Day 29 and 30: Food Photography

Yesterday I forgot to take a picture, but I attempted to make up for it by taking two today. You'll forgive me. All 3 of you :). 

So far, my favorite thing to photograph is food. This interest in photography began with the inception of my other blog (yes, I know I'm ridiculous), and my love of cooking. I wanted to share recipes I had made with family and friends, and I wanted to SHOW them what I made, regardless that I'm darn near 2,500 miles away from everyone.

Then, I discovered the world of food blogs. Holy. Cow. People are CRAZY! There are blogs out there, a good example being smitten kitchen, that have high quality recipes AND professional looking photos. Well, gosh darn it, I want that too. 

Um, I'm really, really far away from that point. *Maybe* in a few years I'll be able to take a decent photo and explain my recipes well, but I'm not going to put the bar too high. Much like in graduate school...ahem...nevermind.

 I do want to continue to grow in my expertise in the kitchen and in photography, and Lord knows I'm not going to do that by taking pictures of the celing. I also recognize that some days are better than others, and don't involve my brain exploding in a migraine.

Anyway, I am working on a macro (close up) collage for my kitchen of various fresh fruits and vegetables. Some of these photos will come from earlier posts on chemistinthekitchen, but some will be new. Here are a few I took today, though there not as "macro" as some of the others I've taken:

I know it looks dumb for me to watermark these pictures, but I'm trying to get into the habit so when I take pictures that are actually good enough to "steal", I can mark my territory. Harumph.

Happy Friday, Ya'll!

Day 28: I SEE YOU!

Big o' peepers. Watchin' you. Dun dun dun.

Day 27: No Group Meeting!

Hooray! Group meeting can definitely bring out the worst in me. By the time one and a half hours rolls by, I get cranky and I have trouble focusing on whoever in our group is giving a presentation. So, on Tuesdays when it's cancelled, I'm really happy!

Today's vignette is about a favorite, and shamelessly dorky hobby I have: crocheting. I know there's been a big revival for knitting and crocheting in the last few years, but I'd like to point out that my momma showed me how to do this loooong before it was fashonable. I will say, however, that I didn't get good at it until later in high school and college.

This is a baby blanket I've been working on for the past year or so. I have a tendency to put stuff down and forget about it for an eternity. It was supposed to be for one of Tony's army buddies back in San Antonio. Oopsies. Anyway, I'm trying to finish it up now, so I'll have one on hand whenever the next baby I know comes into the world. 

I'm pretty confident it won't be my own, but I've been know to eat my words.

Day 26: Noler, Anyone?

Tonight, I decided to make homemade granola bars, because Tony decided he wanted to eat all of the store bought ones I stashed away. He has a tendency to steal all of my snacks, but his favorite snacks to steal are granola bars and bananas. Don't get me started on bananas.

Here's the recipe for the homemade granola bars, if any of you are interested. They're meant to be delicious, and I have no idea how many calories they contain. Bomb calorimetry, anyone?

Bueller?

Anyway, as I was making them, Tony started goofing around, and threw on his heavy, redneck accent:

Tony: "Wut you done got thur?"

Me: "I'm making granola, you weirdo."

Tony: "Mmmm...looks like I gots mes some nu noler."

Me: "What?"

Tony: "NOLER! It's all mine nah. Euuuuuuuuuu*!"

*nah=now, and Euuuu=a high, victorious sound, similar to a pig call, I think. Just get into the redneck mindset for proper pronunciation.*

This is what I deal with on a daily basis, people. I can't say my life is boring, though. The conversation continued, but I don't want to scare away the 5 people that read this. I need all the friends I can get.

Ya'll do have a mighty nice night nah, ya hear? :)

Day 24 and 25: The Weekend!

Day 24:

Saturday I went in to work very early, primarily because I couldn't sleep. The security guards know me well now, and make fun of me on a regular basis. I like the early morning, though. It allows me to fully concentrate (provided I'm alert...thank you caffeine!), and I find I'm much more focused in the early morning. 

