Our Blessed Road

A Photo-a-Day in January

2012-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

On Instagram there's been a challenge going around to take a photo a day in the month of January. I decided to go for it, and had a great time. Keeping up with something like that is hard, but while it was a challenge, it actually helps my photography and creativity improve, and helps me conquer something else I struggle with: consistency. I'm the kind of person who hates schedules, but even something as small as taking one photo every day has helped with things like remembering to vacuum the floor everyday (seriously, who thought carpet in the dining room would be a brilliant idea?!). I was sad to see the project end, but super excited when I found out a new list of photo-a-day topics was created for February!

Without further ado, here's the list of topics for January, and all the photos I took!

1 // You

2 // Breakfast

3 // Something you adore

4 // Letterbox (the creator of the challenge is Australian; this is what they call mailboxes!)

5 // Something you wore

6 // Makes you smile

7 // Favorite

8 // Your sky

9 // Daily Routine

10 // Childhood

11 // Where you sleep

12 // Close-up

13 // In your bag

14 // Something you're reading

15 // Happiness

16 // Morning

17 // Water

18 // Something you bought

19 // Sweet

20 // Someone you love

21 // Reflection

22 // Your shoes

23 // Something old

24 // Guilty pleasure

25 // Something you made

26 // Color

27 // Lunch

28 // Light

29 // Inside your fridge

30 // Nature

31 // You again

Little Happy Things No. 5

2012-01-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

I so enjoyed the holidays this year! And even more fun was seeing Jackson and Derik so excited about Christmas. :) They've also figured out how presents work now, and ask almost every day when their birthdays are, and remind me about certain things they'd like. Top on the list at the moment are Cars 2 Lego sets, "the ones with Finn and Holly, mom, ok?" :)

::My new kitchen appliances and cookbooks! Luke bought me a fantastic Kitchen Aid, in exactly the color I would have picked! I want to use it constantly. If anyone wants to come over and bake, and then TAKE HOME the stuff we make, hit me up. ;) My parents got me some cool new cookbooks. And Luke's parents bought me a deep fryer. We've made doughnuts, french fries, doughnuts, and fish and chips. And more doughnuts. And mostly I'm feeding them to other people, so I can stick to my New Year's Resolution. ;)

::Drinking fresh pressed juice from a jam jar.

::The photo-a-day project I'm doing this month. It's on Instagram (clicking that will take you to the app) and when I'm finished I'll post them all here. :)

::Exploring houses with my boys. :) We're finally starting to look for a house! It might take a while or it might not, and we've found some we like and some we don't. It's so much fun to look! I decorate each house we go through in my head, and there are a few right now I can't seem to stop daydreaming about.

::My inspiration wall above my desk.

::Finally losing 10 pounds. (Actually, 13.) I've been working out really hard lately, so I can hopefully meet my goal of 40 pounds this year, and I would love to completely blow that number away. Less doughnuts, right? ;)

::Stocking up on new art supplies (Sharpies! Graphite pencils!) and sketching more.

::Making a conscious effort to read God's Word every day.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my lovely family and friends! :) Once again, I had every intention of sending Christmas cards this year and even designed 4 different ones to send off, but then, as always, life happened. But I think spending days baking cookies with my boys and taking them dollar-store-shopping for presents is a good way to spend my days, don't you? So here's my DIGITAL Christmas card to all of you! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends, and of course your fair share of cookies. ;)

The last two days before Christmas for me are consisting of baking lots more cookies, batches of toffee and fudge and puppy chow and dude crackers (i.e. the infamous Oyster crackers that my mom made for the dude's Super Bowl party every year). And watching Elf and drinking hot cocoa. And reading the labels on each Christmas present my boys bring me to tell who it's for. And reading the Christmas story to my boys. :)

Little Happy Things No. 4

2011-12-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

Luke had a meeting sprung on him yesterday, so we took an impromptu trip down the hill. I had 7 hours to kill so I drove to Newport Beach. I haven't been to the beach in over 2 years but the beach really feels like home. The sound, the smell, the feel of salt water in the air. Then I killed more time at IKEA where my mom and I solved Christmas-present-to-grandchildren-across-country problems, and then Luke finally got done with his meeting and we hit up Disneyland one last time before Christmas. :)

::Salt water air.

::Doing whatever I wanted to for 7 hours. I explored Newport, drove on Highway 1 up to Huntington (which smells really weird, btw; I know because I was driving with my window down.), and found lots of places to explore in the future.

::Hole-in-the-wall places, like Alta Coffee in Newport. Also, they have a wall of mugs that frequent customers can bring and leave. I wanted to be a frequent guest.

::IKEA meatballs

::Walking around Disneyland without worrying about anything. Not even caring how long the lines are or what rides to go on next.

::Luke not minding me standing in the middle of Main St. at Disneyland to get a panorama.

::How something small like a wrapping paper tube can be the most exciting thing to a little boy. They became light sabers with the help of painter's tape. :)

::Presents arriving and getting wrapped and stowed under the tree.

::Little boys getting so excited about the present they're giving daddy, and showing me which present is mine at grandma & papa's house.

::Lights strung on top of my kitchen cabinets.

Matt and Julie Plus One!

2011-12-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

Luke's brother Matt and his wife Julie are expecting their first little one, and we all can't wait to meet HER! Little Miss Kaylynn is due in February and hopefully I'll get to meet her in March! Julie is absolutely radiant and I'm totally jealous because she never even got morning sick! And of course Matt can't wait to have a daughter and I told him be prepared to have lots of tea parties. :)

I was so excited to do a photoshoot for them again! (Check out the shoot I did for their 3rd anniversary!) It's seriously difficult to narrow it down to just a few pictures but I did my best. ;)

A few snaps

2011-12-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago it was still warm here in SoCal, and the boys had an impromptu "Daddy let us play in the backyard when it was dark outside" session. (Don't worry, we have a patio light.) ;) They thought it was great to play outside with the bright light on but everywhere else outside was dark, plus, who doesn't like to go outside and play in their pajamas?

Little Happy Things No. 3

2011-11-21T19:26:00.000-08:00

(via)

I've had a really good week! Luke and I celebrated our FIFTH(!) wedding anniversary! I still can't believe it has been that long since I said "I do" but it's been an amazing five years. Man do I love him. :) He had almost a week off and we went to the most magical place, a.k.a. Disneyland and ate amazing food the entire time (if you're in Orange or anywhere even close, you HAVE to check out Haven Gastropub. Seriously. Do it.). And of course this week is Thanksgiving and my brother and sister-in-law are in. And we're having a baby shower for them, and I'm doing two photoshoots next week. And and and. :)

::Five years married to the love of my life. Amazing. :)

::Good food and fun places.

::Jack learned how to write a J this week.

::Awaiting new babies in the family! I can't wait to be an aunt!

::Thanksgiving food. Pumpkin is the best.

::Movie marathons snuggled up on the couch.

::Derik says his name is just "Dee." Also, I am his friend. :)

::The excitement of an upcoming photoshoot! (P.S. Christmas special still going!)

::Anticipating Christmas decorating...we're getting a tree on Friday!

Christmas Photo Special!

2011-11-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again...almost Christmas!!! I love it so much. I've been asking Luke every few days if it's too early for a Christmas tree. (He said it was, but I'll keep trying!) I've been drinking tons of hot chocolate, it's finally getting cold enough here for soup and scarves (although I'm not putting away my flip flops yet) and Disneyland is already decorated! (If you're feeling low on Christmas spirit, all you have to do is get yourself to Disneyland anytime after Halloween. If that doesn't give you some, you are beyond all hope.)

Anyway, every year I love to run a special on my photo sessions around Christmas time. Family photos are always a good tradition to have, although Luke and I tend to be camera shy so we try to do pictures of Jackson and Derik. I'm doing their session soon so look out for that!

The special I'm running this year is $15 off each session when you and a friend book together. The sessions don't have to be on the same day, you just both need to mention who you're booking with. You can book the session for family pictures or senior pictures or headshots or anything else you can dream up! Engagements! Maternity! Just because! To find out more about the session, click on the FAQ at the top, and remember to get a friend to book with you to grab the deal!

Little Happy Things No. 2

2011-10-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I already missed last week. I'm not very good at "do this on this day every week" type of things. So I'm just going with "do this whenever the mood strikes, but fairly often because it makes me happy."

(via)

::Jack's little observations throughout the day.

::Fresh-squeezed orange juice.

::Derik telling me very emphatically that he IS Captain America.

::Jack is learning to draw people. We have lots of funny-looking people drawings all over the table. Derik is drawing "two teams," and the closest interpretation is that I think he's drawing football.

::Reading.

::My new hot chocolate obsession, Mexican hot chocolate.

::The boys have figured out how to "pretend" to give me something. They've been bringing me pretend books all morning.

::Finished knitting and crocheting projects, and sewing projects that actually turn out.

::Photostrips of my boys actually printed out from my cell phone.

DIY // Chalkboard Paint Labels

2011-10-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I LOVE chalkboard paint. If the apartment we live in wasn't a rental, I would totally paint a whole wall in my kitchen with it, and maybe even the boys' room. Since I can't do that, I did the next best thing and painted my fridge. It's great for writing menus on, and for keeping the boys busy while I do dishes.

(the top left picture is this week's menu)

It was really easy to do. You have to sand the fridge like crazy, and it would be really easy if you can take your fridge outside and power sand it. You want to get all the smooth shiny texture off. Then you paint three or four coats of chalkboard paint on it. I just did the front of my fridge, because it's wedged in the extra-small fridge spot and won't be coming out until we move. (Fridge width: 30" - Fridge hole width: 30 1/4") I probably could have painted it with primer, but I didn't really think it needed it, and it's held up fine. Before you use the chalkboard, you let it dry for 24 hours, then "season" it by rubbing chalk over the entire surface, then wiping it off. That's so whatever you write on it wipes off and doesn't leave a mark behind.

I got the idea to use the leftover paint (a half a can!) on my spice jars. I use mason jars for my spices since I buy them in bulk, and instead of throwing away "used" lids after canning (once the seal is popped, you can't re-can with the lids), those are what I use for my spices. Again, it's pretty easy to do. Paint a really thin layer of paint, and be sure not to leave any thick streaks of paint. I just used a small paintbrush. You don't even need to take the lids off the jars! The first coat won't be thick and you'll see right through it. After that, paint 4 or 5 more thin coats, letting it dry between each one. Mine took five. Once it's really dry (I didn't wait 24 hours, because it's just spice lids, and the paint is only about as thick as one coat done with a roller), season it with chalk and you're good to go!

(you can paint other lids from saved jars as well!)

Sunday Little Happy Things No. 1

2011-10-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

(via)

I'm starting a new installment of posts here. I'm one of those people who tends to stress about everything and not always be as happy as I should be, even though I'm so richly blessed. So I've decided that once a week, I should write those things down, no matter how small they are. :)

::Waking up on my birthday. I'm 24. I still love birthdays. :)

::Hot chocolate, to pretend it's fall here in SoCal.

::The hugs my sweet boys (all three of them) give me.

::Jackson reminding me that I forgot to kiss him goodnight.

::Derik says "thank you" for everything, even if it's just putting on his socks.

::Luke spoils me way too much.

::Fresh juice from my new juicer (see above).

::Farmer's market with my shopping buddy Jackson.

::Disneyland. I love it so much. And I've seen World of Color like 3 or 4 times and still cry.

::Freshly painted nails.

::Dishes all done.

::A new CD

food, recently.

2011-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot has been going on around here lately, since the boys' birthdays are over and our trip to Colorado is over (still need to finish off and develop a roll of film I took with me!). My sister has been busy though, because she got married this past Sunday! It's also almost October, which starts off my favorite time of year! September can't really be considered fall, especially out here, because it's so darn hot still. But October is really fall to me, even if SoCal insists on being hot, and also, my birthday is in October so it gets an instant win in my book. November is great because of Thanksgiving but also that's when Luke and I got married. :) And December? Christmas, naturally.

Anyhow, now I'm rambling and really I just wanted to show you pretty pictures of yummy food.

Macarons. They're slightly crunchy, melty soft in the middle, filled with whatever you want (in this case, Nutella) little almonds cookies. They're good. And surprisingly not as hard to make as I originally thought.

Lemon turnovers I made recently. I'd completely forgotten about the turnovers I'd made before, and Luke reminded me. I made the dough in my food processor and then did all the letter folds to make it perfectly flakey, and it was.

Mini meatballs for Italian Stracciatella Soup. The original recipe is here, but it's a little complicated and hard to figure out which ingredients go where. So here's my easy version. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe after making it a few times.

Meatballs:
1/2 pound ground beef (or you can half and half with beef/pork)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 T. breadcrumbs (Italian flavored, or plain & add Italian seasoning)
1 minced garlic clove
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, roll into mini meatballs, about 1/2" wide.

