Best of 2018 & 2019 Food Photos

I took very few photos over the past three years. Between 2017 and 2020 I moved three times, adapted to using a damaged camera, then adapted to having no camera at all, and finally got my first smartphone. I didn't have access to a standard kitchen for most of that time, had some weird living conditions, and majorly changed how I cooked. Instead of taking several thousand photos in a year I took 100 in 2017, 270 in 2018, and 140 in 2019. And I never shared them anywhere.

Below are my favorite food photos from 2018 and 2019. Some of the best food I cooked was never photographed and that's something I hope to remedy in 2020. For now I'm going to be proud of what I have done.

Purple Kale Salad & Cheese Pizza

An overhead shot of cheese pizza on a blue plate, purple kale salad in a white and blue bowl, and apple cider in a canning jar, all on a white table.

The pizza is pretty standard, the apple cider is fresh and unpasteurized from the farmer's market, and the salad is a vision I got in my head and had to make a reality. It's pretty simple: solid-purple kale, pomegranate seeds, toasted pepitas, cubed white cheddar, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The colors are fantastic and it was delicious. This was a nice meal we had while rewatching The Emperor's New Groove.

An overhead closeup shot of purple kale salad in a blue and white bowl. The salad has pomegranates, pumpkin seeds, and white cheese in it.

Erddig Apple Scone

An overhead shot of an apple scone on a multicolored striped dishtowel.

This Erddig Apple Scone recipe is from a National Trust cookbook. They're flaky and sweet and perfect.

Cato's Must Bread

A small loaf of brown bread with a multicolored striped dishtowel as abackground.

This is a recipe I adapted from Travola Mediterranea's Must Bread, which is in turn an adaptation of a recipe from Cato's De Agricultura. I've made this twice now and am happy with my version, and I'll do a better write-up of it eventually.

Tea Brack

An overhead shot of tea brack on a frog-patterned dishtowel.

Tea Brack is perfect for Halloween and makes a great snack. This version is whole wheat and is loaded with dried fruit, so it fills you up.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

A Basque burnt cheesecake being removed from the tall sheets of parchment paper that it's baked in.

I made this Basque Burnt Cheesecake for my birthday and it was worth heating up the apartment in August. Very easy, very good, very photogenic. I had been waiting for months to make it, because what would have been impossible in my yurt's toaster oven is possible in my apartment's standard oven. I can't wait to make it again.

Breakfast Pizzas

A blackberry-pepita pizza.

My partner is in charge of breakfast pizzas and made these. Half the fun of breakfast pizzas is that they always look so pretty. The recipe for these is from Meatless Meals by Pamela Anderson.

A pepita-peach pizza.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

An overhead shot of a chocolate pie next to a vase full of basil.

A first major cooking project in the yurt. It was summer and we hadn't experimented with using the toaster oven, so I made a no-bake dessert for my partner's birthday. It was really good.

Bean Burger with Peas & Pepitas

A bean burger on a blue plate, with a small pile of peas next to it and pumpkin seeds scattered on top.

The first meal I photographed in the yurt we'd just moved into; I was rejoicing in the natural lighting. I think the reason this got plated was because we could make it look fancy just for fun. To make this really extra I'd like to see some frilly greens and some kind of light-colored sauce drizzled on everything. I have no idea what's in the bean burger.

#food #photography