Nectar & Light

a quick hello to say...

~ the writing is wrapping up beautifully;

~ Facing the Impossible is now open at The Impossible Project space in NYC - see some of my work & outtakes here;

~ a wonderful giveaway for a wonderful project;

~ can't stop watching this and...

~ for those of you who have asked, here is the new tattoo.

p.s. check out the "my books" link to the right - a surprise awaits...

i believe that most writers will tell you that writing is the easy part.  when the words come effortlessly, dancing from your beautiful mind - tiny magic electric pulses that waltz across the keyboard; your heart flutters and you find yourself, from time to time - smiling.  it is those vast wastelands of darkness in between those surges that are difficult.  i would like to say that the process of writing this book has been a learning experience; but i have known myself for some time now.  i know how easily i am distracted and how i can use a plethora of excuses to alter my path.

trying to write in a small apartment where nearly all spaces are communal ones has also been a challenge. in our house i used to bury myself away in my attic and write, edit - whatever i had to do - in silence and solitude.  i would forget to eat and den would bring meals to me - he would come back hours later to find them half eaten.  here, i go to my bedroom, shut the door, sit on the bed and try to focus.

and focus i must.  i am signing off until after the new year... our manuscript is due in just a few weeks. i can't seem to stay away from twitter so if you are in the neighborhood, i will see you there from time to time. otherwise have a beautiful holiday - stay warm and cozy, fill your belly with delights and laughter... see you next year.

hello friends.  so here's the thing about gift giving during the holidays.  i love to do it, love watching eyes widen as loved ones fold back the wrapping - but not a big fan of being on the receiving end.  i know that may come as a surprise to my family and long time girlfriends - but the truth of the matter is this - if i really want something, i buy it.  i am an aries and categorically one of the most impatient creatures on earth, that said i do not do well waiting around for a random holiday when i really want something.  and then there is the word "want" - do i really want it?  do i need it?  can i live without it?  those answers have shifted considerably over the last few years for me.  we purged so much over the last year as we moved from a nearly 2000 square foot house into a less than 1000 square foot apartment, giving me a unique opportunity to apply william morris' philosophy, "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

but my primary weakness remains unaltered.  jewels.  while many women pine for the prefect over the top heel - i desire raw rocks affixed to burnished metals.  regardless of what my husband may think, i have been much better about buying jewelry and have applied a rule to my habit - the belly flip.  does my stomach tighten when i see it, do the little hairs on my arms stand when i hold it - is that my pulse quickening?  and it works - really - i have become a fierce editor.  i do always buy a piece when i travel - they are my talismans - they have a unique power to shift my mood and i swear to you that i can pick up every piece in my collection and tell you exactly where i was when i made it mine.  and... it makes me heavy with love thinking about passing these pieces on to my girls one day.

so this wish list is really not for the holidays, den and i have other plans this year of where to put our money - but a few things that make my belly flip... jewelry and otherwise... that will maybe give you some gifting ideas...

- pamela love is my favorite designer right now. and this is unreal;

- so much goodness at billy bride;

- obsessed. with. this;

- i held this at the new barneys co-op in cobble hill.  and yes, my pulse quickened;

- i love black diamonds and not sure how much longer i can hold out on this.  love everything in that shop;

- i had the pleasure of meeting the creator of this line in nantucket {she was the bride's maid of honor and the one who recommended me to that bride - thank you steph!} and i am addicted to her rose empress - my face glows when i use it - i have never used anything with such results, it is amazing;

- this book has been on my list for a long time;

- but i have recently added this one and this one as well;

- i bought this print yesterday.  i couldn't help it. another shop where i am mesmerized by everything.

- and don't you think i need this?

 
thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments about the new look.  part of why it came about was that i had come across another photographer's blog and website whose style, name and general aesthetic basically mirrored my work.  this is not something new to me - or this online community - as beautifully written this week by jan of poppytalk after we learned of the blatant rip off of a much respected artist.  but as often as it occurs, it does not make the discovery any easier.  each time i found such things taken from me, the anger subsides and i look for an opportunity to be reborn - that my friends, is the symbology of the bat.  so thank you again for your comments - they help reiterate that i am on the right path - one that follows my souls song.  

i have also created two internal links to the right.  the first, obsessed, is a visual pin board.  an ever evolving visual palette of what moves me right now.  i do not believe that it will change as much as it will evolve and be added to.  the other, i love, shares my favorite sites - there are some new ones that i have recently come across so please explore the beauty therein {like billy bride - i think we must have been separated at birth - her raw jewelry is my daydream and she quotes danzig - i mean seriously.}

so... the cookie...

my favorite holiday cookie.  ever.  i started making rugelach when i worked in a bakery in my early twenties - i think one of the reasons i love it so much is the possibilities are rather limitless.  you can roll pretty anything your heart desires into that sweet dough and create new cookies every time you bake with essentially the same basic recipe.  instead of cream cheese, i use sour cream in the dough which creates a lighter pastry.  the recipe below is for the rugelach pictured above, apple butter and almond - but there are notes at the end for a few more variations...

rugelach {yields 24 cookies}

~ 1 c. softened butter

~ 8 oz. sour cream

~ 3 T. sugar

~ 1 egg yolk {save the white}

~ 1 t. vanilla

~ 2 c. flour

~ 1/8 t. salt

{the dough should set in the fridge for at least one in the fridge {or 15 mins in the freezer} before rolling out}

filling:

