Every year, Kim and I host an Oscar party where we entertain our friends with themed-dishes based on that year’s best picture nominees.  Given that the Academy changed the number of nominees from 5 to 10 this year meant that the gauntlet was kind of thrown down for us yesterday.   We managed to pull it off though, and I’d like to think we came up some good ones, that didn’t taste too bad either.

Like the above, named after the best picture winner The Hurt Locker, we present The Herb Popper.  The recipe is up on Kim’s blog.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my wife’s food blog, C’est La Vegan.  Before she started the blog, I don’t think I’d ever really taken any photos of food, so it’s been a real challenge as Kim’s personal photographer to learn how to do justice to her amazing cooking and baking.  Even though I still kind of feel like I’m making it all up as I go along, I’m proud of many of the images we’ve been able to achieve over the last year and am certainly looking forward to taking some more.

I think the very act of taking so many photos, as well as having to pay such close attention to each detail, has really made me a better photographer overall.  Plus, helping Kim with her blog is what inspired me to start my own as well, an outlet I’m incredibly grateful for.  So happy birthday, C’est La Vegan, and here’s to many more years (and photos) to come!

“In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.”

- Carl Sagan

I love how clean and composed this pic is as you would never guess the conditions it was taken under.  If only you could see Kim and I hovering over our coffee table in the dark except for the lone light of the China bulb, which Kim was holding, as I painfully tried to get the damn rolls in focus without blocking the light.  Truly there must be an easier way to photograph food!  But in the end, I was proud of the pics we achieved (the rest of which you can view on Kim’s blog), not to mention the tasty rolls we made.  And by we made, I mean that Kim made and I ate.

I saw this thing at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market on Sunday and just had to buy one to bring home and photograph.  It’s called Romanesco Broccoli, or Italian Cauliflower to the layman, and it’s like something from another world.  We did try roasting it today with some salt and olive oil, and I can say honestly that this stange plant tastes great!  Here’s a link for my wife’s recipe…

While most of the world went back to work today, we played hooky with our nephews and made some of Auntie Kimmy’s amazing cinnamon rolls (sans the cream cheese frosting above)…

After a fun night of hitting the bars on the North Side with my good friends, Neal and Pete, we made the obligatory stop at Chicago’s Diner Grill for some grease to go with the booze in our bellies.  For most of the evening we were giving Neal a hard time for the Brokeback Mountain jacket he was sporting, and the teasing only continued at our favorite greasy spoon.  The awesome guys manning the grill must have overheard our conversation, cause the next thing we knew we were served the fantastic phallic pancake seen above.  The perfect “climax” to a great night!

I don’t think I’m alone in saying this – 2009 pretty much sucked.  Sure, it had some decent moments, but we’re still more than happy to put it behind us and bring on a new year and a new decade.  Hopefully, by now, we’ve seen the worst the Great Depression Part Deux has to offer, and there will be better days ahead in the ten’s.

One of the highlights of the past year for me though, was starting this blog, as well as launching Kim’s.  It’s been great to have these outlets to display my photography, which has also only helped to rejuvenate my first creative love.  For over the past five months, I’ve posted a “new” pic each day to this gallery, and I really appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to come check out the images.  I’m definitely excited about the photos I’ve yet to take in the new year, and I hope you’ll drop by from time to time to see them.

Above: one of my favorite gifts I received for Christmas this year – a pint glass with my company’s logo etched on the glass and some of my favorite brew inside it.  Thanks Mom & Dad!

Kim’s scones have officially invaded the U.K.!  However, the invasion did not last long.