Creative Inspirations Photography

Yellow Split Pea and Leek Soup

2011-09-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy encouraging people to try plant based foods and recipes, and just recently bought the book Forks Over Knives, and am awaiting my DVD of the same name. The American people are suffering from preventable diseases which can be not only prevented, but eliminated, if they would just change the foods they eat. Hypertension, Type II diabetes, and heart disease are amongst a few such ailments that all respond beautifully to eliminating animal based foods from the diet, especially the casein that comes from milk. A plant based diet isn't about what you can't eat anymore, it's about now going out and experiencing the vast array of foods that are available, that maybe you haven't tried!

This is a recipe that as a child and young adult, that I would have snubbed my nose at! Who in the world eats split peas? Aren't they green mush? NOT AT ALL! Esp when you use yellow split peas! The split peas do have to cook for about an hour first, then it all goes together very quickly!

Even though today is a warm August day, and a little humid, I'm looking forward to making this for the colder fall and winter days.

Yellow Split Pea and Leek Soup
adapted from FOK

1 cup dried yellow split peas
3 cups of water
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 long celery stalk or 2 small ones, diced finely
1 large leek, cut in half and washed, diced finely
1 large carrot, diced finely
1/2-1 of a half-hot pepper or pepper of choice, diced finely
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pan, add split peas, and bring back to a boil, and move pan to a small burner and simmer gently on low for approximately one hour till the peas are soft. Watch your water level if you have a hot burner, as you don't want to scortch the peas on the bottom of the pan.

When peas are cooked, add the vegetable broth, and remaining vegetables. Simmer again for approx 20 minutes till vegetables are cooked through. Add the thyme and salt, and stir well.

This will give you 3-4 servings. Serve with whole grain crackers or bread and a salad!

3 ingredient raw Mango Sorbet

2011-08-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

recipe by Mimi Kirk, a RAW food guru, who at the age of 73, looks fabulously better than most 50 yr olds! Find her and this video on youtube HERE

RAW MANGO SORBET

2 mangos, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 Tbsp of sweetener like agave or maple syrup, or use several drops of stevia.
1 lemon, juiced

Place chopped mangos in a high speed blender like a Vitamix, or in a food processor, and add lemon juice and sweetener. Blend until nice and smooth.

Pour mixture into a wide plastic container to be placed in the freezer, and every 1/2 hour, stir, incorporating the slushy sides into the middle. When firm, but not frozen solid, spoon into dessert cups and enjoy!

Great Granola~ A blueberry, apricot, cashew blend!

2011-08-27T21:05:00.002-04:00

I have to say that I love the recipe source's website name....it's the G spot Revolution....and before you get all excited, it's not just about that. It's about whatever makes you happy! find Caroline and her awesome food website at The G Spot Revolution. This particular post caught my eye since it's a granola recipe, and my hubby LOVES granola. It also happens to be a NO ADDED OIL recipe too, which totally fits into my collection!

Slow-Bake Blueberry Apricot Cashew Granola (gluten-free + vegan)

2 cups (gluten-free) oats - or not if you're not gluten free
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup blueberry puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or baking mat (like this).
Mix ingredients (oats through salt) in a medium bowl.
Puree blueberries by placing 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup fresh blueberries in a blender or food processor and pulsing. Pour puree into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and then add to oat mixture. Stir to combine.
Spread mixture onto parchment paper and bake 40 – 45 minutes or until golden brown. (Stir/toss the granola with a spatula halfway through the bake time to ensure even baking.) Allow granola to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container.

NOTE: One reader said this granola took her 65 minutes to bake — and that’s OK! While that is a particularly long bake time, keep in mind every oven is different and patience is a virtue with this particular batch. In addition, the type of oats you are using (e.g. thick rolled oats versus old fashioned rolled oats) will affect bake time. This granola should not be moist — make sure it is golden brown when you take it out. (Thanks to Jessica for reporting her results!)

^^^^^that was me! I had to bake this a longer time than she did, but it did come out golden brown. Just be sure to watch it, and you don't want it to still me moist when you take it out. Bake it a few more minutes at at time if needed.

yummy blueberry granola, seved with some home made almond milk!

Chana Palak Masala

2011-08-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

There's no doubt that I love Indian food! I love all of the spices you'd normally find in traditional Indian cuisine, which are warm and inviting. Cumin, corriander, curry, turmeric....they are all in here!

The recipe comes from the cookbook The Happy Herbivore, by Lindsay Nixon.

Chana Palak Masala

1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 12 oz bag of baby spinach ( I used swiss chard out of the garden!)
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
red pepper flakes as desired
1/2-1 tsp garam masala
t tsp lemon juice

cover the bottom of a large pot with water, and add onion and garlic and cook until it's transparent.
Add the tomoateos, thier juice, chickpeas, spinach and broth, combining.
Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach cooks down, about 4 minutes
Add remaining ingredients except garam masala, cover, and cook for about 3 minutes more
Add garam masala, stirring to combine an dcook fo ranother 2 minutes
Turn off heat, and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to merge

Vegan Creamsicle and Root Beer Float cupcakes! Oh MY!!!!!

2011-04-24T00:22:00.001-04:00

This has been the best invention yet, I believe. Who doesn't like creamsicles or Root Beer floats? They are the epitome of summertime deliciousness! BUT....when you go vegan, you choose not to eat the standard brand ice creams or desserts that are on the market. Of course there are awesome vegan brand ice creams out there, but I just don't happen to buy them.....but I LOVE baking cupcakes, which lead to trying some new flavors.

The basic vanilla cake mix recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, again, by Isa and Terry. Love these recipes. They are excellent and bake up perfectly.

The only difference between the two, is the two flavorings used. Both have plain frosting filling in the cupcakes too. I think I do that on most of my cupcakes now....it just adds an additional surprise to the eater~

Vegan creamsicle cupcakes

vegan rootbeer float cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe:

1 cup of non dairy milk and I use soy milk
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups of flour
2 T of cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract *** (see options below)
1/4 tsp almond, caramel or more vanilla ***

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in pan. Measure soy milk in a liquid measuring cup, add cider vinegar and mix. Let sit for a few minutes to curdle, then add sugar and oil and extracts, and whisk together. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder soda, and salt together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and mix till thoroughly combined and no large lumps remain. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake for 20-22 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and frost when completely cool.

***** Creamsicle cupcakes: Use 1 1/2 tsp of pure Orange extract (I used McCormicks)in the batter, and another 3/4 tsp to 1/3-1/2 of frosting recipe- kind of a taste as you go. I like tasting the orange personally (See below). I added orange Wilton food coloring to the batter with the orange extract, and the white frosting has no added flavoring in it.

In a pastry bag with it folded outward, place the colored frosting in half the bag, and the white in the other half, and using a 1M large decorating tip, start around the outer edge, and pipe around, and inward to make it twist-like. See Wilton's page here to see how to hold the bag.

***For the rootbeer floats, I used 2 tsp of McCormick's Root Beer Concentrate in the batter, and then another 1+ tsp in half the frosting....Again, use your own judgement in how strong or weak you like the flavor. This amt worked for me. Be aware that the concentrate will make a brown frosting, and was piped with just the open end of a pastry decorating bag, then smoothed, before the small balls of white frosting were applied. For the small icing balls, I used the small end of a melon baller. Small scoops with a spoon could work too. Then cut colored straws down, taking about 2 1/2- 3 inches off the bottom, and bend the straw, as if it were in a soda, and place strategically!

Standard buttercream frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance non hydrogenated margarine (or reg marg)
1/2 cup non hydrogenated vegetable shortening
4 1/2-5 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla (or other extracts as desired)

This makes a moderately stiff frosting, thin or stiffen as you see fit. Cream with margarine and shortening with an electric mixer, add powdered sugar, milk, and extract and continue to mix till nice, light and fluffy, for several minutes.

Quinoa Burgers made with chickpeas and served with a lemon dill sauce.

2011-04-08T10:38:00.005-04:00

I am a self proclaimed (vegan) cookbook lover! I read them like others read novels. I get immersed in the pictures (no wonder!), and I love to see how others combine ingredients, spices, and herbs. I can follow directions to a "T", and according to a patient of mine, he says I'm a good German girl, because of it. I usually don't deviate from recipes too far, unless I actually don't have an ingredient, or I know I want to make some changes.

Which leads into my recommendation of a fairly new cookbook that is out now, by the name of Vegan Diner- classic comfort food for the soul, by Julie Hasson, who is well known on her Everyday Dish TV.
Can I tell you how much I L-O-V-E this cookbook??? Simple down home cooking that tastes great!

The quinoa burger recipe comes from that cookbook, and I only changed the spice blend I used, which she encourages the reader to do, to fit their taste. Quinoa is naturally gluten free, which is a plus for so many too!

