Aug 13 2011

Kodak Gallery Quickstart Photo Book

I was selected through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program to team with Kodak Gallery to try out their Quickstart Photo Book. I was given the chance to create a medium hardcover book for free. The cool part of the offer is that Kodak Gallery is also providing a 40% off exclusive offer to my readers. You will receive 40% off a medium hardcover or a large photo book. You can redeem this offer at: www.kodakgallery.com/creativity anytime before August 31st, 2011.

I decided that I wanted to quickly design my own version of a Top 10 Favorites Foodiddy cookbook. Not only did I want to highlight my favorite food photos, I also wanted to display my favorite recipes. I first started by gathering my photos. As a designer, I should have known that my low resolution/web photos would not work for print. Kodak Gallery quickly let me know with a little warning sign. “Low resolution, this image may be blurred when printed.” – Easy fix. I had all of my original photos in folders on my server. I had some small color corrections to do, but that’s mostly because I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to print. I picked my favorite recipes and simplified them in a word document. Again… totally over the top. Kodak Gallery actually allows you to copy and paste or type directly into the pages with their “Add Page Text” button.

Once my prep and planning was done, I logged into the Kodak Gallery website to get started.

I already had an account, so remembering my password was the most challenging part. Two tries and I was in.

I selected the Quickstart option and followed the instructions.

I clicked on the “Add Photos” button, selected the folder on my computer that contained the photos that I wanted to upload, and then I clicked on the yellow upload button. Your photos are then randomly placed onto the pages. You have the ability to drop and drag them into the order that you would like.

Once you get the correct photos on the correct pages – you can double click and go into single page edit mode.

The interface was really easy to use. You can pick your page layout, choose from different background colors and borders, re-size and move photos and like I mentioned above, you can also add text. The only problem I ran into with so much text, is that I had to create multiple text boxes to skirt the character limit issue I was having. There are 8 different fonts to choose from. You have the ability to center text, make it bold, italicized, align to top or bottom, and you have the option to change the font size and color within the text editor. Spell check is also a feature.

Here’s an example of the background choice. Backgrounds for pages are organized by theme – perfect to whip out a quick holiday book. I’m thinking Halloween and all the cute kid costumes would be a fun one to do.

I stuck with one main photo on the left side and the recipe itself on the right side. I ended up switching my background back to black, but wanted to show you the flexibility. Within the Kodak Gallery photo editing options, you can re-size & move, zoom & crop, or tint (black & white or sepia) your photos.You can also use layers to place photos in front of or behind each other if you choose a multiple photo layout.

You can also design a quick front cover and back cover. I used page 1 for my table of contents, but it would also make a great place to dedicate the book to someone.

From Stromboli…

to Maple-Pear Muffins…

To Nordic Soup…. I had so much fun creating my photo/recipe book. I can’t wait to get the actual book in the mail.

Thank you Foodbuzz and Kodak Gallery for giving me the opportunity to create my own photo book.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5583

Aug 12 2011

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Potatoes

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I recently received  a sample of one of KC Masterpiece’s new flavors: KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade – Perfect for Summer BBQ’s. I’m not a huge fan of hot wings, and I’ve been grilling a lot, so I knew I wanted to use it for something else. I gave the marinade a taste and it definitely had a tangy kick to it. I looked on the bottle and saw that red pepper and paprika were part of the ingredients. Tasty!

Earlier in the week my co-worker Wendy had dropped a huge grocery bag of baby red potatoes on my desk. Attached was a cute little “ENJOY!” note – She admitted to wanting to see what I could create with them. I guess her father-in-law has quite the garden and they were looking for new recipes to try. My wheels started turning and Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Potatoes came to mind. I had never made them before, but was excited to create something new and different. My plan was to use the marinade with simple ingredients that I already had on hand.

Ingredients:
Red Potatoes
Chicken Breasts
Sour Cream
Blue Cheese Crumbles
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

  • Cover two chicken breasts in the KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade and let simmer in the crock-pot on medium (mine was set to 300 degrees) for about 4 hours. (They became super moist and I was easily able to shred the chicken with a fork)
  • Bake your potatoes – temperature and time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes
  • Cut each baked potato in half
  • Use a spoon to dig out a small area in the center of each baked potato
  • Fill the potato with the shredded buffalo chicken mixture
  • Add a spoonful of blue cheese crumbles on top of the chicken
  • Combine sour cream and pepper in a bowl and whisk together
  • Drizzle sour cream on top of your potato creation and then drizzle a little more buffalo marinade on top of that
  • Finish with a little salt and pepper

I purposely left off measure amounts because this recipe could be tailored for 1 big potato or a bunch of little appetizer size potatoes. I filled my 10 potato halves and had buffalo chicken left over to use on salads. If you don’t “LOVE” hot and spicy, these little potato nuggets probably aren’t for you. I was pleased with the flavor. I definitely needed the sour cream and blue cheese to help cut through the kick, but I’m an absolute wimp when it comes to hot and spicy foods.

