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How To

Salt River Bars, a la Liberty Market

October 2, 2020Food, How To0

One of our family favorites inspired by our go-to dessert at Liberty Market, and what recipe I probably get asked for more than any other. Nothing better than a salty but sweet, chewy but crunchy treat, am I right? If you’re making for a very large group or party I’d double the recipe, but if you’re only making for your family + leftovers, I’d follow this recipe as is and use a half cookie sheet. These are super rich and a little goes a long way! Watch a 30 second video tutorial, HERE.

Ingredients: 
1 Sleeve of Graham Crackers (Place in ziplock bag and smash into crumbs with rolling pin, or use food processor.)
1 Cup Butter (Yeah I know, I never said these were healthy!)
1 Box of Club Crackers 
1 and 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Butterscotch Chips
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter 
Coarse Sea Salt for Sprinkling
 
 
1) Melt Butter in saucepan, then add brown sugar and milk.
2) Once melted, add the graham cracker crumbs to saucepan, stir and remove from heat.
3) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then lay club crackers across paper like tile, covering completely.
4) Pour a thin layer of butter/sugar mix over crackers evenly, then press another layer of club crackers on top.
5) Repeat step once more, until you have 3 layers of crackers and butter mix total. Put in fridge and let cool as you prepare the chocolate topping.
6) Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.
7 ) Pour over bars evenly and finish with lots of sea salt. Put back in fridge until set and ready to serve. (About 2 hours!). Be sure to keep leftovers (if any!) in the fridge. Enjoy!

Our Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe

September 11, 2020Food, How To0

One meal we repeat more than we probably should in this house, is homemade pizza. A couple years back we got a Blackstone Pizza Grill and have had so much fun learning how to up our pizza game. (Correction: Geoff has had fun learning, I’ve just had fun being the official taste-tester.) When Summer hit and it got way too hot to cook pizza over a 500 degree flame outside, we got the Baking Steel Stone for inside and honestly like the results just the same, if not better! We follow this 72 Hour Dough Recipe exactly (which makes 4 12″ pies) but sometimes substitute the bread flour for 00 flour if we have it on hand. Some of our favorite combos are fresh mozzarella with Boars Head pepporoni + hot honey, BBQ chicken + red onion, sweet potato + ricotta + caramelized onions, roasted corn + tomatoes, and lemon zest + goat cheese.



In a rush? The first several times we test drove our Blackstone, we practiced first with store bought dough. (Learning how to launch a pie is no joke! Be sure you have a good pizza peel and dust whatever you build your pie on with some semolina flour.) Store bought dough can make the whole process much simpler and quicker, and you can get some pretty good results with dough from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. (Or ask your local pizzeria if they’ll sell you pre-shaped dough balls!) If you decide to go this route, just be sure to allow the dough to rest (up to 5 hours) as individual balls to obtain a shapeable dough. Cold dough that hasn’t rested will be incredibly elastic, making it near impossible to work with. If you have to use a rolling pin to shape your dough, it’s not ready yet, and you likely won’t get that light and airy crust we all love. Once you’ve mastered the art of simply working with dough, challenge yourself and try out the 72-hour dough! (Having a bin like this, and containers like these for each dough ball is super helpful, too!) GOOD LUCK and sure to check out Baking Steel’s site for more tips and recipes! 🙂

The go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe

September 7, 2020Food, How To0

       
 
The chocolate chip cookie recipe I grew up on and made at least twice a week since I was a little girl (because yes, I’m kind of Monica Geller). And if for whatever reason I wasn’t in the baking mood that day, my Mom or one of my 3 sisters took the reins, ha! You can imagine this recipe makes me pretty nostalgic (Crisco and all), and I could go on and on about these, but, you came here for the recipe so, enjoy. And eat an extra spoonful of cookie dough for me.
2/3rd Cup Softened Butter
2/3rd Cup Shortening
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 and 3/4th Cup Flour
1 and 1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
*Sea Salt for Sprinkling
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar in a stand mixer.
3. Add eggs until mixed, then vanilla. 
4. Combine sifted dry ingredients (salt, baking soda, and flour) and add to the bowl.
5. Stir in chocolate chips. (I like to store my chocolate chips in the freezer, instead of chilling any dough.)
6. Bake cookies until just golden brown, about 8-9 minutes. I always lean towards undercooking my cookies and letting them firm up on the pan for 5 minutes. (That way they keep longer and taste just as good the next day!) While cooling, I sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top for extra flavor, and then let cool completely on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Your Guide to Family Pictures

October 8, 2013Family, Guide, How To0

A lot of clients have turned to me in the past for advice on what to wear and how to prepare for family pictures before our scheduled session. While I wish it was just because they think I have amazing fashion sense, it’s only because I’ve been behind the camera enough times to know what does and doesn’t photograph well. I thought putting together a little list of ‘photographer tips’ would be a beneficial resource for families (read: stressed out moms) before the Holiday photo season fired up, so here you go.