The adapted recipe for

Quinoa Burgers from Vegan Diner, by Julie Hasson

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

12 oz chickpeas, (about 1 1/2 cups canned and drained, or homemade)

1/2 cup quick oats (not instant)

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa ***

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tsp of poultry seasoning or favorite spice blend (I used a local blend called Symeon's Seasoning from a local restaurant)

1 tsp of smoked paprika

2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino or soy sauce

2 Tbsp of chickpea flour

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

additional chickpea flour for dusting the burgers

olive oil for cooking

Burger buns

Lettuce or greens

sliced tomato and onion for serving

Makes 6 burgers. Add the onion and garlic to a food processor bowl, and pulse till finely chopped. Add the chickpeas and oats, and pulse until well mixed, but not pureed. Remove to a large bowl, and stir in the quinoa, parsley, poultry seasoning or spice mix, smoked paprika, Braggs, and chickpea flour. Stir in 1-2 Tbsp of water if necessary to help the burger mixture stick together, but you don't want it too moist. Add salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly mix the ingredients well, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Form the burger mixture into 6 balls, and press into 3 1/2-4 inch patties.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy duty fry pan over medium high heat. And lightly coat or spray with olive oil. Place the chickpea flour on a small plate and dust the burgers on all sides with the flour. Add the burgers to the hot skillet. Cook the patties for about 5 minutes, or until nicely browned and crispy. Reduce the heat to medium if necessary, to continue cooking without burning. Add more olive oil if needed, to keep the burgers from sticking. Flip the burgers over and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining burgers.

Remove from the skillet and let sit for minutes before serving. Letting the burgers rest will give them a better texture. Serve on a roll with all of the fixings you like, or serve or a salad as shown.

*** to cook quinoa, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a pan on the stove, rinse 3/4 of a cup of quinoa in a mesh strainer under running water. Once water is boiling, add the quinoa, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes till the quinoa appears spiraled, and the water is absorbed. ( I like to add vegetable stock powder to the water for a little extra taste, and then reducing the amt of salt added to the recipe)

Lemon Dill sauce

1/4 cup Vegenaise (or mayo)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2-1 tsp dried dill

1/2-1 tsp of garlic powder

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix in a small bowl and add as a topping to your burger. If you like a lot of sauce, you may want to double the recipe. (I only used a small amt to keep the calories down)

Delicious tempeh salad

2011-03-31T13:25:00.001-04:00

I am a self proclaimed tofu disliker, 1) unless it's in dessert, or 2) it's prepared by a restaurant. But tempeh is wonderful! With all of the soy bashing in the news, it's good to know what kinds of soy you should be consuming.

Tempeh is a feremented soy product, made with chopped up soy beans and mixed with Rhizopus olligosporus, and allowed to ferment, then packaged, creating an easier to digest food. It is one of the approved and suggested soy foods to eat, vs. all of the soy isolates that can be found in nearly every packaged food on the market.

This salad is so delicious, you'll be tempted to just eat it out of the bowl, like I did, after the pictures were taken. This makes a great hor dourve served on top of crackers, or as a sandwich filling. I must be in the mood for lighter dinner or lunch fare, wishing spring would finally spring!

This recipe is my own:

8 oz package of your favorite tempeh, cut into 10 pieces, (place in a pan of water, just covering the tempeh, bring to a boil, and lightly simmer for 15 minutes. This helps improve the flavor, and reduces it's denseness. Drain and let cool, then finely chop into small pieces)

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp of black pepper

1/4 tsp of celery seed

1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 carrot peeled and finely chopped

3 Tbsp of pickle relish (or chopped pickles)

2 tsp of dijon mustard

scant 1/3 cup of Vegenaise mayo or regular mayo

2 Tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley

Comine all to cooled and finely chopped tempeh, adjust salt and pepper to your liking. I prefer this to sit for several hours to overnight before using it. It helps the flavors infuse the tempeh!

Fresh raw veggie spring rolls with dressing.

2011-03-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

I looovvveee spring rolls! How about you? It's also one of my hubby's favorite lunches, and this recipe went over particularly well. I originally saw the post on Tastespotting.com, I believe, and it was simply a cold salad, beautifully presented. The salad contents aren't anything new really, but the dressing sure did make the veggies a pleasure to eat!

Basically you take a whole zucchini and either spiralize it, or in my case, I used my Pampered Chef julienne shredder "thingy" and julienned my zucchini. Then I used my vegetable peeler to shred the carrots, and finely chopped some broccoli to add to the mix, along with some red peppers. She suggested mixing the dressing with the veggies to soften them a bit......This was all perfect, my next step was to make spring rolls out of the shredded veggies, instead of just placing them on a plate. I let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 45 minutes before rolling them up.

To prepare the spring rolls, you'll need a pie plate large enough to set the roll in it, and fill it with hot water.. The rolls will come out the package as rigid discs, but as soon as you put one in the hot water, it immediately softens. Within seconds you'll feel the starch give, and you can pull it out and place it on the cutting board, spreading out any wrinkles. Only do one or two at a time.

I placed several spinach leaves down as the base, then placed a large "fingers-full" amt of vegetable salad on top.

Fold the top and bottom edges over the salad, burrito style, then pull one of the remaining sides over the filling, and then roll into a cigar shaped log.

cut on the diagonal, and enjoy! I was able to make 7 spring rolls with this recipe, although probably could have made 8.

The recipe comes from Loves Veggies and Yoga.

Raw Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing

For the Salad:
1 zucchini, spiralized
1/2 c mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, green beans, cucumber slices, radishes, tomatoes, peapods, bell peppers, whatever you have on hand)

Optional: 1/2 c protein (edamame, diced tofu, garbanzo/white/navy/cannelloni beans, quinoa, etc.)

For the Dressing:

1/4 c mayo (Vegenaise)
2 – 3 tbsp maple syrup, agave, or brown rice syrup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp EVOO
1 tsp basil (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp dill
1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper, or to taste
pinch salt, optional

Stir to combine

Directions:

Spiralize the zucchini.
Add the diced vegetables and protein.

Coat and toss with dressing. Doing this 15-20 minutes prior to eating will allow the dressing to soften the noodles and give them a more cooked taste and texture. Or simply mircowave the entire plate of food for 30 seconds if you want a “hot meal”.

Feel free to use the left over dressing as a dipping sauce!

Yields: 2 healthy sized plates of food, or 3 more medium sized plates, or 7-8 spring rolls.

I have found the healthiest frozen dessert recipe, and I'm in LOVE!

2011-03-30T01:24:00.000-04:00

I think the original picture showed up on one of the food porn sites like Tastespotting or Foodgawker and it said two ingredient "ice cream", and frankly, I was intrigued. I visited the site, but then checked out another one or two sites, and came up with this.....It's basically out there in cyber world, so there really isn't any one person to credit....I actually think even the Vitamix blender company may have the treat in their cookbook.

Anyway, I have never been a person to just store cut up frozen bananas in the freezer.....until now! I know they're great for making smoothies cold, but the frozen chunks of bananas are the basis of this recipe!

the RECIPE is actually very simple......for one serving....cut up a banana in several chunks, place on some wax paper or plastic wrap on a plate for about 45 minutes in the freezer. After they are frozen, in a small glass bowl, place 1 1/2 tsp each of coconut oil, maple syrup or agave, and cocoa powder in it, and microwave for 15 seconds. Remove from the oven, and stir till smooth and creamy.

Next, add the frozen bananas to a food processor or sturdy blender, and add 1 Tbsp of cocoa. I did this today, and ended up adding 2-3 tsp of maple syrup to add some liquid to it to get the blending started.

Blend till the bananas form a nice smooth and creamy dessert, with no or few lumps.

(this is pure vegan heavenly deliciousness, right here!)

Place in a dessert cup, and drizzle the chocolate sauce over the "ice cream". It will be the consistancy of soft serve ice cream. Add your favorite toppings of coconut flakes, nuts, chocolate chips, or whatever fits your fancy!

I've expanded my baking experience with a wonderful vegan gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe.

2011-03-26T14:07:00.000-04:00

Karina from the Gluten Free Goddess website truly has the biggest gluten free cooking and baking website online! She has extensive recipes for baking and cooking, due to her own allergies. She has vegan and non vegan recipes alike, and a fantastic page on GF substitutions here. It was very educational reading up on the different flours used and combined to get nearly the same results as regular baking.

So recently, a co worker was diagnosed with celiac disease, and it turned her world upside down, especially when she has a family to feed, and many of her regular favorite foods are now off limits. It's still a learning process for them, but Karina's website was the first one I gave to her, to brush up on all of the ins and outs of GF cooking. I came into play, being the baker at work for the rest of our coworkers, wanting to be able to share some goodies with her too, since she was being left out.

What I didn't realize is the variables for baking, with so many options for flours. I had picked up some sorghum flour, potato flour, (then there is potato starch too-not to be confused!), and some xanthan gum. Then my search began for a vegan recipe for me, but a GF recipe for her that would use these ingredients. And Karina's site came to the rescue with the recipe for GF chocolate cupcakes with coffee icing. It fit the bill for vegan and GF!

I am not gluten sensitive or intolerant at all, so I had no idea what to expect when eating these cupcakes, but they were really good! I was surprised at how high they rose, and the recipe did make 12 cupcakes as the instructions said. They were light and airy, and very moist. What else do you need in a cupcake, as long as it looks pretty too!

I didn't use Karina's exact coffee icing recipe, but I did use Earth Balance margarine instead of the spectrum shortening, and ended up doubling it, since frosting the cupcakes with the rosettes, required a larger amt of frosting. I must not have made the coffee strong enough, as I didn't even taste it, so I added 1/2 tsp of organic almond extract to each batch of frosting, instead of the vanilla. (1 tsp extract for a double batch of her recipe). They were just as nice as any of my previously made vegan recipes, and I highly recommend giving it a try!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe with Coffee Icing

If you don't care for the taste of coffee, use plain water or a light rice milk in the batter in place of the coffee and make a vanilla or chocolate flavored icing.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
Whisk together the dry ingredients:

3/4 rounded cup sorghum flour
3/4 rounded cup potato starch, cornstarch or tapioca starch
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Add in and beat till smooth:

1 cup warm coffee (not too hot or it will make the potato starch gluey)
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten with 1/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon light tasting vinegar

Beat the batter for a full two to three minutes until all the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Using an ice cream scoop, plop the batter into the cups and smooth the tops. Bake in the center of a preheated oven till done- about 20 minutes or so. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack (don't let them sit in the baking pan too long or they'll get soggy). Frost when completely cooled. See recipe for coffee flavored icing below.