These really would make great appetizers, I’m thinking Super Bowl/football party grubbin’. 6 ingredients and you are good to go!

Thank you Foodbuzz and KC Masterpiece® for giving me the opportunity to try the new marinade flavor, it was a hit at my house!

P.S. Are you a buffalo wing fan?

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5559

Aug 08 2011

A “Sweet” Party

On Sunday we had the pleasure of attending the 1st Birthday party of our friend’s daughter. I would just like to say right now, it made me wish I was between the ages of 1-4. I knew when we received the adorable ice cream cone shaped invite, that the party was going to be cute… with a cherry on top!

The porch included hanging ice cream pinata decor and a string of colored ice cream scoops and bright flag garland. The front door had their daughter’s name and a big “Happy Birthday” message in letters stuck to the glass. ADORABLE!

We walked into the backyard and I just smiled from ear to ear. I am a decorating nerd… I appreciate little details and this party was full of them. Every twist and turn delivered magical detail.

Custom centerpieces made from real ice cream cones and painted styrofoam balls. Each table cloth was a different bright and cheery color as well.

Circle paper and tissue paper pom poms hung from the umbrellas…

The kid’s table was reason #1 for the earlier mention of me wishing I was between 1-4 years old. Play-Doh, Crayons, ice cream cone shaped bubbles, and the best part…

The make your own ice cream Play-Doh machine… oh how I could have spent hours with that thing…

Lots of fun and colorful gifts…

I just happened to “SCORE” with the theme matching present topper I found at Home Goods. A banana split for an ice cream themed birthday party? Why yes… I told you it was a score. I then of course had to go to 4 different stores to find wrapping paper that would complete the gift. Hallmark delivered. I told you I was into details.

The buffet bar inside was sprinkled with polka dot and ice cream paper confetti. I loved the citrus water container and the cut up citrus pieces to put into our ice cream cups.

I scream for ice cream! – Isn’t that the truth? Especially when I’m on a stupid 17 Day Diet 😉

A Champagne Rainbow Punch for the adults and juice pouches for the kiddos.

The sundae glasses and kid cups were ready and waiting…

Leatherby’s Family Creamery employees were standing by to create masterpieces for the party guests. Leatherby’s Family Creamery has been serving ice cream in Sacramento for a very long time. The ice cream is made right in the creamery to insure a fresh and delicious product. Their ice cream is made the old fashion way-one batch at a time!

Ice Cream Flavors:
Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream

Toppings:
Strawberries, Hot Fudge, Caramel, Marshmallow

Extras:
Whipped Cream
Nuts
Sprinkles
Cherries
Reese’s Pieces
Gummy Bears

Dan… looking over the menu choices…

How cool would it be to have a sundae bar in your house – ALL. THE. TIME.? Dan would be all over that.

As a joke he sat at the kiddie table to eat his sundae.

I am not a “nut on my sundae” fan, so while this looks incredible, I wasn’t ready to take anyone out to get my hands on it. We later moved to one of the adult tables and had a great time meeting new people. It was fun to see everyone’s sundae combinations, especially the kiddie cups. Some were adventurous with their toppings, others stuck to plain vanilla.

Even though it was an ice cream party, there was still a small birthday cake for the guest of honor. The candle was lit and we all sang happy birthday…

Yummy! Little kid hands and arms just make me melt…

Lots of other very creative wrapping and cards. This custom ice cream card said, “You scream, we all scream” on the front and “For ice cream” was on the inside. Loved it!

Little guests were given books on their way out – Curious George Goes to the Ice Cream Shop – reason #200 that I wish I was a little kid. I LOVED Curious George.

Everyone also got ice cream cone shaped decorated cookies to take home.

What an incredible party. Not surprising, my girlfriend is so creative and talented – from her home decor to her fashion, she always knocks it out of the park.

Do you remember any of the themed parties you had as a kid?
I definitely remember my Holly Hobbie themed party. My Mom’s best friend made my cake and it was amazing. I think I also went with Snoopy parties for several years in a row.

Permanent link to this article: http://foodiddy.com/?p=5523