Soup:
Boil 6 cups of good chicken broth (if you can, make your own. If not, buy the good stuff.), add the meatballs and cook until they are fully cooked, about 8 minutes. Add 1 pound of tortellini, cook through, about 6 minutes more. Keep at a rolling bowl. Beat an egg in a bowl; you're only going to use about half the beaten up egg. Pour in a slow stream into the boiling soup while you whisk it rapidly with a fork.

Put a handful of torn spinach in each soup bowl. Pour the soup over the spinach and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Enjoy!

My Big Boy is Four!

2011-09-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my sweet Jackson is four years old! He finally understood this year what birthdays were all about and knew that the day before he was three and that on the 14th he turned four.

I told him that since it was his birthday he could choose a movie to watch. Derik has all sorts of suggestions, such as Spiderman or Iron Man or various other superheroes, but Jackson decided on Alice in Wonderland. Derik was not happy with this decision at all but Jack declared that "it is my birthday, and I will choose the movie, because it is my birthday." :P Derik was ok with the movie about two minutes into watching it.

Birthday pancakes! Jackson wanted Captain America pancakes just like Derik has for his birthday.

And Derik had a fun time singing "Happy Birthday" to Jackson all day. He just knows the "happy birthday" part so he sang it over and over and occasionally threw in "to Jackson." ;)

My little man is growing up and there's not much I can do to stop it, but I'm enjoying every little moment with him before he gets too big. I'm thinking about trying to find some sort of grow-stop potion or maybe a big jar to keep him in so he doesn't get any bigger, think it'll work? We still have to have his party and we're not sure what his cake will be yet but I'm sure will be either a superhero or car of some sort. ;)

I love you Jack! :)

Derik is three.

2011-08-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, my little boy turned three and I can hardly believe it. He has been hilarious lately, he has such a crazy little personality and goes from running around crazy to helping his big brother bring me something to curling up on the couch sucking his two fingers (still trying to break that habit!) telling me he's tired. And after refusing all week to say that he was three and insisting that he was two, Luke convinced him on his birthday to show me later in the day that he was three! He tried to show his Nana when she called too, but alas, he doesn't realize that she can't see through my iPhone all the time. ;)

Luke's mom and I made a Captain America cake for his birthday since we saw that movie the same day. It's a Marvel movie, same as Spiderman and Derik thought we from the comic book intro that we were watching his favorite movie. ;) He screamed "SPIDERMAN!!!" at the top of his lungs in the theater. ;) Don't worry, Captain America was a big hit too.

Derik and David share the same birthday, just 5 years apart. Three candles for Derik, and eight for David! (And David shared his birthday even more by letting Jack blow out his candles.)

My big boy :)

Today:

2011-08-13T09:07:00.001-07:00

(via)

Going to be a busy couple of days, but fun! Most fun of all is that we're having Derik and his uncle David's birthday party tomorrow! Derik was born on David's birthday, who was born on his great-grandmother's birthday, so lots of birthdays on one day. Today Luke's mom and I are putting together an awesome cake (spoiler alert: it's a superhero cake, are you surprised?) and tomorrow we're going to all see a movie, (spoiler alert: it's a superhero movie) eat lots of pizza (the favorite food of boys) and eat the awesome cake.

I can't believe my baby is going to be THREE this week!

everyday

2011-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun trying to take more pictures just with my iPhone. It's amazing how good camera phones are these days. My first digital camera was only 3 megapixels; my iPhone is 5! I also have a roll of film in my old Minolta SLR right now, and can't wait to finish and develop it, especially since I have two rolls of a new type of B&W film waiting for me! As much as I love digital and the ease of snapping away and then chimping away (photographer's term for sneaking peeks at the lcd screen), I learned on film and in college I took a class and fell in love with the darkroom and black and white film. It's my dream to one day have my own darkroom. So anyway, I'll share those when I get them developed (as well as the rest of the wedding I shot...I've got three rolls of film from it too!), but for now, here are some recent iPhone shots of my boys. :)

They love the Incredibooth app on my phone. They actually ask me to open it so they can take pictures, and of course Derik's Po (his hippo) has to get in on the action. ;)

We went out to breakfast at IHOP last week and they had such a good time (and loved their face pancakes!). The new thing for them is the "cheese" face :P

Quote of the day :)

2011-07-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Finally! My blog is almost the way I want it!

2011-07-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

I've been tweaking for a few days now on my blog's design, setting up new pages, and drawing pieces for it, but I think I'm finally *almost* happy with the way my blog looks! I've been wanting to create some new branding for my business, and really didn't want to go the "typical" route. I have always loved hand-drawn, sketchy art and typography and decided to incorporate that into my design. I still have things I want to do, such as get a .com for my blog site so it's easier to find, finish the pages, and then create new business cards and packaging, as well as update my Facebook page. So lots of work cut out for me!

For now, here's a picture of my adorable boys! They discovered the photobooth app on my iPhone and now constantly want me to let them take pictures!

Raul & Rheana are Married!

2011-06-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of shooting a wedding this past Sunday for an adorable and so sweet couple, Raul & Rheana! It was even more of an honor for me because they are both currently serving our country in the military; go Army! Raul is currently stationed in Korea and returned today, just four short days after getting married and Rheana is returning to Afghanistan in a few days. They have a few more months apart but after that they will finally be stationed together. When you think of it, say a prayer for them and their safety; and in a few months they will really be able to start their lives together!

Raul & Rheana were married at the gorgeous Boulder Creek Ranch. I'd highly recommend this venue to any future clients - it's gorgeous and the owners are so sweet!

She outranks him. ;) Raul said "I kinda still like you, I think."

And my personal favorite shot from the day:

Some Shopping

2011-06-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

So right now I'm procrastinating...I need to go through my camera bag and get everything ready for tomorrow's wedding so a quick post and then off to do that!

Luke took me to IKEA last week and it was so much fun! I could have bought out the store but only bought a few small things for now. We want to get some of the big furniture out of the way before we buy some smaller things. We test drove the couches (I really like the Karlstad in sivik dark gray) and I found bookcases to replace ours eventually, and I think Luke liked going through the kitchen area. I can see in my head what individual choices would look like together, but Luke likes to see it finished and together, so the little finished kitchens were neat to see! I wound up buying a large stainless steel bowl which I've been needing for a while (and at $7, I'm going to buy more next time!), a funnel set ($.99!) and a ton of dishtowels for $.80 each and they have turned out to be the best dish towels I've ever bought!

Yesterday I hit Ross looking for a dress to wear to the wedding I'm shooting tomorrow. I found one I love, but even more exciting, I didn't realize how great the prices were for home goods! Huge framed mirrors for $40, chairs for $100 and under, and leather ottomans for $40! Here's a few things I found...

(This little velvet chair caught my eye. It would be so cute in a dressing room/closet area and it looks gray in the picture but it was a pinkish-brown color. It was originally $250 and at Ross was $99)

(These lamps I LOVED. They are mercury glass on the bottom and the left one is my favorite. The left lamp has a silver-toned base, the right one is gold-toned. They were originally $75 each, for $27 each)

(And this lampshade! I think it was selling for $15 at Ross.)

So yes, I was excited to see things like these at Ross, and will definitely go back when I'm ready to buy some smaller pieces for my house! They also had huge planters for around $10, gorgeous throw pillows for $5 to $10 each, so much more. Who needs a candystore when you've got Ross? ;) I have a feeling I should never be let loose in a HomeGoods store.

digging in the dirt

2011-05-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

The boys have been enjoying our (albeit tiny) backyard ever since the weather got warm enough for them to play! They got new boots too, which are pretty much the most exciting thing ever right now. I would love to plant grass back there, but considering we won't be here forever, I don't want to put that much work in. I'm pretty sure the boys prefer the dirt, since obviously dirt is way better to dig with spoons and fill their dump truck with! ;)

They've hit the "super-cheeze" stage now...which basically means anytime I point a camera in their direction, they make a funny/too cute/cheesy/crazy face and then pretty much before I can snap a picture, want to see it on the screen. This goes for cell phones and videos too... I have to be in super-stealth mode to get a picture! I was fast enough to snap these two pictures though; aren't they getting so big? I can hardly believe that this year they will be THREE and FOUR!

Some Decorating Ideas

2011-04-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

We've lived in apartments where we can't paint or do any alterations to for a while now, so up until now I haven't done much decorating. But we recently decided to slowly start decorating our apartment with things that can be moved to our new house, so I have been gathering ideas! First up for us to do is the living room!

One of the first things we're going to change at the first possible moment is our couch. The one we have has worked for a while, but it's not really our style, not really our colors, and recently has gotten more uncomfortable because of the bed in it sinking down further. When you sit on it, now you sit on the uncomfortable bar at the front! I had lots of different ideas, including buying a bright turquoise couch, but we both decided neutral colors would work better. I finally found a couch we found at a local furniture store. It's normal sofa length, with a chaise on one end. And the color will be a nice neutral charcoal gray, like this chair. (I believe this chair was from Anthropologie.)

The color of the walls (when we finally can paint!!!) is a pale blue color. These were some of my inspiration pictures (from a combination of Apartment Therapy, other home blogs, I-Have-No-Idea places, etc.).

For accent colors, darker turquoise and little touches of red!

(P.S. The red heart rug is from Urban Outfitters and says "Please don't leave" on it! Love!)

Finally, some of my favorite things I would love to tuck in the room:

The first picture...terrariums! I love terrariums and have a bar separating my living/dining room and my kitchen. We don't use it for a bar because the room is so tight with our furniture, so I want to fill the whole bar with candle-filled glassware and terrariums!

Next, botanical prints. I have loved these for as long as I can remember, so I plan on having lots throughout my house.

The chair is so unusual and cool. I found it on Design*Sponge as a before and after. The seat is covered with an old burlap sack, and I've since been scouring Craigslist for an old chair that would be perfect!

Last, I love little mini displays like this, especially ones that can be changed. This is so simple to DIY! It's a short piece of wood, painted and clips nailed to it! I will definitely be making something like this in the future!

Vegetarian Taquitos and Cilantro-Lime Rice

2011-04-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'm once again posting recipes here on Our Blessed Road. I liked the design of my other blog, but hated that I had two blogs and too much to keep up with. No one really knew where to look and it's just too confusing. So you can now find all my recipes imported here!

This recipe is one I came across on Twitter! It's not necessarily a strict recipe, but it's super easy, very healthy and really delicious!

Vegetarian Whole Wheat Taquitos:

Preheat oven to 450. Saute half a chopped onion until soft, add 2 T. cumin and saute about a minute. Add a large can of drained pinto beans and cook for a few minutes. Turn of the heat and use a potato masher to mash the beans. Spread a thin line of beans onto a taco-size whole wheat tortilla. Top with cheese, roll into thin rolls. Place in a lightly greased baking dish, brush the tops with oil, and bake for around 13-15 minutes.

Cilantro-Lime Rice:

Cook brown rice according to package directions (these proportions are for 1 cup uncooked rice). Add about a 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro and juice of two limes; stir.

Guacamole:

Mash two small avocados with a fork. Add one clove of garlic, finely chopped, 1/4 c. chopped cilantro; pinch of salt, juice of half a lime, and a scoop of your favorite salsa to taste.

Wow...

2011-03-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

It's been forever, dear little blog. We've had Christmas, and somehow January and February disappeared. I'm not sure where they went, but now it's March and here I am again. So sorry, little blog.

Annnnnyyyyyhow, we've had a nice but fairly uneventful last few months. The biggest excitement was I got an iPhone for Christmas and Luke also bought me a graphics tablet, so I've been playing around with both of them! Here's a few of my favorite photos the last few months...

I'll try to post more than three times a year this year... ;-)

The Most Perfect Roast Chicken, Ever.

2010-11-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Luke and I love roast chicken. It's the perfect comfort food, it's inexpensive and satisfying to the soul. Okay, so that last bit was a little cheesy, but you know what I'm talking about.

But. Overcooked roast chicken is one of the worst things known to man. And unfortunately, it's all too easy to do. It gets dry and stringy and is definitely NOT on my list of "top things to eat."

I'm going to give you a recipe that will help you avoid that. Forever. And it is so good - juicy, tender, moist, citrusy. This was originally a recipe from Bon Appetit for Turkey (Nov. 09), but I've tweaked it a little, made it simpler and obviously, used chicken not turkey. I use the 3-4 pound chickens, not ones that verge on the size of a Butterball turkey, but use whatever you like and remember you'll have to cook it longer.

