Ready, Set, Weekend with Simply Beautiful Eating

This super easy frozen yogurt recipe requires no ice cream maker. You heard me right. No churn. No muss. No fuss.  It’s simply, delicious and actually notsobad for you. Anything homemade is healthier than store-bought, and it tastes so amazingly fresh.

Now, looking at these photos you would never know that this took no effort at all to do. Oh sure, I can make it look a bit intimidating but that usually lends to the fact that I dress up my stuff for photos on the blog and my social feeds. Food styling is something that I love to do and I’m going to give you a few quick tips on how to make your photos look as dreamy as the ones you see here today.

 1.   Use different angles when photographing your food. There are a few angles that I stick to and work for me. Overhead (or flatlay). Straight on. Forty five degrees. As well, I love playing with natural light and shadows in my photography. Don’t be afraid to keep shadows in your pictures. I know there are many editing tools to remove shadows, but I think they add a certain character to the story you are trying tell.

2.   Using the right props. If you want to engage interest in your photos, you need to use interesting dishes and props to keep the reader inspired. I like mixing vintage and new props for my photos. In this shoot, I used brand new dollar store ceramic cups for the frozen yogurt mixed with vintage spoons and linens. I love the way old and new blend together to bring playfulness into a shot. And, I love using dead flowers in my shoots. Yes, dead. As in DEAD, GONE AND DRIED OUT. These petals have been sitting around for at over 2 years and they are from the hydrangeas from my garden. Last but not least, try to use tableware with a low sheen or matte finish. There’s nothing worse than seeing myself in a spoon once the photo is processed.

3.   Use smaller plates. I tend to go for smaller rather than bigger plates or cups in my shoots. They are much easier to fit into the frame of your photos and you are not going to deal with your food looking like it’s stuck on a vast space of nothing. And speaking of plates, I like to use plates that are subtle in colour and not a crazy pattern so they don’t compete with the food you are trying to focus on.

4.   Generally, I like to shoot my food props/plates/vessels in uneven groups of three or five. This was one exception where I only had two of these ceramic cups for my frozen dessert but it actually doesn’t look too bad.

5.   Keeping it real. I’m a big believer of styling food organically. My approach is to make YOU want to eat with your eyes. One thing I love to do is sprinkle, crumble, drip and frequently take a bite out of the food I’m photographing. I mean, it’s a tough job but someone has to be the “taste tester” around here. There’s absolutely nothing better than making a mess, with the exception of having to CLEAN it up.

6.   Editing your photos. I think I have said this many times on the blog. It’s very important to give your photos a bit of a touch up after you upload the raw images from your camera or phone. My favourite editing tool is Google Snapseed. If you haven’t seen my tutorial, head over to my Instagram feed and check it out in my highlights. I’m 100% not a Lightroom gal and still living to tell the story.

7.    Get inspired by others. I wear many hats and have a few titles. One that I’ve added to my list is Director of Research and Development. What that means is, I’m constantly scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on Pinterest. There are so many wonderfully creative food bloggers in this world, it’s hard not to admire the hard work and talent that go into their content. AND, there’s nothing wrong with getting inspired by others for food styling and photography as long as you don’t imitate in its exact form. My advice? Be yourself. Create a unique style of your own and don’t be afraid to express new ideas that reflect your brand.

8.   Lastly, and most importantly. Keep practicing because “practice makes perfect”.

Switching back to this FROYO for a second.

Unlike store bought frozen yogurt, a homemade frozen yogurt contains no gross additives. You can’t expect the “exact” texture you get when you add stabilizers etc. into the process. The good news is, with homemade frozen yogurt you can taste the tang of the yogurt and the sweetness of the honey. It’s simply beautiful, really yummy and best if eaten the day you make it.

Wait. Wait. Wait. The even more bestest best part is, you can use this recipe as a base and add anything your heart desires to it when you make it again in the future. I love to purée my fruit (fresh or frozen) then add it to the yogurt, honey and vanilla to the mixture.

AND, I know you are going to ask me this so here’s the scoop on these scoops.

If you end up storing the frozen yogurt for a couple of days, remove it from the freezer 20 minutes before serving, to allow it to soften. That way, you don’t end up chipping away at a solid rock and get mad at me.

Just a few healthy, everyday ingredients, one food processor (or blender), NO refined sugar, and NO Carbs will pretty much make you a fro-yo legend (in your own mind)

VANILLA BEAN FROZEN YOGURT WITH SALTED CARAMEL DRIZZLE

·      2 cups Greek yogurt (plain & full fat)

·      ¼ cup organic honey

·      1 vanilla bean pod, scraped

1.  Place the yogurt, honey and vanilla in your blender or VITAMIX. If you don't have this equipment, you can use a food processor.

2.  I use the frozen dessert option on my Vitamix to blend all the ingredients until they are light and fluffy.

3.  Transfer the mixture into a 8 or 9 inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 45 minutes.

4.  Remove the pan from the freezer and using a spatula stir the partially frozen yogurt into center of a pan then use a whisk to mix everything together until nice and smooth.

5.  Cover again, and place in the freezer for 2 more hours, repeating the process of stirring the yogurt every 30 minutes.

6.  When the entire mixture is frozen, serve as a soft-serve style yogurt or freeze 1-2 more hours for a firmer consistency that you can scoop out with an ice cream scoop.

SALTED CARAMEL DRIZZLE

·      ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

·      ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar

·      4 tablespoons heavy cream

·      1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·      Fleur de sel to taste (flaky sea salt)

 1.  Heat butter, brown sugar and heavy cream in a small pot on medium low heat on the stove. Stir until melted and smooth. Kick up the heat and to a boil and then turn down heat to a simmer and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt to taste. I start with a ¼ teaspoon salt and keep tasting it until I'm happy. You can store this at room temperature or in a container in the fridge. Just gently reheat when ready to use either on the stove or in the microwave