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Beautiful Orchard Dinner Party for My Wonderful Clients

October 24, 2018

If you know me I love to throw dinner parties and to cook for people, I enjoy bringing people together.  Over the last few years I have been incorporating it into my business by having vendor dinner parties and last year I threw my first dinner party for my clients and I am so sad that I didn’t start this tradition sooner!  I love seeing you again, I love to know what is going on in your life and to see how you are doing.  I really wanted to have a way to show my appreciation to you because you are the reason I do what I do.  It was amazing how everyone had some connection to the other families, we live in such a great community.  I wish everyone could have come!  With about half of my clients out of state, it is hard to get everyone there.  I am already planning for next years party, email me to book your session next year to ensure that you can come to this great event.  Fall is such a great time for dinner parties, I was able to use a lot of produce out of my garden and we were able to have fresh pressed apple cider from Paradise Valley Orchard where we had the dinner.  I know there are a lot of detail photos, but can you blame me?  The flowers were so amazing, Amber Reverie always creates the perfect arrangements for my dinners!

Location: Paradise Valley Orchard

Florals: Amber Reverie

Flower Vases: Notary Ceramics

Plates and Flatware: West Elm

Napkins: Sur La Tab

Tart Serving Dishes: Crate and Barrel

As promised I have included the recipes at the bottom of the post!

Menu

Appetizers

Charcuterie Board

Tomato Jam Tapas

Soups

Chicken Noodle

Creamy Tomato

Creamy Cheddar Potato Soup

Dessert

Plum Frangipane

Fresh Hot Apple Cider

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Orange Tomato and Smoked Paprika Jam

Recipe from Preserving by the Pint by Marisa McClellan

12 cups chopped orange tomatoes

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, gently boil the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. Cooking at a fairly rapid pace, it should take about an hour of cooking.

When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

Jessica’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Season well one piece of chicken with salt and pepper, thyme, onion powder and parsley. Bake for about 45 minutes at 375.

3 carrots, evenly diced

3 celery sticks, evenly diced

1/2 cup yellow onion, evenly diced

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1-2 tsp fresh parsley (dried works fine)

1 tsp fresh thyme

Sauté these in olive oil for 5 minutes or so.  As you sauté them with the fresh herbs it brings out such a good flavor.

6 cups Swansons Chicken broth

Bring to a boil and then add the noodles about 2 cups of uncooked noodles.

I prefer fresh pasta noodles, they make such a huge difference.  You can follow this recipe here to create the perfect noodle.  Sometimes I cheat and use our Phillips Pasta Maker and if I don’t have time for those I will use store bought Country Pasta Homemade Style, Wide Egg Pasta.  I will usually use half of the bag.

Cook for another 8 minutes.

Add diced chicken and cook for 5 minutes

Jessica’s Creamy Cheddar Potato Soup

4 cups diced potatoes

2 carrots diced

1/2 cup onion diced

2 tsps fresh parsley

2 tsps fresh thyme

1 tsp pepper

2 tsps salt

Sauté vegetables with herbs and salt and pepper in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, stir frequently potatoes will stick easily.

Add 4 cups of Chicken Broth, bring to a boil  and then simmer for 10-15 minutes

In a small sauce pan create a rue with

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

Stir until bubbly and slightly browned, this will create a great flavor, salt and pepper to taste.

Microwave 2 cups of milk (I just use skim milk and it thickens just fine and a tiny bit healthier than whole milk) for about 4 minutes and then add this to the butter and flour, when you heat up the milk it will help the mixture thicken faster.  Once it is thick, add it to the potatoes, once combined add 8 oz of cheddar cheese to the pan.  Adjust seasonings as necessary, sometimes the potatoes will require extra salt but the cheese will add some of the saltiness to the soup as well.

 

Creamy Tomato Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil

1 C chopped onion

¾ C shredded carrot

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2/3 C sliced sun dried tomatoes packed in Olive Oil

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14oz) can chicken broth

3 oz reduced fat cream cheese

optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakesOptional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion,  carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. (If you’re adding red pepper flakes, add them now)

Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.  Cover pan and simmer for 30  minutes.

Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth.  You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine.

Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls.  Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.

Plum Frangipane 
Recipe from Alida Ryder
Ingredients for the pastry
250 g flour
100 g icing sugar
150 g butter cubed
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon NoMU Vanilla paste
3-4 tablespoons ice water
Ingredients for the frangipane filling
150 g butter room temperature
150 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon NoMU Vanilla paste
2 ml almond essence
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
150 g ground almonds
50 g flour
4 large plums thinly sliced
Instructions
To make the pastry, combine the flour, icing sugar, butter and vanilla paste in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
With the motor running. add the egg yolks and just enough water for the dough to come together in a ball.
Remove the dough from the food processor and shape into a disc. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, roll the dough out on a floured surface and place in a suitable tart case.
Place back in the fridge while you get started on the filling. Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla paste, almond essence and eggs and beat well, scraping down the bowl if necessary.
Add the ground almonds and flour and mix until well combined.
Spread the almond mixture onto the prepared pastry and top with the sliced plums.
Place the tart in the oven and allow to bake for 20-25 minutes until the frangipane is golden brown and cooked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing and serving.

