From the Kitchen

Some photos of the delicious things that have been going on in my kitchen lately!

Steeplechase Old English Toffee

Last week I was honored to be one of the few that have been invited to catch a glimpse of the inner workings of Steeplechase Olde English Toffee in downtown Waynesville, NC. I spent two days photographing the process of the toffee being crafted, and then photographing the finished deliciousness, all the while cloaked in the heady scent of chocolate, butter, sugar, and other fine ingredients. The thick slabs of toffee stacked on plates on the second day were a spectacular sight to behold, begging to be devoured! If you haven't yet visited Steeplechase Olde English Toffee, run, don't walk. I am told that on mornings when the fog is hanging low and toffee is being made, the scent of this time honored family recipe fills the air in the valley and it becomes an involuntary action of passersby to stop in their tracks and file in. Who could resist? The shop is located at 235 Pigeon Street, and you may find them on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SteeplechaseToffeecom/153525426515.

Click to see more photographs from my time at Steeplechase Old English Toffee:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/externalfocus/sets/72157629735065003/

Double Cherry Walnut Brownie

Yum. I mean, seriously: yum. I made these brownies last week, deciding to spruce up a box mix I had laying around. I really enjoy taking food that anyone can get their hands on at a fair price, and making it into something really special. I added in chopped walnuts, dehydrated cherries, and then topped it off with cherry pie filling, which sent it so over the top that my teeth hurt just look at it. Ohboy was it good. I think a lot of people see food as some sort of chore that they have to "get through," or worse, opting to pick up something from a burger joint [if those things even really qualify as burgers] because they don't want to make the time to cook, and it doesn't have to be that way! Your food is only as special as you make it, and you should have confidence in yourself that you can do a good job. Hey, sometimes it doesn't go well; I recall attempting to make a peanut chicken that came out so horribly that I made jokes about it for weeks. It was not edible, and we ended up ordering pizza or something. It happens! But don't give up.

I started getting involved with food at a really young age; I remember baking cookies from scratch when I was maybe 7 or 8 and home alone, and my mom coming home and absolutely freaking out that I could have burnt the house down or wounded myself. For about 5 minutes I don't think she believed I'd actually made perfect Russian Tea Cakes right out of the gate, but I showed her the recipe and the utensils I'd used, and of course the smell of fresh baked cookies was pretty undeniable. It was a simple recipe, and as easy as following the directions. Anyway, the point is, I have always approached food in a very fearless spirit of experimenting and adapting recipes to suit my own tastes and according to what I happen to have on hand. I am never going to be a chef, and that's okay too; you don't have to be one to enjoy cooking and playing in the kitchen. I think a lot of people don't see it in that way, and therefore it becomes the mundane same-menu-every-week kind of affair that would bore anyone.

This year I have also decided that I am going to be trying a lot of foods that I don't have experience with. I began with conquering a childhood aversion to brussels sprouts which have become my new favorite vegetable, I steamed and attempted to eat my first artichoke even though it didn't go very well at all, I have some fennel in the fridge which is going to make a lovely fennel and blood orange salad, and then I am going to try mint in a non-dessert food. After that, who knows? I have raised my children in this same spirit and they are wonderfully open to trying whatever is put in front of them. My 9 year old daughter's favorite tv station is Food Network, so perhaps she will become the chef of our family!

Play with your food!

lemon sugar cookies

Well I can't seem to stop playing with the color yellow, and lemons in particular, this month! I made these ridiculously delicious cookies yesterday; I'm usually more of an oatmeal + chocolate chip kind of gal, but I think I have underestimated the versatility of the simple sugar cookie. They were a hit with the family, and I am looking forward to creating other flavors with them in the kitchen!

Also, over the last weekend I switched over my photography facebook page from my old site to the new. The url still says External Focus Photography, but I just thought it made more sense to change the page rather than make an entirely new one and expect everyone to make the change with me. The url is a little strange, so I may end up making a new page eventually; I haven't decided yet. For now, you can find the page on the sidebar on the right, or by clicking this link:

http://www.facebook.com/ExternalFocusPhotography

Brownies are good for you!

Dark chocolate, blueberry, walnut... I mean, this thing is practically health food, right? That's what I told myself on my second helping, anyway! Nothing beats a fresh out of the oven brownie, except perhaps deciding what kind of goodies you want to mix into your recipe. Cherry or walnuts or blueberry or peanut butter chips or macadamia or crushed up toffee; the possibilities are endless and highly habit forming. Forewarned is forearmed!