My mom is a great baker and still sends us care packages occasionally, which is quite amazing at our ages! This time, she emailed a recipe she thought easy enough for me to make for Thanksgiving dessert (pie shells are beyond my skill level) - pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. I added the walnut pieces. They were a big hit :-) I had a choice from my get-pushed partner this week - sc or food. I ended up deciding to do both!
@julieco I decided to do this choice as well for get pushed this week, since I read an article online yesterday about doing food shots and wanted to follow their recommendations. Thanks for the challenge!
@eyesmile Here you go...I know my mom mentioned the recipe came from a collection of favorites from the women in some organization -- can't remember which one. So I'm not sure who to credit. It really was simply to make. I did the cake in the evening and let it cool overnight, then did the frosting in the morning.
Pumpkin Bars----------Preheat oven to 350
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 can Libby's Pumpkin
1 cup cooking (not olive) oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp.baking pow.
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
Beat eggs and sugar.
Add Pumpkin and oil and mix well.
Combine flour, and rest of "dry" lngredients and stir into creamed mixture.
Stir well and pour into greased 10x15 (not smaller) pan
Beat Cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla. Add sugar till spreading consistency
Spread over COOL cake . Depending how large you cut in to bars (or squares) you should have about 7 dozen. They freeze well.
Really easy:
hardest part waiting for them to cool down.
Can be made a couple days before.
@jaynspain Thanks Jayn. One of the big suggestions (big to me) had to do with lighting. It really did help. The article suggested using back lighting, preferably from a window, with ideally some white sheer cover. The point is to have very bright light so that it isn't high key but it shows off the details of the food. Another point is that in today's world of food, keep it really simple -- a single item rather than, for example, a full tray of desserts. So, that's what I tried to do.
They really look inviting....Taffy, thanks for the recipe....we could start a thread /theme about food shots PLUS recipe and those who try the recipe will post their version....but then we'd need judges to assess the taste....mmmm, quite complicated (just kidding!)
Yummy, yummy bars! They look so good! As much as I like it I have given up on baking....if it turns out good I am afraid I will eat the whole thing, and if not, it seems like a waste of time! So, I LOVE looking at food shots, and this one is wonderful! I did notice the back lighting....it adds a nice glow to it.
Excellent shot looks really apetising! Well done on the cooking skills too! And thanks for the recipw, I may even give it a shot, though it is amazing how I can manage to complicate the simplest of tasks when it comes to cooking!
Terrific shot. I can never make food look good when I photograph it. Now, they looked so good I have to make some. Thank you for sharing your shot and recipe.
@seanoneill Heehee!! I wish I could! I have three containers in the freezer so Jim and I don't become piggies. Was just debating whether to defrost a few to eat for b'fast after a photo walk!
@mara19500 I hope if folks make them, they post a photo -- that would be fun, even if not judging a winner. I figure, if I can make them successfully, absolutely anyone can. I do think it would be fun to have a thread of recipes with photos -- I'm guessing there are some very good cooks on the sight and ones who have figured out how to do great things fast and easy so that we don't lose photography time. Mmmm....poached salmon next?
@taffy Ah well, i'll just have to help myself to another of Rebecca's Christmas tree biscuits!! Wehn you get to my age, you never walk past a biscuit tin or a toilet!! Enjoy.
@seanoneill Ah, you are MUCH younger than me!! I'm facing my 65th birthday in 2 weeks. I can't believe it. I don't feel it, and I'm told I don't look or act it (I don't know if the latter is a compliment or not). Time goes VERY fast. But, from where I sit, you are a young-one!
@seanoneill Thanks! I'm trying to make the best of it, and age has never been a 'thing' for me, but this one is really weird because of all the age stuff associated with it -- retiring, medicare forms, etc. WEIRD!!! But, I'm excited about retiring soon -- more time for golf, photography, and travel.
@taffy I'll raise a glass to your plans this evening. I have a very old bottle of Rioja awaiting me. Medicinal of course. Good luck to you my friend, and if your travels ever bring you to the UK please put me on your list of photographer chaperones.