I got in to work before 6, was busy working on a particular experiment, and by the time 9:45 rolled around, I was ready to go home, a full day ahead of me to do things that needed to be done, and to do things I wanted to do. Saturdays I've decided are best when not spent in the lab. I'm not really sure who made up the whole "graduate students shall work 6 days a week, 12 hours a day" deal, but I can't really conform to that. Yes, I work a lot, but, with the exception of "down" days every once and a while, I try to be purposeful at work and cram 72 hour weeks into 55-60 hour weeks. I'm desparately trying to reclaim my life, as it's been pointed out to me that I've changed considerably moving out here. I don't want to be the angry and negative person I've allowed myself to relax into. So, I'm not going to be a ball of stress anymore (or at least I'm going to make an honest effort to try not to be that way).

The point being, I spent only a fraction of my Saturday in lab. The rest of my Saturday was very pleasant, and was mostly spent picking up the house, going to thrift stores and shopping around at the Circuit City stores which are ALL closing.

I found this really neat, simple little spice rack at the thrift store. I was considering making one of my own, where all of my spices would have looked neat and uniform, but for $5, this was probably a better option. I hung the rack over my sink and immediately filled it up with spices that were overflowing from a rubbermaid tub sitting on my dining table. Ahh...organization! It makes me feel infinitely better when things are organized.

OCD, anyone?

Day 25:

Since I spilled my guts already to my tens of readers, I'll keep this description short. I made yeast bread for the first time (not counting Tony's mom's rolls...which is a story in itself), and it is SO delicious. There was a small catastrophe, where the bread rose about 2x too much, and I had to use an odd shaped pan, because I only have one loaf pan. It still tastes awesome, though!

P.s. I realize the caliber of my photos has gone down, perhaps because I don't feel like I could live up to another one of these photos this month. Thank goodness February is 'round the corner, though!

Day 22 and 23

I love being at home. If I had the option, I probably wouldn't leave. Ever. Too bad being scientist doesn't really correlate well with being agoraphobic. Shucks.

Day 22:

Bye bye, shoofly pie :(.

Day 23:

Friday grocery shopping is the one flaw in my idealized agoraphobia. I really, really enjoy grocery shopping. It's about the only time that I can shamelessly spend money on stuff I know we need. Yummy. I especially like the commissary (the grocery store on base)--I get along well with the old people, but not so much the military moms with 7 children in tow, especially when they get confused and think I'm their mommy. I am positively, definitely NOT their mommy. I don't enjoy holding sticky, little hands yet.

Hooray for Fridays!

Day 20 and 21

Day 20:

Group meeting day. Blech. I did find time to scan through one of my favorite cookbooks: the New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, straight out of the olden days. Well, at least it's reminiscent of olden days.

I love it. Tony gave it to me the Christmas we decided to get married, so it'll always have a special place in my heart. 

Day 21:

I tried a totally new recipe today (actually, 2 totally new recipes!). I'll post both eventually, but I think today I'm going to be lazy. We had Cajun pork loin and braised kale with garlic and tomatoes. We both loved it, so I guess it will be a new (inexpensive--hallelujah) regular meal. Yay!

Please take note of my lovely plate. I coveted the set at Target all winter, and then Tony found it there for 75% off.  I guess patience pays off. And yes, I do see that rogue tomato, and it annoys me. What annoys me more is that the other shot of this had my finger in it. My finger. Amateur. 

Day 19: Shoofly Pie

This is...

so good.

I'm thankful for my mother-in-law's ability to know what I love before I even know it exists. Molasses, check. Crumbly goodness, check. Fluffy center, check. Assemble in 3 steps with completely minimal effort, check. Hooray again for the Mennonite store!

Day 18: Clean Up on Aisle 1-1,000

Oh brother, I'm tired. It's a good tired, though, reflective of a productive day that had absolutely nothing to do with work or school. Actually, this whole weekend was a required getaway from work. Sometimes, it's nice to just step back.

Today I did 9 loads of laundry, which hadn't been done in about 3 weeks. It wasn't too bad, though, since Tony helped with all of the folding and I have now been introduced to the movie series "Resident Evil." What is it about guys and zombie movies? Sheesh. I have to say that it was entertaining to watch, for the most part. The part where I'm cowering in the corner with my head under my pillow was much less entertaining.

