Cubans

This is one of those sandwiches that I wish I would have been introduced to me when I was younger. It took 28 years of my life before someone introduced to me to these delicious pieces of bread and meat and cheese. If you've never had one you owe it to yourself to have one. I bet you looking at the ingredients and thinking that they don't really sound that good. Trust me they are insanely good. So give this a shot and let me know what you think. If you have any questions please let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* You can use whatever kind of pork you'd like. It simply needs to be something cooked through and delicious. I used some left over pork chops I had.
* Traditionally these are made with baguettes but I like this method better. I used como bread.
* If you have a panini press use it.
* Makes 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients
- 8 slices of crust bread
- 2 tablespoons or so of yellow mustard
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced ham (I used black forest because it's awesome)
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced roasted pork
- 3 dill pickles sliced thin
- 1 stick of butter melted

The Process
1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
2. Let's make some sandwiches. On all the pieces of bread cover it with the mustard, then the cheese. Then place the pork, ham and pickles on half of the pieces of bread then cover them with the other halves.
3. Put some butter into the center of the pan then add 2 sandwiches on top of it then cover with a sheet pan. When 3 minutes are up rotate the sandwiches 180 degrees to get an even toast. Wait 3 more minutes then cover the top with butter then flip. Do the same thing for this side until you get the desired toastiness.
4. Remove from the pan, cut in half and enjoy. I like mine with a light salad or fries or something else delicious.
5. Enjoy!

The Cundiffs

Here's another person I haven't seen since high school but we have kept in touch via social media sites (I know you know what I'm talking about). She invited me into her home to take pictures of her family including a 2 year old girl named Cameron and a 3 week old newborn named Taylor. Let me tell you they are cuter in person. Not to mention it's really nice to see a couple who is still so in love after being together for quit some time.



Anyways this was my first chance at taking pics of a newborn. My wife, who supports me 100% in anything I want to do was so stoked that I got this opportunity that she immediately went to the craft store and bought all kinds of fabric and props for little Taylor.



We went over there in the morning and spent about 3 hours taking pics of the kids, the couple then all of them together. It really was a blast and everyone did really well with having us in their home.



I really like how the pics turned out but I am always looking for feedback. If you get a moment please take a look and let me know what you think. Also if you are looking for pics please let me know.



Direct Link to Flickr Page

Graduation Pics

Here's another new one for me, grad pics. Now I never got these done so I really had no idea how to approach this shoot.



I know that's it's supposed to be the subject just kind of lounging around being themselves because these are what they send to their family members for their graduation parties and such.



So I took it pretty seriously and I am not going to lie I had a great time taking them.



I spent a considerable amount of time editing them because shooting int the sun is a challenge in itself.



Check them out and let me know what you think.



If you are looking for pics please let me know I am very interested.



Direct Like to Flickr

The Beadles

You know how you have friends that you just can't live without? How they're always there for you with advice, hugs and whiskey. Well Anna and Jared are those people to me. They have been a part of my life for quite a while and Jared was even in my wedding.



He's a good ol' boy from Tennessee who hooked up with this island (Bainbridge Island in case you were wondering) chick, got married and now have a beautiful daughter that looks like them both. It's been great watching her grow up and become a little person.



So when they asked me to take pics of them I was flattered and excited. They did such an amazing job and Lili (the daughter) was in full effect cuteness.



The locale was great even though there were tons of people and the weather was awesome. I broke my old record again of pics edited which is now 156.



So take a look at the pics if you get a chance and let me know what you think. Thanks again Anna and Jared for letting me take pics of your wonder family. Next time we are going to have to incorporate the dogs.



Link to Pics on Flickr

Tamale Pie

Here's a new recipe to me and I have no idea why I have never tried this before. I'm not saying I've never made this dish which I haven't, I have never had a Tamale Pie. What was I thinking? I have lived on this planet for 28.4 years and I have never had this delicious Tex-Mex dish. So I figured I should make this. I had the general idea of how it works. Make some taco meat, mix in some veggies then cover it in cornbread and bake it in the oven. Piece of cake right? It was trust me. So here's the recipe I made up I hope you all like it. Any questions or suggestions let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* If you don't have a cast iron skillet, put the meat in the bottom of a casserole dish then the cornbread mix over the top.
* You can use ground beef or chicken or whatever kind of protein you like.
* While you are browning the meat make the cornbread.
* Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients
- 1 pack of ground turkey (it's about 1.33 pounds)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 cup corn kernals
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup veggie/canola
- 1/4 cup chopped jalapenos
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

