Seeing is Believing: A Beginner's Photography Blog

Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting. Partial fail.

2012-02-25T15:02:00.016-04:00

Last week, Sobey's had their baking bananas on sale for 29 cents a pound, so I stocked up. I saw this recipe on Pinterest (yes, I'm addicted to that website) and thought it looked delicious. I mean, it's bananas. Cake. CREAM CHEESE. Bring it on!

Here's the thing - I am generally one of those obnoxious people who choose a recipe, realize I don't have x, y, or z for it, substitute a, b, and c for said ingredients, and so on, and so forth. This time I was determined to make this exactly the way it should be. Here is the recipe:

http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2011/12/banana-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

The only thing I ended up changing was adding more icing sugar to the icing, because it was very runny.

However, I balked a bit at the oven temp - 375 for a cake...? I should have listened to my gut, because the cake ended up overdone on the edges and slightly underdone in the middle. Grrr. So if you decide to try this recipe, drop your oven temp to a maximum of 350 and try that.

HOWEVER! Despite not baking up perfectly, the taste is really, really wonderful. We all really like this cake and I'll be trying it again. And! It's easy-peasy!

Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.

Four tablespoons of butter at room temp is next:

Put the butter and 3/4 cup white sugar in your bowl/mixer and cream them together.

Next you'll need three eggs - two of them whole, and one requires just the white.

Beat them in one at a time, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla as well. You're almost done!

Grab four very ripe bananas:

Mash them up and mix with 1/4 cup of milk. Doesn't that look lovely?

Blend half of the flour into the butter/sugar mixture.

Chuck in all of the bananas:

Blend that, then add the rest of the flour. Blend and you're DONE.

Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and chuck it in the oven. A cooler oven. For at least 40 minutes.

I am not one of those moms who is concerned about cake batter, so here you go, kid:

The icing is easy-peasy, too! All it takes is 1/2 a block of cream cheese at room temp, a splash of vanilla, and a few cups of icing sugar.

Ignore my cracked bowl. It has been well used.

Result? Yummy, yummy banana cake. Even if it's a tad underdone.

I also made lasagna for supper last night. Excuse my bragging, but I make absolutely fantastic lasagna. Needless to say, by the time we were done the lasagna and cake, we were all stuffed to the point of misery. And I had a very happy husband, who adores both lasagna and cake. I'm not normally a cake person, but this appealed to me because it is dense and moist; I don't like fluffy cakes as a rule because they remind me of cake mix cakes, and I vastly prefer homemade.

Anyway, give it a try! It's a lovely cake, easy, tasty, and appeals to everyone. Except my dad, who hates bananas. But I bet he loves my lasagna.

SLACKER!

2012-02-22T13:30:00.009-04:00

Well, my goal of trying 50 new recipes in 2012 is - uh - not going well. I'd like to think that, at 38 weeks pregnant and with crippling pelvic pain, I have a good excuse for this. I miss it, though - there is nothing quite like trying something new. I've tried a few things, but usually do not have the gumption to pivot all over the kitchen with my camera, snapping shots.

However.

You must try roasting kale.

This is not new to me; I tried it last year. However, I've been addicted to this stuff since the new year. Addicted! I mean, look at those crispy green leaves! Delicious.

It's so easy. Buy some kale. Tear off the leaves (not the stalks; they're tough). Wash and dry (I use a salad spinner). On a baking sheet, toss kale with oil and whatever you like for seasonings. I usually use a bit of oil and some cooking spray to cut down on the fat, and all I put on mine is salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stick it in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes or until they're crispy. SO GOOD. Seriously - the texture of them is this delightful crumbly, crispy wonderfulness.

You can do the same thing with broccoli with equally delicious results. I toss fresh broccoli florets with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, roast them, and then toss them in a bowl with a splash of lemon juice and some parmesan cheese. Oh, so good. They will go into my meal rotation along with roasted harvest vegetables, which I get addicted to every fall.

I've also been slack on posting my "Let's Do 52" photos, so let's recap:

Week 4 was all about perspective. I took this shot of some wintry berries clinging to a branch, and I took it from right beneath it, looking up to the sky through the rest of the branches.

Week 5 was "self-portrait with a loved one". This was a quick-and-dirty shot; I put my camera on top of my entertainment unit, smoothed my hair down, clicked on the timer, and got into position. Yeah, not a lot of thought, but I liked it anyway.

Week 6 was "linear". Pretty self-explanatory:

Week 7 was "pretty ugly", or finding beauty in unexpected places. I loved this one and the different entries. Luckily for me, we had a gorgeous hoar frost last Thursday that lasted all morning, so I took some photos of dead leaves and bare branches that actually looked totally transformed with that thick layer of spiky frost. I also made the group's "Pick of the Week" for this shot:

Finally, week 8 was "simplicity". Here are some decorations I put up: $1 crepe paper from the dollar store. My kid and I were celebrating one of his stuffed puppy's many birthdays. Amazing how something so simple can make a kid so happy.

I am hoping it won't be long before I am posting photos of another family member!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pan of roasted kale waiting for me in the oven.

Hearty Bean and Quinoa Soup

2012-01-28T19:54:00.012-04:00

I seem to start a lot of my posts with photos of onions. Which probably isn't good if you don't like 'em.

I made this soup for the first time last fall. I remember it fondly because it was the same day we climbed Bald Peak. I think I posted a photo of the soup around that time, and a link to the recipe, but I've made it at least 7-8 times since then, so I thought I'd do a proper recipe post.

This is the easiest soup ever. And healthy! And cheap! And tasty! How can you go wrong? The recipe can be found on Chatelaine, but I've adapted it slightly (tweaking it over the course of a couple of months will do that to a person) and so I'm posting how I do it.

As you can see above, you need a big ol' onion, chopped up. Throw it in a large pot with a tablespoon of oil and cook, stirring occasionally so they don't burn, for 6-7 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, chop up a couple of carrots...

...and mince two cloves of garlic:

You also need about 1/2 a cup of quinoa. If you don't know what quinoa is (or how it's pronounced), do check it out! It's very high in protein and it's healthy and delish.

Throw the carrots, garlic, and quinoa in with the onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

Next, dump in a carton of vegetable broth and a cup of water. Seriously - you are pretty much done.

Let that simmer for about 20 minutes. Open a can of these:

Rinse them, and put them in the soup. Grab several handfuls of spinach (I like lots) and throw it in, too. No need to chop it up. It wilts to the perfect size.

Let it simmer for a few more minutes until heated through and the spinach is wilted. This is what my kid was doing while I was making soup: saying grace for his lunch at his makeshift table.

Sadly, it's not a favourite soup of either Charlie or my husband. Wait - why am I sad? MORE FOR ME!!!!

So, your soup is done. That's it. Nothing else needed. Just onions, garlic, carrots, quinoa, broth, beans, and spinach.

I mean, look at this stuff:

Oh, so good. SO GOOD.

Enjoy! Let's Do 52 post coming soon.

Braised chicken and onions and garlic and YUM.

2012-01-19T17:47:00.013-04:00

Mmmm, butter.

Sorry, got distracted there.

I hesitated when putting up this post because I made this recipe two days ago, late in the afternoon, and the light was atrocious for photo-taking. I am not trying to be humble; the photos are not good. However, the food was delish, so here I go anyway. Ignore the sub-par photography.

I bought some chicken on Monday with the intention of braising it. My husband asked me what kind of chicken I was making, and I told him (some tomato-based thing I found on Pinterest) and his disappointment was palpable. I think he gets tired of my obsession with tomato-based foods. So I hunted around and found this:

http://www.thekitchn.com/dinner-recipe-french-onion-chi-144744

Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyere.

Onions. Garlic. Chicken. How can you go wrong? I'll eat almost anything with onions.

So you take a few tablespoons of butter and melt it in a large pan (I used our cast iron pan) until it foams. Next, you need:

All kinds of onions, cut into thinly sliced half-moons. Toss them in with the butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You are going to cook them for quite a while, until they caramelize. Your house will smell delicious. You're welcome.

You're also going to need a couple of cloves of garlic, sliced up like so:

Once the onions have reached a caramel-y colour (you can't tell from the lighting here, but they are getting brown), toss in the garlic, along with some rosemary and thyme. Now your house will smell even more wonderful!

Cook that a few minutes, then add a cup of broth (I used beef) and simmer until it reduces by half, about five minutes.

At the same time, heat up another pan and brown skinless chicken thighs on both sides over medium-high heat.

Aaaaand I forgot to take a photo of the next step, because my husband arrived home from somewhere and had a long story to tell me, so I was attempting to be a good listener while also muttering to myself about the lighting and the recipe and whatnot. Put the onions in a large baking dish/dutch oven, then place the chicken on top of that. In the pan you cooked the chicken in, add a cup of broth and some balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard. Simmer until reduced by half. Pour it over the chicken and stick it in a 325 oven for about 30 minutes. Turn your oven to broil, sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, and stick it back in for a few minutes.

Honestly - and this is coming from a cheese lover - it would have been just a delicious without the cheese.

Oh so good. We served it with rice and green beans, and smothered the rice with the onion-garlic-sauce mixture. My husband was extremely glad I didn't bother doing the tomato recipe. This was a huge hit and I'll certainly be making it again.

I am hoping to do something sweet for my next recipe. I got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas and have not had the chance to use it yet as we've been eating up sweets/chocolates from Christmas. Stay tuned!

In other photography schtuff, I am doing another one-photo-a-week thing this year: Let's Do 52. I'm hoping to keep up a bit more with posting these on my blog. I absolutely love doing this project and I encourage anyone interested in photography to do something like this. You are given a new theme each week and you take a photo for said theme. It's challenging and forces you to get out there and shoot, which is important for me even in the dead of winter. Here are my first three submissions:

Week 1: Natural

Week 2: Responsibility

Week 3: Negative Space

Why I am not doing a recipe post.

2012-01-16T18:04:00.002-04:00

I had big plans to cook up something lovely this afternoon and post it tonight. BIG plans. They were thwarted.

Here's what you need to know:
I live 35 minutes from town.
I am 8 months pregnant and in pure misery.
It's icy out there.

I left for town at 10am. Objective: to buy groceries, and to go to Walmart to buy my husband a filter for the truck and some motor oil. I hoped to walk through a portion of the mall, too.

My day started out fantastically. I stopped at Value Village on a whim, and turns out, if you signed up for their free Super Savers card, you saved 50% on clothing/shoes/etc. So I scored a coat, a dress, a top, a nursing tank, jeans for the kiddo, and shoes for baby, all for about $20. Pretty good trade-off for another card in my wallet.

Next stop: Superstore. Scored myself a Stork Parking spot for the first time. The lot was icy and I didn't want to walk. Went in, got my stuff done (I love grocery shopping, so my day was still going well at this point), aaaand on to the mall.

I decided to park at Sears since it was noonhour now and I figured I'd have to park a mile away from Walmart and then pick my way over the icy lot. Grabbed my lunch, waddled through the mall (thinking, "Yikes, better head to Walmart - this HURTS"), went to Walmart. Went all the way back to automotive. Realized the motor oil was in a huge jug, and also, I forgot - had to get windshield wash and toilet paper. Considered crying, but instead, I sucked it up and waddled back to the front for a mother of a cart. Waddled BACK to automotive, grabbed stuff quickly.

Paid for my stuff. How the heck could all of that be $80!? Oh, right, because I got the WRONG JUG OF MOTOR OIL. So then I got to stand in line to return the $44 jug and go back and get the nearly identical $24 jug. ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK, and back to the front. Also: I grabbed a Lindt bar because, darnit, I deserved some chocolate.

Then - THEN - I had the privilege of waddling back through the mall, all the way to Sears, pushing a massive Walmart cart with Heavy Things in it. By the time I got to my car, I was panting like I'd just run a freakin' marathon, and the bones in my pelvis were grinding, and I hurt from my hip bones to my thighs, and my back throbbed, and I was nauseated, and I wanted to die. Chucked the stuff in the car, climbed in, and tore into my chocolate bar with wild abandon.

What's this - this CHEWY thing...!? Why, it's raisins. Raisins don't belong in a chocolate bar. They just don't. Hazelnuts do, which were also in it, and which is what I saw on the front of the package. Raisins? NO. Now my husband has a lovely Lindt bar to eat.

Drove home, told my tale of woe to my husband...

...and find out I still got the wrong motor oil.

I was in no mood to do any fancy cooking and photographing, so we had chili while I silently fumed my way through dinner.

So, hopefully tomorrow I'll have something pretty and yummy posted here. For now, I am just trying not to move very much.

Roasted Tomato Soup

2012-01-09T12:40:00.016-04:00

I'm going to start out my 2012 recipes by being that obnoxious person who takes a recipe and changes have of the stuff in it, then complains about it. ;)

I decided to make Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons (link at end of post). I love tomato-y things, and I make another roasted tomato soup that we all love, so I decided to give it a whirl.

