I’ve been spending extra time in the kitchen this week.
This picture is in my saved photos from when we moved into our place. I’ve been too busy photographing food to photograph the kitchen.
I’ve been spending more time in my kitchen because I’d like to try and post more recipes on my blog but…
…that takes time.
As I mentioned here, between creating the recipe, grocery shopping for the ingredients, actually cooking and making the food, food styling and plating, taking the photographs, editing the photos, and writing the recipe and blog post, it all takes time and is not a short process. At least not for me. Some people throw together a bowl of oatmeal with a slab of nutbutter on top, take a picture, and post it to their blog 10 minutes later, but that has never been my style. Nothing wrong with that but I don’t work well in that eat it-snap it-post it right away style.
This is why I can see why bloggers who post one new recipe per day have their blogs turn into their jobs. It can can be a big job keeping up with all the different pieces and components at hand.
But it all has to start with time in the kitchen.
Ad making a mess.
And sometimes you hit paydirt after you melt all that chocolate as was the case with Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
And sometimes you don’t.
And sometimes there are flops and never make it past the garbage disposal. Rare because I am cheap and hate to waste ingredients, but it happens.
And sometimes I make food that wouldn’t be regarded as “classically beautiful” as these are and I wonder if I should blog about it.
But it’s real food and it’s what’s for dinner as was the case with Spicy Baked Black Beans with Mixed Vegetables
And I think that no matter what, it’s hard to make cooked vegetables, soft foods, comfort food, or beans look good on camera. It’s just tricky.
But I was happy with the Caramel Maple Pumpkin Pie Smoothie I made. Not nearly as tricky to make dessert in a cup look good.
And now I have to edit photos because in the past 2 days I have cooked 4 new recipes, and have taken about 350 photos.
I’d rather over shoot than under shoot. Having too many options always beats not having enough.
Nothing worse that getting to your computer after the dishes are done, the food is eaten and gone and realizing, omg all my pictures suck and are improperly lit or blurry . And then the choices are to re-make the food, re-do the photo shoot, or somehow try to salvage what you haven’t eaten because you’re stubborn and determined to blog about it. Umm, yeah. I’ve been there.
But I re-shot it and I’d like to think these were well worth the re-shoot.
So this is where you’ll find me for many hours this week…
…With a bowl of coconut oil sprayed cinnamon & stevia popcorn next to me
And maybe a Baileys Slushie, too
Questions:
1. How much time do you spend in the kitchen every day? Or every week?
Do you try to cook ahead, cook in batches, bulk, and make planned leftovers? Or do you start from scatch with every meal? Take out, restaurants, eating out? How much of that vs. cooking at home?
It varies widely for me. Some weeks I cook much more than other weeks and really try to make new recipes and get creative but other times I’m just too busy to get creative. I don’t have the time or energy and those are the weeks where we eat lots of salads, tofu, edamame, fresh produce, and whatever I have in my freezer stash.
We do always eat at home, though. No take out, no hot bars, no deli stops. Too expensive and never really what I want anyway. As busy as I am, I can always find time to make something at home in order to avoid over-paying for a salad or getting something that I always think, well, I could have made that better myself just the way I want it.
Plus, it’s not relaxing to go out to dinner with a 4 year old after a long day. At least not for me. And that’s when I am reminded, oh yeah, I better get my butt into the kitchen and start cooking!
2. What kind of recipes interest you when you read blogs or are doing online surfing?
I love making desserts and that’s what I like to read about on other blogs and websites for the most part.
Desserts are fun to make, fun to photograph, and I can photograph them at any time. The next day, or even many days later, as opposed to dinner hour food which has to be photographed right then and there.
Dinnertime food and recipes are hard for me because the lighting is awful, everyone is tired and in a hurry to eat, and taking decent photographs is very challenging for me, and our family since they have to wait if I want to take food pictures of our dinner. Not sure how other bloggers get vibrant shots of their dinners or don’t have melted down kids or partners, unless they make it all ahead of time and take afternoon photos when there’s still a glimmer of natural light and before the hunger and bewitching hour is truly upon them. Doesn’t seem practical for us, though.
I’d like to think that desserts in the food world are what soap operas or reality tv are in television world: They aren’t necessary, they can be really creative, fun, and off the wall; they satisfy some sort of craving in us, and if you don’t have them in your life, it’s not the worst thing in the world and you can live without them, but every now and then you just want a little trashy tv or dessert.
Thanks for the Not Nuts! Giveaway entries
I feel you!
It totally depends for me, but I´d say 1h total each day?!
Mostly I make portions that will last me two days, though, I loved planned leftovers. I love to use leftover soup as a pasta sauce, for example, pureed, with some fresh basil. super easy!
