naturally ginger

Sunday, February 2, 2014

King Cake, Beef Stew, Dinner with Friends

Thursday, I had an incredible dinner wtih friends. The Thomas's invited myself and the Family over to their apartment for dinner. We all jumped at the chance to hangout with such an amazing couple. Their beautiful apartment, on the luxurious West 87th Street, was a cozy escape from the winter cold.

The center piece of the living room was this beautiful custom wall piece. "Mighty Oaks" comes from the saying "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow". The saying has personal meaning to the couple, so they decided to have the letters custom made and covered with a map of NYC. I love decor accent pieces that are both meaningful and ascetically intriguing.

We each brought a cheese to start. The Family, of course, coordinated to ensure we had no cheese repeats. I picked up a sharp Beermeister, Mer grabbed a Brie with peppercorn, and Bryan stopped by Eataly for a creamy Kunik. We paired the cheese with crackers and buttered toasts. We also supplied wine for the dinner, not a difficult task for this crew.

I'm in love with Mer's aztec pants.

The table was set and ready to host.

laughs upon laughs upon laughs....

Anthony and Jess cooked up a hearty beef stew that was served over rice with string beans and salad on the side. It was melt in your mouth delicious.

I'm pretty sure we all had seconds.

For dessert, we had a King Cake. After doing some research, I learned that King Cakes will look and taste different depending on their place of origin. Ours was from the French Boulanger, Maison Kayser. You may associate King Cake with Mardi Gras, but those are usually more colorful and cake like. Ours was an almond flavored pastry dough, light and fluffy, with just a slight crunch. In each cake the baker hides a little plastic trinket, traditionally it is a baby Jesus.

The superstition is, whoever gets the piece of cake with the trinket, will be the next to get married. Funny enough, no one ended up getting the trinket on the first go. It was comfortably nestled in the last uneaten piece. Not big on superstitions, I decided to claim the trinket (a plastic baguette) and the crown for myself.

The meal was delicious and the company was even better. We laughed until we couldn't laugh anymore and went home full in many different ways.

(Shirt - Loft / Necklace - J.Crew)

Dinner with friends is always a good option. Make sure you set aside time for the people you care about and want to invest in. I hope you'll make plans this week to get together with someone you've been meaning to catch up with.

ps...sorry for all the pictures. Too many good ones to leave any out!

d.eileen

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Coffee with a World Changer - Diane Rodriguez

THANK GOD MY INTERNET IS WORKING AGAIN! Major delay in posts this week due to that setback.

It's time for another "Coffee with a World Changer" post (check out the first one here). I met my beautiful friend Diane at Starbucks on 3rd & E 15th for a little chat. She brought her amazing son Levi, who is literally the most incredible little person. He is a future professional drummer and takes after his father as a worship leader.

Diane is incredible. She came from humble beginings and is now living a full beautiful life. She's a World Changer because she is embracing each day she has, living life to the fullest, and tackling challenges as they come with grace and wisdom.

Diane is a photographer. Her company is called Spanglish Studios and specializes in wedding photography. Diane is an incredible photographer because she doesn't just take pictures. She gets to know her subjects and creates an environment for them to fully expereince their special moments.

photo c/o Spanglish Studios

3 words to describe your life right now.

Stretched. Hopeful. Full-Speed-Ahead.

A goal you have for yourself for the next 6 months to a year.

Personal goal, have another baby. Professional goal, expand business, shoot weddings in other states.

Best advice you've received.

Don't turn your world upside down because you have a baby. Just make them apart of your life. They are not your life, they are a beautiful addition to it. Don't let being a parent get in the way of what God has for you, they are apart of the bigger plan.

What is one word to describe what you do for a living?

Life-stories.

Tell me more.

Everyone has such great stories. I really get a kick out of it. Stuff like, "3 years ago I was pumping gas and he came over and asked for my number. Who would have know he'd be the love of my life". Just crazy things. The ways people meet and fall in love are incredible, the stories are wild.

What are some things that you value in life.

Family. God. Friends.

How did you get into photography?

I grew up in foster homes and I did not have any pictures to document my life. So, I always wanted to get to know people through their pictures and their stories. Eventually, I realized that everyone has a story and I find people are sometimes more comfortable telling their story through a picture. It was a friend that pushed me into chasing my dream. I always had the fear of what if people wouldn't let me tell their story or want me to take their picture. God just opened the door for it.

What is your favorite place to shop in NYC?

Thrift shops. I like Beacon's Closet and Crossroads Trading Co.

What is your favorite restaurant in NYC?

Milk & Roses. Rabbit Hole. Cafe Mogador (one of Naturally Ginger's favorites). Five Leaves.

What is your favorite thing to do in NYC?

Go to Dumbo and lay in the grass between the Brooklyn & Manhattan Bridges. I also like to Google abandoned sites and explore them.

What is your favorite place for Coffee or to edit photos?

Grumpy Cafe. One Girls Cookie Cafe. House of Small Wonder. Starbucks.

Levi and I may or may not have decided to have a photoshoot. Thanks to his very talent Mommy, these shots turned out great.

Thank you Diane and Spanglish Studios for taking time to chat with Naturally Ginger. Love you and the work you that you do. Looking forward to memories and beautiful life-stories to come.

d.eileen.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Republic and a Frozen Sunday Funday

This past Sunday Funday was more like Sunday Freezing. I'm pretty sure temperatures did not reach 20 degrees. People were bundled up and braving fierce arctic winds. Since it was Sunday Funday, I decided that fabulousness outweighed freezing. When it is this cold in NYC, you need to layer, layer layer. You also can never go wrong with a fur stole, floppy hat, and big sunglasses.

Here are some of the ways people stayed fabulous and warm this Sunday Funday.

Kait is always a fashion inspiration to me. She works at Barney's and is flawless when it comes to fashion. I saw her skirt during church and knew I had to capture her fabulousness.

The men of Hillsong NYC always bring the most.

A few more lovely ladies.

Plaid shirt and print scarf, love the contrast!

Snuck a lunch a Republic with my dearest Natalie. Republic is an Asian-fusion restaurant off of Union Square. I love Republic because they cook with the freshest ingredients and the price is very reasonable.

A little wrist frosting for this frosty day!

We both got one of their Broth Noodle dishes. I chose the Wonton while Natalie opted for the Spicy Seafood. My favorite dishes are the Fried Calamari and Peanut Noodle Salad, but on a cold day like Sunday, warm soup was the way to go.