Retro Boozy Ice Cream Drinks

I've seen "grown-up milkshakes" popping up on the menus of lots of trendy restaurants over the last couple years, but I think my mom and dad were way ahead of the curve. They have been serving boozy ice cream for a while now at their parties, especially during the summer. This probably goes back to my dad's years as a bartender during the 1970s, when saganaki and quiche Lorraine were the height of sophistication, and any cocktail was better if it was made in a blender.

And like many trends of the 70s, bohemian fashion, runaway gas prices and pink wine, milk shakes made with alcohol are back as well. Really, were they ever gone?

They sent me a list of their recipes titled "Phil and Mary's Retro Ice Cream Drinks" which includes recipes such as Pink Squirrel, Golden Cadillac, and Dirty Grasshopper. But the very last recipe, for a Bailey's Frozen Russian, is preceded by a warning, written in all caps: "WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE BEST ICE CREAM DRINK WE HAVE EVER MADE OR TASTED."  You've been warned.

The preparation begins the night before you plan to serve them, but it's well worth the extra step. Plus, you won't have to get up and run the blender while your guests wait in the other room, shouting at each other over the noise.  My dad will buy a huge gallon of Kemp's vanilla ice cream (in the plastic bucket) and blend up a big batch the night before the party, then put it all back into the freezer to harden for the next day's festivities.

Everyone will sit around at the end of the night, usually by the bonfire and with plenty of mosquito repellant, sipping or spooning up these cool luxuries. They go very quickly, and if you are lucky, my dad will come over to offer you more as you are scraping the last drips from the glass.

Bailey's Frozen Russian


2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz chocolate liqueur
1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream
crushed hazelnuts or macadamia nuts

Pour the liquor into a blender. Add 4-5 scoops of ice cream and blend until smooth. Add more ice cream if needed. Freeze overnight if possible. Serve in elegant cocktail glasses and garnish with nuts. Make about 4 servings, depending on how much you want.

Black Bean, Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad with Spicy Lime Vinaigrette

If there is any time of the year when a big bowl of fresh vegetables sounds good, it's these hot days of summer. I made this salad after a long, overindulgent Fourth of July weekend, as an apology of sorts to my body for eating Doritos, drinking Bud Light and staying up late for several days straight. Hey, I never said I don't eat junk food, in fact, I love junk food. But I try to keep it to a minimum and balance it out with really good, healthy food.

This salad is a great compliment to chicken on the grill, a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, or just add some grilled shrimp to make it a meal unto itself.  Actually, I think it's a meal with adding any meat, so leave out the bacon and make it for Meatless Mondays. If you leave off the cotija cheese as well, you've got a hearty vegan main dish.

The leftovers can be tossed with some hot pasta or stirred into eggs for a quick frittata. Or you can do what I do and make a huge bowl to eat for a couple days.

Black Bean, Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad with Spicy Lime Vinaigrette
As with most of my recipes, this is a guideline, so feel free to change the quantities and ingredients to suit your taste.


Salad:
1 14.5 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion
1 bell pepper, any color
3 stalks of celery
3 carrots or 1.5 cups of shredded carrots
1 cup corn
1 cup cooked brown rice*
4 strips of crispy bacon

4 oz Cotija cheese**
handful of chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 limes, juiced (should be about 4 tablespoons)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Dash each of cumin, cayenne, chili powder, salt, pepper, sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Dice all the vegetables and bacon to your preferred size and throw them in a big bowl with the beans and rice.

For the dressing, combine the lime juice, vinegar and seasonings in a small bowl and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Adjust amount of oil until you have the consistency you want.

Now, just drizzle the dressing over the bowl of veggies and black beans and stir. Adjust salt if necessary. Top with crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro, and you're done! You can eat it now, but the salad will be better if you let it sit for an hour or two.


*I cook my brown rice in vegetable stock for more flavor.
**Cotija cheese is a crumbly Mexican cheese similar to feta.

Simple and Affordable Tools, Techniques & Accessories to Improve Your Food Photography: Part IV

A lot of bloggers, and even some friends who like photography, asked to see the presentation I did with Alice Currah in May at BlogHer Food 2011. I promised I would put up an abbreviated version on the blog, so here is the fourth and final part.


Can you handle one more post about food photography? Here Alice had some great insights into how she puts together her photographs and some things you can keep in mind when you are creating your photography for your blog.
We also wanted to address some other aspects of food photography using some real-life examples. For instance, how to get better food photographs when you are at a restaurant and how to best use your smart phone when photographing food. Finally, we answered the question, "What would you buy if you only had $25 to spend on improving your food photography?"

Alice: When deciding how to compose your food shot, take into consideration the point of view of the story you're trying to capture through the photo. Ingredient shots offer the most flexibility because you can shoot straight on, 3/4 up or straight over head. If you're shooting a lot of ingredients, my favorite is straight over.

