Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Events / Click / For the love of pasta…

For the love of pasta…

by Jeanne Horak on November 19, 2007 20 Comments in Click, NaBloPoMo 2007, Photography

pink and white heart-shaped pasta

I read recently that photography is the only form of visual art where you don’t consciously add elements (“shall I give David a fig leaf?  Naaah, my wrist is sore – leave him naked!”) but rather consciously have to exclude them.  You point your camera at a room full of people and it’s up to you whether to shoot the entire room or the detail on one woman’s hat.

 

Pink and white heart shaped pasta

Blogging is a little like that too.  You, as the blogger, can choose what to share with your readers and what to leave out.

 

You might choose to tell them about the souffle before the one that appeared on your blog.  The one that refused to rise and tended instead towards the consistency of a squash ball.  Or the muffins where you confused the amounts of flour and oil which were more amoeboid than muffinoid.

 

 

Or you might exercise your artistic license and exclude that little detail from your post.

 

Or you might post lovely pink and turquoise pictures of heart shaped pasta to build up to your entry into this month’s edition of Click! (a new event hosted by the lovely Bee and Jai over at Jugalbandi), leading readers to picture you flitting around your perfect home in your pastel-coloured apron, thinking sweet thoughts, smiling benignly and humming the Sound of Music under your breath as you click away at your pretty pasta.

 

Or you can tell them the truth, which is that you were in head-to-toe black, clearing a 1 square foot square space in the chaos that is your living room to accommodate the shoot, and that you had My Chemical Romance blaring as loudly as decency would allow on the stereo.

Nothing like boys in eyeliner for my creative impulse.

 

Follow me every day in November as I complete National Blog Posting Month – a post a day, every day, for 30 days! Here are all my NaBloPoMo ’07 posts so far.

Jugalbandi_logo The final picture above is in fact my entry into Click! for this month.  The theme is noodles and entries close tomorrow, so you’d better hurry if you still want to enter.  Check out Jugalbandi for details of how to enter.

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • WWBW4 New World Riesling – Danie De Wet RieslingWWBW4 New World Riesling – Danie De Wet Riesling
  • Polish cherry dumplingsPolish cherry dumplings
  • Flourless chocolate, blackberry and almond torteFlourless chocolate, blackberry and almond torte
  • Cooksister-tomatoFive things meme

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Mushroom, Mozzarella and chive omelettes
Whole seabass stuffed with fennel and olives »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Francesco says

    November 19, 2007 at 3:46 pm

    This is a crazy funny colorful post!!!
    First time I visit you (following the topless pastry link) … mind if I pass back sometimes?
    And I already discovered something new: click! and that pasta can have really many shapes!

    Reply
  2. Julia says

    November 19, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    Another My Chemical Romance fan! I love them……well actually I love Gerard but don’t tell Rob 😉

    Reply
  3. Sarah Pipilini says

    November 19, 2007 at 5:40 pm

    Ah the malevolent march of time…
    Then, boys in eyeliner;
    Now, men in babyliners!

    Reply
  4. Kit says

    November 19, 2007 at 6:48 pm

    Pretty pasta even if you’re not skipping merrily around it dressed in pink with nuns carolling in the background!

    Reply
  5. Andrew says

    November 19, 2007 at 9:25 pm

    Good choice of pic! Wont beat my Pot Noodle though 😉

    Reply
  6. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    Beautiful picture Jeanne!
    I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
    Margot

    Reply
  7. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    Beautiful picture Jeanne!
    I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
    Margot

    Reply
  8. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    Beautiful picture Jeanne!
    I sent my entry as well, but mine is not sooo colourful 🙁
    Margot

    Reply
  9. ejm says

    November 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that you WEREN’T humming the Sound of Music. Not that there’s anything wro… (WHAT am a saying?! Why oh why did you even mention TSoM?! Thanks to you, I now have an audiovirus of “I am six-teen, going on…” aaauaghhhhhhhhhhhh!!)
    What cool photos!
    Where did you find those hearts?! Are there other shapes too?
    -Elizabeth

    Reply
  10. Gill says

    November 20, 2007 at 2:35 pm

    Like I need another reason to love pasta – those pasta hearts are too cute! Better not show my kids or my poor friend who is coming over from the UK in a week (yay!) will be bringing yet another parcel…

    Reply
  11. Freya says

    November 20, 2007 at 4:21 pm

    What gorgeous pasta! And it solves the problem of what to cook on Valentines Day, albeit a few months too early!!

    Reply
  12. TBC says

    November 20, 2007 at 4:30 pm

    How pretty!
    I too took numerous pics but the hardest part was picking just one.
    Yours is so colorful!