~ 3 T. sugar combined with 1 T. cinnaom

~ 1/4 c. apple butter

~ 1/4 c. chopped almonds or almond slivers

combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy - add the sour cream, egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated - slowly add the flour until fully mixed.  form two equally sized discs with the dough and place in the fridge for at least one hour.  when the dough is ready to roll, preheat the oven to 350.  flour a work surface and roll out one of the discs until it forms a flat round shape about 12 inches across.  top with the apple butter spreading it evenly and leaving about a half inch border of dough exposed around the perimeter.  add almonds and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.  using either a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 pieces like you would a pizza.  one at a time, starting from the outside, roll each piece inward towards the middle to create a croissant like shape.  place on a prepared baking sheet and turn the ends of the cookies in just a bit {again like a croissant}.  repeat this until you have rolled all of the cookies.  brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden.

you can make the second batch of cookies {with your other disc of dough} just like the first, or do something a bit different.  one of my favorites is strawberry or blueberry jam with a sprinkle of chocolate chips.  other ideas:

~  lemon curd and walnut

~ orange marmalade and pecan

~ raspberry jam and white chocolate chips

~ cinnamon sugar and drizzles of honey

~ nutella

~ light wash of melted butter, cinnamon sugar, raisins and chopped walnuts...

see? limitless.

p.s. i will pop in again this week with a little gift guide... see you then.

***EDITED TO SAY: emily commented that i may have forgotten to add the flour to the recipe - eekk!!  i did - so sorry to those of you who tried making them - all fixed now - thank you em!***

 

 

if you know my work as a polaroid photographer, you know how much i love to shoot portraits like the one above from the fall issue of Small Magazine.  so i was honored, and overwhelmingly excited - to be selected as one of the photographers asked to participate in the new exhibition at the Impossible Project headquarters in New York.... Facing the Impossible.  All artists were asked to shoot the new film and i am head over heels for the PX600 silver shade uv+ - the tones are stunning - i will share some images after the opening.  the exhibit opens on 15 december in their soho loft and i hope to attend - would love to see you there...

p.s. yes - it's still me.  after three years, i needed a new, cleaner look that was a reflection of my true aesthetic - i know feelings will be mixed - but my resolution in the coming year is to be more true to myself in all i do...

there is a light dusting of snow dancing across the steel sky this morning and the chill in the air finally bites through our woolen layers - the Holly King's strength is waxing.  we've been enjoying soulful, warm meals these last few days with friends and family - a blessed weekend.  and lots of latkes.  this recipe came from sheer laziness on my part last year.  we had left over mash potatoes and den and i could not muster the energy to shred the potatoes needed for my original latke recipe.  so i added a few additional ingredients to my mash - and we fried them as pancakes in a touch of olive oil.  the recipe that follows can be broken into two parts - you can make the mash for dinner one night, and use the leftovers to create latkes the next...

goat cheese & roasted garlic latkes

~ about 3-4 lbs of red potatoes {cubed - skinned or not - your preference}

~ 1 stick of butter

~ 8 oz. block of cream cheese

~ 6 oz. of goat cheese

~ 4 cloves of roasted garlic {to do this, lay the cloves on a small sheet of tinfoil and drizzle with olive oil; wrap the tinfoil around the garlic with a bit of room for the garlic to breathe - roast in the oven at 375F until soft.  once it's cooled the garlic will slip effortlessly from its skin and you can mash the garlic with a fork}

~ up to 1/2 c. heavy cream

~ salt and pepper

add to make latkes:

~ 1/3 c. flour

~ 5 eggs

~ additional salt and pepper

{i use a standing mixer to combine the ingredients - you can also do this with a hand held mixer or by hand}

to make the mashed potatoes, add the cubed potatoes to a large pan of boiling water and cook until soft.  drain the potatoes and add to the mixing bowl.  add the butter and mix at a slow speed - once the butter is incorporated, add the cream cheese and goat cheese and garlic.  you may have to stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly distributed - add heavy cream slowly until the mash takes on the consistency you prefer - add salt and pepper to taste.  serve immediatly.

if you are creating the latkes, the mash can be prepared up to a day ahead - simply refrigerate until you are ready to use them.  if you are pulling then from the refrigerator, heat them up just a bit in the microwave to soften them, but avoid heating them through.  if you are making the latkes immedieatly from the mash - cool slightly so they do not cook the eggs when you add them.

add the mash back to the mixing bowl {5-6 cups worth} and add 5 whipped eggs and 1/3c. flour - beat until thoroughly incorporated.  we cook ours on a flat top cast iron skillet - but any heavy pan will work.  add a bit of olive oil to the cooking surface and once hot, use an ice cream scoop or soup spoon to create even sized pancakes.  cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.

we love ours with apple butter and even the next morning under a pile fried eggs - or simply with a spread of jam as pictured above...

p.s. i will be sharing my rugelach recipe this week - be sure to check back!

 

i am excited to finally share some of my work with you that i shot this summer.  sari bari is an incredible company providing a safe and sustainable work environment for indian woman who have been exploited in the sex trade.  handcrafting blankets, bags and other home and personal accessories from old and discarded sari's, each artisans name is sewed onto every blanket - instilling a sense of pride, achievement and hope.  i shot the editorial photography for the site and it is one of my proudest achievements - sari bari truly is "a new life in the making".  you can visit the site here, read more about their mission here and check out their gorgeous sari blankets here - i have one and i do not exaggerate in the least when i tell you i snuggle up under it every night on the sofa - it is one of the most cherished things in my home.  Shopna crafted my blanket... you can read about all of the women here.

p.s. we shot part of the campaign in the art directors home where i photographed this {scroll to slide 7} in her kitchen - i loved it so much it inspired me to wrap ayla in her own little apron so i could have a shot to pair with it!