Bleu Cheese Chips | Lifestyle Food Photographer

I've made these chips many times over the years, thanks to my friend Jenna who introduced them to me long ago at Cap City Fine Diner. They are so addictive, I've eaten an entire plate for dinner before.

If you're making them to take to a party, I'd suggest getting the ingredients together, than assembling and baking on-site-if there's an oven available, of course.

Love this picture? Buy a copy from Photo Kitchen.
My recipe is as follows:

Bleu Cheese Chips

1 large (approx $3.79) bag of Kettle Style Potato Chips
1/2 jar of store-bought Alfredo Sauce
1/4 lb. crumbled bleu cheese
2 green onions/scallions, chopped (optional)

Pour the chips into a rectangular oven-safe casserole dish (metal or glass). Top the chips with the alfredo sauce (in dollops, try to distribute evenly across the chips.) Sprinkle the bleu cheese (and optional green onions) over the chips. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the chips are slightly browned on the edges. Serve immediately.

Now, this is not a follow-the-rules kind of recipe. You can adjust and experiment with these 3 simple ingredients until you've found the right mix for you. I've tried homemade bechamel sauce in place of the alfredo sauce. (I felt it was bland and much more labor intensive.) You can buy a really nice bleu cheese and add more or less bleu cheese to suit your tastes.

Want more variations? What about Kettle Chips topped with Barbeque Sauce and Cheddar Cheese? Or Thousand Island Dressing and Swiss Cheese? Try out your own creation, and make sure to tell us how it turns out!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie | Professional Food Photographer

My first experience with sweet treats made spicy was actually in Mexico, in 2002. We were at a resort that served Mexican Coffee after dinner, and it had cinnamon and something some type of pepper in it. It was wonderful. It took a few years before I saw anything similar back home, and that was of course Jeni's Queen City Cayenne ice cream. I always try the most unusual flavor on any menu, and when I saw chocolate and cayenne together, I had to have it. Sometimes I love unusual things just because of their uniqueness factor, but later the novelty will wear off. Many years later, Queen City Cayenne is still my favorite of Jeni's signature flavors.

When I saw Martha's take on a spicy sweet treat, I jumped on it. The only downside to these cookies was the need for a warning label, so kids wouldn't assume they were just chocolate cookies. Oh well, it makes for cuter packaging with the little warning label attached.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie
from Martha Stewart

    * 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    * 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
    * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
    * 1 3/4 cups sugar
    * 2 large eggs
    * 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon chile powder (I used ground cayenne)

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.
   2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder (if using). Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Makes 32. Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Galaxy Cookies | Food Photography and Styling

These Galaxy Cookies may look humble, but believe me, they're out of this world. (Ha! That was a pun I stole from my sister.) Really, these are one of my all-time favorite cookies. I loved making them as a kid. The best part is you can decorate and fill them with anything you love. Hands down, my favorite is Maraschino Cherry.

It's a simple colored dough wrapped around a candy or nut and topped with sprinkles. You can also cover them in icing. What should you put in them? How about...

Galaxy Cookies

from Betty Crocker

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

food coloring

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

anything you want to put in the middle

Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons light cream or 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, vanilla, and, if desired, a few drops of food coloring. (Or you can wait to add the food coloring when the dough is finished in order to split it into batches and make multiple colors instead of just one.)

Work in salt and flour until dough holds together. If dough is dry, mix in 1 to 2 Tbsp light cream.

Mold dough by tablespoonfuls around date, nut, candy, cherry, or a few chocolate pieces. Roll into balls. Here, you can choose to decorate with sprinkles, or wait until they're baked and top with icing.

Preheat over to 350°F. Place cookies about 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes until set but not brown.

Prepare icing by mixing confectioners sugar with light cream or milk and vanilla until smooth. If desired, stir in a few drops of food coloring. For a tasty chocolate icing, increase light cream to 3 tbsp and stir in 1 oz melted unsweetened chocolate.

Let cookies cool, then dip tops of cookies into icing several times to get a good layer. If desired, immediately decorate with coconut, nuts, colored sugar, candies, chocolate pieces or chocolate shot.

Makes 20 to 25 cookies.

A Little Bit of Product Goes a Long Way

I'm adding some product shots to my portfolio. Food themed items seemed appropriate, and this wonderful soap from Whole Foods that I got for Christmas made a great subject.