1.) Don’t match, coordinate. 

This is a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people still have a hard time with this one. (I blame the 90’s, when identical white T-shirts and jeans were the family-photo-uniform.) Pick a color palette, pair it with a neutral base, and go wild. Stray from graphics and super-trendy prints, and consider which tones best complement your skin and hair color. Lastly remember that different patterns within your color combination, contrasting textures, and added accessories are strongly encouraged to keep things visually interesting. If you don’t know where to start, pick one statement piece and go from there. Since kids look cute in just about anything, I personally always start with one favorite piece that I love for myself, and then build from there.

2.) Be yourselves.

Don’t play dress-up on a day that is supposed to capture your own family, being their own selves. It’s very easy as a photographer to spot a grumpy husband who was forced to put on a bow tie or pants that he would never normally wear in real life. (Besides, husbands are typically grumpy about family pictures in the first place, don’t give them more reason to be!)  I kind of blame Pinterest for this. Obviously it’s a great place to go for inspiration, but be careful if you’re wanting to emulate a gorgeous image or outfit you’ve seen on there. Whatever you do, make sure it’s you. This goes for hair, makeup, location, etc. If you don’t feel like yourself, chances are it will show through in your pictures and make for some images that don’t feel authentic.

3.) Be comfortable.

This kind of goes back to rule number two, if you don’t feel completely comfortable, it will show through in your pictures. It’s important to take a 360 degree look around with your selected outfit on before your shoot. If you’re insecure about your “XYZ” in the outfit you picked, chances are that’s all you’ll think about during your photo session and all you’ll see once you receive your photos. (And what a shame that would be!) Photographers tend to take pictures from a lot of different angles, and while they do look for the most flattering ones, don’t limit their creativity by wearing something you don’t approve of from every angle.

4.) Plan.

Whether you’re planning a photo session for you and your husband, or for you and your 9 kids, just plan. Kids are totally unpredictable and you’ll thank yourself for being prepared for anything. Lay out all your clothes and shoes and physically try them on everyone beforehand. If you think you’ll be able to grab the shoes, baby wipes, or car keys on your way out, you’re wrong. They will be nowhere to be found, ha! Get everything packed up beforehand, and if you have a baby on board, go as far as to bring a backup outfit for him or her. Bring clean snacks for toddlers (puffs, cheerios, etc.) and if you do bring toys or a pacifier for your baby, bring ones you’re willing to claim as family on your next Christmas card. A small sentimental teddy bear or simple sweet blanket doesn’t ruin an image if it’s the only thing keeping your child happy! Talk with your children and prepare them for what’s to come, also make sure to coordinate a good time of day with your photographer so your kids will be well-rested and as happy as possible. On a side note, know that your photographer typically chooses a time with optimal light to give you the highest quality of images back, so being late is not only inconsiderate to your photographer, but is also doing a disservice to yourself by limiting the amount of good light you have left.

One more tip, (and I know this is bribing), but the promise of ice-cream or a Target run goes a long way. I’ve seen a 4 year old boy stop dead in his fit-throwing tracks when he heard the word, “YOGURTLAND.”

5.) Set low expectations. 

Now that you’ve heard all my bits of advice, remember this very important one. Set zero expectations. In all my years of shooting family pictures, I’ve encountered zero children who were perfectly well-behaved enough to sit and smile and laugh for a straight hour. (And if I did, I would’ve  assumed they were robots and been totally bored and a little scared.) Your three year old will most likely have a tantrum beforehand because she wants to wear a different dress, your teenager will probably be pissed about the entire thing in general, you guys might get a speeding ticket on the way to the session, and you will most definitely have the worst hair day of your entire life on the day of the scheduled shoot. Either way, just go with it. A screaming baby photographs much cuter than a frustrated parent. Keep your cool and remember that they are just pictures. I almost guarantee that you will look back and love the images of your teenage son giving stink eye, your kindergartner smiling in that awkward new way, and your toddler running out of the frame with only one shoe on; because it’s real and it’s you guys, dammit! 🙂 If you don’t believe me or disagree, then I guess you could always take comfort in knowing that you have the following year to redeem yourselves. 😉

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