Vegan Coffee Icing Recipe

2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

2-3 tablespoons Spectrum Organic Shortening (or Earth Balance margarine)

2-4 ounces cold coffee, as needed

1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla (or a half tsp of almond extract)

Starting with the least amount of liquid, beat the sugar to incorporate the shortening, coffee and vanilla. if you need more liquid, add a small amount at a time. beat for two minutes or so until smooth. If you need to stiffen the frosting, add a little more confectioner's sugar. Chill the frosting before using it. I chill it, covered, for roughly an hour ( I didn't chill it all and used it right out of the bowl). Frost the cupcakes. Cover in an air-tight container until serving. best eaten the first day. If making ahead of time, chill frosted cakes briefly in the freezer before wrapping individually and freezing. Makes twelve cupcakes.

Creamy peanut butter frosted chocolate cupcakes!

2011-03-23T12:25:00.002-04:00

I've been sitting on posting this for a few days, as I just hadn't taken the time to sit down to write out the recipe, but this is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate together?

From the ever famous cookbook, Vegan Cupakes Take Over the World, by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, this is the standard chocolate cupcake recipe, which makes a dark, and nearly black cupcake, using dutch processed cocoa.

Chocolate Cupcake

1 cup soy or non dairy milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract or more vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder, or regular
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the soy milk and vinegar together and let sit for several minutes.
Add the suagr, oil and extracts, and whisk till foamy.
In another bowl, add dry ingredients, sift, and mix till combined.
Add dry ingredients in two batches to the wet ingredients, and beat till no lumps remain. A few small ones are acceptable.
Pour into liners, 3/4 full. (original recipe states 12 cupcakes, I usually get 13 or 14)
Bake 18-20 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting.

Closeup of the yummy pieces parts!

Peanut Butter Frosting

(Note: The above are mini cupcakes, so I actually only made half of the frosting recipe to pipe, but if you make regular sized cupcakes, you will have plenty of frosting to pipe down in the center, for creamy filled mouthfuls!)

1/2 cup of Earth Balance, non dairy margarine (It's also trans fat free, and whey-less!)

2/3 cup peanut butter

3-4 cups of confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 Tbsp of non dairy milk

With an electric mixer, cream the margarine and peanut butter together, till creamy, for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients, and start mixer out on low speed, and gradually increase, to prevent a powdered sugar cloud. Mix till light and fluffy- about another 1-2 minutes. Using your favorite piping tip, frost till your heart's content!

I had left over caramelly goodness in my fridge, which I used to drizzle over these cupcakes, and added some finely chopped peanuts on top.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with cupcakes!

2011-03-17T18:36:00.002-04:00

Today's cupcakes are a chocolate banana with what turned out to be a frosting that ended up like a syrupy caramel.....all good in my book! Celebrating the holiday for looks, the pretty cupcake is adorned with a colored coconut dollop. This recipe comes from The Novice Blog

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup ripe banana (about 1 1/2 bananas)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Makes 12 cupcakes.

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Whisk in the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. Mixture will still be a little lumpy because of the nature of the banana, but whisk out as many large lumps as you can. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in banana mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix).

Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

The frosting came from this site, and I will change the directions to reflect what I had to do with it...Grist.org

Vegan Coconut Milk Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Make sure you have your cupcakes ready to ice before beginning the frosting. It will set up quickly. If it fully sets up before you finish icing your layers, warm it slightly in a bowl set over simmering water. You can thin it further with a few drops of coconut milk. (I found this wasn't necessary)

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the coconut oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

Add the coconut milk, stir well, and bring the mixture to a boil. Adjust the heat to a steady but gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. The mixture should begin to thicken.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool for about 30 minutes. ( I needed to put my pan in a cold water bath to get it to thicken up enough to spoon over the cupcakes. Make sure it's thick enough, or you'll lose alot with it dripping off of the cupcakes!)

Beat the frosting until it thickens, about 20 strokes with a wooden spoon. Spread it over your cupcakes.

Any leftover frosting can be poured in a pan, allowed to harden, and cut into squares like fudge.

The green coconut is approx 2/3 cup of coconut placed into a ziplock bag, drop 2 drops of green food coloring in, zip the bag closed, and shake till color is evenly distributed. Apply coconut evenly over all 12 cupcakes, while frosting is still wet, and not set up.

Recipe for vegan Southwestern Pot Pie

2011-03-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

There are some days when you still want some warm foods, that come in casserole form. Yesterday was one of them, so I searched through my many cookbooks, and came across Robin Robertson's Cornbread Topped Southwestern Pot Pie. This is adapted from her original recipe.

Southwestern Pot Pie

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 large carrot, diced finely
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
3 large cloves of garlic finely minced
1 cup of corn kernals, fresh or frozen
3 cups of cooked pinto or black beans, or 2 cans of either, rinsed well
1- 4 oz can of green chilis drained
1 cup of vegetable stock
1 Tbsp of Tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp of chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
1 canned chipotle chili pepper with 1/2-1 tsp of adobo sauce. (Freeze the rest individually, and keep in a freezer bag to have on hand)
1 Tbsp of cilantro leaves chopped

Cornbread Topping

1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T oil
1/2 cup non dairy milk

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat, add onion and carrots and cover, cooking till softened- about 5 minutes.

Add peppers, garlic, corn, beans, and chili peppers. Stir in the stock, tamari, cilantro and spices. Lightly simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes till carrots are nearly tender.

Transfer to a 2 qt baking dish. Mix the cornbread topping, and spread in an even layer over the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for approx 20-30 minutes, till hot and bubbly, and cornbread is lightly browned.

More Vegan cupcakes! It really isn't all I know how to make, I swear!

2011-03-12T15:40:00.001-05:00

One of my fellow coworkers retired yesterday, and we had a food fest at work, and I was responsible for making, guess what......cupcakes! This coworker has been a nurse twice as long (44 yrs) as I have, and has worked at our place of employment for 34 or 36 yrs....I forget already. That is dedication to say the least. Nursing is hard work, and to stay in one place for that long, is to me, rather incredible. Good luck Yo- we're going to miss you, but it brings me great pleasure that we got to eat yummy food together!

I have found out through my most dedicated coworkers, what cupcakes tend to go rather fast! I believe the site of CHOCOLATE anything, makes people salivate. Combine chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and filling, and that is a win win combination! The other cupcakes were vanilla with a mint chocolate ganche filling, and a buttercream frosting, using Earth Balance margarine.

Don't forget people....we are talking the most awesome of vegan cupcakes here! So much so, that a day shift nurse called back to the unit, asking for me, so she could tell me how awesome they were, while talking illegally on her cell phone, driving! Really...she did. People don't realize that vegan baking is not hard or a mystery, but it is chemistry, and much healthier!

Vegan cupcakes rock my world!

2011-02-26T11:28:00.001-05:00

I'm on a cupcake baking kick right now, also practicing my food photography along the way. Love natural light, but that means you have to cook and photograph during the day, which is sometimes kind of hard with my schedule. I have been lucky enough though to make sure I have day light hours to photograph these beauties!

The first up is Oreo Delights, which I can tell you, caused more than just the women at work, to go nuts....even the guys were raving about their deliciousness!

I happened to take two different setups of that particular cupcake so the other is more of a high key, but on white fur.

then another one made recently for a family get together were also snapped up in a jiffy! These are chocolate with a chocolate buttercream frosting, which also provided filling for the center of the cupcake. Bed Bath and Beyond has a cupcake corer/filler tool that is actually pretty nice, but while I didn't think of it, a small round cookie cutter would have been cheaper and just as effective!

ok.....you better check your keyboards to see if there's any drool dribbles on your keys! Enjoy your baking adventures!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T21:48:00.001-05:00

I hope this was an enjoyable and productive day for you all. My hubby and I had a late lunch/midafternoon dinner, so I'd be sure to have room for my own dessert! with all foods being vegan, I want to assure you, you would NEVER know that this mousse had NO dairy in it! The recipe for both the cupcakes and the mousse are found on Vegan Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate mousse frosting

I have to say I loved the light texture of the cupcakes, but be sure not to overfill the liners, or they will topple over the top, onto your baking tin. The cup holding the mousse is just a candy form and melted semi sweet chips, and what is Valentine's Day without chocolate dipped strawberries? Dessert was pure heaven!

How about some nice Chocolate-Raspberry Ice Cream? Dairy free of course!

2011-01-09T23:17:00.000-05:00

This recipe is sooo good, and yes, especially during the hot summer months, but even though it is winter, it is still enjoyable. I went out and bought myself an ice cream maker, because I was missing eating ice cream, and I found some dairy free ice cream recipes that I thought I needed to try! Well, this soy creamer based dessert fit the bill nicely, and is a little chocolate raspberry indulgence, esp topped with the raspberries that were picked this summer.

The recipe can be found here: http://veganicecream.blogspot.com/2006/08/chocolate-raspberry-ice-cream.html

No added fat granola!

