Cookie's Crumbles

Cookie's crumbles, morsels and tidbits

October 15, 2011 | 87 Comments

Apple, Gorgonzola, Artichoke Pizza

So, I’ve been a very bad blogger lately. I’ve had weddings every weekend for the past month (which is great), but that does not leave much time during the week to experiment with new recipes. Today my twins asked for grilled cheese. Now, I love a good grilled cheese as much as the next person, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. So I scrounged through my cupboards and came up with this quick, throw together pizza and ate half of it myself for lunch. It was quite delicious. Try it when you need something in a hurry, you won’t regret it.

Apple, Gorgonzola and Artichoke Pizza

1 Boboli thin pizza crust

1 T olive oil

1 large apple peeled and thinly sliced (I like something tart, but it’s completely up to you)

1 cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

1 small can mushrooms

1 can artichoke hearts

1/4 cup pine nuts (candied pecans would be better, but I didn’t have those)

1 T honey

3 t lemon juice

3 t Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place crust on baking sheet. Spread oil over crust. Arrange apple slices on crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle mushrooms, artichoke hearts and pine nuts on next. Bake for 8-11 minutes. I cooked mine for 8 and it could have used another 4-5 minutes, but that’s just my oven. While cooking, combine honey, lemon juice and mustard and whisk together. Set aside. Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with honey mixture. Cut into wedges and enjoy! Mmmm….

October 14, 2011 | 0 Comments

Mike & Amy {Wedding}

I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to celebrate Amy & Mike’s wedding last Saturday. The weather was a photographer’s dream and the location was beautiful. With family from all over Michigan, they decided to celebrate the day somewhere in the middle. They chose Cadillac, having their reception at the beautiful Caberfae Ski Resort. The colors were awesome and love was in the air. I hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon in Jamaica! And may God bless you both as you begin your lives together!

Hair and Makeup: Posh Salon, Cadillac

Flowers: Hagstrom’s Flowers, Cadillac

DJ: Eagle Entertainment, Josh Rheaume

Reception Location: Caberfae Ski Resort

To see their beautiful slideshow from the wedding day, click here.

October 7, 2011 | 0 Comments

Family Session Fun

I had a great family session earlier this week on Monday with a fabulous family from my church. Mom asked if we could do it right in their backyard because it is so pretty this time of year, and of course I said yes. I love shooting at a person’s home, it makes the pictures so much more personal and everyone in the family is usually much more comfortable. The two girls remind me of me and my sister when we were younger, they were so much fun to take pictures of. Dad has a new job where he doesn’t get to see his family for several days at a time, so Mom wanted new family pics on the walls so the girls would have constant reminders of Dad and not miss him as much. Thanks again for letting me and my boys come over to play and take pictures. These are some of my favorite family pis I’ve ever done!

October 6, 2011 | 0 Comments

Fun at Robinette’s Orchard

Sara and I took the kids to Robinette’s to run off a little steam today. The kids had fun and we were able to enjoy some beautiful October weather.

October 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

Justin & Sarah {Wedding}

It was such a beautiful day for a wedding this past Saturday. And I was lucky enough to share it with two awesome families. Sarah and Justin, I’m so glad I was able to work with you and pray for blessings in your marriage as you become a family. Thanks again for a special day! And it was great to see two other couples that I photographed not so long ago. The brother of the bride and his wife, with their new baby and the brother of the groom and his wife. I hope you’re enjoying Traverse City. To see the slideshow from this beautiful October wedding, click here.

October 3, 2011 | 0 Comments

Wedding Themes: Pink

For my Monday morning post, I thought I’d start the week with some hot pink weddings I’ve done over the past few years. Enjoy!

October 2, 2011 | 0 Comments

Amanda & Jeff {Wedding}

Most of you have already seen this on my Facebook business page, but I always like to post my weddings on my blog so I can give credit to various venders and link to them. So for those of you who may have missed it, Mandy and Jeff’s wedding!

Last weekend I was able to be a part of a very special day. A very dear friend married her best friend at Water’s Edge Resort in Connecticut and they honored me by asking me to take the pictures. My mom and I took a few extra days and went out early so we could take in the sites in New York City, and it was a great weekend away. I’ve been friends with Mandy since we were about 3 years old and I consider it an incredible blessing to have been a part of their day. Amanda and Jeff, you are perfect for each other. I’m so glad God has brought you together and I love you both. May He bless you both as you begin your married life together! I still think you should have had a professional photographer along with you to document Italy 🙂 Have a great time and I’ll plan on being back out to your place in a little less than a year 🙂

To see their beautiful slideshow, click here.

October 1, 2011 | 0 Comments

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad’s birthday! He turns 59. God has blessed me with the best father anyone could ask for and I’m so honored to call him my dad. He’s actually given me a gift, a gift that keeps on giving every year that goes by. My dad lives out his faith in Christ on a daily basis and always has, and I’ve been able to witness it for the past 35 (almost 36) years. I hope and pray that when my boys are old and grey, they will look back and look at me the way I look back at my dad; that I lived my faith daily and they could see it and feel it. That’s how I feel about my dad. He also introduced me to every and all types of music, and I’m also so thankful for that. Every time he posts a song video on his Facebook page I smile. I love to watch him sing and my kids do too. So on top of all the great stuff I’ve already written, he’s the best grandpa to my boys! He takes them kayaking, on walks, teaches them how to collect rocks, sings with them, talk to them about Jesus and most importantly loves them for who they are. I love him more than words can say and am so proud to call him my dad. I love you dad!

September 30, 2011 | 0 Comments

Dodging the Rain For A Family Session

Some of you may recognize this couple from their wedding I was able to shoot almost 18 months ago. They were back in town for a week and asked me to do some updated family pictures with their precious four month old son. What a sweet little guy! It was raining almost all morning, but we managed to find a few minutes to squeeze in some pictures between the rain drops. Look at this precious little boy!

September 28, 2011 | 0 Comments

Brandied Caramel Apple Pie

I had a bunch of extra apples sitting on my counter yesterday and decided to quick throw together an apple pie for my hubby. I found the following recipe in Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade’s September/October issue and thought I’d give it a try. This was a very easy recipe, pretty much your typical apple pie recipe. Enjoy!

Brandied Caramel Apple Pie:

1 refrigerated pie crust

5-8 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup plus 2 T flour, divided

2 t ground cinnamon

2 cups caramel sauce

3 T apple brandy

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup butter

1 cup instant oats

preheat oven to 375. fit pie crust into 9″ pie plate, fluting edges. bake for 4-5 minutes. cool on a wire rack. in a large bowl, toss apples with 1/4 cup plus 2 T flour and the cinnamon.

in a saucepan, heat the caramel over medium heat until warm. remove from heat. add 1 cup to apple mix and toss gently to coat. stir brandy into the remaining sauce and reserve for topping pie. spoon apple mixture into pie crust, layering apples as tightly as possible.

in a medium bowl, combine remaining flour, brown sugar and oats. using a fork, cut butter into mix and stir until crumbly. sprinkle over apples, pressing to adhere.

place pie on a baking sheet (to catch drips) and cover loosely with foil. bake for 30 minutes. remove foil and bake an additional 35-45 minutes until brown and bubbly. enjoy!