Cabin Fever

I've been pretty terrible at blogging lately.   My apologies.

You know how life gets busy and time to yourself becomes scarce.  Well here's a little peek in to what I have been up to...

I spent some time up at my buddy's cabin in Harrison, B.C.  When you combine great friends, great food, great wine and solitude, you end up with a lot of laughs and some amazing memories.

My hombre Mikey and I got to spend some quality cooking time together where we were able to experiment in our food lab.   He had his smoker all fired up where we had 10hr smoked pork butt for pulled pork and 2 different kinds of bacon.  We made am amazing prime rib, cheesy mash, creamed spinach and a LOT of gravy (the way to my heart).

Needless to say, we stuffed ourselves to the brim with incredible food and wine to complement.  We danced the night away to the tunes of Al Green, Neil Young & even some wicked Blue Grass.  In the afternoon we heading out to the lake for a canoe trip.  I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.  :)

This is my track for the weekend (check it out):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9yibUR5KNI&sns=fb

Here are some of my favorite shots from our trip...

click on any photo to view entire album

Jenna and Scott's Baby To Be...

 Well I guess I'm getting to that age now where all of my friends are starting to either get married, have babies or both!

On deck, just waiting for their baby girl to come into this world, are Jenna and Scott. 

We lucked out and had some great weather for this shoot.  What started out overcast with dark skies, turned into a beautiful, sunny day.

Their baby is still holding out and Jenna is now quite a few days past her due date.  Come out baby we would really like to meet you!

Here are my favorite photos from our shoot...

click on any photo to view entire album

BCPMA Healthy Chef Competition

Each year, I am fortunate enough to take part in the BCPMA's 5-10 a day, Healthy Chef competition.   Hosted at the Hyatt Regency hotel Vancouver, this fun competition is put on by the BC Produce Marketing Association (BCPMA), along with the BC Chefs' Association (BCAA).  The purpose of this annual competition is to help raise money to fund scholarships for the BC Chefs' Association and push organizations to cook delicious and healthier foods. 

 My company has sponsored this event for the past decade along with many others including the BC Lions.  The Grey Cup even decided to make an appearance!

I was lucky enough to sample a taste from 4 different entrees.  However, my favorite (the River Rock Casino's, Indian buffet) was not the winner.

This year, the winners were...

Best Entree: Vancouver Community College
Best Booth: River Rock Casino
Healthiest Plate: Executive Inn Coquitlam
Best Dessert: Hyatt Regency
People’s Choice: Vancouver Community College

Best Entree:  Vancouver Community College

Steelhead and halibut press, scallop ahi tuna bar, poached daikon taro har gow, sweet carrot puree, hot and sour emulsion, green curry sauce

Best Dessert: Hyatt Regency
Dulce de leche, poached pear, pineapple star anise panna cotta, goose berry mint pate

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the evening...

click on any photo to view entire album

   

The Dirty Apron Cooking School

My foodie friend Sarah and I decided to check out the Dirty Apron Cooking School here in Vancouver.  We wanted to gain some additional culinary skills, learn some tricks from the pros and come away with some incredible recipe ideas.  The class that we decided to take was the "Meat Eaters Unite" class where we learned how to make some absolutely stunning dishes.  The menu that we prepared was a 3 course meal consisting of the following:

1st Course:  New Zealand lamb chops with an olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade, with a herb panko crust.  Over a bed of slowly sweated red onions and sherry vinegar, topped with an arugula salad and balsamic drizzle.  *This was our favorite dish*

2nd Course:  Kurobuta (black pig) pork wellington, on a creamy, grainy mustard sauce.  Topped with a pepper, chive and apple slaw.  A dollop of apple mustard on the side for some zing.

3rd Course:  The perfect rib eye steak...  This steak was marinated in some rosemary, thyme, garlic, soy & maple syrup for 2hrs then sent to the grill.  To accompany the steak, we had some green beans, porcini mushrooms and white truffle oil, mashed potatoes.  To finish the dish a shallot, garlic & red wine reduction.

4th Course:   Grand Marnier Créme Brûlée (provided by the staff at the Dirty Apron)

click on any photo to view entire album 

The Suzick Family

I was asked by Alissa Suzick if I would be interested in doing a photoshoot with her and her family.

Of course I was thrilled to plan out this shoot... especially, since it would be my first outdoor fall shoot of the year.  I met up with Alissa, Chris, Sean, Jackson & their adorable dog Whiskey at a near by park.  The weather couldn't have cooperated better, even with some blue sky peaking out near the end of our shoot.

I had a great time with the Suzick family, playing in the park and even getting a formal invite from their son Sean to come to "Nanna's" Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are my favorite photos from our shoot...

click on any photo to view entire album 

Pregnancy shoot with Kristina

I spent a lovely afternoon shooting with one of my oldest and most favorite (and very pregnant) friends...  Kristina and I have been friends for over 18 years now and she will be the first of us girls to have a baby.  She is the cutest pregnant lady I have ever seen and shooting with her was so much fun!
I can't wait to meet her special little girl.

Here are my most favorite photos of Kristina and baby Aubrey...

click on any photo to view entire album 

The Lazy Gourmet

I was thrilled to be asked by General Manager of The Lazy Gourmet, a Vancouver based catering company, to shoot their fall menu.

For those of you who know me, know that I am a huge foodie...  When I was presented with this opportunity, I jumped at the chance.  I had a great time working with the LG crew and loved sampling their delicious creations.

Here are my favorite photos from the shoot...

click on any photo to view entire album