2011-01-09T22:14:00.006-05:00

Just made this wonderful granola the other day, and it's almost gone. The hubbs doesn't follow the recommended 1/2 cup portion, so it's gone rather quickly!
This is a cinnamon almond flax raisin granola recipe, that has NO added fat, and in this recipe, I used the option of maple syrup, instead of the agave syrup, mainly because I didn't have any in the house. I also added chia seeds, and roasted pumpkin seeds. This, like most granolas, can be changed to suit your individual tastes.

The recipe is from VegWeb's site at Cinnamon Almond Raisin Flax Granola

Hope you enjoy this as much as we are!

It's been a yr since I posted last.

2010-11-28T20:58:00.003-05:00

I ususally use Facebook for displaying most of my work, and I have a food gallery on there too that I ususally add pictures to. As an update with the vegetarianism, I just want to say, that I've moved into veganism with great pride and joy. My diet is very satisfying, and I don't ever plan on returning to meat eating again. This also includes other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

I can suggest a few great YouTube videos to watch to get you started, such as Meet Your Meat, Earthlings, and Food Inc. We need to be conscientious about not only the quality of the food we injest, but where it comes from. From a humanity point of view, everyone should be well educated in how their food is treated prior to inhumane slaughter. I have a new passion in educating people along these lines, but I'm not a "shove it down your throat" type either. If you have any questions, please feel free to throw a comment in my direction!

As far as my photography goes, my job change a yr ago, kind of put a damper in the amt of wk I am taking on, but still love shooting portraits! Let me know if you need some photographic services.

I hope all are well, and I plan on getting this blog up and running again! Hope you have some wonderful holidays coming up!

recent work

2009-11-21T21:52:00.005-05:00

I've missed out on posting some recent shoots, so better get caught up here! I posted on pic of my friend's family image in the previous post with the new backgrounds, but I didn't post their kid's pics, or Marshall and Kristine's image of them together...

Then, the Monohan family also updated their yearly portrait this year again...thanks for coming back! You're such a nice family, with great kids.

New Winter backdrops

2009-10-25T20:08:00.003-04:00

I have two new backdrops that are not Christmas related this fall. The first has already been used for a family, and I think it's a beautiful drop, wouldn't you say?

If you also take a look at the labels on the right side of the page, click on the NEW BACKGROUNDS link to see the Christmas drop from last yr that is still available.
Please feel free to request which backdrop you'd like to use for your portrait session.

Easy Low Fat Applesauce Bread

2009-10-25T19:38:00.003-04:00

I'm always looking for low fat, healthier versions of foods I love, and this one fit the bill today, using homemade, fresh applesauce. There is no oil in the recipe at all, just one whole egg!

Low Fat Applesauce Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 cup skim milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9x5 inch bread pan. Mix all the dry ingredients together, add the applesauce, egg, and milk, and mix till thoroughly combined. Pour into greased pan, and bake 50-60 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick, which should come out cleanly.

12 slices. Cal-77, Fat- 1.1 gm, fiber 1 gm (Weight Watchers: 1 point)

Pumpkin Lasagna! Great fall flavor!

2009-10-16T20:08:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted a recipe for awhile, and thought this was worthy, and it tasted great on a nice fall evening.

This recipe is from the current issue of Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine.

Pumpkin Lasagna

1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion chopped
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 tsp olive oil
1 15 can solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup half and half cream
1 tsp dried sage leaves
dash pepper
9 no cook lasagna noodles
1 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1) In a small skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and 1/4 tsp salt in oil until tender; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, sage, pepper, and remaining salt.
2) Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in an 11x7 inch baking dish, coated with cooking spreay. Top with 3 noodles. Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. top with remaining noodles and sauce.
3) Cover and bake at 375 degrees, for 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining Parm cheese. Bake at 10-15 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

(I think it needs another 1/4 cup skim milk added to the sauce, to add a little more moisture)

Nutrition facts: 6 servings. 310 calories, 12 gm fat,497mg of sodium, 32gms carbs, 5 gms fiber, 17 gms protein. Diabetic exchanges 2 starch, 2 fat, 1 lean meat.

ok, the website is back up....!

2009-10-05T19:14:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness for good customer support from my web template business.

website is offline....I crashed it tonight.

2009-10-05T00:23:00.001-04:00

and I'm waiting for some Customer SErvice to help me out.....lesson learned- don't try this late at night, when you need to get up early for work!

Please be patient if you were hoping to see my site. Thanks!

macro images with the Nikon 105 2.8 VR

2009-10-04T14:04:00.005-04:00

I am having fun using my macro, and it's really neat to see the much smaller world that is out there, that you just walk by on an everyday basis. Hope you enjoy.
a split open rose hip

a thistle flower

a clematis

backlit dandelion

timothy with morning dew

Kaitlyn's birthday shoot

2009-10-04T11:58:00.004-04:00

You'd never know by a couple of these images, that Kaitlyn was turning 14 the day after this shoot. With about an hour of fun, Tyra Banks-type "you could be America's Next Top Model" goofiness and seriousness, we came away with some really nice images.

My favorite, is this B+W, a crop of the second image.

The next collage is based on a favorite collection she has of rubber duckies, which started as a child, from I believe, her grandfather reading her a story. The collection grew from there, and despite being 14, these are her favorite pictures, and time she had during the whole shoot!

McLean -Bassett Wedding 9/19/09

2009-10-01T20:59:00.007-04:00

On one of the last really nice weekend days that we had, I was able to spend it with Marti, Steve, and their family and friends at the White Eagle Conference Center, down in Madison.
It was a beautiful sunny day, evidenced by the fall colors that were starting.

We completed a lot of the preliminary shots early on, and then everyone was able to relax before the ceremony started.

Senior Roxy- Ilion HS

2009-10-01T20:36:00.004-04:00

Roxy is the last of my 2010 seniors this yr. What a fun time I've had with so many individual kids, and the pleasure I've had getting to know them, and their families. Roxy is as down to earth as they get, and she's a true country girl. I have to admit that I too was smitten with her black lab puppy, Bailey. She's a special little one, that looked awesome in her picks.

Senior Justin- Frankfort Schuylar

2009-10-01T20:25:00.003-04:00

The last of my senior boys this yr, Justin is a football player from Frankfort Schuylar. The burning balls went over really well this yr, and this shot is no exception! He looked great in all of his images, and I know I had a hard time picking ones out that I really liked too!

What was really nice, is that his step mom brought him for his pictures, and we used to go to school together many moons ago. It was nice catching up after several yrs of not seeing one another. Thanks Kim and Justing, and Timmy too.

Chaivs-Mahardy Wedding

2009-09-30T20:38:00.006-04:00

I'm behind again in keeping my blog updated, but I'm catching up now.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Cyrece Chavis, and handsome Mathew Mahardy, in the village of Dolgeville. They had a beautiful day, despite so many rainy days this summer. Their reception was held at the Crystal Chandelier in Middleville. Besides a beautiful cake, they had this incredible candy bar, full of candies of many sorts...it was such an original idea!

Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your day!

Time to plan your Christmas photo shoot.....

2009-09-16T23:48:00.003-04:00

It's almost October, which means it's time to start thinking about Christmas time too. Unfortunately, the warm, beautiful weather is going to leave us, and the cool rainy weather is going to replace it. If we have a typical winter, we'll even get some snow in October!

Shoots for Christmas will need to be done in the months of October and November, so please plan accordingly. If you call early, and want an outdoor shoot in the fall colors, you'll need to do so as soon as possible.

I'm going to be getting some new drops for this season, so be sure to stay tuned for what is ahead....(I'm having a hard time choosing between a few, so I'm sitting on it thinking).

Please call 845-8880 for an appt time to set a session aside for your family. And don't forget, Christmas cards are available in multiple sizes.

Dane- senior guy

2009-09-08T23:23:00.004-04:00

What a surprise to find out that this handsome young guy, happens to be the son of an old friend, whom I haven't seen in many yrs.....

Anyway, Dane wanted a country setting, and that's what we were able to find for him. His cousin Kassie, also had her senior pictures done on this same road, but we were able to mix it up, so they didn't have duplicate images....You have to love the light on the one that highlights his face.

Thanks Dane, Brenda, and Danica for coming out this way! I'd love to do a family session for you too!

And who said girls are attached to their phones????

Sometimes things just don't go the way you plan it

2009-09-03T22:22:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday, when I did Kelsey's pictures, I mentioned that my flash didn't work, and her mom made a battery run for me....I was very greatful for that, but I had no idea what I would be in for this week. I "thought" I had charged my batteries, and was under the assumption the ones I planned on using for a wedding this week were charged. Out of insecurity, I did buy a back up flash too, because I'm shooting a wedding, and heaven forbid if I didn't have a flash that worked...put the batteries in....popped off three flashes.....flash then died.

I was like, "WHAT??????". Enter panick mode......threw the batteries in the charger again....no light, so assumed they were charged. Went through different case scenarios of what could be wrong. This was a brand new flash, charged batteries, was it me? Was I really crazy? Was the brand new flash bad? Which happened to be the only one the camera store had too, btw. Yesterday, went to Best Buy, as I wanted a new slow trickle charger....they only had a 3 hour charger...left the store, went to Radio Shack....they only had a 2 hour charger ( I wanted one that would take longer, not go faster), left store, went back to Best Buy, bought a new charger, and a new 8 pack of rechargables....

I'll spare you the details, but got all of my batteries charged, found out I had one bad one, which was probably responsible for the others not charging, although I still don't know what was really wrong with my flash, other than a little corrosion.

