Friendship...

I was so excited to do these photos - I absolutely LOVE these women! Friends since their school days, they still get together twice a year for their "Girls' Weekend" (which I think has turned into a Girls' Week). What haven't they been through together?  From childhood, to weddings, babies and being Moms, to graduations, children's weddings, grandchildren ... retirement, sickness, loss  - so many changes, so many memories, and so many more to come.  Some things never change, though.  I myself have great memories of laughter with these ladies, and some of the stories I've heard them tell!  No wonder they are such good friends!  They are all beautiful inspirations of love, friendship and vitality. My beautiful Mom is the one in the very bottom row on the left. I love you!!

Yummm!

So, I recently had an offer come my way for a kind of photography that I've never tried - food photography!  Seeing as how I've never done any food photography, it got me thinking about giving it a try.  It also got me cooking.  I love looking for new and interesting recipes on the web.  There's so much out there!  Needless to say, it was a busy weekend of cooking and photography.  It was the perfect weekend for it, with all of the rain.  Here are my maiden attempts in the world of food photography.

Sesame Thai Stir-Fried Veggies with Rice Noodles

Pizza and Caesar Salad (I didn't make the pizza ... I did make the salad)

Mac and Cheese (killer recipe)

Here is where I found the original recipe:  http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/perfect-baked-macaroni-and-cheese/  Thank you Laura's Kitchen! http://culinarycravings.net/

Naturally, I was not heading out into this weekend's downpour to buy groceries, so here are the actual ingredients that I used:

FOR THE TOPPING:

4 Slices whole wheat bread

2 Tablespoons Butter

FOR THE MACARONI AND CHEESE:

Salt

1 pound Elbow Macaroni

6 Tablespoons Butter

1 clove Garlic, Pressed

1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

6 Tablespoons Flour

1-¾ cup broth made with ramen noodle spice

3-½ cups Whole Milk

3 cups marble cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Ground Black Pepper

Thanks for checking in!