Alice: If you're sharing an entree you just prepared for dinner, sometimes shooting the dinner table or the environment in which you'll be eating is more appealing, especially when you're sharing a story about dinner time. But if you're a recipe blogger and your primary written content is focused squarely on the recipe, tight and up-close shots work best because you can see the details in the food.

Alice: Taking action photos of a recipe in progress are also helpful, especially if there is a certain culinary technique involved which would enhance the readers' understanding on how to prepare the dish. 

Alice: Think of the main element as being the perfect black cocktail dress. All the other elements should be accessorized and layered around the dress, complimenting the main element without overpowering it. Think in terms of complimentary texture. Create contrasting textures by showing your readers what the inside of a dish looks like compared to the outside.

Alice: If you are shooting a group of food, all the same size, like cupcakes, lining them up vertically or horizontally is the most aesthetically pleasing composition. Taller objects like bottles and tall cups work best if they are in the background, not the foreground. 

Last tip: Study the different styles of food photography you like best and practice creating photographs with a similar style. 

Alice and Sarah: Restaurant photography can be difficult, especially when you are at a dimly lit restaurant, but there are a couple things you can do to get the best photograph possible under less-than-perfect conditions.

1. First is to be discreet and appropriate. There's nothing worse than having dinner while a flashing photo session is going on nearby. Ask permission if you feel like it might not be appropriate to photograph, and most of all use good judgement. There are times when you, and everyone around you, should simply enjoy dinner.
2. Ask to sit by a window or outside, and try to find a spot that's not in the direct sunlight.
3. If you can't sit near a window, or it's dark, bump up your ISO as far as it will go. A little noise is better than a photograph that is out of focus.
4. Use the timer function with the camera propped on a glass, scarf or purse. If you really want to be sure you are going to be in focus, buy a small, flexible Gorilla tripod to set on the table (and then tuck back into your purse as soon as you're done).

A lot of smart phones have pretty decent cameras, I use mine all the time to snap quick pictures for Facebook and Twitter. You can also buy a silicone case to help keep the phone in place when propped on a mug or wedged between dishware. iPhone tripods are available for around $10. There are also downloadable photo apps (free or low cost) which offer more enhanced camera settings such as timer, white balance, contrast/brightness, etc. which will help you get results outside your phone's built-in settings.

Alice and I challenged ourselves to make a list of things we would buy to improve our food photography if we only had $25. I chose a tripod and that would pretty much use the whole budget! Alice chose a sheet of foam core, a white sheet or table cloth, plain white plate or bowl and a clear drinking glass.  

But no matter what you buy (or don't buy), if you are taking steps to improve your food photography, you are on the right track.

Good luck with all you are doing and feel free to contact either Alice or me with any questions you might have. Keep cooking and shooting!

Simple and Affordable Tools, Techniques & Accessories to Improve Your Food Photography: Part III

A lot of bloggers, and even some friends who like photography, asked to see the presentation I did with Alice Currah last month at BlogHer Food 2011. I promised I would put up an abbreviated version on the blog, so here is the third part.


In part three, Alice and I talked about accessories and other touches that can add a more professional look to your blog's food photography. Best of all, we get to see some of Alice's great photographs and read her perspective on creating beautiful food images. 

Alice: I often look for plates with a a little bit of texture, in neutral colors with a non-glossy finish such as dishware made with clay. You get the least amount of reflection and they photograph nicely. Also, when buying neutral colored dishware, it opens you up to mixing and matching with other pieces you own without having to commit to a whole set of dishware. Much like khaki pants or the little black dress. You can build your scene around basic dishes and make it unique every time.
Because we're working with photographs, using smaller plates will allow you to get more visual content within each frame. This is especially true when it comes to still life photography. Great places to buy inexpensive dishware are Cost Plus, Big Lots, Home Goods, Daiso, dollar stores, estate sales, thrift stores, garage sales, Ikea, Craigslist, Ebay and Etsy.
Quilter's squares, paper napkins, fabric remnants or old linens you have in your closet make great additions, but should be used as accent pieces. After all, we are photographing food, not to be outdone by the accessories.

 I have an eclectic collection of jars I have accumulated over the years depsite my husband's many attempts to recycle them. He sees them as just jars and packaging, I see them as potential props.

Textured and aging materials photograph the best. Old silverware, beat up wood from the backyard, old fence pieces, shutters, cement, dressers and coffee tables. If it looks worn, don't throw it out!

You can find tile, stone, marble and slate remnants at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Craigslist and construction yards. Ask at the the stone store if they have any remainders or extra pieces in the back. They'll often give them to you at a discount.

Look at what's around you--torn up paper bag, the backside of a platter...some of my favorite items to shoot on are my seasoned stainless steel wok, cast iron skillet, stained cookie sheets and baking stone. Broadening your perspective and knowing what to look for will help you see the items in your home in a whole new way. The more beat up it looks, the better.

Other cheap props are colored poster board, painter's drop cloth (nice linen look), scrap book paper, hand made paper and foam core.
Next week, we'll take a look at composition and some other aspects of photographing food for your blog, such as restaurant photography and smart phone photography.