Perfect Citrus-Roasted Chicken

Whole chicken (I pick ones about 4 pounds), inside giblet stuff removed
2 oranges
1/4 c. kosher salt
1 large onion, quartered

Zest the oranges and mix the zest with the salt. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan and rub down the chicken with the zest/salt mixture. Cut the oranges into quarters and stuff the inside of the chicken, and toss the rest into the roasting pan. Toss the onion it the pan too, and fill the pan about 2 inches deep with water. Place uncovered in a 350 degree oven for a couple of hours, usually it takes 2 1/2 hours in my oven, but it will vary based on your oven and the size of the chicken.

To test doneness, either:
1) use an instant-read thermometer, stuck through the chicken breast sideways so it doesn't touch the breast bone or ribs. It should register 160 degrees. Official "doneness" is 165 degrees but REST YOUR CHICKEN for 5 minutes before cutting it and it will rise the last 5 degrees on its own and therefore not be dry.
2) wiggle the leg. If it's wiggly in the socket (not looking for falling out of the socket here) it's done. This requires a little more knowing-when-a-chicken's-done intuition, and if you're worried about it not being done, play it safe and use a thermometer.

This chicken is so juicy that you can be fooled into thinking it's not done. The oranges also tend to tint the juice pinkish-orange, therefore making you think it's still bloody. When in doubt, use a thermometer and if it's past 160 (resting for 5 minutes) it's done.

*Always always always rest the chicken (meaning don't even think about cutting it) for 5 minutes. It makes all those yummy juices seal into the chicken. Worth the wait.

Apple Valley Photoshoot - The Watts Family!

2010-11-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

The amazingly talented Yevgenia Watts (check out her website and artwork!) asked me to take some photos for her and her beautiful family and Sunday we met up at a local park to make it happen! Yevgenia and her husband Terry have a precious 14 month old, Elijah, who of course was very curious about what I was doing. Elijah is going to be a little genius, I know it - his mom and dad speak several languages fluently between them and of course there is art! And isn't he adorable?!

You can check out more on Facebook!

Fall!

2010-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, and it's finally feeling like fall here in Southern California! (Although I heard yesterday on the radio that it's supposed to be in the high 80s again at the end of the week! Boo!) To celebrate fall, I made these yummy pumpkin cupcake with vanilla buttercream and gingersnap-toffee crumble on top!

Hope you are all having a wonderful fall! And stay tuned...I have a photoshoot to post just as soon as I finish editing of the very talented Yevgenia Watts and her beautiful family!

Homemade Ricotta

2010-11-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I don't use a lot of ricotta but always wish I could make more raviolis and stuffed shells and such. The main reason I don't? Have you looked at the price of ricotta lately? At our cheapest grocery store, the small container is $5! I can buy meat for that, as in pork chops or a London broil or even a whole chicken, so they usually win out.

I've seen more than one recipe to make homemade ricotta but just haven't had the time or the gumption to try them until now. On tonight's menu is homemade portabella mushroom ravioli and I decided it was time to tackle homemade ricotta. Who knew it was this simple?

I used this recipe from Mark Bittman and gave it a tweak based on the comments and having also recently seen his recipe for it in his book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. In his book, he uses buttermilk, in the recipe, he used lemon juice. I used a combination of buttermilk and a small squeeze of lime juice. I also made half the recipe, since it was my first time making it. Here's my version, and it's for the smaller amount. Feel free to double. Enjoy!

Homemade Ricotta

4 c. whole milk (NOT ultra pasteurized)
1 c. buttermilk (equals 1 c. milk plus 1 T. vinegar, stir & sit for 5 minutes)
Squeeze of lime juice

Heat 4 c. milk over medium heat until simmering. Stir in the buttermilk and add a squeeze of lime juice. Reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for about 3 minutes, until you see curds when you stir it. Skim off the curds into a colander lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, and drain for about 15 minutes.

Fall is here, so make this pie now.

2010-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Confession: I'm not an apple pie girl. I'm not a vanilla ice cream girl. I have been known to cry in the past when these were being served for dessert (true story, ask my mom). However, I make them for Luke frequently, and I have even eaten them. I even enjoy vanilla bean ice cream now. I know. Shocking. I think I'm now officially a mature grown up. ;-)

But THIS pie. I can honestly say it was amazing. I don't even like caramel on it's own. Together somehow though, the apples and the caramel are perfect together, and it's topped with a spiced streusel. I can't take credit for the recipe, although I did say last week when we were planning the menu, "What about caramel apple pie?" to Luke and he said "Yeah!" and then I did a search on epicurious.com. So there you have it. CLICK HERE to get the recipe for yourself.

A few more confessions/tips for this recipe. I did not make the pie crust. I've been making my own crust for a while but lately I haven't liked it at all. It's too tough, and making it by hand (i.e., no food processor) I think has something to do with it. So I bought a crust. And it was perfect. And easy. Also, I never ever have pumpkin pie spice. I think it's ridiculous, especially when you already have all the spices to make it on hand. I used a mix of cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves to make a total of the teaspoon it calls for. And lastly, do not be daunted by making the caramel. It took a total of 5 minutes for me. Take it off when it's amber, and BE CAREFUL when you add the water & butter. It definitely does bubble vigorously. When you add it to the apples it will instantly harden. Stir as best you can and try to distribute it but don't worry about it too much. It will soften to a caramel sauce when you bake it. Yum.

Ok, if you managed to read all that, now you get a bonus: an easy vanilla ice cream recipe that goes perfectly with your pie.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

1 c. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla

Whisk it smooth, freeze in your ice cream maker. The end.

White Bean and Chicken Chili

2010-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

When the weather starts to get cool, there's usually one thing I really want: a warm bowl of something...soup, gnocchi, or chili. And as much as I love regular chili (when the weather gets cool again, I'll share another recipe which is Luke's favorite!), this one is my absolute favorite EVER. And that's saying something. I was watching Food Network one day, and Giada De Laurentiis came on (one of my favorites) and she was making a warm lunch for her husband, who had gone surfing that day. Enter THE chili. I was practically drooling at the end of the episode, and just waiting for a nice cool day to make this!

I made it one night when it actually got below 80 degrees, and we were watching The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's spicy, but not too, and the right ratio between beans and meat and vegetable. You can find the original recipe here, but the version below is the tweaked version I've made a few times. I'm not a fan of fennel (at ALL), corn in chili, not really, and parsley, whatever but I left it out. I also made the recipe smaller due to Luke and I can't eat forty bazillion bowls of chili on our own. So I hope wherever you are, it's actually cool, and you can snuggle up with a movie and some nice warm chili. I'm still stuck in 90-plus heat so enjoy it for me, m'kay?

White Bean & Chicken Chili

2 T. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb ground chicken or turkey (I've always used turkey)
1/2 t. salt, plus more for seasoning
1 T. ground cumin
1/2 T. dried oregano
2 t. chili powder
3 T. flour
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 smallish bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed, chopped
2 1/2-3 c. chicken broth (depending on how much liquid you like in chili)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Parmesan or sharp cheddar for topping

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken/turkey, salt, cumin, oregano and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the beans, Swiss chard, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese.

This is a riff of the bread she made in the episode, but way easier. Whenever I make my pizza dough, I only use half for a pizza. The other half I either make into breadsticks or save for the next night. Here's a simple way to dress it up, and Luke declared this his "favorite bread side dish" right now.

Cheddar Scallion Flatbread

Pizza dough
Garlic Herb Butter Spread (below)
About 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 green onions/scallions, chopped

Flatten out the dough to a rectangle. Spread with butter spread, top with cheese (we like lots), and sprinkle onions over. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy!

I always keep this in my fridge - when I'm in a pinch I buy it from WinCo in their deli. But it's just as easy at home, and it makes pizza DIVINE. Make it up a half a stick of butter/margarine at a time and keep it for about a week in a small container in your fridge.

Garlic Herb Butter Spread

1/2 stick of butter/margarine, softened
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. herbs (I like a mix of thyme, basil and oregano)

Mix up! That's it! Spread on practically anything, including pasta for a quick lunch. You're welcome. ;-)

P.S. The bread in the picture isn't the Cheddar Scallion bread, just a little cheese on a piece of pizza dough. But if you hate scallions, just leave 'em off and make it like that. I DO like the scallions, just didn't have any. ;-)

The perfect end to a good summer

2010-09-10T12:06:00.001-07:00

(Some very dirty boys! They were playing in a puddle made by our a/c dripping in the backyard!)

We're finally all settled in our apartment, and our air conditioning finally works. That's a plus, right? Lots of other things have happened since we moved...Derik turned TWO YEARS OLD (my goodness, that's hard to believe!), and my family came to visit! It's been two years since they've been out (right after Derik was born) and we had a blast!

(Stolen from my mom's Facebook! At Molly Brown's restaurant, which is one of our favorites for breakfast out here! Derik was flirting with the waitress, like he always does!)

We spent a whole day up in Big Bear, which came complete with Old Miner Days (they used to mine up there, gold I've heard!) and an outhouse race. Yep, you heard me, an OUTHOUSE race. These things were pushed by four people and it was taken very seriously! I found a great little cooking store up there, with a delicious coffee and treat bar, where I just had to try the homemade marshmallows sitting out on their counter! So good! That is definitely the kind of cafe I'd love to have eventually!

Labor day was a lot of fun too! We spent the whole weekend with Luke's family, enjoying family and food (with boys, what else would you do?!). We even got our fantasy football league started, which we're doing for the first time this year! I'm in it by default, because they needed an 8th player, but I have to say it's been a lot of fun so far! We all gathered around with every computer we could gather (a few of us had to share, and we even had a laptop hooked up to the big screen tv as a draft board), and we all drafted our teams! I own the Apple Valley Cowgirls, and last night my quarterback got me a lot of points (Drew Brees!)! We'll see how my team fairs after all the games are over Monday night - wish me luck, because I'm up against Luke's team this week! (P.S. I never would have dreamed I'd ever know this much about football! ;-) That's what you get when you marry into a family of all boys!)

I hope you have all had great summers! The last few weeks have been the perfect end to ours, and I'm so happy fall is almost here! The weather the last two days has been amazing, crisp and cool! I'm so ready to wear sweaters and see the (few) leaves we have here turn!

Easy French Fries

2010-09-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

These French fries are super easy, and Luke says they're some of the best he's had. That's saying something, because Luke loves French fries. I make these all the time and they are so easy it's almost not fair! You can reduce or increase the cayenne pepper (or replace it with Mrs. Dash if you'd rather a more mild flavor) to taste, and use pretty much any kind of potato. I love to use the little red potatoes; they cook quickly and have great flavor. This recipe is for 2 people, you can obviously make more.

French Fries

3 Idaho potatoes or 5 to 6 small potatoes
1/2 t. cayenne
About 1 T. kosher salt, more to taste if needed
Olive oil

Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch sticks. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet, and sprinkle salt and cayenne over. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Stick into a preheated 400 degree oven, and turn them once about 10 minutes in. They take 20 to 30 minutes to cook, depending on how thick you cut the fries and the type of potato. Take them out when they're crispy and golden. Toss with more salt if needed, and enjoy!

Birthday Dinner, Food Shows & Documentaries

2010-08-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a little quiet here lately, but we actually just finished moving this past week and we've also been without air conditioning for an entire week since, Surprise! Our air is broke. If you live in or have ever been to the desert you know what that means. It's been miserable. Hopefully the part will come in tomorrow and the lovely nice AC man will come back and make it work again.

On happier subjects, however, Luke had his 24th birthday this past Tuesday and I always try to make him a nice dinner. This year I decided to go all out and I spent about a third of our weekly grocery budget on lobster tails! Definitely worth it every once and again, I say. (But of course they go on sale this week, so guess what? Lobster again!)

So here's what I made. First up, Lemon Risotto from here at Smitten Kitchen, which I have to say was divine. She suggests that it pairs nicely with seafood, which gave me the idea to use lobster tail.

Luke requested that I use some recipes from the Bobby Flay cookbooks that I have (Mesa Grill and Boy Meets Grill) and I found his recipe in Boy Meets Grill for Grilled Lobster Tail with Mango Curry Butter. I don't have a grill (yet!) so I did them in a pan and they actually turned out pretty well. I discovered right before I started dinner, though, that I really didn't have much of an idea of how to cut open a lobster tail. Can you believe that even the Professional Chef didn't have directions on this?! After a little searching on the internet I found I was trying to cut the wrong side, but I still didn't do it quite right because I had a little trouble getting the shell away from the meat and ended up breaking it a lot. Next time I'm going to have the butcher show me how to do it properly.

Finally, dessert. Another Bobby Flay recipe, and I have to say this one sealed the deal for me: Bobby Flay, you are my food hero. Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Creme Brulees from his Mesa Grill cookbook. Oh. My. Gosh. Velvety, smooth, a more sophisticated peanut butter cup yummy scrumdidlyumptious concoction. It starts with infusing the milk and cream right from the outset with toasted peanuts, continues with milk chocolate and peanut butter and ends with a thin coating of demarara (raw) sugar, crisped into a hard shell with the coolest of kitchen tools, the blowtorch. Even I can only eat one of these, and I'm pretty sure that's definitely a good thing, otherwise my (already suffering) waistline would completely disown me. Heaven, I tell you.

