I’m not a techie. I’m not a follower of facebook. I’ve just learned how to use Instagram.   Thankfully, wordpress made it excruciatingly easy to create this blog. I’ll admit I am addicted to Pinterest. I’d like to think I have an eye for beauty, and I use that to add to my stories. That’s probably why I like Pinterest so much. Apparently others enjoy my photos, because I’m getting a lot of feedback on the look and feel of my blog. I’m glad my followers are liking it.

This resulted in my chef friend Mila asking if I could give her some tips on photos, and how to use them to post on Instagram.  She wanted to get the word out about her products. I told her we’d experiment together. So, after our neighborhood pancake breakfast, we headed to her home (Remember my favorite one? The Craftsman Masterpiece) to practice our social skills, and photography. She paints cookbooks, so those were to be the star of our shoot. Here were my tips for her:

• Natural light
• Interesting/natural background
• Interesting angle
• Interesting props
• Shoot until you find one you like

I also use small plates if photographing food. So, shoot, and shoot, and shoot we did.  Here’s the results of our experiments:

One of a Kind Cookbook

Tracey’s Pancake Breakfast Centerpieces- Home Grown!

One of a Kind Cookbook

How to be Neighborly: Experiment. Socialize. Learn.

This was our masterpiece. I love it. Don’t you?  All those colors, and the patina on her table.

As a token of thanks, she gave me 3 jars filled with her AMAZING homemade pesto, roasted tomatoes, and chocolate sauce. All that just for socializing? What a treat!  I may not paint, but given the right ingredients, I can create something beautiful.  Here’s what I did with her gifts of gratitude:

Oven Roasted Tomato and Pesto Toast

• 1 slice of toast
• 3 tbsp of pesto
• 4 oven roasted tomatoes, or sundried tomatoes

Spread the pesto on the toast, top with tomatoes and drizzle more pesto on top. Bon Appetit is right!