I'm Booked: The Tempted Soul

When Faceout Studio called me wanting to do another book cover, I was game. Now it was time to channel my inner Amish girl and get to work. The shoot location was at the beautiful Lion and the Rose bed and breakfast. The victorian decor in this cavernous inn was so beautiful. Every room has a different style and feel. After hair and makeup we headed down to the sprawling porch to get started. We tried several different places on the porch and nearby stairs. We tried a lot of different looks, positions, and places. Monica was sending images over to the studio making sure the publisher was happy with the images. We got the shot. Now time to wait for the book to be published. Turns out the publisher loved the image but the background just didn't fit. So they switched up the background and viola!

Photographer Tyler Gould shot the cover, Madeline Roosevelt did hair, makeup, and bonnet placement, and Monica Watson produced.  

Spicy Shrimp Ceviche

With the weather at home threatening rain and grey all March my sister Ellie and I left to snag some sun in Central America. Ambergris Caye is our sun-drenched island destination and the main town of San Pedro is where we called home. San Pedro is dotted with brightly painted houses and the beaches are full of men cleaning their catch, ladies selling the best tamales I've ever eaten, and children selling jewelry. Island living was easy. The toughest decision we had was where to eat. 300 steps from our beachfront cabana was Hurricane, a rum punch slinging ceviche joint. The rum punch was above average but the ceviche was out of this world. Needless to say I ate there 3 times in 5 days and was disappointed when they were closed on my last night. Luckily I got the recipe from the chef they day before. Beautiful Belize was the perfect getaway to escape the Portland drab and now I can enjoy the taste of the Caribbean all winter long.  

Spicy Shrimp Ceviche

8 small servings, about 1/2 cup each

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS

POACHING LIQUID

• 2 quarts water
• 1/4 cup sea salt

CEVICHE

• 1 pound fresh raw shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Juice of 2 limes
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 1 cup (1 med cucumber) peeled, diced, and seeded cucumber 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup diced seeded tomato
• 1 avocado, chopped into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves, save some extra leaves for garnish
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• PREPARATION

1. Combine water and salt in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Add shrimp and immediately turn off the heat. Let the shrimp sit for about 3 minutes. Put the shrimp on a cutting board until cool enough to handle.
2. Chop the shrimp into half inch pieces and place in a medium nonreactive bowl (see Tip). Add lemon, lime and orange juice ( see note). Stir in cucumber, onion and chiles. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Stir tomato, avocado, chopped cilantro, oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the shrimp mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with chips or flat bottom taco shells.

• Kitchen Tip: A nonreactive bowl or pan—enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when cooking with acidic foods, such as lemon, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor.
• Note: Only use fresh squeezed juice. No prepackaged juice or concentrate. 

Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs... Yes, Please!

raspberri cupcakes: Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs: It's hard to believe Easter is just around the corner. This year is going too fast for me to keep up! Try this awesome recipe to bring the holiday cheer to your Easter brunch or dinner!

The Runaway

In January Lavenda Memory, Camille Collard, and I set Palm Springs, California on fire. The weekend included submerged cell phones, polaroids, private parties, gourmet dinners, dancing, the Palm Springs Film Festival Gala and an epic photo shoot.

            For our shoot we channeled our alter egos and worked to rid ourselves of the average way society and even the camera views us. I leapt at the chance to show my inner wild child with a gloss of rock star.  We went out with a mission to smoke some cigs and loose ourselves in the moment. That moment came when we hopped the fence of our manicured gated community into an oddly placed trailer park. That is when Lavenda and I made the magic happen. The hot grit and grime was the perfect backdrop for a girl without a care. We took over an elderly woman’s front porch and shot the images that will be featured on the Ben Trovato Blog today. The elderly woman came out to say hello, noticing the way I was dressed, she began to tell me about her experience in the ministry of her church. This was Lavenda’s cue to run while I was trapped listening to Betty’s tragedies of her husband passing and her current UTI. As soon as I assured her I was also a God fearing Christian she let me escape back to the girls to shoot our last images of the day. The trip was one I’ll never forget and these images will be ones you soon won’t either. Here are some behind the scenes images of our shoot. Once the photos are published on the BTV Blog I’ll post them here.

Walking On Iron

Photography by Christine Shields of  Marie Images

Makeup & Hair: Janelle Hayden of The Prettiest You

Styling by Emma Pelett

Dress:  Dolce & Gabbana
Shoes: louis Vuitton

Jewelry....
Earings: Arman 
Large Necklace: Vintage similar here
Long strands: One of a kind similar here & here
Ring: Custom made similar here

Some behind the scenes action.....

The Governor's Daughter

Jacket: Rag & Bone. Shirt: Zara. Pants: Mossimo Supply Co. Scarf: Vintage pashmina. Purse: Versace. Shoes: Prada. Earrings: Chanel. Bracelet & Necklaces: Vintage.