Black and White

This is probably my favorite thing to post; black and white photos, particularly fashion photography. These photos are just so elegant.

S'mores

Today I baked something completely new from Baker Girl Blog, Graham Cracker S'mores Candy. They looked so delicious and s'mores are the ultimate summer treat. (So much for no sweets diet!) Wanna try? Check the recipe below! *Tip: To cool faster, I stuck my tray in the fridge. If you cut too soon, it's a gooey mess!

Graham Cracker S'mores Candy via Baker Girl Blog

12 sheets of graham crackers
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
4 Hershey bars, broken into pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the ends, and spray foil with cooking spray. Line graham crackers up on the foil so that the sides are touching.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture comes just to a boil (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle mini marshmallows, chocolate bar pieces, and chocolate chips over the crackers. 



Return pan to oven for another 2-3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften and puff up. 

Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil edges; cut into bars and enjoy!

Freshest of the Fresh!

Today is the Garden Dinner Party at one of our properties! The F&B team held a special reception this afternoon where Chef Nic, Chef Travis and Tim Connelly of Connelly Farms spoke to our guests about how our on-property garden came about! All tray passed hors d'oeuvres and cocktails at the reception, plus the dishes presented at the dinner were made with ingredients fresh from the garden. The table decor was also made by our florals team using ingredients from the garden as well! Our food and beverage team is extremely talented and I'm proud to showcase their hard work! Listed below are the goodies from the reception and the menu that will be presented at dinner.

Hors D'oeuvres

• Salmon Tartare, poppy seed wonton, shallot crème fraiche
• Green Gazpacho Shooter, micro celery
• Pistacho Crusted Bison, wine poached pears, goat cheese

Cocktails

• Aromatherapy Cosmopolitan, goose la ‘orange, grand marnier, white cranberry juice, lime, simple syrup, tea forte lavender infusion
• Cucumber Cilantro Gin-arita, hendricks gin, diced cucumbers, cilantro, agave nectar, splash of orange juice, triple sec

Dining Odyssey: Garden Dinner Party Menu

• Hamachi Tartare, sesame strudel, madras curry
• Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, chicken oysters, black garlic, honshimeji mushrooms
• Farmer Tim’s Heirloom Tomato Salad, first press olive oil, goats milk feta, compressed watermelon
• Seared Duck Breast, cherry polenta, asparagus, fig compote, natural jus
• Charcoal Grilled Elysian Fields Lamb, turnip gratin, sauteed chard, smoked bacon and cipollini confit
• Wild Berry Clafoutis, vanilla bean ice cream and lemon cookies

Behind the scenes

To gear up for fall we needed new photography to promote the programming around one of the properties. Activities and events such as Halloween, Thanksgiving pies, smores around the fireplace and outdoor music. Thinking that my manager would lead this project, she turned to me and gave me the reigns! I led my first all-property shoot, it was so much fun and I loved every minute of it! Take a peek!