Silversands & Maroma - Mexico part 1

Our Holiday has ended. Our Trilly is back home, and I've got a few photos to share with you! It didn't cross my mind until after I started editing that I didn't concentrate on the ocean as much as I usually do. It may have to do with the lushness of the jungle, or the fact that I spent most of my time jumping waves (and obviously that's too dangerous to bring a camera along...), or the ridiculously hardcore ping pong we played, but nonetheless I appreciated it's colors and vastness. Even if I forgot to photograph it :)

                                     

To be continued...

     

Donde estas tu pantelones?

I totally forget to tell anyone that I was going to Mexico! Opps. A much needed vacation was in order, and it just so happened that our good friends needed a honeymoon destination so wah-la! Montamos un avión a México!

Just dropped by to say a quick hello, and back to the beach we go :)

- T

Winner!

Congrats to Amanda Zahn for winning our end of summer giveaway! Thanks to all who entered, and please remember I am still offering 30% off in the shop. Thanks again to Kaelyn for offering a free print!

I am going back to enjoying this relaxing weekend Holiday, anyone have Labor Day plans?

PS - Has everyone seen all the Halloween decorations already out in the stores? PPS - I think I need to start compiling my scary movie list for October...

end of summer giveaway!

With summer coming to a close, I thought it would be a great idea to offer a giveaway! Oh and Kaelyn Michaels is in on it, too.
Here's what you'll win!

8x10 -  The Island

8x8   -  Emerald Coast

Both prints will be on that luscious metallic paper we just can't seem to get enough of.

And this is how you enter:

1. Follow me on Facebook - Here

2. Follow Kaelyn on Facebook - Here

3. Come back to the blog, and leave a comment with your name (plus email!) and a favorite summertime memory.

The winner will be chosen using Random.org

This giveaway will end September 1st at midnight EST! Winner will be announced the next day.

Good luck to everyone, and I look forward to hearing about all your summer memories!

Candied Lemon Cake - successfully failed

I seriously considered not posting this recipe because it really was a disaster. But I didn't know that then.

With each successful recipe, I think a lot of bakers will admit there is always one that goes horribly wrong. I've burned a few cookies in my time, which totally frazzles my mood and turns the situation into a competition with the oven.

Here is the recipe (my notes on how I'm an asshole, to follow):

Candied Lemon Cake
original recipe from Donna Hay

candied lemon slices
1 1/2 cup superfine sugar
2/3 cups water
4 lemons, thinly sliced

cake
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Butter an 8-inch cake pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth the batter out. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool slightly.

To make candied lemon slices (from Donna Hay)
Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon and bring to a boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until syrup has thickened and the lemons are translucent. Pour the syrup over the cake and top with the lemon. Allow to cool before serving.

-

ALRIGHT. So. Everything had worked out smoothly in the cake baking department. I love this buttermilk recipe and I use it often. I don't really remember why, but I choose to use it instead of the cake recipe Miss Donna had given (Mistake #1)

The lemons. Dear God, those lemons. They were sliced, ready to go, and it's a given I have only made a syrup (caramel) once before (which didn't ...um...come out right.) but I am tenacious and went along with it like it was per usual.

I gingerly placed the slices into the pan, watched it closely, kept the boil even, and felt pretty damn satisfied with myself. Then in a matter of, oh I don't know, 25 seconds the syrup became way too brown and I had to jump ship and save those lemon slices! It happened pretty fast but I think I caught the whole thing in time. (Mistake #2)

The recipe calls for pouring the syrup onto the cake, then add the slices. No directions on getting the slices out of the pan and where to put them so they don't become sticky and not move from whatever it is you put them on! It was tricky, but I managed clearly breaking a sweat at this point.

Pouring caramel, not easy. Let's leave it at that. It's also really important to know exactly where you want to place a lemon slice, because once it's there it's there for good!

NOW. Cake is done, and it looks like this.