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Since we moved, we wouldn't be getting free cable TV anymore like we did at the last apartments. We ended up getting another set of channels added to what we had for two reasons: Top Chef on Bravo, and the new Food Network channel, The Cooking Channel. Boy, I already LOVE the Cooking Channel. Not only do they have some great new shows on there ("Cook Like an Iron Chef" with Mike Symon, "Unique Eats," etc) but they play amazing classics like Julie Child! Have you ever watched her episode on chicken? So informative, yet funny, because she is adorably clumsy, and because clearly people did NOT know or worry about little things like oh, say, bacteria...watch her sling those chickens! I actually remember watching Julie as a little girl because my Nana Anne and Pop-pop Vin's TV only got the news and PBS and when Pop-pop would nap (and therefore not be watching NASCAR), we'd watch Julia on PBS.

The other show I've discovered and is probably hands down one of my favorite cooking shows now (along with Giada deLaurentis, Bobby Flay, and Mike Symon) is Jamie at Home with Jamie Oliver. I love how very British he is, he called an English muffin a "crumpet" on the episode I watched yesterday, and uses phrases like "bang off the meringue from the whisk" and "brilliant" and such. I also love what he is trying to do with food in America now, to teach families how to learn what they're eating, and how to eat better, and how to cook and enjoy each other around the table.

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I know this is a long post already, but one last thing I wanted to mention was that I watched the documentary Food, Inc. today and was completely blown away by it. I already "knew" to some extent that our food really was that changed from what it was intended by God to be, but the documentary really showed me that consumers can also change that. WALMART of all places even paid attention to what America has started to see, by realizing that they didn't want hormones in their milk anymore because they were consistently buying milk without any. It's only one tiny change, but it is a start. I have no problem with big business or capitalism, and capitalism is what makes it possible for consumers to change what they have access to! The documentary definitely made me want to only shop at the farmer's market and never step foot in a supermarket again, but unfortunately, that's not always possible. But you learn that you have a choice as to what you buy and I definitely think I'll be more careful about the food products I buy from here on out!

Boys and Toys

2010-07-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

(Derik and Jack's cute little feet)

We're moving again (found a much cheaper apartment that is miraculously 200 sq ft bigger) and I'm contemplating decorating. Granted, I probably won't be doing a whole lot in the apartment, because we hate having to fill picture holes and repaint walls every time we move, but once I get a house I will for sure be painting up a storm, among other things! Since I have pictures of my little boys' adorable little feet, I figured I post some of the ideas/pictures I have come across for decorating kids' rooms! (And keep in mind that while these all float my boat, the movie Cars is what floats my kids' boats so most likely we'll have walls covered in "LiMcQueen" and "Mater," which is just fine by me too.) ;-)

From design*sponge - I do like this kids room a lot and I will definitely be painting one wall in their future room with chalkboard paint!

The rest of these are from Anthropologie's website. I love old-fashioned toys =)

I like these letters, I'd put one for each of them on the door, in their initials. And I think I could totally cut these out myself from some sheet metal.

This is more for me than the boys, lol, seeing as they haven't really gotten the hang of coloring yet, plus their crayons were ruined in the flood and we haven't bought new ones yet. But these coloring books are amazing and I want to color in them! They are open-ended, just an outline and you fill in the rest! Pretty cool if you ask me.

Another one for me, seeing as I don't have a little girl. Clothes! Coloring!

And this book is amazing. I have a copy of The Little Prince, but this is a pop-up version! I've seen it in person and it is beautiful. And this is mostly here for my mom, who cried each and every time she read us this book. (That, and Pooh Bear too, when Christopher Robin goes off to school. I'm sure my time is coming, when I will suddenly start bawling when reading to Jack & Derik and they will look at me like "what on earth is the matter with nutso mommy?!" but they will understand when they have their own kiddos.)

Last one, the Babar the Elephant books. These were some of my favorites as a kid and I most loved when we'd get the French editions from the library and slowly translate them into English with my mom. =) I need to start a collection of these, stat!

Well that's it for now, but I have plenty of ideas for all my other rooms too so I'll be sure to share those! Do you guys have any kids-room-toys-books-etc stuff you love?

Pizza Pizza!

2010-06-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

I looked through my archives and couldn't believe I hadn't posted this recipe! Pizza is one of my favorite things to make and eat, and homemade pizza is always so delicious! I have no idea where I got this recipe for pizza dough, but it's been a while and I can't even count how many times I've made it. You can make it thin or thick, and it's even better when you make it the day before you want pizza - it will get such great flavor! I use it for making flatbread and breadsticks a lot too...a great pizza dough recipe is really flexible and will always come in handy!

I used to use a bread machine set to the dough cycle to make this dough (until I dumped some crumbs from the bucket into the trash and accidentally threw away the paddle!) but it really isn't necessary. Plus you can make this dough in under an hour if you really have to - just mix it up, and set it on top of your oven set to a low temperature and it will rise pretty fast!

Super-simple super-easy Pizza Dough

1 c (to 1 1/2 c., depending on humidity/altitude - in DE I used a cup, here, 1 1/2) tap water
3 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 t. instant or rapid rise yeast (I have to use 1 t. since I'm at a high altitude)

Mix all the ingredients with your hands in a large mixing bowl. Knead just until it is smooth and all the flour is worked in, adding water as needed. You don't want to make it too sticky though, but it that happens just add a scoop of flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid if your bowl has one. Let rise until doubled in size in a warm place. If making the day before, just stick it in the fridge and take it out when you're ready to use.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a pizza pan or stone, and spread it out with your hands. Toss/stretch the dough until it looks like a pizza and knock yourself out with the toppings! Bake at 425 degrees F until golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

My pizza tips:

*I don't have a pizza peel so I usually don't heat up my pizza stone first. But if you do, you'll get a really good crispy crust!

*I spread my crust with garlic and herb butter before I put sauce on it. Worth every extra calorie. ;-)

*My side of the pizza usually has pepperoni or prosciutto & caramelized onions. Luke's has salami, pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, etc etc...just don't put too many on when you're making a half-and-half pizza or your light side will burn.

*Spinach + proscuitto + caramelized onions = heaven. Just sayin'.

*Our favorite cheese combo is mozzarella with a dash of sharp cheddar, and a little Parmesan after you put on the toppings.

*Breadstick twists: flatten dough into rectangle, spread with garlic herb butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Slice with a pizza cutter into strips, fold the topping side together (inside the twist) and twist the ends. Bake for about 15 minutes. Yum.

nooks

2010-05-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not talking about a corner of a house here or a little cranny. (You know, "nook & cranny"?) I'm talking about the most amazing booklover's thing ever. The nook, by Barnes & Noble. Luke and I bought them for each other for Valentine's Day, and I have to say we both love them to death! There are other e-readers out there, and I know they're probably really good too (Amazon's is neat too, and I hope to one day get my hands on an iPad!), but this one really caught our eyes. Lots of features, touch screen, and holds lots of books while still being small and the ability to expand the memory. (If you ever saw our actual paper book library, you'd understand why we'd need lots of storage on our nooks!) I won't explain every detail about them: you can find out all you'd ever want to know by clicking here to go to Barnes & Noble's site!

Follow Me on Bloglovin!

2010-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Pardon the interruption in usual blog posts, but I have to add this in order to claim my blog on Bloglovin'. Bloglovin' is a cool site where you can follow all your favorite blogs in one place!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-05-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'm talking about Disneyland, of course! ;-) Luke and I bought season passes this year as birthday presents for each other and we went a little while ago together, but last week Luke's entire family was able to go through the "Give a Day, Get a Day" program Disney ran. We made tons of baby blankets for Project Linus and Disney gave each of us a ticket to Disneyland! (In case you're wondering, if Luke's entire family was to pay for tickets, it would cost over $1200. YIKES!) Needless to say all the boys were super excited (the youngest to have been to Disneyland was Nathaniel, and he's 19) and thrilled to get there after the drive down. Noah & Jackson were convinced the buses taking us into the park WERE the rides at Disneyland. They all really had a great time, and we didn't lose anyone! ;-) The older boys favorite ride was Splash Mountain, and the little guys liked them all!

I'm always amazed at the details theme parks put into everything. Each "world" in Disneyland had little things that made it more believable, like the heart tiles in my picture from the Alice in Wonderland area, or trashcans that look like wood in Critterland, for example. I tried bringing my big camera (since my little point-and-shoot is MIA) but as is always the case, I'd much rather enjoy myself with my family when it's something like Disneyland which won't happen again for a long time than worry about taking lots of pictures. You wind up missing out on so much - there really are times when you put the camera down and just enjoy life, and when your little brothers and two little boys are having fun on Dumbo, so should you. ;-) Vacations really are for relaxing and enjoying the memories that you make with your family. =) With the occasional picture thrown in. ;-)

Pick-Me-Up

2010-04-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts. We love the version Olive Garden has, and after having it a few weeks ago after our trip to Disneyland, Luke and I decided it must be recreated at home. I've made it before but the mascarpone-cream top part was lumpy and runny, and I soaked the ladyfingers too much. This time I got it pretty close to Olive Garden's!

A few things about tiramisu. Mascarpone is what gives the creamy top its unique flavor. It is called "Italian cream cheese," but it definitely doesn't have the same flavor as regular cream cheese, it's less tangy. You can find it at most grocery stores now, near the specialty cheeses.

Next, you can either make or buy ladyfingers. The ones you buy are usually dry and hard, if you make them they will be much softer. I've found it really doesn't matter! I actually have a hard time finding them in my grocery stores, and World Market (where I could always find them) closed down, so for me making them is kind of a necessity. I used this recipe, and they turned out well.

Tiramisu

1-2 pkgs ladyfingers (about 24, bought or homemade)
8 oz. mascarpone
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. Powdered sugar, divided in half
1/2 c. cocoa
3/4 c. strong coffee or espresso mixed with 1/4 c. coffee liquor (or just straight coffee)

Whip the mascarpone until smooth, then add the cream and whip until it starts to get thick. Add 1/4 c. powdered sugar and continue to whip until it looks like Cool Whip. Set aside.

Mix the coffee and liquor together in a shallow dish. Dip each ladyfinger in it on just one side, you want them wet but not soaked or dripping or soggy. Lay them in a deep baking dish or pan, coffee side up. Layer them two or three deep in the pan (homemade ladyfingers come out thinner, so I did 3 deep). Don't worry about using all the coffee mixture. Spread the mascarpone mixture over top.

Mix the cocoa with the remaining 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and use a strainer or sifter (or a loose leaf tea ball works too!) to sprinkle the cocoa mixture over top. You just want to dust it, not smother it, so if there's any left over, save it to make mochas with coffee (stir a tablespoon or two into a cup of hot coffee!). Chill the tiramisu for a few hours and then serve - and enjoy!

My boys =)

2010-04-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

My two little boys aren't so little any more! They're 1 1/2 and 2 1/2! They both talk up a storm, although Jackson talks more than Derik these days and makes more sense too. We watched "Cars" a little while ago today with all the East Coast grandparents and friends and family over Google Talk, and Jack gave them a very detailed blow-by-blow. He tells me all the time what he likes and doesn't like (he likes grapes, cereal, peanut butter sandwiches, cookies, crackers, ice cream and cake) and retells stories he remembers ("the car went beep, Jon fix waywer [later]" and "mommy at growry store, be back waywer."). He tries to keep Derik in line, try being the operative word.

Derik is running, not walking, most of the time, and carries "Po" around everywhere with him. Po is his Hippo stuffed animal from Margaret, and he won't go to bed without him. He says lots of words too, mostly revolving around food, but he throws "mom" and "da" in there every now again for good measure. Derik definitely has quite the personality - he is a little character and knows just what to do to look absolutely adorable to get his way.

I think they are both absolutely precious and adorable, although I may be [slightly] biased...

A little corner of my house

2010-03-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is my corner of my bedroom, my desk. I thought it would be fun to show you all my "new" apartment, a little at a time. It's the same apartment we've always had here, but when the flood happened they re-did our apartment and when we moved in, we bought some new things for it and rearranged.

Anyway, this is my new desk (although you can't see the whole thing, but that's ok because all the cords are underneath and those aren't very photo-worthy). And my new computer!!! I really do love my computer; it's my second computer because my old one was getting too slow and beat-up. And my second Mac. It's fast and pretty and has a webcam which means I can talk to my family in Delaware. I have a hot pink chair, and there's always a stack of books, notebooks and sketchbooks. The last touch I want to do is get a bulletin board for above it to hang inspiration pictures (which are cluttering up my desk drawer and computer folders) and be inspired.