It called for three pints of grape tomatoes. We-ell, grape tomatoes are expensive. And I only had one pint of grape tomatoes. Sooo--

Canned tomatoes! I didn't have whole ones on hand so I used just under two cans of diced. Toss 'em on a baking sheet with the grape tomatoes, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick them in the oven at 400 F and roast for a while.

Next, you need to toss two tablespoons of butter into a pot with a cup of chopped onion, two cloves of garlic (minced), and a tablespoon of olive oil:

Cook those bad boys until soft, then add a can of diced tomatoes and 3-4 cups of broth. I used vegetable because I nearly always use vegetable. Simmer while waiting for the other tomatoes to finish roasting.

Take out the roasted tomatoes:

..and put them in the pot with the rest of the soup ingredients. Simmer a bit longer. In the meantime, make up a grilled cheese sandwich. I highly recommend using homemade bread and real cheddar.

You're almost done! Grill the sandwich and set it aside. Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or use an immersion blender.

Now here's the part I reeeeally skimped on. The recipe then calls for a CUP of heavy cream. I admit I am always hesitant to dump that much fat into something otherwise healthy. I mean, I love me some heavy cream - to whip, to use in ganache, etc. But I decided against it for soup. Instead, I added some coffee cream and milk. Result: eh. It wasn't as creamy as I'd hoped. But it was still good. So, yes, add the cream/milk and heat through without boiling.

Cut the sandwich into "croutons":

And drop them in your soup. The croutons were fantastic and tasted really great with the soup. The soup was decent, but next time I'll try to follow the recipe to a T. ;)

Recipe: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/roasted-tomato-soup-699298/

I plan to do more new recipes this year, although this one came a bit later than I had anticipated starting. Blame it on bronchitis, rib injury, and crippling pelvic pain as I get huger and huger with child. ;) I also did not bother editing the photos, but will put more effort into this in the future. I promise! Happy eats. :)

Goodbye, 2011

2011-12-31T15:06:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe we're in the last hours of 2011! What a year it has been. I wanted to check in here and update on my plans for 2012.

Concerning photography: I will be focusing more on just doing hobbyist photography for at least the first half of the year, since I will be heavily pregnant for part of it and dealing with a newborn from March onward, and won't have time for sessions/editing. I will certainly update later concerning when I am available again. I hope to take part in a Project 52 again this year, which I absolutely loved and which served as a great learning experience for me.

Also coming soon to this little blog: I aim to try - and photograph - 52 new recipes this year. If I am pressed for time (say, late winter when I am nursing a newborn 'round the clock!) I may photograph the creation of old favourites. Regardless, if you enjoy food and photography, keep checking in!

Hoping everyone had a lovely Christmas, and best wishes for 2012. :)

My last session of 2011 : Ashley and Tyler

2011-11-08T13:46:00.003-04:00

These two lovebirds came to me in September, wanting some photos to commemorate their second anniversary together. Ashley and I go way back to the good ol' Rec Centre days when I was the leader and she was one of the teens who came to hang out with us in the afternoon. Now she's all grown up and making me feel very old. ;) Anyway, they were great sports and we had a good time taking some photos to showcase their relationship.

On another note, I have an announcement - I won't be doing any more full sessions for this year, aside from those I've already discussed things with (ie for Christmas cards, especially since those sessions are usually quicker). At almost 6 months pregnant, I am suffering from a lot of hip/pelvic/back/sciatic pain, and while I love to do photos for people, it is taking a toll on my health. Hopefully once baby arrives late winter and I adjust to life with two kids, I'll be able to take on more. If you had something specific in mind you wanted to ask me about, or if you really wanted that Christmas card photo, let me know; it's just that at this point, sessions will have to be short without a lot of varied poses as it's just a bit too hard on my body right now.

Ahem. Without further ado, here are the adorable Ashley and Tyler, being all schmaltzy for the camera. :)

Squash Soup.

2011-10-28T13:19:00.013-03:00

Yes, I am still on a soup kick. We're well into a bit of a cold snap and really, nothing beats a hot bowl of soup on a raw day. This soup is one of those foods that will make you wonder how something so healthy can taste so rich. It's that good.

Also, the fact that I will cut a huge squash by myself proves I love this stuff. I hate cutting squash. However, that's the first step - get yourself a decent sized squash, peel and seed it, and cube it into small pieces. We used one from our garden's harvest. I love squash - it's so versatile and so delicious. You can steam it, boil it, bake it, roast it...and put it in soup!

You also need two carrots. I looked in my fridge - no carrots - but since we're gardeners who are not Very Serious, ours are still in the ground. So the kidlet and I geared up in our warm coats and went outside to dig a couple.

You need either one onion or two leeks. I've used both and haven't noticed a lick of difference in taste. Today I used onion, since I always have one on hand but don't normally have leeks just laying around.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions. Saute until aromatic and soft, about six minutes. Then shake in some cinnamon and nutmeg and stir for a minute. Mmmmm.

Your work is mostly done. Grab the carrots:

Three or four cups of vegetable broth (or whatever kind of broth/stock you use; vegetable is highly featured in this household if I have no homemade stock on hand):

And put them in the pot with the onions. Toss your squash in, too. Make sure you have just enough liquid to almost cover it all.

Now go find something to do for 25 minutes while it simmers. In my case, I had to go drag my wayward dog home from Dave's friend's house. He takes off every few months, usually on a windy day. Thankfully everyone knows which dog belongs to whom along this road.

Okay, so your vegetables are tender, so you're almost done. Transfer the soup to your food processor or blender (I usually do this in two batches) and puree until smooth.

Put it back in the pot and add a splash of cream. This is completely optional, but I like it. Also add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat through and voila - you have yourself healthy, rich, smooth, hot squash soup!

This was the first squash soup I tried, and I've never bothered with a different recipe. It's so simple and delicious. Enjoy!

SOUP

2011-10-15T16:29:00.003-03:00

It's fall, which means it's that time of year when I crave hot, delicious, comfort food. Soup is a big one for me; I love love love soup. LOVE. Nearly all kinds. So in the past two weeks, I've tried three new recipes. I am sure my husband has a different opinion, but I consider all three a huge success.

Above is "Hearty Quinoa Soup", and it was excellent. Chock full of veggies and beans and quinoa. My husband deemed it "interesting", which is his kind way of saying, "please don't make me eat this again when there are so many other options out there". So I happily ate the leftovers without having to share.

Next I tried Tri-Colour Tortellini Soup. Oh, noms. Tomatoey and cheesy and healthy. I normally dislike pasta in soup as it always goes soggy, but this did not and it was so delish. Thumbs up from the husband, and the kid (who is very much not a soup lover unless it's tomato or vegetable from a can) even ate some.

Finally, Creamy Mushroom and Barley soup. Husband's favourite, by far. You have to be a serious mushroom lover for this one, and since we both are, we both really enjoyed it. It's got both fresh and dried mushrooms in it, and sour cream, and onions...and, well, how can you go wrong with that!?

Soup. It's what's for dinner. Except for my souped-out husband, who insisted that I make something "good" tonight. "Like poutine!" he says. Hey, we can't win them all.

Links to soup recipes:
http://www3.samsclub.com/meals/recipes/ground-beef-and-tricolor-tortellini-soup-recipe
(I did not add corn to the tortellini soup recipe, but otherwise followed it pretty closely.)

http://food.chatelaine.com/Recipes/View/Hearty-quinoa-and-bean-soup

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cream_of_mushroom_barley_soup.html
(I used white wine instead of sherry and a bit more sour cream than it called for.)

Kody and Michelle.

2011-10-04T19:01:00.006-03:00

Last weekend I went into Fredericton on a very HOT Sunday to do engagement photos for Kody and Michelle. I met Kody earlier this summer at a wedding I photographed; he was the best man. I was thrilled when they contacted me about their own wedding next summer, and for engagement photos as well. I could not have asked for a smoother session! We hit up O'Dell Park, then went down to Queen Street and the walking bridge to finish things up. Three solid hours of photo-taking and everyone survived. ;) Here are a few of my favourites. Congratulations, Kody and Michelle!

Four years old.

2011-09-22T12:31:00.004-03:00

My boy is four on Saturday.

Happy fourth to the best kid I've ever known.

What to Wear - Part Two

2011-09-21T12:11:00.004-03:00

What To Wear - Part One

2011-09-21T11:53:00.005-03:00

Fall is a big time for family photos; not only is it beautiful out there with the deep blue skies and the brilliant leaves, but people are starting to think about photo Christmas cards and a framed picture of Junior for Grandma. I really only do sessions for family and friends, but nearly every time, I get asked the same thing - what should we wear?

The first and biggest thing you can do is throw out any notion that you should match. Your clothing should compliment each other; similar tones, similar styles, but DO NOT MATCH. Everyone in the same wash denim pants and identical red polo shirts looks ridiculous. Everyone in khakis and white t-shirts looks ridiculous. However, don't go to the other end of the spectrum; if your daughter is wearing a vintage-style dress with boots and a little jacket, don't dress your son in track pants, flip-flops and his 'nicest' t-shirt.

Complimentary tones/colours/styles work best. Pick a few colours that look ncie together - maybe navy, cream, pale blue, and denim, or perhaps browns, tans, and burgundies, and go with it. If your daughter is in a casual dress, put your son in nice pants and a shirt and vest, mama in a casual skirt and boots, and dad in his best-fitting jeans and sweater.

If you can do that, you're off to a great start. However, a few extra tips that will really make photos stand out:

Some things to avoid:
No sunglasses on tops of heads.
No cell phones/fire radios/pagers/whatever hooked to belt buckle.
Kids/teens: no ponytail holders, rubber bracelets, or wacky bands on wrists.
Absolutely NO t-shirts with princesses, pirates, animals, "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas", or loud logos. For really little kids, I especially stress no little outfits with words on them.
No contrasting patterns on the same person, and make sure if one kid is in stripes and another in plaid that they go together.
No athletic gear - running shoes, sweatpant materials, track pants, etc.
No ball hats!! This causes all kinds of wonky shadows and whatnot. Old-fashioned hats for boys or cute knit hats for girls can be acceptable, as long as the rim is not large enough to cast shadows.

Things to do:
Wear classic but modern clothing. Don't make it uber-trendy, but yes, current style makes photos look that much better. Guys in nice jeans and a fitted sweater, girls in stylish jeans and tops, or knee-length skirt and boots/jacket, etc. Classic but stylish.
Put an effort into hairstyle, especially women. Sloppy ponytails or wet hair just don't look good. Look neat!
Pay close attention to footwear. Feet show up in photos, too. Aim for polished, stylish, demure shoes or boots. Stay away from ratty flip-flops, Crocs, rubber boots, old sneakers, etc.
Put some effort into what your family wears. You're paying money to get some beautiful photos done. Even if Junior's favourite band t-shirt never leaves his back, make him change. It's only for a couple of hours, and I guarantee you'll later regret "I just let Junior wear whatever he wanted because it makes him happier!11!"
For newborns, I normally take photos of them with just a diaper (covered up). However, I will do clothing as long as the clothing is very simple and very understated. Plain onesies or sleepers are best. Frilly dresses or jeans and vests on newborns looks silly in most photos.

Hope that helps for those planning photos in the future. My next post will give you some examples of good, solid clothing choices for all kinds of photos. (All photos are ones I have taken.)

Hello autumn.

2011-09-02T20:17:00.008-03:00

Ok, so it's technically still summer, but the nights are cooler, the apples are turning red, kiddies are going back to school, and I need a jacket first thing in the morning. It's on its way, folks! So dig out those harvest veggies and roast 'em up for a yummy meal.

The only time-consuming thing about roasting veggies is the chopping. As seen above, you need an onion. Onions make everything taste better. Chop it up and put them in a large bowl.

Next up is some mushrooms. You can either leave them whole or halve them.

Squash. Oh, how I love squash. This was our first one we tried from our garden, and it was still warm when I cut it. It was also delicious. Behold:

I also got darling hubby to pick me a few ears of corn. Husk them and chop them into thirds or quarters.

Last thing you need: carrots! I used small carrots from our garden, mostly just broken in half. Any carrots, cut any way, will do (although they take the longest to cook, so cut them reasonably small). Here we go, all veggies in a big bowl. Already lookin' good:

Now it's dressing time! I concocted this on my own and have never deviated from it. You need:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t. oregano
salt and pepper (about a teaspoon each)
2 T. rosemary

Mix it up:

Pour it on:

Toss it together:

Put it on a cookie sheet or two and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. This is what you end up with:

Everything tender and deliciously full of flavour. This is what I love about fall - the FOOD! The squash and pumpkin and deep red tomatoes, the soups and stews and chilis and s'mores. Well, I also love a lot of other things about fall (birthdays, Christmas anticipation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, sweaters and scarves, boots, Harvest, apple-picking, cold nights...) but hey, I love food, and nothing beats fall food.