And, my lesson learned, which everyone would probably benefit from, is: if you use rechargable batteries, use a good charger that has a cord, not the little ones you get in the pack at the stores, with 4 batteries....it doesn't tell you jack squat about how much your batteries are charged, or whether they are even any good! That, my friends, is my public service announcement for the week.....oh, and it's probably not a good idea to leave your batteries in whatever gizmo is holding them...not good for the contacts.

Stay tuned for a few more seniors and a wedding by Labor Day!

Senior- Kelsey

2009-08-31T16:25:00.004-04:00

So far this summer, I've hit it pretty lucky doing outdoor shoots with people. Kelsey's indoor shoot went wonderfully smooth, quick and to the point, and then as soon as we got into Utica, the spinkles came, I couldn't get my flash to work properly, and I thought it was going to be a lost cause, where we might have to reschedule. So we did some shots, and her mom was gracious enough to go and get some new batteries for me, which really probably wasn't the problem, but we went to Hotel Utica, to get in out of the drops, and got some beautiful ones in there. The place has great architecture, and ambiance. Then it was back to the streets! Overall, we had a really good time, and better yet, we didn't get soaked!

Senior boys-Headshots

2009-08-29T20:38:00.005-04:00

Two friends wanted just the simple I-need-a yrbook-picture session, and came for just that. Both are good looking young men, and I have to say, it's nice to see them dressed up! We got some casual shots in too. Thanks Ryan and Brad for coming by.

chocolate zucchini cake

2009-08-23T14:38:00.003-04:00

I love chocolate, and I love zucchini....match them together, and you have a scrumptious desert! Recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or CHOCOLATE CHIPS!
Add to Recipe Box

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

I used 1/2 oil and applesauce, which decreases the amt of fat in the recipe, and I only used 3 eggs....tastes simply marvelous! Hope you enjoy.

Another fun senior! Molly today.

2009-08-22T23:01:00.003-04:00

Today, I had the pleasure of shooting another senior from West Canada. These girls are so willing to try new things and lie in hayfields when asked! Another batch of very pretty images from this session.

Senior- Kassie

2009-08-21T20:21:00.005-04:00

I'm a little late posting this senior from Dolgeville- sorry Kassie! We had tons of fun, and she was willing to try anything asked! Despite all of the rain we have had this summer, we lucked out on a beautiful night, although a little humid...nothing too much to damper the spirits!

Little Colin

2009-08-16T13:56:00.002-04:00

Colin's mom Katie and I used to work together awhile back. I remember when they got married, and now she has a little one. This was one happy little guy, considering the heat and all.

Hope to see them again!

New Fall props

2009-08-16T10:20:00.004-04:00

Little Maddie came back for a visit, just so I could photograph her in my new fall props. She's a beaut! If you have a little one from about 6 months up to a year, and she can sit up, feel free to ask for either or both of these hat boxes. The damask is a new option also.

Please call to set up an appt for your fall pictures. Indooor or outdoor shoots are available.

Ballerina Senior-Audra in the Station

2009-08-15T08:34:00.004-04:00

I have to say, after working all day, and then doing an outdoor and indoor shoot, that I was tired....but I had nothing to complain about, since she had danced for hours earlier in the day, had to get ready, then performed in front of the camera again.

We had a lot of fun, since we started out at the Utica train station, and then played around in front of the buildings outside. I enjoyed our time together, and a big thanks to her mom for being prop master and clothes sorter!

Oriental Lilly in the garden

2009-08-08T19:59:00.002-04:00

Just thought I would share a recent picture from my flower garden. One beautiful head of Oriental Lillies.

A seven month old little girl

2009-08-02T18:38:00.004-04:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Maddie, daughter of a high school classmate from years ago. There are plenty of pics of her different expressions, but mom asked to keep some for just them. So I took two of the ones that I really liked. Precious, and beautiful are a couple of adjectives used by some who have already seen these on Facebook (look me up, I'm jessica.eissphotographer over there.)

I think I'll be seeing her again at Christmas time, and am looking forward to seeing how much she will have grown.

Recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles-batch 2

2009-07-26T10:33:00.007-04:00

So, I'm hooked, and I don't want to stop making pickles, esp when you taste how good these are, even very warm, right out of the pot. (I have to confess, I ate most of the left overs, that I couldn't squeeze into the jars....I'm off to find more cukes today, so I can make batch 3 with Splenda.

I believe I got this recipe off of Allrecipes.com, but I'm not sure. I scoured the net the other night, and pulled off a few, and didn't mark the source of this one, sorry!

The Recipe:

4 Qts sliced medium sized cucumbers, unpeeled (I used all of the 23 or 25 I had)
6 medium white onioins, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup pickling salt, non iodized
5 cups of sugar (the reason I want to use splenda next!)
1 1/2 tsp turmeric (will stain EVERYTHING it comes in contact with- be careful!)
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
2 T mustard seed
3 cups white vinegar

1.Slice the cukes thin
2.place the cukes in a large bowl and add sliced onions, chopped peppers, and whole garlic cloves
3.Add salt and cover with ice. Mix well. Let stand for 3 hours.
4.Drain the cucumber mixture well.
5.Transfer the mix to a large pot, add all remaining ingredients. Bring just to a boil.
6.Pack cucumber mix into hot sterilized 1 pint jars.
7. Seal with lids and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (20 minutes for high altitues over 1,000 feet)
Allow to sit in a cool dark location for at least 2 weeks prior to use.
Makes about 4 pints.

I got 5 pints with left over brine, so I think next time, I'd up the cucumbers to 25-28. Supposedly, the Splenda recipe online, is very close to this one, but using only about 2 1/4- 2 1/2 cups of splenda, instead of the 5 cups of sugar.

If these taste as good or better in 2 weeks, after they tasted so good in the pot, these are going to be terrific!

Home made pickles!

2009-07-24T15:54:00.006-04:00

I know I haven't blogged in so long, but this was worthwhile mentioning, at least for me!

My hubby bought me a canning pot with accessories recently from a garage sale, so I felt I really should use it. I bought some great looking pickling cukes from the Amish at a farmer's market, and I wish I had bought more now. Anyway, here is my journey this am. I also had the assistance of my sister, who is in the picture, and is here visiting from NM, and leaves to go back home tomorrow. I have to say, that I ended up cheating and didn't use a recipe, since Walmart was out of Mustard seed, so I bought a packaged mix to make the bread and butter pickles.

I would have spent all morning slicing these cukes by hand, if it hadn't been for Jan asking me why I wasn't using my new Kitchen Aid food processor. In all honesty, I hadn't even thought about it, since I'm still not used to having it to help me out. It went so much faster, using it to do the slicing!

Here are the jars in the pot, waiting to come back to a boil

And here is the final product....I'm totally hooked, and I want to make more.....and I may be able to on Sunday! I just need to find some more cucumbers!

Rhubarb and apple crisp makes everything so nice!

2009-05-09T15:01:00.005-04:00

MMMMMMM, the rhubarb is ready, and that means it time for crisps or cobblers, or pies.

Today, I'm going to share an awesome healthy recipe, from The Heart Association's Low Fat Low Cholesterol cookbook. ( I love that cookbook!) It's nice and sweet, and not too tangy or tart.

Apple Rhubarb Crisp (eight servings)
Filling:
2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tbsp of cornstarch

Topping:
2/3 cup quick or regular oats
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
3 1/2 Tbsp of tub light margarine

In a large bowl, mix all of your filling ingredients and let sit for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degreees. Then spoon into an 8 inch baking pan or 1 qt baking dish.

In a medium blowl, stir together the topping ingredients except the margarine. Using a pastry blender, cut th emargarine into the topping until the mixture resembles coarse crums. Sprinkel the topping over the apple-rhubarb mixture.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 miutes, or until the topping is light brown. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Nutritional values: calories, 173, total fat 2.5 (no sat fat), cholesterol 0mg, sodium 44mg, fiber 2 gms, and protein 2 gms

WEIGHT WATCHERS points: 3

(I couldn't wait 20 minutes!)
Now for the pictures, right?

and how about a little closer?

Enjoy! Feel free to post back here if you tried it and liked it!

Spring flowering trees in my yard

2009-05-04T20:17:00.003-04:00

It was a wonderfully overcast afternoon today, which is perfect for going out to photograph things, without having harsh shadows show up in your pictures. The only things flowering right now, are my two trees; a crab apple, and an ornamental pear, and some daffodils which are on their way out, and my primroses.

I thought I would share a few that I really liked from today. Now, if it would just warm up again!

Holland Patent Prom

2009-04-25T21:37:00.006-04:00

Courtney went to her first Prom tonight, in which she was escorted by her boyfriend Marcus, from Holland Patent. They looked great together, and I have to tell you, this was a half a day's ordeal! The nails last night, the hair today, the meeting at their house for pictures, and then Grand March at school....it's almost like a wedding!

Miss Emily returns....

2009-04-21T19:37:00.003-04:00

once again! Sunday, she brought her friend who happens to look just like her, and was even dressed just like her. With matching dresses, they both looked beautiful.

Here's a sneak peak of her shoot....

I met my first weight loss goal!

2009-04-19T12:50:00.003-04:00

16 weeks and 20 pounds lighter, I am finally posting some pictures. It is a rare site to see me in pictures, especially when I've asked someone (Ashley who happened to be home) to do them for me. Good job Ash BTW.

I will have a new pic to use on my blog for now, until the hair grows out some more, (and then I'll have to take a new one). Man, I hate this part of it, when you can't do anything with it yet. But it will get longer this summer, and not any too soon.

so here are two shots of me.....I have set a new goal now, and it has to be done by the end of June, when it's going to be really warm out.

