Photo Envy

I think it's time to face it. They pictures on my blog are maybe almost appetizing, and I have photo envy. Every time I read a new food blog, my mouth can't help but water at the delicious looking food being presented to me. And then I look at my blog. And while I know that the food is good (except for those dumplings...Mike and I still laugh about those...side bar - I actually tried dumplings at a Japanese restaurant this week and it turns out I don't like them. At least those were edible and didn't end up in the trash)...

....I lost my train of thought. Good grief. Food envy. Right.

My food pictures are just not good enough. So I need help. My father-in-law is an avid photographer. Avid as in he has his own backdrops for when prom rolls around and packs multiple cameras when strolling around anywhere to get good pictures. Seriously, we look like tourists in Kansas City. Who tours Kansas City? Anyway - he knows what he's talking about. So I tried to ask him some questions, and let me tell you was he excited to help. The only problem, I get an epistle of photo information that I don't understand. He is way up there, and I am below zero.

Finally, I found White on Rice Couple. This is another food blog that has photo tips. It is the first time someone explained exposure and aperture that I understood. Yay!

So here are my first pictures trying to work with aperture (after it took me forever to figure out how to work it).




Ok, so I still have a lot of work to do, but I think that last one isn't too bad. What I did learn is that I do not have a steady hand. Maybe a tripod is in the future.....

Not Mac n' Cheese Comfort Pasta

Have you ever had a day where nothing went totally wrong but you're exhausted and need a little bit of comfort? I had one of those days. I put in ten hours at work with a mountain still ahead of me. I came home to make cookies and I forgot the butter. My husband's gone all night at Law Review. Yep. I needed a little bit of a pity party. That's when I pull out this recipe. I love it because I always have all the ingredients and I don't have to measure anything. Now you know that's my kind of recipe! :) I hope that this pasta can pick you up for one of your pity party evenings.

Ingredients

pasta
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
basil
oregano
pepper
salt
mozzarella cheese
tomato

Method

I boil the water and add the pasta olive oil and salt. I usually use rotinini but I had radiatore on hand that I thought would be fun. I mix together all the other ingredients "to taste". I really like balsamic, so I go a little heavy on that and salt (salt brings out the flavor). You don't have to put tomatoes in, but I happened to have one that wouldn't be eaten if I didn't use it. It's not quite as pretty when I don't use fresh basil, but comfort isn't about the looks anyway, right? Then you mix everything together. My favorite part - left overs! I love when the tomatoes and cheese melt together. Delicious!

A REALLY Long Time..

Alright, I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted, but I have a good reason! Here is what I've been spending what seems like all my time on: www.uhsecho.com

Check it out! My kids (meaning students) have worked so hard on it and we're sooo excited. Literally, it's about 6 months of work finally coming to fruition. Yay!

Grams' Apple Pie

I love fall. I love the weather getting crisper and colors warming up all over the trees. It feel like a time of fresh starts and new beginnings (which is strange since everything outside is actually dying). I love fall. I also love the apple season of fall. I haven't made a trip out to Curtis Orchard, but I think I just might actually have some time to enjoy that this weekend. I have, however, had a chance to make apple pie. Mike and I had some friends over last weekend for the Illinois vs. Ohio game, and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make something I didn't want Mike and I to eat the whole thing.

I really enjoy making my own pie crusts. There's something therapeutic about it for me. I'm not sure why, but the delicate balance between rolling out the dough with strength but not working it too much so that that it stays light relaxes me. It feels good. I'm not sure if I have a much better explanation than that.

This recipe is my Grams's recipe. She was fantastic. Now my mom, my brother, and I make this pie. What's fun about it is that it never comes out the same way twice. It's kind of fun to see what's going to happen. This time it was a pretty decent pie, but next time I will try tweaking it different ways to make it better.

Crust Ingredients

2 1/4 c Flour
3/4 tsp Salt
2/3 c Shortening (I like to use the butter Crisco)
8-10 tbs Cold Water

I've tried a lot of different crusts, but this is the one that I like the best. I found it in Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle in some cold water and fluff/mix with a fork. Keep doing that until all the flour mixture is moistened.

Split the dough in half and roll out on a floured surface until the dough would fit a pie plate. I like to make it as thin as possible.

Filling Ingredients

6-8 Apples cut, cored, sliced
1 c. Sugar
4 tbsp Flour
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

I just got this amazing apple peeler. This part of the process used to take forever (well actually forever for Mike because I made him). It cut down my time with the apples from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. I was astounded. Once the apples are taken care of, put them into cold water with lemon.



Mix together the rest of the ingredients. You can put the cinnamon and nutmeg in to taste. It really depends on what you like. This is one of the reasons why it is never the same.

Place the crust into the pie plate. Layer in some sugar mixture, apples, sugar mixture, apples, and the rest of the sugar mixture.

IMPORTANT: Before you place the top crust on, dot the top with butter. I tend to love butter, but I would say if you put a whole stick on it might be too much. Trust me, I've tried it.


Put the top crust on, trim and pinch the sides, slit the top, and pour a little bit of milk on top. Make sure to put the pie on an old baking sheet so it can catch the goo that will bubble over.



Bake at 400F for 10 minutes and then 350F for the rest of the time.

Wait a minute.

The rest of the time? What does that mean?

Well, that is what my cookbook from my mom says. It really depends on your oven and the type of apples you choose, but it could be anywhere from 20-50 minutes. Once the crust is bubbling it is finished. You might need to put tin foil over the top so that it doesn't burn.

There you go. Grams' apple pie. I hope it is as delicious as mine is. I also hope it looks prettier. I am not known for making pretty pies, but let me tell you, they taste pretty darn good.