Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sneak Peek: The Golomski Family

This summer in Kansas City has been hot and it was no different the day I met up with the Golomski family in The City Market in downtown Kansas City!  They were all brave enough to venture out in the 102 degree heat for a fun family session.  Luckily there were some places in The City Market to duck inside to cool off and shoot!  We also ended the session with water balloons and Kenzie was more than willing to break a few over Will's head!  This photogenic family had a way of looking refreshed and cool amidst the extreme temperature; it was a great session! Take a look!  
(Clicking on the picture will give you a larger view.)














View more photos from the Golomski Family Session in the Kansas City River Market!

Allie Coyle
Kansas City Photographer

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Bread: I Knead It!

I love carbs.  Well, more specifically pastas and breads.  I don't know the entire science behind why you should shy away from them, but I don't think I could ever turn my back on such an amazing food group!  I do try to stick with whole wheat in bread and even now when it comes to baking, which I think tastes better anyway....

Anyway, the point of this post is to highlight one of the additional reasons I love going to The City Market in Kansas City and to show you the latest recipe from my market finds.

I happened upon a little store tucked into The City Market's permanent vendors area called Bloom Baking Co.   Gabe and I were drawn in by the sight of their lovely macarons as it reminded us of our favorite dessert boutique Pistacia Vera in Columbus Ohio's German Village area.  Well, needless to say, Bloom also has an array of beautiful breads that are tasty just to look at!  Here are a few we picked up on our recent trip.  Here they are... an Italian bread and their Focaccia bread.





Also, while at The City Market, I picked up a bunch of juicy fresh red grapes for this week's recipe.  I was excited to try my hand at baking my own focaccia bread and took the recipe from the pages of my favorite Cooking from the Farmer's Market cookbook.  This Grape & Walnut Focaccia bread was infused with rosemary olive oil (which was just simmering olive oil with fresh rosemary).  I didn't know how the grapes would play into this more seemingly savory bread, but the sweetness offered that perfect blend of both!







Well, I thought I'd highlight my love of bread and, of course, The City Market which provides such fresh ingredients and great year-round vendors!  

Next up:  A Sneak Peek of my latest Kansas City Family photography session!

Thanks for stopping by!

Allie Coyle
Kansas City Photographer



Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sneak Peek: Nathan & Elizabeth

I wanted to give a quick sneak peek of Nathan and Elizabeth (possibly one of the cutest couples ever) and our shoot down in Kansas City's River Market.  This shoot was in celebration of their two year anniversary and was so fun to capture their love for each other and for life!











Allie Coyle
Kansas City Photographer



Saturday, July 9, 2011

A Fresh Look at Pasta

This past week's fresh from the market recipe was one of high hopes and lessons learned.  I was thrilled by the thought of making my own pasta sauce and had visions of a hearty and smoky sauce like my Italian grandma makes that leaves your taste buds overwhelmed by layers of flavor and utter delight.  I was excited.

Gabe and I ventured to The City Market after enjoying a lazy Saturday morning sipping our coffee and not "having to go anywhere", which, by the way, are my favorite kinds of Saturdays.  We stocked up on our fresh fruit for the week, which included grapes for the next recipe, and sifted our way through the crowds till we spotted our main ingredient... the plum tomato.

Spaghettini with Fresh Plum Tomato Sauce was on our minds and I couldn't wait to try out this dish!  I had never seen spaghettini in the grocery store, so we headed to The City Market's Italian store, Carollo's Gourmet Grocery, which of course has a million different types of pastas, olive oils and other imported Italian favorites.  We also picked up a block of fresh Parmesan to top off our pasta!

The recipe called for fresh basil, which we picked from our own herb garden and I was off to cooking!  About half way through, I realized that the sauce was looking really watery and that overlooking the part of the recipe that said to cut the tomatoes lengthwise and seed, was probably the cause.  Suddenly my dreams of Nana's pasta sauce was coming to a halt and I was now trying to remedy the situation.  I drained some of the excess water and hoped for the best!

I guess this sauce was actually never intended to be that hearty, smoky, make your taste buds dance type of sauce, but as the name of the recipe suggested; a more fresh tomato taste.  So, it turned out good and simple.  There weren't layers of overwhelming flavor, but a very fresh from the garden tomato flavor... and it ended up looking pretty, so I was pleased.

Lesson Learned:  Follow each step of the recipe!







I'm learning that not every recipe will turn out as expected, but being flexible and enjoying how things turn out is key to happiness in the kitchen!

Buon Appetito!

Oh, and while I am enjoying this new found hobby of cooking; if you are in need of a Kansas City photographer for family sessions, senior pictures or whatever; feel free to let me know!  I'd love to work with you!

Allie Coyle
Kansas City Photographer

Saturday, July 2, 2011

New Website & Settling Down in Kansas City!

My new website, alliecoylephotography.com,  has officially been launched and I couldn't be more excited!  I'm so thankful to Jen and Meredith of design company, Bumper Krop, for taking a few key words and creating a beautiful custom website for me!



This dynamic duo put their brilliantly creative minds and exceptional talent to work and not only designed my website, but my logo as well!


On my site you'll find examples of my work, a little more about me and my passion for photography, what my sessions entail, a convenient contact form and easy access to my photography facebook page and back here to my photography blog!

If you live in the Kansas City area and are looking for a Kansas City photographer; I'd love to talk with you!  Although I'm new to Kansas City, I already feel so at home here and have enjoyed taking advantage of The City Market, great restaurants such as Pizza Bella and McCoys, ice cream from Murray's and Glace and am sure I'll keep discovering new things!

I've added a My Kansas City Favorites list here on my blog, so you'll have to stay tuned for my recent finds!  And, if you have any suggestions for great Kansas City places to try; let me know!!

I hope you get a chance to check out my new website, and again, if you're looking for a photographer in Kansas City; I'd love to work with you!

Hope to meet you soon!


Allie Coyle
Kansas City Photographer