Food Pictures Taken This Week

Happy Football Sunday to all the football fans out there! In the next couple weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the theme of my cooking blog will be about the big day so I will be making delicious recipes I am going to share with you along with recipes from famous chefs that I will review. One of the recipes has to be some finger-licking chicken wings. I consider myself a good cook but for some reason, chicken wings pose a challenge for me. I once under-cooked them and have been a bit apprehensive about giving them another chance but I am sure one of my favorite chefs can help me. 


This week, my goal was to practice taking pictures of everything I cooked and I learned a lesson worth sharing. It is not nice to put out a plate full of warm caramel walnut brownies and make your house guest stand around as you try to capture the best picture. I can not take credit for the brownies because I made box brownies but not just any box, I made Ghiradhelli’s Caramel Turtle brownies. If you have not tried them, I highly recommend you do. Actually, I will let the below picture speak for itself!

Speaking of pictures, I would love to hear your feedback on what you think of the following three photos, as well as the above brownie picture.  I am also very open to any advice you would be kind enough to share on how to improve my shots.  This picture is of my half-eaten (couldn't help myself) sandwich I made the other day.

This is a simple chili I made using a packet recipe but I substituted ground turkey for ground beef since turkey is leaner and there isn't much of a taste difference, in my opinion.

This last picture is of guacamole I made using Tyler Florence's recipe omitting chili powder and cumin because I did not have any available.  It came out great!

Next week, I will be combining the chili and guacamole recipes to make a 7-Layer Mexican Dip, as well as, a wonderfully messy,  cheesy chili grilled cheese recipe called "The Alyssa"!

Cooking My Way Through Life

As a new mom, I find myself wishing for more hours in the day. My little guy is quite the active one and craves my undivided attention. I remember not too long ago envying women that stayed home with their children and not realizing what it really meant to be at home full-time with a baby. Please do not get me wrong, I know how fortunate I am to be at home with my child but at the end of the day, I am drained especially by the time dinner rolls around. I try to get to the grocery store over the weekend and plan meals for the week but most of the plans I come up with are of the same old dishes I have made over and over again. What tends to happen is the weekly grocery store visit doesn’t happen which then leaves me with two choices – to either order in or scour the pantry for a quick and edible concoction. Good thing my hubby is pretty easy-going and doesn’t mind the occasional frozen pizza or whatever else I come up with. With that said, this is where an idea for my blog comes into play.

I have always wanted to start a cooking blog but just did not know where to start until now. Thanks to my Social Media Marketing class assignment! Starting a cooking blog is not as easy as it sounds. Sure, I recreate a bunch of recipes and then let you know if I liked them but photography is another important element of a successful cooking blog. A well-taken picture of a “right-out-of-the-oven” chocolate chip cookie or lasagna oozing with gooey cheese should thrill your taste buds and make your mouth salivate. So, along with recreating and reviewing my favorite chef and family recipes, I will also learn how to take great photos and pass my knowledge down to you, as well as, some cooking tips I learn along the way.