Nice Food Recipes With Pictures photos

Mahi mahi

Image by Manuel W.
mahi mahi with tomatillo-avocado salsa and pineapple
some boxed quinoa mix
out of focus because I was freakin' hungry
not pictured: vegetables because I forgot to buy any

Jacques Pepin's Potato Souffle

Image by Hamburger Helper
This picture doesn't capture how beautiful this dish was when it came out of the oven. It immediately started to deflate. This is the mashed potato souffle Jacques Pepin made as a side dish to accompany Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. It's very easy:
4 cups of prepared mashed potatoes (see recipe at bottom)
3 large whole eggs (more beaten egg whites folded in if you really want more lift to the souffle)
grated cheese (use as much as you like - I didn't have gruyere on hand so I used some good cheddar)

Mix the potatoes and eggs together, preferably in a food processor, but as I don't have one, I used my KitcheAid mixer - a hand blender will work fine too if you don't have either. Fold in most of the grated cheese, reserving a little to sprinkle over the top. Pour into a well buttered casserole or gratin dish and bake for about an hour at 350. You can play with the temp and cooking time but that's how long it took to get mine to get this beautifully golden.

Mashed potatoes is really a personal thing - I have a friend who likes to put nutmeg in hers. I almost always cook some garlic in butter when I make it but this time I didn't. I boiled 3 Idaho baking potatoes in some salted water until soft. I peeled them and whipped them up with some half and half and butter. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

This dish is actually more a potato casserole but the eggs give it a sort of puffy lift like a souffle.

Return to the local farmer's market, Aug 2009 - 37

Image by Ed Yourdon
Note: this photo was published in a Nov 26, 2010 blog titled "Fab Food Friday Fotos: Leftover Turkey Recipes, Taco Tuesdae, Chili Con Carne, Coffee Mousse Cake, Indonesian Tempeh with Green Beans, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, & More."

Moving into 2012, the photo was published in an undated (early Jan 2012) blog titled "Amsterdam Cafe, New York."

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As I noted when I first visited my local farmer's market (which you can see here on Flickr , New Yorkers do not eat all of their meals at Starbucks or pizza joints. Nor do they buy all of their food at supermarkets or corner delis. We also buy our food at farmer's markets, where organically grown fruits, vegetables, cheese, and other items are brought from farms in nearby New Jersey and upstate New York.

The first time I visited our local market, on 97th Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus, it was early in the morning -- a time I chose deliberately, because I thought the morning sunshine would some lighting effects. But most of the market stalls were hidden in the shadows of nearby tall apartment buildings, and there were hardly any people around. So, while the displays of food were interesting, there was no sense of humanity or community.

This time, I went back at lunch-time, when the sun was high in the sky, and the shadows were gone. There were also many more people, including a small jazz quartet, with a very talented singer. So I got the requisite photos of food, but I also got some pictures of the band, the farmers and shop-keepers selling their wares, and a couple of the local people in the neighborhood...

me me me

Image by wine me up
Sorry Carolyn, this is long as hell.

Foods you like, despise, can't eat (allergies, etc.)

Love almost all things coconut unless it’s artificial tasting; do not like coconut M&Ms because of this. Also dig pretty much all chocolates, cheeses, nuts, salty and sweet combos, coffee flavored stuff, maple, toffee. And peanut butter and chocolate are one of my fave combos as well as Ferrero Rocher. I’m a huge fan of crunchy stuff, but don’t really care for salt and vinegar chips even though I absolutely love salt and all vinegars and crunch. Anything I don’t like or can’t eat, isn’t really going to work in the mail (green bell pepper, salmon, lima beans, etc..)

Coffee vs. tea?

Definitely coffee, but I do drink a lot of iced tea and when I drink hot tea it’s usually sleepy stuff, some herbal or blood orange. I actually prefer dark roasts, but when I use the toddy (which is more often than not) I use just straight up French Market and that’s a chicory / coffee blend. I think it tastes damn good, but I know some people turn their noses up at chicory. I don’t usually tell people what it is until after they tell me how great it tastes!

Where do you live? (I'm thinking climate, big city/small town, etc.)

The ONLY place to live in Texas – Austin. I’m born and raised Texan and ALL of my family is from Louisiana (New Orleans), coastal Mississippi and Huntsville, Alabama. I can’t get much more southern; however, from an early age I made a point to not talk with an accent because I didn’t want to be identified as such. Now when I drink or get lazy some of a drawl comes out. My dad has a very unique Louisiana / Cajun accent even though he’s from coastal Mississippi and I find it completely endearing. My mom has a sweet southern drawl and I have to admit sometimes I wish I had a little of each. I can do them both very easily so maybe one day I’ll take after Madonna and just totally change the way I speak.

Favorite yarns / fabrics?