Enjoy!

Best Sandwich EVER.

2011-08-30T13:01:00.005-03:00

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: this is the best sandwich ever. And it's easy. And the ingredients are flexible. I'm not kidding; it's heavenly. I found a recipe somewhat similar to this years ago, and adapted it to my liking. Every so often we have these with some chips on the side and it's one of our favourite lunches. Try it, you'll love it!

Here's what you need:

1 pear. I have not tried this with a different fruit; pears have the exact amount of sweetness and softness.
Meat of your choice. I've used porcetta, proscuitto, and genoa salami. I prefer the first and last; proscuitto is too chewy for my liking.
Cheese of your choice. I've used asiago and mozzarella; I prefer asiago because of its saltiness (so any other hard Italian cheese would work fine, too) but some people prefer more mild cheeses. Experiment!
Artisan bread. I usually get some kind of ciabatta bread or something similar. Something crusty and dense.
Garlic butter. Mix a little garlic powder in with your butter. It's all you need for a condiment.

First step: slice the pear thinly, put them in a small bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them juicy. They will look a little rough (see above) but it really adds to it. Slice your bread to desired thickness, spread some garlic butter on it, and layer your pear, meat (I used mild genoa salami today) and cheese (asiago). Easy to assemble!

This is all you have left to do:

Put 'em in a frying pan and lay a heavy cast iron pan on top. Heat them until they get crispy on the outside and the cheese gets melty and everything is warm. MMMMMM. Look at this! LOOK!

You can make it thicker if you want; I prefer a crispy, thin sandwich.

I didn't think my kid (almost four) would eat it, so I made him a raspberry jam sandwich. He had a bite of my husband's sandwich and confiscated the rest of it, jam sandwich forgotten. If you know my kid, it's got to be darn good food for him to set aside his beloved jam sandwiches.

Easy. Versatile. Kid-approved. Uses up that stale bread and leftover cheese and meat. Takes ten minutes. And tastes fantastic. How can you go wrong?

Enjoy!

As of late...

2011-08-29T07:53:00.005-03:00

Mmm, food. It's that time of year when everything in the garden is ready all at once, so we've been having a lot of good eats in our house. Above is some fresh, delicious salsa. You really can't beat it.
Aaaaand microwave bread-and-butter pickles. They taste great and took almost no time to make. The recipe is on the allrecipes website.

I also concocted my own recipe for baked tomatoes by looking at a few other ones. Seriously, folks, these things are divine. DIVINE. Well, the 3-year-old wasn't crazy about them, but the husband and I loved them.

Catching up with a couple of Project 52 photos; above is for the theme 'Slow down and look back' for week 33. We spent a lazy evening slowly driving around on the wheeler and picking blackberries. Came across these berries; no idea what they are, but they were pretty!

Week 34 was 'connections', so I snapped a photo of my kidlet and his great-grandfather doing what they love: playing in Grampie's shed on the lawn mower.

Now we're recovering (haha) from Hurricane Irene (which was actually a tropical storm when it hit yesterday). Not much damage; mostly to our garden and apple trees, with scattered debris across the yard. Blessedly, after the storm blew through things cooled off; the storm itself was extremely balmy and made sleeping difficult.

I also did a wedding on August 20th. The couple is still on their honeymoon so I won't share any photos yet, but I'm very pleased with how they're turning out as I sloooooowly make my way through all 1800 photos. Congratulations, Christina and Aaron!

Pomodoro Sauce!

2011-08-27T20:26:00.016-03:00

Have you got an abundance of garden tomatoes? I do. Last year I posted a recipe for canned salsa. Unfortunately, we are salsa-ed out, so I had to come up with another way to use up some tomatoes.

A few years ago, I came across a recipe for pasta pomodoro, a sauce made with fresh tomatoes and a few other ingredients, and loved it. So I thought I'd give it another go tonight. It's easy, fresh, and delicious.

So, along with those beautiful red tomatoes (seriously, some of them were still warm from the garden - is there anything better? Wait, don't answer that) you need an onion. Actually, the recipe calls for 1/2 an onion but since I used more tomatoes than called for, I used an entire onion. And, well, I like onion. In case you don't know what an onion looks like, here it is:

Chop it up. I usually chop it finely. Throw it in a deep frying pan with....

...extra-virgin olive oil. I have a love-hate relationship with this stuff. I mean, it's useful. Everyone loves it. It is heavily featured in every other recipe these days. But I think it tastes vile, so I use it sparingly. This recipe calls for 1/4 cup. I used about 2 tablespoons. You also need...

...four cloves of garlic, minced. Toss it in the pan with the oil and onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly browned.

Next in the pan? About a cup of broth. If you don't have homemade on hand (I didn't tonight), canned/boxed is fine. I find vegetable broth highly superior to chicken/beef broth unless it's homemade, so I used veg.

Also, 2-3 T of balsamic vinegar. It's just enough to taste. Love this stuff.

And, of course, your tomatoes. Two cups, chopped. I put in about three cups.

Let that simma for a while. In the meantime, cook some pasta (I used 7-cheese tortellini, which was one of the few good things about my first trip to Costco yesterday) and round up some fresh basil. Straight from my garden this afternoon, behold:

Chop it up and add a pinch of crushed red pepper (or more, if you like it spicy).

Put that in the sauce with some salt and pepper.

Simmer a bit longer. And now, what better use of your time than to freshly grate some cheese? I used asiago:

Use a slotted spoon to serve out the sauce over your pasta, top with cheese, and voila:

Healthy, delicious, quick, and fresh. I, uh, may or may not be making it again tomorrow. Even my husband, who could probably go through life without encountering pasta again (save my lasagna) and be perfectly happy, gobbled this up and ate Charlie's leftovers. Deeeelish.

(Not my best quality photography, but I was in a rush!)

I'm hoping to get into more recipes again this fall, so stay tuned!

Playing catch-up.

2011-08-13T20:54:00.004-03:00

Time to play catch-up...here are my last four Project 52 contributions. Above was week 29, and the theme was 'Get In Close', so out came my macro extension tubes and I took this of my begonia plant.

Week 30 was 'A Letter of the Alphabet'. I chose the letter S for sandals, splashing, and summer.

Week 31: Sky. I snapped this on one of those days when the weather just can't make up its mind. I thought the deer looked so peaceful next to the tumultuous sky.

Finally, week 32 was 'My favourite time of day'. I took this one evening after a summer rain with my extension macro tubes. It was chosen as one of the top ten of the week. :)

Hopefully I can keep on top of this now. :)

Final set of wedding photos.

2011-08-12T20:23:00.003-03:00

Wedding photos are done, so I thought I'd post a few of my favourites from our portrait session. Chantal and Colby were fantastic at giving me the time I needed and happily going along with the poses I had in mind. Doesn't hurt that they're so photogenic as well. :) Congrats, you two, and thanks again for the opportunity - I learned a LOT from this experience!

Ceremony and Reception

2011-07-30T21:44:00.006-03:00

I am finally done the long and tedious job of editing the ceremony and reception photos. The reason I say long and tedious - dim lighting + wood paneling = extremely yellow people. Every photo needed to be colour corrected and, sometimes, then converted to black and white. However, it's done! Hooray! Now I can focus on the good stuff - the formal portraits we did afterward. Those will be up over the next week or two. Here are a few from the ceremony and reception (none are sharpened for web). Hopefully their joy shines through more than the lingering yellow hues in a few of these. ;)

What's going on.

2011-07-28T16:19:00.003-03:00

July has been busy. Why, I can't really say. We have no family birthdays, no major holidays after the 1st. We have done no traveling. I have only done two shoots. And yet I find myself stretched to the limit.

My quest to finish editing the wedding photos went on hold last week as we had a minor medical crisis with my son. You know, he's been a fairly healthy kid. I've gone through the typical mom things. I've survived first colds, throwing up in public (ice hockey rink), throwing up in bed (ugh), week-long bugs that keep us all in our pyjamas. But I've also done two hospitalizations with him, both times for perioribital cellulitis, and there is always a niggling worry in the back of my mind that some underlying issue is causing that.

Two weekends agohe was exhausted. My nap-hating, rarely cranky kid was so, so tired. He complained of nothing else but tiredness. Too tired to eat, to play. He looked bad; pale, dull. On Tuesday morning of last week, my husband thought he looked thinner. Yup: three pounds off, which is a lot for a little body. He'd be laying on the couch within an hour of getting up. That same morning, he suddenly started asking for drinks more often. My husband noticed his breath smelled different. We both came to the same conclusion on our own: this could be potentially bad.

To the doctor we went. She shared our fears and sent him for bloodwork. And you know, by the following day, he seemed better, and I knew before the doctor even called that he did not have diabetes. But the scare took me out for the whole week, it seemed. (Turns out, it was some random virus. An eerie one at that.)

Aside from the early haze of post-partum anxiety and depression when I wondering what on earth I'd gotten myself into, I have to admit that the only times I've ever fleetingly wished I was not a parent have been in the midst of illness and the fear and anxiety that surround it. Why me? I'd moan dramatically, and my own issues with illness would be brought to the forefront, and I'd secretly seethe at the people who'd brought their sick kids to whatever event we were all attending, etc. But you know, why not me? We're no better than anyone else. Doesn't matter what we do - our child will get sick. Sometimes with very little, and sometimes more serious, like the times he's been hooked up to an IV for four days so he doesn't lose his sight.

So that, along with with my own illness treating me poorly (Crohn's disease), the two shoots I've done being big ones (wedding and a album cover shoot), I've been overextended. I have a couple of shoots coming up, including one wedding. Because of this, I have to say - I will not be accepting requests for photos from this point on until mid-September, and even then it'll be a limited amount. I just have too much on my plate, and I cannot spend my entire autumn at my computer, editing photos, however much it helps me learn.

And before I show this week's Project 52 photos (a letter of the alphabet was the theme; I chose S for sandals, splashing, and summer), I want to send my love to a couple of very special people in our life who have lost something precious. I cannot begin to fathom their heartache, for my own seems nearly unbearable and theirs is a thousand--a million--times worse. My love to you, S & A, and goodbye sweet Marty.

Getting ready.

2011-07-11T19:21:00.014-03:00

As I said in my last post, I shot a wedding on Saturday. I am not a wedding photographer, but Chantal had only a few weeks to plan her wedding, as she (and Colby) wanted to get married on their vacation home from Newfoundland. Knowing it'd be next to impossible for her to secure a professional wedding photographer in a mere three weeks for a July wedding, I said yes. And I am glad I did, as it was a beautiful celebration for a wonderful couple, and I am thrilled I got to be a part of it from start to finish.

I haven't edited too many photos yet; in fact, I still need to go through all of them (nearly 2000) and make note of the ones I want to keep. I couldn't wait on these first ones, though; I just love the excitement of a bride preparing for her big day. I went to Chantal's parents' house amidst rain and grey skies, but Chantal was cool as a cucumber and I knew right away it was going to be a wonderful day. By the way, when Chantal walked out with that dress, I was almost stunned into speechlessness. If you think it's pretty in pictures, you should have seen it in real life! Most beautiful gown I've ever seen.

Note: these have not been sharpened for web, because I plum forgot!

First up: getting ready!

Catching up.

2011-07-10T15:22:00.002-03:00

I have been an absolute slacker for the past month. And I just dumped most of my photos onto my hard drive, so at the moment I can't even post the past few weeks' Project 52 entries. They weren't terribly inspired so you aren't missing much. ;)

I've been extremely busy. We went to PEI with my husband's family for a weekend, which was busy and fun (and cold, and rainy!). Once we got back, I had a prom photo shoot and a week of festivities for my niece, who graduated from high school. Then we had Canada Day, and last week I spent the entire week teaching the middle school class at my church's DVBS.

The biggest news: I did my first wedding yesterday. It was for an old friend who was getting married with a small window of time to prepare. I said yes, and boy, was I nervous! Especially when the forecast changed from sunny and warm to rainy and muggy. I was really worried that the ceremony shots would be difficult with the dim weather, and that we'd have to do the formal portraits in the sanctuary.

Thankfully, the rain stopped just before their horse and cart arrived after the reception, and we were able to go to a few outdoor locations for photos. It was a blast. The bride and groom were laid-back and happy and easy to order around. ;) And really, one of the best-looking pairs ever. Congratulations, Chantal and Colby! I'll be doing a proper wedding photo post in a week or two.

MCP Actions!

