Most of the fruits we ate in Hawaii were locally grown. They were fresh, juicy, unique and delicious. There was plenty of opportunity to support the locals, as there are markets all over the island selling produce. Mmmm! For those that said a prayer for my little guy, THANK YOU! I really appreciated all them, as he is doing much better. He is now at 100% (he normally runs at 110%) 
So, just one more day I think, and he’ll be normal again. Time to be on high alert again………oy!
Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
fresh | Esther Pederson Photography
March 6, 2010{3} fingers old | Esther Pederson Photography
February 2, 2010Sienna turned three on January 28. I still can’t believe how smart and big she is getting. I remember so well the day she was born. It was one of the best days of my life. She is my helper and my side kick. We do almost everything together, and I can’t imagine life without her. Here are just a few images from her special day. It was a cupcake themed birthday, and I made these awesome cupcake ice cream cone desserts and totally forgot to take pictures of them. They were a big hit and I highly recommend making them for any special birthdays you might have coming up. Here’s the link to see what I’m talking about. cupcake cones The actual birthday cake was made using Wilton’s Giant Cupcake pan and the liner for the cake was made out of chocolate. It turned out awesome and was so easy. I followed instructions from here. Overall everyone had a fun time and I *think* the desserts went over well. I think even more fun for me was making everything with Sienna’s help. She is quite the little baker/cook when she wears her apron. It’s SO cute!
32 pecans | Esther Pederson Photography
January 22, 2010Birthday’s are always celebrated pretty big in our family. Everyone gets together to eat yummy food and play games (this year it was the Wii, instead of the traditional pin the tail on the walrus, reindeer, etc.) lol. Boy the times have changed! My brother turned 32 this year. His lovely wife made an awesome german chocolate cake that even my non-chocolate loving brother-in-law had a piece. Yes, it was that good! After some fun wii games, it was time to open presents. Nora (his wife) had an awesome idea of “pick one of three envelopes, and that’s what you’ll get.” I don’t know about everyone else, but I was on pins and needles. How to choose? What about the other envelopes? Was he not going to get the other 2 gifts? Ahhhhh, choose wisely Nate!! Anyway, I captured the moment he opened the first envelope. *Drumroll*………………………..A week long fishing trip with his cousin to Kodiak, Alaska!! I mean, could it get any better? For fun he opened the other 2 envelopes to see what he missed out on. Well, let me tell you, he didn’t miss out on anything, because Nora decided that he’ll probably just get everything anyway! LOL. The other two envelopes included a gift certificate for a 1 hour massage, and a range finder (hunting accessory). Amazing gifts in and of themselves, but let me ask you this. What if he picked the massage first and later found out that he missed out on the fishing trip? I’d like to see what his face would have looked like then. Love you Nathan. You are a special part of our lives and seeing you interact with your niece and nephews just makes me have a deep sense of pride that I am your sister. I know Dad would have been proud of you just like we all are here on earth! xoxo.
I caught this moment after we got home from the party. Every night when I brush the kids’ teeth, we sing the Happy Birthday and God’s Blessings song to someone. Sienna got up on the sink and was brushing her teeth and sang the whole song to “Uncle”. It was really sweet. 
my simple dinner | Esther Pederson Photography
December 5, 2009So…….instead of feeling sorry for myself in this cruddy weather, I snapped a few shots of dinner last night, indoors. Yes, I do have options! I was reminded of this from a fellow photographer friend who can find art in just about anything. Thanks Sharon! Anyway, here’s my quick and easy dinner, pizza and a salad. YUM. The most simple ones are often times the best and most comforting.
Strawberry Bruschetta | Esther Pederson Photography
May 16, 2009Reader: Oh no, not another recipe!! Me: Oh Yes!! Another recipe!
Well, by now you can probably tell that I’m obsessed with photographing beautiful food. This one is no different. My mom made this dessert for my sister’s birthday the other day, and it was way too scrumptious not to share! I will definetely be making this dessert this summer. It’s nice and light and creamy and crunchy and delicious! Yup, all that bundled up into one. Perfection right?
Strawberry Bruschetta Yield: 20 Servings
20 slices French bread, cut 1/4″ thick
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon
1 container (8 ounces) cream cheese spread
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)
Additional powdered sugar (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place bread slices on baking sheet. Brush butter over bread slices. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Meanwhile, zest lemon to measure 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lemon to measure 2 teaspoons juice. In a small bowl, whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture over bread slices. Top with strawberries. Sprinkle bruschetta with almonds and powdered sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.