Hope you enjoyed the peek into a corner of my home! I'll show you all some more of it later!

Life is finally settling down.

2010-03-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for life settling down. Finally. We're back in our apartment (which I need to get some photos of!) and life is getting back to normal. Thankfully we didn't lose too much during the flood, just a few books and towels and things like that, and our bookshelves were ruined at the bottom, but still usable. The thing I'm most sad about is a box of childhood photos that got wet. I'm hoping to be able to at least save the negatives by washing them off.

P.S. The cookies up there are delicious homemade thin mint clones that my friend Gabrielle and I made on Monday!

Las Vegas Photo Session - Will & Debra's Wedding!

2010-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

Our good friends Will & Debra got married last year and with all the stuff that's been going on I just finally finished their photos. We're still doing an "official" photo session when the weather warms up too, so stay tuned for that!

Will & Debra got married on November 19, 2009 - which many of you might know is also Luke & my anniversary! It was really fun getting to share our day with them and to remember how much joy weddings are. =) I loved being able to take photographs for them that hopefully will become memories. I hope you guys enjoyed your day as much as I did! <3

Hectic

2010-02-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

This was what I was hoping the end of January would look like: looking at pretty Valentine's magazines, making Valentine's treats and decorating my apartment all in pink! But instead we had a major flash flood and had to hand kiddos out the back window! Our apartment got flooded and right now we're waiting to be able to move back in, staying with Luke's parents. Thank goodness we were able to save pretty much everything, and we're all safe! I was aiming to be posting again regularly, but until we move back into our apartment, that won't really be possible. I hope you are all doing well and staying dry & safe!

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook

2010-01-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

Luke bought me Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill Cookbook for Christmas after we went to his restaurant in Las Vegas in November. Both of us agreed that it was the best meal we'd ever eaten, hands down, and we had high hopes for his cookbook. We definitely weren't disappointed.

Last Tuesday we had a "Bobby Flay day" and made his dishes for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast, we made his Southwest Homefries and his Mango-Glazed Bacon, along with pancakes and fried eggs and both were a hit. The homefries were spicy and cooked just right, and the bacon was literally like candy, in a really good way. He said it was inspired by dipping his bacon in maple syrup as a child, and I can see how it works.

For dinner we made Coffee-Rubbed Steak and Cilantro Pesto Mashed Potatoes. Yes, the mashed potatoes ARE green (a kind of grown-up green eggs & ham, eh?). But they are literally the BEST mashed potatoes EVER! The steaks turned out fairly well too, except I undercooked them at first and had to put them back on, and had the heat up too high (so they were a bit burnt). But the sauce that goes along with them, a Mushroom Ancho Sauce, was divine.

To make a long story short, Bobby Flay, we love you forever.

Victorville, CA Photo Session - Ryan & Lydia

2010-01-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ryan works with Luke and I was thrilled when he and his new fiancee Lydia wanted me to take their photos! They're fun to be around and they both were cracking each other up the entire time! We also got in trouble with the golf course police during this photo session, so it was memorable. ;) Anyway, aren't they a cute and gorgeous couple?

Back from Delaware...

2009-11-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

We just got back from spending a week and a half in Delaware with my family. The only picture I managed to take the entire time we were there was of these Fractured Prune doughnuts which taste even better than they look! If you DO want to see photos though, my parents managed to take their fair share, up on my mom's blog. We miss them all already and hopefully we'll see everyone again soon. =)

We're going away again this week, to Las Vegas for friends' wedding, as I'm doing the photography for them. Their wedding also happened to fall right on our wedding anniversary! Three years this year. =)

Hope you all are doing well, and I promise to get better about posting!

The Gym...

2009-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

So I have determined that I am losing the baby weight. Once and for all. So I have joined a gym. I'm going three times a week and am currently VERY sore from doing the workout a trainer there gave me.

It has been hilarious to see some of the typical "gym stereotypes" though. The very first day I went, there was a VERY perky lady dancing on the elliptical. Yep, dancing. Her neighbors were a little annoyed because she kept flicking her arms into their space. She was even dancing in the locker room afterwards, nearly running a few people over, since she had her eyes closed.

Next is the bodybuilder girl complete with the 80s perm and sweatbands. She's a little intimidating...she can do situps hanging almost upside down and doesn't look like she even breaks a sweat.

Then there's the room full of tough-dude-weightlifters. I stay out of there. =P

And me. I belong to the trying-to-be-back-in-shape-mommies stereotype. ;) I am definitely NOT perky when I get on the elliptical, and regular situps are enough to make me sweat. But hopefully I'll wind up losing some weight and getting back into the shape I used to be in. And the closet full of pre-kiddo clothes I have. ;)

Mushroom Chicken Sauce with Gnocchi

2009-10-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure when I fell in love with caramelized onions - I've said that before I guess. I've never really liked onions but caramelized onions are out-of-this-world good. And I wanted to make a sauce with them for gnocchi. This sauce has it all - sauteed chicken, scrum-didly-uptious caramelized onions, mushrooms, cream, butter...I don't know how many calories it has and I don't care. So if you know, please don't tell me. ;) You can make your own gnocchi (search "Gnocchi Mario Batali" on Food Network and you'll come up with some great recipes - stick with a plain one), or you can buy it premade. I've found it at World Market, Super Target and Albertson's, so I'm pretty sure it's widely available now. I make my own and individually freeze them on cookie sheets, then keep them in a large ziplock in the freezer. You can make a huge batch, then only cook what you need at a time. This sauce isn't the most colorful (and actually, it's probably more like a ragout than a sauce), but it sure is delicious, if I do say so myself! It serves 2 but is easily multiplied to serve more. Enjoy!

P.S. I'm going to start just posting the download recipe (saves some time) - but please let me know if this doesn't work for you for some reason, and I'll resume posting the entire recipe here as well. Thanks!

The downloadable recipe!

Jackson's Birthday Party

2009-10-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Jack's birthday with Luke's family on Thursday - pizza, cake and ice cream. That's pretty much every little boy's dream, in case you were wondering.

He got a football, soccer ball, basketball and baseball for his birthday. They were a big hit. ;)

Look at the concentration, waiting for cake!

And a photo that's not from the party but from the other night - and it's of Jack so it goes. ;) The neighbors at Luke's parents gave the boys a big cowboy hat and Jack walked around with it on for a while.

Bittersweet: Tribute Cake

2009-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Luke & I don't really need a "reason" to make a cake like this. It would probably be better for us if we did need one, but oh well. "Bittersweet" is probably my favorite dessert cookbook, and that makes sense: it's a book about chocolate. (The cake on the cover is the Tribute Cake, although hers looks much better than mine!) This cake was originally made as a birthday cake for Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, and I would definitely say it's worthy of that. It has three rich chocolate cakes, with whipped chocolate ganache filling, and dark chocolate glaze. It's topped and circled with chocolate "fans," which are made by scraping thin sheets of chocolate. It took a while to master but I was so excited when I did!

Jackson - Victorville, CA Photo Session!

2009-09-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jack got a photo session on his birthday too, but unlike Derik he wasn't quite as cooperative. ;) I figured I wouldn't torture him too much on his birthday, and snapped just enough. He is getting so big, and so handsome! =)

This is what little boys who don't like getting their picture taken look like:

And a happier Jack-a-roo:

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2009-09-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today was Jackson's 2nd birthday! Somehow I am finding this really difficult to believe! I did manage to get some pictures of him today that I'll get up in the next day or so, but he wasn't nearly as cooperative as Derik. ;) I think he's related to Luke.

He has gotten so funny lately. He blames everything on Derik: "Der [incoherent baby babble] books..." which, roughly translated, is "DERIK was the one that got into the books!" He loves Derik to death, and has to make sure Derik is safe and Derik has everything he needs. His favorite foods are peanut butter sandwiches and cookies. He loves to watch Luke play Madden football on the Xbox and tells me "Daay uh-ball!" ("Daddy football) when he's watching Luke play. His favorite things to do are eat, play with balls and cars and find his shoes ("sooos") so we can "go." And he just figured out that waving is for "Bye" as well as "Hi." =)

Happy birthday, sweet boy. =)

I'm still alive, I promise...

2009-09-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

Not much has been going on lately, so there really hasn't been much to write about. I do have some pictures I want to post, but they're currently still on my camera's memory card - yep, I'm being lazy about it.

There has been a lot going on in SoCal though, with the Station Fires near L.A. Apparently, this is the largest fire in over 100 years. We can't see the fires, but we've had a lot of smoke here in the High Desert. One of Luke's best friends, Nate, is working on the fire, and Nate just lost a good friend, 1 of the 2 firemen who have died in the fire. We're praying that they will be able to contain the fire and get it out soon, and we're also praying for rain, since that would really help the firemen.

Labor Day is obviously this weekend and Luke actually has the whole weekend off, which is going to be really nice. Here's to relaxing!

The boys are getting sillier every day; today Derik was pretending he was going to give Jackson a bite of his food, and would snatch it back at the last second and giggle. Jackson is practicing to be a professional baseball pitcher, a lefty. He has a pretty good curveball already. ;)

I have a bet on with Luke to read all of "Les Miserables" in one month - all 1,463 pages of it. If I do, he's going to take me out to dinner. I'm currently on page 33. =P

I've posted a lot of new recipes on my food blog lately, check them out! Just click "recipes" at the top of this page and it'll take you over there. Let me know if you try any of them out, and what you think!

That's about all the random miscellany I can think of for the moment...

"Panda Express" Orange Chicken - Copycat recipe

2009-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is a shameless copycat recipe. I love copycat recipes - my favorite foods that I can't get all the time from my favorite restaurants, made so I can cook them at home! For those of you who live in the vicinity of a Panda Express, this recipe doesn't need a drop of explanation. I'm pretty sure this is one of their most popular entrees, at least at our house anyway! For those of you that don't, Panda Express Orange Chicken is a sweet, spicy, crunchy, covered-in-sticky-sauce chicken dish. We always buy a big container of it every time we go...it's definitely our favorite and there's usually not any left over! Serve it with rice and stir-fried veggies and you're good to go!

Chinese food can be a little intimidating to cook, mostly because there are usually lots of ingredients and it's time consuming. I usually make several kinds of Chinese food at the same time so that makes it even harder. Everything always seems to happen so fast and you're scrambling to get things ready to go in. I've found that the key to making it is to prep all the ingredients. Separate them into bowls and have them arranged in the order they'll go in. Yeah, it'll make a few extra dishes, but that's all right with me if it keeps my sanity intact.

I also simplified this recipe a lot from the original I found (somewhere online, just searching for a copycat recipe), and tweaked the sauce to taste more like Panda Express'. When I make this and my other recipe that calls for breaded chicken, General Tso's Chicken, I make all the chicken at once, with the Orange Chicken breading, fry it all at once, and then separate it into two bowls for the two different kinds of chicken. Sorry there's no picture, I meant to take one last night but we always eat it too fast. I hope you all enjoy this recipe, we certainly do!

"Panda Express" Orange Chicken

2 lbs. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 T. oil
1/2 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
Oil for frying

1 T. gingerroot, minced (or 1 t. dry ground ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. crushed red pepper (adjust to taste, this is pretty spicy for me and fairly mild for Luke)
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
1 T. rice or white wine vinegar
1/4 c. water, mixed with 1 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. sesame oil

Sauce: (Mix together in a bowl)
5 T. soy sauce
5 T. sugar
5 T. rice or white wine vinegar
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 2 oranges

Coat chicken in egg, salt and pepper and 1 T. oil; mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour into the chicken. Heat oil in a wok (about an inch deep in a wok) over medium heat, and add chicken in batches, frying until crisp and browned on the outside. (I usually cut open a piece from the first batch to make sure it's cooking through.) Remove chicken as it finishes, and put in a bowl lined with paper towels to drain. Clean out the wok; add 1 T. oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add gingerroot, garlic, onions, crushed red pepper, and rice wine vinegar, stir until the onions begin to soften and garlic turns golden. Add the orange sauce and bring to a boil. Stir in the 1/4 cup of water mixed with the cornstarch, and heat until it starts to thicken. Add the chicken to the sauce and cook until the sauce is thick.

Downloadable recipe!

Derik - Victorville, CA photo session!

2009-08-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

I did a 1-year-old session for Derik on his birthday! Isn't he the cutest? Of course I'm biased. He liked sitting in Jackson's little chair and Jackson of course had to "help" for a few pictures.

Derik is [almost] a year old!

