I found the inspiration for this recipe from the Easy Eats via A Thought for Food via Pinterest, (of course). The version I found was completely raw, vegan, and gluten free, and the pesto they described was a hemp seed oil/cilantro concoction. I’m sure that’s all good – and super for those of you so inclined – but a: I don’t have hemp seed oil, b: I’m not sure my kids would be down with all that cilantro in one place, and c: what kind of weirdo pesto doesn’t have parmesan cheese in it? So I got the information for the “linguini” prep there, then made an arugula walnut pesto that I was more confident would be a hit, put ‘em together, et voila…

What you need for the “linguini”:

• Good olive oil (a couple of tbsps)
• Lemon juice (~ 1 lemon’s worth)
• Carrots
• Parsnip
• Any other root vegetable you can peel into long strips (salsify comes to mind… mmmmmm…)
• Salt

What you need for the pesto:

• 1 – 1.25 cups of walnuts
• 16 oz washed arugula
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
• more good olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic

Using a vegetable peeler just as you would to peel a carrot, peel each of the root vegetables into ribbons and put these in a sealable container. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and a sprinkle of kosher/sea salt, then seal the container shut and shake to coat the vegetables. Leave this to cure/marinate for 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the garlic, walnuts, arugula, and cheese in a food processor, and pulse until the arugula is finely chopped. With the blade still running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until that perfect pesto consistency is achieved, then taste and salt as needed. I always find that walnuts add a slightly bitter flavor to pesto, and will sometimes compensate with extra cheese or even with a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Once the pesto is combined with the sweetness of the carrots, though, that bitterness disappeared.

Once the vegetable ribbons have cured, add several tablespoons of the pesto to the container and shake again to coat. Serve with more parmesan and black pepper (we did sauteed asparagus on the side).

So honest opinion? This was amazing. It was the perfect summer meal, and I couldn’t believe how dead-on al dente the carrots and parsnips got in the lemon juice… like a vegetable ceviche, I suppose. Anyway, the flavors and the presentation quite lovely (though I wish I’d waited until this week’s PURPLE carrots arrived at the farmer’s market), and I was all psyched to pronounce this a complete success… until my kids sat down and summarily rejected it.

Now, Oliver and Judah certainly present their challenges, but not usually when it comes to vegetables… on that front, they’re pretty easy. And they both absolutely love carrots and would eat pesto by the cupful if we let them, so I was pretty surprised that they were so – shall we say – underwhelmed by this meal. My best guess is that in their world, when something looks like pasta and is presented like pasta, it should also taste like pasta, and fair enough: this doesn’t pass that particular test. The funny part was that when I got my camera out to record their reactions, they completely refused to give me a thumbs down. Oliver went so far as to say “actually I like it. No, I love it – it’s great! Two thumbs up… definitely. I’m just full.” Judah laughed his agreement, and gave me a thumbs up too… but look at these faces: a couple of liars if I’ve ever seen them:

Forget the kids, though. Pack this for a picnic or a light dinner on a hot night… It’s so good and so easy, and Matt and I scarfed every last bit – including the kids’ rejects – in one sitting

Have a great weekend!

xox,

annemie

Good cause + new friends + a fantastic session = everyone wins!

The two photos below are further proof of this family’s awesomeness: among all the images they ordered, they bought this one (which makes me laugh every single time I look at it) to put in their bedroom…

…and this one (which I know I’ve already shared, but seriously: worth a second look, no?) as a 40×60 canvas in their living room. Mark my words: this is going to look A. Mazing.

Stephanie, John, Katie & Jack – thank you SO MUCH for choosing me to help you create some portraits of your sweet family… I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon!

xox,

annemie

Mind you: she was the only one.*

Anyway, this one will DEFinitely be going into the regular rotation, ’cause shy of making ramen for dinner, it really doesn’t get much easier, and unlike ramen, this actually had some nutrition.

What you need:

• 1 container extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium recommended)
• Juice from 1 orange
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp minced ginger
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

What you have to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Rinse the block of tofu, wrap it in a paper towel, and press it to remove the extra water (I put my cast-iron skillet on top and let it sit for 15-20 minutes). In the meantime, whisk the soy sauce, orange juice, miso paste, sesame oil, ginger, and scallions together. Once the tofu is dry-ish, slice it into 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick pieces – like you’d slice a loaf of bread. Line the bottom of a baking dish with the tofu pieces (no overlap) and pour the sauce over them, making sure they all get equal sauce-love.** Bake uncovered at 350 for around 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the tofu has begun to brown, then serve over rice with veggies (we did sauteed broccoli).