2011-06-14T12:32:00.003-03:00

MCP Actions is the originator of the Project 52 I am involved in, and the lovely lady who runs MCP Actions (Jodi) has made it a really great experience. On top of that, she creates some amazing actions for Photoshop (I've not had a chance to buy any, but her free mini actions are awesome), as well as various tutorials and webinars. For any fellow photographers out there, I'd recommend getting acquainted with her, and if you visit her blog, you can also enter a contest she currently has running.

Check it out at http://www.mcpactions.com/blog!

Slacker!!

2011-06-12T20:58:00.005-03:00

Life is busy right now and I admit this blog is one of the very last things on my list.

Plus, I'm not entirely sure I have any regular readers. ;)

So I'm playing catch-up with a handful of photos from the past few weeks.

The first couple are with my old camera; the rest are courtesy of the new K5. I must say, it's a fantastic camera. Loving it.

Here we go. Week 21, Need for Speed. Thought this rabbit should take off pretty quick lest he get run over.

From the same day, we braved the mosquitoes for a quick photoshoot with my husband's cousin and his wife, who are expecting their first baby in July:

Quick snapshot of my cutie:

My beautiful niece turned 16. Sounds like a good occasion to bring my camera along to!

Week 23 - Enchantment. Meh, I was grasping for ideas so I went with a hummingbird shot through my screen.

Week 22 (yes, I know these aren't in order; no time to change!), Reflection.

There. I'm all caught up as far as Project 52 is concerned. I hope to have some more stuff up in the next couple of weeks.

Kirkpatrick Family

2011-06-07T18:23:00.003-03:00

I had the pleasure of photographing an old school friend of mine, Holly, and her husband and 1-year-old son. We braved mosquitoes, mud, and cliffs to get these shots, and boy, was it worth it. Definitely one of my favourite and best sessions to date. All three of them are naturals, and Holly's son was happy and sweet the entire time. Thanks again to the Kirkpatricks; I hope to have the honour of photographing you again sometime!

Baby Jaxon

2011-05-30T18:59:00.003-03:00

This, my friends, is baby Jaxon at ten days old.

I love it that people I went to school with still live nearby, because that means I get to spend my afternoon snuggling a widdle baby and taking photos of him. Isn't he gorgeous? I have never in my life seen such perfect newborn skin. He is the son of proud parents Patti and Curtis and little brother to Riley and Evan (Riley likes dragons, I discovered). Sigh. Seriously adorable.

Cute cute cute.

Week 21

2011-05-28T19:06:00.002-03:00

This week's theme was "A need for speed" and I was feeling very uninspired. I was also very busy, and had little time to think about - let alone execute - a shoot. Instead, on our way back from the lake on Thursday, I took a quick shot of this bunny. It represents a need for speed on two levels; one, rabbits need to be quick on these back country roads this time of year. They're everywhere, and old pickups tend to rattle along at a pretty quick clip. Two, I had to be fast getting this shot as well, since rabbits don't tend to stick around long.

Onto some photography news.

1. My laptop is finally calibrated! I ordered Spyder 3 Express earlier in the week and it arrived on Thursday. What a difference I notice already. My photos were so yellow/orange before! Now the prints always match what I see on my screen. Sometimes they wouldn't prior to calibration.

2. My new camera (!!!!!!!!!!!!) should be arriving early in the week. They tried to deliver it Thurday but I was away. I bought a Pentax K-5 and I cannot wait to use it! I'll be sure to post some of my first shots with it once it arrives.

Hooray!

2011-05-21T08:03:00.002-03:00

Last week's Project 52 photo (the bleeding hearts) was featured in this weeks MCP Project 52 recap. Which means it was selected as one of the top ten for the week. :) I don't know how many entries there are, but the group has over three thousand members.

Thanks, MCP Actions!

Next week's theme is 'Need for Speed', which I think will be fun. :)

Week 20

2011-05-18T10:02:00.003-03:00

Ah, spring. This week's theme is "spring fever". Judging by many of the entries for the past month, people have had spring come and go already. Blossoms, children in shorts and sandals, leafed-out trees....

We've had a month-long rainy season here, masquerading as "spring", and while everything is greening up nice, that's about all that's going on.

We've stopped trying to outlast the rain and are just going with it now. Yesterday it stopped in the afternoon (although remained cloudy and cold) so the kidlet and I went outside for a while

(And in colour, in case you prefer colour to B&W conversions):

This is the one I submitted, though, because it does say 'spring' to me: my bleeding heart plant, flowering nicely despite the extreme lack of sun:

If next week's theme has anything to do with sun, I may have to skip it.

Week 19

2011-05-13T21:19:00.004-03:00

This has been the lousiest winter and spring that I can personally remember.

I do not recall the last day of sun we've had. I'm guessing it's been weeks at this point. A few days ago I checked the weather forecast and actually sobbed at the repeated little icons of clouds and rain. It is cold and wet, constantly. I hate it.

It also makes for horrible picture-taking light. It finally seemed a bit brighter yesterday, so I moved a bit of furniture around to take advantage of it, since this week's theme was "window light". I changed my kid into a shirt that didn't have dinosaurs and/or jam on it. I wanted five minutes.

He gave me one shot. One. Then he started whimpering dramatically about how he didn't WANT TO. So I quit, and had my own internal tantrum.

Oh, have I mentioned I just finished two medications that BOTH cause mood swings? In case that wasn't evident.

Thankfully, the one shot I took was in focus. I went with it.

Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cake

2011-05-12T15:22:00.000-03:00

I haven't been terribly active on here as of late. I feel like I'm in a bit of photography slump, and I was also on a liquid diet and so I wasn't doing much cooking.

However, now I'm back into FOOOOOOOOOD and so I scoured my recipes for something new today. The decision: Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake, which I had cut out of a Canadian Living magazine. I have said it before on here: I love Canadian Living. Both the magazine and the act. :)

This was easy-peasy and the final verdict is pure deliciousness.

First you need four large apples. I used MacIntosh, because that's what I had on hand. I need to pause for a moment and say I was surprised that this recipe did not call for any of the spices I normally associate with apple dishes--cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. This intrigued me, and it made my husband happy as he does not share my all-encompassing love for nutmeg. Anyway, apples:

Peel, core, slice, and chuck in a pan with 1/4 cup butter. Cook and stir until tender-crisp. Mmmm, apples and butter. Sounds good already, right?

While that's happening, you can start the cake part. Half a cup of unsalted butter, softened, is beat together with 1/3 cup of white sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Next comes two eggs, added one at a time, and a teaspoon of vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 t. baking soda, and 1 1/2 t. baking powder.

Almost forgot the caramel part! In a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of water and 2/3 cup sugar to a boil. Boil, without stirring, until it's a dark amber colour.

NOTE.

The time it takes for it to go from dark amber to HOLY SMOKES IT'S BURNING is very, very short. Pay attention. I had to do this a second time because the first attempt resulted in burned caramel.

Back to the cake. Alternate adding the drys and 3/4 cup of milk to the cake batter, stirring or beating well afterward.

I have to say, I love cake batter. It's so appealing. It smells good, it tastes good (yes, I always taste it), and it just looks good.

When the caramel is done, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and then pour it into the bottom of a 9" cake pan. I used a slightly larger springform pan. "Arrange" the apples on top (or, if you're me, dump them in there and make sure they're fairly uniform. I don't do fancy arrangements.).

Spoon the cake batter over the top.

Bake at 350 for...well, the recipe called for 40-45 minutes, but mine was a bigger pan, so it only took 1/2 an hour.

Let it rest in the pan for five minutes, then invert it on a plate. Let it rest again, then gently remove pan.

Verdict: yum. So good. The cake part is very simple and airy. The apple part is tart with a sweet, caramel-y syrup. We all had a piece, warm, and declared it goooood. This is major, since a) I don't particularly like most cakes, and b) my boys love cake but mainly adore it for the frosting. This has no frosting, and I still got thumbs-up and inhaled portions.

Try it. You'll like it.

Week 18

2011-05-06T22:58:00.003-03:00

I thought this week's theme (First Thing in the Morning) would be easy.

That is, until it rained EVERY FREAKING DAY. Which meant when we got up at the crack of dawn, it was so dark I couldn't take a decent photo to save my life.

I ended up taking this of a cheery little Mayflower sitting in a glass on my kitchen window ledge while I blearily filled the kettle for my morning jolt of joe. It's the best I can do, folks.

Week 17

2011-04-28T21:02:00.001-03:00

Week 17. Princess for a day. Uh-uh, not going to happen.

So, instead, I took some eyelash shots of the boy-child. First one made the cut, the others are just for added cuteness, followed by a shot of Chaz in the biff-baff (or silly term for bathtub).

Week 16

2011-04-25T08:19:00.002-03:00

Last week's theme was 'furry friends'. Self-explanatory:

This week's is "princess for a day". Someone want to tell me how I'm going to interpret that one, living in a house of boys!?

Baby Caleb

2011-04-17T14:39:00.003-03:00

Finally, now that my life has calmed down a bit, I was able to finish up Baby Caleb's newborn photos. Big thanks to his parents for letting me invade their home for a few hours, and to Mr. Caleb for being a fantastic baby to photograph. All of this practice sure helps me! And it doesn't hurt that he is ridiculously gorgeous and so very easy to work with. A few of the shots:

Wook at those widdle wips! Sigh.

Week 15

2011-04-14T20:52:00.002-03:00

I thought Week 15 would be a bust. Charlie had been sick for a couple of weeks with a cold, but Friday he wasn't himself and Saturday he was going from seemingly okay to cranky and ill-looking. By suppertime he was sobbing from head pain and fell asleep at 5pm (not normal). We spent three hours in the ER Saturday evening. He was diagnosed with the beginnings of a raging ear infection. When he went to bed at 11:30, his left eye looked a little off. When he woke up crying at 3:45, it was half swollen shut. We knew this meant periorbital cellulitis (which he had at 19 months old), so we were at the hospital by 7:30 am, and by early afternoon, his IV was in (ugh. UGH UGH UGH.) and antibiotics were coursing through him. Eye was swollen shut. Kiddo was miserable. Mama was anxious and fretful. He stayed in until Wednesday at noon. I did not even think about Project 52 at all until today. This week's theme was 'how others see you', and I lamented to my husband that I had no sweet clue what to do. He said, "Most people look at you and immediately notice your height." Hmmm....true...so we took a shot with the wide-angle lens to accentuate that.

On a good note, kidlet is almost back to normal. I, however, am completely exhausted from long days in the hospital and sleeping three nights on a pull-out chair thing that was not made for HUGELY TALL people like me.

Week 14

2011-04-06T20:54:00.003-03:00

This week's Project 52 theme was 'Fusion'. The suggestion was to either interpret that however you want, or edit a photo using MCP's Fusion action. I don't use actions very often, but I had downloaded the free "Mini-Fusion" action and decided to use that. My kid has been sick with a nasty cold for eight days, plus I had a newborn shoot (I'll post a few of those later this week), so I have had absolutely no time to plan or execute a 'fusion' photo. Instead, I snapped this one today of Charlie, hanging handmade Easter eggs on his bedroom window, and used the mini-fusion action on it. Voila:

Here's hoping I'll have more time and inspiration next week.

Jenna.

2011-04-01T17:36:00.002-03:00

I had my first newborn session a few days ago. I love it when my friends have babies so I can practice my photography. ;) This is little Jenna, seven-and-a-half pounds of pure cuteness. She's the brand-new daughter of an old friend of mine. I am still working on getting a steady, consistent workflow in editing, but hopefully this beautiful face will disguise the mistakes. ;) The best part of it all? During the three-hour shoot, I was able to visit with two good ol' friends from way back (third grade, to be exact). Thanks, Melanie and Patti. :)

Sigh. Babies. Love 'em.

Yes, I have the world's most beautiful nieces.

2011-03-29T20:14:00.005-03:00

It's official, folks. I have the coolest, prettiest nieces in the world. I asked my 12-year-old (!!!) niece, Tori, if she'd model for me, and she did so willingly, in the bitingly cold wind. She traipsed through wet fields, shivered as the wind whipped her hair, leaned against things, and even got down on the ground for me. She indulged my desire for "moody" photos, too. One of the reasons I wanted HER to model is that she's one of those girls who looks gorgeous when she's not smiling (note: I am not one of these people). And she looks gorgeous smiling, too. Well, really, she just looks gorgeous. Have I said that enough? Here are a few of my favourites. I couldn't narrow them down, so, uh, here are a LOT of my favourites, actually.

Two things I learned from this session: one, I think I am really going to like this new lens, and two, I would happily trade hair with this girl. Look at it!! So pretty. Thanks again to Tori (and her parents for lending her out, especially on a day that was already insanely busy).

Hockey gals!

2011-03-29T14:38:00.003-03:00

Confession time. I had a bad session. A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to take photos of one of the local women's hockey teams - the Cougars - at one of their final practices for the season. I happily agreed and burst into the dressing room with my camera gear and a big smile. Then I started shooting. Immediately I realized that this was not going to go well. The lighting at the indoor rink is poor. The air is cold. My lenses refused to focus properly. My shutter speed dropped even with a high ISO, and the constant movement you'd expect with women dressing for hockey became a blur. I became horribly distracted by trying to get my darn photos to just TURN OUT. Once they hit the ice, things did not improve. I planted myself in one of three places (inside one of the boxes, and at either end of the rink) and shot. Hundreds of photos. More than half of them were pitiful. Thank goodness for understanding ladies!! I felt awful about their shoot becoming an Epic Fail, but they were gracious about it all. I hope they enjoyed the shots I did manage to make, even if they aren't up to par. In any event, I really had fun watching the Cougars scrimmage. One thing is for sure - every single one of them could skate circles around me! I will likely post later this evening or tomorrow as well. I borrowed my niece for a couple of hours last Friday to practice, but I don't want to post them until they've had a chance to see them. And tomorrow - my very first newborn, in the form of 10-day-old Jenna. Squeeeee!1!1! A few hockey pics. Many thanks to the Cougars for being good sports. I could tell they absolutely love playing, and that's inspiring to me. :)

Week 12

2011-03-22T21:15:00.004-03:00

Project 52 - week 12, already! Time flies. This week's theme is 'jewelry box'. Eurgh. I have plenty of jewelry, but not a lot of it is meaningful. I mentioned this at my grandmother's house tonight, and immediately found myself with her, standing in front of her dresser, looking at old jewelry (I inherited my love for this kind of thing from her). So I snapped a few photos of my favourite pieces. The first is the wedding band of my great-great-great grandfather's first wife. It is inscribed with their wedding date: June 7th, (19)04. The second is my grandfather's mother's necklace. I was a bit reluctant to ask Gramps if I could take a photo of his hands holding the necklace, since the last time I took a photo of his hands, it ended up in a magazine ;), so I said, "Gramps, you'd do anything for me, right?" Got a "Sure will!" out of that without hesitation, so those are Grampie's hands with great-Nannie Helene's necklace. Third is a pair of delicate silver bangles of my grandmother's. I wore them on my wedding day.

Thought I'd throw in another photo: Charlie in his new hat.

In other photo news, my new lens (smc DA* 16-50mm f. 2.8) arrived today. Oh, it's a beaut! Sadly, my camera seems to be back-focusing or something a bit, as my photos are not in focus far more often than not. Grumble grumble. I don't want to send my camera away, but I may have to. I've put purchasing the K5 on hold until later this spring, so maybe I'll do it then and muddle through now by taking a gazillion photos of the same scene in order to get one in focus. Sadly, I didn't know this last week when doing a photo session and ended up with a poor selection of barely-passable photos. Bummer.

I'm hoping to get out for some practice lots over the next few weeks, so check back for updates!

Week 11 + extras

2011-03-17T17:22:00.002-03:00

It's been somewhat nice here this week, so I've been getting out a lot with my camera. Today, on a leisurely walk, I snapped a photo of my kiddo in his uncle's barn, which worked for Project 52's theme: dark and light.

I also snapped this of old chokecherries clinging to a tree. I added a texture and erased back the berries. I liked the effect.

I added a radial blur to this one, and again, liked the effect, although it could use some fine-tuning.

I have to include this one, just because it's cute:

Finally, macro cat-tail fuzz:

Prepare thyselves: I have ordered a new lens and I imagine once it arrives I'll go absolutely nuts for a few weeks!

Spring is springing!

2011-03-13T20:16:00.002-03:00

Well, hello, spring-like weather. I've been missing you.

Today was a very spring-ish day. One of those warm days with snow melting and puddles forming and the breeze not nearly as cold as usual. I took a few shots to illustrate this.

First of all, a sure sign of spring in these parts is the ice jam. The ice broke in Tracy earlier this weekend and has been surging its way through the rest of the river. This was mid-afternoon:

This was early evening. In a few short hours, the ice had reached the gazebo. Stay safe, gazebo!

Spring also means bugs. Blessedly, mosquitoes don't arrive until mid-May, but ladybugs, sap flies, and house flies are suddently abounding in the warmer weather:

Also springish: the March-April issue of Saltscapes is finally out, which means my Grampie gets his 15 minutes of fame. ;) Many thanks to Saltscapes for a great write-up.

Finally, spring means we can start enjoying my parents' screened-in porch again. What better time than a spring-ish afternoon for a tea party in the sun room?

Happy March! :D

Week 10

2011-03-10T12:46:00.002-04:00

Week ten's theme - childhood toys. Pretty clear-cut, and I didn't have to overthink anything. ;) I hit up my mom's attic and found two prime candidates: my brother and I's old Tomy "computer", and my mom's old doll Peggy. They looked pretty good together. If you ignore Peggy's hair, that is.

Chocolate chip cookies.

2011-03-07T15:58:00.009-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure...I'm not crazy about cookies. I've only ever met one cookie I'd run a mile for: the Currie House cookie. Ten years ago (yikes...TEN years ago!?) my cousin and I began our three-summer tenure at the lovely Currie House, an historical site here in Fredericton Junction, where we catalogued and gave tours. We also baked cookies to have on hand when the local kids would inevitably stop by.

I still don't know how we made them SO GOOD. I use the same recipe all the time, and they're very...meh. When we baked them there, they were the most glorious cookie known to man. I'm not kidding.

Anyway, since those glory days, I have not found a cookie to match those ones. And, contrary to what you might think - the recipe I am about to ramble on about? Still doesn't match it. But they're darn good.

Today it is horribly rainy and I still went to the grocery store in it. Anyone who knows me knows I love the grocery store. We live 30 minutes from the nearest one and I'd still go every day if I had to. So, armed with--well, nothing, since it WASN'T pouring when we left the house, Charlie and I soggily marched around the Superstore to pick up the four things on my list - bananas, strawberries, organic sugar, and lettuce. Ninety dollars later (ahem), I came home with those things, 100 other things, and President's Choice mini fudge chips, which are new and which I HAD TO HAVE. Of course, then I had to bake something with them, so I found "Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies" on Le Internet and went to town, figuratively speaking.

First, sift 2 1/4 cups of flour, 1/2 t. salt and 1 t. baking soda into a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, cream together a cup of softened unsalted butter and 3/4 cup of sugar.

Toss in a couple of eggs and some vanilla, and then you have a soft, creamy dough. Nom nom nom. I love cookie dough. In fact, I vastly prefer it to the final product.

Next, you add the flour GRADUALLY and beat it into a stiffer dough. I emphasize gradually because, as always happens when I multi-task, I quit paying attention and dumped all of the flour in after taking this shot. Then I had to scoop some out and do it properly.

These are the crack--I mean, the mini fudge chips. I am a firm believer that PC products rule everything, and these are no exception. Look at them.

LOOK AT THEM.

Add in some nuts, too, and stir it all up. Mmmmm.

Plop it on the pans by the heaping tablespoon.

375 oven for 8 minutes (your time may vary).

Kid verdict: as you can see by the first photo in this post, his mouth was too full of cookie to say, but I'm guessing since he had two and was devastated when I said no to a third one, he loved them.

These really are great cookies. Enjoy!

Week 9

2011-03-04T14:04:00.003-04:00

First of all, HOORAY, my laptop is fixed and back! I loathed using my old piece of junk. Now I have my baby back. ;)

So this week's Project 52 theme was 'express yourself'. I didn't think much about it until mid-week, when I mentioned it to my cousin, who told me she'd help me out. I was glad, because the only ways I express myself are through photography and writing, and I didn't really want to use either of those as a basis for my photo, simply because I imagine they are sourses of expression for a lot of the Project 52 contributors.

So yesterday we holed ourselves up in her adorable apartment, out of the biting cold, with tea and good music and my camera. She began painting and I began snapping. It's easy to see how very much she enjoys expressing herself through art.

For some reason, I am very proud of this entry. Thanks, Kristi. :)

Also, if you live in a place where you can find Saltscapes, the issue with the photo contest will be out within the next couple of weeks. I can't wait! I have seen the cover (it's on their website) and the winning photograph is just lovely. I love that this magazine has such a high standard of photography.

So much for the brand-new laptop.

2011-02-26T09:43:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, my laptop bit the dust. I'm hoping it's something minor, but in the meantime, it's off to HP to be fixed and will be gone at least two weeks.

That leaves me with my old laptop that is barely limping along. I *might* be able to get a photo done this week for Project 52, if I can find my camera cord and can get this old thing to work. Otherwise, no photos for the next couple of weeks.

Boo.

Week 8

2011-02-23T09:42:00.002-04:00

Week 8's theme was 'The view from here...'

I looked outside. Blinding white snow, everywhere. Well, that's not much of a view. I considered doing my favourite view every morning (coffee cup on my lap), but meh. I took a few shots of various things. Tried some different points of view. Still had nothin'.

This morning Charlie got ahold of one of my (many) pairs of glasses, and I thought, hey--his view is drastically different now, considering the strength of my prescription. Before I made him take them off ("You'll hurt your eyes!11!1!"), I snapped a few photos. He was especially interested in how the floor and his hands looked with them on.

Violet

2011-02-22T16:29:00.004-04:00

This beautiful little girl is my niece, Violet. She'll be three in a couple of weeks, and later in March, she'll have been here in Canada a whole year. For five years we all waited for her--and now it feels like she's always been here! I still remember being at the airport when she arrived here from China with her Patti, Roger, and Tori. I'll never forget it. Violet is sweet and smart and hilarious. She's tough and nobody has a smile like she does. We love you, Violet!!

With relation to the photography, this session was a bit of a challenge not only because she's an active 2-year-old (although she did great!), but because I couldn't get the background to look right when I edited. It had a lot of creases in it and I was too impatient to do anything about it when I took the shots. Hopefully the gorgeous subject will distract you from any technical flaws. ;)

A few from our shoot:

Sigh. Sigh sigh sigh. Cutest little thing ever.

Ma-ma-ma-MACRO!

2011-02-18T15:46:00.002-04:00

So, among the bajillion things I wanted for camera gear, a macro lens was fairly high up. However, a macro lens is really just for playing. It's not like I'd get a ton of use out of it. So I was hesitant to drop six hundred bucks on a macro lens.

Instead, I went with extension tubes, which I bought on eBay for fifteen bucks. All they do is place your lens further from your camera, which allows you to get closer to your subject. (How's that for a detailed description?) Basically, one can turn almost any lens above a 35mm into a macro lens. Hooray!

Here's a shot, first, with my 50mm, no extension tubes. This is how close I can get and still keep the baby's breath in focus. (Note: it's insanely dark here today, so my kitchen light was on and I was still shooting wide open. I loathe dim days!)

Add the extension tubes, and this is what baby's breath looks like:

The depth of field is so shallow since I had to shoot wide open, so it's the bubbles INSIDE the water drop that are in focus.

This is a tiny bud on my Christmas cactus. Pretty little thing, isn't it?

I can see my camera will be in my hands non-stop for the next few days. Macro is fun!

Books, books, books.

2011-02-18T12:55:00.002-04:00

I asked my Facebook friends for the title of thier favourite book. Then I tried to think of mine. Um, TOUGH. So here's a lovely pile of my favourite books, and my reasonings behind them.

In no particular order:
1. The Watch That Ends the Night - Hugh MacLennan. I read this in Early Canadian Lit, and absolutely loved it. My professor had to track down copies of it from all over the place since it's not in print anymore, and it's one of the few novels I had to read for my English degree that I really got into. In fact, I loved it so much that when I took Canadian Lit a few years later, I did my final paper comparing the main character of Ernest Buckler's 'The Mountain and the Valley' with Jerome from this book. I remember standing outside of my professor's office, terrified to go in and give him my proposed thesis, since it wasn't on the list he gave us. He approved, and I got an A+. Love this book.

2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows. This is a fairly new book and I read it earlier this year. Fantastic! It is sweet and light and lovely, and really, everything about it is perfect. I highly recommend it.

3. The Stone Angel - Margaret Laurence. I am sure anyone who had to read this in 12th grade is gasping at me, "Are you kidding me!?" We all hated this book. I think I hated it because my friends did, really. But I found myself wanting to read it again. And then again. I seem to have a thing for somewhat bleak stories set in poor Canadian communities, spanning the lifetime of characters, and this is no exception. It's also the reason I love several David Adams Richards books. It's sad and so precisely written. I can imagine what being an old woman is like, just reading about Hagar.

4. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden. I almost can't believe this book is fiction. It's incredible. I knew nothing about geishas before reading it, and I devoured this book. Read it. You won't regret it. I have another book about geishas waiting on my shelf to be read (soon, soon!), and I'm looking forward to it.

5. A Scandalous Life - Mary S. Lovell. True story about a woman in the 1800s who married several men, the last being a desert Sheikh, and caused all kinds of scandal. It's unbelievable. I cheered for her the entire time. What an incredible life she led.

6. The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor - Sally Armstrong. I almost didn't inclue this because I was really irritated by the author's notes at the end of the book, which contained information I really would have preferred to have known at the beginning. However, it's a wonderful book about a woman named Charlotte Taylor, one of the first woman to settle along the Miramichi. I really love local/New Brunswick history and this one is no exception.

7. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers. First of all, Ms. Rivers is incredible. Several of her other books could be on this list - the Mark of the Lion series, And the Shofar Blew, etc. But this one gets top billing. It's a retelling of the Biblical story of Hosea, now set in gold rush country near San Francisco in the 1800s. I am not a crier--anyone can tell you this--and every single time I read this (about once a year), I sob my way through several sections of this book. It's amazing. Read it.

8. Lives of Girls and Women - Alice Munro. I also should include 'Friend of My Youth' by the same author in here, which is a collection of short stories about old friends. This book in particular is one of those wonderful coming-of-age stories, and I just really enjoyed it. In fact, I'm due for a re-read (if I haven't already made it clear, I love re-reading books).

9. Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls. This is usually the book I list as my favourite. Ever since reading it in fourth grade, I have loved every single bit of this novel. I know I had read it twenty times. I even made Dave, who isn't much of a reader, read this book shortly after we were married and he really enjoyed it. I'm sure most people have read this, so no need to sum it up, but oh, it makes me cry. Such a bond. I even took it with me to Europe. I remember sitting in a huge marble bathtub at a hotel in Austria, reading this comforting old book. Love.

10. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne. This isn't really my 'type' of book; it's more or less an adventure novel set a couple hundred years ago, and I usually prefer more character-driven stuff. However, I read the Children's Illustrated version of this as a kid, over and over and over (along with Little Women and Black Beauty), and then bought the full version and devoured it as well. It's fascinating and very imaginative.

11. The Blue Castle - Lucy Maud Montgomery. I used to be a huge Anne fan, but I rarely re-read those; instead, when I want an LMM fix, I head straight for this one. It's funny, sweet, sad, and surprising, about a young woman stuck in a loveless home with a couple of old batty women. She marries the man in town that everyone thinks is crazy and/or evil, and from there, all kinds of interesting things happen. That's a very vague description because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, but trust me, it's a wonderful read.

12. British Kings and Queens. Erm. I've re-read this book, which basically just details the lives of British monarchs over the past two thousand years, an embarrassing number of times. I love British history, but I'm terrible at keeping facts about various monarchs straight, so I find myself wondering which king did what, and then I'm halway through this book, devouring the information like it's food. I remember reading it when I worked at the historical society, sitting in the master bedroom on a chair, watching out the bay windows for visitors. Love it.

13. Mine for Keeps - Jean Little. This was one of my favourites when I was a child. It's so sweet but packs a lot of punch, too. I'd recommend it to any young girls. I think I read it last year again, and remembered just how wonderful it is. Really, I love children's novels - Ramona Quimby and Old Yeller and Judy Blume books. This one makes the list, too.

14. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot. I read this after Christmas and WOAH. Awesome. I do read a lot of non-fiction, but this was one I just couldn't put down. It's about a woman (of the title name) who died of cancer half a century ago. Her cells did not die, and HeLa cells were cultivated by the billions, used in research for most of the cures and treatments we know of today. Her family did not know this at all. It goes back and forth between the story of the HeLa cells, and the Lacks family as they came to grips with all of this. Excellent.

Oh, there are so many more I could include. I enjoy Philippa Gregory, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Anita Shreve. 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splended Suns' made me cry and were both difficult and easy to read. Siri Mitchell and 'Stiff' and 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter'. But I had to stop somewhere, right?

Had to ask the kidlet, too. His favourite book is Richard Scarry's 'Cars and Trucks and Things That Go'. He says it's because he gets to look for Goldbug on every page.

I love it that he loves books. I hope he always does.

Soon to come: macro photography. I got a macro extension tube kit in the mail today and oh, I am having WAY too much fun!

Frittata

2011-02-16T20:10:00.005-04:00

So. I'm on a bland diet. This makes life all kinds of difficult, and makes me all kinds of cranky. I decided to make a frittata for supper, because hey, soft eggs = bland, right? Good enough.

First thing I did was saute the heck out of mushrooms and onions. Normally I wouldn't soften them quite this much, but for the sake of my stomach, here we go:

Now we need eggs. I secretly hoped I had six in there, but there were only four. Fair enough!

Crack 'em into a bowl and add seasonings of your choice. For me, it was pepper, salt, garlic, basil, and parsley. I also poured in some skim milk.

Chuck in the veggies and whatever else you want. For me, that was shredded cheddar and some spinach.

Put it in the oven (in a sprayed pie plate or springform) at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

In the meantime, grab your camera and take pictures of random things! Wheee! Last night I made fantastic homemade hot chocolate but the lighting was hideous for taking a picture. Today I made an infinitely less interesting beverage, but it still looked nommy:

I made rice pudding, too. With almond milk. Hey, maybe this bland diet isn't so bad after all!

Wheee, pretty dollar store flower!

Wheee, brown-eyed kidlet!

Aaaaand she's done. Lookin' good!

Mmmmmm, eggy goodness:

Verdict: easy, cheap, and delicious. Husband loved it. Kid ate a few bites and then zeroed in on husband's toast. He didn't DISLIKE it, so I take that as a good thing. I think I slightly prefer quiche, but this was really good.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to lie on the couch and whine about my stomach.

Week 7

2011-02-13T19:18:00.003-04:00

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day! We did our celebrating today since Dave works a 24 hour shift tomorrow. We decided to give Charlie his little gift this afternoon so Dave could be in on it. Here he is, opening his card, and declaring, "This is the card I ALWAYS wanted!"

Also: my darling husband and wonderful boy gave me a dozen gorgeous long-stemmed red roses on Friday. Not only for Valentine's, but just because of some stuff that has been going on. I was so touched. One of the prettiest:

So week 7's theme is 'Open your heart'. Once again, I was unable to come up with...well, anything, really. Except maybe opening heart-shaped chocolates, which was a popular (but well-executed) submission.

This afternoon Charlie was at my parents' house, and Dave and I took to making him a surprise. He's very much into the movie 'Underdog' right now, and wistfully told me he wished he had a shirt with a 'U' on it so he could be UNDERBOY. So I sneakily bought a few supplies yesterday, and this afternoon I cut out a U and a cape, and my husband (who is infinitely better with his hands than I am) sewed it on. Charlie opened it and was thrilled. I had my camera on hand for the process, and thought it was a pretty good example; nothing says opening your heart to someone like a man settling down for a cosy afternoon of sewing something for them. He must love that kid a lot. ;)

UNDERBOY!

Week 6

2011-02-10T17:38:00.003-04:00

Week six of Project 52 wasn't easy. I guess maybe if I went with my first ideas, it would have been, but the Flickr group filled up with similar ideas pretty quickly, so I wanted to find something else.

The theme? Words.

Since Charlie has begun writing some words, I thought about doing that. Or spelling something on a Scrabble board. Or using blocks. Everyone else had the same idea.

Feeling very uncreative, I took my camera and new (to me) 50-200mm lens with me on a day trip to Calais yesterday. I was hoping to find a cool sign. I continued to be uninspired.

In the end, I got my husband to swing off the 785 (for those not in the know, it's a road linking Saint George to this area; not exactly high-traffic), which is also known as the Mine Road, onto a side road that takes us to the old Mount Pleasant mine. Tungsten was mined here thirty years ago, but it's basically been closed since then. I find it kind of eerie, really--you can see the abandoned mine shafts on the hill, and then the huge buildings, still lit, rising out of the valley. This, of course, is all out in the middle of nowheresville. There are signs everywhere: no hunting, no trespassing, no this, no that. It's not hard to tell what their message is. The mine is currently owned by Adex Mining and, according to Wikipedia, they are testing for tin deposits and whatnot.

Anyway, 'no trespassing' counts as words, and I've always wanted to snap a photo of this place, so there you have it - this week's entry.

I'd say it's love.

2011-02-07T18:57:00.006-04:00

I had my first engagement session a week ago.

Two things I learned:
I LOVE engagement sessions!
And my auto-focus still doesn't work well in the cold. Funny how it didn't just mend itself. ;)

Still, I got some good shots. I think these photos speak for themselves. Happy engagement, Christina and Aaron.

Oh, and extra-thanks to the two of them for doing crazy stuff for the sake of my curiosity, like laying on the ice-rink at Odell Park in the -15 degree weather. :)

Lemon Sponge Pudding

2011-02-03T18:01:00.005-04:00

I love lemon. Love it. I'll eat anything made with lemon. The more lemon-y it is, the better. I discovered this recipe in a Canadian Living magazine a few years ago and have made it often. It's simple and absolutely divine.

Here is the recipe: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/lemon_sponge_pudding_for_two.php

It can easily be doubled, which I did for this. It took all of my willpower not to consume the last little ramekin of sponge pudding immediately after eating mine. And, uh, the remainder of Charlie's.

So for the DOUBLED recipe, you need 2/3 cup of sugar, and four tablespoons of it go into a bowl. In we go!

Next comes two tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt.

Whisk that together, and then in goes two egg yolks (put the whites in a clean, dry bowl), 2/3 cup of milk...

...and two tablespoons of melted butter. Darn, I should have used up that manicure gift certificate before doing this.

Whisk it all up and add 4T lemon juice and 2t grated lemon rind. This is equal to about the rind and juice from one lemon.

Whisk it all together and set it aside. Now it's time to whip up those eggs whites and we're pretty well done. Whip them until they form soft peaks:

Then, while whipping, add sugar a little bit at a time. Beat until it forms stiff peaks. Now doesn't that look lovely?

Next take about a quarter of the egg white mixture and stir it into the lemon mixture.

Next, plop the rest of it in and fold in until it's mixed in.

Pour the mixture into prepared ramekins and place them in a shallow baking dish. Pour boiling water around the ramekins until the water is halfway up the sides.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes and VOILA:

I seriously cannot express how delicious this is. The top forms a fluffy, spongey mousse with a tangy lemon cream at the bottom. I could eat this every single day of my life.

Kid verdict: not bad. He eats about half of it every time. I can't say for sure it does not have adverse reactions; about twenty minutes after he ate it, I had to rescue him from the top of the wood-pile, where he was precariously perched, trying to see the dog through the window. We'll blame that one on his father and not the lemon dessert. ;)

Enjoy!

Photo shoot with the Mr.

2011-01-30T20:34:00.002-04:00

Snow was softly falling, and I wanted to try a couple of things before my shoot tomorrow (namely, focusing with a manual lens I hadn't used much) so Le Hubs and I went outside for a quick shoot. 'Twas fun. I also decided to try editing only with Lightroom, and I liked how they turned out. :)

My Holga and me:

Hubs and I. Note: he bashed his finger awhile ago; nothing to be concerned about.

Kissy kissy!

C-c-c-cold!

Cute patootie:

Yes, we are dorks. I know.

Week 5

2011-01-29T21:36:00.002-04:00

When I saw that this week's Project 52 theme was "muse", I groaned. What on earth could I take a picture of that represented muse!? All I could think of was my kid, and I figured probably many others would think the same thing.

Then it came to me - FOOD. I love food. I love every aspect of it (except cleaning it up...and mouldy food...well, ok, not everything). Groceries. Food prep. Spices and herbs. Fresh garden veggies. Trying new things. Cooking. Baking (some things). Trying new recipes. Recipe books in general.

Today Charlie and I made a crazy cake, also known as war cake or depression cake. It has no eggs or butter. (This was a much better choice than his typical 3-year-old boy suggestion of poop cake.) I made a fluffy white frosting for it, kind of a cross between meringe and boiled icing. The interesting part of it all is that I don't really like cake. I never have. Give me pie any day. However--this is GOOD cake. Darn good. And so pretty. So I took a photo of it, because I am both inspired by the creation of food, and also, I muse on it a lot. ;)

Voila:

Is your mouth watering yet?

More of Baby Sophie

2011-01-27T09:52:00.002-04:00

I just can't resist.

Babies!

2011-01-26T19:09:00.005-04:00

Sigh. Babies. Love' em. Today I got a chance to photograph my cousin's 6-week-old baby. This little chub-a-lub is Sophie, and she's a natural born model. This is my first ever infant shoot, and I could not have chosen a cuter subject.

Speaking of babies--if you are (or know of anyone) expecting soon, and are interested in getting newborn portraits done, please let me know! I'm looking for newborns to practice on. The only requirements are that baby is less than two weeks old, and that I can come to your house for a couple of hours and set up in front of a large window (lots of natural light).

Without futher ado, here's beautiful Sophie. Thanks to Cyn for loaning me her living room and baby for a couple of hours.

Week 4

2011-01-25T12:44:00.003-04:00

This week's Project52 theme was 'soothing repetitions'. I was amazed at some of the entries. People are so much more creative than I am! I thought about doing coffee (since I drink a cup every morning) but it was a pretty popular choice. I went with a candle instead. I find flickering candles to be very soothing.

Also: is this the face of a future photographer? ;)

I found the keychain at Chapters and snapped it up. Looks like my Holga.

I volunteered at the local hockey rink for a fundraising tournament on Sunday, and it was a huge challenge. Shooting sports photography in a somewhat dimly-lit arena (and a very busy one at that) was tough. Also, because it was very cold, my 50mm auto lens wasn't performing well. I used my 200mm manual lens for a lot of the on-ice shots. I must say I am pretty proud of myself for nailing the focus on most of them. I'm starting to edit them this afternoon, so I'll post more later.

Thank you, Saltscapes!

2011-01-21T13:01:00.001-04:00

Gramps
Originally uploaded by joniburtt

I just had a lovely phone call from Saltscapes, informing me that a photo I entered into their year-long amateur photography contest was a runner-up. I entered this one, entitled "A Woodsman's Hands". She did a short interview with my about the picture itself and about Grampie. It will appear in the March/April issue. Hooray!

Harris Session

2011-01-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday I made two teenagers tramp through foot-deep snow so I could take their pictures. Thankfully, they were good sports and did whatever I told them to. This is why I like photographing teenagers instead of my three-year-old. ;) Kyle and Samantha were chatty and cheerful and a blast.

The actual photography part was tricky. Snow is tricky to begin with, as it's hard to properly expose faces and not blow the whites of the snow. It was cold, too, which meant red cheeks and noses, and it also meant my camera was sluggish and didn't always focus the best. The sun was not bright but was just bright enough to make everything quite harsh. However, I hope they're pleased with the results. :) I am also the proud owner of Lightroom now, and so my editing is a bit all over the place as I tried to figure it out.

Thanks, Harrises, for a lovely afternoon!

Week 3

2011-01-16T18:27:00.003-04:00

Week 3 of Project 52. Had a bit of an easier time with this one. I read the new theme - Shades of Grey - on Saturday morning, and when I went out to the car to head to town, I saw my chance: a gorgeous dusting of snow on top of my grey Civic. Voila:

Week 2 - Illustrate a Song

2011-01-12T14:10:00.002-04:00

Only the second week into this project, and I'm already lacking in creativity. It's been either dazzlingly bright or drab and cold, neither of which lend to amazing photographs. So I snapped this one of Charlie yesterday, chucking snow in the general direction of the photographer, and decided it illustrated "the world is your snowball" from Marshmallow World by Dean Martin. Yeah, not horribly thrilling, but there it is. I may try to think of something else before the end of the week...

Boeuf Bourguignon

2011-01-11T18:29:00.014-04:00

One thing I love about winter is the food. I love hot, carby, meaty comfort food. Stews and chilis and thick soups. So delicious.

I have been attempting to try more new recipes in 2011 (five so far!) and one that I've been wanting to try for a while is http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon-recipe/1/ - Julia Child's recipe for boeuf bourguignon. If you don't know anything about Julia Child--well, where have you been!? Last year I read a biography of Julia and she was such a fascinating woman. She led an exciting life, but I found I could identify with her in many ways, not the least of which in her love of food. She really knew how to appreciate delicious, fresh, made-from-scratch food in an era when Campbells soup and Jell-O were often the main ingredients in dishes. She was also tall and curvy, so I can appreciate her food appreciation all the more. ;)

So I spent much of my day today preparing this dish, which has a lot of steps, but isn't at all difficult. And, folks? Worth every second. It's the best stew I've ever tasted. So, without further ado...

The main ingredient in this dish is red meat. Beef, to be exact, although I cheated and used a moose roast, which my lovely husband chopped into 2-inch cubes for me.

No stew is complete without carrots and onions (the latter hiding under the former in this photo):

And...bacon? Well, actually, chunk bacon. Lesson number one: READ THE RECIPE CAREFULLY before composing your grocery list. I skimmed over 'chunk' and went straight to 'bacon'. Chunk (or slab) bacon is not the same. However, this is what I had, so I used it. Simmer it first in water (it looks nasty, so I left that picture out), drain and dry it, then brown it in an oven-safe pot.

Get rid of the bacon but leave the fat in the pan. Pat the meat dry, then, in several batches, brown them well. When that's done, remove the meat and brown the carrots and onions. At this point, your house will be smelling amazing. Put the meat back in the pot with the veggies, and chuck in some salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and the tomato paste.

Next is WINE. Personally, I find red wine vile and have yet to meet a red wine I like. However, it is amazing in stew. Three cups is what the recipe called for, but I only used about two. Pour it in the pot along with the beef stock, enough to barely cover the meat.

Bonus: if you have a kid, he will think the corkscrew is a "robot thingy".

Next you cover it and stick it in the oven for a few hours. This is what we did while it was slowly cooking in the oven:

I say, if you're going to eat copious amounts of this stuff, work up an appetite!

Five kilometres and a lot of sweat later, and we're back to a house that smells like heaven itself. Next up: those cute little onions. I had a small freak-out this morning (remember my problem of skimming the recipe instead of reading it?) when I realized I only had regular onions. No problem, since onions barely grow in our rocky ground; my husband produced a box downstairs full of teensy onions, just waiting to be used up. Peel 'em, toss 'em in a pan with butter, brown them, and then add beef stock and herbs, and simmer for 40 minutes. Note: if you do not have cheesecloth, my mother will cut you a piece of clean pillowcase when you show up on her doorstep, and it works just fine.

The final major ingredient: mushrooms. When the onions are done, wipe out the pan, heat some butter, and lightly brown those bad boys.

Almost done! Strain the stew into a pot (keeping the sauce), dump all of the meat and veggies into the big pot, boil down the sauce to desired thickness, pour it over the stew, and simmer it a bit.

I served it with boiled potatoes.

Lordy, it was good. Husband ate enough that he'll probably be complaining all evening, and kidlet thought the mushrooms were especially inspired. It was phenomenal.

So--who is going to try it next!? :D

Week 1 - Something Around the House

2011-01-07T13:28:00.002-04:00

52

2011-01-07T09:32:00.003-04:00

There are a few different projects photographers can participate in to really get some practice in. One of them is Project365--a photo every day for a year. I thought about it, and then thought about whether or not I'd be really thinking about my shots or not, or just photographing something last-minute (which is more likely, since I'm a big procrastinator). So instead, I am doing Project 52 - a photo a week, with a different subject each week. (For more info, check Pioneer Woman's photography site).

This week's theme is 'something around the house'. I'm looking forward to sharing something each week. Now I find something in my house to photograph that is NOT my kid...

New Year...

2011-01-05T16:35:00.002-04:00

So, it's a new year, and I want it to be a great year when it comes to photography.

Unfortunately, I cannot do that by upgrading a lot of equipment at this point, as my husband and I are saving money for household purposes. I do plan to purchase a few things, but it'll be a while yet.

And anyway, the best way to get better at this is to practice, practice, practice.

Here is where YOU come in.

I need people to practice on. The three-year-old will succumb to the occasional bribe, but he's not terribly interested anymore. I can only beg my cousin for pictures every couple of months, as I don't want to alienate her. ;) These sessions are called 'portfolio building', and they help me to improve my exposure, manual lens focus, composition, etc.

If you're interested, send me an email (djburtt@nb.sympatico.ca) or send me a Facebook message, and we'll discuss things.

Happy New Year! And many thanks to those clients I photographed in 2010. I appreciated your business so much, and it was a blast. Thank you for your generosity and patience!

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-30T19:53:00.008-04:00

We had a lovely Christmas. A green one, but lovely nonetheless. Our snow came two days late, full of thick, fluffy wonder that only arrives with that first heavy snow of the season. It clung to everything, and transformed the sodden, brown land into a thick white frosting.

I wanted to capture it, so I asked my cousin-slash-best-friend, Kris, to help me out. It's a lot easier to practice exposure and manual focus on a twentysomething woman than a three-year-old boy. Doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous, extremely photogenic, and willing to traipse through foot-deep snow for me. She even hopped on Charlie's GT racer and hit the hill for a round or two.

A snow angel indeed.

Salt Dough Ornaments

2010-11-25T13:22:00.011-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not the least bit crafty. I don't sew, I have no patience for scrapbooking anymore, I tried and failed at knitting, I don't crochet, etc. So when I saw this ad in a Canadian Living magazine (which, by the way, is an awesome magazine), I thought it sounded like it was in my range of abilities:

Incidentally, my range of abilities is about the same as my three year old's. ;) It was very easy to do, so I thought I'd share. First you dump two cups of flour and a cup of salt in a bowl. Mix them together, or get someone else to do it if you have little people wanting to help:

Then you add 1 cup (plus a bit more) of warm water and stir it with a wooden spoon until it makes a dough. Plop it on a floured surface and knead until it's smooth:

Roll it out. It said to a 5mm thickness, but I think mine was a bit thicker.

Use cookie cutters of your choice. It was a Christmas craft for us, so snowflakes, bells, gingerbread men, and stars were our choice. (Thanks, Patti, for loaning us your cookie cutters and paint!) Use a straw to poke a hole in them where the string/ribbon will go.

Put them on parchment paper on cookie sheets and bake them at 300F for 1-1.5 hours.

Then? PAINT! Whee! Fun for the whole family.

They're not fancy, but they're fun and your little one will think it's the coolest thing in the world.

Sixty years.

2010-11-24T21:39:00.008-04:00

I have been married for a little over six years.

My grandparents have been married for ten times that.

That, to me, is all kinds of amazing. Our immediate family had a small, private party for them last Saturday at Oakland Lodge in New Maryland. It was intimate and relaxed and fun. The adults visited, the children played, and my grandparents were quietly honoured with a special guest and some gifts and certificates. We also all signed an anniversary book for them. I took some pictures of the event and thought I'd share. Note: it was snowing that day and the entire (beautiful) lodge was a rather bright wood, making most of my pictures very orange. But I still like them. There's a whole lot of gorgeousness in these. Happy 60th to two of my favourite people ever.

Happy Hallowe'en!

2010-11-01T21:12:00.003-03:00

Halloween has come and gone for another year. It was a bit of a snowy day here--I don't remember it snowing on Halloween before, to be honest. As any good Canadian does, I dressed my kid in long johns and a turtleneck before his faded jeans, western shirt, black vest, kerchief, cowboy hat, and boots. He made a pretty cute little cowboy, and got quite a haul of candy which he is happily sharing with us. I think he figures that as long as he enthusiastically approves of it, we will enthusiastically allow him to gorge on candy. Doesn't quite work that way, but none of us are on a sugar high quite yet. ;)

He had a blast trick-or-treating, although he was quite serious about the whole thing. Strangely enough, this morning he didn't ask for candy until a few hours after he woke up. First thing he wanted? An apple. I must be doing something right!

And now it is November. As a kid, I hated November. It was cold and grey and drizzly. The pretty leaves were gone and everything was ugly. But now? I love it. I like the cool blues and browns, the frosty air, the first snowfall. I love the celebrations (husband's birthday, grandparents' anniversary). I love the lead-up to Christmas, because Christmas is one of my favourite things in the world. Bring it on, November!

I also managed to take Charlie's Christmas card pictures. I have a couple of layouts done up but I won't bother sharing them quite yet since nothing is finalized. It was very cold the day we did them, so I snapped less than ten minutes' worth of pictures and we wrapped it up. The things I put my poor kid through! I think he had fun, though, since I let him drink hot chocolate.

And now I shall sign off, since I have felt rotten all day and am not even sure if this post is entirely coherent.

More sessions!

2010-10-29T08:13:00.005-03:00

October has been a busy month for me. Last Sunday I had two sessions--a family session with my friend Lisa and her gorgeous family, and one with a group of four teenagers who are close friends. Both were at the same place; both were pretty different! These sessions teach me so much, which is why I do them (that, and I love to do it). I am still learning so much about light and colour and focus. Someday I'll manage to properly expose every single picture, instead of underexposing most of them. ;) And I learn things like a jillion orangey brown leaves will make a colour cast that is very difficult to work with. In any event, I am grateful for the opportunity to keep on learning.

Next up: Christmas card picture with the kidlet. I need to think of a monumental bribe and some props. Anyone have an antique sofa with scarlet upholstery? No? Didn't think so...

