Baking Can Be Beautiful

I had considered putting up a vegan strawberry-rhubarb pie tutorial today, but there are plenty of those already on the internet.

Vegan pie crust (coconut oil instead of butter – this one is SUBLIME, flaky and delicious!)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (Martha Stewart, how can I compete with you?)

I did, however, take some food photos while I prepped my pie

What’s left of the strawberries after Cecilia (the three year old) “claimed” hers by taking little bites off of the ones she wanted.

Rhubarb is so beautiful!

I am lucky that this stuff just pops up in my backyard.  Rhubarb is something that grew wild in my backyard when I was little and I have always loved a fresh pie.  A simple and tasty way to feel luxurious and “homegrown country” at the same time.

I managed to find some local eateries that are known for exceptionally delicious vegan desserts. I’m adding them to my list of things to do.  I definitely need more excuses to eat desserts 🙂

French Meadow – Vegan turtle cake made in the first certified organic bakery in the USA. Minneapolis. $

Muddy Paws Cheesecake – regular and vegan cheesecakes. 222 flavors. Yes, please!

St Louis Park $$

Bordertown Coffee – Ethical coffee, great food, fantastic bakery items and atmosphere.

Dinky Town $

Enjoy the rest of your week! ~Jenny

Bright Beginnings

Wading through these seemingly endless days of heavy clouds and 56-degree weather seems to drag down a person’s (this one!) spirit.  Isn’t it supposed to be summer time?

On the other hand, the clouds lend to very good diffuse lighting for portraits.  I am so lucky to have had overcast skies two weeks ago when I did Baby M’s 6-month portraits.  He seems pretty  happy too 😉Honestly, taking cute outdoor pictures in the sunshine almost never happens.  Everyone gets shiney, everyone is squinting or has a kind of “pained” expression in their brow because of the sun glare.

The sky also sends down a blue cast on everything (seriously!)  when there aren’t clouds and washes out color.

One good thing about cooler summer weather – my leafy greens and beans are loving it!

And so are the chickens – They have no idea what they’re in for come August!

What projects have you been able to spend more time on because of this strange weather?

~Jenny

(Our kid sessions are called Bright Beginning sessions – but not because of the weather or season.  Obviously because of the “shining potential” these cute little kids possess.  If you feel so inclined, take a look at our session information here.)

Pups In The Park

On Saturday, June 1, we held our second Pups In The Park event to benefit Secondhand Hounds – a dog rescue mission here in the West Metro.    I have felt compelled to incorporate charitable contributions into the Lavish business model since its inception in late 2011.  I am so thankful that my sister, Julia – already an avid foster-human for the rescues at SHH and could vouch for their credibility and integrity as an organization – could make the connections for me to get the necessary publicity for Pups.

Everyone signed up for a mini-session via the Lavish Fb site (which was a little challenging to say the least, we’ll be making some changes for the Fall!) and brought their donations to the Minnehaha Dog Park.

Charlotte

I had posted some signs by the road that read “PUPS–>” in an effort to properly direct everyone.  Unfortunately, nearly 100% of the foot traffic at our location thought that we were selling or giving away free puppies.  Wooops, definitely didn’t think that one through all of the way.

Montgomery

By the end of the day we had collected nearly 400 lbs of donated dog food for SHH.  Everyone was extremely punctual (I was totally amazed by this) and ran smoothly!  I’d like to say it’s all because of my meticulous planning, but I think a lot of it has to do with luck, too.

Thanks to everyone who participated this Summer! We’ll have another set up for the Fall (October-ish, anyone?) and hope to have improved on some of the processes.

Did you participate in Pups In The Park?  We’re considering using a Google app called ScheduleOnce to make sign up easier since Fb comments are no longer chronological. Have you used it or something similar?