mad props two

almost forgot to share the second installment of our mad props project! check out the details here and be sure to see the first edition here in case you missed it. this one is all about beautiful seafood.

had some great meals for andrew's birthday this week - happy birthday! lunch at gramercy tavern and dinner at craft were amazing ways to celebrate.

if you're a food blogger or just happen to have a great recipe you'd like to share for a good cause, be sure to check out the readymade community cookbook - we're excited to be a part!

these are two newish cookbooks we've got our eye on purchasing - 'good to the grain' and 'my sweet mexico' - any other recommendations?

mad props one

remember this project we mentioned a few weeks ago? well, here's another shot from our collaboration with prop stylist Sarah Cave - antique strainers. you can read a detailed explanation of the concept here and a description of the first instalment of what we're calling mad props here in the Big Leo den. such a unique and inspiring project to work on together and we're really in love with the results. enjoy & check back soon for the next image in our series!

cuban black beans

we had a fun weekend celebrating with fellow photographers & stylists at the big leo bbq on saturday - got to chat with some amazing artists like jim bastardo and bjorn wallander while eating great food, enjoying delicious cocktails and a even whole pig roasted by photographer hector sanchez. we contributed our gin & ginger cocktail as well as these amazing cuban black beans. julia diaz is a family friend who graciously passed on this recipe and has convinced me that dried beans really are better than the ones we get from a can. don't get me wrong, i still use canned beans in recipes, but for this one it is absolutely worth the effort to soak dried beans over night. these perfect with some fresh tortillas and a little queso fresco or scrambled eggs and sliced avocado - a delicious addition to any meal!

Julia's Black Beans

1 lb dried black beans

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 bay leaves

4 tbs red wine vinegar

salt & pepper

in a large pot, soak beans overnight with quartered green bell pepper. transfer beans to the stove in the soaking water and simmer for 45 minutes. heat olive oil in a saute pan and cook garlic, onion and bell pepper until softened, about 8 minutes. add 1 cup drained beans and mash together. add to pot with oregano, cumin and bay leaves and simmer about 1 hour or until beans are tender. add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

link love

happy weekend! we are excited to sleep, shop at the green market, catch up on blogs, drink lots of coffee and get outside to enjoy the sun. we've had a few busy but wonderfully creative weeks working with some amazing people. can't wait to share a beautiful project we shot with our friend prop stylist sarah cave. shooting all week with the talented photographer frances janisch and prop stylist paul lowe - having way too much fun to call it work! check out this yummy cocktail recipe paul posted on his blog sweet paul. you can also see some of the styling i did in the recent issue of Fine Cooking on the big leo den here.

went to an amazing show featuring ben sollee, daniel martin moore and yim yames to raise awareness for appalacian voices - check out the website to learn more about the cause.

have you seen this beautiful collaboration between jenifer altman & martha mcquade? don't wait too long to order a set.

have a wonderful week everyone and we'll try to post something edible soon!

blue

hi all, we wanted to tell you how blue we are that we haven't posted in a while, but it's all for good reason!! we recently decided that after a year and a half, we needed a blog change, an update. new york can make you rethink everything... it just happens to coincide with changes in our professional life as well. we are excited to report that we are both now represented by big leo productions, happy to be part of mary, mason and willie's amazing team!! we are currently working on updating portfolios, websites, new promos, our blog and everything in between. we are looking forward to sharing new work, new ideas, new loves, new recipes and new blog posts with you. we recently worked on a job for a cheese company overseas and we still have enough cheese in our fridge to open a cheese shop. check out this new promo we put together featuring just a taste of the masses of cheese! we have had our fill with all the different things you can do with blue, but this english stilton makes a wonderful blue cheese dressing that is so simple and we can't get enough of. it's great on an iceberg wedge with crumbled bacon and slices of heirloom tomatoes or as a dip for celery and carrot sticks!

Blue Cheese Dressing

makes 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1 cup blue cheese, crumbled plus 2 tbs

fresh cracked black pepper

in a blender, combine buttermilk, yogurt, 1 cup blue cheese crumbles and black pepper. blend until smooth. stir in remaining 2 tablespoons crumbled cheese and serve. can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.