“Trust me”, she insists. “This vegan lasagna is AMAZING.”

I thought to myself, yeah ok… I don’t even really care for lasagna. But we’ll see.

And so we drove around town on Christmas Eve, hitting up various (super)markets before they closed for the holiday, in search of nutritional yeast and sundried tomatoes and other semi-obscure ingredients. (We also may have picked up and consumed an entire tub of hummus and bag of falafel chips while driving home, but it’s fine.) And that night, she cooked the lasagna while I… did something other than spend 2 straight hours in the kitchen.

On Christmas Day, I promised her I’d try her lasagna. I soon declared it The Most Amazing Thing I’ve Ever Had Outside Of A Restaurant. 90% of my Christmas meal was this lasagna. 100% of the leftovers I brought back to NYC was this lasagna. 100% of said leftovers were consumed within 20 minutes of me getting home that night.

Don’t you see? This vegan lasagna is straight-up MINDBLOWING. And this is coming from someone who is neither vegan, nor a fan of lasagna.

I am, however, some degree of a fan of Alicia Silverstone, whose website provided this delectable recipe… which I am going to include below with a few snaps I took of my first attempt at this dish. If you do nothing else with your life, please just try this recipe! Or have someone else have at it while you sample the finished product. Everyone MUST experience this amazingness!

Ingredients

1 box of whole wheat or brown rice lasagna noodles
1 (16-ounce) box of frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze excess water out
2 (26-ounce) jars of vegan marinara
4 vegan Italian “sausages” cut into cubes
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Vegan shredded cheese (enough to sprinkle on top only)
1 lb. extra firm tofu
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 heaping tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste
4 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cup (a few huge handfuls) chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions

To Make:
Press water out of tofu by wrapping in a clean towel, and placing a pot or pan on top for about 10-20 minutes. Crumble the tofu in a bowl, and add lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, sea salt, black pepper, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and dried oregano. Using a potato masher, smash up the tofu really well until it resembles ricotta cheese in texture. Set aside until ready to use.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water with 2 Tbsp olive oil to a boil, and cook noodles according to package. (You probably won’t need the whole package. Take however many noodles will fit across the dish and multiply by 3). Cook them for a few minutes less than suggested so that they can finish cooking in the oven. When noodles are done cooking, drain and rinse in cold water.

While the noodles are cooking, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan, and saute sausage a few minutes. Use a wooden spoon to help crumble the sausage into slightly smaller pieces. Add 2 jars of marinara sauce and 2 chopped green peppers to the pan, and let simmer about 10 minutes.

To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a rectangular pyrex glass dish, start layering your lasagna. Start by adding a little sauce on the bottom, then a layer of noodles, then sauce, spinach, tofu ricotta, a layer of noodles, sauce, spinach, ricotta, a layer of noodles, and then end with sauce and cover the top with shredded vegan cheese (you should have 3 layers of noodles). Cover top of dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts a little on top. Let cool 5 minutes before eating.

I can’t get over how funny this picture is. Clearly my cat wanted nothing to do with it :P

Last weekend, I did the Down & Dirty mud run at Orchard Beach. We all know how I feel about racing (does the accidental half-marathon ring a bell?), so when I signed up I was imagining it being more of a carefree, la-de-da, “hey look Ma, I’m playing in mud!” sort of event. I mean, yes, I knew it was an actual race; however, I intended on having fun with it rather than racing, per say.

And so I willingly paid money to run through all sorts of mud for 5 grueling kilometers, throwing myself over muddy walls and crawling through muddy pools, all while making sure I maneuvered my limbs oh-so-gingerly so as to avoid further injuring my previously-injured knee/ankle/hipbone (man, when’d I get so old?). It was by no means a walk in the park, but it was an absolute blast. I totally surprised myself and ended up in the 21st percentile, which kind of makes me wish I had cared a little more about my time. But that only gives me more motivation for next year’s 10k (which includes … wait for it … a wall of hay bales!).

See that lovely orange bandana/hat/do-rag they provided us with? I’m now intent on turning it into some sort of halloween costume for my kitty. A pumpkin? The M Train? The MCAT? I don’t know, but it’s too cute not to use!

