ITALY - Ciao Genova!

So last June I got to go to Italy for a month. (The wonders of work/study abroad!) For that month we would wake up and go to class for about 4 hours, take a lunch break, and head to our respective jobs for another 4 hours or so. A month in Italy that I wouldn't trade for the world! The culture was perfect, the food was fantastic, and the people I was with made it even better. We met tons of new people, got to learn and practice italian, and just experience the world. 

So in honor of Italy, my first food post will be appropriately themed Pizza! (How American.) 

This guy was from Cinque Terre and is technically a foccacia (I think). Hot and gooey melted cheese on a delicious crust.. take me back!

Of Course in a month I had much more than two pizzas, but these were the two that were documented and found their way off my ipod camera to my laptop to be posted here. But you get the idea! Pizza was served as a personal pizza that was as big as.. lets say a bike tire. Super thin crust that was crispy and incredible (thin crusts are my favorite so I was completely in heaven this whole month). Toppings were always fresh and delicious. I can almost taste it again. There was no way I could've gotten tired of the pizza there in that month. I wish I could go back right now just for another one. 

Pizza Croissants!

Instant croissants + the internet = culinary genius.. or at least a full college student

This was the last thing I baked before setting off to Italy for a month last June. Seems fitting right? Let's take Italian and French classics and just beat them to death with a roll of instant croissants because 'Murica. 

But honestly... these pizza croissants were boss. Sooo good and easy to make. The cheese on the insides were all gooey and perfect right out of the oven. Perfect hand held buttery pizza croissants on the go (I think you get the fact that I like portable food - how modern American is that..) There's not much explaining here, cheese and pepperoni in those little rolls and bam! Food heaven. Seriously, I need to remember to thank my metabolism just a little bit more often..  

ROC - That Vermonster....

That's right, we did it. We ordered a Vermonster. We took the challenge! (And we kinda lost..)

So for our last e-board meeting of the year, my club planned pretty early on that we wanted to take on the Vermonster and Ben&Jerry's. Just some slight background information, as en e-board, we eat. A lot. Traditionally theres 5 positions in our e-board and but by second semester, when we see that there are some of us graduating, we start up re-elections and whatnot and as a way for the new e-board and old e-board to bond, last spring we decided we would eat together. A lot. So we did. E-board meets every other week, and by spring semester we liked each other a lot and decided that we would spend those e-board meetings, discussing, planning, bonding, and eating (and getting me to watch scary things like American Horror Story.. but thats besides the point).

So, by the end of the semester when it came time for the last e-board meeting we all decided this is what we wanted to do as a sort of last hoorah transitioning from old e-board to new e-board. So the old 5 and the additional new 3 settled in. (One of the members had previous obligations and she ducked in an out of our attempt at the Vermonster so lets say there were 7.5 if us working on this thing). A Vermonster, for those of you who aren't familiar, is 20 scoops of ice cream, 4 bananas, 3 cookies/brownies, hot fudge/carmel, whipped cream, and more candy because that wasn't enough sugar already. Now we didn't have banana's in ours because Ben&Jerry's was out that day but that's okay! even without the banana that Vermonster kicked our asses. 3.5 girls and 4 boys and we still had a bit of melted ice cream and what not at the bottom of our bucket... But in our defense, midway through the bucket, a nice girl from the college activities board walked over and offered us pizza.. and when you're a broke college kid, you don't turn away free food, especially pizza. Even if you're in the middle of a Vermonster! I like to think that the pizza actually helped. We needed a break from all the diary, what better than nice pizza carbs to soak that all up in our stomachs. And I can't vouch for everyone with me, but those two slices from the sheet pizza gave me a second wind! (Emily the bottomless pit strikes again!!)

I'm fairly certain, come this May, Vermonster attempt 2 will rear it's head. Maybe we'll be able to beat it this time!! (Especially if we don't have that darned chunky monkey contaminating the whole bucket with an overpowering taste of banana!) Moral of this story? My e-board is cooler than yours.. or at least hungrier....  

I swear I do shoot...

Spring semester of third year was when I really started to buckle down and shoot more food. My photo interest stream has been all over the map but once I switch to advertising at the beginning of second semester I quickly learned that making portraits was not for me. I learned that I am not the fashion photographer type which is completely fine. I love shooting food and still life. I get focus and problem solve and use my tricks. Much more fun for me. 

This shoot was really fun for me. It's a spinach cheese dip I found online (Thank you interwebs always). The end of third semester was a real late night cooking and baking semester for me. I felt comfortable in my kitchen and I must've had time tuesday nights to bake stuff to shoot in class Wednesday mornings. I wonder if I'm remembering my schedule right.... 

Anyhow, this shoot was fun and I loved it and it was great. I actually ran across the final image today and remembered it, of course 9months later I'm still working on it. This shot has a design element that goes along with it that I still need help with. Gotta make some calls to my designer friends, not like everyone is busy buried in school work... poor shoot... you were so good.. hopefully one day soon the final image will be complete and up on my site. One day! 

Funfetti = Fun Times

Funfetti = fun times always. Period. End of Story. 

My friends from high school and I love funfetti. It is our cake mix. Our tradition. Every birthday, holiday, rainy day - is funfetti day. Funfetti is perfection, and it will never stop being something that is good and love and friendship.

This night I was baking for a photoshoot. I have a cute little cookies and milk shot I planned out and I had to do funfetti cookies because I found a recipe online. And while I was at it I happened to make a funfetti cake too because why not! I've mentioned I'm a night person, and obviously by the glow of the stove light, I was up a little late baking, which sounds funny if you don't know me and completely normal if you do. Baking is cathartic, and baking at night when I can't sleep is just downright perfect. Throw in some funfetti and my night is made, it almost doesn't even matter that I can't sleep! 

Through all of high school we made countless funfetti cakes and cupcakes but this was my first batch of funfetti cookies and I loved the way they turned out. They're beautiful and made for a shoot I was happy with. Small kicks of color in a neutral set. Funfetti still hasn't stopped meaning love. Even at 21.