Food Blogging & Food Photography Tips

Last week, Danica from Danica's Daily was live tweeting from the BlogHerFood Convention in Atlanta Georgia. Danica tweeted loads of useful tips and tricks on food photography and food styling as well as copyright and recipe etiquette. Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil was also there and tweeted some great tips on recipe development and blog design. I enjoyed their tweets so much, I must have "favourited" at least a dozen from each lovely lady.

Here are my favourite tips from Danica (tweets condensed into paragraphs):

On Food Photography:

"A tripod is the best inexpensive tool you can get for great food photography. DSL users - If you can only buy one lens make it a zoom Tamron 28-75 mm. Shoot by a window, outside or in dark shade. Avoid direct sunlight. Use an old sheet/table cloth or parchment paper to hang over the window if it has harsh direct sunlight. In low light, use a tripod."

On Food Styling and Props:

"Keep your dishes simple. Go for smaller, white, matte dishes with no designs. Keep your props simple and use them over again... mix it up with the food, napkins etc. If you have $25 to spend on photography, buy foam core, white sheet/table cloth, plain white plate, plain white bowl and a clear drinking glass." Tip from Twitter user FrenchFoodieMom: "When adding garnishes to your food pictures, make it like it fell there."

For the live blog notes from the 'Simple, Affordable Tools, Techniques and Accessories to Improve your Food Photography' seminar, go here.

On Crediting:

"Adapting is recipe specific, meaning you saw a specific recipe in a book/online and you change some ingredients to make it yours, based on your own culinary style/tastes. Changing 2 or 3 ingredients in a recipes does not make it yours. When adapting, reference the author and site/book/link where you found the recipe. Put the intro/instructions into your own words.

'Inspired by' means there is no specific recipe. You tried a soup at a restaurant, liked it and created your OWN take on it."

On Copyright:

"Publishers can reproduce up to 3 blogger recipes to use in their book without permission because bloggers are in the media world. Once recipes are published they are considered public domain. Individual recipes cannot be copyrighted, but, groups of recipes (in books) can be copyrighted. The more individual the writing voice you use in your recipe, the intro, the ingredients and the instructions the more claim to copyright you have.

For the live blog notes from the `Copyright, Credit and Etiquette` seminar, check here.

And my favourite tweets from Lindsay (tweets condensed into paragraph):

"For recipe name, find a happy medium. Convey enough of what the dish is but don't name every single ingredient. A long ingredients list is daunting, if you can shorten and simplify, do so. At the same time, don't trick your reader into thinking a recipe is simple when it is not. Use commas carefully when writing ingredient lists in recipes - "noun, verb" - but be aware, "1 cup parsley, chopped" and "1 cup chopped parsley" are not the same. Your recipe instructions are where you can deliver a lot of voice and personality. When writing recipe instructions, give visual cues for done-ness, not just a range of time. Giving the 'why' of an action turns you into a friend in the kitchen (e.g. remove from heat to prevent scorching). When you test your recipes you know your readers will be successful and you know that they will trust you."

To read the live blog notes from the "Professional-Grade Recipe Development" seminar, check here.

I learned so much just from reading the #blogherfood tweets and from reading through the seminar live blog notes. There were a lot of things I had never considered before, like using a tripod in my photography. I already have a really great tripod but for some reason, I never bother to use it. Hopefully these tips will help improve my recipe writing and food photography so I can deliver a better blog. And... depending where BlogHerFood 2012 is held, I might have to look into attending!

Mexican Fiesta

I recently returned from a week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where I had the best Mexican food I've ever eaten. Chili Rellenos, Chilaquiles, Tamales, Tostadas, Carne Asada, Ceviche, shrimp tacos, as well as the most tender, flavourful skirt steak ever... not to mention fresh made tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo and refried beans. It was heaven!

This trip rekindled my interest in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking so I hope to create some of the dishes I enjoyed the most and post them here. When I was in Vegas a couple years ago I had an amazing sweet potato tamale at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. I was determined to make tamales myself. I managed to find corn husks here in Vancouver, which is amazing since it's incredibly difficult to find authentic Mexican/Spanish food items that don't come from a yellow box. Despite having a bag of corn husks buried deep in my cabinet, I still haven't tackled homemade tamales. I think while the Mexican spirit is still in my heart, I will give it a go. I'm also determined to re-create the delicious skirt steak (flank steak).

In the picture is one of the best things I tasted. I'm not sure how authentically Mexican or Spanish it is, but it was light, refreshing and oh so tasty. It was some sort of cold shirmp and crab salad, stuffed into a cucumber boat and topped with a drizzle of sour cream and a sprinkle of queso fresco. I'm definitely serving something like it at my next cocktail party!