Hmm, I don’t like wooly wools because I’m mildly allergic. I enjoy knitting with Cascade 220, but it’s not something I will ever wear. I love merinos or merino blends. I knit with a lot of mercerized cotton and silk/wool blends. Cascade Ultra Pima is my current fave cotton because the colors are awesome and it’s so fun to crochet with. Anything that’s soft is what I’m more likely to wear. I’m mostly dig DK weight and love aquas, teals, turquoises, navy and white is my fave color combo, bright reds, sunny yellow, happy greens and any greys. And really I like most jewel tones, except purple. I think it’s pretty safe to say no mustard yellows and no purple. And I’m totally fine with wool/synthetic blends. I really want to try Madelinetosh anything because I love her colors and have heard wonderful things. Nothing variegated ever.

Crafty pursuits - knit, crochet, spin, sew, quilt, make friendship bracelets, any of these or others?

I knit and crochet, crewel and embroider. I have an ass ton of wool and embroidery thread and own the majority of Sublime Stitching pattern collection. I need to get outside of that and start working on some new patterns. I think I can safely say I’ll never make a friendship bracelet again. For some reason the thought of it makes me cringe. I made SO many of those things in middle school and while middle school was not a bad experience, I have this hang up about reliving anything too youthful. No offense to anyone currently on the friendship bracelet kick because I totally get it, it’s just not for me.

Hobbies/pursuits/proclivities/passions (other than the aforementioned crafty ones, obvs)

I read a lot of fiction, historical fiction and memoirs and enjoy a smart good mystery/thriller. I go through reading phases and have been on a pretty good one this entire year. I think having a pool has really helped me keep the reading up. I go junking (estate sales and an occasional yard sale, thrift stores) with my sister a lot. I love vintage bags, jewelry, scarves, paint by number harbor and sailing scenes, nautical stuff, furniture, cabinets, mirrors, etc… Photography, photography books, cooking, drinking, wine,

What do you do in life? (job, career, school, family, etc.)

My title is Knowledge Coordinator/ Techinal Writer, but I currently do a lot of GUI work. I have extensive experience in process content and helpfile infrastructure. I blindly stepped into my job when a co-worker went out with cancer almost 2 years ago (he’s in remission, but unable to work due to other illnesses) and even though my client is the most demanding one I’ve worked with, I like this job more than any other I've had with the company in FOURTEEN YEARS! I’ve worked from home for almost 2 years and it gets lonely at times, but I like it more than not. For anyone that cares, I build forms that end-users fill out when submitting requests online, specifically for a global health care provider specializing in Hemophilia and kidney disease. I also dabble in paid photography gigs for my local yarn store, weddings, friends and families.

What makes you happy?

Everything about this picture (iced coffee cut out), knitting, True Blood, crocheting, swimming, spending time in my backyard, making other people laugh (especially the dude), a good book, shitty reality tv that makes me feel better about my life, trying new restaurants in town, hosting parties and get togethers, keeping plants alive, Packers winning games, finding good deals on clothes or at estate sales, Playa del Carmen, mail, Flickr, conversations about poo, making stuff for others, Vampire Diaries, decorating my house, wine, booze, beer, Bored to Death, The Wire (except season 4 makes me sad), watching the Sopranos over again and still thoroughly enjoying it while discovering things I missed the first time around, a healthy family, going to a good stand up act, the word turd, my cats, dinner with friends, the beach, cold weather, rain. I love rain so incredibly much. Omar Little from The Wire and Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski.

Random favorites -- colors, flavors, scents, books, movies, TV, magazines, genres, time of day, motifs (foxes, bees, squirrels, owls, beavers, mushrooms, bats) etc.

I pretty much covered the colors under yarns. Again, I really dig navy and white and have a ton of it in my wardrobe. I like sunny yellow and aqua, turquoise or grey together. The rest is above. Scents: clean, nothing fruity or food smelling. My superhero nickname is Nostrildamus meaning I have an overly sensitive smeller and get headaches and nausea from strong stuff. I currently subscribe to Real Simple and Southern Living, the latter bums me out because it has so many good recipes in it that are so bad for me, but it’s pretty to look at. I'm thinking of subscribing to The New Yorker because my Nana always had it and I want something substantial to read when I’m outside hanging by or in the pool. Other suggestions welcome! Movies: Moonstruck is one of my faves, I’ve seen it probably 30 times. Love Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, The Big Lebowski, Amelie, The English Patient, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, To Catch a Thief, Rear Window, Notorious (dig Hitchcock), Poltergeist (my absolute fave scary movie) and lots more, I watch a ton of documentaries as well. Fave TV is above and some others include Dexter, Madmen, Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, Treme, Lost, Six Feet Under (not sure if that’ll hold up if I watch it again), Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy, Eastbound & Down, The Big C. Motifs – I guess I don’t really have a preference – anything nautical, but I don’t like over the top anchors everywhere. Not really into squirrels and mushrooms anymore. Honey badger is pretty fucking awesome though. Love really early mornings best, but don't always get up in time for it. Also, like Carolyn, things with foul language in it please me. LCD Soundsystem, Gogol Bordello, Thievery Corp, Cut Copy, TV on the Radio, Gotan Project, Bajofondo, !!! (chic, chic, chic), music that makes me shake my ass, mani/pedis, massages, coconut! eta: pens, paper, notebooks, baked goods, clean scented bath stuff (i take tons of bubble baths).