5 Ways to Upgrade Your Grilled Cheese for Oh My Veggies

Who doesn't love a good, spruced up grilled cheese? Oh My Veggies teamed up with Mouth, the leading online source for indie food, sprits, and wine, to give you five delicious grilled cheese ideas and I got to photograph the recipes!

Here are some of the photos, but visit Oh My Veggies for the complete list of recipes and ingredients and enter the giveaway to win a $250 giftcard to use on Mouth's website! These are all so easy to make and really delicious. It was tough to choose but I think the tomato soup and classic grilled cheese croutons were my favorite.

Hudson Woods

At the end of July I was invited to photograph the launch party of Hudson Woods by Lang Architecture in Kerhonkson, New York. Growing up in the Hudson Valley has lead me to become a huge supporter of all things upstate NY so I said yes in a heartbeat.

Imagine driving through windy, mountain roads with gorgeous scenery and views of the Catskills, (some paved, some not), hardly any cell service, just you and nature. Then you pull down a stone driveway that opens up into a beautiful home that has a modern cabin feel, chock full of beautiful wood tones, handmade furniture and fixtures and complete with a salt water pool that has a backdrop of the surrounding woods. My only question- when can I move in?

The launch party for the model home was styled by my friend, Meagan Camp. Meagan also styles the home every weekend for viewings, using pieces from local antique stores and makers, as well as high end retailers such as West Elm and Hammertown. For a complete list of the makers and pieces in these photos click here!

Fluffy. Tasty. Tricky. for The New York Times

Last Wednesday this rice story I shot for The New York Times took the front cover of the dining section! Very cool. The story included four recipes, one for basic white rice, one for mexican rice, rice cakes and red beans and rice. All were super tasty and my house smelled amazing from simmering the red beans and sausage all morning. If you're looking for a quick side dish or even a main, give these recipes a try.

Holiday House Hamptons

The Holiday House Hamptons presented by HC&G (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens) showhouse this year was something really special. It took place in an 1881 historic Watchcase factory in Sag Harbor, NY. The home itself was split into 3 buildings: a loft, a bungalow and a townhouse. The designers did such a great job of creating a summer/beach inspired palette of rooms, here are some of my favorites (see more photos and read more about each space in my article for Houzz):

Campion Platt:

Huniford Design Studio:

Tamara Magel Home:

West Chin Architects & Interior Designers:

Bjornen Design:

Scott Formby:

Elizabeth Dow Home:

Studio MRS:

Brady Design:

Jen Going Interiors:

ID Creations by Iris Dankner:

And of course some beautiful Hamptons scenery:

Iced Tea & Cookies

Have you ever had ginger and orange together? It is a magnificent combination that I don't think I use often enough at all. When I found this recipe I knew it was going to be good as soon as I saw the fresh ginger and "garnish with orange slices".  And sure enough, I was right.

I'm normally not a tea drinker but I do make some exceptions for a few different iced tea flavors. I go for peach, raspberry and lemon but other than those three, that's it. A lot of times I make things for this blog that I'd rather photograph than eat (I'm a little bit picky!) but I love when I find a recipe that I end up really liking too and this ginger sun tea is one of them. If you're having a BBQ or picnic you should definitely make a pitcher of this to serve your guests, it's a perfect summer drink!

This couldn't be any easier to make and not to mention so much better than store bought iced tea! If you're worrying about how the fresh ginger will make it taste, don't. It adds just a light hint which makes this tea ten times more refreshing. And when you put those orange slices in... oh is it delicious! I put a lot in my tea and let it sit there for a little to really let the flavors combine, the citrus perfectly compliments the ginger.

A nice glass of iced tea wouldn't be the same without cookies to go along with it. My choice of cookie to accompany my tea drinking are these chocolate chip bars. They're so simple and it's the perfect snack that reminds me of picnic baskets, plaid blankets and sitting outside in the green grass with blue skies and puffy white clouds above.

I used 4 Tablespoons of sugar because I wasn't sure if it would be sweet enough for my liking (I don't do well with unsweetened tea) and it really was perfect for my taste. But if you don't like very sweet tea then I'd put 2 or 3 Tablespoons in.  

Enjoy!

Ginger Sun Tea recipe from: Gooseberry Patch, Patchwork Potluck

New Work in Pure Green Magazine

This past winter I photographed Dana Worlock's home for the current issue of Pure green Magazine. Everytime I go to Dana's I leave feeling so inspired! Her home is bright, creative and fun. She decorates with pops of color and always has her children's sweet artwork displayed in each room. Dana is also a floral designer and I simply love what she can do with some fresh blooms. You should definitely pick up a copy of Pure Green to read about the Worlock's home and the article is in good company- there are so many great stories and photographs amongst these pages!

Tea Poetry VII

-

VII.

A cup of honeysuckle tea, dashes of honey

Poem: Carol Ann Duffy's "Virgil's Bees"

Virgil's Bees

Bless air's gift of sweetness, honey

from the bees, inspired by clover,

marigold, eucalyptus, thyme,

the hundred perfumes of the wind.

Bless the beekeeper

-

who chooses for her hives

a site near water, violet beds, no yew,

no echo. Let the light lilt, leak, green

or gold, pigment for queens,

and joy be inexplicable but there

in harmony of willowherb and stream,

of summer heat and breeze,

each bee's body

at its brilliant flower, lover-stunned,

strumming on fragrance, smitten.

-

For this,

let gardens grow, where beelines end,

sighing in roses, saffron blooms, buddleia;

where bees pray on their knees, sing, praise

in pear trees, plum trees; bees

are the batteries of orchards, gardens, guard them.