“So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold”
~Sting

With fall quickly approaching, I thought you might like to see a little something to get you in the mood.

“Following the sun we left the old world.”
~Inscription on one of Columbus’ caravels

Larry and I had this delicious sweet corn soup at one of our favorite restaurants: Napa Valley Grille, in Westwood. After practically inhaling my soup I mentioned to the waiter that it was one of the tastiest things I had ever eaten. He politely said he would be sure to let the chef know, cleared my plate and went about his business. A few minutes later who should appear at our table but the chef! He wanted to let us know how pleased he was to hear that we were enjoying our meal. I gushed on about the soup and asked if he would share the recipe. I expected him to laugh off my request but instead he explained that he didn’t work with recipes per se but to leave our email with the waiter and he would see what he could do. I almost fell out of my office chair when a few days later this recipe was in my in-box. I mean who would ever expect a chef of this caliber to take the time to write out a recipe and email it to a total stranger? I was beyond blown away! So without further ado, I would like to share it with you.

This recipe yields approximately 4 cups of soup.

4 Ears of corn. Cut kernels from cob and save the cobs for the corn broth
6 Green onions. White part only. Save the green part for the corn broth
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 Garlic clove, smashed
1 1/2 Cups of heavy cream
1oz Butter
1oz Extra virgin olive oil
TT Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Corn Broth
In a large stock pot add the corn cobs and the green parts from the green onion to 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer while you prepare the onion and corn mixture below.

Onion Corn Mixture
Sweat (no color, low heat) onion, green onion and garlic with the butter and olive oil. Add corn and cook for several minutes. Reserve approximately 4 tablespoons of the onion corn mixture for garnish.

Once the corn broth has reduced to about half, remove the cobs and green onion from the water. Add the onion corn mixture along with the heavy cream and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a blender and blend until it’s a consistency that you like. Serve with the reserved garnish.

If you like corn, I’m certain you’ll love this soup and if you find yourself hungry in Westwood head over to Napa Valley Grille for a wonderful meal and out of this world service.

www.napavalleygrille.com/westwood/about.php

I bought these utterly gorgeous black sunflowers at a road side flower stand. As they started to fade and wilt, to my eye, they became even more beautiful. I dried them in the hopes of harvesting the seeds and planted them in our garden but sadly they never bloomed. I searched all summer for more of these beauties but alas there were none to be found. All I have left is what remains of my small bag of seeds and this photograph.

He popped the question and you said, “Yes!” and so begins the giddy, roller coaster ride of planning a wedding. There will be countless decisions to be made and let’s be honest, some stressful times ahead as well. That is why it is so important to do something fun together as a couple.

Taking the time to have an engagement photo session will not only please your parents (and trust me, they will be pleased) but you and your honey can spend the afternoon wrapped in each other’s arms being reminded of how lucky you are to have each other.

If it’s Wednesday, then it’s time for me to introduce you to one of my Happy Places. I’m doing something a little different this time; instead of featuring a great place to eat or shop, I would like to spotlight one of our favorite venues in which to photograph an event, Saddlerock Ranch.

Whenever Larry or I get a phone call from a prospective bride and she tells us she’s getting married at Saddlerock, we get super excited. We’ve photographed this property many times over the years yet we never run out of photographic inspiration. I mean, this place has everything from bison and zebra to golden rolling hills and cool broken down tractors to photograph. Plus the light is lovely here pretty much all day long.

To me, this place is the quintessential Californian locale. It’s a little rugged, a bit quirky but still very elegant.

www.malibufamilywines.com