food photography – little siddall studios

Posted on September 28, 2014September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

i used to hate mushrooms.

i used to hate mushrooms. and now i love them.

well – i can’t say fully hate, i’d eat white cremini mushrooms as a kid as long as they were raw.
cooked? NO THANK YOU!!! especially the ones atop a pizzapizza… pizza. yuck.
keep in mind that i also don’t think i was introduced to many other varieties of mushrooms as a kid either.

so when did this love affair with mushrooms begin?
when i started going to farmers’ markets in my area and getting mushrooms from the folks who grow them.
oh my goodness – delicious! they know what’s going on.
my favourite right now being the shiitake mushroom.

panfried up with butter and a pinch of salt, it’s the simple and oh so yummy.
i find that i slow down when cooking these mushrooms, there’s this appreciation i have for them.
i’ll turn on my oven to a nice medium to medium high heat and put in a knob of butter. once slightly melted i swirl the butter around the pan and let it sit. sit until the butter bubbles and gets foamy. then i throw in sliced shiitake mushrooms and let them sit for a solid minute without touching them. then a little toss here and there, let them sit for another 2 or 3 minutes and then out of the pan and onto a plate to be devoured they go.

this method is particularly delicious over a camp fire. so so delicious.
do you have a favourite mushroom? or mushroom recipe?
i’d love to learn to make mushroom soup. hmmm… i wonder if my local mushroom man will have any tips for me.

happy sunday – wherever you are!

Posted on June 11, 2014September 8, 2020 by Becky Gean — Leave a comment

garlic scapes – but what the heck do you do with them?

it comes and goes oh so quickly. if you are lucky enough, you will be able to take advantage of garlic scape season. prepared in advance, you can enjoy garlic scapes well into the winter too.

garlic scape pesto & garlic scape butter. yes please!

sautéing garlic scapes in butter is my favourite! it’s honestly a joy just to chop them up and they smell fantastic! i throw them in with eggs for my breakfast. or i’ll chop them into 2 inch sticks and roast them with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, whatever kind of veggies i have in the house.

black sheep farms said – the season can start as early as the beginning of june and only lasts for a couple of weeks. last year their scape season ran from mid to end of June – it all depends on how early/warm/wet spring is each year.

i haven’t seen them pop up at my local farmers’ market yet, but when i do, you better believe i’ll be snatching them right up! check out this super cute article from the messy baker, making soup out of a scapes. a lot of scapes. mmm.

Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – June 11th, 2014.

Posted on May 4, 2014September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

the travelling crockpot – nikki’s dinner no.4

first let me start by saying, hi, hey there! it’s been awhile! my life lately has been a sea of boxes. josh and i moved to a new neighbourhood in toronto and are just getting settled in. i hope to be less silent on here as soon as the last box is unpacked. but until then, i think it’s time to share another crockpot dinner, so here she is! the beauty that was nikki’s dinner.

it started off with vermouth soaked blackberries topped off with prosecco. i lost count after 3 top ups of this delicious bubbly drink.

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next came a unique fruit salad. grapefruit, avocado, coconut, mint, blackberries and a sprinkling of salt. super refreshing!

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a single radicchio leaf was topped with a tempura’d egg yolk that oozed when you bit into it, on diced smoked salmon dressed in capers & white wine vinegar. the flavour combination had me wanting more.

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to end, the most decadent french toast i’ve ever had. mascarpone-raspberry stuffed french toast with maple candied bacon.

MMM MMM MMM! take me back to this night please!

Posted on March 12, 2014September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

the travelling crockpot – adrienne’s dinner ||

the snow has arrived in toronto again and on this chilly blustery day i thought why not warm up the soul by sharing this delicious meal that adrienne made the ladies of the travelling crockpot back in february. adrienne sure knows how to set a mood. it was unbelievably romantic. the lights were dimmed, the candles lit, and flowers adorned the table.

see for yourself what we ate in the pictures below. where do these pictures of her food take you? what do you think it tasted like? what ingredients can you point out? i’m not going to give it all away now. romanticize and fantasize for yourself and maybe, just maybe a little later on i’ll share a recipe or two from her.

stay warm friends – wherever you are!

Posted on January 26, 2014September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — Leave a comment

the travelling crockpot – becky’s dinner |||

for my third dinner, as it was around the holiday season, i wanted to do something that felt a little more special, and when i say that, i really just mean, i spent a stupid amount of $$ on a gorgeous piece of beef. once it was all cooked up, sliced and in our mouths though, there was no complaining coming from me! i’d buy it again and again and again. as gordon ramsey described it – it’s something he’d be happy to eat as his last supper. i’d have to agree.

i’d say my biggest problem with these dinners is wanting to dig in right away – who needs pictures when it’s staring you right in the face saying EAT ME!!! but then i think about you, my wonderful readers, and i hurriedly snap away.

