Sunday Suppers Worth Lingering Over

They say we eat with our eyes first. It's certainly true of Karen Mordechai's tome which serves up readers a sumptuous feast for the soul!

Mordechai writes in her introduction, "Sunday Suppers is a communal cooking center and food website based out of Brooklyn, New York, whose premise is to bring together food, gatherings, and community. Through inspiration and instruction, Sunday Suppers allows people to gather and cook in their homes, and experience the world's oldest act of community: sharing a meal." This was the impetus for my excitement at receiving my review copy of Sunday Suppers. Fewer and fewer people remember the days of weekly meals shared with family or friends or entertaining dinner parties with colleagues. (In my childhood my parents frequently hosted or attended card parties with neighbors or friends which always began with delicious pot-luck meals which I recall with great fondness. I have heard people bring to mind stories of Sunday dinners at grandma's house with extended family with the same sort of nostalgic happiness.)

As the introduction states, the goal of Sunday Suppers is to "remove much of the fuss and formality of 'entertaining'. The table is set in a modest manner, and the food is honest and straightforward." I found this to be the bulk of the appeal of the photographs, recipes and table presentation suggestions. When I cook for others, especially people I am "entertaining," there are a few simple things at which I aim: tasty, nourishing food which is easy to prepare and the ability to spend time enjoying the people with whom I have gathered. Mordechai's recipe format ensures that even those with little to no experience at putting together dishes and meals for others will succeed. Ingredients are listed in the left-hand column. Step by step preparation instructions are presented in the right-hand column. Extraneous tips on unusual ingredients or techniques follow at the bottom in easy-to-spot print.

I loved that the gatherings and dishes are presented according to times in the day. Several options for breakfasts, lunches (including a birthday gathering and a camping excursion!), and evening meals provide the organization of the cookbook. This strikes me as very user-friendly and intuitive!

Accompanying each gathering (meal) and the individual dishes are some of the most beautiful food and scenic photography I have witnessed in a cookbook. They elevate Mordechai's writing more to the level of a coffee-table book. (Certainly a recipe book I would be worried about splattering up on my kitchen counter during a tragic accident with the hand-held mixer!) It is bound in a linen feel cover and uses luxurious quality paper stock on which to present Mordechai's fabulous recipes, photographs, tips, and suggestions.

Thanks to Mordechai's encouragement that anyone can make delicious food and share it with others, I will be trying many of the recipes from this book! I am thankful to Blogging For Books for providing me with the complimentary copy for this review.

From The Publisher . . .

Rediscover the art of cooking and eating communally with a beautiful, simple collection of meals for friends and family.

With her dinner series Sunday Suppers, Karen Mordechai celebrates the magic of gathering, bringing together friends and strangers to connect over the acts of cooking and sharing meals. For those who yearn to connect around the table, Karen’s simple, seasonally driven recipes, evocative photography, and understated styling form a road map to creating community in their own kitchens and in offbeat locations. This collection of gatherings will inspire a sense of adventure and community for both the novice and experienced cook alike.

About The Author . . .

KAREN MORDECHAI, a photographer and stylist, is the founder of Sunday Suppers, a Brooklyn-based food community and blog that has won many accolades, including a 2013 Food and Wine Digital Award, top food blog by Saveur, and #6 in Babble.com’s Top 50 Design Blogs. Karen’s work is regularly featured in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Remodelista, New York magazine, and more. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, New York.

The New Art of Capturing Love

Today's post features a guest review by my daughter, Amanda, who is a professional photographer. Thanks for reviewing this book!

This book landed in my lap exactly when I needed it most! Having just booked my first same sex elopement as a photographer, I was hoping to make it the best experience for my couple. The author reassured me of what I was expecting, and brought to light some experiences I hadn't considered. Paired with examples of photographs from same sex weddings by amazing photographers, the posing guidance and considerations were wonderful!

The way this book focused on how lesbian and gay weddings are still just weddings, while also addressing the real differences we will face as photographers (there might not be one dress and one tux!) was super helpful and super considerate of making sure not to focus on same sex weddings as being "Other."

The posing tips were really the big draw to this book for me. Good considerations like the couples' comfort of displaying affection in public really helped me make my couples' experience more enjoyable, and prepared me for steps to take in posing them.

All in all, I am so thankful to have been given the chance to read and review this book! I think it will become a staple for modern photographers as more and more states join in on the push for equality.

From the publisher . . .

The New Art of Capturing Love: The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay Wedding Photography by Kathryn Hamm and Thea Dodds Foreword by Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks and Court Yard Hounds

The first guide to posing and thoughtfully capturing same-sex engagements and weddings, THE NEW ART OF CAPTURING LOVE equips all photographers to better serve the LGBTQ client while also providing a wedding-planning vision for couples.

With nearly half of the states in the US (and 13 countries) currently recognizing same-sex marriage or civil unions, the market for LGBTQ weddings is one of the fastest growing segments in the wedding industry, offering great opportunity for today's wedding photographers. These are exciting times for marriage equality—but capturing portraits in this new market requires a new approach to posing, which until now has been almost exclusively oriented toward pairing a larger man in black with a smaller woman in white. What works for Jack and Jill won't necessarily work for Jack and Michael, let alone Jill and Louise.

THE NEW ART OF CAPTURING LOVE shatters the “old standards” of wedding and engagement photography by showing how inappropriate old standards can be for today’s diverse couples, then shares easy-to-implement poses and techniques that can be applied to any couple (and wedding party), no matter their orientation, to create lasting memories.

Featuring a collection of more than 180 same-sex portraits of 72 couples from 48 photographers, this guide is proudly the first—and most comprehensive—of its kind. Whether you are a wedding photographer looking to enter this burgeoning market, or a same-sex couple looking for visual inspiration, these gorgeous images will both instruct and inspire.

This groundbreaking visual guide book is perfect for:
~ Couples planning their weddings and engagement sessions
~ Photographers interested in branching out to a rapidly-growing new market
~ LGBTQ-supportive friends and family, especially those looking for a meaningful shower or wedding gift

AUTHORS ARE GO-TO EXPERTS: Same-sex wedding pioneer Kathryn Hamm and veteran wedding photographer Thea Dodds are the leading experts for same-sex weddings and wedding photography, respectively. Their expertise has been featured in The New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Rangefinder and on NPR.

GROUNDBREAKING IMAGES: This groundbreaking guide features a collection of same-sex portraits that was called "the best I've ever seen" by Professional Photographer senior editor Joan Sherwood.

About the Authors KATHRYN HAMM is president of GayWeddings.com, the pioneering online wedding boutique and resource for same-sex couples, offering a community forum, planning articles, and a directory of more than 90,000 LGBTQ-friendly wedding pros. She is also an education expert for WeddingWire, the nation’s leading marketplace serving the $70 billion wedding industry, as well as a nationally recognized speaker, workshop leader, and consultant for couples and wedding vendors across the country. She lives with her wife and son in Arlington, Virginia.

THEA DODDS is an award-winning wedding photographer and founder of Authentic Eye Photography. Her work has been featured in Newsweek and New Hampshire Bride, and on ABC News, CNN, and The Huffington Post. Dodds lives with her husbandand two daughters in Rumney, New Hampshire, and can be found online at AuthenticEye.com.