The night of the 4th was punctuated with a sky set on fire, followed by the famous Macy’s firework show. I saw the fireworks up close and personal 3 years ago, so I’m ok with not having front row seats to it every year. It’s arguably even cooler to watch the fireworks from the top of the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island – I mean, how many people can say they’ve done that? :D We didn’t exactly plan it that way, but sometimes it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. The fireworks were about 13 miles away (based on my eyeballed estimate from google maps) and hence looked pretty tiny, but I loved that we could see the whole park below, and then the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Empire State Building beyond. It was – pardon the cheese here – pretty magical :)

Back to our regularly scheduled wedding/portrait posts next time. On deck: Cameron & Brian’s engagement shoot!

This past winter was one of the coldest I can remember, which made running a bit of a challenge. But on nights where it wasn’t so unbearable, I would venture out fully dressed for the weather:

(Forgive the quality, they were taken with the Macbook Photobooth. And while you’re at it, forgive the cluttered apartment behind me too! But don’t forgive Kitty, who was strategically placed :P)

On the left, I’m wearing an outfit appropriate for crisp fall weather, when a t-shirt’s not gonna cut it and gloves start becoming mandatory. On the right, I’m dressed for sub-40 weather, wearing 2 pairs of gloves, a layering jacket, and ear warmers that aren’t even meant for running. (Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do!)

 
I always run the same route, which is a total of 5 miles from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back. I know exactly how long the route is and about how long it will take me to complete. I even stop for a few minutes at the same spot on the bridge in the middle of my run to stretch my legs every time. I’m pretty sure my running routine sounds like a complete snoozefest right about now, but I love it so much that I’ve never felt a need to change it up. I mean gosh, look at the Williamsburg Bridge. Look at the view! How could you ever get sick of it?! I still can’t get enough after 3+ years of living in NYC.

So on a recent Sunday afternoon, I set off on my usual run. I ran across the bridge, but then instead of turning around at the end of it, I kept on running down the ramp and into Manhattan. I’ve secretly been harboring a dream of running in *the city*, so I was all ‘Holy crap, I’m running in Manhattan!’. I didn’t have a plan, but my legs seemed to carry me back towards the water to East River Park, where I ran along the boardwalk gawking at the fantastic skyline views. I stopped every 30 seconds or so to snap some photos with my iPhone and briefly contemplate my next move.

Soon I realized that I’d gone so far that it no longer made sense to turn around. I was feeling so good, and the weather was just perfect for running (60ish, mostly cloudy) that I WANTED to keep running. Aside from one trip & fall incident (I mean, if you’re gonna nearly face-plant, it might as well be right outside Bellevue Hospital, right?) and my other (previously injured) knee acting up halfway through, I honestly felt fine the entire time. Before I knew it, I was crossing the Queensboro Bridge into Queens and then back into Brooklyn for the home stretch. I arrived home after about 2.5 hours and of course the first thing I did was map out my route to check out the mileage. The verdict? 13.1 miles.

13.1 miles, almost exactly. My immediate reaction: WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

I was completely flabbergasted, not just that I had run that insane distance, but that I’d had no concept of mileage when I was out there and it just *happened* to be the exact same as a half-marathon. How on earth did that happen?

To be honest, running an unofficial and accidental half-marathon was very anticlimactic in the end. I’d always imagined feeling exhausted yet exhilarated when I finished, and that it would have to be something to work up to and feel so satisfied in accomplishing. 5 miles was as far as I ever cared to run, so I assumed the jump from 5 to 13.1 would require some work. True, my time could definitely stand to improve, but the fact that I ran a half-marathon unintentionally and without proper preparation is indisputably nuts. (To be fair, though, my body is like a machine and I’m suuuuuper active in my life and do all sorts of physical activity, so I probably unknowingly prepared myself for this. Oops?)

 
So where am I going with this oh-so-inspiring (albeit ridiculous) anecdote? Well, it made me realize that I’m capable of doing things that I had no idea I could do. We all are. But we get comfortable with the familiar and the routine and often don’t step out of that comfort zone to try new things and push ourselves more. Imagine what we could all accomplish if we just pushed a little harder and committed ourselves to being ballsy, taking risks, and being open to new and unfamiliar experiences.

This is how I want to live my life. This is how I want Lindsay Taryn Photography to grow.

With that said, I’m taking a risk here and from now on will be trying to write more personal blog posts. I’m an extremely candid person and love to write, so this should be quite fun for me :) But most of all, I want people who stumble across this space of mine on the web to not only fall in love with my work, but also get a good sense of who is behind it. I want you to love the photos AND the photographer. I want us to have a blast when we work together and create amazing images that you’ll cherish forever.

If that sounds good to you, then hop on board and enjoy the ride!

