Gerardo & Catherine Zúñiga {Wedding}

Head over heels.  That's the phrase that runs through my head as I think back over Cat and Lalo's wedding day, and look through their photographs. These two love big and vibrantly, and you can just feel it when you're around them for any length of time.  And you can see it... in the way that Lalo's face lights up when he looks at Cat... and in the way Cat throws her head back in laughter and has this big smile on her face when she is with Lalo.
It was such a joy to shoot this wedding, to see Cat and Lalo surrounded by family and friends who love them so dearly, and to witness another example of God's faithfulness in bringing these two together.


The day started off at the Embassy Suites in Glendale, where Cat was getting ready with her bridesmaids.  She had booked one of the suites, so all the girls where there together, chatting, sipping mimosas, and getting their hair and makeup done.
The suite had this really cool window in one of the rooms, it was perfect for getting the dress shots.

Lisa Martin, from Violet Opus {www.violetopus.com} brought the flowers shortly after I arrived.  They were simply beautiful! And check out the green wicker basket she brought the flowers in...  so creative, and cute too!

Some of my favorite shots of the day are Cat's bridal portraits.  This girl is gorgeous!  Her dark hair and eyes just pop in photographs.

After her portraits, we packed up and drive to First United Methodist Church in North Hollywood.  This venue is so pretty!  There is a courtyard in the middle of the church with a fountain and blooming trees, and the sanctuary has these amazing stained glass windows.  Breathtaking!

When we got Cat safely hidden in the bridal room, I went to get Lalo to do some groom's portraits before the couple's first look. I asked him how he was doing, and he laughed a little and said he was anxious to see Cat.  So I snapped a few photos of him, then went to go bring out his bride.

Before the ceremony started, I was able to get the groom/smen pictures, as well as some detail shots of Cat and Lalo's programs. 

How cute are these? They were strung up all over a mini tree with branches on a table in the foyer.  So unique!

After the ceremony, we went to Pasadena City Hall to get a few pictures with the bridal party and newly wed Mr. and Mrs. Zúñiga before going to Noor Restaurant in Pasadena for the reception.

Noor Restaurant was such a great place to have the reception.  Each table was beautifully decorated, and the food was amazing.

I loved the wedding favors... from the Taverdi family, bottles of olive oil from olives handpicked and pressed by the family, and from the Zúñigas, bottles of homemade chili sauce that is the family's own recipe. 

Cat and Lalo both have very large and vivacious families.  When the bridal party was announced, all the family gathered around the bride and groom clapping and waving hip scarves and partaking in a middle eastern dance out on the floor.  It was awesome!

There was much dancing, laughter, cheers, good food, and dancing, and dancing, and dancing for the rest of the evening.  

Cat and Lalo, you two are such a wonderful couple! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wedding day.

iHeart Pumpkins {Pancakes}

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm nearly obsessed with anything pumpkin.  When the end of summer rolls around, I start dreaming of the crisp weather, scarves, boots, and pumpkin... anything.  Pumpkin pancakes, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, carving pumpkins.... I think you probably get the idea. 


Now that it's the "pumpkin season," I've decided to make some of my favorite pumpkin recipes, and to share them here with you!


The first recipe I made was inspired by my breakfast date with Amanda a few weeks ago.  We tried a new place called The Griddle Cafe off of Sunset Blvd.  There were pumpkin pancakes on the menu, so naturally I ordered them.  One word: AMAZING.  It was like dessert for breakfast, and the pancakes were massive, I swear they weighed like 7 pounds.


So, last week I searched the interweb for a recipe that resembled that of The Griddle Cafe.  I came across a blog called Holly Baby (www.hollybaby.com) where they had the actual recipe.  Saturday morning Andrew and I made the pancakes together, and wow they were good!

Ingredients:
2 cups of your favorite dry pancake mix
3 Tbsp dark-brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (for an easier option ~ use 1 cup of Libby Pumpkin Pie filling, which is already seasoned. Omit the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla if choosing this option)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for the griddle.

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. In another large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, vanilla extract, and oil. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or large frying pan on medium high. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form in the batter and the edges begin to brown. Then flip them and cook until the other sides are lightly browned.

Top with whipped cream and powdered sugar.

Happy cooking! Let me know if you try the recipe :)  Stay tuned for the next pumpkin recipe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins...

iHeart Strawberries

Strawberries are one of my favorite foods.  I’m always so happy when summer rolls around and they are on sale at the grocery store.  Even better is when you are able to get freshly picked berries out of the garden.  We had a small strawberry patch in our backyard when I was younger.  I have fond memories of running around and playing in the yard, then popping over to the patch to see if any were ripe.  In my opinion, there isn’t much better flavor in the world than a sun ripened strawberry picked right off the plant. 

Up in Boise, a lot of farmer’s stands go up in the summer to sell extra fruit, and we would often get these huge flats of strawberries.  That meant that mom would make strawberry shortcake and jam, and we would have lots of berries to snack on.  Yum.

Besides being pretty fruit (I love love that deep beautiful red), strawberries are very nutritious (which is a good quality in something that I can sit down and eat a whole lot of, am I right?).   They are high in fiber, low in calories, and one cup of strawberries has 136% of your daily vitamin C.  They also contain manganese, which is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent.  Because they are so packed with vitamins, strawberries are not only good for consumption, but for cosmetic purposes as well!  Did you know that placing the leaves of a strawberry on acne will help the swelling and redness go down by reducing the acidity of the affected area?  It’s true!  Strawberries also contain salicylic acid, which helps to slough of dead skin cells and refine pores.  They also contain powerful anti-aging properties and soften skin.  And you can make an all-natural facemask at home!  The two simplest versions are:

Version #1

5 medium strawberries, mashed

3 tablespoons of raw honey

Mix together and spread over face with clean hands.  Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off with a warm cloth. 

Version #2

5 medium strawberries, mashed

1 teaspoon raw honey

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

Mix together and spread over face with clean hands.  Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off with a warm cloth. 

(p.s. this is also a fantastic breakfast, if you forgo the mashing and chop the strawberries instead and add a lot more yogurt. Mix the plain yogurt {greek yogurt is my favorite} with a spoonful of honey then mix in the chopped strawberries with a little granola.  Delicious, and so good for you!)

Tadaaa. Easy right?

Ok. Back to strawberries as food.  One of my all-time favorite recipes is for strawberry muffins.  They are just sooooo good!  Andrew requests these all the time; he loves them too J

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

3 tsps sugar (preferably raw sugar)

Preheat oven to 400°

Cut Strawberries into small pieces.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.

If you forget to leave out your stick of butter to soften, microwave for about 10 seconds.

Creamed butter and sugar

Nice and smooth once you mix in the egg

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Then, add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter/sugar mixture.  

When finished mixing, the batter should be pretty thick

Add vanilla and gently fold in the strawberries.

Spoon the batter into muffin pan, then sprinkle each muffin with a little raw sugar.

If you don't have one already, go get a large muffin pan!  They're fantastic!

Just a sprinkling of the raw sugar

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan, they tend to fall apart if you try to take them out too soon.

Delightful Saturday morning breakfast. Serve with coffee!

*Note: all these pictures were taken with my iPhone

So there you have it! Let me know if you try this recipe... or if you have any favorite recipe that use strawberries!