We also reorganized and cleaned our closet and the pantry, which is actually what I chose as my daily photo. Both Tony's mom and my mom send us food on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. It's how they show their love, and I'm certainly not complaining! Anyway, they keep us stocking in rice, grains, pastas, teas and other various canned and non-perishables. Our pantry is always full, regardless of if I was able to buy a whole bunch at the grocery that week or not. Ok, so basically, Tony and I are prepared to live in our apartment for a month in case of a nuclear war, or if we both lost our jobs. This is not a planned thing, just how things have turned out. Plus, if any of our neighbors should dare to knock on our door, I could give then Uncle Ben's Wild Rice as a neighborly gesture :).

And I see the Kool Aid in there. Know that I don't drink that nasty stuff--it makes me gag. Tony was drinking it for a while back in San Antonio, but *thankfully* has kind of forgotten about it. Since he doesn't regularly cook as much as I do, I'm not really concerned that his memory will be jogged and I'll have to stir up a bunch of it while dry heaving.

Ugh, I can't believe it's Sunday night already. I'm thankful that I'm always happy on Sundays (well, when I don't have migraines). It makes the whole rest of the week bearable.

Day 17: Happy Saturday!

I enjoy not working on Saturdays, though that happens rarely now that graduate school has dominated most aspects of my life.

Today, Tony and I decided to take the day off and go exploring. Tony is deciding between going into the navy reserve and air force reserve, so we decided to go up to the air force base he would be stationed at if he did decided to join the air force. There are pros and cons to each service, primarily if Tony goes back in as active duty after I'm done with school here. If he joins the navy, there is a guarantee that he will be out at sea for long periods of time (6-18 months), most likely twice. If he joins the air force, there's a chance he'll be deployed, but it's much slimmer than if he were to rejoin the army or marine corps.

Anyway, we took a road trip. The base itself was reminiscent of a ghost town, though there was a large airstrip with many big planes, including a chartered plane that was taking off. We checked out the base to see how far away it was (about 1 hour-1 hour and fifteen minutes away). We also decided to go to the air force museum they had there--it was actually really neat! I'm sharing my favorite picture below. It was such a beautiful, sunny day, and there was not one cloud in the sky! I was very glad to have a polarizing attachment for my lens, as the sky looked SO wonderfully blue!

We opted not to go into L.A. We're not really city folk :). Maybe another time, when I don't feel like going 1 hour away is stressful. I may share a few more photos of our trip after I get them worked up.
Ok...One more for right now, I can't resist :).

Day 13, 14, 15 and 16: Playing Catch Up, Yet Again...

There's just no way I can update this daily, so you all will have to endure this type of "catch up" post often. Between working, sleeping, not sleeping, eating, working out, and accidentally sleeping--I'm booked, people :).

Anyway, let's get started...

Day 13:

This was Tuesday, when I gave group meeting. You should be proud of me, because I didn't take a picture of my ceiling, which was reflective of how tired I was. I took a picture of my fan! Ha! Gotcha :). Hey, at least I attempted a little creativity after a 15 hour day of stress!

Day 14:

I was friendsick for my buddy Brittni. This is a gorgeous painting she gave Tony and me for our wedding. I think a trip out to NOLA this summer is beyond necessary. Speaking of missed friends, there are several more on the list. This painting, however, is a constant reminder of a missing piece of me. It's so incredibly beautiful, but also a sobering reminder of a part of my life that I will only have as a memory.

Day 15:

Mmm. Mexican food. Yesterday I made beef enchiladas and corn and black bean salad. De-licious. Read all about it here.

Day 16:

Thank goodness gracious for leftovers. And whole wheat pitas. And cheeeeeeeseee :). Fridays are generally my grocery shopping days, which means whenever I get home, I don't want to do anything that involved food, or taking out anything I just put away. This makeover of yesterdays recipe was wonderful!

Day 12

Happy Monday :).

We had to change every light bulb in our ceiling fan today. It was hanging on by one last thread, or, well...light bulb.

One of the light bulbs looked like it had a little internal explosion. While the pictures don't really capture the carnage, the busted bulb did inspire me to take a few photos.

Day 8,9,10 and 11...Whew...

Thanks for being patient, the 5 people who read this. I am seriously done by the end (um, middle?) of the week, and I just can't do anything, really. What's my deal? Maybe I have mono. Or, it could be that I'm just a lazier human being than most. Either way...not good.