menu
becky-made amaretto sours
butternut squash soup topped with maple cinnamon roasted squash seeds
beef wellington served with celeriac puree & sautéed kale, apples and onions
gingerbread cookies with royal icing

i really enjoyed making this dinner! i planned the majority of it ahead of time so that i wasn’t scrambling last minute – which around the holidays is KEY to being stress free. you can find the wellington recipe here – i found the video incredibly helpful. it was nikki who gave me the inspiration to roast my squash seeds – never am i ever going to throw out squash seeds again – soooo good! the soup was made with butternut squash and SO MUCH GINGER, which i then drowned out with apples and carrots. the amaretto sours were my favourite though, and the most time consuming out of the entire meal when i think about it. don’t worry, i’ll share that recipe with you soon. it is my favourite drink after all – it deserves a post all to it’s own.

even though the holidays are over and we’re well into january, this meal would be great to serve your special someone on valentine’s day. instead of soup and gingerbread cookies, i’d probably do something light, like starting with a green salad and finishing with homemade raspberry sherbet. mmm.

until the next crockpot – happy eating!

Posted on January 12, 2014September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean — 2 Comments

cinnamon buns and shower thoughts.

1 | i made cinnamon buns from scratch for the first time ever! it was also the first time using my christmas present from mohawk – a gorgeous kitchenaid stand mixer. i’m a lucky gal! although i must say, when a former coworker asked me how it went, i promptly told her how my arms didn’t hurt because there was no kneading involved – on my part anyways, and my hands weren’t dirty and covered in floury goop – i feel like a fraud!!! but you can’t really beat the efficiency it provides. it’s really a magical piece of equipment. i adapted smitten kitchen‘s breakfast bun recipe to make the batch pictured above. classic cinnamon and sugar.

2 | who doesn’t love thinking in a hot shower?

happy sunday – wherever you are!

Posted on December 24, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

the travelling crockpot – holiday feast.

the holidays are an excuse to have elaborate get togethers with lots of food and laughter. this was the case on the evening all the ladies of the travelling crockpot got together to do a collective feast. the men in our lives were invited – not to cook (crazy talk), but to dine with us. we reminded them of how completely lucky they were to be taking part.

all appetizers provided by marisa included – crusted brie with apple and brown sugar. a cheese platter consisting of raw milk organic old cheddar, applewood smoked cheddar (she knows it’s my favourite and i love her for that) and french stilton. twice baked potatoes stuffed with crispy bacon, sour cream, rosemary & thyme. phyllo-wrapped asparagus with prosciutto.

adrienne provided a couscous salad laced with pomegranates and delicious dill. she also panfried up oyster mushrooms and scallops in a brown butter and white wine sauce. i brought a plate of smitten kitchen’s sweet potatoes with pecans and goat cheese as well as some celeriac root which had been sautéed with fresh thyme and olive oil. nikki also baked those lovely acorn squash halves with raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon.

our main star was cooked by nikki – the two juiciest birds i’ve ate in a long time. so succulent with crispy skin – heaven! one was done with lemon and sage and the other with orange and allspice. finishing off the night with a pomegranate panna cotta made by yours truly and dutch style rice pudding with raisins and cinnamon from marisa.

we drank wine, sangria and mulled cider.
we roasted marshmallows over the fire.
and we laughed – alot.
i’m certain this will need to be an annual thing. come to think of it – it’s coming up on an entire year for the crockpot! how exciting!
eat and be well over the holidays my friends – wherever you are!

Posted on December 11, 2013September 9, 2020 by Becky Gean

the travelling crockpot – nikki’s dinner |||

so i must confess – i did not have a fun time with my camera this evening and instead of perfecting anything, i dove right in, eating everything put before me. i mean – can you blame me? when it comes to describing the delicious food we feasted on that night at Nikki’s, well it’s difficult because sometimes you know, words can’t do the describing. you gotta be able to taste the deliciousness!

but for you – i shall do my best.

we started off eating the most intriguing bread i’d had in a long time. laced with blue cheese and walnuts it was amazing on it’s own and then when we got to the boeuf bourguignon – using it to get every last bit of juiciness from the bowl was key!
and don’t let me forget that soup. that soup – white bean, sage and prosciutto was rich and creamy and smoky. i’d eat it as a meal on it’s own that’s for sure! the salad was fresh leafy greens tossed in a mustard-parmesan-garlic dressing and a parmesan crisp to top it off.

and then dessert – oh that cheesecake! i think i licked the plate if i remember correctly. the salted caramel sauce that was atop that cheesecake with perfect caramelized apples – delectable!

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until the next travelling crockpot – we actually have two crockpots this month! a collective holiday feast and my dinner! holiday pressure!

Posted on October 6, 2013September 10, 2020 by Becky Gean

fall baking – pumpkin streusel muffins.

cookbook – the ontario table

recipe – pumpkin streusel muffins

i absolutely love everything about fall. the crisp cold air. chilly nights. halloween. pumpkin carving. honey crisp apples. the colour change of the leaves on the trees. there’s a romantic feel to it all. perfectly sweet pumpkin streusel muffins are a comforting snack, warmed and slathered in butter – any ol’ time of day. serve with a cup of tea and you’re in business my friend.