2009-08-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that on Monday, my baby will be a year old! It really does seem like he was just born. I remember what I was doing when I went into labor with him, I was watching Michael Phelps win his 7th Olympic gold medal, and it was really late and we were both so tired! Luckily though, I got some sleep since I didn't need to go to the hospital right then and got up around 6:30 to call Luke's mom to come get Jack. After what seemed like a really long drive to the hospital (Luke tells me it wasn't), we finally got there and after a few more hours, somewhere around 3 pm, Derik Mark Boesch was born! He had long feet, just like his big brother, and quite a lot of fuzzy, messy, black hair. Ever since he was born he's been such a good baby, quiet and content most of the time. He likes to talk and sing now, no actual words yet though. He just started standing up while holding on to things last week, and still does the army crawl. He likes ice cream, and Oreo cookies.

We had a birthday party for him & his uncle David. Can you believe that of all the days of the year, Derik would be born on David's birthday? David likes sharing his birthday and by the end of their party, Noah declared that he wanted to share HIS birthday with Derik too.

Caramelized onions, and a new recipe

2009-08-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Caramelized onions. Where have these been all my life? I have always hated onions - not the flavor they give to a dish, but eating them. It must be a texture thing, but all my life I've been avoiding eating onions. I never even bought onions that much. Until now. I decided that caramelized onions would be good in a sauce I made a few weeks ago, and that was the end of it. Who knew a couple of onions, slowly cooked in butter until they are golden brown, could be so daggone GOOD? A friend (hi Heather!) gave me the idea of putting them on pizza too - bye bye boring pepperoni for me! Hello prosciutto & caramelized onion!

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Ok, enough about the onions. The recipe I have to share with you guys today is simple, but a quick side dish that is very adaptable. I made these Mini Potato Gratins the other night along with roast chicken, sauteed fresh green beans, and of course, caramelized onions. Why not make just one big gratin? First of all, these cook way faster. Second, you can make totally different gratins all in one muffin pan. Which is great, if one of you wants to put capers in them, and the other won't even come in the kitchen while you have capers in plain sight.

[Side note: capers are sort of like tiny, brined olives. I have no clue why I like them & Luke doesn't, since I hate olives and he loves them. They're very good as an accent to a dish but I don't like them whole, they kind of pop when you bite into them, and I find that disgusting. So I chop them.]

I made 9 mini gratins in a muffin pan, and that was more than enough for 2 people. For three or four, just fill the whole muffin pan. Another thing you can change up is the cheese - I used sharp cheddar, but plan on making these with Parmesan, Asiago, really just about any kind of cheese would work!

Mini Potato Gratins

3-6 small potatoes (I used red potatoes, new or gold potatoes would be fine too), thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
About 1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar, but almost anything would be good)
About 1 to 3 teaspoons of capers, finely chopped (optional)
Cream

Grease a muffin tin with butter and put a slice of potato in each cup. Add a sprinkle of cheese, a little bit of garlic, and capers, if desired. Continue layering until the muffin cups are filled. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and pour about 1 to 2 teaspoons of cream over each stack of potatoes, letting it drip down into the cups. Bake at 350 F (or whatever you have your oven set to, I had mine at 375) for around 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is crispy on top and potatoes are fork tender. Run a knife around each muffin cup to release them and serve.

Luke's Birthday Dinner & "Julie & Julia"

2009-08-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Usually on birthdays and anniversaries and holidays like Valentine's Day I cook a slightly more elaborate dinner, a "special" dinner, than usual. Sometimes we will go out for those occasions. Except Valentine's Day. It doesn't matter what day of the week it falls on, all the restaurants are WAY too busy! We'll get a nice bottle of wine and I'll go crazy (sometimes literally) and try all new recipes. Luke's birthday was the most recent occasion and every single recipe I made was a new one, with the exception of the salads. I thought I'd share the menu and where I found the recipes for each.

The first course was a salad and these absolutely divine cheese straws from Smitten Kitchen. I honestly think those cheese straws were my favorite part of dinner. They came pretty close to being better than dessert! Basically they are like glorified cheese puffs. I honestly ask you to try to find one person in the world who doesn't like cheese. Ok, so maybe there's one or two but we all know they're crazy. These are made "grown up" a little bit by looking like fancy breadsticks and by adding in some red pepper flakes.

For the main course we had what the Pioneer Woman calls Potato Bundles, and a recipe I copied from a library cookbook (I'm thinking written by Gourmet Magazine?), Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto Fettuccine. The Potato Bundles, in true Pioneer Woman fashion, didn't let me down. I honestly can't say I've ever tried a recipe of hers that didn't work and that wasn't fantastic. The pasta though, I was disappointed.

For starters, I wound up not having any pesto. That was probably the biggest problem with it. I bought a nice pesto (since it would cost me more to make than to buy and I don't have a food processor anyway), but didn't realize that the jar was cracked under the label. When I opened it up the lid seal had already popped and about 1/4 of the jar's worth had already leaked out. So out with the sauce. The best part of the pasta was the roasted red peppers. It said to use canned red peppers but since I was already spending $$$ on pesto, I decided to roast my own pepper. I sat it on a gas burner turned to med-low, and turned it until it was charred on all sides. Then I popped it into a plastic bag and let it sit until I was ready to use it. Then I just removed the seeds and chopped it up. I had never had roasted red pepper before and I almost couldn't resist eating the whole thing before even putting it in the pasta! The asparagus and shrimp were fine but without the sauce it wasn't as good as it could have been.

For dessert I made another Pioneer Woman recommendation, Molten Chocolate Cakes, although it wasn't her recipe. It was from her recent recipe site launch of Tasty Kitchen, and this recipe definitely is worth keeping and making over and over! I was a little confused at first because some baking chocolate squares are 1 oz. and some are 2 oz., but reading the comments it was 1 oz. squares. Also, I don't have any custard cups but I used a muffin tin and only cooked them for 10 minutes. They were a little smaller but just as good! Serve them with whipped cream - oh. my. gosh.

I think Luke's dinner was a hit, he usually likes what I cook though. =) I'm really blessed that he likes so much of what I make.

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Luke took me to see "Julie & Julia" today! I've been waiting to see it and he kept teasing me, saying "I'm sure it'll be on DVD by Christmas." I really enjoyed it but first I have to say it's definitely a PG-13 movie at moments. There, you've been warned. That said, I loved Meryl Streep as Julia Child! She really had her down and for several moments you really thought you were watching Julia! The best thing for me about the movie was seeing how Julia & her husband Paul were so close and how Julie and her husband Eric became so close. Anyway, watch with caution but I did love the movie. (Why do they even feel the need to put that stuff in sometimes? Really.)

Matt & Julie - So In Love Session - Carlsbad, CA

2009-08-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Matt is the big brother I never had (i.e., he likes to tease me) and Julie is just like a (much taller) sister. Matt is Luke's older brother and he married Julie on July 29th, three whole years ago! We don't get a chance to see them all that often since they live in Colorado near Julie's family but when we heard they were coming down for a vacation at the beach I offered to do some photos for them. What could be better? Shooting photos of two people, very in love, at the beach, at sunset? Not much! It was so hard to pick just a few photos to show you all! Matt & Julie, I hope you both love the pictures!

Cherry Sauce

2009-07-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

Luke asked me for chocolate cheesecake with cherry topping a little while back and I just happened to have about a pound of fresh cherries that were going to go bad if I didn't use them. He was a bit skeptical about me improvising a recipe for homemade cherry topping, or sauce, but by the time it was finished he decided it was all right and we should do it again for a pie sometime!

This is a really easy recipe that you can do with tons of different fruits. You can also adjust the spices or alcohol for different flavors! I used it on top of chocolate cheesecake, but it would be great in cherry pie or turnovers as well. I've made it with blueberries and used nutmeg, ginger and cloves and then mixed the blueberry sauce with peaches and baked it into a pie. Just adjust the amounts for different weights of fruit. (For example, when I did it with blueberries, I had about 6 oz. and used 1/8 c. sugar instead of 1/3 c.) The measurements are semi-approximate, because you can adjust depending on taste. Enjoy!

Cherry Sauce

Pit 1 pound of cherries. (See below for a tip!) Put in a medium saucepan and add 1/3 c. sugar, 2 to 4 T. rum, about 1/3 to 1/2 c. water and pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer vigorously until the sauce has thickened and reduced.

Cherry pitting tip: I don't have a cherry pitter and I really don't like buying kitchen tools that only do one thing. I tried using a knife and it didn't work too well, and then I remembered something I'd seen on Food Network (pretty sure it was Alton Brown) that said to unbend a paper clip so that it has two bent sections and use the bigger side of the paper clip to go around the pit of the cherry. It pops right out! Oh, and make sure the paper clip is clean, of course.

Downloadable recipe!

Carlsbad Polaroids

2009-07-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've been saving what little Polaroid film I've got left for the beaches. (I think I managed to still save 12 photos for the next time!) Yesterday we went to Carlsbad (near San Diego) to the beach and had such a great time with Matt & Julie! We spent the first part of the day at the beach, swimming & boogie boarding and getting nice and crispy (yes we used sunscreen but we were still all burnt). I managed to catch a few waves (they are much bigger than in Delaware!) and swallow a lot of seawater.

After that we went downtown into a bunch of little stores and ate pizza at a great little pizzaria/brewery, then headed back to the beach for photos for Matt & Julie's 3rd anniversary (which is today!). Those pictures will be up here on the blog soon!

Derik & Jack, almost 1 & 2!

2009-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Both my little men are getting so big! I hadn't posted any pictures of them in a while and thought I should. ;)

Derik is going to be 1 year old in a month! That is so hard to believe for me, it seems like he was just born. I think all mothers say that though. Mom, you probably still think I was just born, huh? ;) Anyway, he is almost one, and getting big! He went into the pool for the first time a few weeks ago, Luke got this shot of him. (I was next to him in the pool & soaking wet so I couldn't touch my camera.) He has FOUR teeth now, crawls very fast and still doesn't want to stand up. He likes Oreo cookies. A lot. He has pretty much never used a pacifier, because he likes two fingers on his right hand much better. Plus, you can't lose fingers.

Jackson will be turning 2 in two months. Again, that's really hard to believe! Jack was a big chicken about the pool and wouldn't go anywhere near it. He is also petrified of the lobster tank at Albertson's. He loves to undress himself so he pretty much lives in the sleeper pajamas he's wearing in this picture. He hasn't figured out zippers. Yet. His favorite food TODAY is peanut butter sandwiches. Two days ago it was granola. Tomorrow, who knows. He changes favorite foods about every three days and pretty much doesn't want to eat anything else. But he will always eat pizza and ice cream. He says quite a few words now although most of the time he is completely incoherent and babbling on in Baby. I have no idea what he's talking about but Derik apparently does because he laughs at him a lot. His favorite words are Baaa (Ball) and Car. He likes to look at pictures or out the window and point out the Baaaas and Cars. He also says the words No, Yes (sometimes he says No when he means Yes), Dee (Derik), Daaadee (Daddy), Mawm (Mom), Hi, Bye, Go and Eeee (Eat). He still has his pacifiers, but only for naps and bedtimes. And only when we can find them. We're down to one pacifier now but it is going bye-bye when he turns two.

Gnocchi with Prosciutto and Vegetables

2009-07-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

This was a super simple, super delicious easy meal! You can use any gnocchi (you can even buy gnocchi in some grocery and specialty stores now, I've seen it at Super Target and World Market). I made a giant batch of it homemade, and flash froze them on cookie sheets individually, and keep them frozen in a Ziplock. There are lots of great recipes out there, try searching Food Network.com for "gnocchi + Mario Batali," and you'll come up with quite a few.

So this isn't really much of a recipe even. You cook the gnocchi for just a few minutes in boiling water (according to recipe or package directions), while cooking frozen vegetables in a skillet with olive oil (I used green beans). When the gnocchi are almost done, take them out and put them in a medium-high skillet (make sure it's HOT) with olive oil to give them a nice crust. It took me a few times to get this right. Add some prosciutto and the cooked vegetables and season. I like lemon pepper and garlic salt but you can use whatever you want. Enjoy!

New Website is Up & Running!!!

2009-07-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Go visit my new site RIGHT NOW! Seriously, though, I'm really proud of it, mostly because it's so beautiful, thanks to the awesome people of Show It!

Might not be able to post much for a few days...

2009-06-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

My laptop's power cord is broken, and until I get it fixed or get a new one, I won't be able to be online much or post pictures. I hope you all have a great week!

Cute Little Derik, Learning how to Crawl!

2009-06-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Isn't he such a cutie-pie! He's finally figured out how to crawl, sort of anyway. He still mostly scoots around, spins in circles and slides backwards, but when he goes forward he looks like a little inchworm! ;) Excuse the video quality, it was taken on my cell phone.

Little Inchworm! from Jordan Boesch on Vimeo.

Recent Recipes I've Tried

2009-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a review post - I thought I'd share some of the recent recipes I've tried out and what I thought! Do you have any you've tried out recently? I'd love to hear in the comments!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls were SO delicious! Definitely start the day before if you're making these for breakfast, and I quartered the recipe and we still had some left over! Actually, I've really enjoyed everything I've cooked from her site is fantastic - one of Luke and my favorites is her enchiladas.

