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Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable & What I Cooked Last Week

Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable & What I Cooked Last Week

A Takeaway From My Cookbook Photoshoot, Grandpa's Korean Fried Rice, Broccoli and Cheddar Bites, Miso Carbonara

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Maxine Sharf
Mar 28, 2025
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Maxi's Kitchen
Maxi's Kitchen
Getting Comfortable With the Uncomfortable & What I Cooked Last Week
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Hi everyone,

I hope you had a wonderful week. Doug and I are in Tokyo at the moment, having the best time and eating so much good food! I’ll definitely share a recap when we’re back :)

Our first meal of the trip was this yummy ramen with pork, a soy marinated egg, and shrimp wontons.

A few weeks ago, I wrapped up my cookbook shoot, which was such a wild, fun, and slightly chaotic ride. I’m SO happy with how the photos turned out, and after having a little space to reflect, there’s one big takeaway that’s really stuck with me.

It’s all about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. The last two days of the shoot were dedicated to lifestyle photos, and they were definitely the most stressful—mainly because, for the first time, the camera was on me, not the food. More on that below, along with a sneak peek of the lifestyle photos (including my favorite candid with Doug) and some fun behind-the-scenes moments.

First, a recipe for Korean fried rice passed down from my grandpa. It’s made with crispy bacon, Napa cabbage, and gochujang—and it’s a favorite in my family. Hope you love it as much as we do.

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What I Cooked Last Week! ↓

Grandpa's Korean Fried Rice

Many of my family recipes come from my Korean grandpa, who was an incredible cook. His fried rice is made with gochujang—a sweet and spicy Korean sauce.

Grandpa's Korean Fried Rice
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Download

You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)

Broccoli and Cheddar Bites

Mar 27
Broccoli and Cheddar Bites

Every time my mom and I make these broccoli cheddar bites, they are polished off within minutes. The cheddar melts beautifully into the broccoli. We hope you love them!

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Miso Carbonara

Mar 27
Miso Carbonara

The secret ingredient in this carbonara is miso paste. It adds depth and dimension and pairs perfectly with the Giadzy Nodi Marini Pasta, though feel free to use any pasta shape you like.

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The Best Cheesy Bean Dip

Maxine Sharf
·
Mar 27
The Best Cheesy Bean Dip

The secret to the best bean dip is mixing some cream cheese into the beans for the creamiest, silkiest texture.

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Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

When I first wrote about the cookbook shoot, we were only halfway through and hadn’t gotten to the lifestyle photos yet. We saved the last two days for those—and I didn’t realize at the time that they’d end up being the most challenging part for me 😅.

Hair and makeup ready for day 1!

That morning started off with hair and makeup while the team set up lighting and began shooting a couple of recipes in the kitchen. My photographer, Amy, has such a gift for capturing real, candid moments—nothing too posed or formal. The plan was to photograph me in my element: cooking with my mom, hanging out at home with Kimchi. Easy, right?

Except… it wasn’t.

This was my first real photo shoot, and I was nervous. I had a hard time falling asleep the night before—it almost felt like my wedding day. There were about 10 crew members, plus my mom, Doug (for the second day), and Kimchi. I was so grateful everyone was there, but I definitely felt the pressure. This was the final stretch, and we had two days to get all the shots, with the spotlight on me, not the recipes.

That first day was hard. It was really cloudy, which made lighting tricky. We tried a kitchen setup, then one on the couch where I’d be eating out of a bowl, hoping Kimchi might wander over. But nothing felt right. My outfit wasn’t working—my pants were bunching up and it almost looked like I was wearing a diaper (ahh!!). I changed three times, but everything still looked off and unnatural. I started to wonder: Am I just bad at this? Is it me?

The shot that was not working out with my pants bunching up like a diaper 😅

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