Apple Sauce

My favorite thing about fall: apple picking.

Yes, I love the colors of this season but I'm not too fond of the weather getting colder and days getting shorter. At least to cope with this we get apple picking (and soup)!  My favorite orchard in the Hudson Valley is DuBois Farms. They have peaches, plums, nectarines, apples by the truckload, grapes, pears, the most amazing tomatoes and pumpkins. I found myself at this orchard 3 times this year so needless to say I have an abundance of apples.

I picked so many apples that we couldn't eat them fast enough. These guys traveled back and forth from the city to the Hudson Valley with me at least 4 times- I didn't want to leave them behind to rot during my trips! I finally decided that it was time to turn them into sauce. I love this recipe for making sauce with the skins on because it cuts out all of that time and the tedious task of peeling the apples.

Apple Sauce

Makes: approximately 6 cups

12-14 medium sized apples (I used a variety of McIintosh, Gala and Golden Delicious)

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Wash, core and quarter the apples (leaving skins on). Place them in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the water, sugar and lemon juice; stir to combine. Over high heat bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook partially covered until apples are very soft, approximately 40 minutes. In batches, remove apples from the pot and place in a food mill, grind until skins and flesh are completely separated and apple sauce is smooth. Transfer sauce into jars and refrigerate for up to a week.

The Hill

So there's this hill, it's pretty magical, especially this time of year. When I think about it, this hill kinda sorta means a lot to me. It reminds me of my time spent at photo school where I first had been introduced to this beautiful spot, it reminds me of my best friend Sarah whom is almost always with me when I'm there and it reminds me of another great friend, Kristin Nicholas. This hill is along the windy, dirt, country road that leads to Kristin's house. Sarah and I got to know Kristin while we were at photo school and have kept the relationship since. Last fall I photographed Kristin's most recent book, Crafting a Colorful Home (in stores January 2015!!). Sarah came along for one of the shoots that was in October, she is such an amazing friend and travel companion, and we were driving to Kristin's home early in the morning to start the day of photographing. It was an eery, extremely foggy morning, absolutely beautiful. It was the best foliage I had seen in a long time (this year may have trumped it though!). Sarah and I were in shock at how beautiful the fog and colors were. We ended up stopping multiple times to whip out our cameras and get shots of the landscape. I'm so happy to say that some even made it into the book!

A couple weeks ago Sarah and I took the same trip, a little get away to see the New England colors, and we ended up in the same situation: driving down Kristin's road with fog, just starting to lift, unveiling the most vibrant leaves I've ever seen. This time we came across some friends on the hill, these beautiful cows. The perfect photo-op.

Kristin's hill (which is just as breathtaking, especially when dotted with her sheep):

There was even a monarch butterfly (see it on the flower!?) fluttering by, my favroite, thrown in there to make it all the more surreal. Shouldn't he be migrating for winter? No complaints here.

Roasted tomato, red pepper and fennel soup with fried sage and feta.

Soup season is upon us once more and it's making me excited to try all the different soups I've been bookmarking for months! Tomato is definitely up there with my favorite soup varieties and last week when I stumbled across Lindsay Emery's blog post about this roasted tomato, red pepper and fennel soup, I knew exactly what I was making for dinner that night. Luckily, I had an abundance of tomatoes that needed to be used up from picking at the orchard and I had sage in the fridge from another recipe...it was perfect.

Roasting all of these veggies together in the same pan smells amazing and is picture perfect. I basically followed the recipe making a few changes here and there, adding herbs in additional spots and included some thyme in there as well. I love the spicy-ness of this soup, it really opens your sinuses and it amazes me how strong the red pepper vegetable taste is, even though it is way out numbered by tomatoes. Topping it with feta is brilliant- I will definitely be making this over and over!

For the recipe: go here!

Squabs with Mushrooms and Pears

This past week, I had some new work in the New York Times, this squab recipe with cremini mushrooms, bosc pear and bacon. It is such an elegant autumn meal that I'd say is quite a show stopper! Here is the full recipe.

Becca Galbraith Interiors

Becca Galbraith is a new and budding interior designer and I was very excited to work on photographing one of her first spaces. I love that the homeowners were bold and went with the deep blue walls. With the abundance of light coming in through the window it balances out the space without leaving it feeling too dark. It makes for a cozy and sophisticated den that is perfect for sipping a glass of wine with a friend or relaxing in front of the TV in that beautiful built-in!

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!