Thank you!

Here is look at my first professional photo assignment. Pick up a June 5, 2008, copy of the High Country Newspaper to see my pictures in print.

Yum! Homemade Pesto Bruschetta

At the end of April, Brian told me about the annual plant sale at the ASU Department of Biology Greenhouse. I had heard about this in the past and couldn’t wait to go so I could get some plants. I wanted a couple of ferns but mostly longed for fresh herb plants for my kitchen window shelf so I could spontaneously add fresh herbs while cooking. When I got there they had so much to choose from that I would have gone way overboard if I hadn’t stop myself from getting one of everything they had. I bought some basil, oregano, spinach, arugula, mesclun lettuce, and tomato plants as well as some ferns. I have from time to time added fresh oregano to spaghetti sauce, mixed in some arugula and mesclun lettuce with my salad and I can’t wait to enjoy some tomatoes from the tomato plants but by far my most favorite creation from the plants I acquired would have to be the pesto bruschetta I made one weekend afternoon.

Since a friend of mine had shared with me some pesto a while ago, I had been wanting to make some of my own. We needed an appetizer before lunch and decided I would try to make some pesto, which was similar to a traditional topping for bruschetta, to go with the last bit of yummy spinach feta bread we had leftover from our local bakery. I searched ”the g**gle” for a pesto recipe and decided to use this one.

I was a little surprised we actually had everything I needed to make it but that is beginning to be more and more common as I experiment more with cooking. To make pesto which looks more like a bruschetta topping, use chopped versions of all the non-liquid ingredients, instead of following the pesto recipe instructions.

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup Olive oil
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Place basil leaves in small batches in food processor and whip until well chopped (do about 3/4 cup at a time). Add about 1/3 the nuts and garlic, blend again.
Add about 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese; blend while slowly adding about 1/3 of the olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides of container.
Process basil pesto it forms a thick smooth paste. Repeat until all ingredients are used, mix all batches together well. Serve over pasta. Basil pesto keeps in refrigerator one week, or freeze for a few months.

While technically I may not have made textbook versions of pesto or bruschetta, it sure did taste good.

Yet Another Photo Gallery Update

I have been busy taking lots of photos and I just completed my first professional assignment. Just taking a quick break to let everyone know I have updated my photo gallery with more pictures.

For Buddy

Skateboard Gallery : Photos of a neighbor skateboarding

More Photos

My photography gallery has been updated with some recent pictures as well as some older photos. You might be able to tell that I am really enjoying taking pictures of all the various birds returning to the area.

My Green Tea Recipe

I have been making my own tea for about one year now. I searched and searched for an alternative to our previous main beverage experience which was a national brand of green tea sold in gallon quantities using a cheap sweetener called high fructose corn syrup. I have worked hard to remove this ingredient from our diet which is not a really easy thing to do because it is in just about everything. This was the last product containing this ingredient on our weekly groceries list. Then I found agave syrup in our local health food store. This is a great alternative sweetener and just the thing I needed to begin making my own green tea.

The recipe I have come to make almost daily is as follows:

• 2 TBSP (heaping*) Bancha Green Tea Leaves
• 5/8 - 1 cup honey
• 3/8 cup agave syrup
• 2 capsules powdered ginseng or 20-30 drops of liquid ginseng
• water

Right now, I make tea using a 3 quart Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker however, I would love to acquire this teapot sometime in the future to heat the water and steep the tea. I measure the tea leaves and pour into the brew basket. Fill the machine full of water. Pour the honey and agave syrup into the bottom of the tea pitcher. I do not measure out the honey so the above amounts are estimated and will need to be adjusted based on your taste. Occasionally, if I run out of the agave syrup I find that just adding more honey makes the tea sweet enough to drink. I brew and steep the tea in the pitcher. When the tea leaves have cooled to a reasonable enough temperature to handle I squeeze the remaining tea out of the tea leaves and discard the leaves in my compost pile. Be careful not to let the brewed tea cool down too much. You want the brewed tea to still be warm so you can stir the honey at the bottom of the pitcher so it blends with the tea; the honey is easier to blend when the tea is still hot. Pour mixture into 1 gallon sized container or 2 half gallon containers (preferably glass or other pitcher made of inert materials). Fill pitcher full with ice cubes and/or cold water. Enjoy!

If this recipe doesn’t make you want to drink some then here are 7 seven more reasons to enjoy a nice cup of green tea.

* I chose the amount of tea leaves to brew based on the fact that the tea syrup it brews can be mixed with enough water to make 1 gallon of very delicious “iced” or cold tea.

Doll Craft

Here is a baby doll that was a project commissioned by my mother in 1978. A co-worker of hers at the time made these baby dolls (the exact name or kind of craft I am not sure of) and my mother had her make them to announce to relatives she would soon give birth to me. She had a blue one made for my Grandmother Lucy and this purple one was made for my Grandmother O’Neal. When I became pregnant with my first child, I became the lucky recipient of this lovely doll. She has arms and legs that are attached with large buttons. Her clothes for the most part are all sewn on. She has an embroidered face. I feel very lucky to have received such a great family heirloom and am very proud to be able to pass this down to my daughter when her time comes to start a family.

Snow in Mid-April?

Well, it is sort of looking like spring up here in the mountains. The spring flowers have bloomed and the native birds are starting to return to the feeders more often. I snapped some photos of a couple American Goldfinch that were tweeting up a storm in our backyard yesterday. However, these are the only photos I could get as they were staying mostly in the trees and underbrush, then periodically indulging in our neighbors’ feeder. I would have loved to get a better/closer shot of them, unfortunately though, they didn’t seem to want anything to do with our feeders. There are also many critters emerging from their winter slumber as well. However, our area is expecting some light snow today.

Spring Blooming

Daffodils: first flowers of spring.

Art Escape

I have been experimenting with my new camera, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI or EOS 400D. I have uploaded two new photos to my slideshow. Check back often for new and upcoming additions while I learn about photography. The painting of the photographer is a portion of a piece in Brian’s painting portfolio.