After we made our and ate our yummy gumbo for our fun family photo shoot with Whitney, we made cookies!

These are my kids’ favorite sugar cookies! And we made them in the shape of our favorite state!

Arkansas sugar cookies with Razorback red icing! Yum!

I can remember when the kids were really little, I would let them sit up on the counter and dump the ingredients in a bowl for cookies.  Then as they got a little older, they got to measure the flour and sugar themselves.  Soon, they also learned how to break the eggs and mix the dough.

Now, for the most part, they can make a batch of cookies start to finish all by themselves. Baking together with my family is one of my most treasured memories from my own childhood, and I still love to be gathered with the women in my family for a big baking day for pies or treats around the holidays.

I have loved passing this tradition on to my kiddos, and I know that however big they get, they will still be lured back to the kitchen by the smell of something yummy baking in the oven.

Or by the chance to frost their own sugar cookie.

This icing is a powdered sugar glaze made with corn syrup that hardens really well so I use it for sugar cookies that have to travel.  The recipe is below, so you can make some treats with your family this weekend!  What was your favorite baked treat from childhood?

Arkansas Sugar Cookies with Powdered Sugar Glaze

Glaze:

Ingredients:

1 pound powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

red food coloring (or whatever color you like)

Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand or hand mixer.  Use immediately, as it begins to harden quickly. Spread with an offset spatula.

Makes enough to ice about 24 large cookies.

Enjoy!

The post Family Photos: In the Kitchen + Arkansas Sugar Cookies appeared first on Alison Chino.

I’m continuing today with our family photos that I started posting last week.

After we bought our groceries at Argenta Market, our family took our photo shoot to our house, where we made dinner together.

Ben is cutting up some Petit Jean Smoked Sausage for Gumbo!

I love how you can see all the different parts of the process of getting ready for dinner in these photos.  Whitney has even more from this series online, and I feel like they really tell the story of our family being at home in the evening.

Our kitchen is wide open so everyone can be gathered around to help at the bar.  Cole is following the recipe for a new salad out of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, Ben is chopping ingredients for gumbo, Mary Polly is helping Cole and Simon is setting the table.

I have really worked this year towards everyone spending a little more time in the kitchen.  Some days it flows really well and others, not so much, but I feel like it is really worth the effort to pull these guys into the process with me.

I hope that when my kids leave home they will have a few more cooking skills under their belts than I did at eighteen.

I’m pretty sure I only knew how to make Chocolate Chip Cookies, which I felt was enough to live on.

Taido has been making this amazing Gumbo Zeb, Crescent Dragonwagon’s base for gumbo, since we lived in Chicago.  (a gazillion years ago)

He usually makes it on a Saturday, and we help him turn piles of greens into thin ribbons.  The base is very thick, full of greens, tomatoes and all sorts of spices.  We freeze it in ziplock bags that we pull out in the winter.

Crescent Dragonwagon made twenty-one different gumbo recipes before settling on the one in her cookbook, so it is tried and true.  She also gives a fascinating history of the development of the soup, starting with filé powder—made from ground dried sassafras leaves—a seasoning used by the Choctaw Indians.

Then all you have to do is add stock, meat and okra to the base to have a hearty Gumbo for dinner.  We use lots of meat combinations: chicken and sausage, sausage and shrimp, fish and shrimp.  Sausage and shrimp tends to be the favorite, so that’s what we did on this night.

Every member of our family loves this meal, so it was a perfect one to have for our photos.

We sit every night at a table that lived many years in my aunt and uncle’s house.  It is a long barn table with benches.  They had five kids, so it was perfect for them.  I grew up babysitting for them and I always loved this table.

We have treasured it in our family for sure, and we cram as many people as we can around it on a regular basis.

There are lots of fun details in these pictures that I will remember for years and years.

A friend gave us this little tin filled with questions for the dinner table for Christmas a few years ago, and Simon pulls it out every night.  He LOVES to ask the table topic every night and almost never forgets.  It is super cutie and you cannot believe how many questions are in this itty bitty box.  Hundreds.  We still manage to pull out new ones every night.

I’m not going to lie to you. The recipe for making the base for this gumbo is a little bit involved, but if you make it you will be so happy because you will be able to have gumbo in a snap from your freezer.  I am not an expert at freezer meals, but this is about the yummiest one I have in my arsenal.

If you double the base, you can have gumbo about once a month all year.

