A Guide to Pittsburgh

This weekend, Pittsburgh will welcome two rad new residents. My dear friend Jessica and her hubby Doug are moving from East to West across Pennsylvania to start their new life in the Burgh.

As someone who has city-hopped over the last couple years, I was excited to share some of my favorite Pittsburgh spots with them in the form of a flip-book to make their transition a little smoother.





By Neighborhood

Oakland
Lulu's Noodles
Caliban Used Books
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Carnegie Museums (especially the dinos at the Natural History!)

Waterfront
Pre-order a dozen of Nancy B's chocolate chip cookies and prepare to eat the BEST cookies of your life

Oakmont
Oakmont Bakery
BrrKee's Ice Cream (get a scoop of Kahlua flavor)
Walk along the train tracks

Point Breeze
East End Brewery for the Growler hours
East End Food Co-op
Point Brugge Cafe for mussels and frites
The Cafe at the Frick for brunch or tea

Squirrel Hill
Gullifty's a Pittsburgh dessert staple
Bankok Balcony yummy tofu curry
Aiello's Pizza my brother Taylor, a pizza guru, swears it's the best

Shadyside
MCN Salon for a pampering cut & color
Girasole for a romantic date night
Oh Yeah! Ice Cream for a yummy scoop (dog friendly!)
Amazing Yoga for sweats and stretches

Regent Square
D's 6 Pax for hot dogs and the beer cave
Ambiance Boutique thrift
Square Cafe for brunch
Regent Square Theater for an indie flick

South Side
Drink some beer at Fat Head's Saloon
Frequent the following restaurants: Dish Osteria, Cafe du Jour and Nakama (get the sushi)
Big Dog Coffee for a spritzer and cup o' joe with your pup

Downtown & the Strip
Roxanne's Dried Flowers
Primanti's, Pamela's Diner and Enrico Biscotti
Take a walk around and under the Convention Center
Kayak ride at PNC Park

East Liberty
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
Conflict Kitchen & The Waffle Shop
Paris 66

*(I should have added Lawrenceville to the book)

Lawrenceville
Piccolo Forno for amazing flatbread - BYOB
WildCard for hipster goodies (think a glorified Paper Source with a Pittsburgh flair)

The Winter Hues

Ah yes, there it is. That crisp pure white snow we've been waiting, or bracing, for finally arrived.



Our perfect little snow day entailed waking up, whipping up a quick banana bread recipe, throwing it in the oven for an hour, and scampering over to the park next door for snow play time.



As we walked back home, soaking wet and red-nosed, we stepped foot inside our door to the knock-down smell of bananas baking. We stripped our snow gear and cuddled in warm dry snugly slippers before taking the bread beauty out of the oven for breakfast.





I added pistachios and a few chocolate chips in the bread to spice things up. And I can safely say this is my new go-to recipe for banana bread. Simple staple ingredients, little prep time, and an hour of baking yields perfection.

I'm trying something new

It could be the arrival of the new year, but I've been craving newness lately. My go-to recipes, techniques, and even photography style feels a little stale. So I'm playing with animation instead of straight-up photography. And here's a new technique I just learned to make waffles.

I'm excited to see what 2012 brings, and I hope you'll come along on the journey with me.



The trick for making restaurant-style waffles that are light, crispy and yummy? Separate your egg yolks and whites. That's it. Easy, right?

Be careful when you beat your egg whites in the mixer. The mixing bowl should be completely clear of water, oil, or residue. Egg whites are so sensitive and getting them to peak is dependent on the cleanliness of your mixing bowl. Okay, now go to town!



Waffle Recipe

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 canola oil
2 egg whites (beat in mixer to form peaks)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks. Add canola oil and milk. Add egg yolk mixture to the well in the dry mixture and stir until combined (it should still be lumpy).

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they are frothy and begin to peak. Make sure the mixing bowl is completely clean and no egg yolks are in the whites. Add the peaked egg whites to the batter and stir.

Pour batter into the waffle maker and cook about 1-2 minutes until waffles start to brown.

work for The Daily

I had the opportunity to photograph Silk City Diner for the very rad iPad publication The Daily this past month.

I want an iPad just so I can oogle this app every day. It's that good. Here is my contribution to the Arts & Life section published on December 31st.









And here are a few photo outtakes that didn't make it in to the final article.