Something we've both been enjoying is my new ice cream maker Luke bought me for Mother's Day. This recipe by Paula Deen for Butter Pecan Ice Cream was amazing - and this coming from a chocolate-lovin' girl! It's a little difficult to half but I had to because my ice cream maker only does 1 quart at a time. (Sorry, no picture, we ate it too fast!)

The last recipe for now was of the Olive Garden Breadsticks in Food Network Magazine. It's a clone recipe and I have to say, it was pretty close! I did bake them a tad too long and I have dark non-stick pans which tend to overcook stuff like this but the seasoning was spot on! I also really need a pastry brush because I think it would really help with getting more butter onto the breadsticks. Unfortunately I can't share the recipe because it's not on the website but you can pick up a copy of the magazine at places like Barnes & Noble or you can subscribe here!

Busy busy busy!

2009-05-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've neglected my poor little blog, since the past few weeks we've been really busy! We spent a few days dealing with the exterminators coming to spray for bugs in our apartment, which meant unloading every cupboard. Then we spent the whole Memorial Day weekend at Luke's family's house. His grandparents were in and we ate tons of yummy food and played lots of Xbox and lots of other fun stuff. We averaged 4 hours of sleep a night and I think now we're finally caught up. So hopefully I'll get back to posting more! For now, how about this picture of some yummy raspberries I had a few weeks ago!

Senior Shoot - Kaden

2009-05-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

I shot a senior session for Kaden yesterday and I really like the way these came out. Kaden is graduating in a month and the lucky guy is going to college in Hawaii! I hope you like the photos, Kaden!

Favorite Chinese Recipes

2009-05-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Luke and I love Chinese food, especially when I make it myself. These are a few of my favorite recipes, including ones I just tried last night - Wonton soup. I usually either make two chicken dishes with a vegetable stir-fry and rice, or do the soup and one other chicken dish. Eventually I'll post another recipe for a Panda Express Orange Chicken clone, but I'm still working on making it taste just like Panda Express.

First up, a really old recipe of mine that I make all the time. It was adapted from a family friend's recipe that cooked in the oven. I wanted something that was a little bit faster and that tasted more like the sweet Sesame Chicken from a local restaurant back in Delaware. So here you have it, my Sesame Chicken:

Sesame Chicken
1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
Sesame oil for frying
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 T. sesame seeds

Sauce (Note that I NEVER measure when I make this, so these are approximate. Taste the sauce as you go along to get it right!):
1/4 c. honey
2 T. white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1-2 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. dry ground ginger
1/2-1 t. Szechuan sauce (to taste, it's a Chinese hot sauce)
2 T. cornstarch

Mix up the sauce and taste as you go along. It should be sweet with a tiny bite. Heat around 2-3 T. sesame oil in a medium skillet. Cook the garlic for around 1 minute then add the sesame seeds. Cook until the garlic starts to brown, then add the chicken and toss to distribute the garlic and sesame seeds. Cook until the chicken is completely opaque, then add the sauce mixture to the chicken. Continue cooking until sauce has thickened, around 3 minutes. Serve over rice.

This next recipe is one of Luke's favorites. It's supposed to be a little spicier than I make it so you can add dried chili pepper or fresh chilies to the sauce.

General Tso's Chicken
Combine for Sauce:
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/3 c. water mixed with 2 t. cornstarch
2 t. sesame oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
3/4-1 t. dry ground ginger

Beat 2 eggs with 2 T. cornstarch and coat 1 lb. bite-sized cut chicken in the mixture. Fry the chicken pieces in a wok with vegetable oil, removing pieces as the chicken finishes cooking. Drain most of the oil and add the sauce to the pan and cook down until thick, adding the chicken back towards the end to glaze.

Wonton Soup is one of my favorite things to order from a Chinese restaurant but the places out here (at least the takeout places) don't have it! So I found this recipe (I have NO idea where it came from, possibly a really old issue of Everyday Food?) and tried it out last night. I have to say, this is probably even better than what you get in the restaurants!

Wonton Soup
24 Wonton wrappers
1/2 c. finely chopped napa or Savoy cabbage
coarse salt
6 oz. ground pork, not all lean
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 T. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 t. soy sauce
1 t. toasted sesame oil

Toss cabbage with salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then wrap in paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl and add other ingredients. Mix well with a fork.

Work with one wrapper at a time, keep the rest covered in the package. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of filling in center. Wet the edges of the wrapper and fold in half in a triangle, press edges firmly to seal. Moisten one tip on the long side and bring tips together, overlapping. Press to seal. Fold top corner back. Place wontons on a oiled plate, cover with a damp towel to keep moist.

Soup:
2 c. chicken broth
4 c. water
coarse salt
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2-3 t. rice vinegar
1/2 t. toasted sesame oil

Combine chicken broth, water and 1 t. salt in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add wontons. Simmer until wontons are just cooked, 4-6 minutes. Add scallions, vinegar and oil, season with salt to taste.

Downloadable Sesame Chicken Recipe

Downloadable General Tso's Chicken Recipe

Downloadable Wonton Soup Recipe (with a bonus, potstickers!)

Photoshoot: Sabrina!

2009-04-30T15:31:00.001-07:00

Sabrina & Gabrielle came over last night and we did a fun photoshoot! I just met Sabrina last night but she is such a sweet person and I hope I get to know her better! She was homeschooled, like me, and maybe I can convince her & Gabrielle to come hang out with me again sometime! ;) Here are some of my favorites from her shoot!

And my favorite!

Photoshoot: Gabrielle!

2009-04-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did a photoshoot with my friend Gabrielle (she works with Luke at Staples) and a new friend, Sabrina! They are both so much fun - these are some of the shots I got of Gabrielle. She is seriously SO happy and joyful! She laughs all the time and I can always tell it's her when she picks up the phone at Staples. =) I hope we'll get to hang out again soon, Gabrielle!

A new lens!

2009-04-23T17:32:00.001-07:00

I was finally able to buy the lens I've wanted for a long time a few weeks ago! It came Tuesday night and I was so thrilled! It's a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens - I learned on a 50mm lens in my class in college and I've loved them. The hardest thing to remember since I've been using zoom lenses for so long now is that you have to more your body to get closer or further away! I know I'll have it down in no time though. I'm also really excited for the photoshoot I have this weekend with my friend Gabrielle and a new friend Sabrina!

Here are a few pictures I got yesterday with my new lens - enjoy!

My boys =)

2009-04-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post these today - a picture of Derik and a cute video of Jack, jumping on bubble wrap!

Bubblewrap Popping! from Jordan Boesch on Vimeo.

Location Scouting!

2009-04-08T19:03:00.001-07:00

During my walks I like to location scout for photoshoots. And BTW, for anyone in the SoCal area, I am looking to expand my portfolio in the couples/engagement/wedding area. I'm giving away FREE, yes, FREE shoots to couples. So if you're here in SoCal or know someone in SoCal, PLEASE contact me at blessedroadphotography@gmail.com!

So anyway, back to my topic, location! I found a few lovely areas during my walk yesterday and took a few photos during the "golden hour" which is my favorite time to shoot to see how they'd look processed. Here's the result!

Spring in the Desert and Fun Photography Links!

2009-04-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's been "spring" for a while now here in the desert. I'm planning on going for a walk later on today so stay tuned for some pictures! We don't have as many flowers near our apartments as we did last year at Mike & Kathy's house but the ones we do have are definitely very pretty. This photo is from my walk a few days ago - some pretty little purple flowers on a bush.

Here are some great sites I've been lovin' lately. I follow these in my feed reader so I don't miss a post!

*On a random but more photography-related note, Mom*tog is a great blog for mom's who are wanting to learn how to photograph their children! I found it a few weeks ago through my friend Lydia, and instantly added it to my list of feeds so I wouldn't miss a post! I know some of you have posted comments before about wanting to know how to photograph your children and this blog is IT for that! Enjoy!

*Jasmine Star. What more can I say. Her name is fabulous enough to make you go to her site. And her photography? Man oh man. She is definitely one of the most amazing photographers ever and I'm so glad she has a blog!

*Last but not least for today is Scarlett Lillian. I spent the morning watching one of her Q&A videos. She is a real sweetheart and loves the Lord and isn't afraid to share that with others, even on her blog! One word to describe her? Glamorous!

{Random Stuff}

2009-04-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today I have a bunch of random stuff to post! Because it's my blog, and I can. =)

*Missed American Idol last night but watched the whole episode (#25, from here, but you have to use Safari because otherwise you have to download some add stuff) just now. LOVED the performances by Danny ("What Hurts the Most") and Kris ("Ain't No Sunshine")!!! I never really liked Kris a whole lot before, but I loved that performance. A lot of the performances were kinda disappointing though. Why do people never pick the right song? They had the iTunes Top 100 to pick from, so there had to be a billion better choices for some of them!

*We bought Keith Urban's new CD, Defying Gravity, yesterday when it came out. I'm listening to it now and love it so far!

*I got presented with the most AMAZING opportunity last night! I might have an "in" with a ski resort in Mammoth, Cali for doing wedding photography! I am SO excited! Thank you again, Heather! =)

*I need to go exercise. I need to do a lot of exercising today and tomorrow and everyday. =P

*I also need to do dishes.

*Gmail is not working but Blogger is. Weird.

*I've really been lacking in photographic inspiration but I'm feeling it return today. I've started a photo inspiration notebook with pictures from magazines, Flickr screenshots of some of my favorite pictures, and anything else that inspires me. Between that and ideas from friends and family I'm getting back to wanting to take lots of pictures again. =)

*That's all the randomness I have for now. So to top it off, here's a random picture!

Jackson - 18 months old!

2009-03-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that my little guy is a year and a half old! He's getting all grown-up on me! He can show you where his hair, eyes, ears, feet, nose and mouth are. No official words yet, although "cookie" is about as close as we get - he says "cook cook" when he sees something he thinks is a cookie. He's also pretty close to saying "hello." Enjoy these pics I got of him last night! He wasn't too much in the picture-taking mood but I found that bribing with chocolate works pretty well on 1 1/2 year olds. ;)

And this one is my favorite!

A Few "Weddings on a Budget" Tips!

2009-03-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some tips I had for doing a wedding on a budget. I've been meaning to do this post for SO long, but I finally have gotten around to it!

I just read that the average wedding now is around $30,000! Call me crazy, but I cannot fathom spending that much on a WEDDING! Yes, it is an important and special day, but there is no reason to have to spend that much, unless of course you have a huge pile of money just lying around. If you're Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes, ok. Fine. Spend however many millions you'd like, but for me, no thank you!

My "expertise" for this comes from Luke & my own wedding. I think our grand total (correct me if I'm wrong, mom & dad!) was somewhere around $3,000. That's a difference from the "average" wedding of $27,000!

So here are my tips for doing a wedding on a budget. It doesn't have to be cheap-looking, though. I think our wedding was very classy and elegant - maybe just my opinion but you can see for yourself!

Buy your dress on sale, or make it yourself.
I went to three different local wedding shops, found a few I liked, all from the sale rack. Even David's Bridal (probably the biggest chain of bridal stores) has $99 sale wedding gowns. These aren't yucky ugly gowns by any means! I paid a grand total of $99 for my gown and I have to say, it was my dream dress! The tailoring did cost a bit more, since the gown was a bit too big and WAY too long, but had it not been beaded at the bottom I think I would have even tackled that myself. (And btw, my sister made the bridesmaids dresses. I think they were around $20 for BOTH dresses!)

Scout around for inexpensive wedding locations.
We had our hearts set on a cute little country church. And guess what? Renting the church only cost us $125! We held the reception at another local church, I think we paid around $200 for that hall. Look around. Use your connections! Chances are you'll find something inexpensive! Do you or your parents have a pretty backyard? That's FREE. Try state parks, churches that don't hold services anymore.

Simple, but elegant.
We went for really simple decorations, sticking with peach roses, greenery cut from my grandmother's bushes that needed to be trimmed anyway, candles and ribbon. I went to our local grocery store for the roses, had them special ordered and got a discount because I ordered in bulk. I made the bouquets myself, my mom made the gentlemen's corsages. The greenery was all FREE, the ribbon was around $10 total on clearance (and I still have a TON left over), the roses cost around $70 for 12 dozen.

