Cooking - Thomas M Thurston - Fine Art & Landscape Photography

Valentine's Day Dinner Meets Cajun Chicken Pasta

Posted on February 19, 2012 // Leave a Comment

I’ve made Valentine's Day dinner for two years in a row now, both with great success thanks to The Pioneer Woman and her amazingly delicious recipes. Guys, there is nothing sexier than cooking for your significant other so I recommend flexing your chef skills in the kitchen next year instead of opting for fancy restaurant plans.

Pioneer Woman’s braised short ribs over creamy mashed potatoes is nothing short of an execution meal if you can manage to block off 4+ hours for prep and cooking time. Last year’s dinner was served at 11:45 PM. Oops! It was sooo worth it though. Oh, and make sure you pick up the short ribs from a local butcher or Whole Foods. Opt for quality over quantity here.

Onto this years Valentine's Day dinner…

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I can sum this dish up in a few words. This. Dish. Wins. My. Heart. How fitting for Valentine’s Day.

I mean, how can you go wrong with heavy cream, butter, garlic, and white wine in the recipe. The Cajun Chicken Pasta was creamy, decadent, and had a spice that built upon itself throughout the meal. Mmmm.

Vampires stay away! Here’s a photo of the garlic prepped for this dish. Buon Appetit!

Filed Under: 365 Project // Tagged: Cooking

A Food Photography Taste – Cake Pops

Posted on January 22, 2012 // Leave a Comment

Food photography may be a natural extension for those that enjoy savoring every bite.

We all need food to sustain our body and live each day, but that necessity can become a way of life for some. They’re known as foodies and will critique, review, and make a point to frequent new restaurants for the experience, taste, and satisfaction.

Speaking of foodies, my good friend Vin does a fantastic job of writing up food reviews for NYC hot spots in his free time over at the Uber Eater blog. If you’re a foodie, you may want to explore the world of food photography if not just to document your delectable experiences.

A few rules apply when photographing food and they are: fill the frame, explore multiple angles, and find the light that allows the subject to really show its textures and dimension. I think it’s helpful to have a tripod and a stable surface to get your shots; you may even want to invest in a table sweep with off camera flash to really get creative.

Cake Pops

The misses picked up a cake pop book book a while back and it finally saw its first bit of frosting this weekend. I have to say, I am impressed with the baking world and would have never thought this sort of dessert was possible. And, it’s so simple that even I can bake some of these tasty little morsels… well maybe with a little help.

Anyway, the book is great. It’s called Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats. Some designs use sticks, others look like replicas of classic desserts. We opted to make mini muffin lookalikes this weekend. Yum.

Filed Under: 365 Project // Tagged: Baking, Cooking

Pioneer Woman Style – Pasta With Pancetta and Leeks

Posted on January 17, 2012 // Leave a Comment

In case you were wondering, Pioneer Woman is a fantastic chef by the name of Ree Drummond. Her recipes are delicious and her humor is off the wall. Each recipe usually has its own backstory with hysterical ingredient references to butter, bacon fat, or wine; I feel like I’m already on a first name basis with Ree and I have never even had the pleasure of meeting her.

I am a little out of The Food Network loop, but I’m pretty sure Pioneer Woman even has her own cooking show now. A side note… I don’t really own any recipe books, but if there were one book I’d purchase, it would have to be The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I’d be even more grateful if I happen to find a signed copy.

Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks

I mean, who doesn’t love salty, creamy, cheesy goodness over pasta?! I have been making Pioneer Woman’s Pasta with Pancetta and Leeks for almost two years now. The flavor is absolutely divine and the meal works well if you’re in a pinch for time because it is pretty simple to prepare and cook.

Now, I don’t know if its my inability to move quickly in the kitchen or slice like a ninja (I’m not a chef), but Ree’s prep times seem to be impossible to replicate. This particular recipe calls for five minutes prep, but in my reality, it is more like fifteen. I’m attributing my slowness to uncut Boar’s Head Pancetta and inferior kitchen swiftness.

Do yourself a favor and check out Ree’s cooking site. Dinner is waiting…

Filed Under: 365 Project // Tagged: Cooking