cojophoto

Working for the weekend

cojophoto — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:56:12 +0000

What an awesome weekend! We kicked off Thursday night by driving up to Portland, Maine to see the Avett Brothers at The State Theater (fantastic small venue) and celebrate Jake’s brother’s birthday. If you ever have the opportunity to see the Avett Brothers live, do it. They were absolutely amazing. High energy, pitch perfect harmonies, full sound, smart lyrics, cool banjo riffs and the cello player is a rock star. This is a clip from the show that we went to. We stood right behind this person:

That would have made for a great weekend on its own, but then Friday we went to see the Red Sox which is always awesome. We won.

Pedroia wasn’t having a great game but I still love ‘im. Seriously, how cute?

Saturday Jake went to the American Craft Beer Festival with the boys and I went to the MFA to scope out a Japanese print collection – it was well worth the trip. Jake got me a membership to the MFA for Christmas last year so it is nice to be able to go whenever I like.

We met up after and had a few beers at the Whiskey Priest on the harbor downtown and then found an authentic Chinese Restaurant in China Town for dinner that was out of this world. They had tanks of live(ish) fish, prawns, eel and crab and we couldn’t read half of the menu because it was written in Chinese. Great find! David, Lisa and their friend met us out and we had a ball over garlic chicken followed by dark and stormies.

Sunday was relaxing. We tried a new restaurant for brunch, which was an experience. Service was OK but the kitchen was in the weeds so our food took 2 hours. It was wonderful when it came though, and we got free mimosas while we waited so I guess I can’t complain. We had a ton of food, too. Kobe sliders with fried quail eggs, skirt steak tacos, truffled fries and a red velvet pancake. Mmmm…

All in all, an amazing Boston weekend! I’ll leave you with one more Avett Brother’s video from our show, just because they are so good. Enjoy!

Get the grill going

cojophoto — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:56:37 +0000

Here’s a few photos I shot for work this week. I’m so thankful that summer weather has finally made its way up to New England – perfect grilling weather.

Cedar plank salmon with blueberry horseradish BBQ sauce.

BLUEBERRY HORSERADISH BBQ SAUCE:

Ingredients

2 tbs Olive Oil
1/3 cup Vidalia Onion – finely chopped
1 tbs Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Thyme – dried
1 cup Brown Sugar
¾ cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Ketchup
1 tbs Horseradish
2 cups Blueberries – fresh or frozen
2 tbs Lemon Juice
1.5 tbs Tamari
1 tsp Crushed Red Chili Flakes
¼ tsp Garlic – granulated
½ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Dash Sea Salt

Directions

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan until just smoking.
Add onions and sauté until golden brown and softened, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a whisk.
Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes until slightly reduced and the blueberries have popped open.
Remove pan from heat. Using a hand blender carefully puree the mixture until smooth.
Season with salt to taste.
Cool completely in a separate container, keep refrigerated until use.

What I’m Reading: The Help

cojophoto — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:16:17 +0000

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett and I LOVED it. The story is about a pair of housemaids in Mississippi during the 1960s and their brave attempt to take a stand against racism with the help of a young progressive white woman. It had the potential to be a pretty depressing book given the social “norm” of the time, but it is written beautifully in their three different voices so you can feel the frustrations and triumphs of the maids. It offers some of the best character development I’ve read in a very long time. Although it isn’t all rainbows and kittens, it paints a realistic portrait of life in the south at that time and leaves you with a lot to think about.

I accidentally left the book in Charleston last weekend and I wanted to finish it so badly that I bought another copy in the airport so I wouldn’t have to wait a week to read the last 50 pages. It’s that good!

The best birthday surprise – Jenny!

cojophoto — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:59:08 +0000

One of my very best girlfriends, Jenny, surprised me the weekend after my birthday by flying up to Boston! I had no idea she was coming and couldn’t have been happier to see her. We had a fantastic weekend of getting our nails done, going to the Museum of Fine Art for the Chihuly exhibit, watching the Derby and lots of eating and drinking our way around the city. Here’s just a snippet of a very full weekend.

Love you, Bear! And thanks to Jake, Aaron and Craige for organizing the best birthday surprise ever!

Adventures in baking

cojophoto — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:47:08 +0000

I had the brilliant idea to make an apple pie and buttermilk biscuits from scratch for Easter. Not as easy as I thought, turns out. Jake was a big help though and both turned out deliciously!

Click to view slideshow.

PIE CRUST:

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup ice water

Directions

Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Cut butter or margarine or butter and shortening into tablespoon pieces; add it to the flour and butter. Use the paddle beater to cut the butter and flour together. Alternatively, this can be done by hand with a pastry blender.
With the mixer on low speed , or while stirring the mixture with a fork, pour in the cold water. When the dough starts to clump, and before it turns into a ball, stop stirring.
Lightly knead dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk, and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling.

PIE FILLING:

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

A few of my favorite things

cojophoto — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:13:17 +0000

Wrought iron deer head I found at an antique shop.

Record player that Jake’s mom gave us for Christmas.

Zoo Valdes sketches.

My Aunt Betty’s secretary with my USC diploma hanging above it.

Strawberries, Spring Rolls & Soup-bread

cojophoto — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:02:31 +0000

Another in-house photo shoot I did for work – delicious, light spring foods that we devoured after the shoot!

Strawberry and spinach/mixed green salad with crumbled goat cheese, bacon, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette (I’d add almonds if I made it at home, but we’re a nut-free facility so we couldn’t add them here)

Kid-friendly spring rolls with grilled chicken, pineapple, carrot, lettuce, green onion and rice noodles served with sweet chili sauce

Cornbread made with Kettle Cuisine Chicken Tortilla Soup (This photo is for the newsletter, so the blank space on the right will be covered with the recipe)

What I’m reading: Bossypants

cojophoto — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:49:09 +0000

My friend Jenny suggested I read Tina Fey’s new book called Bossypants, and Jake was nice enough to get it for me for my birthday (thanks, Jake! and Jenny!). I just finished it and It. Is. Hilarious. An easy and light hearted read that made me laugh out loud at least every other page. She writes about her work at SNL and 30 Rock (my favorite) and Sarah Palin and her BFF Amy Poehler (love her) and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend it.

Here’s just a little snippet from the book:

Prayer for a Daughter

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

My Fair Fenway

cojophoto — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:28:37 +0000

Greatest park that ever was.

Home Sweet Home :: Bedroom

cojophoto — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 01:48:43 +0000

The bedroom is home to several of my favorite pieces in our apartment; paintings by Jake’s mother and grandfather, some of my photography, furniture that we’ve refinished together, curtains sewn by my mom and a beautiful heirloom cherry poster bed. Paint color is Winter Lake.

This dresser was a great yard sale find. Sanding through five layers of paint and adding a coat of stain and fresh paint later…

Before: A Charleston Craigslist find

After: Refinished in Boston with new knobs from Anthroplogie