?

Rolling. Cookie cutting. Baking. Cooling. Icing. Glittering.

Making sugar cookies, that is!

And, well, I’ve never really done iced sugar cookies much in my adult life. Sure, as a kid I was all over that stuff. I mean, I do now own a baking mix company, don’t I? Baking + sugar + sweet yummy goodness is kind of my thing.

But, damn, icing sugar cookies is a bitch.

Yeah, I said it.

I could pretend it was a glorious joy to pump out several dozen iced cookies today. But that would be a lie. And I’m a really, really bad liar. Just ask my fiancee.

Icing is a bitch because:

- It’s surprisingly hard to get the icing the perfect consistency / temperature.

- That piping bag is going to do what it wants, when it wants.

- Unless you have the balance of a yoga instructor, you kind of have to do this standing up. This means: tired arms, tired back, tired of cookies.

But they’re pretty, right?

Which I guess is the whole purpose of this whole thing. And people will love to eat them tomorrow at my family’s faux-mas party.

And, even, better, they actually taste good.

Who would’ve thought?! I mean, I’m not Martha…but, damn. These are pretty good. Highly recommending the recipes below for their utter Martha-ness (i.e. deliciousness).

Sugar cookie recipe here. Royal icing recipe here. Great tutorial on how to make / apply royal icing here. But, let’s be honest once again – I totally just used a plastic ziploc bag with the tip cut off. I mean, really.

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Posted on by
Reply

Happy (belated) Halloween!

I meant to post this recipe yesterday but meetings + long drives for said meetings + doggy distraction + baking got in the way.

There’s never enough time to bake my cake and eat it too!

Did you have a good Halloween? Did you overdose on miniature candy bars and only exacerbate the situation by pouring a few too many witches brews down your gullet? Did you dress up as a slutty nurse / maid / cat / 18th century Victorian character and get all the groping you hoped for?

Good for you. You did America proud.

Here’s the big question…how many pumpkin-ized things did you eat? Pumpkin Bread? Pumpkin Pie? Pumpkin Candy?

If you haven’t already gotten your pumpkin fill, I highly suggest getting a box of our Everything But The Pumpkin, Pumpkin Spice Bread and whipping up this delightful variation. It’s pumpkin-tastic, just like your costume was…until of course you ripped your hem, broke a heel and scraped an elbow on the treacherous walk / cab ride / debaucherous crawl home.

Maybe I should’ve made you a hangover breakfast. But let’s save that for New Year’s, shall we?

Recipe after the jump….
Continue reading →

Sweet Coconut Tamales

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes the urge to “make” comes over me.

I’m just sitting on the couch, relaxing with Walnut, and all of a sudden, I feel this insane need to make a cake. Or a pie. Or sushi. Or tamales.

Maybe I watch too much food TV. No, I definitely watch too much food TV. I watch too much TV period. It’s slowly eating my brain. If I keep this up for like ten more years there will just be a pile of sludge up there.

Tamales are good for late night “make” sessions. They aren’t too difficult to put together and then they just steam away and do their own thing.

We like things that do their own thing.

We also like things that don’t do their own thing. But that’s for another time. Know what I mean?

These are sweet dessert tamales with coconut and raisins. I’m contemplating serving them at my Cuban-Jewish-Spanish family Thanksgiving.

We’re a bit of a melting pot, my family and extended family.

It’s kind of our thing.

Recipe after la jump…

Continue reading →

Grilled Potatoes and a Photography Lesson

Posted on by
1

It (almost) feels like summer in Southern California. The propane tank has been refilled and the BBQ is ready for some serious grilling action.

This weekend included the grilling of venison burgers, spring vegetables and these gorgeous potatoes. A little olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper is all any of these ingredients need to reach BBQ perfection. And of course I had to photograph it.

Why photograph these simple potatoes? To practice! To learn! This weekend also included day-long online food photography classes from Creative Live. Free online food photography classes, no less!I learned. I loved. I like to share.

Food photographer Penny De Los Santos lead the three-day, multi-subject online course which streamed live all weekend. Complete with a buzzing live chat room where viewers bantered about food styling and camera settings, it was a truly wonderful learning experience for me.

The process of photographing food, whether it be still shots or live scenes like a dinner party, is such a challenge that I’m just beginning to learn. The lettuce can wilt. The pasta steam can cloud the lens. So many different factor play into that perfect shot.

I want to thank @CreativeLive for hosting such an inspirational weekend and teaching me so much about a field I’m only just learning about. To learn more, visit the CreativeLive website, where select clips from the session are available to watch for free online. The complete weekend of footage (several hours of instruction!) are available for $149 if you feel like really diving into it. Cheaper than a community college course, really. And it’s only about food. Which we like. You’ll have time to grill some potatoes during class breaks, I promise.

Beet Pasta with Favas

Posted on by
1

I was lucky enough to swap for some fabulous, homemade, beet pasta at the LA Food Swap a few weekends ago and last night I finally thought of a recipe to complement that gorgeous red color.

These almost neon colored fava beans could not be more perfect against the bright pasta. Well, maybe they could, but I’m not going to go there. I was nearly blinded plating this dish. And then I was starved. And then the pasta disappeared five minutes after this photo was taken. You know, because I have incredible willpower….

I also added some crumbled queso fresco, red onions, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to this dish and I felt like Spring had sprung! Like right there, on that white plate, the greens and pinks of April were upon me. I almost cried. And then I soppped up my tears with some french bread. Because french bread is very absorbent, especially on food-related tears of joy.

So here it is, in all its beauty. I kind of want to make it again just to stare at it. Or maybe I’ll blow up this picture and frame it in my kitchen. And then drool on that picture. And then I’ll have to reprint it because of the drool marks. Which totally makes me think of a certain Curb Your Enthusiasm episode…but we won’t go there.

The Beet Pasta was made by the incredibly talented @misschiffonade and you can find out more about her here, or read her posts at TheKitchn.

Food Styling and Packaging Sneak Peak

Posted on by
Reply

I love to eat. And I eat with my eyes first. And I eat a lot with my eyes. If the sheer number of food blogs I read every day is any indication, I am verging on obsessed. So, my goal is to communicate my cooking to you in the form of gorgeous pictures that hopefully make you drool. That’s where food styling comes in. And I’m still learning. And I think I will always be learning this unique art. It’s not easy. Honey doesn’t ooze and drip like you want it to in a hot kitchen. Sturdy breads tend to crumble under even the lightest care. The souffle falls. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

So, here’s one of my more recent attempts at food styling – all about the picture and making it as gorgeous as possible. This is a sneak peak of our Everything But The…Bananas Banana Bread packaging and I think we’ll be able to nail it soon. It’s an exciting time here at Cherryvale Farms and we can’t wait to show you more as the line develops. Now, I have to go….we’re working on dips today!