Behind the Scenes Peek

We get a lot of questions about what our “jobs” actually entail around here and there are actually a lot of aspects to this little gig.  We obviously cook, photograph, and share recipes here on the blog.  We also stay busy writing cook books, public speaking, collaborating with press and media, and doing a little traveling.  The business side of things takes up an enormous amount of time and I think most people would be surprised to see how much goes on “behind the scenes!”  (I also think people would have instant panic attacks if they saw our inbox.  Because we have panic attacks.)  We constantly have side projects we’re working on, like right now, we’re spending hours upon hours getting our App all ready for ya (I know we keep saying it’s close, but really…it’s close!)

All that being said, I have to say one of my favorite parts of my job is freelance recipe development.  It’s fun to be inspired by a certain type of food, or brand, and get to play around in the kitchen until we come up with something perfect, that represents both who we are as cooks and creative minds, and also the client for whom we’re cookin’ things up for.  I recently worked on a project developing some recipes for Simple Truth and since that’s taken up most of my week, I thought you’d enjoy taking a little “behind the scenes” peek!

I’m going to be sharing the recipes with you in the coming weeks, but here’s a little taste.  (I wish it an actual taste, but technology has only brought us so far.)  And yes, this first one tastes as good as it looks!  I came up with some Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake Bars.  They have a sweet cookie crust, a vanilla-lemon ricotta cheesecake layer, fresh berries, and a lemon crumb topping.  And I topped it with an easy berry sauce for good measure.

To balance the sweet with the savory, I also came up with a really yummy Curry Cashew Quinoa Salad.

These recipes are being turned into little video segments.  I say “little,” but no one was more surprised than I was to see the amount of gear the crew showed up bright and early in the morning to turn my house into a set!

This is Rex, the sound specialist who I swear could hear a pin drop from 800 miles away.  He picked up sound from my son playing a game on an iPad turned almost completely to silent on a different floor and opposite end of my house.   It was kind of amazing.  (Sidenote:  What should I do with my mantle?  We’re still getting settled in our new place and that mantle is stressing me out.  Right now I just put candlesticks up there every time I unpack another one.  I’m going to run out of room.  Or be forced to buy actual candles.  I’m thinking maybe a mirror…)

I worked with a really talented cinematographer, who after seeing his work, makes me feel confident that even I couldn’t ruin these videos.

There were fuzzy microphones that reminded me of my sister’s chinchilla,

And lights that they promised would make me look thin with perfectly glowing skin.  Okay, they didn’t promise that.  They actually laughed at me when I demanded that sort of equipment.

It was a long day- about 12 straight hours of filming, and a total blast.  I’m really excited to see the finished product, not because I’m in it (I actually hate seeing myself on video, I makes me cringe and cover my eyes) but because I think the creative team behind the project are so talented.  I can’t wait to share the yummy recipes too; I was thinking of all y’all when I was brainstorming ideas.  I always think, “What would our OBB readers like…”  So thanks for inspiring us, too!

I hope you guys enjoyed a little behind-the-scenes action today.  I’m off for some much needed R&R this weekend, but Kate and I will be back next week, a week of LOVE, for Valentines!  And before you take off, make sure to check out the deal right below.  BOTH of our cook books, our first book, and our second book, are priced at a crazy-good deal right now for a limited time only.  It’s time to stock up- for you and for gifts- you won’t find a better deal than this!  It’s only through Deseret Book, and the deal is both on-line and in-store.  Get ’em while they’re hot!