Here’s just a bit of what I was up to last week! It’s definitely that time of year. I’m rushing from location to location and squeezing newborn sessions in between. It’s so much fun! And I have lots of fun stuff to share. 🙂
Sweet and salty is where my tastebuds want to live. You just can’t have one with out the other. This is the perfect marriage of flavors.
These bars have become a go-to after school snack at our house. I can make them on Sunday night and they last all week. They are hearty enough to fill up bellies and the flavors are basic enough that everyone loves them! Of course, you should never serve these without a glass of milk. Like, ever.
I found the recipe while googling images for peanut butter and jelly bars. I love that it calls for soft white flour. I feel like it kind of balances out all that butter. My mother-in-law gives me freshly ground soft white flour (lucky!) but if you don’t have an awesome mother-in-law, you can either buy it here or use all-purpose flour.
1 c (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c peanut butter
3 c soft white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c strawberry jam (another flavor is just fine)
2/3 c salted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional, we didn’t use these)
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan, then line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper, set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer on low. Add the vanilla extract. Spread two-thirds of the dough into the 9×13. Spread the jam on top of the peanut butter dough. Then sprinkle the remainder of the dough over the jam.
The recipe I found on Joseph’s Grainery (copied and pasted here) didn’t have a baking time. I have found that 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees was about right. It was slightly browned on the top and not dried out in the middle.
Here’s what it looks like when you take it out of the 9×13 pan lined with parchment paper. A big hunk of yummy!
Two new holiday mini-session dates and locations! $100 for a 20 minute session…pricing for prints and digital images can be seen on my website. New digital packages this year! Email me (info@kristineldridge.com) or call 562-980-6480 to book your session.
October 11 4:30-4:50, 4:50-5:10, 5:10-5:30, 5:30-5:50 Seal Beach Pier
October 28 4:30-4:50, 4:50-5:10, 5:10-5:30, 5:30-5:50 Laguna Wilderness
Crazy how life works, huh? I never in a million years would have thought five years ago that I would be a) photographing an event at Anthropologie and b) the event would be photographing dogs. I have loved shopping at this store for forever. Even just walking around the store is like sensory overload. The smells, the displays, THE CLOTHES! Anyway, after getting referred by my friend Laura a few years ago, I was so excited to get asked back. And on a side note, dogs are like kids right!? They move around quickly and they don’t hide how they feel. It was so much fun to capture each of their personalities and the love they have for their owners.
Just wanted to share with you a bit of what I was up to last week! Sometimes the simplest locations can be the best. Even though the beach can be tricky with lighting, using the shade of the pier will take away the harsh light. I love the soft look of these photos. Parks are also a no-brainer for photo shoots. I look for big trees to filter the light. Again, no harsh light. And a little bit of sunset back lighting doesn’t hurt either!
I was all set to blog about a striped vase that I made today. But, I thought I’d save that for another day and keep it real with you. Sometimes getting ‘the shot’ is hard. Sometimes you have to be creative. That’s real life.
Check this out…
Doesn’t he look so excited to have a new baby sister!? The truth is, while he is loving his baby sister, he really just wants to play. Pictures were not on his to-do list for today. BUT. M&Ms were on the to-do list. Soooo, I got creative.
M&Ms can be photoshopped out of pictures. Smiles cannot be photoshopped. So, we had a win-win situation here. 🙂
And this photo of Lauren’s beautiful family would not have happened without an awesome Nana working her magic behind me!
I picked up a copy of Fine Cooking the last time I was at Sprouts. There are so many recipes in the Oct/Nov issue that I want to try, but I started with a tart. Tarts are just so fancy. The article in the magazine talked about how this tart is a bar cookie in disguise. I like that. The same ingredients but wrapped up in a different package. A fancy package.
The original recipe called for cranberries, but I’m just obsessed with raspberries and I know they won’t be around for too much longer. So, I changed up the recipe and tiny bit and I love the way it turned out!
