I want to start this out by sharing a little about my past.  I did not come from a life of privilege or wealth.  My Father was a hard working man, my Mother a homemaker and while we didn’t have alot as kids we were never short on love.  During my childhood the country was in the throes of the recession of the 70s.  Jobs, money, oil and food were all things in short supply.  My Father’s job was hit hard and he found himself out of work.  Unemployment was enough to pay the bills, but that was it.

When we went to look for help the Food Banks were dry, our Church was tapped, our family and friends were in no better shape than we were.  It was hard times.  I remember watching my Parents not eat for 3 days just to give my Brother and Myself the last can of beans. My parents sat where they thought we could not see them crying in each other’s arms. They were  wondering what they were going to feed us tomorrow and hoping for some kind of help.  This made a lasting impression on me as a child and I vowed that if I were ever in a position to help people… I would.  I did not want other kids or their parents to ever be sad over the last can of beans.

It was Christmas time 1977.  Our family had nothing, except for a 1 pound brick of butter, a box of powdered milk and a block of Government cheese that we got from standing in line for 2 hours in the rain and cold, outside a warehouse in Tacoma, Washington.  My Father had a penny jar from which they scrounged out enough money to buy some elbow macaroni from the Piggly Wiggly grocery store.  We were going to have Mac ‘n’ Cheese for Christmas, for this we were happy and grateful.

Around 7pm that night we heard a knock at the door.  My Father got up to answer it and standing at the door were strangers. Strangers holding a large box filled with food.

A turkey, stuffing mix, canned green beans, a head of iceberg lettuce, a tomato, a sack of potatoes, oranges, apples, cranberry sauce, gravy mix and a bottle of cheap wine (my Mom still has this wine in her fridge as a reminder).  We were all stunned, my Mother cried thankful tears while my Father humbly and graciously accepted the gifts.  Who were these people?  To this day I do not know, but their kindness and generosity made a profound impression.  This is also one of my fondest and most precious Christmas memories.

So this brings me to the present day.  That promise that I made to myself as a child… I have kept it.  Even in the lean years where I did not have alot to give, I know that I had more than some other people out there.  When the budget is tight it doesn’t hurt to pick up an extra can of food and drop it in the collection box at the Supermarket on the way out the door… I can afford that extra .89 cents and go without that candy bar or that soft drink if it means that a family that does not have… will have.

Feeling great about helping make happy tummies

So today I got up and I was reflecting back to that day when strangers came to my door and our family was fed.  Even though I give to charities every year, today I was especially moved to go the extra mile, fueled by the memories of the past.  I decided to take my budget for carousing and eating out for the rest of November and go buy food to feed the hungry.  So $150.00 later the back of our car was chocked full of fresh loaves of wheat bread, condensed milk, evaporated milk, soy milk, black beans, kidney beans, apples, potatoes, onions,  chicken broth, canned vegetables, diced tomatoes, cup of noodles, mac ‘n’ cheese, refried beans, peanut butter, tuna fish, 24 juice-box sized chocolate milks and love.

We pulled up to the West Seattle Food Bank after hours but they were kind enough to stay open and let us cart in our goods.  We came in and saw bags already on the long tables ready to go out for home deliveries to the hungry first thing in the morning.   They were especially thankful for the milk as we were told that they did not have many dairy products to give out.   They also informed us that those fresh loaves would be going out in the morning with some of the bags.  This all made me very happy to hear, as I was hoping that Rasmus and I had gathered up a well rounded supply of food.

At the loading bay & inside the West Seattle Food Bank

So why am I sharing this?  Because I feel wonderful inside.  Tomorrow when I wake up, some hungry family will be getting a bag filled with the kindness of strangers.  Not just me but from all the strangers who have given to those who need it most.  There will be no wondering if they will go to bed hungry that night or tears shed over bare cupboards.

1 can or 100 cans.  $1 or $100…. Every little bit helps feed those in need.

So I am challenging you all and having a giveaway.  I want you to go without a luxury, be it a day or a week or a month and use that money to buy food to donate or to donate the dollars directly to your local Food Bank.  No amount is too small, every little bit helps.  Then I want you to tell me and the world about it by writing a blog post*** about it.  Then come back here to nommynom.com and post a link to your blog post in the comment section of this post.

Feel Good by Giving – Giveaway Rules
Giveaway – what do you get:
One winner to receive (1) $50 Amazon Gift Certificate

How to be Involved:
Go without a luxury for a day, week or month & use the money to Feed the Hungry. No amount is too small!