Additional notes: I’m told prepping everything ahead of time and marinating the tofu makes it extra yum, and I totally believe it. Keep an eye on the sauce, though… it can easily get pretty salty. The only thing I’m going to be changing next time I make this is doubling the recipe and tripling or quadrupling the sauce… one can never have too much sauce, eh?

Double thumbs-up from the boys… this was a big hit and a total clean-plate club night. Matt gives it double thumbs-up too    (but I didn’t take his picture  ). Cheers!

xox,

annemie

*Send me recipes! Please… I beg of you!! I fill your computer screens with pretty pictures… now it’s your turn to help me fill my brain with ideas and my children’s tiny bellies with food.

**Don’t we all deserve equal rights to love? Hmmmm? North Carolina, I’m looking at YOU. That is all.

The only problem was all this crazy weather we’ve been having… Melissa really loved Mandy & Mike’s sun-drenched session in particular, but the morning we were scheduled to have our session was super gray. Now don’t get me wrong… gray skies can make for beautiful portraits, and some photographers actually prefer to shoot when it’s overcast, but I knew that wasn’t what Melissa had in mind, and that’s the beauty of the custom photography experience: it’s tailored to you. So despite Melissa’s crazy schedule (not to mention mine!), we found a time a few days later, and this time, Mother nature smiled on us with that same dreamy, glowy sun:

Just a little sneak peek… many more to come soon!

xox,

annemie

 P.S. Want to schedule your own session? Drop me a line at annemie@megapixie.com for more information!

It has now been – let’s see, how old is Oliver now? – over six years since I’ve even THOUGHT about spending that kind of energy, time, or money on a meal. In fact, I essentially gave up cooking too, based on both my husband’s talent and love for it and what became my crazy, erratic schedule. But after years of doing nearly 100% of the meal planning, preparation, and cleanup, Matt has finally asked for a break, to the tune of one night a week.

And y’all… I’m feeling a bit intimidated.

So I thought: what better way to hold myself to it than to share my trials and tribulations in public on the blog? My goal is to go beyond our usual menu and try a different recipe each week – ideally one that is both relatively healthy and appealing to both the adults and the kids. Also, I don’t have time to do a bunch of prep or cleanup, so I’m keeping it simple… and by publishing it here, I’m hoping you’ll help me out with recommendations, encouragement, and/or wine pairing suggestions… ’cause I’m thinking I’m going to be needing a lot of wine 

This week’s attempt: Lentil Tacos

Ingredients:

• Plenty of olive oil
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup dried french lentils
• 2-ish tbsp adobo seasoning (or plain old taco seasoning, if you are too lazy to drive to Asheville for your spices)
• 2.5 cups water
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1.5 cups crumbled (good) feta
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 3 chopped scallions
• 1-2 cups diced tomato
• 1 lime

Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion until it begins to soften (3 to 4 minutes), then add garlic for another minute. Add lentils and taco seasoning and cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. In the meantime, lightly fry individual tortillas in a tsp (each) of olive oil over medium heat and put in a warm oven (or toaster oven) to keep warm. Once lentils have thickened, salt and pepper to taste, then spoon 1/4 cup into each taco shell and top with cabbage, scallions, feta, tomato, lime juice, hot sauce, etc., etc.

Booyah!

And from the peanut gallery:

xox,

annemie

“Hey Annemie,  Thanks for being so incredibly patient today.  Phew!  We all took a longgg family nap and woke rejuvenated and Sai, just a little, less grumpy.”

Sai’s at that age right now where he’s going to react to a photo session in one of two ways: either he’s going to LOVE having his picture made and all the extra attention that goes with it, giving me thousands of sweet smiles and holding poses for hours, or he’s going to get flustered by all the attention and out-of-the-ordinary situations and very quickly begin to avoid even glancing toward the camera… and sadly, Sunday was just one of those days for little Sai. Smart enough to know that something was up, but a little too young to understand… he was a trooper, but ultimately just didn’t want to have to much to do with me. The fact of the matter is that no one can predict the behavior of a toddler – that turn-on-a-dime tendency is what gives the terrible-twos their name. And though it would be easy to put off photo sessions during this stage, the 1-4 year-old set is SO STINKING CUTE that it would be criminal to miss… so that’s where the magic of shutter speed and fast reflexes come in

See? What tantrum?

More soon… this is an amazing set!

xox,

annemie

P.S. Want to know some of the techniques I use to get through the toughest sessions with little ones? Click here (you can use these, too)!

