Featuring jax and j

Today's featured artist is Jackie from jax and j - an amazing photographer. I met Jackie on Twitter and hers was also a shop I've never browsed before (though to be fair she's relatively new on Etsy). Jackie also has a shop on Zazzle - be sure to check it as well as it has a different selection of pictures.

Jackie is a 20 something professional looking to stretch her wings and share some of her more creative endeavors. One of her favorite things to do is just get out there with her camera and see what she can find.

Cherry Blossom love

The Cherry Blossom picture above is one of my favorites (I'm a bit partial to cherry blossom) and I'm also a big fan of Hawaiian series (I'm also partial to sea and sun). And best all Jackie also shares my passion for food and blogs about it.

I subjected Jackie to my weird brand of questioning and here are her answers:

What's in your handbag (down to the last candy wrapper)?

Ooh, let's see... I carry EVERYTHING around with me in my purse, so this may be a long list! My pink and brown wallet, my camera, strawberry cough drops (bad allergies!), checkbook, a Bliss spa menu (just bought my friend a gift certificate for her baby shower), jaxandj business cards, day job business cards, iPod, orange TicTacs, blue pen, black pen, yellow highlighter, hair clip, cell phone, car keys/house keys, sunglasses, photo corners (just bought), and name tag from a recent alumni event. (Did I mention that my purse is on the larger side?)

What's in your fridge right now?

Oh my. This is also quite the lengthy list... We just recently went grocery shopping AND I love to cook, so we're pretty often stocked up with leftovers from cooking adventures. Fresh blueberries, leftover Barefoot Contessa sundried tomato pasta, olives, parm cheese, lemon ricotta cookies (baked up for a friend's vow renewal party), hummus, cupcakes (I love cupcakes... these are coconut and chocolate ganache), turkey pepperoni, lemon and lime seltzer, passion fruit juice, skim milk, Brita water, swiss cheese, turkey bacon, a La Duree box of macarons, baby spinach, broccoli slaw, eggs, Yellow Tail wine, chicken broth, and loads of condiments.

View of Paradise

What is your favorite dish (feel free to throw in the recipe...)?

I have quite a few favorite dishes... ones that I don't make but love include the ginger crusted onaga from Alan Wong's restaurant in Hawaii (ginger, onaga, fresh Hawaiian corn, miso sauce, mushrooms, yum), Maryland blue crabs with Old Bay, and (almost) all sushi.

Of dishes that I've made, I love the pork potstickers that my family makes and my husband's shrimp scampi. I also love to bake and although this is a simple recipe, this banana bread recipe is always a winner (especially when chocolate chips are added):

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Pull up a chair...stay for awhile

Sun or snow?

My immediate gut reaction is sun all the way. I love being out in the sun, on the beach, or just by the water. Although I couldn't imagine a year without snow -- I grew up with all four seasons and love the first big snowfall of the season. There's just something about bundling up inside, by a fire, while it is snowing outside... and then bundling up to go outside to play in the snow. But probably sun over snow!

If you had 10 days and money wasn't an object, where would you lug your camera to?

Now this is a tough question. Does traveling around the world count? :) Right now, my 10 day trip would include the Galapagos Islands, South Africa (including a safari!), Greece, and Croatia (all places I've never been but would love to visit). I can fit those into 10 days right?

Coast of paradise

What is your favorite item in you shop?

My favorite item right now is View of Paradise because it just about sums up much of what I find peaceful and beautiful; I also loved the richness of the blues (and the beach itself was incredibly soft). A close second is Cherry Blossom Love -- I took that on a gorgeous spring morning, and I loved how the pinks of the cherry blossoms looked against the bright blue sky.

I honestly love them all though because they all bring back such wonderful memories.