Gumbo Zeb Base

For the roux:
1 cup mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or soy
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the mirepoix:
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
2 large onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 bunch celery with leaves, chopped
1 large bunch (8 to 10) scallions, chopped

For the seasoning purée:
8 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup Pickapeppa or Worcestershire sauce (I used Worcestershire)
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
Heaping ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
6 to 8 good grinds of black peppercorns
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, leaves and stems rinsed and coarsely chopped

For the stock and greens:
6 cups any well-flavored chicken or vegetable stock, or bottled clam juice
2 cups tomato juice or V8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 bay leaves
6 bunches greens (about 4½ to 5 pounds total), ideally 1 bunch each mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, beet tops, collard greens, arugula, and watercress, very well washed and finely ribboned

1½ cups tomato or V8 vegetable juice

After you chop up all your veggies and ribbon all your greens, make the roux.

Pour the oil in a cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth. The color will be a pale cream to beige color. Stir often to keep the roux from burning, and constantly during the final cooking stage. During the early stage, you may move on to the next step—sautéing the mirepoix—but don’t forget about the roux. Check back frequently, stirring every few minutes or so.

As the roux cooks it will darken in color and begin to smell nutty and, if you go all the way to dark roux, like burnt popcorn. Roux making cannot be rushed: The entire process will take from 45 minutes to an hour or more.

When the roux becomes fairly brown, the oil will separate out partially from the flour. This is what you want. Crescent says not to take the roux off the heat before this point. After the oil has separated, how much longer to cook it is a matter of taste. The darker and nuttier it becomes, the richer the flavor.

Saute the mirepoix: In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the bell peppers and celery; lower the heat slightly and continue sautéing another 10 minutes. Add the scallions, and sauté until limp, about 5 minutes more. While the mirpoix is sautéing, prepare the seasoning puree, but remember to keep checking the roux and stirring it. Once the vegetables are softened, remove them from the heat and set aside.

Prepare the seasoning puree: Place all the ingredients for the seasoning purée except the tomatoes and parsley in a food processor. Process until the garlic is chopped fine. Add the tomatoes and parsley to the food processor, and chop coarsely.

Check the roux. If it has become caramel-colored or darker, it’s time to give it your undivided attention. If it is ready, finish the roux. (If not go on to the next step and then come back) When the roux is done to your liking, remove it from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain off any excess oil that has separated out, but be careful not to pour off any of the browned flour. Vigorously whisk in the 1½ cups tomato juice. It will be a smooth and thick orange paste.

Prepare the stock and the greens: This is the mixture into which the other three mixtures you’ve prepared—the roux, mirepoix, and seasoning purée—will go. In a large stockpot, bring the stock and tomato juice to a boil. Add the salt and bay leaves. Drop in the fresh greens. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes.

When the greens have finished their 30-minute simmer, remove them from the heat. To the stockpot, add the roux mixture, sautéed mirepoix, and the seasoning purée. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed. Set the pot over the lowest possible heat and let simmer, covered, another 15 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. It is now ready to be used.  Or you can cool it and freeze it. It makes about 6 quarts. In Crescent’s book, Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread, she has about seven different ways to prepare the gumbo.

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

1 to 1½ pounds Petit Jean smoked sausage, sliced

1 pound frozen, sliced okra

1 pound shrimp

6 cups Gumbo Zeb Base

5 to 6 cups any well-flavored chicken stock

1 cup or more cooked white rice

Filé powder

Fry the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until slightly browned and to cook out as much fat from the sausage as possible, about 5 minutes. Add the okra and cook until soft, stirring occasionally.

In a large stockpot, bring the base and the stock to a boil.  Reduce heat, add the sausage, okra and shrimp.  Cook about ten more minutes (or until shrimp are done).  Serve hot over rice. Sprinkle with file powder.

Also very yummy with cornbread.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I am a Petit Jean Meats Blue Diamond Club Member, which means that sometimes this local Arkansas company sends me products to use for recipes.

The post Family Photos: In the Kitchen + Gumbo Recipe appeared first on Alison Chino.

A photo shoot at Argenta Market would not be complete without a few shots of us with our favorite cookbooks!  I have entirely too many cookbooks.  So it was hard to choose favorites, but here they are:

My 6 Favorite Cookbooks!

1.The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

This one is the newest member of my cookbook family.

I have followed Deb forever at The Smitten Kitchen, so my sister gave it to me for my birthday this year.  From these pages filled with Deb’s gorgeous photos, I have made several salads, the granola and the lemon bars.

I still have loads of recipes to try.

Like these cookies.  Yikes.  They look too delicious!

2.Seasonal Recipes from the Garden by P. Allen Smith

Last spring, I got to visit P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home and I picked up his Seasonal Recipes from the Garden.  I love to try to cook with the seasons, even though I don’t have a garden, so this book has been a great resource.  Lots of great vegetarian recipes.

3. Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Heidi writes 101 Cookbooks, which is my go to online resource for healthy cooking.  Her photos make me want to move to California and love on the earth more.  Amazing soups and curries.

4. 5 Ingredient Fix by Claire Robinson

Claire Robinson, from the Food Network, has written a cookbook that I really should keep in the car because you can stop at the store on the way home, pick up 5 ingredients and then make dinner.  (Or that appetizer you need for a party)  I love the simplicity of this concept.

5. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

I really need to say that all of Ina’s cookbooks fall here into Number 5.  I have six of her gorgeous cookbooks and I pile them in my lap monthly with my calendar and play, What Do I Want to Try Next? 

Honestly I don’t know anyone else in the world of food who has influenced modern cooking as much as Ina Garten has in the last ten years.

Ina taught me to roast vegetables, to make my own hummus, to throw a party and to enjoy doing all those things with my friends and family around.

This cookbook is her first one and it is a staple wedding gift.  Everyone needs it.

6. Simple Abundance, edited by Sarabeth Jones with pictures by Whitney Loibner

This cookbook was put together by a team from our church with loads of recipes from the women (and the men) in our congregation.  Since it has so many of my own recipes in it, as well as those of lots of friends, we pull it off the shelf all the time.  If you need one of your own, I might can tell you who to call.

Did I miss your favorite?  What cookbook could you not live without? 

The post 6 Favorite Cookbooks {Chino House Favorites) appeared first on Alison Chino.

I mentioned this week that I LOVE that when Whitney Loibner takes our pictures, she takes some of just us. (Taido and me) And some of just them. (The Kids)

True story: Before Whitney started taking our pictures, I never liked photos of myself.  I also had exactly ZERO framed pictures of Taido and me in our house.

Now I have them all over our room.  If you walked into our bedroom, you might feel like it is a shrine to our life as a couple.  It might even be a little weird.

But here’s the thing:

It is good for me.  When I get mad, walk upstairs and slam the door (hypothetically), and there’s a picture of us together or one of Taido looking at me like he kind of likes me, it is hard to stay mad.

Sometimes, on rainy days (in weather and in life), I might tell myself that we aren’t happy.  But these pictures remind me that deep down, we are.  Of course you can fake a picture, but still, I know the truth when I look at these.

I know that we have been in love for a long, long time.

And we have years to go yet.  Adventures to live and hardships to overcome. Together.

I also love my pictures of just the kids.

Though they fight like tiger cubs a lot of time, when I see these images, I think,

These guys can be a team when they want to be. 

One day, when they grow up and live apart, I hope that they will come back to hold each others’ hands and encourage one another.  I pray that they will cheer each other on in life.

I know they will be siblings for their whole lives, but I also hope that they will be forever friends.

Whitney Loibner is a local Little Rock photographer, who also LOVES to travel.  She specializes in shooting families, newborns, kids, couples, weddings and individual portraits.  I especially love her ideas for styled couple shoots.  See her most recent one here.  She also recently guest blogged at the Chino House on What to Wear for Your Family Photos.

The post Us + Them appeared first on Alison Chino.

This year we went to Argenta Market for our family photos.

Argenta is the Main Street District of our town and has been undergoing some revitalization for a number of years.  One of the most fun developments was the addition of this darling local market.

We pass this market every day on our way to and from school.  It is a favorite stop for a treat in the afternoons or for a lunch date in the cafe.  They carry tons of local Arkansas products, which makes it easy to support our local farms and businesses.

Also, it is super cutie!

Which made it so fun to do pictures there.

I love this case of drinks.  All the darling bottles.  My kids run straight for these sodas every time!

We used these soda bottle pictures in our Christmas cards.  I love how different they are!

Also, I love that Whitney always takes the time to get some pictures of just Taido and me.  Sometimes we forget that our family started with just us.

Argenta Market has a wonderful cafe in the back and they also do catering.  In December, Whitney and I got to attend a tasting of some of their menu items and since then I keep going back for their yummy sandwiches.  I loved hearing the chef talk about food, because I totally share his passion for cooking!  If you go, try the Croque Monsieur!

Here’s a shot of Simon scanning some Petit Jean Sausage for our Gumbo.  So cutie!

It was a little chaotic as we were all checking out, but I love that Whitney captured all this.  Our photo shoot lasted all evening as she watched us also cook dinner and eat together.

I love how these pictures capture an evening of this season of our life together.

You can also enjoy your lunch at these front windows while you watch the Main Street life in front of you.  From April to October, a farmer’s market happens just across the street and these stools are always full of locals drinking coffee who are enjoying the market on Saturday mornings.

I am so glad this little market is in our town and I am super thankful to Argenta Market for letting us invade and take our family photos in such a fun setting!

