Making Choices

With only 1 1/2 days until the entry deadline, I’ve decided that I should submit some work to Terrain Spokane. I’ve been trying to decide on what photographs to enter, though, and Peter points out that one can only make estimations on what would be considered “art” — but it’s truly in the eye of the viewer. So, I beg for the help of you! I’m allowed up to 10 submissions — so you’re allowed up to 10 votes! Click each photo to see a large version. If you see something in my Flickr Stream you think should be here, let me know.

Bubbles

Succulent

Frosty Mullen

Pineapple 3

Baby Poppy

Ceremonial Bonfire

Haugan, MT

Heater

Chocolate Stack

Champagne

Cages

April Showers

Carrots

Tiny Tomatoes

Old Forest

Sage

Rusted Out

Birdfeeder 2

Why editing matters

Yes, I will do a life update soon. We got married, there’s several projects we’re working on, and heading down to the second reception in Blackfoot soon. I’m sure a mega-post is coming one of these days.

Today, though, I wanted to show off some of what I’m currently working on. Last week, I spent some time with the Stewart family, taking family photographs. I did the same thing about two years ago, and it was a blast. This year, we went somewhere entirely different, but had just as much fun. While I don’t do nearly as much photography as I would like most days, I always look forward to group pictures like this. Between shy toddlers, cranky toddlers who just wanted to play, and a camera battery that was on the verge of dying (long story) we managed to get some great photos.

I tend to troll lots of photography blogs, and there is a debate between many photographers about post-processing. Some frame it as a film vs. digital question, others frame it as a quality of work issue. I have met amazing photographers, like my uncle Tom, who manage to take amazing photographs right out of the camera, be it digital or film. There are times I wish I had that talent, but it’s not how it works for me.

Instead, I tend to put a lot of time and effort into post-processing. Sometimes it is as simple as correcting levels, other times the editing is more extensive. I have worried in the past about trying to get the perfect photo out of the camera, but I find I end up with a much better finished product when I am more willing to just snap a photo and worry about editing it later. This picture of the ever-cute Ivy is a great example — I wasn’t trying to compose the photograph or get the settings perfect. She was smiling, and I snapped a set of photos. There were actually 3 photos after this one of the exact same position, but she had been distracted by the rock she was sitting on.

There are about 100,000 things I think I could still do to make this photograph perfect. In the end, though, even 20 minutes spent on this photo made it several times better. I also am very very glad that in college I took a photography and film development class. I feel like I have a better understanding of the principles of how photos would have been edited. Either way, though, I think post-processing can really turn an OK photo into a great photo. There are photographers who can do without it, but I admit I fall firmly into the category that thinks, in the end, the finished photograph is what is important. For me, that means a little less time composing a photo and a little more time in Photoshop.

The backyard

We had people over in our backyard again tonight. As usual, it was awesome. There were friends, good food, and even lots of laughter. The birdfeeders that we put up a few days ago have seen a lot of action too, which is great. More and more photos of birds to come, I am sure. If you have any ideas as to what these birds might be, please let me know!

For now, though, here’s some of my favorites from the evening!

Mango – Pineapple Sorbet

We bought a case of champagne mangoes from Bountiful Baskets last week – and after eating plenty and drying a few, I decided to put our new (ish) ice cream maker to use for mango sorbet. YUM! It turned out really really well. It’s very possible that this may be starting a new obsession.

This is a general recipe… as usual, I didn’t actually measure what went in, but it’s an approximation.

• 6 cups sliced champagne mangoes
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup agave nectar

Puree with a food processor, and pour into an ice-cream maker. Voila!

The Story of the Violated Chicken(s)

Letting me read food blogs is… well, it’s like letting a drug addict have free reign in a pharmacy. It’s dangerous, and yet so entertaining in a horrible way.

So, last week, right before our Party of the Week, I ended up reading over Serious Eats, where they discussed to methods of roasting chicken to keep it moist and flavorful. Rather than choose one method to roast chicken, I decided we may as well give both a try. The first and more… exciting… method was what shall henceforth be referred to as “violated chicken.” Rather than using an expensive, single-use roasting pan, the violated chicken method uses a bundt pan. The fact that this method makes use of a pan that is pretty much otherwise single-use was attractive. Add to that that the instructions include “impale the chicken on the center post of the pan” was just an added bonus. Oh yeah, the other method was butterflying – cutting out the backbone and laying the chicken flat. Not nearly as exciting, but worth a try.

So, two whole chickens were acquired from the Safeway Clearance Meat section (my absolute favorite place to buy meat, honestly). Both were about 4 pounds, and even had the same “sell by” date. First, the bundt pan was prepared by placing it inside a 9×9 pan to capture drippings. Then carrots, onions, potatoes, and garlic were chopped and placed in the bundt pan. That got set aside while everything else was prepared.