I’m back and in action | Esther Pederson Photography
May 13, 2009After a week long trip to Anchorage we are back and happy to be home. However, we had a great trip! It was filled with bbq’s, shopping (lots of shopping), visits with family and friends, a trip to the camera store to try out my dream lens!!, and more bbq’s! The weather was perfect the first few days we were there. Sun and warmth was just what we all needed! And now that I am back in Nome, I will definetely be updating on a regular basis again, so check in and see what I’m up to. Life without internet for a week was different, but it sure was a good break! Here are some glimpses into our trip. Happy Tuesday!
music to my ears | Esther Pederson Photography
April 22, 2009My mom and I, along with my daughter had fun making this beautiful and delicious dessert for our local high school choir’s fundraising auction. (That was a mouthful!) We decided that this rich and decadent cheesecake would score big with the locals. (And we were right, this one took in $200 for the choir!) Hearing that was music to my ears! LOL. OK, cheesy joke….I know. Ummm, I just said cheesy. OK, I didn’t plan that one, but you have to admit, it was pretty funny! Cheesy….cheesecake…get it? OK, I’m done. Anyway, I intend on making this soon for our family, so we can actually eat a slice! And to add to my excitement I just HAD to post a picture to prove just how yummy it looked before we sent it on it’s way to it’s new home. After all, it was photographing the darn dessert that got me excited about this whole process! Here’s how we had the auctioneer introduce this beauty–
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
“Cheesecake is believed to have originated in Ancient Greece, as the first recorded mention of cheesecake was in 776 BC when it was served to the athletes of the first Olympic Games. This cheesecake includes all the ingredients necessary for a LEGENDARY dessert. Each 500 calorie slice consists of fresh creamed cheese, eggs, pure vanilla, and half and half blended with smooth white chocolate. The topping is a crown of sun-ripened red raspberry sauce, garnished with white chocolate curls; all on an OREO Cookie foundation. This creation was a three generational effort by Christina Perrigo, Esther Pederson, and Sienna Pederson.
We support our music program and thank Mr. Horner and all the music students for their contribution this school year.”
If you want the recipe for this, please comment on this post! Have a wonderful day!
daddy’s kitchen | Esther Pederson Photography
April 18, 2009The hubs grilled up some burgers the other night. It was delicious! I’m so happy grilling season is upon us. It has been a long and cold winter, and this is definetely just what the doctor ordered! Sienna looked out the window while dad was grilling and said “Look, it’s Daddy’s kitchen!” It was cute. I love to see the world through her eyes. It is really enlightening. I’m excited for summer grilling weather. I can just imagine Sienna running on our new lawn, and Levi crawling after her. Oh yeah, Nali will be there too, laying down in the shade, trying to get away from the mosquitos. Here’s a photo of our yummy dinner before we ate it!
Breakfast | Esther Pederson Photography
April 10, 2009Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Sometimes I even think {dream?} of what I want to eat for breakfast the day before I eat it! Crazy? Absolutely not! HA! I’ve especially grown to love breakfast even more that I have time to eat it, and someone to eat it with! Sienna loves to eat too, and that is when we enjoy some good time together watching Little Bear, Clifford the Big Red Dog, or Curious George. Some of our favorite breakfast foods are french toast, scrambled eggs, sourdough pancakes, and oatmeal. This morning we ate the most delicious oatmeal! It was especially good washed down with a great cup of coffee. Mmmm, now I am ready to start the day.
On another note, one day while we were watching Clifford, the theme song came on, and if you aern’t familiar with it…part of the words are…”I love Clifford, the BIG red dog!” I looked over at Sienna as she was watching TV, I asked her, “Do you love Clifford?” She looked over at Levi and said, “No, I love Levi!” That made my day and I realized that even though she doesn’t always show it with her actions at least she knows in her heart that she loves him. *sigh* I love them both so much.
I love mush… | Esther Pederson Photography
March 20, 2009We are in the mushing spirit up here in Nome. The Iditarod dog mushers are steadily pulling into our city to complete their 1000 plus mile journey from Willow. We love mushing so much we even eat mush! Our boy has recently added rice cereal to his diet, and if he’s lucky he even has apple sauce or pears mixed in. When Sienna was a baby, pretty much everything from her first pooh, to her first words, steps and everything in between was documented. I realized in the last few days that my camera has missed out on a few of these firsts for Levi. Because of that I wanted to at least document this….his cute mushy face. I know he’ll thank me for this when he is a teenager!
And because I am a proud mama, I have to include this one too. I {heart} him!
