Flavorful Cupboard Essentials for NY Times

After working on Sam Sifton's, Flavorful Cupboard Essentials, piece for the New York Times, I feel that I can now consider myself a connoisseur of asian dishes. I had asian food for lunch and dinner for at least a week straight when I was working on getting these photos together. Between the trips to small asian grorcery stores tracking down ingredients and gathering props and the trip to Flushing Chinatown we had some really good asian dishes (you can't not stop to eat when doing some intense grocery shopping, esp. in Flushing Chinatown!). Also, Sam's recipes are so good that I simply had to eat them all. And then I found myself with a whole pantry full of these ingredients which made me want to experiment in the kitchen, so I did.

The idea behind Sam's piece is that if you keep your pantry stocked with these ingredients there are endless possibilities of recipes that you can throw together. Here he lists the must-haves and gives brand recommendations, followed by three delicious recipes: Orange Beef

Baby Bok Choy With Oyster Sauce

Miso Chicken

Corn and Lobster Tart for NY Times

This beautiful tart is actually a breeze to make and it has a great quiche-like quality that makes it perfect for lunch or as a light appetizer before dinner. The corn and lobster are a perfect summer-y pair that go wonderfully with a sprinkle of fresh tarragon and a glass of chilled chardonnay.

Vermont Views

An incredible, post storm sunset view from our campsite in Waterbury, VT.

The friendliest cows munching away on the side of the road just outside Stowe, VT.

Two Potters

Sometimes it feels like the world is so small and that everyone in the creative world is connected and knows someone you know. I had one of these moments when I got asked to do an assignment for the New York Times sports section. Yes, the sports section....as you know, I work for the food section of the Times and never have I ever photographed anything sports related! They needed someone, extremely last minute, to drive out to Middletown, NY and photograph prints and letters from a scrapbook that Celeste Van Fleet had. Celeste's late husband once took a photograph that went viral (you can read about it here) and she kept a scrapbook about it with letters and photos. To make a long story short, the location that the photo was taken at (a private school) was down the road from where I went to photography school and I had stumbled across it while I was attending. It's such a small town that it was quite shocking for Celeste to know that I was familiar with the school and had been there. And it was quite shocking for me as well! While I was visiting with Celeste, her granddaughter, Becca Van Fleet, came up in conversation. Becca and her husband own the company Two Potters, whose work I had stumbled across once on the internet. I immediately emailed Becca to introduce myself and told her I was planning a trip up to Vermont and would love to photograph their work. We spent the day chatting, eating and Becca watched as I styled and shot...what more could you ask for? It was so much fun! And I'm really excited to share the photos. I think their work is just magnificently beautiful!

Sandwiches for the NY Times

I think one of my favorite assignments for the New York Times was photographing these 8 sandwich recipes for a big sandwich story they ran a few months ago. I love sandwiches...eating them and photographing them. I had one of these sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 2 days it took me to shoot this. But no complaints here because these are all very gooooood! I especially loved the chicken salad, it was a good take on that classic and I really liked the addition of yogurt (it took away some of the mayo taste that I don't always go crazy over). And the club sandwich is to die for- if you can sink your teeth into that double decker!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Maine Coast Lobster Rolls

Croque-Madame

Craig Claiborne's Chicken Salad Sandwich

Sloppy Joes

Classic Tuna Salad Sandwich

Croque-Monsieur

Club Sandwich

Crunchy Calamari for The NY Times

A few months ago I had to make this fried calamari for the New York Times. Honestly, I had never made fried calamari myself before this and I thought, well who would make this at home instead of going out to order it? But it was actually super easy and if you're a big fan of the dish, it's not too much to tackle on your own. It does help if you have a deep-fryer but if not, I recommend using a big and deep cast iron skillet...just make sure you get that oil nice and hot and definitely take Florence Fabricant's advice and stand back because it will splatter!

Recipe: Crunchy Calamari with Ancho Chile Glaze

Pottery by Kristin Nicholas

I love color. It simply makes my heart sing. And if you follow my work, I guarantee you've seen a theme of color shine through in many of my photos. I love working with Kristin because she shares that same love of color. I've photographed her home countless times for features and her book (Crafting A Colorful Home) and I always get so excited to spend time on her beautiful farm and play with all the color in her house. She recently started making her pottery again which really excites me! (I love everything she makes). So we spent some time photographing a few of her pieces when I came for a visit back in May. Look at her tremendous artistry...I can't decide if I want to eat off of her plates or hang them up on my wall!

You can purchase these beauties at Kristin's Etsy shop.