@seanoneill I may take you up on it. Junko and I are planning travels over the next few years (her Japan trip is my birthday present from Jim -- he's the best, since the trip is actually over his birthday -- so he and Junko's husband will be together on Beaver Island while we're in Japan photographing away!) so it could happen. Thanks!
@taffy Well just remember yiu woul dbe welcomed, and treated royally, both of you. I wish I could join you in Japan, but 2 kids at private school who are in the midst of trips to Jordan, the USA and South Africa rather limit my wanderlust. If you get to Hokkaido, find me a Kennaesque tree and shoot it for me. I will take some vicarious pleasure in seeing yours and Junko's work.
What a wonderful photo and yum!! Wish I saw these before I had my husband pick up a package mix today. They look delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. I have done the same thing and shared two recipes I think, maybe it was one on here and one on Facebook last year. WIll have to check and share or include the link on a post soon.
Taffy, just in case I forget to post this one or future recipes, here is one for Pizza Rolls from last year (sorry this virus I have is making my head so foggy) http://365project.org/darsphotos/365/2012-09-22
This looks delicious. I was going to ask for the recipe as I have one pumpkin left to use up, but I see you've already given it - thanks! Thanks for your comments about my Christmas tree but what's ICM?
@darsphotos Thanks so much for including the link, Darlene -- it looks great (and not too difficult so a good work night meal or snack). I liked the collage!
@busylady I learned on this site about ICM through some challenges (I think t here is one going on now). It stands for Intentional Camera Movement -- either by moving your zoom or moving your camera horizontally or vertically. Lisa @pflaume had one from today that is beautiful - http://365project.org/pflaume/365/2013-11-28
You just had to make us all jealous and hungry! haha These look sooo delicious and the cream cheese frosting and walnuts really adds to my "I want these now" feeling.
@cjphoto Ah, Chris, but with the recipe, you too can be eating these by tomorrow morning!
@nanalisarocks Thanks Lisa! Jim referred to them as 'crack baked goods' because he can't stop eating them. I put the leftovers in the freezer...we'll see if that stops us. Usually I have will power if it isn't chocolate.
@anazad511 June 8th to 18th. It's 2300 for the 10 days. They know Japan so well and both are fluent. Junko grew up there. Michael worked there for four years and teaches Japan at a great high school here.
nice one.....the cake sounds delicious. I have been doing a little food/drink work in this past year...and I am not claiming to know the ins and outs of food photography - but it might have been nice in this shot to have something of a different color in the background....just so we could really see the frosting very well. As it is now, it is competing with that back light. Just a thought! good work, though! - looks so yum!
@sticksandstones Good advice, I think. Thanks! I was going back and forth on setting it off against some darker background and backlighting it per the article I'd read. But the white frosting does disappear into the background this way. Thanks for your views and kind comments on several of my photos today. I really appreciate it!
@taffy I don't normally critique at all, but I am also in this phase of learning food photography....so I like talking about it! lol - there are definitely a lot of components involved in a good food shot, that's for sure! - and you are welcome. I am trying to be better about commenting lately.
Pumpkin Bars----------Preheat oven to 350
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 can Libby's Pumpkin
1 cup cooking (not olive) oil
2 cups flour
2 tsp.baking pow.
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
Beat eggs and sugar.
Add Pumpkin and oil and mix well.
Combine flour, and rest of "dry" lngredients and stir into creamed mixture.
Stir well and pour into greased 10x15 (not smaller) pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Test with toothpick
Frosting: Cake must be cold before frosting
2 3oz.pkgs cream cheese softened
6TBS. butter softened
1TBS milk or cream
1tsp vanilla
3 cups conf. sugar
Beat Cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla. Add sugar till spreading consistency
Spread over COOL cake . Depending how large you cut in to bars (or squares) you should have about 7 dozen. They freeze well.
Really easy:
hardest part waiting for them to cool down.
Can be made a couple days before.
Your photo is making me hungry!
@nanalisarocks Thanks Lisa! Jim referred to them as 'crack baked goods' because he can't stop eating them. I put the leftovers in the freezer...we'll see if that stops us. Usually I have will power if it isn't chocolate.