And if any one knows where I can buy queso Mexicano (Mexican cheese) in Vancouver, specifically cotija and queso fresco, please let me know. I really wish we had a true Spanish foods aisle at our grocery stores like they do in the United States. I almost stocked up on cotija when I was visiting my cousin in Seattle last month but decided against it. Kicking myself now!

Food Labelling - What does it all mean?

I was talking with a co-worker about organic food sources yesterday. She was told to always chose organic when it comes to dairy, meat and poultry. What she didn't realize is that organic doesn't guarantee a humanely raised, healthier animal. Organic does not equal free-range. Free-range does not equal organic. Free-range does not equal pasture raised. Food labelling terms are so confusing and there is little in the way of regulation to standardize the meanings. What's a conscious consumer to do?


Poultry & Eggs:

When it comes to poultry and eggs, we often see terms like "cage free", "free range" and "free run". What does it all mean?

"Cage Free" simply means the chickens were raised outside of a cage. This doesn't mean it was raised in a humane environment, or that it had access to the outdoors. Cage free is the most meaningless term of all of them. As well, a Globe & Mail article from 2009 stated that uncaged chickens "exposed to higher levels of bacteria, parasites and viruses that put them at greater risk for disease and infection".

"Free Run" is basically the same as Cage Free. The birds are kept loose in large barns, with no access to the outdoors.

"Free Range" implies to most consumers, that the animal is raised "free on the range", but that isn't always the case. In the United States, the USDA decrees that poultry certified as "free range" must have access to the outdoors but it doesn't necessarily mean the animal actually goes outdoors (Source). Free-range chicken eggs have no legal definition in the United States. In Canada, the term "free range" is not legally defined and could mean anything.

A new term has popped up in recent years, Pastured Poultry. Pastured poultry is raised on pasture and eats a natural diet of grass and bugs (chickens are not vegetarians!).


Beef & Other Meat

"Free Range" - When it comes to beef and other meat products, there is even less regulation. The USDA has no specific definition for "free-range" beef, pork, and other non-poultry products (Source). Generally when it comes to ranching, free range implies that livestock is allowed to roam around without being fenced. It doesn't guarantee the animals were raised entirely outdoors, or that they were raised on a diet of grass and hay (you know, the stuff cows are supposed to eat!).

"Pasture Raised" and "Grass Fed" generally mean the same thing. The livestock is raised on pasture, eating a natural diet of grass or hay (in the winter months). Some farmers raise their animals on pasture but then "finish" them on grains (to fatten them up before slaughter). It is believed that grass fed livestock is healthier than conventionally raised (factory farmed) animals because they have more nutrients and less fat. It is also believed that pasture raised animals contribute to the environment by building up the top soil, since their manure is spread over a large area. This provides a source of natural, organic fertilizer (Source). As with Pastured Poultry, pasture raised livestock may not be certified organic.

Seafood:

This should be obvious, but there is no such thing as organic fish! I only say this because I read another blog where a woman was gushing about the benefits of eating organic salmon. Just think about it for a moment and ask yourself, how!?! When it comes to fish, you want to look for "Wild Caught" or "Wild". With shellfish, farmed (rope grown) is okay because the practice is much different than with farmed fish. You also want to purchase and consume sustainable seafood and limit your consumption of seafood high in mercury. If you are in the US, the Monteray Bay Aquarium has a great chart (and App!) here. If you are in Canada, check this PDF chart from SeaChoice. SeaChoice also has an App that is available from the App Store.

Organic:

When it comes to poultry and other meats, the term "organic" is the only term strictly regulated in both the United States and Canada. For something to be labelled organic or partially organic, it must meet specific criteria and be subject to inspection. When it comes to poultry products, organic means that the animal has been fed organic, non-genetically modified food (free of pesticides and herbicides) and has not been given any hormones or antibiotics. Organic does not guarantee the animal has been raised outdoors and organic doesn't always mean healthier or better.


Photo: Nanaimo Downtown Farmers Market

Bottom Line:

When it comes down to it, it's important to "know thy farmer". Know where your meat and poultry products are coming from rather than just shopping based on a label. Ask questions! Remember, you have a right to know where your food is coming from and how it was grown. I get my beef products at the farmer's market, direct from a farmer and his wife. When I can't make it to the weekly market, I go to a farm shop in a neighbouring city. I did research and found their animals are raised in a humane and sustainable way. Neither of these suppliers are certified organic, but that's okay with me. My food beliefs put sustainable, local and humanely raised above organic. It's up to your to figure out which is more important to you.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday.

