Pin to Pan: Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I've been meaning to post about this tasty recipe for a few weeks now, and I figured that since Spring will soon be here, and soup weather is on it's way out, I better get to it. I really love a good hearty soup, so this Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe from The Comfort of Cooking (that I adapted to make it both gluten-free and vegetarian) does not disappoint. (Recipe discovered via Juli LaFond on Pinterest).

I know a lot of these photos probably aren't necessary, but it seems that since I took them to illustrate the process, I might as well share them, right?! Even though I did make some adaptations I won't be posting the full recipe here. If you'd like you can hop on over to The Comfort of Cooking for that. And if you'd like to adapt your soup to make it gluten-free like I did, you'll just need to use your favorite gluten-free flour mix in place of the standard flour used to thicken this soup. If you'd like it to also be vegetarian, then just swap vegetable broth for the chicken stock and be sure your cheese doesn't contain animal rennet. Easy-peasy! Oh, and if you'd like, you can also add in a bit of red bell pepper (I really love the flavor of bell pepper and broccoli together). So here we go:

First you'll start by washing up your veggies.

Then you'll chop and prep all your veggies and cheeses.

Don't forget to have fun with your food while you're at it!

Sauté your chopped onion it in a pan with butter.

After adding in your flour to create a roux you'll whisk in your half & half and veggie broth (or chicken stock).

Yum...half & half!

Stir in the veggies and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Don't oversalt, since you'll be mixing in cheese (which is probably pretty salty) once the veggies soften.

Lastly, you'll blend your soup with an immersion or standard blender until it is creamy, and then stir in the cheese until it has melted.

Serve with a toasty grilled cheese sandwich (optional), and you're done. Time to dig in and enjoy!

All photos taken and edited with my phone.

Color Inspiration Daily: 02. 23. 12

Gorgeous photo from the post: How to Make Homemade Almond Milk by Kristina Meltzer of Lovely Morning.

Souvenir Foto School: Day 22 - L for Lemons into Lemonade

I was excited for today's Souvenir Foto School assignment because it finally gave me the chance to use my chalkboard painted prop table that I made a while ago. I have used it in other shots before, but until now, I never had chalk on hand to actually use it to its full potential. So hooray!

For some reason I find yellow very difficult to photograph. I'm not sure if that's just my issue, or something that is common, but it always seems to get really blown out and loses a lot of it's depth if you expose the rest of the scene properly. Anyhow, I think these photos turned out well enough, and now I'm going to go sip my lemonade! It's nearly 70 degrees here today!

Oh, and I also think that it's worth mentioning, that I took 176 photos for this assignment in order to end up with the two you see here. I think it can be easy to assume (at least for me it can be) that every pretty picture we see online or in magazines just pops out the of the photographer's camera without a lot of trial and error...but at least for me, that is certainly not the case. So if you're just getting into photography, or struggling to capture things exactly how you want to, just keep at it. There is nothing wrong with taking however many shots you need to get it right. You'll learn more and more each time, and eventually you'll be taking far fewer photos, but ending up with a lot more images that you are happy with straight out of the camera. I used to take about 400+ for a simple set-up like this. So maybe I'm getting there too! xo Ez

Building Relationships with Ad Networks & Sponsors

Hi everyone! Thanks for your great feedback on my first Alt Summit Wrap-Up post. I'm so glad that it was helpful to you. Today I'll be sharing what I learned in the Building Relationships with Ad Networks & Sponsors panel, presented by Erin Loechner, Danielle Wiley, Meg Keene, and Sarah Stringfellow (thank you Deb for helping me out with the links I was missing). Once again (for the sake of actually making this post happen) I'll be noting everything in bullet point form. If you have questions about any of the information or if you feel like I missed anything, please just drop me a note in the comment section below and I'll do my best to find a helpful answer for you. I've made bold the tips that resonated most with me. Here we go!

Building Relationships with Ad Networks & Sponsors: 

• If you're wondering if you have to work with an ad network in order to run successful ads on your blog, the answer is you don't. It is possible to do things on your own.
• You have to do the work. There is no magic formula.
• Put together a strong media kit for your blog.
• Be picky about the sponsors you accept on your blog.
• If you don't know what you are doing because you are just starting out, that's okay. Guess, pretend, and/or research until you get it right.
• It's okay to ask other bloggers for advice, just be sure to be up front about why you are requesting their help (i.e. asking to see another bloggers ad rates so that you can determine how to base your own rates).
• Understand your community so that you can provide a valuable service to them through the sponsors and ad networks you work with.
• You define the rules for your brand. Always keep your community in mind. Make choices and negotiate so that the end result still provides a service to your community.
• Know your value and your brand, and be passionate about it.
• Present passion driven content that is good.
• Work on building a passion driven community
• Have confidence in your brand and be prepared to let it go if a sponsor does not fit or see eye to eye with your vision.
• Never take on an advertiser who is not right for your blog, it will dilute your brand and confuse your community.
• Don't be afraid to dive in and just test the waters.
• Everyone has a moral compass...use yours and learn from it.
• If advertisers don't come to you, you should go get them.
• Always keep your audience in mind.
• Work to fit the content of your site in with the ads that you host.
• Sponsors should only add to your brand, not confuse or dilute it.
• Always ask for what you want. Be proactive.
• When pitching to a potential sponsor, be creative and memorable. Be sure to talk about why you are passionate about their brand, and not just how great yours is.
• Consider your complete online sway (i.e. Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, blog traffic, and more).
• Be up front about your strengths.
• Get everything in writing.
• Consider legal obligations.
• Don't forget about taxes.
• Check in with your sponsors after a campaign ends for a debriefing so that you can learn what did or did not work for them. This helps to keep things open for future projects together.
• If you can, create an outline showing the success matrix of their campaign.
• Send a real thank you card.
• When approaching a company for potential sponsorship, think of how you can solve problems for them.
• Brands care about what you can do for them...not just how great your blog is.
• In your approach, explain how you will meet their goals.
• Don't work for free!
• Be aware that the other ads and sponsors you currently have may conflict with the new brand you are approaching, and plan accordingly.
• Build relationships with potential sponsors before contacting them about possible sponsorship.
• Social networking is a great way to do this.
• Create a clean premium layout that supports the ad content you host.
• Ads should be complimentary to your site.
• Focus on your content and connecting with your readers. Advertisers love that.
• Facilitate authentic conversations with your readers and make communication as easy as possible.
• Sponsored content should be organic. Ask yourself: "Would it fit, not matter what?"
• Be aware of your mobile presence. How are visitors accessing your site and on what devices?
• Know whether your site looks good on multiple platforms.
• Mobile ad networks are growing, and it is wise to stay ahead or on top of the trends.
• When reaching out to a new company, if you don't know who specifically to approach, ask to be put in contact with their "media contact."
• And finally...when it comes to negotiating the amount you will earn for a sponsorship, you will know you have the dollar amount right, when the number makes your stomach hurt a bit.

In case you missed my first post covering Site Design Do's & Don'ts you can find it right here.

Color Inspiration Daily: 02. 22. 12

I literally could not decide which of these two gorgeous photos by Lakshmi Wennakoski-Bielcki that I should feature today, so I just ended up choosing both! You can find them in their original form, here and here.

Aren't they wonderful?! See more from Lakshmi on her blog Pure Vegetarian by Lakshmi. (Discovered via a pin from Sidney Minh)