Rainbows, butterflies and little icing swirls

Perhaps it started with my Mother baking cookies or pies or even a double layer cake when I was a little boy. Who am I fooling, my Mom could barely open a box of Little Debbie snack cakes in between a Marlboro Light and afternoon cocktail. I have had a sweet tooth as long as I can remember. Cheesecake, brownies and keylime pie are my favorites and I'd gladly replace them for dinner if I had the choice.
My friend Tami has dropped off another batch of cupcakes. This time, they are Red Velvet with a Creme Cheese icing and I had to do something productive before sitting down and eating one or two. Is it any wonder that I feel the need to go out in this heat and go for a run? Maybe I'll download the soundtrack to Willy Wonka or Tony Bourdain's podcast for my iPod...just after I finish that last cupcake. Thank you, Tami!

Nothing says, "I Love You" like cupcakes...

It's been a long, hot, patience testing summer here in Hotlanta. It's a miracle those Police helicopters aren't circling over my studio but we won't get into that story. My friend Tami, the genius Food Stylist and Mad Scientist in the kitchen came by with a batch of double chocolate cupcakes. All I can say is that I had to save the last three for a personal shoot. Yes, I ate the less photogenic ones but the hero's were not sacrificed until the job was completed. Now, after the sugar buzz has kicked in to effect I can send them to a better place... Thank you Tami and I'm hoping that you believe that nothing says, "I Love You" like a martini made from organic vokda with a jar of pickled green tomato garnish. Cheers and think of me if you hear a helicopter flying overhead.

Top Chef Wednesday

Is it any wonder that considering my career, I embrace the reality show Top Chef. It all started after a far too filling dinner of BBQ. It left me feeling that a two day fast would be in order. My friend Tami, the Food Stylist was working all week and we wanted to cook something in honor of the show. I decided to go vegetarian with braised Red Cabbage with a little goat cheese and roasted Acorn Squash brushed with brown sugar. The meal was a hit and we continued the meal all season.

As you can see, the guest list has grown and I have met some very nice people. A couple weeks ago, the party moved to Clint's home for the Jamie Oliver recipe of Lobster BLT's which so conveniently fell on my birthday. Trust me, the candles on that cake could have been used to boil the water for our crustacean. The fire department was not needed and only the lobster was harmed.

Now we find ourselves at the season finale and the theme of the meal is comfort food. In honor of our favorite contestant, Richard Blais of the restaurant Home. I try my hand at a spicy fried chicken, I bring back the braised Red Cabbage and a spicy Cornbread. Tami creates the Mac and Cheese with an added layer of Bleu Cheese, a Black Berry Cobbler and the spike in my Spiked Arnold Palmer cocktail. The twist is the ice cubes are made with sweet iced tea.

Unfortunately, our favorite did not win but I think he won people over with his constant display of talent, imagination and most of all his generosity to his competitors. I can't wait to dine at his restaurant and show him some support.

Amnesia in Atlanta...

Sometimes, it's all about who you know. My friend Tami is the top Food Stylist in Atlanta and she blogs about food and wine. She had an extra ticket to Toast of the Town, a wine tasting and food gathering to be held at Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium. Needless to say, I happily volunteered to be the Official Photographer to runningwithtweezers.com for the evening. The question suddenly occured to me, can you hold a wine glass and operate a camera at the same time?

I will have to admit that I really wasn't concerned about gathering information on the details of food and wine. I imagine the pictures speak for themselves. My highlights consisted of meeting Michael, Woodfire Grills Executive Chef, Olivier from Grand Marnier and Tauras' roast beef and garlic mashed potatoes. I have a philosophy when it comes to food and wine, there is no better expression of love than to actually prepare a meal or adult beverage for someone. That was certainly confirmed after meeting Michael and Olivier and I'd like to thank them and all the vendors that attended the event.

When I asked Tami, "What exactly did we eat and drink tonight?" her response was simply "everything".

My $3.00 Photo Shoot

I am suffering from a photo shoot hangover. I received a call from a magazine this week about doing a shoot. I have never worked with the Photo Editor and the shoot would be at one of top restaurants in Atlanta. I was excited about the shoot and challenged by the PE, who is a former photographer. Anyway, the shoot went well and I got what I wanted. I've got to admit that it kicked my butt. But, don't we all want to be challenged by our job and continue to improve?

So, it's a grey kind of Sunday morning and I'm looking in the cupboard for breakfast. Suddenly, I see a box of blueberry muffin mix. The little light bulb goes on over my head and I think that it would be fun to try something new. I proceed to make coffee and break open the mix.

I am trying to broaden my horizon and go low tech. The muffins, a linen, a plate, no lights and I'm off. As the commercial goes, Blueberry Muffin Mix $3.00, Going Green by using no lights, recharging your creative energy... priceless.

Serenbe escape

After the Tornado of last weekend, I needed to find a little quiet spot and just relax. My friend Tami has been singing the praises of the little village of Serenbe. We both wanted to have dinner at The Farmhouse at Serenbe with Chef Nicolas Bour. So, I grabbed a camera and we drove about 30 minutes south of Atlanta.

I was struck by the small shops including Harris and Clark which is a gourmet shop. James Harris, the owner is also conducting workshops that are geared towards foodies that want to share experiences. After visiting with James and his wife Anissa, we made our way toward the Inn at Saranbe. The trail was beautiful and we found a variety of creatures, gardens and cottages.

Dinner was truly outstanding. The Beef Carpaccio with Truffle creme was good enough that Tami wanted to order another for dessert. As you can see from my drawing... I had the Salmon with sauteed spinach. Trust me, after walking around the village I was hungry and the camera was put away long before the wine was poured. Where did I hide those crayons?

Finally, I saved the flying pig for last since we were happy as pigs when we left The Farmhouse. Thanks to Nicolas for the memorable meal and hope to see you again soon.

An unsettling weekend

The weekend in Atlanta was supposed to be a fun one, we were hosting the SEC Basketball Tournament at the Georgia Dome and the Hawks were playing the LA Clippers at Philips Arena. The clouds were ominous and the Weather Service started giving Tornado Warnings about 9pm. As the tournament games were winding down the lights began to flicker. Suddenly, the power went out and the winds started to howl. It didn't take very long for the storm to blow through and no one in my building seemed to have any problems.

I was up early to make sure that the building was still in there. Good thing I slept through the smoke alarm from my neighbors late night cooking. After going across the street and picking up a newspaper, I had that sinking feeling when I read that Saturday's storm could be even more powerful. It came about 3pm and brought hail stones about the size of marbles. If that wasn't bad enough, one of my window frames leaked like a garden hose. Now that the storm has cleared, the power restored after 36 hours and the water cleaned up, I'm relieved that I didn't have the damage that others experienced. The view from my rooftop does not show the damage to the Georgia Dome roof or the collapsed building in Cabbagetown. It does show the blown out windows in the CNN and Equitable buildings. I guess that I can put away my escape kit which contains the essentials for me to work, computer and change of clothes...just in case.

Needless to say, I saved the beer, wine and stinky cheeses before the power was restored. I hope that everyone woke up safely on Sunday morning.