 

Filed Under: Dinner PartyTagged With: Amber Reverie, Client Appreciation, Dinner Party, Fall Harvest Dinner, Logan Utah Family Photographer, Logan Utah Photographer, Logan Utah Wedding Photographer, Orchard Dinner, Park City Family Photographer, Park City Photographer, Park City Wedding Photographer, Salt Lake Family Photographer, Salt Lake Wedding Photographer, Utah Photographer

Park City Photographer

August 6, 2018

Avery and her family come to Park City every year from Texas, they wanted to get her senior photos done in one of their favorite places, I don’t blame them!  Park City is so amazing!  I love when I get to visit there and especially when I get to have a photo shoot.  I had so much fun on this shoot, if only I could have confidence like this beautiful girl!  She is so confidant and fun!  I just smiled the entire shoot, I just loved it so much!

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Filed Under: UncategorizedTagged With: Park City, Park City Photographer, park city senior photos, Senior Photos, Utah Photographer, utah senior photographer

A Creative Awakening

July 6, 2018

“Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?

Surely something wonderful is sheltered inside you. I say this with all confidence, because I happen to believe we are all walking repositories of buried treasure. I believe this is one of the oldest and most generous tricks the universe plays on us human beings, both for its own amusement and for ours: The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.

The hunt to uncover those jewels — that’s creative living.” Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

In April I hosted my first workshop, I didn’t want it to be like other workshops, I wanted to spend a day creating and making rich relationships.  I hosted the workshop in the cutest little cabin in Heber, UT, it was the perfect location and their kitchen was to die for.  Everything came together and there weren’t too many things that didn’t go right, I obviously had some regrets after it was over of things I didn’t do, but overall everything was a success.  We started the day learning how to make fresh pasta, we made several different kinds; tortellini, ravioli, orecchiette, rigatoni, and trofie pasta.  I have loved making pasta since high school and my love for it increased when I went to a cooking class in Sienna, Italy.  It was one of my richest experiences while traveling, it was so fun to share that knowledge with others.  I love to create and I especially love helping others learn a new skill.

After we made our pasta, I taught how to make a leather passport holder.  Awhile back Cole’s family was getting ready to move so they were cleaning out the garage and they found some amazing pieces of leather.  I drew up a pattern for a purse and Cole figured out how to make it, after that we loved creating things out of leather.  For the leather passport wallet I kind of took over Cole’s manly hobby and turned it girly by adding some modern fabrics and designing patterns for everyday use.  I love to travel and I think traveling can greatly influence our desires to create.

We ended the evening with a beautiful dinner on the deck of the cabin, Amber did such an amazing job with the florals and set up, she made all of my dreams come true!  It was such a perfect night eating around her stunning arrangements.  Refine Studio designed the amazing menus.  We started the meal with an olive tapenade and minestrone soup.  The main course was Chicken Marsala served over fresh pasta, with roasted asparagus on the side.  The meal was completed with an amazing Lemon Cake from Annie Bee Cakery, it was to die for, I am still dreaming of it.

I hope to continue doing these workshops, please let me know if you would like them to continue, I would love to chat!  I love living a creative life and I believe it brings so much happiness into my life, it gives me confidence, it brings me success, it builds my business, it creates friendships.  I know a lot of people who are afraid to create because they might fail, but what if you don’t?  More often I see their confidence increase and they love themselves a little bit more.  I heard someone awhile back say that they had no talents, that made me so sad, everyone has something, we just have to experiment and find what it is.  Some people may have more than others, but that doesn’t diminish the few that you have.  Never compare your starting point to someones years of practice.  We all have to start somewhere.

“And you have treasures hidden within you– extraordinary treasures– and so do I, and so does everyone around us.  And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and focus and courage and hours of devotion, and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”  Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

 

If you are looking for another great workshop, Amber is hosting an amazing workshop in the fall!  en Plein Air is a floral masterclass designed for all skill levels and will be centered on the power of inspiration and the creative process. You will work on developing your own artistic eye and creating individual work that comes from the soul. Head over to her site to learn more about it, it looks absolutely amazing!

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Amazing Florist and Stylist: Amber Reverie

Menus and Branding: Refine Studio

Cake: Annie Bee Cakery

Location: A Frame Haus

Plates, Flatware and Serving Dishes: West Elm

 

Filed Under: UncategorizedTagged With: A Creative Awaking, A Frame Haus, Amber Reverie, Amber Reverie Floral, Annie Bee Cakery, Creative Workshop, Dinner Party, Handmade Leather, Heber Photographer, Heber Utah Photographer, Heber Utah Wedding Photographer, Heber Workshop, Intimate Dinner Party, Jessica's Photography, Park City Photographer, Park City Wedding Photographer, Park City Workshop, Pasta Workshop, utah workshop, West Elm, workshop

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Welcome

Hi, I’m Jessica! I am very passionate about photography, everything that I do revolves around my camera and creating exceptional photos for you to remember every stage of life. I have been a professional photographer for over 15 years, and I still get excited about every shoot. I love being creative and going on adventures, and I try to bring that experience into my shoots, by exploring the mountains, chasing the light, and helping you relax in front of the camera! Thanks for stopping by, let’s work together!

e: jessica@jessicasphoto.com

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