Some things to consider when purchasing a canvas:

• Depth – canvas can be wrapped around a thick or thin frame, which will, in turn, determine how far the canvas stands out from the wall. My personal preference is for a mid-range 1.5-1.75in depth, which I think has a great presence on the wall without taking up too much room.
• Framing – canvas can be wrapped around thin wooden frames or solid wood blocks. The benefit to the frames is that they’re lightweight and easy to hang and move; the blocks are heavier, but provide better protection against warping, especially if the image will be hung in an environment with high or variable humidity.
• Materials – as with everything, not all canvases are created equal. Look for canvases that have been printed using acid-free inks onto museum-quality canvas and treated with UV and water protection to avoid premature color fading, splitting, and sagging.
• Gallery Wrap vs. Solid Edge – Gallery wrapped canvases are printed edge to edge and the wrapped around the frame, so the picture itself continues around the edges (like the vertical image below). Solid edge is when the image is printed on the front of the canvas and the wrapped edges are a solid color (usually white or black – like the top left image below). This can be an aesthetic choice, or made based on the size and cropping of the image.

(I put that bottom left image in there just to show off this new – new to me, at least – beehive-style hanger. They’re genius and foolproof and making hanging things level a total breeze )

Finally: how to care for that gorgeous canvas once you have it hanging on your wall:

• Even though it’s been UV and moisture protected, I would try to hang your canvas out of direct sunlight and high humidity.
• Don’t place your canvas right near a high heat source like a radiator – the wooden frame can split if it gets too dry.
• Dry-dust your canvas every 1-2 weeks to keep it clean. If required, use a damp (not wet) cloth to gently spot clean. NEVER use sprays or chemicals to clean your canvas as they can destroy the ink and finish of the canvas.
• If your canvas starts to loosen, it can be taken to a frame shop for tightening.
• When moving or storing your canvas, wrap in bubble wrap and keep it upright to avoid crushing and scratching.

That’s about it! Canvas is an easy and attractive way to show off those gorgeous images. If you’re interested in scheduling a session or ordering a canvas from your past session so we can hang one of these pretty babies in your home, drop me a line (just use the contact form in the menu above)!

xox,

annemie

Have a great weekend!

xox,

annemie

xox,

annemie

Now, it just so happened that Moo – the company that printed these cards for me – had a booth at the WPPI tradeshow, so I stopped by to chat and give them one of my cards for a drawing they were conducting. The guy I gave it to looked, and then looked again and asked whether he could hang on to that one, then a couple of weeks later I got an email from Moo saying they wanted to feature my new cards for their newsletter and put it in their online inspiration gallery… and now you can see the awesome writeup right here! Such an honor!!!

As you may recall, though, networking wasn’t the ONLY goal I had for WPPI… I also wanted to tap the brains of some of the amazing speakers and instructors who were there. I can’t begin to list all that I learned – I attended 10 2-hour seminars in all – but one quick, easy tip I picked up had a direct impact on me just a couple of weeks later.

I’m part of a photography group here in Raleigh called the WPS (the Wedding Photographic Society)… it’s an amazing resource filled with some of the best photographers in the area (and a growing national and international presence), and throughout the year they host several contests and competitions. One of those competitions is PortraitPalooza, wherein each participating photographer has ten minutes to produce a publication-worthy bridal portrait with a model in a local wedding venue. It’s all in fun, of course, but they put on quite the show, with local makeup artists, hair stylists, florists and bridal salons contributing their time and talent to the event, and at the end, the portraits are judged and the winner is awarded a cash prize.

I went into that competition a week after WPPI, all excited and inspired by the amazing talent I’d seen and learned from during my time there. Specifically, I wanted to step outside my usual comfort zone and create a dramatic, fashion-inspired image in the vein of those demonstrated by Jerry Ghionis in his workshop entitled “In-camera Artistry”. He must have repeated “face toward the light, body toward the shadow” 30 times in two hours, so with those words in mind, I created and submitted the following two images:A couple of weeks ago, the winners were announced, and I can’t begin to tell you how honored I was that my images placed first AND second… the only time that’s ever happened in the history of the competition :D (If you’re interested, the full writeup and all of the winning images can be found here.)

Aaaaaaand wow: that’s (more than) enough about me! I had two amazing shoots this weekend that I can’t wait to share… watch for sneak peeks from a beautiful middle-of-the-night home birth and a fun, at-home family session later this week!

xox,

annemie