It's kind of gorgeous, and I was so excited while shooting it. Oh - is there more photographs you ask? Yeahhhhh, no. No, there isn't. 

I formatted my card thinking everything from this shoot was saved (Mistake #3). There it is, there is the super assholey move. 

But we're not finished yet! It's time to eat the cake! I think it was a mash up of mistake #1 and mistake #2 that made it hard to er, well eat. The candied lemons were so chewy and hard, while the cake was light and fluffy, it wasn't quite magical in my mouth. Like most cakes are supposed to be. 

I mean my family still ate it, but it was a super let down to me anyway. So if you want to make this recipe (cause after I just destroyed it, why wouldn't you?!) please follow Donna's cake recipe & watch your lemons. If I try it again (errrr...) I think a studier cake, like pound cake, would be perfect.

Louisiana BBQ Shrimp

I have a feeling I am going to be making this dish all summer. It's just that good, and super easy. It's going to be a scorcher on the East coast this weekend, I hope to find myself in lots of air conditioned rooms.


Louisiana BBQ Shrimp

1 lb. deveined, peeled shrimp
3-5 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons creole seasoning (whichever you prefer)
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

In large saucepan, cook bacon pieces until just about crisp. Remove and let excess grease drip onto paper towel. Add green pepper & onion to pan and saute until halfway cooked. Remove vegetables to a bowl or plate. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper, and creole seasoning. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan , sear shrimp. About 2 minutes on each side. Push shrimp aside, place the green pepper & onion back into pan, add 1 tablespoon flour & chicken stock. Stirring, bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer for 10-12 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add in bacon, stir and serve in a bowl with a french baguette.

The sauce gets it's smoky bacon flavor from reusing the bacon fat to saute the vegetables and shrimp. This is kind of a one pot wonder, and since it's Summer and seriously hot in my kitchen I'd like our dinners to be as simple as possible. I hate sweating in the kitchen, don't you?

I know I'm late in the game but I just started Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  It will be quite a feat if I can keep away from all the spoilers from the movie on social networking sites until I finish the book.  I'm 2 chapters in, and I'm already heartbroken about this being the last of the series.

Who has read it? Any suggestions on what I should start reading after Harry Potter? I have a feeling I'll need a rebound book when I am finished.

Into The Forest

I've been taking the long way home from the studio this week. The roads up and through the encampment trails of Valley Forge are my favorite. Yesterday I got stuck in a thunderstorm, in the middle of a mountain with not a soul in sight.

It was so effing awesome.

Drink Up

What a long, beautiful, and eventful weekend. My childhood friend is now married. His bride was gorgeous, and the wedding was so insanely beautiful. It couldn't have been a more perfect day. Especially those extra strong Hurricanes we drank long into the night. I have not had a hangover like that in a seriously long time.

One down, two more weddings to go! One bride to be is my good friend Kaelyn Michaels, who is a photographer, and you should visit her shop to see her gorgeous work.

I'm working from home today, thought I'd share this photograph pair (which is presently a contender for my mini food portfolio). It's obvious I have a thing for fruit in my drinks. See other fruit in drinks here.

This is kind of different, and maybe better. Fresh raspberries in a Woodchuck's Hard Cider. Ummmm, yes please. With some pistachios to munch on. I can sit on the porch all evening, drinking these &  popping nuts in my mouth. What- Ok. Obviously that was....not at all how I meant to say that. Whatever. I'm not deleting it.

I'm also reading Tim Gunn's Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work. It's hilarious, insightful and the overall lesson is just to be nice to people. Have manners, for crap's sake.

I may swear, more than I should, I know this, but I do believe in having a decent set of manners. I open doors for people (no, not only men need to do this), I say hello to anyone who makes eye contact with me, and overall I am nice to my waiters and tip them generously. It feels good to be nice to strangers, and especially when it seems everyone is in such a freaking hurry and kind of mean this type of behavior is unexpected.