Thanks for looking....this isn't as fun as looking at cute kids in pretty dresses!

Addison's Easter pics

2009-04-14T20:14:00.003-04:00

Little miss Addison returned for her Easter pics this past weekend. What a difference 4 months makes, when you are talking Christmas at 12 months vs 16 months now! This girl can't be bothered with standing still, when there are kitties to play with, and neighbor kids she was watching, who were playing outside .

As always though, she's a pleasant little lady, who LOVES her mommy!

Easter cross Rye Rolls

2009-04-12T14:49:00.004-04:00

A woman from the Fresh Loaf.com site referred me to her blog for some easy rye bread, which I made three batches of this morning, and just thought I would send you her way too, if you like bread baking, and like rye (Or anything else she has on her site!)

These were very easy and they taste awesome! Libby's site is At the Very Yeast, so give her a looksey.

And here are two pics to make you drool!

PS....they went over really well at dinner, so make sure you have some on hand for dinner guests!

Happy Easter eveyone!

2009-04-12T07:28:00.001-04:00

I hope your day is wonderful, and that you may enjoy nice weather, and fellowship with your families and friends!

1st Communion photo shoot

2009-04-11T21:40:00.002-04:00

This was my first time shooting a 1st Communion session, and Jordan was a great sport about trying a bunch of different poses for me....she's a natural in front of the camera too.

Here are a few of my favs from today:

Three brothers

2009-04-11T21:34:00.004-04:00

These boys have grown, as I haven't seen them in over a year! This collage is a collection of their best individuals, and a pic of them with their mom. She's expecting a little girl this summer, and all 3 seem pretty excited! That little one, will be one well taken care of girl in school I'm sure, and she better be pretty tough on the homefront too, sticking up for herself!

Buttery Honey Whole Wheat bread

2009-04-04T18:26:00.006-04:00

I am an avid reader of The Fresh Loaf website, which is a site dedicated to bread making for beginners through pros, and today, I made an excellent tasting, healthy recipe, using honey and whole wheat.
This is the Buttery Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe that I used.

Joe's breads look beautiful, and while the tops of mine deflated a bit, from using an unsharp knife that I did, to score the top, it tasted wonderfully good warm with some butter on it! MMMMMmmmmmmmmm!

If you enjoy bread making, be sure to check out this site, and his too. He has some good stuff on there. On the Fresh Loaf site, there is pretty much everything you need to get yourself started, or to challenge you if you are already experienced....Enjoy the smell of hot bread baking in the oven.

Saturday weigh in!

2009-04-04T08:45:00.003-04:00

Down another 1 1/2 pounds, but it took 3 weeks to get here.....it's slowing down, and I think I found the balance of calories in vs calories out.....that means I have to start exercising more.....if the rain would ever stop, I'll be good to go outside, and I can't wait to get on my bike!

down: 18 1/2 pounds!

K+K for Easter

2009-03-29T20:49:00.004-04:00

I had two sisters and then Mom and Grandma too for a family picture to be done today.
I remember two Christmas's ago, when the eldest Miss K wouldn't even make eye contact with me. Then through two more sessions, she became my helper, and I even got some hugs out of her, and she let me help her with her coat too. It's the little things that come out of shoots like this, that make these days special!

Little Miss K turned one this month too, but she is at a stage where strangers are not her friends, so we were lucky to get a few of her by herself.

Nothing like home made bread!

2009-03-29T20:45:00.004-04:00

This is a garlic-butter bubble pull apart loaf. Say that 3 times fast! This smelled so incredibly good while it was rising, baking, and after it came out of the oven!

Apparently, bread flour really does make a difference, as does good fresh yeast, both bought at the co-op in Little Falls.

Just wanted to share, and might even come back to put the recipe in too. It came from the Taste Of Home BAking cookbook.

Here's the recipe:

2 pkgs of acitve dry yeast, (2 scant Tbsp)
1/4 warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 cups warm milk(110-115 deg)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp shortening
2 tsp salt
6 1/4-6 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp garlic powder

In a large mixing bowl,dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, salt and 2 cups flour, beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surgace; divine into fourths. Divide each portion into 12 peices. In a shallow bowl, combine the butter, parsley and garlic powder. Shape each peice of dough into a ball; dip into butter mixture. Place in two greased 9-inx 5 in x3 in loaf pans. Pour any remaining butter mixture over dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. (Don't crowd them into the pan. put about 12 spaced out in two irreglar layers per pan)

Bale at 375 deg for 35-40 min or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. remove from pans to wire racks.

Tortellini dinner

2009-03-27T18:03:00.004-04:00

Thought I would share another dinner tonight, which was really easy to make.

The tortelli can be bought as a 16 oz pkg of frozen pasta, and for the sauce, start with a bunch of finely chopped veggies, like carrots, onions, garlic, celery, red and green peppers, and any other veggies you like. Cook them in a small amt of water,in a heavy pot till softened. Then add your favorite 26 oz jar or can of sauce and some cooked beans or 1 can of black beans. Heat till the beans are warm. Add the cooked tortellini, and add a mixed vegetable, and you have yourself a nice colorful dinner, full of Vit C, lycopene, and fiber!

Added some color to a dinner shoot

2009-03-15T20:05:00.006-04:00

I used some Pampered Chef items for a picture of dinner tonight. I love their white dishes, but don't use them enough!, and a towel from a previous Fall Collection added some base color.

Tonight's dinner was Black Bean Chili Pot Pie (I used kidney beans in this dish)

The Recipe is from The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook

taken while still hot and in the dutch oven. If you don't have a peice of cast iron cookware, but esp a dutchoven, you don't know what you are missing! It's a great addition to the kitchen, but is useful for so many reasons.

Dinner Fare......

2009-03-14T21:35:00.002-04:00

I have really gotten into cooking again this past 3 weeks, trying out new recipes, and actually realized tonight, that we haven't had a repeated meal yet! Tonight's fare, with items bought at the co-op this am, was spinach fettucini with yellow squash and tomatoes, grilled fresh pinapple, corn frittata, and I made/ate beet greens for the first time ever. I really liked them too!

I have to say, that my dad is enjoying the lighter fare, if he is down for dinner, which is usually once a weekend.

I'm going to challenge myself to try setting up little sets on weekends for food photography. I think this is an area I'd like to experiment with!

I have to admit, I'm pretty happy!

2009-03-14T08:29:00.002-04:00

Down another 2 lbs! This is one of those yes! mornings. My weekly weigh ins are Saturdays here at the house, and I could just feel like the scale was going to have moved, and it did! It's been a couple of weeks, so this is a good way to start off the day. Supposedly from my original goal of losing 25 lbs, I'm down 17, so that leaves 8 to go........we'll see!

Doing the happy dance today! And headed to the co-op in Little Falls later. IF you have never been there, it's a great place to get your bulk items or spices and herbs. They are so much cheaper than paying McCormick prices in the store!

The Frist Robins have arrived!

2009-03-10T19:05:00.002-04:00

I guess that means that spring is REALLY around the corner for us now.....finally! While we may get a little more snow or flurries tonight or in the next few days.....the snow will continue to melt, the days will get warmer, and these beautiful bird's bellies will start getting huge!

I'm just glad to see them, even if it's a little early!

Vegetarianism and good food too!

2009-03-09T20:00:00.004-04:00

Here's a weight check in....down 15#! I've slowed down again, staying the same weight for a whole week, but I honestly think it has to do with not drinking enough water on a lot of days. That all has to do with how busy I am at work, and how available it is to drink.

So instead of being a Flexitarian as stated in my post before this, I went the whole way, and gave up all meats, and I'm on day 17 now, and absolutely love it! I thought I would really miss sea food, and I really don't. Shrimp was always my favorite, but I am quite content with just my veggies and whole grains. I hardly eat any processed foods now either, so it's basically a whole food diet that we are consuming.

Steve is down about 22-25 lbs too, and I'm so proud of him for sticking to this. He wants to continue his occasional salmon eating, but other than that, he's a vegetarian too. (Technically he'd be called a pescetarian), but he has still significantly changed his eating habits.

Here's a pic to share with you, since I haven't updated very often. This is a salsa rice and beans dish with a fresh fruit salad and beans....it was very good.

Basic recipe is easy too: 4 cups of cooked brown rice (either long cooked or quick cooking, it doesn't matter), 1 cup of salsa, and 2 cups of any beans (or 1 can of canned beans).

This came from the new cookbook I just bought last week, called The Vegetarian 5-ingredient Gourmet, by Nava Atlas

Give a Meatless meal a try sometime, and actually even the government is encouraging Meatless Mondays!

Nutrition site to check out....

2009-02-15T20:52:00.005-05:00

My hubby and I have made a commitment to lifestyle changes. He jumped on board with me several weeks ago, and we are still enjoying regular weight loss, although with him being on vacation for awhile, he's surpassed me in his pounds lost! Good for him though!

In my continued searches for recipes, information on leading more of a vegetarian lifestyle, I've come across two sites I want to share. The first is a nutrition site which has tons of great info on it if anyone is interested in really solid information. It is maintained by registered dieticians. Here's the site: Nutrition 101 site

the other is a book that I just found about, but it is on the same topic of reducing animal protein consumption, and eating more plant foods. The name of the book is the Flexitarian Diet. Now, many die hard vegetarians may find this appalling, as, you are either one, or you are not. I disagree though. I am not doing this out of animal rights or inhumane treatment of animals, I am doing this to help us live a longer healthier life, by reducing animal foods.