Bake it yourself!
I made all my cakes. And guess what? They were box mixes. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone! I spent the few weeks before my wedding buying box cake mixes and frosting on sale. I spent $20 total on all the cake and frosting. I baked all the cakes in 9-inch round pans. Each cake got three layers, and I baked them all weeks before the wedding, froze them in Ziplock bags and thawed them two days before. I was able to mix up the flavors and colors the way I wanted and ALL the guests were happy with the flavors! They got to choose! I had everything from carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, to chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! I kept the colors of the cakes in my theme, chocolate brown, cream and peach. They weren't perfect, but it made for a pretty table spread and they tasted really good! I used lots of cake stands my great-grandmother found for me at yard sales to perch them on and boxes underneath the table clothes to make them different heights. You can frost them the day before the wedding - the frosting will seal up the cakes so they won't get stale.

Cheap (almost free) music
I bet you have an iPod. Make a special playlist with music that means something to you and your spouse-to-be or that's just plain romantic and set it to shuffle hooked up to some speakers or a dock. My friend had a Bose iPod dock she let me borrow for the reception.

Fun, easy, reception food.
We started out with a coffee-bar theme, but ended up doing a full meal. But we had a fun plan - potluck! We got a few friends to make trays of appetizers to bring, and we provided a few main-course things that were simple (like meatballs). If you ask them to bring it on trays that are all the same color (just provide your own trays if you're really keeping on top of colors and styles) to make everything unified. Super simple, super cheap!

Pick one thing to "splurge" on.
Finally, pick just one thing that you just HAVE to have at your wedding to splurge on. For us, it was the photography. Luke's family couldn't be at our wedding and we wanted some great pictures to be able to show them. I had a family friend that hadn't shot a wedding before but I already knew she was a great photographer. This album has some of my favorite photographs she took from our wedding and I loved that we chose her. =) If you still read my blog, Jody, thank you!

Do you guys have tips to share? Leave them in the comments! I'd love for future brides I have the honor of shooting to have a great resource to visit, so I'll probably add to this post as I think of things, with links, etc!

Model Shoot: Samantha

2009-03-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

These are the last of the model shoot I'll be posting. These are all of Samantha and believe me, it was hard to choose just a few to post! I wanted to post all of them! In case you're wondering, I love high-key type portraits, really contrasty photos. I've kind of always been that way. ;) Anyway, I'd love your guys feedback on these - I'm still learning about posing and how to direct models/clients so any suggestions or tips you guys have are really appreciated!

More from the Model Shoot!

2009-03-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from the model shoot last week - these of the guy I shot. (If anyone from the shoot caught this guy's name, I'd really appreciate it if you'd give it to me!)

He was shy at first but then warmed up and got into it. He had lots of ideas of his own, including hanging from the tree branch. He was also really great at giving lots of different looks and expressions within a single pose.

Model Shoot: David & Gina

2009-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to work very long with David & Gina and I didn't get a chance to direct any shots with them at all, but I did get a chance to snap a few shots of them! Eleven of my shots turned out and here are four of my favorites! I'd love to hear feedback from you guys! I'm trying to learn what "posing" works and what doesn't, and how to direct models/clients better.

And my absolute favorite shot of their mini-shoot:

Model Shoot - Sneak Peek!

2009-03-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

A local group of photographers put together a great model shoot at Victor Valley College Monday night and I got a chance to go! There were quite a few more models that I didn't get a chance to work with but these are the four I did get to work with! I'm double-checking on some of their names but the girl in the last photo is Samantha. So here's a sneak peek...which pictures would y'all like to see more of first? Taking votes in the comments!

Derik - 6 Months Old!

2009-02-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

Derik just turned 6 months old and I thought he deserved his own little photo session. He's getting so big - he rolls over, *almost* sits up and loves to bounce and rock! His eyes are turning a color, finally, and they're going to be brown. His hair is getting light, kind of red-blond. Almost all the Boesch boys get light hair until they turn around 4 or 5, then it gets dark all over again. I think Jack was the only Boesch boy to be born with light hair. Anyway, Derik is also getting long - his arms and hands and feet are so long now! And he has the cutest little mole on his right leg just below his knee. Here are some of my favorites!

Stay tuned for Jackson's in a few weeks - he's about to turn 18 months old!

New boots for Valentine's Day! =)

2009-02-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Luke took me shopping for my Valentine's Day present and I found two of the perfect pairs of boots...and I got to get both of them thanks to a buy one get one free sale at the store! I've wanted them for a while and to find the exact pair I wanted in leather instead of fake suede like I was going to get, and then to get another pair on top of that was so awesome! Not to mention Luke and I had a wonderful day down at Victoria Gardens =)

February is Heart Month!

2009-02-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's Day! So I've decided February is heart month, as far as my photography goes. Here's one from yesterday...

Crepes

2009-02-11T15:16:00.000-08:00

Crepes are one of my all-time favorite desserts/breakfasts/dinners/anytime foods! =) Luke and I had them for dinner last night, yes, dinner. ;) They're fairly easy to make and so tasty! I want to try savory crepes sometime, but I'll have to do it when Luke's not around, since he doesn't want them "ruined"! ;)

First of all: you need a nonstick pan. I know, I hate nonstick too. But unless you are a seasoned pro (and I've made them a lot, but I still wouldn't do them without nonstick!), you will want the nonstick pan.

Second: it helps to use a blender. You can make this recipe without it, but your batter just won't be as smooth.

Third: you HAVE to chill the batter for at least as long as the recipe says. You can even make it the night before (if you're having it for breakfast) and keep it in the refrigerator all night, just give it another pulse with your blender to make sure nothing has settled.

Ok, now on to the recipe!

Basic Crepes
Tom Colicchio's recipe

1 c. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. lukewarm water
4 eggs, beaten (I put them in the blender first, turn it on for a second)
4 T. unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2-1 t. salt
butter for cooking

Mix in blender, chill for at least 1/2 hour. If you're not using a blender, add butter last, so it doesn't clump.

To cook, heat nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4-1/3 cup batter into the middle of the pan, and lift it by the handle to swirl around so it's uniformly thin in a large circle. Cook until you can easily slide a spatula underneath, then flip. It takes around 3-4 minutes for the first side, around 2 for the second.

Don't despair. You will ruin the first two or three, almost guaranteed. I still do. To serve (sweet style), set out a jar of Nutella or chocolate spread, peanut butter, mandarin oranges or other fresh fruit and some whipped cream or Cool Whip! Yummy!

Downloadable recipe!

Opinions, please!

2009-02-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

I need some opinions on two things. First the blog. I think I've finally finished tweaking the design, so let me know what you think, how it all works, and what (if anything) you think needs to be fixed or added.

Also, I made a logo for Blessed Road Photography, and would love your input! What do *you* think?

Jack: (Almost) 1 1/2 year old photoshoot

2009-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

I wanted to shoot some photos the other day and Jack was handy. ;) So he got a photoshoot! He actually loves the camera and goofs off big time. This one was my favorite! =)

A Few Tips for Getting Great Pictures of Kids

2009-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

Depending on the age of the kiddo you're trying to take pictures of, the tips I have to offer will change, but these are based on my own experience!

Babies: if they're smily, try to get them to smile at you by talking to them, rattles, etc. If someone else is trying to get them to smile, have them stand directly behind you so the baby winds up looking at the camera.

A few prop/pose ideas: On a chair like this picture of Derik:

Use the baby's carseat and tuck a baby blanket in it. You can do the same with the corner of a couch.

Older babies: (Sitting up, crawling, but not quite walking) Don't always think the baby has to look directly at the camera to get a great picture.

Definitely keep talking to get the baby to smile or laugh.

Toddlers and Otherwise Very Busy Kids: My #1 tip is stay away and use a long lens! (lol!) Jackson is very curious about my camera and always tries to grab the lens. If you have a point & shoot camera, zoom in and stay further away.

Also, a lot of times the kids this age will give you a super cheesy grin when you ask them to smile. So maybe try some more natural pictures. Candids are my favorites at this age. You can get them to look at you, but try snapping lots of pictures in rapid succession because you'll get a better chance at a really great shot.

Older Kids: Start with more "serious" pictures, since they'll take more direction from you, but toward the end of photographing them, give them something fun to do, like a jumping shot. Kids LOVE this because it breaks up what they consider "boring" photos. =) I told these guys after we got some shots for their mom, we'd do some "fun" pictures, and they had a blast!

Overall Tips: Try different angles. Get high, get low. Don't be afraid to experiment. Try out different spots in your house, outside. Simple backgrounds are best, they won't distract. Full length pictures are great, but close-ups are great too. Get closer to your kiddo's face, and focus your camera on their eyes. Make sure there is plenty of light around, so you won't have to use a flash, since it tends to wash out their faces. Try to get "catchlights" in their eyes, they're the reflected light spots in their eyes. I got these catchlights in Derik's eyes because there was a window behind me, and I didn't block the light with my body while I was taking the picture.

Just remember, digital pictures are FREE until you print them, that's the beauty of digital. So who cares if you took 200 shots and only 30 turned out. That's about 25 more pictures than you would get at a run-of-the-mill photo studio, and yours didn't cost you anything!

If you all have something you'd like to see as a tutorial, let me know! Email me at blessedroadphotography (at) gmail (dot) com, or leave a comment with your ideas!

Jack's 1st Crayons

2009-01-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Mom, he might just be an artist! ;)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009 everyone! We had a great week from Christmas to New Year's Day because Luke was able to get the whole week off! Some of the time we spent home and some at Luke's parents, since a lot of their family was in. My favorite present this year was my espresso maker (which you already saw!) and Luke's would probably be his Xbox 360. =) Jack likes his Cabbage Patch doll, his Tonka truck, and his cloth story Bible. Derik didn't really care. ;)

This year I have some tough but good resolutions. One of them is to read more, and this month's goal is to finish "Anna Karenina." I've been reading it since the beginning of last year, and I need to finish it! Hopefully I can read it fast enough to finish it by the end of January!

Another project I want to start is the 52 weeks project. I want to take one "special" photo per week, not necessarily on a theme but it can be if I want. I was working on a bokeh 365 project, but there were some days I just couldn't get to my computer every single day, plus it was a little limited for my tastes. I hate giving up but at the same time I'd rather start something I think I can finish! So here goes! I'll have my first week's photo up tomorrow!

Here's a picture from this past week! Samuel pulled Jack around in this box for a long time, and he loved it!

My Christmas Present!

2008-12-27T23:09:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Luke, Jackson, Derik and me! =) I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with family and friends all around!

Christmas Baking

2008-12-23T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've been working on Christmas baking the last few days! So far, I've made almond bark that's slightly cinnamon-y, dark chocolate truffles and peanut butter cups!

S. Family Portraits!

2008-12-19T12:54:00.000-08:00

Our friend Misty and her boys got me to do some portraits of them recently! They are so much fun and up for anything and we got some fun shots!

TIME Photos of the year

2008-12-18T14:46:00.001-08:00

TIME magazine's "Photos of the Year" are up for the year 2008! TIME & LIFE are famous for their photo and there are some neat ones in this bunch.

Thanksgiving and Happy December!

2008-12-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy December everyone! I can't believe it's only 22 days until Christmas! My Christmas photo special is still running as well, so email me at BlessedRoadPhotography@gmail.com if you're interested!

We had a really good Thanksgiving, although we missed everyone back in Delaware. We spent the weekend at Luke's parents, and ate lots of good food and played lots of games. I'm pretty bad at both Risk and Mario Baseball, I found out. The boys rented a bunch of Xbox games and the movie Kung Fu Panda (which was pretty cute) and we pretty much relaxed all weekend. The food was great too! Luke's mom and I both get Bon Appetit magazine, and we decided to make some recipes from there for Thanksgiving, like the Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter (SO GOOD!) and the Wild Mushroom and Herb Stuffing. Everything turned out really good! We also had tons of pumpkin pie, since I made 6 then and froze 2 more! I never used to like pumpkin pie until a few years ago. Wow, I missed out all those years.

Hope you all have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Chicken Marsala

2008-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe is one of my husband's favorites. I totally understand why, since the sauce is so good! Marsala wine is a sweet wine, so sweet it's pretty impossible to drink, but when you cook it, it makes the sauce absolutely wonderful! You can most likely find it at a wine shop, but sometimes even in the grocery store. Make sure you get a good one. Also, be sure to use fresh sage. It is a must! This recipe serves four. When I make it, I use 3 half chicken breasts and leave the sauce the same, since Luke loves lots of sauce. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 heaping tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika to taste (about 1-2 t.)
8-10 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 T. fresh sage, mince
1 shallot, minced (or a slice of onion, minced)
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. Marsala wine
1/4 c. cream
1 T. butter

Heat olive oil over medium in a large skillet. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, salt and pepper, and paprika. Cook until golden brown on each side, around 8-10 minutes per side. Remove from skillet onto a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm. Reserve skillet.

Add the mushrooms, sage, shallot and water to the skillet, cook until mushrooms are tender, around 3-5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and cream and cook over medium-high heat, until sauce has reduced to desired thickness. When thickened, add butter and remove from heat. Plate the chicken and spoon sauce over.

Downloadable recipe!