Every year we look for something new to do for family photos.

Where would you love to take family photos?  I would love to hear!

Whitney Loibner is a local Little Rock photographer.  She specializes in shooting families, newborns, kids, couples, weddings and individual portraits.  I especially love her ideas for styled couple shoots.  See her most recent one here.  She also recently guest blogged at the Chino House on What to Wear for Your Family Photos.

The post Family Photos in Argenta Market appeared first on Alison Chino.

This year we took our pictures in the fall in a very fun setting, a local market.

I am going to share lots of them next week, but today for a special edition of What I Wore Wednesday, I asked Whitney to talk a little bit about choosing clothes for your family pictures.

Whitney has great style and we always confer about clothes before we head out on a photo shoot.

8 Guidelines For What to Wear for Family Photos

Guest Post by Whitney Loibner

I am often asked for rules for what to wear when being photographed. I don’t like to think about these as rules, so I’m calling them guidelines. Or suggestions. Everyone has different opinions when it comes to clothes, so these are just my thoughts.

1. Talk to your photographer.

Together you should have an idea of the feel you are going for in your pictures. Are you looking for urban or country?  Do you want to be in your home or in a field?  Do you want your pictures to feel dressy or casual? Alison and I usually pick a location first.  However,  occasionally the vision for a shoot has all started with one outfit, something adorable MP has or a crazy beautiful vintage dress that Alison found.  In those cases, the location and everyone else’s clothing grows from that. Your location should, at least in a small way, play into what you are wearing. This year we were really doing a day in the life of the Chinos, so we went super relaxed to be at the market and in their home.

2. Be yourself.

Just like in life, what you wear should reflect who you are. Don’t wear something that you would never wear in real life. Maybe you are going for your Friday night or Sunday morning best self, but it’s still you.

3. Think head to toe.

Think about how your whole body will be photographed. Fix your hair and wear cute shoes.  Cute shoes go a long way in a picture.  Actually, any accessories do. Also, make sure that you can move. Chances are you will be asked to be in different positions, both sitting and standing.

4. Do what fits your family.

It’s not cheesy to think about what fits you and your family. Photographing in a market or at the fair or with a guitar might not fit every family, but if it fits yours, don’t be afraid to go with it.  Ask me if you can bring your picnic basket or your kids’ skateboards.  I love the challenge.

5. Match without being matchy.

In family photos, you should all go together, but don’t worry about matching. I think it is important to make sense together as a family and for the tones and patterns to complement one another, but you don’t have to be matchy.  One year for Alison’s family, Mary Polly had a cute pair of striped tights with lots of colors, so the boys all wore solid shirts that went with the colors in the tights.  This was super cute without everyone having to wear the exact same shirt.

6. Avoid stark white or all black.

This is not a hard and fast rule, and weddings are exceptions, but generally it is best to try to have a little color.  Choose your favorite color or one that goes with your eyes and skin tone.  Also along these same lines, text on clothing can be hard to work with.  You can see we had some of that in these photos, but it is kept to a minimum.

7. Try your clothes on before the day of the shoot.

At the very least, lay out all the clothes together to be sure you like the way everything goes.  I am always open to questions and texts of pictures with clothes from clients asking for opinions.  Getting everything out together helps you have a vision, but also it shows you if something is missing.  It became very apparent that one Chino was going to have to borrow or buy new shoes for the shoot once we got all everything put together.  Sometimes an item like that will be overlooked if you don’t pull everything together ahead of time.

8. Have fun!

As a mom I know how stressful it can be to get everyone together and keep them unwrinkled or stain free.  Take a deep breathe and try to enjoy it.  Even if you have everything perfectly planned, people in your family might not cooperate.  On the day of these pictures, Alison’s oldest son, Cole, was very late to the shoot (it might have slipped his mind) and everyone was so frustrated by the time he arrived that it could have ruined the whole evening.  I went ahead and shot some individuals of the younger three kids while Taido and Alison tracked him down, took deep breaths and decided to laugh about it.

You just have to relax and remember that you’re trying to capture a season in the life of your family.  So you forget the big fight you had about which headband your daughter wants to wear.  I recommend having a glass of wine or a little snack before a photo shoot. And of course, I love to try new things that make the whole experience more fun for everyone involved.

Whitney Loibner is a local Little Rock photographer.  She specializes in shooting families, newborns, kids, couples, weddings and individual portraits.  I especially love her ideas for styled couple shoots.  See her most recent one here.  Thanks so much Whitney for your advice on choosing clothes!  And for our family pictures, which I always treasure!

We’re linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for WIWW.

The post 8 Guidelines For What to Wear for Family Photos {WIWW} appeared first on Alison Chino.