A book that I am currently reading, is a true eye opener though. The book "The China Study", by Dr. Campbell, shows through his great research, that cancers, heart disease, and diabetes are directly related to excessive animal food consumption. The study is the most comprehensive nutritional study ever done. It's amazing what they have found out, in relation to cancer and protein consumption......This book will change the way you look at food, since our typical American Diet is killing us....just look around at society, and see how it's changed in the last 20 yrs!

Let me know if you decide to read it. It's only like $16 at Amazon.

so how did your Super Bowl go?

2009-02-02T19:11:00.003-05:00

While I am a not a big football fan, I did make a few things for the family and friends to munch on for dinner and snacks.

Are you up for a no-fat brownie recipe? Here goes:
Still in the Weight Watcher's mode, so I was looking forward to having some chocolate.

these are 1-pt brownies, and they aren't bad at all!

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup +2Tbls cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
(1/4 cup walnuts which are optional, and if used brownies are 2 pts each)

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix well, then stir in applesauce, egg whites, and vanilla. Fold in nuts if using.

Coat an 8 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or just until the edges are firm and the center is almost set.

Let cool, nad sut into 16 2-inch squares
cal 80, Fat 0, fiber .8gms

I'll keep posting recipes as I go along, as I have scoured the internet for good looking recipes that are weight watchers friendly! There's a ton out there, and I think I'm on page 12 of a Google search!

Making progress......

2009-01-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

Well, 4 weeks into this, plus one day, and I'm down 9 lbs! I'm feeling much better too, and hubby got the black card membership at Planet Fitness, so basically, the two of us can go for the price of his membership.....I love weight training, it feels so good to feel tight arm muscles after a good workout.

I was originally planning on 20 pounds to begin with, but I'm half way there now, and I'm thinking I'm going to go for another 15, instead of 10.....We'll have to see how it goes, and whether my body is liking that or not.

How's everybody else doing too?

I had a pre-New Years resolution, and I'm sticking to it!

2009-01-17T23:12:00.002-05:00

I am bound and determined to lose 20 pounds, and I'm going to do it! I did Weight Watchers with my sister last year, and I lost 21 lbs in 3 months. Then with my new job, and having food available all of the time, due to drug reps bring snacks and lunches, I put 10 of it back on. So....back on WW I go, and I really do like finding new recipes online. There are so many sites that have free WW recipes, that I spend hours looking at, and printing recipes.

Well, 3 weeks into this, I've lost 6 1/2 lbs, and now my hubby has joined me. We have a membership at Planet Fitness, and will be working out and weight training. I really like lifting weights instead of doing cardio, but we all know it's a necessary evil!

My secret desire and motivation for losing the weight, is that I am turning 40 in a couple of weeks, and I want to be able to wear a black leather halter bra on the back of my husband's motorcycle! I don't know if I would ever have the courage to do it, but that is my goal, at least, is to fit in one, and look good.

If you too are fighting the battle of the bulge, feel free to post your successes, and struggles!

I'm ba-aack! And Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T19:19:00.002-05:00

Man, it really stinks not having a computer for a couple of weeks, but I'm back in action now. Good to "see" everybody again, and what is going on with people.

Hope you all had a great beginning for a New Year!

Best fudge ever!!!!

2008-12-19T16:27:00.003-05:00

First I want to say, that I am computerless for the time being, but will hopefully get that fixed as soon as possible. So, I'm on my daughter's for a little while.

I've been wanting to share this, so everyone can have some great tasting, foolproof fudge to make for Christmas.

This comes from Polly, who ran the arts and crafts lessons, at our soon to be closed AC Moore store, in Utica.

RECIPE: 1-16oz pkg of white candy melts, 1-16oz pkg of chocolate, any chocolate you prefer, and an 18oz jar of peanut butter, (with or without chunks). Melt it all in a microwave safe bowl, till melted, then butter a 13x9" pan, spread some mini marshmallows in the bottom, (how ever many you'd like to have), then pour the chocolate mixture on top, and smooth out evenly. Refrigerate till solid, then cut in small pieces.

Let me know how you like it if make some.....you won't be disappointed!
Obviously this has peanuts in it, so make sure all of your family and friends know, before they eat any of it!

I have a confession to make......

2008-12-14T00:35:00.003-05:00

I am an addicted scrapbooking paper collector! Not to mention a chocoholic, but that will be another post in the future! How many of you are scrapbookers? Do you do traditional scrapbooking or have you entered the realm of digiscrapping?

I made a post on a forum I frequent tonight, about collecting so much scrapbooking stuff for digital scrapbooking, that I'll never use it all. Sound familiar? Besides that, I have so much real stuff, that it's just sitting in my armoir, not getting used.

So anyway, I thought I would post my favorite stop every evening, before going to bed, and this has turned out to be the cause of so many late nights now, sitting in front of my computer!

Here's the site: Digital Scrapbooking. If you like seeing what is out there for free scrapbooking papers and elements, take a look at all of the freebies, but be forewarned, there is a lot to go through!

Leave me a note, and let me know what type of scrapbooking you do. Now that the Christmas rush is over, I hope to have some time to do some work on catching up the past 3 yrs I'm behind....Thanksgiving of 2005, to be exact!

My last family Christmas session....

2008-12-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

was done last Sunday. Barb and her kids came to see me earlier this year, for a three generation portrait, with her mom. This time she brought her hubby along too. The girls have grown quite a bit over the summer, and they still love petting my kitties. I think they had more fun giving a couple of the cats some affection, then they did anything else. Poor mom is allergic, so they got their kitty fix with my cats.

Here are my two favorites from the bunch from this session.

A big Christmas family!

2008-12-09T22:20:00.003-05:00

I was fortunate enough to have photographed most of the families in this picture seperately at Chester's Flowers a few weekends ago, and then they asked me back to photograph them at Mary and Pat's house, all together. What a nice bunch of people, and great kids too!

Phil and Elizabeth are newly engaged (Congratulations!) and needed a photo for their engagement picture so we took a few of them for that. They look so happy together, and I hope they have many years ahead of them.

Next was the big group of all 17 of them! this is where the kids just shined. They really paid attention, and all coopetated so well- thanks kids!

Last but not least is the group of all 9 kids together....is it ever perfect getting all of them looking in the same direction at the same time? It's still a great image, esp with all of the siblings/cousins together.

Two sisters

2008-12-04T23:05:00.002-05:00

Meet Miss K, and Miss K. I photographed the older miss K last yr for Christmas, and she was so shy! She wouldn't even make eye contact with me last yr, and only focused on her grandma. This year though, she is all grown up, and didn't seem to mind having her picture taken.

Her sister on the other hand, wasn't so sure, and good thing for mom being able to distract her, and make her smile!
While the elder Miss K isn't looking at the camera or smiling, I love this shot, because I think she looks so pensive.....it's a very nice shot to me.

Dancing.....

2008-12-04T07:04:00.005-05:00

I was finally able to photograph Alicia for some dance pictures, when she came with her family for Christmas pictures last weekend. There are so many good ones, but for now, here is one collage. Beautiful girl, beautiful images! I'll try to add some more later on.

Here are some others I thought I would share. These will look so good on her studio walls, when she gets here own space. You are very talented Alicia!

The cutest pigtails

2008-12-01T23:53:00.005-05:00

The last time I saw little Miss "A", she was 4 months old, and she is still in my pictures on my website, if you want to go look for her....(hint, she has a red hat on.) She just turned 1 yr old on Thanksgiving, and although we were supposed to do a cake smash, her mom said that she did a trial run on her birthday, and she screamed when she touched the frosting.....so we didn't do that after all. I guess not all kids love diving into cakes like my other birthday boy did....oh wait....he is a boy!

Anyway, the pigtails just add some personality to the pictures, don't you think? It reminds me of my daughter's "Pebbles" fountain one I used to do for her, when she was little.

The last pic is just a great series of expressions of she and her mom. (click on the picture to view it larger)

I just have to share one of my dog!

2008-12-01T23:19:00.003-05:00

Patches has been with us for 4 yrs I think, and she was rescued from SSHS in Utica. She is the second dalmation mix we have had, and she is a great pet and family member. Although not very old, (the vet thinks between 6-7) she is getting greyer, and everyone loves her half-black face and black ears. She has had many comments on it since the beginning, but she's losing that since getting greyer.

She's such a poser, and has no qualms about getting in front of the camera. Just wanted to share her cuteness with everyone, since she is always locked up when people come to get their pictures done.....(or she would be in the pictures with the kids or families!)

I promise to get my sessions up here from last weekend too, and our own family picture, that we just got done. See even we wait till the last minute!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

2008-11-26T19:44:00.002-05:00

It's the eve before, but just wanted to wish everyone a wonderfull day with family and friends tomorrow! Around here, we may have to watch the weather, and we are supposed to drive two hours to my hubby's family.....we'll have to see. Tug Hill can be a real bear, as it was last yr, when I drove up there in an ice storm. No where else was it icing, but up on the plateau....

Anyway, be safe, have fun, and eat lots of turkey.....and to those who say, "Have a nice holiday....I say, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" Give thanks to Who it belongs to, and be thankful for what we have, and are able to do....

Enjoy!

Last, but not least.....

2008-11-25T22:54:00.004-05:00

there just aren't enough hours in the day, to do all there is to do. I didn't mean to leave the boys off of the radar here. But they are the last of the previous weekends shoots, and two of my favorites!