Things I've cooked recently...

Time to share some great recipes I tried out recently...

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Cacciatore - I modified the recipe and made it in a slow cooker. I browned the chicken, minus the flour coating, then added everything (plus a can of chicken broth) to the slow cooker and set it on low for 6 hours. The results were good and it was very tasty. Probably would have been better in the oven like PW does it, but my work schedule required a slow cooker dinner.

Shredded Beef Sliders from Evil Shenanigans. The beef in this dish was delicious. At first I found it a bit spicy but after reducing the sauce and adding honey (instead of all that sugar), it was absolutely perfect. I tossed the shredded beef with the sauce and served it on a whole wheat roll. Just like a BBQ Beef Sandwich. I will make this again for sure! The mixture freezes well too. Not a true down South BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich, but pretty darn close.

S'Mores Brownies from Buns In My Oven. I made these to take to work one night. Since I was taking them to work I chose to use my creme brule torch instead of broiling the marshmallows at home. Fun, but WHAT A MESS! But the brownies were very tasty.

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Spritz Cookies. I still haven't figured out how to use my cookie press so instead for Spritz, I rolled the dough and made slice & bake cookies. The cookies were very good but the icing (royal icing) wasn't the right consistency for sandwiching between two cookies. I think a butter cream frosting would have been better. I ended up drizzling the icing over the cookies in a zig zag pattern. They looked neat and tasted good.

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine. This one was so-so. The meal itself was tasty but I ran into some issues during the cooking process. First, my chicken did not cook through during the initial pan frying. I ended up browning the breasts in the pan and finished them off in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or so. The second issue, and this was the most disappointing one, when I added the cream to the sauce, it separated (curdled!). I suspect it's because of the lemon juice. Next time I would add lemon juice at the end, rather than in the middle. The sauce tasted great but looked kind of funky. The last change I made was to add the cooked noodles to the pan with sauce, tossed it around and cooked it together for a minute so the noodles sucked up all the yummy sauce.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Bites. The Pioneer Woman calls them Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. Whatever you call them, they are delicious and simple! I have made them twice now and both times my guests were impressed. Definite crowd pleaser and a must-have for the next party

Carrot Apple Fennel Slaw

I have some left over cabbage from last week's Braised Red Cabbage dish so the easiest way to use it up is in a slaw. You can make it even easier buy buying a bag of pre-cut coleslaw, broccoli slaw or carrot slaw mix and add in the fennel and apple. The dressing is a vinaigrette, but if you like it creamier, add more mayonnaise.

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans.

1/4 red cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
1/4 green cabbage, shredded or sliced fine
3 carrots, peeled and shredded or cut into matchsticks
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 apple (any variety), cored and cut into matchsticks (Peel is okay!)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
pinch sea salt
pinch pepper
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Add all vegetables to a large serving bowl and toss well.

2. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk together until well blended and smooth.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Top with sunflower seeds.

*For a meal-size salad, top your slaw with some roasted chicken breast.

Oysters Two Ways: Raw on Half Shell & Baked with Parmesan

It's oyster day at my house. Vancouver Island oysters were on sale at the market so I bought a dozen. When bought at the grocery store or fish market, oysters are incredibly affordable - usually ranging from $0.50 to $1.00 each; Much cheaper than restaurant oysters which are often marked up 300-500%!

I'm going to share my two favourite ways to enjoy oysters. The first is raw, on the half shell with a few flavourful accompaniments. The second is baked in the oven, topped with breadcrumbs, herbs and cheese.

First thing first though... you have to open your oysters. As I said last time I shucked oysters at home, I'm no expert. A proper oyster knife is key. For other tips, I suggest you take a few minutes searching the internet for a good tutorial.


Jill's Favourite Way to Eat Oysters on the Half Shell:

6 fresh oysters (any size), shucked & on the half shell
3 lemon wedges
Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons prepared horseradish (I prefer fresh grated but it's not easy to find!)

Arrange oysters on an ice-covered plate. Squeeze lemon over each oyster. Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce to each and top with a 1/2 teaspoon of horseradish.

Enjoy!


Baked Parmesan Oysters:

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
pinch each salt & pepper
1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
6 fresh oysters (any size), shucked & on the half shell
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 lemon wedges (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 357 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, mix together bred crumbs, salt & pepper and parsley.

