Portland is home to an incredible community of food bloggers. Over the last few months, I've been photographing a few of my favorites, to capture their passion for creating delicious content and document their process of working. First up was Dana from Minimalist Baker and recently I had the pleasure of joining Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer of The Modern Proper as they prepared a blog post for a mixed berry shortcake recipe.
When Holly and Natalie first met, they were both authors of fledgling blogs. After discovering their shared interests, they decided to unite their talents to create a space that would inspire the modern homemaker with a new vision for gathering and sharing meals. As mothers running their own business, they understand that there is often a clash between desire and time when it comes to cooking.
The Modern Proper is dedicated to making delicious, wholesome food accessible through unintimidating ingredients, beautiful images, and stories about real life and real food. Through their approachable recipes that put quality at the forefront, they aim to inspire a return to the kitchen and the table that accommodates what a busy lifestyle needs most: time with the people we cherish and food that nourishes body and soul.
On this cool Monday morning, we gathered at Holly's house just outside of Portland. When I arrived, she and Natalie were laying out the ingredients for biscuits and unpacking blackberries, cherries, and white peaches from the market. They mixed together the dough first and popped the biscuits into the oven. Then they slipped over to the next room where they have their studio set up and started to take photos of the fruit.
Natalie and Holly are both proficient at the myriad skills required to run a food blog. Recipe development, writing, photography, project management, planning, and all the details of running a business, from client management to bookkeeping. Working as a team means they can share the workload, as well as challenge each other's ideas and creativity. Although they don't make and shoot every recipe together, they have a shared vision and goals that have given them a clear direction in their work.
When the oven timer went off, it was time for the biscuits to be in the spotlight for photographs. Then Natalie and Holly made the final selection of props: bowls, plates, utensils, and a platter for the final dessert. After preparing the fruit, they photographed individual dessert plates before assembling the final photo. One glorious pile of biscuits, cream, and fruit. One of those desserts that does not look too pretty to eat, but rather an abundance of summer goodness that urges you to dive in.
And dive in we did. After Natalie and Holly meticulously arranged the pile of biscuits, with a spring of mint strategically placed here and a splay of peaches tucked in there, they took the final photographs. Then it was time to eat! Natalie dished up three servings, Holly grabbed the forks, and we sat around the table to talk about the joys and challenges of running a small business, juggling work and family, and how much we all love food. Gathered together, sharing food and life. Exactly the kind of moment they hope to inspire with all their work.
Home is always sweet, but perhaps even more so in the summertime. After 
The first morning I was in Portland, my sister Alyssa and I began the day at the 
A posting from Portland where it is just like summer should be.
During our holiday in east Germany, Marcus' father took us sailing on the same lake we visited 
We took our annual summer trip to Germany in the middle of July. Marcus' father has a house on the edge of a lake and protected wildlife area. We spent most of our time in the woods and on the water, enjoying nature and the quiet. There was no internet, but lots of fresh fruit, nightly barbeques on the back terrace, the spotting of deer, reading books, and dancing in the fields.
Nothing says summer to me more than water, a wooden dock, and swimsuits. The forecast for the weekend was rain, rain rain, but on Saturday morning the sun was shining and we dared to head out to explore until the rain arrived.
The weather in Amsterdam has been ideal lately, perfect for barbeques on rooftop terraces (last night) and picnics in the park (tonight). Lemonade is the classic summer drink, but not so easy to find in the Netherlands. My first attempt at making homemade lemonade began with a 
A perfect weekend. A visit to the embassy, four books sold and one purchased, tea and appeltaart with a friend in the sun, an outdoor film with Marcus, a lucky escape from the police checking for bike lights, frolicking goats on Saturday morning, coffee and lunch on the Amstel with a great lady, navigating through the crowded canals with ease, watching the evening rain from the comfort of my home, a slow Sunday morning, an afternoon workout, and ending with a beer on a gusty terrace with my favorite Dutchman. Summer, you are too kind.
Between two weekends in Berlin, an escape to the lakes in the south. Sailing, waking to the sunrise, hanging my feet off the front of our houseboat and into the green waters. All quietness.
A few snapshots from the past weeks, days filled with breakfast on the balcony, walks in the park, a basket of local produce in week three of de Krat, and graffiti spotted on one of my many walks through the neighborhood. It's summer, are you enjoying it?
In two days time comes the summer solstice. Amsterdam is chilled and rainy, making up for the spring drought with a summer flood. The weather may not be ideal, but we still have that lingering twilight that makes the evenings long. Before 23:00 (11:00pm) the sky takes on this look, dusky blue against the flared lights.
Summertime is here and it's lovely. The sun has been spending a lot of time in Amsterdam, the winds are warm, and the markets are stocked full with ripe fruit. In July, I am heading for a week in East Germany to go lake swimming in the forest and restaurant hopping in Berlin. The beginning of September will be the trip of the year to Turkey. For the most part, I plan to spend the days enjoying Amsterdam and eating all the fresh fruit I can. What are your plans for the summer?
It's strangely similar to summer here in Amsterdam. Sun-filled days, warm evenings on the balcony, and slow walks through the city. We have had just one bout of morning rain this month. I'm hoping that things balance out in the coming weeks, so the weather saves a bit of strength for when it is truly summertime.
It was a great summer and I didn't post nearly as many photos as I had hoped. Here is a short collection of the best moments. The photo above was taken in Münster, a colorful row of boats floating in the Aasee. Marcus and I went there at the beginning of June to see 
I'm loving the photography by @amsterdamized of the bicycle culture in Amsterdam. It's by far my favorite thing about this city and what I always focus on when other aspects of life here seem less favorable. Like when it's summertime, but the weather has reverted to spring with sporadic rain, wind, and occasional moments of sunny warmth with a chill in the air.
Just walked in from an evening of badminton in the park and I had to appreciate the fact that summertime is here in full force. Fresh fruit every day, bbqs galore, beach trips on the weekend, flowers throughout Amsterdam and long hours of daylight to sit on a terrace and enjoy a drink and conversation. I won't censor the sweat and humidity, but the sun is setting now and the misery seems far away. My holiday to the lakes and forests of Germany doesn't come for a few weeks, but until then I plan on fully enjoying the city. Lovely photo by