The first chicken, intended for the impaling, got rubbed with butter under the skin, along with seasonings. Next time, I will definitely add more salt and seasonings, but this was just a start. The whole chicken is then upended and impaled on the bundt pan. Add more paprika and spice, and it’s ready to go.

The other chicken, I cut the backbone out using a pair of kitchen scissors. I then pushed down the entire chicken so it laid flat. More butter and spices under the skin, and placed on a foil-lined rimmed pan.

Both of the chickens then went into a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes to get the skin all crisp and tasty. Then the oven goes down to 350, and it took about another 35 to 45 minutes to roast the chicken up to temperature. Both of these methods actually cooked the breast meat slower than the dark meat – which is exactly what we were shooting for. Both also stayed very moist, and were perfect for chicken enchiladas the next day too.

So, the conclusion? Impale your chicken! It’s fun, it’s dirty, and it makes a crispy, tasty, perfectly-roasted chicken. And you can make dirty jokes during dinner preparation. What could be better? See all the pictures in the Flickr set.

Card Weaving

I’m going to start this by saying it is entirely Jaspenelle’s fault. For Peter’s 28th birthday, Jaspenelle gave him a tablet weaving setup – and he got interested in the craft. Then I got interested, because at this point Peter was a cute guy that I liked and tablet weaving actually seemed pretty awesome. I talked him into making me my own loom. A little over two years later, and I still thread up and work on a card weaving / tablet weaving project every now and again. It’s not an everyday thing, because, frankly, threading it up can be a real pain because the cats want to be so darn helpful. Once it’s threaded up, though, it’s a great project for knitting night or entertaining myself on the bus.

My brother-in-law gave us a set of beautiful hand-made wooden cards to use. Peter has threaded up a project, and while they are a little more sticky to use, they’ll be great for re-creation items where we are going for “more authenticity”. Usually, we use a basic playing card that’s sliced to square and punched with four holes. I have yet to figure out a way to make them in bulk and get the edges smooth. Luckily, most of the time, we don’t have to re-make the cards very often. About once every three or four projects.

The basic idea of card weaving is that you can control each individual thread in a weaving pattern in eight different ways – four threads, each that can be turned forward or back. This means you can make lots and lots of awesome patterns, some of which vary front-to back, others that are the same. Either way, the straps are very thick, strong, and flexible. Is anyone interested in a tutorial?

In either case, here’s a few of the projects both Peter and I have done.

As usual, plenty more photos on the Flickr set.

The Tomato Cages!

It’s been a very rainy few days, but we have managed to get our tomato cages at least approximately placed (we still need to dig down and get them securely anchored) – but we finally got home early enough tonight I can provide the many-times-promised photos. I am so excited about them! My only worry is that Jaspenelle may come in the middle of the night and steal the orange one They are about 150% the size and 300% the strength of the standard lite-metal cages, so they should stand up much better to the weight of the tomatoes this year.

In a Cooking Contest – Farmers Market Orzo

So about a week ago I found (actually, though my work) the Philadelphia Cream Cheese / Paula Deen Real Women of Philadelphia cooking contest / casting call. Just a few weeks ago, Shadra had joked about submitting me to a cooking contest without my knowledge. I figured I’d beat her to the punch.

So, I put out a Facebook plea for help in filming. Then I realized – Faythe and Ryan not only had a wonderfully open kitchen that would be great for filming, but they could also probably be bribed to help. A few emails later, and a Tuesday filming schedule was set.

After four hours of filming, we had tape for two recipes – a Farmer’s Market Orzo and Beet Hummus. Week 1 of the competition is Side Dishes, and I was absolutely blown away when Ryan had the video edited and ready to go in just a single day. It looks amazing, and he managed to take my nervousness and hide it!

So, without further ado, here is the video:

And here’s the full recipe:

* 2 tbsp. of butter
* 1 1/2 cup(s) of sliced carrots
* 2 cup(s) of chopped broccoli
* 1 bell pepper
* 3 sliced green onions
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tbsp. of butter
* 1 pound(s) of orzo pasta
* 4 cup(s) of broth
* 1/2 cup(s) of Parmesan cheese
* 1 tbsp. of dill
* 8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Chive & Onion cream cheese

Steps

1. Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Saute vegetables, garlic, and herbs over medium-high heat until brightly colored and fragrant.
2. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt additional 1 Tbsp butter in saucepan. Saute orzo until lightly browned and slightly toasted.
4. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup broth and stir until thickened and bubbling.
5. Slowly add another 2 cups broth and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, adding more broth if necessary.
6. Once pasta is al dente, add vegetables, Parmesan cheese, dill, and cream cheese to the pasta. Stir over medium heat until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

Rainbow of Hummus

The recipes to these hummus flavors will be coming soon, but to give you an idea of what I spent my evening working on…