This is a great photo of Mr's T+T, and their pretty dog too. He had never seen cats before, and while he didn't bother them, unfortunately my older cat stayed under a chair, with her hair standing straight up. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to give a 5 mo old puppy directions....never the less, some nice pics to add to the collection.

Baby's first Christmas

2008-11-24T22:22:00.002-05:00

Little "M" came to get her Christmas pictures done this year, and she has big, beautiful eyes and lashes! These are my favorites of the session, and even these few images, shows her unique expressions!

Andrew's Christmas

2008-11-21T22:01:00.003-05:00

I've been photographing Andrew for almost a year and a half, and last Sunday, was the first time that he wasn't easily amused. It didn't help that he wasn't feeling the best, but I do think we got some really nice shots.

The naughty or nice just happened to be caught at the right time!

Come join me at Chester's Flowers this weekend, for their Christmas Open House.

2008-11-19T07:12:00.002-05:00

Chester's Flowers is having their Christmas Open House this weekend, Sat from 9-5pm, and 11-4 pm on Sunday. They are located on 1117 York St. in Utica. I will be photographing families there, and you can have a 4x6 image to keep for free. You can also register to win a Chester's $300 shopping spree!

So bring your family, and come see the beautifully decorated gift shop, and all of the poinsettias in all of their glorious colors. It's a sight to see!

Hope to see you there! And be sure to mention to read this on my blog!

All she wants for Christmas is...

2008-11-16T11:41:00.005-05:00

Her two front teeth, and she's working on getting them in! Her left one has already broken through, but what a perfect pic for the holidays.

I think I like this one for the winter now!

2008-11-16T08:48:00.003-05:00

Sorry for all of the changes, but when you find a free blog layout site, thanks to good photographer friend Janie (she's in my blog roll), then you have to try some out for size...

I like this one best yet? Do you agree?

I have pics to post from yesterday, but haven't finished them yet, and three shoots today.

How do you like the new look?

2008-11-15T23:38:00.002-05:00

leave me a yea or nay.....I think I like it, but may have to change some font colors around!

I hate dead ends!

2008-11-13T21:45:00.002-05:00

And I can't stand medical care that stinks! Today was a total waste of of a day off from work, money, and energy! We saw the infectious disease Dr in Albany today, and basically he didn't understand why we were referred to him to begin with....he was very nice, and it was nice to have a new set of ears listening to us, but there was no reason for us to be there. Apparently, the yeast that was found growing in her urine was from one or two tests ago, not during the procedure which was done several weeks ago, which I thought this referral was based upon. She was clean as a whistle....so now, all kidney issues have been resolved, and nothing that she is experiencing, has anything to do with her kidneys, BUT, he did also agree with her needing a full rheumatology work up.

He even thought she probably did fit the Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue criteria, but he is not qualified to make that diagnosis.

It gets old hearing, "well, I can tell you what you don't have, but I am not sure what is going on." I hate that phrase, and although they (Dr's) think they are giving you good news, I repeatedly tell them, it's just another door being shut in front of us, and it's frustrating!

Off to make an appt with the Rheum Dr next.....my friend just got diagnosed with latent stage Lyme disease (8 yrs later), and we have said for years, they the two of them have run similar symptoms, so who knows, maybe she should be tested for that too....!

Thanks for following if you have!

Keeping fingers crossed!

2008-11-12T22:13:00.008-05:00

Many people know that my oldest daughter has suffered with chronic kidney infections for the past 4 1/2 yrs, and she was in and out of the hospital 7 times in about the first three of those. She has continued to suffer from what has appeared to be some sort of auto immune disorder, and finally a couple of weeks ago, during a procedure, they finally came up with something in her labs. Without getting too personal, she is growing yeast, and we need to find out if it is systemic or not.

Tomorrow, we are seeing yet another specialist in Albany, in hopes of finding a diagnosis, and possible treatment/cure. It has been a long road for all of us, but an incapacitating one for her.....

So, hoping we get some good news tomorrow....

You know when you get on the internet, and start doing your own research....well, I found this excellent article about CFIDS...(Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction) on Dr. Cranton's website. It pertains to Yeast Syndrome.

This is the link, if anyone would like to take a look. Dr Cranton's.

New Christmas set in use today

2008-11-09T21:49:00.004-05:00

This was a great shoot, and I think most kids like to have someone working behind me, making them laugh. I had a bear behind my head yesterday, a dog squeaker toy in action today....what else is in the attention getting arsenal?

I think these portraits came out beautifully today, and hope everyone involved loves them too! Thank goodness for crackers, for a little pick me up, in between groups today, or else it may have come to a screeching halt!

Miss A for Christmas......

2008-11-08T19:36:00.003-05:00

We did Miss A's portraits for Christmas today, and I don't think I have ever seen such beautiful skin on a little girl before! It was like porcelain. I have to say, I love having kids bring their bears and dolls! Keep them coming, and I might make a Teddy Bear gallery on my website!

During her shoot, we switched gears, and she put on a tutu....wonderful smiles abounded!

Two new Christmas sets

2008-11-08T16:50:00.003-05:00

I just bought a new pretty chair to use for a prop, and the color matches Christmas and the holiday season wonderfully. Here are two possible sets to use, one is the white High Key, and the other is the new Christmas backdrop. We can certainly change things around, and you are not required to stay with just that arrangement. I'll be posting some high key of a little one done today.

Please let me know which set you would like, if scheduling an appt...it's so much easier knowing ahead of time what props I need to get out!

PS: the kitten is not part of the props, and won't be in your pictures! And the wrinkles will be gone before you know it!

Christmas portrait special.....

2008-11-06T20:23:00.002-05:00

I do have a few more openings this month on the weekends, but boy did it fill up quickly! Just wanting to let you know that the Christmas special this year, is an 11x14 canvas on matboard, and session for $75. That is quite the deal!

I do have a new Christmas backdrop that I bought for this year, and will be using it on Sat. It's a painted Christmas tree, with a window looking out into a winter scape.

So, if you still haven't made an appt yet, but want to, they can still be scheduled this month, into Dec, but, depending on how late the date, your pictures may not be guaranteed to be back in time for the holiday.

If you would like to make an appt for this month, please call as soon as possible! My number is 315-845-8880.

And lastly, I'd like to take this opportunity, to thank all of my repeat customers, and all of my brand new customers, for the wonderful business this year!

Creating Storyboards, and "What are they?"

2008-11-02T23:12:00.003-05:00

Some people have never heard the term storyboard before, so I thought I would explain and show two examples. It's usually a larger size photo, with several images added, to tell a story.

I think these two are perfect to show as examples, since the kids gave me so many great images, they needed to be seen together. Look at the love and affection they share together, and what child doesn't have a special Teddy or doll, or blankie? A storyboard can be of anything....

If your child has a special Lovey, and you'd like to capture the special moments between them, have them come and be photographed, with a series of images to create a storyboard for yourself.

Another Christmas portrait session....

2008-11-01T21:59:00.006-04:00

With a good looking family! I had recently photographed the kids along with their cousins and grandparents, and then they came back with Mom and Dad today for their family session....These are just a few of the ones that will be part of their gallery.

Mr A is a real ham and has some great photos with his bear...He loves to tell stories, and has great expressions when he tells them.

Miss E is a little more reserved compared to her brother, but she has a great smile, and poses so well. She also brought along her American doll and has a bunch of images with her too...

Why does portrait photography cost so much?

2008-10-31T21:32:00.005-04:00

I just thought I would share this with you all, so that you may have a better understanding as to why a personal portrait photographer, charges more than your big box stores, for your images.

Personally, I think customer service is key. I like to take the images, edit them to my satisfaction, and then provide you with portraits that you are going to be happy with, and pleased that you purchased. There is much more, that goes into a shoot, than just clicking the shutter on the camera, and then uploading to the internet to view.

Take a read through, and if you have any questions, or would like to leave a comment, I'd be happy to answer for you. Happy reading!

http://www.professionalchildphotographer.com/information/?p=6

Oh and by the way, the author is an "online friend" from a photography forum I frequent, so check out his site at the very bottom of the article

Is Winter going to hang around for long?

2008-10-28T19:22:00.002-04:00

As it is in the Northeast, we have too long of a winter anyway, but when it starts before Halloween, well, there is just something wrong with that scenario! While right here in the village, there isn't much, in the outlying areas, and even up North, 6 inches is just the beginning!

Ugh! I want it to all go away! Where are those warm days again, and the pretty leaves?

The start of the Christmas season

2008-10-26T20:47:00.004-04:00

Today's shoot started the Christmas season for me. Britt brought her brother and sister for a family shoot, so they would have portraits for the holidays, for their parents. I thought that was a neat idea, that she was thinking ahead like that, and to consider something long lasting, and so meaningful.

Anyway, we had a really good time, shot a lot of frames, because they were all so good looking and hamming it up. And the little outfits for her dog, was incredible too! Her aunt made them up so she would be festive for her pictures, and the holidays.....too CUTE!

Our beautiful kitten

2008-10-25T23:44:00.002-04:00

This is Marley, and she is a trip! She is quite mischevious, to say the least, and she is also not afraid of studio lights. This happened to be a spur of the moment catch, since she jumped up on a chair that was off to the side, as a prop.

She's our purty kitty!

Welcome to my blog!

2008-10-24T19:40:00.002-04:00

I just want to say, that I am brand new to the blogging world, and I hope to be able to showcase my work right away using it. Please feel free to check back frequently and see what is going on around here!

Thanks for stopping by.