I hope you don't read that last paragraph and picture me wagging a finger, because I'm not. I swear. It's always a good thing to want to better yourself. Being nice to others (animals, too) is a good place to start.

This week I am dog/house sitting. You guys know Chester, right? Just me and him all week, it's going to be glorious!

Solitude

Sometimes I really wish I lived on an island. Something smallish, with a community of easy going, easy talking people who don't feel the need to rush through their days & drive like maniacs on the road. I'd have a garden, definitely some fruit trees and loads of books (shipped from Amazon, no doubt).
This photograph pretty much sums up that entire feeling of solitude. But in a really, really good way.

By nature, I am a solitary person. It may have something to do with the dueling aspects of being a Gemini. The whole two personality thing could have different meanings, and in my case it can be applied to my moods which then affects whether or not I want to be bothered by anyone. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but it can be misconstrued as such. It's really not that weird to be alone, and enjoy it. I can entertain myself pretty easily, and it must have been a skill I picked up as a kid. I really like driving around by myself, and I really like seeing moves alone, too.

I think a lot of photographers, especially those who enjoy landscapes, can relate to the I'm all by myself, and it's awesome! feeling you get when it's just a landscape or scene, you, and your camera. We (the loners) have a companion that travels with us in silence and that's totally fine.

But admittedly, this feeling doesn't really apply when checking out abandoned buildings. I'm a serious pain in the ass about the whole thing, and there are even rules about staying in small groups when exploring a new floor. It's a safety thing, and more importantly I do not want to come up on a 100 year old crazy spirit by myself.

This past weekend my birthday was celebrated with friends on the beach, and I've got the ocean and sky on my mind today. Is it obvious? 

the island - photograph available in the shop

mexican holiday - new print set

the sea life - etsy treasury

Scones to Die for

I'm back with an impromptu foodie post! Did you miss me? I'll be honest, I've been lurking around the blogs like a ghost. Have you felt that prickle on the back of your neck while updating a post? Probably me. But it feels good to stay connected with all your wonderful blogs. I've received great support for the I hate blogging, I'm taking a break break, and like with anything, sometimes too much isn't a good thing.

It's been ungodly hot in Philadelphia. It makes me ridiculously sluggish, and I only come out of the coolest room in the apartment to either eat, sleep, or watch Netflix. It's terrible to work out in, and I don't even want to talk about cooking. Our kitchen is south facing, and small. It feels like what I'd imagine the inside of pizza box would feel like. Sticky & steamy. Gross.

I promise to only complain a few times about the heat this summer. Maybe. No, I'm probably lying.

Anyway.

I did happen to make some wonderful scones, and they literally are the best ones I've ever eaten. It's a mixup of a sweet & savory all wrapped up in a buttermilky goodness.
So here we go with the recipe, feel free to switch out dried fruit of your liking, or whatever flavor dried meat (or bacon) you might find to be delicious.

Scones to Die for
1 box plain scone mix
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled & cubed
20 dried apricots, cut into small pieces - about one cup
6 ounces cooked maple favored bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make sure a cooking rack is in the center of the oven. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine scone mix and butter. It's easier if you have a food processor, if not you can surely use a beater or good ol' fashioned arm power! The mixture should be coarse and bumpy. Add cut pieces of apricots, bacon, and thyme. Stir. Add the buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.

Place about 1/3 cupfuls of the dough onto prepared baking sheet (if you like a more casual looking scone). Bake until the tops start to brown slightly, about 16-18 minutes.

Place on cooling rack for about 20 minutes.

I fed these babies to my landlords (initially to butter them up before I asked to paint the dining room walls dark grey...which I chickened out of.) and they were talking about them for a week! I also got an email from my brother asking to overnight him a scone package. So, major party pleaser.

It's Friday, and this weekend's forecast is scattered thunderstorms. I'm super pumped about that, and fully intend on watching the clouds roll in while reading Harry Potter.

A great weekend to you all!