Monday, December 30, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
UP
Last week, a kindergarten teacher called me up and asked if I would show our candy house to all four classes and talk to the students about structures and the engineering behind the candy house. I sputtered for a moment because we hadn't committed ourselves to building one. Derek had previously suggested we do a replica of Disney's UP house, but that is as far as we got. I told the teacher, YES I'll do it. With the help of a loving family, we pulled it off. The house is ready to go to school tomorrow.
Note the garden hose by the stairs. Staying true to the movie..
Monday, December 9, 2013
Jumping Jack
Jack loves to jump and he comes up with some pretty good moves. I caught this with a 1/500 second shutter speed, f8 aperature.
This was another low-light shot where the shutter was wide open. You can see the blurred background which lookes almost like silk.
Another blurred background but the light had almost gone.
This was another low-light shot where the shutter was wide open. You can see the blurred background which lookes almost like silk.
Another blurred background but the light had almost gone.
Jack
Christi took the two older kids for their piano lessons so I was left to have some fun with Jack. We grabbed the camera and had a ball. These 2 shots were taken in the front yard with a cloudy sky. There wasn't a whole lot of light so I opened up my shutter to 1.2. It threw the background out of focus, almost so it looks like fog. I'm really getting attached to that 50mm lens.
Kennedy
I took this picture with my 50mm lens with a wide aperature (3.2) in Christi's living room with natural lighting. This is the room that has light coming from three directions, one of them high up for the hairlight. It looks like a painting.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
A Christmas Brunch
I've been part of dinner group for a year and last night was my turn to host. The theme was brunch foods, so my friend and helper, Annette, and I decided to do a Christmas Brunch.
I wish we'd taken more pictures because Annette did some spectacular-looking tables and juice and hot cocoa bar. Here's the fruit Christmas tree, and you can see the "chalkboard" behind it. (Black poster board). You can also see the parfaits, which were yogurt topped with fruit and this granola recipe. I've decided it's my favorite granola recipe ever, adaptable however you like. I used only almonds and pecans and left out the dried fruit.
You can also see the two dips. One was my favorite fruit dip. The other went with this recipe from Our Best Bites, Savoring the Seasons.
I wish we'd taken more pictures because Annette did some spectacular-looking tables and juice and hot cocoa bar. Here's the fruit Christmas tree, and you can see the "chalkboard" behind it. (Black poster board). You can also see the parfaits, which were yogurt topped with fruit and this granola recipe. I've decided it's my favorite granola recipe ever, adaptable however you like. I used only almonds and pecans and left out the dried fruit.
You can also see the two dips. One was my favorite fruit dip. The other went with this recipe from Our Best Bites, Savoring the Seasons.
Pastry-Wrapped Breakfast Sausages with Maple Dijon Dipping Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
From Our Best Bites: Savoring the Seasons
1 sheet puff pastry shell |
1 (12-ounce) package breakfast sausage links |
1/2 cup shredded cheese |
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water |
Yield: 32 sausages
1. Gently unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour and roll into a 12 x 12-inch square. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice into four equal strips.
2. Working with one strip of dough at a time, place 3 sausages lengthwise down one side of the dough strip. If extra space remains, trim another sausage to fit so entire length of dough strip is covered. If using cheese, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese next to the sausages. Starting from the edge where the sausages are, gently roll dough so it wraps around the sausage and cheese and folds over onto itself. Gently press or pinch dough to seal and softly roll to smooth out surface. Repeat with remaining puff pastry and, sausages and cheese.
3. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of rolls with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, slice rolls into 1-1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5-8 minutes and serve with Maple Dijon Dipping Sauce.
Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Whisk ingredients together until combined.
We also had this dish:
Grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Spread half the bread cubes in the prepared dish. Sprinkle evenly with half of the cheese and ham. Top with remaining bread bread cubes and the remaining cheese and ham. In a medium bowl, combine four of the egss with the milk. Pour evenly over layers in dish. Press down gently with the back of a spoon to moisten all the ingredients. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press six indentations in top of strata. Break a whole egg into each indentation. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Annette also made this yummy cinnamon roll recipe and baked it in the shape of a Christmas tree. She's tweaked her version a bit, using 4-1/2 cups of flour at the most, not five like the recipe says. She also uses 3 ounces of cream cheese and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar for the frosting.
