Published!

A few weeks ago the Orange County Register contacted me to see if they could use one of my photos in an article for their Travel section on "America's Best Breakfasts." I was excited about this for two reasons:

1. I love sharing my photos with people who wouldn't normally get to see them, like people in California.

and, more importantly,

2. I have a serious soft spot in my heart for a traditional all-American breakfast.

I was even more excited when they sent me the link to the article today. Not only was my photo in there but, hello, two of my favorite breakfast places were featured (I'm looking at you Athenian Inn and Lou Mitchell's)!

So, without further ado, click on the link above to read the article and check out my photo of the fabulous Athenian Inn in Pike Place Market, Seattle below:

Gilbert's Chowder House. Portland, Maine

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Amazing outdoor patio

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

2. Really good prices

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

3. Cannot be described in words lobster roll

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

3a. No seriously, I actually dream about this thing...

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

4.Your chowder awesomeness

Photo © Christina Saull-All Rights Reserved

West Side Market

I have a soft spot in my heart for Cleveland's West Side Market. Dating back to the 1840's, it's Ohio's oldest public market & a place where I used to roam the stalls with my Dad as a child almost every Saturday morning. On our recent trip to Cleveland, I was delighted to see that it hadn't changed one bit. It's a gem of a place & one that should be on any visitor's list. Not to mention that the Ohio City neighborhood that surrounds it has grown by leaps & bounds over the years & is home to many chic restaurants & shops now.

I spent a good amount of time strolling the aisles of this great gem, before stopping at the West Side Market Cafe for a most excellent breakfast the Friday morning I visited.

This breakfast was not only the healthiest thing I ate the whole trip, it was also one of the most enjoyable. There's nothing like a good breakfast, a hot cup of coffee & the truly important sections of the newspaper.

P.S. What do you think about the new photo size? Too big? I personally like the bigger photos, I think it really shows off the detail well, but maybe they're too big for some people's tastes. Let me know!

Epic

Our trip to Cleveland was epic in every way possible.

The food we ate; the amount of food we ate.

The nostalgia we rolled around in like Scrooge McDuck and a big pile of gold coins.

The baseball we watched (okay, most of that was just epically bad).

The small town fireworks we saw.

The small town charm we fell in love with.

For now I'll leave you with the above image of Saturday's lunch. But I will be back with so, so much more.

Five for Friday

... or not. It has been an exhausting, busy week at work. So I'll just post some cheery, summer-like pictures instead :)

Because what says summer more than...

list 9 - Things I Love to Photograph

architecture
(Chicago, Illinois)

churches
(Bathsheba, Barbados)

tulips
(conservatory inside the Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada)

neon
(Paris hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada)

the view from 40,000 feet
(somewhere over the north Atlantic Ocean)

food
(farmer's market, Del Ray, Virginia)

cloudy sunsets
(south coast, Barbados)

how to make an awesome cold weather lunch

We have pretty much been living off these things since the snow started (and a modified version of it is usually our daily brown bag work lunch).

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):
- 2 oz low-sodium turkey
- 2 slices of your favorite bread (I like whole wheat deli-flats, which are only 100 calories each!)
- your favorite butter/margarine/butter-type spread
- cheese (I like Swiss, which is low in sodium!)

1. First, set up your Griddler/George Foreman Grill with griddle plates/good ol' flat, square griddle pan. Heat it up to a good medium-high heat.

2. Butter one side of your bread. If you're using a bread like my favorite deli-flats, butter than non-crusty side.




3. Put your bread butter side down onto the hot griddle.

4. Assemble your sandwiches with turkey and cheese. You can use one piece of cheese or, if you're my husband, sneak two pieces on there.

5. When it starts getting a little bubbly, and the cheese starts to melt around the edges, it's time to put the two halves together.

6. Let it cook for a little bit as a whole sandwich, flipping it once or twice to get both sides nice and brown and crispy.

7. Close your griddler to give the sandwich a nice press and a final sizzle. If you're using a griddle pan, you can squish it down with a spatula.
8. And then you're done!

I think it makes a perfect lunch with a piece of fruit!

Tarpon Springs, Florida

One of the most fun things you can do in the Tampa area is head over to Tarpon Springs. This awesome Greek sponging community is full of life, great restaurants, fun shops and, well, sponges! We headed over there on Sunday while we were down visiting Brad's grandparents. My old favorites did not disappoint and I managed to navigate the rental car there with no getting lost! It's amazing how, after ten years, my nose will still lead me directly to flaming cheese and baklava...

Brad and his awesome grandparents
a little bit Hollywood... a little bit Tarpon

HELLAS!!!!!!

I love you, flaming cheese (look at all that grease!)

all smiles, post super-Greek-food lunch

January 1 = football!!!

We treated New Years Day as it is meant to be treated: like a day to worship the best sport there is!! We parked our butts on the couch all day, only breaking to warm up snacks and do a little laundry.

breakfast of champions: a denver bagel sand-o from Brugger's Bagels

football food!

Rose Bowl action

Did you ever wonder what it would look like if you photographed that last swig of beer? I think it looks kind of cool! (the top one is without flash, bottom one with)

Happy 2008 everyone! May you have a joyous and prosperous year!