The Process
1. In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, combine the ground turkey, onion, garlic and crushed red peppers in the pan. Using a spatula break up the meat as small as you can while it cooks and all the meat turns greyish.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, stock and tomato paste and cook until about half of the liquid has evaporated about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and corn and cook until the corn is heated through. Season with the 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper. Then stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour and stir to combine it should get pretty thick.
3. Combine the 1 cup of flour in a bowl with the corn meal, baking powder and salt and using a whisk, combine. Then in a seperate bowl combine the egg, mild and the oil and whisk well. Stir the wet into the dry and whisk again then fold in the jalapenos.
4. Level your meat mixture as best as you can in the cast iron skillet. Then place the cheese over the top of it and give it a couple of minutes to melt. Then pour the cornbread over the top of that making sure it's as flat as possible. Place in the oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or untilt the cornbread is cooked through.
5. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes until slicing into pie sliced pieces.
6. Enjoy!

Kim and Maddy Round 2

Hey check it out, I have my first return customer! Kim and her daughter were one of my first shoots a few months ago and they were super cool about me using them as guinea pigs. I do feel like I have grown quit a bit as a photographer since then so I was stoked an anxious for the oppurtinuty to reshoot them. It's pretty awesome too because they are super cool and Madison is the cutest little kid ever.



So we met at Point Defiance in Tacoma and went about shooting. The weather was great and sunny and warm. It was Maddy's first time at the beach and she did was we've all wanted to do and that's push our mom in the water. The sun was a challenge to me because I've only every shot when it's been overcast but I overcame.



I filled up a memory card (about 700 pics) and ended up with 144 good, edited pics that I gave to her which shattered my old record of 108. I am proud of how they turned out and think I did a pretty good job. Let me know what you think and if you are looking for some pics let me know.



Direct Link to Pics on Flickr

Stuffed Pork Chops

This is a dish I have never had nor made before but I have seen made on the good ol' Food Network. I don't know why I never made it or even tried it because it sounds so appealing. So last week when we bought a 3 foot pork loin from Costco and I was cutting it up for meals and such I decided to cut a few extra thick for some stuffed chops. I decided that I would stuff them with a form of bread stuffing that I make for Thanksgiving but I would add nuts to it to give it some crunch. Let me tell you I was spot on with this one if I say so myself (which I'm pretty sure I just did). If you are a fan of pork and things that taste like the holidays then this is the dish for you. Questions? Feel free to email me.

Kitchen Notes
* I used pork chops but this will work with chicken as well.
* For bread think French bread or those awesome Labrea type breads they have at Costco.
* If you're not using a cast iron skillet, you can use a regular fry pan then transfer them to a sheet pan for the oven.
* Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled then roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 12 or so fresh sage leaves (10 left whole, the rest minced)
- 1 tablespoon chicken base
- 1 teaspoon bacon grease (trust me)
- 1/2 loaf of fresh bread, left out over night, then crust removed and cubed small
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup cream or half and half
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- salt and pepper
- 4, 1 inch thick pork chops cut so there's a small hole and a large pocket inside the meat
- garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups chicken stock

The Process
1. Combine the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and 10 of the sage leaves with a little bit of water in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. If it's not pulsing smoothly, add a little more water (don't worry we're going to cook it out).
2. In a saute pan, add the puree mixture with the chicken base and bacon grease and cool until the liquid has cooked off about 10 minutes.
3. Pour mixture in a bowl with the bread crumbs and mix well. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow to cool. Then stir in the egg, cream and pecans then season with salt and pepper.
4. Stuff each pork chop as full as they'll get. Then season with salt and pepper and the garlic powder. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
5. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil if hot, add the pork chops and cook for 8 minutes per side (or until they are well browned) rotating half way through. Then both sides are browned place skillet and chops in the oven for 6 minutes to finish cooking.
6. Remove pan and place chops on a plate then cover with foil. Return pan to medium high heat and add the butter. When the butter melts whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the stock and the minced sage and bring to a boil stirring occasionally making sure the roux is mixed in. When simmering, turn heat to medium low and cook for 3 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
7. To serve, place a chop on the plate and cover that and whatever else you have on their with the gravy.
8. Enjoy!