3. Arrange oysters on a baking sheet. To ensure oysters stay upright, pour 1 cup of course salt on the baking sheet and nest oysters into the salt (this is also a great presentation technique!). On each oyster, sprinkle 1/2 clove of minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of the breadcrumb mixture. Drizzle melted butter over each oyster and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned and cheese melted. Serve immediately. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the oysters if you desire.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

Clean Out The Fridge Vegetable Soup

I'm terrible when it comes to eating my vegetables. I throw out so much produce, it's ridiculous. Last week I had some limp celery, wilting carrots, a wrinkled zucchini and a soft bell pepper. Not wanting to put them to waste (yet again) I decided to chop everything up and throw it in a pot. The resulting soup was easy and fast to make and quite tasty. The below recipe is what I put into my soup, but you can add anything you have on hand.

1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (or any stock)
2 cups water
salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choice (parsley, basil, celery seed etc.)

1. Add everything to a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

2. Remove pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until desired consistency reached. Serve immediately. Freezes well too!

*You don't have to puree your soup, I just prefer puree over chunky.

Poutine

Poutine! The quintessential French-Canadian comfort food. Fries covered in fresh cheese curds and gravy. Does it get any better than that? While at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some farm fresh cheese curds. In my area fresh curds are hard to find. Heck, even un-fresh curds are hard to find! This was a real treat and I wasn't about to let it go to waste.


From Wikipedia:

In the basic recipe for poutine, French fries are topped with fresh cheese curds, and covered with brown gravy or sauce. The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy used is generally a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper, or a sauce brune which is a combination of beef and chicken stock, originating in Quebec. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are rarely used. Fresh cheese curds (not more than a day old) are used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy is added immediately prior to serving the dish.

In the past when I made poutine I would use a packet of powdered Poutine Gravy Mix. This time I decided to try my own. It turned out well and was quite easy. I used pre-cut frozen fries because they bake up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - perfect for a traditional Poutine. Serve for lunch or dinner; as a side or a main.

For the gravy I mixed half a cup of chicken broth, half cup of beef broth and a splash of red wine in a saucepan. I simmered it on medium-high heat until it was reduced by a third. I added a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a splash of water and whisked until the sauce thickened. Finally, I seasoned it with salt and pepper. I baked the fries until crisp and placed them on a plate. I sprinkled a generous amount of cheese curds on top of the fries then drizzled with an equally generous amount of piping hot gravy. Delicious!

P.S... It's pronounced "Poo-Tin" but since French is my second language, I'm okay with "Poo-Tine". ;-)

Braised Red Cabbage & Apples

I picked up some Bratwurst from the Redl's Home Grown Beef stand at the market last week. When I think of Bratwurst, normally I think of a huge juicy hot dog. But it's a new day my friends. I'm going to Mexico in two months. I need to think about my "figure". Instead of brats on crusty rolls, slathered in condiments, I'm sticking with the German theme and cooking up a big pot of braised red cabbage.

Adapted from "A Cook's Bible: Gluten Free, Wheat Free & Dairy Free Recipes.

1 medium red cabbage, 1.5 - 2lbs - halved, cored and sliced thinly
3 large baking apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground allspice, divided
3 tablespoons honey*
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons butter*

1. Pre-heat oven to 300°F. Grease a large baking dish or dutch oven with butter.

2. Arrange half the shredded cabbage in the bottom of the dish. Top with half the apples, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Repeat process with a second layer using remaining ingredients.

3. Pour vinegar over top of everything. Dot small pieces of butter over top. Cover dish with a lid and bake in pre-heated oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until cabbage is tender. Remove from oven and serve with grilled or broiled bratwursts. (Mashed potatoes makes a great accompaniment too!)

*Sub out non-dairy margarine for butter and agave syrup for honey and you have a vegan side dish!*

This post is part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Roast Beef Dip Sandwhich

What do you do with left over Roast Beef? Make a beef dip, of course!

There isn't really a recipe for this one. It's a "throw together" leftovers meal. I also cheated and used a packet au jus gravy mix from the grocery store, although there are several recipes online if you'd prefer to make an au jus from scratch.

1 tablespoon butter
3 button mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 small onion, sliced thin
Left over roast beef, sliced thin
slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese
crusty hoagie style buns
horseradish mustard (optional)

1. Melt butter in a saute pan. Add onion and mushroom and cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Add roast beef slices to pan just to warm through slightly.

2. While onions and mushrooms are cooking, slice open and toast hoagie bun. Once toasted, butter the bun and dress with horseradish mustard or any condiment of your choice.

3. Arrange sliced beef evenly over the bottom hoagie bun. Top with cheese slices and then layer onion and mushroom mixture on top. Replace top bun. Slice in half and serve with a cup of au jus for dipping.