    Reply
  13. bee says

    November 20, 2007 at 10:47 pm

    love the exuberance of colours and shapes. thanks for participating.

    Reply
  14. Annemarie says

    November 20, 2007 at 10:49 pm

    I love your imagery in this post, both verbal and pictoral! I’m off to find my frilly apron, in which to flit around the house…

    Reply
  15. S says

    November 21, 2007 at 9:54 am

    J – my sister is OBSESSED with heart shapes.
    Where can I buy these cuties?

    Reply
  16. Jeanne says

    November 21, 2007 at 1:39 pm

    Hi Francesco
    Glad you have discovered Cooksister! Do pop back any time 🙂 Maybe you can join us for the topless tart event?
    Hi Julia
    Hurrah! Another MCR fan over the age of 18!! I am thinking of changing my blog name to “Cooking with Mrs Gerard Way” – subtle, n’est ce pas?! Saw them live at the O2 on Thursday and they blew me away.
    Hi Sarah
    Speak for yourself, love. For me it’s ALWAYS going to be boys in eyeliner!
    Hi Kit
    I guess my secret is out – no carolling nuns in my CD collection!! Glad you like the pastel pasta though 🙂
    Hi Andrew
    I can’t believe you have actually made a Pot Noodle look vaguely edible! Who woulda thought. Now if YOU had been listening to MCR during the shoot, nobody would have been surprised…!
    Hi Margot
    You are right – pasta tends to come in a range of neutral and not-very-exciting colours, doesn’t it! That’s why these caught my eye. I’ve just had a look at your shot – it’s beautiful 🙂
    Hi Elizabeth
    Glad to hear your faith in me is restored by my taste in music…!
    I bought my pasta hearts at a funky kitchen store in Berlin, but I have seen similar ones on the web here: http://www.rosslyndeli.net/B13_special_occasions/B13C1_valentine.htm and here: http://www.pastashoppe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=149&c=47
    Hi Gill
    Aren’t they the cutest? The only problem is that they’re far too cute to eat! Although I have started thinking in the direction of a lovely pink salmon and vodka sauce with them…
    Hi Freya
    They are gorgeous (the dark ones are flavoured with beetroot!) but as I said above, you end up not eating them because it just seems that they are too pretty to eat.
    Hi TBC
    Yup, editing was the hardest. I have read that this is the mark of a good photographer: the ability to edit your portfolio ruthlessly and to select only one good photo from a series. I’m still working on that…
    Hi Bee
    Thanks for initiating the event! The colours are great, aren’t they? The pasta was from Germany and the napkins from South Africa, so it’s a pretty international photo too!
    Hi Annemarie
    LOL – seems like I’ve now got frilly aprons and Sound of Music on a few peole’s minds! Glad you liked the tone of the post as well as the pics – I had a ball taking them 🙂
    Hi S
    I got these in Berlin at a funky kitchenware store, but I have seen similar ones on the web here: http://www.rosslyndeli.net/B13_special_occasions/B13C1_valentine.htm and here: http://www.pastashoppe.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=149&c=47

    Reply
  17. [email protected] says

    November 21, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    I love your photos 🙂

    Reply
  18. african vanielje says

    November 22, 2007 at 9:52 am

    Hi Jeanne. I kinda like the picture of you in goth black humming the sound of music. Love the pics, and where dod you get the pasta. I’ve got to get my daughter some. SHe’ll love it.

    Reply
  19. ilingc says

    November 22, 2007 at 11:30 pm

    I love these heart shaped pastas. They’re gorgeous. My favourite is the second one, where two hearts lie together. It’s very romantic 🙂

    Reply
  20. kadirecipes says

    April 8, 2011 at 3:20 am

    i REALLY wonder how you take photos. These pics are very nice, you are AN ARTIST ANT YOUR TALENT IS UNIQUE.
    http://www.kadirecipes.com

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
If life gives you leftover roast lamb, make lamb Stroganoff!
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
How to sautée Brussels sprouts

Featured on

Also available on

MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
So how is your 2022 going? Are you being an angel So how is your 2022 going? Are you being an angel or a devil...?

I haven't made any new year's resolutions as such, but I have continued the tradition of the past few years of writing down some affirmations/intentions for the year ahead that I keep by my computer where I can see and be reminded of them every day.

One of this year's is "Make space for the people, activities and objects that bring you joy". Life often gets so cluttered with distractions, time sucks, mental noise and physical clutter that we  neglect the things that bring us true pleasure, and this year I am determined to cut down on some of that noise, clutter and distractions and make mental and physical space for the good stuff.

Do you have any goals or intentions for the year?

(These angel wings are some of the amazing street art that you can see in London's Shoreditch - a great way to stroll away a Saturday morning!)
📸: @explorista
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT