Blog
Photo Journal: Tea and Cake
Things on the home front have been pretty quiet as of late. We’ve been busy getting ready for our spring adventure in Rome, which we are very excited about. I snapped this photo the other day during a snack break. The cake was leftover from a dinner party we hosted last week. I’m planning to make that cake again and share the recipe, it was a hit. I didn’t plan for the napkin and cake to be the same color, that’s just a happy coincidence.
Details: Photograph captured with Pentax K-5 and Pentax 35mm lens. ISO 200, f/8.0 1/25s.
Lots of Cold, A Little Bit of Snow
The first post of the new year. Hard to believe that January is already two-thirds gone. We have been busy, busy, busy. A lot of work, a little bit of family time, a minute amount of fun squeezed into all the chaos. Other than last weekend when we woke up to a nice dusting of snow, I haven’t taken very many photos recently. The snow was almost completely gone by 3pm, so I’m glad I got out to snap these photos of our “winter wonderland” while it lasted. The past few weeks here in Indiana have actually felt like winter, which only encourages hibernation and preparation for travel to distant lands. I’m going to be sharing some more photos and recipes in the coming weeks and months. 2012 is going to be a busy and fun-filled year.
Photo Journal: Happy Holidays
Amid the chaos of the holiday season we baked a small storm of Christmas cookies, were felled by sickness on two separate occasions and attended countless holiday parties, concerts, lunches… it was very busy. We did manage to take some time and enjoy the (occasional) quiet of our new home. We setup a real Christmas tree, which not only looks fantastic, but also smells divine as well. The photograph above is of a Christmas ornament that decorates our tree – it says “Joyeux Noel” – French for “Merry Christmas” and was purchased in Paris, France two years ago. We were excited to hang our Christmas ornaments from our travels.
From Kate and myself, have a wonderful holiday season. Happy New Year!
Details: Photograph captured with Pentax K-5 and Sigma 24mm lens. ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/25s.
Reindeer Christmas Cookies
This was supposed to go out before Christmas, but things got a bit hectic, and then I was sick, and then things were hectic, and then I was sick again. We are both back at full strength and doing well. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.
A couple of weekends back we had our niece Marilyn over for a sleepover. Kate had a great idea – the three of us should spend some of our time together making a holiday craft. We decided that making and decorating sugar cookies would be fun and relatively easy (and if Marilyn didn’t like them or didn’t want to participate we had cookies. Schucks.). Instead of using traditional frosting and/or sprinkles to decorate the Christmas sugar cookies, Kate found a photograph of a cookie online that looked like a reindeer. I procured the supplies, we did some experimenting… and, well, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
Reindeer Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for rolling out the dough)
- 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tblsp vanilla extract
- Medium bag of red and green regular M&Ms
- Bag of Tiny Twist pretzels
Special Equipment:
- Bell shaped cookie cutter
Instructions
To make the dough: Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the butter and sugar for between 2 and 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, beating until just mixed together. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, cover bowl and refrigerate dough for at least one hour.
Roll out the cookies: After the dough has chilled, cut off a chunk and roll it out onto a well-floured work surface. You want the cookies to be a little thick, so don’t go too crazy with the rolling pin. Cut out the bell shapes. Arrange the cut cookies on the cookie sheet so that the tops of the bells are closest to the edges on the long sides of the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for approximately two minutes.
Decorate the cookies: After the two minutes are up, remove the cookies from the oven. Gently decorate the cookies using the pretzels as antlers and M&Ms as the eyes and nose. In case you forget – Rudolph had a red nose, so you’ll end up with a bunch more red M&Ms left over at the end. Return the cookie sheet to the oven and bake for between 3 and 5 minutes more. Watch them carefully. When done, remove from the oven, allow to cool for approximately two minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
We ended up making two batches of these because they were so popular. We did a lot of testing to find the best technique for ensuring the nearly perfect cookie every time. Yes, it’s a bit annoying to have to decorate them when they’re hot from the oven, but trust me, the finished product is much better. And with these cookies, presentation is everything. You don’t want an M&M eye ball rolling away or a pretzel antler falling off. The photos above are from the first batch we made, when we had Marilyn helping and she pre-decorated the cookies. They didn’t look great, but they tasted just fine. We all certainly enjoyed them.
Happy baking!
Cranberry Sauce with Cape Cod Cranberries
After our recent fun experience at the Cape Cod Cranberry Harvest Festival, I decided that this year the Thanksgiving cranberry sauce would be made with fresh Cape Cod cranberries. Of course we almost forgot and had to take a detour to the grocery store with a fully loaded station wagon on our way to get on the highway to head back west, but it was worth it. I grabbed two bags to make a double batch of my favorite cranberry sauce recipe. This is the third time I’ve made this recipe, and it’s a bit different from normal cranberry sauce, but in a good way. The ingredients listed below is for a normal batch. The photos show that I made a double batch, which is a healthy amount of cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tangerines
- 12 oz fresh Cape Cod cranberries (one bag)
- 1 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
Instructions:
Cut the tangerines in half, squeeze out the juice (at least 1/3 of a cup). Use a knife to cut a 4 inch by 1 inch strip of tangerine peel. Scrape the inside clean and cut into tiny strips. Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring regularly until berries have burst. Remove from heat and cool. Serve and enjoy.
And there you have it. A pretty simple way to spice up a Thanksgiving staple. Heck, I’ve been known to make this at other times of the year because it’s so delicious. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
New Kitchen Floor!
I’ve talked before about how I really was not a fan of the kitchen in our new house when we first looked at it. A lot of that had to do with the fact that the floor was covered in this dark old carpet (above, left). Who puts carpet down in a kitchen? Not a good idea. Before we moved in we were talking about replacing the carpet in the kitchen. We knew it had to go.
And so, I am very pleased to report – it is gone. Replaced on Monday with a black and white checkered vinyl that looks fantastic. As you can see in the before and after collage above, it makes a huge difference.
And now I’m off – to the kitchen! We got everything put back to where it belongs and the kitchen is being taken over to start getting ready for Thanksgiving!
Photo Journal: Waves and Sand at Coast Guard Beach
You know how every once in a blue moon you have one of those days that is so perfect you can hardly believe it? Yesterday was one of those days. 60 degrees and sunny on a Monday in November. We drove out to Provincetown, found some lighthouses and beaches, just walking around and relaxing. The highlight of our day was stopping at Coast Guard Beach on the way back home. We scoured the beach for shells and keepsakes, and in the process I snapped the photograph above. It was an incredible way to end an incredible day. I hope to never forget yesterday.
Details: Photograph captured with Pentax K-5 and Pentax 50mm lens. ISO 80, f/4.0, 1/640s.
Photo Journal: Halloween Snow Storm
This past weekend we went down to Rhode Island to visit some friends for the weekend. It was Halloween weekend, so we decided to go to the pumpkin patch and pick some pumpkins. After the pumpkin patch we carved our pumpkins and watched horror movies. And then it snowed! We got about three inches of wet, heavy snow. A lot of people (including my parents) were without power, thankfully we did not lose power. Kate went out the next morning and snapped this shot of the street sign covered in snow. The snow has melted and we’re back to enjoying brisk autumn days.
Details: Photograph captured with Pentax K-5 and Pentax 50mm lens. ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/8000s.
Halloween Pumpkin Seeds
In order to make Halloween Pumpkin Seeds, you first need to acquire a pumpkin. Sure, you can do this at most grocery stores, but it’s more fun to find a local farm (support the farmers!) with a pumpkin patch. To get the maximum effect it should be chilly and perhaps a bit muddy. And, if you can swing it, try to get a hayride. Sitting on a bale of hay being pulled around by a tractor really is fun, regardless of your age.
Got that pumpkin? Great. Before you get too involved, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Now cut the top off the pumpkin. It’s best to use one of those pumpkin decorating sets. Using a kitchen knife to carve a pumpkin is dangerous. Don’t do it. You’ll need two large bowls: one for pumpkin seeds and one for the guts. Scoop out the insides and separate the pumpkin seeds. The more pumpkins you have, the more pumpkin seeds you’ll end up with.
Halloween Pumpkin Seed Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Fresh pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup of olive oil (or more, if cooking more than one pumpkin’s worth of seeds)
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of black pepper OR chili powder (optional)
————————————————————–
In the bowl where you have the pumpkin seeds, add the olive oil, salt and pepper (optional). Mix together so that seeds are all coated.
Dump the pumpkin seeds out onto a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil or a silicone baking sheet. Spread the seeds out evenly. Place cookie sheet on the middle rack in the oven for between 15 and 20 minutes. Set a timer to check after ten minutes. Pumpkin seed ‘done-ness’ is a matter of taste. Some like their pumpkin seeds crunchier than others. When they start browning they’re usually done.
Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, allow the seeds to cool and then enjoy!
Photo Journal: Cottage and Hammock
This past weekend was a real treat – we had my family come out to visit us at our cottage on the Cape. My brother, Craig, and his wife, Maggie, came and spent the night before gathering with my parents for lunch and a day of hanging out together. It was a great October day, sunny and 65 degrees, only a tad windy. In the photo above Craig and Maggie are relaxing in the hammock, enjoying the sunshine and the view of Cape Cod Bay.
Details: Photograph captured with Pentax K-5 and Sigma 24mm lens. ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250s.