Okay, so let's do some catchin' up.

Day 8:

Oh, Lord. Look: it's my ceiling...again! I'm going to just start photographing pieces of my house on the days where I can't muster up the creativity to frame a shot, or have the strength to push the shutter button. 

Day 9:

Golly, I love these bookends (or, in this case, CD ends...). Tony tells me they're from Africa. They are one of the many rhino objects that can be found in our house. I think that "Ryno" is a pretty cool last name, and I resent the fact that I got a lot of flack from a bunch a people for taking the traditional route and changing my name.  I appreciate that tradition, along with many other domestic traditions, and I don't really care what people think about that, or much else these days.

Day 10:

I love Olive Garden, and thanks to Tony's Mom and Dad, we recently had a free dinner there. I love the salad and breadsticks the most. I've also recently discovered a new drink: a Venetian sunset (or sunrise, I can't remeber). It's orangey, pinappley goodness, with a bit of alcohol and a cherry on top. Too bad I have no idea how to replicate such a delicious drink, which is probably a good thing. 

Day 11 (TODAY!):

Tony and I have been studying and reading for a good portion of the morning. We did make a venture out to Wally World (Wal-Mart...ugh...) to get a cheap Sunday paper, so I can cut out coupons. I've just illustrated a second example of my embrace of the retro-traditional housewife. I, again, don't care what people think about this, because I doubt they have a monthly food bill of less than $200. Just doing my part to continue to hoard money and destroy the economy.

This is Tony's studying face:

Well, maybe not quite studying. Actually, he's trying not to laugh at me being a dork and taking his picture.

Just for good measure, and since I'm apparently of updating on a regular basis, I've thrown in a bonus picture for free :):

Disgusted with the Discovery Health Channel.

Day 6 and Day 7: Real Life

Dog tired. Run over by a Mack truck.

Day 6 and Day 7 are not beautiful or eventful, but they are real. Day 6:

The Ceiling. Yes, that would be where our broken smoke detector would be. It's on the list, people.


Day 7:

A gift from Tony's Mom and Dad!! Tony's parents sent a really nice care package to us with our "stockings" and a few other gifts from the family.

The one I probably hold most dear is my mother-in-law's peanut butter balls. A rough day can be cured by eating one (or, um, 5,000) of these heavenly things. I'm so grateful that Tony's family accepted me right away, and that they are genuinely kind and good-hearted people.


I am blessed. And really, really exhausted.

Day 5: Oh, Monday.

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What an incredibly long Monday. I had to leave the house at the same time as Tony this morning, because we watched a scary movie last night, and I'm a big baby. I didn't want to be in the house alone (not to mention my car, or the lab), so I left 15 minutes earlier than I normally do, and I got to work around 4:40 A.M. Ugh.

Tony's day was even worse, though, so I shouldn't complain. The photo above is of our wine rack. I couldn't think of anything else brilliant. Obviously, we don't drink, considering all that wine has been in our possession for over a year.

Well, Tony's napping, so I'm going to read a few papers for my cell biology class before he wakes up :).

Happy Monday...

Day 4: Playing Catch Up

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I've been pretty under-the-weather for the past few days, and I've gotten behind on ALL of the house chores, like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, laundry, taking care of my car, laundry, and oh, did I mention laundry??? Tony and I did 6 loads of laundry this morning. Aside from picking up the house and doing other chores, Tony and I also took the time to wash and wax both of our cars, primarily because they looked like they'd been out in the desert for a century or two. So, my photo today is of the trees, reflected in the shininess of my car :).

I don't really want to face Monday. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Tony and I both start up classes again, and because Tony is working overtime the entire month of January, we'll both probably be completely exhausted to boot. Wish us luck!

Day 3

I love seeing him sleep. Since he sleeps like a rock, I can unabashedly take photos of him, knowing that I won't disrupt his slumber. 

Day 2

Sick.

Sudafed +Benadryl = saving grace. I couldn't even go in to work today, which is odd, since I haven't taken a sick day since middle school. Seriously.

Day 1

Happy New Year!

I feel like I should probably post on the first day of my resolution. Otherwise, I'm just off to a really bad start :).

This is the batter for a lemon blackberry loaf cake I made earlier today. I burnt it a little, but the inside still tasted yummy.