I thought you might enjoy these recipes and a glimpse of our fun evening.
1. Gently unfold the puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour and roll into a 12 x 12-inch square. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice into four equal strips.
2. Working with one strip of dough at a time, place 3 sausages lengthwise down one side of the dough strip. If extra space remains, trim another sausage to fit so entire length of dough strip is covered. If using cheese, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons shredded cheese next to the sausages. Starting from the edge where the sausages are, gently roll dough so it wraps around the sausage and cheese and folds over onto itself. Gently press or pinch dough to seal and softly roll to smooth out surface. Repeat with remaining puff pastry and, sausages and cheese.
3. Using a pastry brush, brush tops of rolls with egg wash. Using a sharp knife, slice rolls into 1-1/2 to 2-inch pieces. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5-8 minutes and serve with Maple Dijon Dipping Sauce.
Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Whisk ingredients together until combined.
We also had this dish:
Spicy Ham and Egg Strata
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: One Pan Recipes
5 cups cubes of French bread |
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, with Jalapeno Jack) |
1 1/3 cups chopped ham (8 ounces) |
10 eggs |
1 1/2 cups milk |
Grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Spread half the bread cubes in the prepared dish. Sprinkle evenly with half of the cheese and ham. Top with remaining bread bread cubes and the remaining cheese and ham. In a medium bowl, combine four of the egss with the milk. Pour evenly over layers in dish. Press down gently with the back of a spoon to moisten all the ingredients. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press six indentations in top of strata. Break a whole egg into each indentation. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Annette also made this yummy cinnamon roll recipe and baked it in the shape of a Christmas tree. She's tweaked her version a bit, using 4-1/2 cups of flour at the most, not five like the recipe says. She also uses 3 ounces of cream cheese and 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar for the frosting.
I thought you might enjoy these recipes and a glimpse of our fun evening.
Monday, November 4, 2013
An FHE treat remembered
When Rachel was a freshman, her FHE group had a pre-thanksgiving
dinner. One of the brothers brought a
delicious pumpkin dessert. The dessert
must have been memorable because years later, Rachel got a text from her friend
and former roommate, Crystal. Crystal
asked Rachel if she had a copy of the recipe and if not, would she mind asking
the brother if he still had the recipe (Crystal didn’t want to ask the brother
because they lightly dated and it would be ‘awkward’ to ask). Rachel had a better idea. Let’s ask Lisa, another friend and former
roommate. Sure enough, Lisa had a
copy. Both Rachel and Crystal got their copy
and all was well. Another year lapses
and Rachel decided she wanted to finally try it out. The occasion:
Rachel and her friend Joe offered to prepare Sunday dinner for our
family, plus the missionaries. The
dessert would be a wonderful topper for the meal. One of the ingredients included a box of
yellow cake mix. When Rachel was looking
at the box, she noticed there was a bar code recipe for “Pumpkin Pie Crunch”. She scanned the bar code on her iPhone and up
popped the very recipe she was attempting to make. There were a few minor differences, but
mostly the same recipe. Rachel prepared
the version of the recipe she got from her FHE brother via Lisa, which was
prompted by Crystal. Our family, plus
the missionaries and Joe can attest to the goodness of the dessert. Try it!
Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Mix or blend:
1 (29 oz)
can pumpkin1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
Pour into 9/13 pan and top with:
1 box yellow cake mix1 cup nuts, chopped
1 cup melted butter
Bake at 350F for 1 hr (check at 50 minutes). Serve hot with whipped cream
Friday, November 1, 2013
Kennedy
I took this picture at the Kelsey home last April and am just now getting it photoshopped. I was looking for something to try out my new CS6 program. I like it in color and b&w.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
One Million Records
Today, October 25, 2013, I submitted my ONE MILLIONTH record, having been index/arbitrating for some six or seven years. Not too bad for an eighty year old lady. I'm not sure if I will shoot for two million, but why not?
Sunday, October 20, 2013
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