Raspberry Shortbread Tart
(adapted from Fine Cooking’s Cranberry Almond Shortbread Tart)
For the filling
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
16 oz. fresh raspberries
3 Tbs. blackberry jam (I think any type of jam will do)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
16 oz. fresh raspberries
3 Tbs. blackberry jam (I think any type of jam will do)
For the shortbread
3-1/2 oz. (1 cup) sliced almonds
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-3/4 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs.) fine yellow cornmeal
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 Tbs. packed finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1 large egg yolk
Cooking spray
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)
3-1/2 oz. (1 cup) sliced almonds
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-3/4 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs.) fine yellow cornmeal
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 Tbs. packed finely grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1 large egg yolk
Cooking spray
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional)
Make the fillingCombine the sugar, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, about 2 minutes. Ad the berries and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the jam and simmer until the jam melts, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Make the shortbreadPosition a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until warm and fragrant but not yet brown, about 5 minutes; let cool completely.
In a food processor (with at least a 10-cup capacity), combine the nuts with 2 Tbs. of the flour. Pulse until very fine but not powdery, 20 to 25 short pulses. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining flour, the cornmeal, and salt.
In the food processor, combine the butter, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and almond extract.
Pulse until creamy, 10 to 20 short pulses. Add the egg yolk and pulse a few times to combine. Add the dry ingredients and pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, just until a soft dough forms, 30 to 40 short pulses. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic and divide.
Lightly coat a round 91/2 x1-inch fluted metal tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Press half of the dough evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Form the remaining dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough and the tart shell until very firm, at least 30 minutes.
Prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork and bake on a heavy-duty baking sheet until firm, dry, and just starting to turn golden brown around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. The shortbread will have puffed up during baking, so use the back of a spoon to gently press down the bottom of the crust to create enough space for the berry filling. Spoon the filling into the tart and spread evenly.
Crumble the remaining shortbread dough over the berries in pebble-like pieces, covering the filling. Bake until the topping is firm and golden-brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Carefully remove the tart rim. Slide a long, flat spatula between the pastry and the pan bottom and transfer the tart to a serving platter.
I’m finally getting a chance to share a bit from my last visit to Rascals to Rebels in Rossmoor. I chose a handful to share on the blog, but there were SO MANY cuties that came out for pictures at the beginning of the month. I feel so lucky to be able to partner with the store. It’s always such a great time!!
Did you know a dollar can be exciting? So much of life is how you look at it and how you live it. I parent my kids under the rule that you can always let the reigns out a bit, but it’s a lot harder to take them in. For example, sometimes we will visit the candy store in the mall. You know with the big bins of sugar in every color of the rainbow? I let them pick three pieces each and it’s exciting. Each choice is thought out. If I started off letting them get a half pound of candy and then decided it was too much and they really needed just a few pieces, I’d be hearing some complaints. So, I guess my point is…start small. You can always add more.
Find out what we did this summer with a dollar by reading the rest of this post on Modern Parents Messy Kids. I’m guest blogging there today!
Packing lunches for kids can lead to boredom and possibly even wanting to pull your hair out. I always tell my kids, you don’t have to eat everything in your lunch, but you’re not allowed to throw it away. At the end of the day, I just want to see what things you like (and eat all of) and what things you don’t like or don’t have time to eat. These talks are serious. You’d think it was an ABC after school special. But, seriously, I want to be an effective lunch packer. I hate throwing food away, but I don’t want them to be hungry at school either! I’m sure some of you can relate.
I’ve learned that marketing is key. And packaging is everything. If I can ‘sell’ it, they’ll be excited about it and want to eat it. Let me give you an example. Vegetables in the lunches are not a big hit. I wanted them to be able to dip their vegetables, but the individual ranch packets you can buy are a) way too much ranch for a kid to eat at lunch and b) expensive. I went on the hunt for tiny containers to hold dips and found these Lock-Ups at The Container Store. I saw them in the office section, so I think they are meant to be for office supplies, but they are the perfect size and also dishwasher safe (on the top rack).
Carrots are now a lunch favorite and we have plans to use them for celery and peanut butter too. I’ve even been thinking pretzels in a yogurt dip would work. The Lock-Ups stack too, so you could pack more than one dip and have the containers connect.