Here are a few pics from the weekend. They're kind of jumbled about but I'm sure you can figure out which one belongs to which session. There was a whole lot of beautiful in those two sessions. I'm spoiled in that I am constantly photographing extremely photogenic people!

2010-10-21T15:08:00.003-03:00

News:

I bought a few photography-related purchases that I'm excited about. One--a laptop! My old laptop was on its last legs, so I have a brand spankin' new HP laptop that has a nice big screen and is a zillion times faster than my 5-year-old Dell. I also bought a 5-in-1 reflector, and tonight I'm picking up a flash someone offered me. Next on my list: softbox lights and the full version of Photoshop. In the distant future!

I had a great session last Friday despite the terrible weather here (nasty wind and rain). Two lovely ladies contacted me for a boudoir session, and we all had a blast. The low lighting meant it was tricky (and the later shots of them were difficult for me since my shutter speed was about 15--they weren't sharp at all as a result) but all of us were pleased with the results.

A few days before that, I had a session with a good friend of mine and her husband and adorable toddler. We got some great shots despite the cold. I did learn that the lighting in the local trails is very orange this time of year! They're a beautiful family.

Finally, I failed to mention a few weeks ago that my kidlet is now THREE! So far, three is spectacular. He is so hilarious and bright and fun. Above is a shot I got of him the night before he turned three. Happy (belated) birthday, Sir Charles!

2010-10-11T14:05:00.005-03:00

On Friday I took my 17-year-old niece, Lindsay, out to do some graduation pictures. I've never done grad pics before, so I considered it excellent practice. Well, I got spoiled. Not only is Lindsay gorgeous, but she is, hands-down, the most photogenic person I know. We got a lot of great shots. Definitely my best session to date. And I love photographing grads! They listen a whole lot better than three-year-olds. ;) Here are a few of my favourites from her session. Isn't she a stunner? I can't believe she's graduating. Way to go, Lindsay!

Garlicky Tomato and Sausage Soup

2010-10-05T20:11:00.006-03:00

I found this recipe in a Chatelaine magazine and adapted it slightly to fit my own tastes. As a lover of hot, healthy fall foods, I just HAD to try this, and boy, am I ever glad I did! It's simple to make and it's delicious. Here goes:

You need 7-8 ripe tomatoes. I cannot overemphasize RIPE. I've made this soup twice, and the first time it was with deliciously deep red tomatoes, and it had a richer taste. Now's a good time to use up those slightly overripe tomatoes just waiting to be rescued from the frost.

You also need an entire head of garlic and a large sweet onion. Take off the papery outer skin of the head of garlic, but make sure it all stays intact. Slice the end off and it's ready to roast.

Chop up the onion into reasonably large chunks, and quarter each tomato. Now here's where the sausage comes in: the recipe calls for two hot Italian sausages, but because I am incapable of following a recipe perfectly, and because my stomach cannot handle the forty zillion grams of fat in ONE sausage, I tried two different kinds: extra lean Italian turkey sausage, and lean turkey breakfast sausage. The former was better. I also, uh, put in all five. Don't judge me. Slice those bad boys lengthwise, then again in half. Put everything--the head of garlic, the onions, the tomatoes, and the sausages on two greased baking sheets and drizzle with...

...extra virgin olive oil. The recipe called for 1/4 cup. I used about 1/8 of a cup because I can pick out the taste of olive oil in anything. It seemed to work fine. Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and sausages, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. It'll look like this:

Then you roast it all in a 425 oven until the veggies are slightly charred. NOTE: the oil will burn a bit at this temperature, and will leave your house a bit smoky if you're like me and didn't learn from your mistakes the first time. Next time I plan to try roasting it in a slower oven. In any event, it didn't alter the taste. Look at this roasted perfection:

Put the sausages aside onto a cutting board. Scoop all of the veggies into a food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins into the processor as well. Add about 1/4 cup of chicken/veggie/whatever broth onto the pans and scrape the yummy browned stuff off. Pour this into the food processor, too.

You're pretty much done. Pulse the veggies to your desired consistency. Put them in a pot. Chop up the sausages and throw them in, too. Add enough stock* to make it a bit thinner if you like. Heat and serve.

*I used canned chicken broth the first time, and homemade turkey stock the second time. The first time was more flavourful, simply because my turkey stock was not made with love and boiled down to the usual stock perfection I achieve. Why, you ask? Because I cooked the darn turkey back in the spring, and made a huge mistake. I brined it with rosemary and stock and apple juice and salt. I lovingly prepare stuffing. I roasted that bad boy in the oven. We ate scrumptious turkey for supper. Dave carved it up. I had some in the evening before bed.

AND THEN WE LEFT THE PLATE OF TURKEY OUT ALL THE LIVE LONG NIGHT.

I cried the next morning. I cannot express how much I love leftover turkey. Stupidly, we did refrigerate the carcass, so I half-heartedly made stock out of it and didn't reduce it enough, so it wasn't exceptionally flavourful.

Aaaanyway. There you have it--garlicky, tomato-y, yummy, sausagey soup. Enjoy!

Kids rule.

2010-10-01T22:09:00.006-03:00

I've been working lately (for the returning office for our provincial election) and now that it's over, I'm back into doing a little photography here and there. When my friend Patti asked me to do 1-year portraits of her absolutely gorgeous little one, I said YES! And I also got a chance to take some pictures of her older daughter, who beautifully and willingly posed for me (even letting me wrap a scarf around her head, as you can see).

I have really been struggling lately. I know I haven't been in this long (less than six months) but already I feel the limits of my sub-par equipment. I want a better camera with better lenses. I need a new computer and better editing programs. However, that costs money, and I didn't make quite enough for all of that. ;) In the meantime, I get to practice and it's such a joy when it's for kids as gorgeous and wonderful as Patti's.

Conversions

2010-09-10T18:08:00.003-03:00

I'm really trying to master converting colour photos to black-and-white in Photoshop. I only have Elements, so I'm a bit limited, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I find it hard to get the right contrast without blowing the whites. And when I try to burn it back, it looks obvious since I'm not that great at it yet. ;) Here are a couple of quick recent conversions:

Fudgy Saucepan Brownies

2010-09-10T11:35:00.009-03:00

I've been married for six years, and it took nearly that long for me to find a brownie recipe I couldn't ruin. It seems like everyone has one or two things they just can't make--for me, it's always been brownies. I like brownies to be dense and chewy. Mine always turned out dry and cakey. No thanks. I tried old recipes, new recipes, low-fat recipes, fancy recipes, six-egg recipes--nada.

Until this one.

Not only are these brownies completely and utterly divine, but they're easy and quick. So I just HAD to share this.

First of all, proof you don't need to go through those fancy cookbooks you got as wedding gifts to make these bad boys:

I bought this recipe book at Value Village and it's definitely not new. But hey--sometimes the old standbys are better than 'updated' versions.

There's the recipe. Very simple, very yummy.

And they take a whole bag of chocolate chips. You can't go wrong with an entire bag of chocolate chips.

Chuck a half-cup of butter (yes, real butter) in a saucepan.

And toss in the chocolate chips on top of it. Put it on a medium-low burner and let it all melt into a buttery, chocolatey delight.

You also need 1 2/3 cups of sugar.

And vanilla.

And three eggs. I went to make these brownies yesterday and discovered I only had one egg. I can't quite describe my disappointment.

And baking powder.

And flour. 1 1/4 cups of it.

It only takes 10-15 minutes for the butter and chocolate to melt. Look at that. I almost want to eat it off a spoon.

Put in the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater until it's mixed very well.

Pour it into a greased 9x13" pan. Mmmm, brownie batter.

Smooth the top, and you're ready to go. 350 oven for 30 minutes.

Kid loves the batter. Not as much as he loves the brownies, though.

After thirty minutes (and cooling time), here's what you've got:

Seriously. Best brownies EVER. Enjoy!

Rotini with sun-dried tomato pesto.

2010-09-06T20:46:00.007-03:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love pasta. Any kind, any sauce, doesn't matter. I love to make pasta dishes as well, and this is one I've really liked for a long time. It's fresh, fast, and really yummy, plus it looks kind of fancy, too. So, I thought I'd share!

First, you need a cup of fresh basil. Lucky me, we have basil in our garden! Mmmm, basil. It's sweet and peppery and oh so very delicious.

You also need a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. People seem to have a love/hate relationship with these bad boys. I happen to love them--they're both sweet and tart. Delish.

A bag of rotini. Easy-peasy.

Two cloves of garlic. This makes it very garlicky, so I wouldn't advise putting more than two in.

Normally I'd use freshly grated romano or parmesan, but...I don't have any. So I cut up some fontina cheese and tossed it in the bowl.

Here's the super easy part: throw the basil, garlic, and tomatoes in a food processor with some salt and pepper, and pulse it until it's your desired consistency. Voila--the pesto is done!

Cook your rotini, toss it in the bowl with the cheese and pesto, and there you have it. Easiest pasta in the world. Doesn't it look delicious? Well, that's because it is!

Toddler verdict: NOM NOM NOM.

Hope you enjoy!

Salsa time!

2010-08-25T17:28:00.005-03:00

So. I love homemade salsa. It's easy to make and it's about a billion times better than...well, any other kind of salsa (except the fresh, raw kind I also make). Although I should add that I live in the Maritimes, where we're not exactly known for fantastic, authentic Mexican food, so I'm sure it's made different elsewhere. I don't care, because I love THIS stuff! ;) I thought I'd share the recipe, and do it in a fun way.

First, you need 12 cups of peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes. Look at these bad boys, straight from the Burtt family garden. Nom nom nom.

You also need a lot of garlic. Especially if you are like me, and love garlic.

Mmmm, green pepper. This wasn't in the original recipe, so I reworked it and made it with peppers. I can't have spicy salsa, so mild green peppers it is. One will do.

I'll admit that I love onions. I love the smell of them and the way they pack flavour into anything. Two large onions for this batch.

So, those are the veggies. The first thing I do is cover the tomatoes with boiling water. It'll split the skins and they'll slide right off. Let them sit in the water for a few minutes and then replace the hot stuff with cold water so you can handle them.

You need five cloves of garlic.

Mince those bad boys.

Chop up your onions to whatever size you want. I like my salsa reasonably chunky, so they're not miniscule. Your mileage may vary.

Same goes with the green pepper.

Peeled tomatoes lose a little of their appeal. ;) Seed them and chop them up. I chop them pretty haphazardly, because as I said, I like chunky salsa. Also? I'm lazy.

Dump all of the veggies into a pot. Lookin' good already, right?

Add 1T each of salt and pepper, 1 cup of lemon juice, a can of tomato paste, and a can of chilies and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then add 1T each of oregano, cilantro, and cumin. You can adjust those measurements to taste. Generally I use fresh cilantro, but I forgot to get it, so dried it is.

Your salsa is ready to can! Pour it carefully into clean bottles and cover them.

Put them in a large pot of boiling water, cover, and process for 15 minutes.
Voila! Delicious, healthy, tomato-y, flavourful salsa. Enjoy!

Amy and her gorgeous kids.

2010-08-19T18:37:00.005-03:00

My friend Amy (we've known each other since fourth grade) was visiting home from Alberta with her kidlets, so when we got together to catch up, I snapped some pictures of them. It was almost too much cute for me to stand. :) I hadn't taken any pictures of an infant (he is 5 months old) so it was fantastic practice for me. And the 5-year-old was pretty much the funniest, most interesting 5-year-old I know. I brought along my son and they played in the water for a good long time. Another of our friends joined us as well (along with her adorable kids), so I guess we made up for all missing our 10-year high school reunion!

Vacation!

2010-08-08T20:16:00.003-03:00

I love getting away. It doesn't even have to be far. So when my husband suggested a quick overnighter to Fundy National Park, I jumped at it. It was the first time the three of us went somewhere alone. We had no agenda. We stayed in a little B&B, ate takeout from a roadside fish-n-chips stand, walked on the ocean floor at low tide, and played on a giant playground. It was incredible.

Two days later, my best friend-slash-cousin and I went to St. Andrews-by-the-sea for two nights. We stayed in a creaky old B&B that ended up being charming and sweet. We ate seafood and shopped in little stores and drank yummy lattes. We watched boats in the harbour and walked the length of Water Street many times. We dressed up and had dinner at the Algonquin. We ate candy and played cards and had a blast.

I miss both places, but I'm reminded of how much my own little province has to offer. We traveled no further than two hours away from here, and saw a whole new world.

Calamari in St. Andrews:

Moi on the rocks in St. Andrews:

Checking out the boats:
Sunset by the sea:

Boats in Alma at low tide:

Playing on the ocean floor:

It was a bit windy on the coast:

Waiting for our greasy but delicious takeout:

What a smile :)