I actually prefer blog recipes that are simple and quick, and often I will just browse for flavour combinations and then do my own thing later (I NEVER follow recipes when cooking, but I do follow kinda a guide when baking ;)). That is why I like your recipes, they fulfill my criteria :)
i missed that nutella fudge bar things. those look redic awesome.
I wish I had more time to spend in the kitchen, but literally, these days I’m lucky I have enough time to make my old standby lunches and dinners. I have whittled my freezer stash to almost nothing and I haven’t madea veggie sauce/dip in months. I used to make 2 a week, at least. I’ve been eating giant bowls of nuked/steamed or roasted veggies with mustard/nooch/salsa oretty much daily for the past month. I can’t wait for winter break.
I can’t even tell you the last time I made cookies. Wait, not true – it was TWO whole weeks ago!! That’s a new record for me, I’m sure.
Omg I just made a giant bowl of steamed veggies with salsa on top of it and tofu. And almost put spicy mustard in it. Seriously we live a parallel life!
I soend half of my time in kitchen cooking,..cleaning,for evening meal I try to cook ahead,.as it saves lots of time and patiently I can cook,..:)
I try to spread my time in the kitchen into chunks so that I am not constantly washing dishes and cleaning up messes. It’s tough!
I love reading all sorts of recipes! mostly I love cooking healthy, well balanced dinners so I am always on the lookout for one pot meals or stews (this time of year) chili’s soups that have protein, beans, veggies all in one pot!
I also always love protein recipes…things to grab and go like protein bars, muffins, cookies things like that
OH and of course sweets!! i love having a database that I can go to when I bake or cook for company or family and friends!
I can tell you put a lot of effort into your pictures, because they are all so perfect and beautiful! I only have like a 10 second window to take pictures before my daughter needs my attention, so a lot of times my pics come out blurry…another reason why I need to invest in a tripod..lol
girl no on the tripod
it’s a major PITA and you will find yourself not using it b/c it’s actually easier for me at least to shoot freehand. just getting the camera in the tripod, adjusting the height, tilt, and ALL the knobs and dials…takes so much time. you can be much more efficient free hand.
your photography is stunning of course. i have no idea how you pull off what you do in like 10 seconds!!!!
Coconut oil sprayed?? Do you mean to say… you have found coconut oil in a spray bottle? Do tell, do tell!
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/03/grocery-shopping-raw-treat-review.html
there’s pics of it. yes, in a spray bottle
it’s wayyyy more expensive to use it that way. It’s more effective$$ to just melt/drizzle coconut oil but if you want to, yep, it exists
thanks for the info on the pinterest plugin. i downloaded addthis. And then got stuck…
I love looking at beautiful food photography – even if I wouldn’t eat some of it :) Definitely like desserts and especially raw desserts (like yours!) or meals. I’m only taking pics with my cell phone but my desire to graduate to a camera is growing. Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh girl, I spend way too much time per post. 2-3 posts per week these days is where I am at and that is FULL time. So many photos, edits, testing…all fun though. But crazy all the same.
your posts are like works of art. every.single.one.
and you keep topping and out-doing yourself!
and yes, it’s hot as hell here. enjoy the mountains!
I hate when I overshoot haha. Too many photos to sift through—it gives me a headache!!
I wish I didnt overshoot. Actually, I wish I could just shoot teathered (I could technically but it’s a PITA)..that way I knew on my computer once I actually ‘got the shot’ b/c my viewfinder has deceived me!
I need to try those Nutella brownies – they look amazing!
I like looking for slow-cooker recipes so I can have dinner ready when I come home from work.
try them, they are the best brownies I have ever eaten and i am super picky. not trying to toot my own horn but they are just reallllllly dense and fudgy and moist and I think you’ll love em!
You know, some weeks I feel so excited to spend a LOT of time in the kitchen, and some weeks, I am just NOT feeling it. It’s been kind of a mix between the two lately over here. But at least I have good blogger friends like you to provide me with inspiration when I’m not feeling it ;-)
enjoy your kitch time now girl. once you have baby, you will be lucky to make toast for the first few months. or year. it’s wonderful being a new mom but no time in the kitchen. no one ever told me that :)
Even though it is small, your kitchen is beautiful. We have a little apartment kitchen too…not nearly as lovely as yours, though. ;-) I spend little time in there because the kiddos are so into cooking…but as they grow up and leave the nest I’ll be in there more and more.
I can’t believe you have nest-leavers. You look like you’re 29 :)
Oh, I adore you! ;-)
ohh I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working are. I have no doubt the amount of time and effort that goes into it… I’ve done it a few times for blogging and it can take up easily half a day for me.
I really spend minimal time in the kitchen… seriously most of my meals take 5-10 minutes to throw together.
I think your recipes are pretty detailed as it is…I am impressed you feel like you’re a throw-together cook. I don’t think so at all :)