How to Enter:
Write a blog post about your donation, post your link in the comments section of this post.***

How Winner is Picked: Random Number Generator

Entry Deadline: December 20th Midnight PST

Winner Announced: December 24th

Find a Food Bank:
Washington State Food Banks
Northwest Harvest
Mama’s Health US Food Bank Locator
Feeding America
Feed Melbourne

***You do not have to have a Food Blog to enter, all types of blogs are welcome to participate.  If you do not have a blog, you can use the “Note” feature on Facebook & tag Kelly Cline, then comeback here and post the link.  If you have neither a blog or a Facebook profile you can email your entry to: giving[at]kclinephotography[dot]com

It is with a very heavy heart that I, along with many others,  bid farewell to a magazine that threw open the doors of an exciting culinary world for me to explore. You can read more about the shuttering of Gourmet Magazine here.

It nearly has me to the point of tears, it’s like saying goodbye to a life long friend who had an instrumental hand in the changing of my life and my career path.  For if not for Gourmet Magazine I never would have seen my first shots of food porn or have learned that life is more than Meat, Potatoes & Gravy.  Gourmet Magazine has been in my home since the late 80’s, always there to offer up a recipe to impress friends and family, to inspire me to create something new of my own design or to whisk me off to some exotic destination where photos and explicit descriptions would set my mouth to water and my mind to wander.

My life as a food photographer and food stylist, well I think it was just fate, some luck and a whole lot of passion for food.  I’ve always loved cooking and entertaining, for me there is no greater satisfaction than feeding loved ones and seeing the bliss of something delicious that I prepared swathing over their palettes, or hearing the “yum, ohh mmm” sounds coming from them.  That is the greatest reward for me as a cook.  I put love, attention and my passion for food into everything I cook and I love it when those things are conveyed to the plate successfully.

It was on one occasion that I had a large dinner party at my house where I had served a hazelnut dusted ahi tuna steak wrapped in prosciutto that my friends sat looking at their plates in awe.  I insisted that everyone dig in but my guests insisted that the food was too pretty to eat and said that I needed to take a picture before they ate.  So I dug out my old Polaroid camera and snapped a quick picture.  For dessert we had Gourmet Magazine’s Apple Pie 1993, before serving it up I decided to try my hand at staging a shot in the kitchen before bringing out the slices to be devoured.  I had alot to learn and my curiosity in the world of Food Photography & Food Styling was sparked, or better still… it was ignited.

Over time, off and on, I tried my hand at documenting my own personal culinary journey.  This was in the days long before blogging existed so my documentation ended up in several 3-ring binders and photos in ziploc bags inside the binders, most of what I shot was a quick snap on Polaroid or using my old Canon 35mm film camera.  I didn’t have the luxury of fancy lighting, so I learned to make due with available light.  I learned that props were a key in creating a great mood to an image, because let’s face it who wants to look at a bunch of food photos on the same bunch of hexagon black plates circa 1990?  So the collection of new dishes began.

Can you believe I still don’t have enough props?

And with new dishes… well that meant napkins, silverware, cookware, colorful papers, baskets, towels, cutting boards…  enough stuff to fill a 10’x15′ storage space with prop goodies

Oodles of boards

Years later, my passion for food and photography would lead me down a road that would change who I am forever.  Magazines like Gourmet were there to inspire me, to make me think outside the box and to stop cooking from a box.  To this day I relish every savory, beautiful bite that this world has to offer.  I am a food geek, a food stylist, a food photographer, a lover of the origins of food, a supporter of farmers and artisan food producers.  All of which I would be none the wiser, if not for the enlightenment given by publications like the one whose cover so elegantly and deliciously closes forever.
Goodbye Gourmet, thanks for everything.

It’s been a long, wonderful road and I’ve come a long, long way.  Looking forward to the rest of the journey.

Apple Pie
adapted from Gourmet Magazine 1993 via Epicurious
(Please visit Epicurious for the full instructions & original recipe)

• about 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 3/4 cup tablespoon sugar
• 4 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice of half a lemon
  
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• milk for brushing the crust

I’m excited.  I hope you are too.

A big thanks to my die-hard friends who have been waiting for me to get off my duff & get back to it.
A warm welcome to new friends… who have also been waiting for me to get off my duff & get back to it too. ;)
I can not wait to begin sharing with you all.