And what would be a *happy new year* post without a few ‘resolutions’? I don’t really believe in resolutions though because usually they’re way too vague or lofty to be achieved in a year, so instead I’m just going to list a few specific things I want to do in 2011 that are definitely achievable and realistic:

• go rock-climbing
• go on an epic trip to somewhere jaw-droppingly stunning and exotic
• find more super awesome couples who want me to shoot their wedding this year :)
• spend more time and energy on the people in my life who deserve it, and less on the people who don’t
• be a little more open to new things and a little less set in my ways (this has been an ongoing thing and I think I’ve improved over the years, but there’s always room for more comfort zone stretching!)
• pick up a new hobby (i have no idea what, though)
• turn my spare room into an office
• learn how to cook a few new dishes
• do more volunteer work

Also, a few notable things I accomplished/did this year:

• found a new job
• started my photography business
• photographed weddings, events, celebrities, and lots of people
• went on a spontaneous road trip out west
• went to europe
• officially became a runner!

I’m really happy with how 2010 went, but I’m even more excited to see what 2011 brings!

(by the way, if you’d like to wrap your cat too, check out this amazing video… or if you’d like a good laugh, watch our parody of it! :)

I’m thankful that I have sisters who will willingly pose for pictures, and even take the time to prepare for it (lots of eye makeup and hair straightening went into these looks – they’re nuts!):

I’m thankful for my kitty, who’s holding down the fort in Brooklyn while I’m back in CT for a few days visiting the family:

I’m thankful for my best friend, Lauren, who will also model for me at the drop of a hat:

It’s obviously no surprise that I post pictures of these 4 more than anyone or anything else on this blog :) You’re lucky they’re all so pretty!

Aside from my favorites, I’m also thankful for:

• The amazing people I’ve met and friends I’ve made through photography
• My mom finally feeling better (6 knee surgeries and 2 years later)
• Having a dream and chasing after it
• Living in New York City
• Being able to travel as often as I do
• Being super healthy (both physically and emotionally)

And on a slightly more frivolous level, I’m thankful for:

• Trader Joe’s
• Having the Internet at my fingertips pretty much 24/7
• Chocolate
• Having a washer/dryer in my apartment
• Not having to work retail on Black Friday
• Not having to work retail at all

Happy Thanksgiving! :D

I’ve actually never had a cat of my own, but this year I decided I was finally ready to adopt one. I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than my kitty soulmate, though! I started looking at shelters and thinking of names (for awhile I was set on naming her Chubby Checkers, though I can’t remember why exactly…). The plan was to hopefully adopt one this summer, in July or August after a jam-packed month of June. But hey, you can’t always plan when you’ll find your (kitty) soulmate! Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I learned that a friend of a friend had rescued a little tabby cat on the streets of Newark, and that she was so sweet and cute and desperately needed a home. There literally was no decision-making process, I just automatically made up my mind that I had to see her. I told myself that I’d think about it afterwards and if I wanted to take her, I’d wait a week or two until the dust started to settle in my hectic life. I also picked out a name for her before even meeting her: Chib Jr, after my family’s gorgeous tabby cat back home who’s my favorite cat of all-time.

Well, guess what happened? I went, I saw her, and I had to have her that night. We lugged her back to NYC in a cardboard box that she almost busted through at least 20 times on the train. She spent a week camping out in my bedroom while we kept her separate from my roommate’s cat and I tried to cram in her vet appointments to make sure she was healthy. She nearly escaped when she climbed out my window one day through a ripped screen while we were at work – thank god our neighbor saw her!

But oh, she’s so adorable! She purrs, she plays, she cuddles, she likes to lick my arms/hands and nibble on my hair. She often wakes me up at 5am to play (as if dragging a toy into bed at that hour is really going to get me up!). She’s the most easygoing, chill kitty I’ve ever seen. Yeah, she’s pretty much my kitty soulmate :) … and definitely worth the wait I’d say!

And with that, I present: Chib Jr!

(She’s probably about 6 months old here…)

Without further adu, here is my fabulous family. FYI – I shoot all special occasions! Not only weddings, but also birthday parties, engagement parties, bridal showers, mitzvahs, you name it – if something important is happening, I want to be there to document it! Contact me if interested!

 
Oh, I need to preface the next 2 shots by saying that my sisters and I are the masters at making funny faces. For real.

 
Shan is the master of whipping up homemade birthday cards at 1am the day of someone’s b-day: