Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Before and After

This cat makes me laugh. She's a natural little comic, and loves to be - in fact insists upon being - the center of attention.

I love this picture of her. I wanted to stylize it a little. Let me know what you think.





If you like my shots, you need to visit Pixel Perfect for more before and after fun! And if you want to play along all you have to do is show us your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then the edited version. Link back to Pixel Perfect and link up your post below! Feel free to share with us your editing program and camera gear too!



Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

30 Days!

The Mr and I decided we are in desparate need of a vacation. So, we decided to take a quick cruise here!


We did this trip last year, right about this same time and had a wonderful and relaxing vacation.  Last year, it was just the two of us.  This year, our parents will be joining us, along with my Sis and The Mr's Aunt.  It's a super fun group and we should all have a blast!

Now if I can only make it to the end of October.....


Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesday Garden Party - Heat Wave

This week brought a couple of days of CRAZY hot weather! And just after I planted my little pea and lettuce seedlings.

The peas fared pretty well in the 110 degree heat and blazing sun...

... for the most part anyway. A few crispy leaves, but not many.


The lettuce? Not so much. Hopefully they will come back after this heat wave goes away.

The tomato on the other hand? Loves it! Almost ready to pick!

I planted carrots, broccoli and onions - come on back next week to see if they've sprouted. In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.





Zentmrs Pin It

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday Snapshot - Aztec Football

We've got season tickets the San Diego State University Aztec football games. We have not been a very good team historically, but it is basically the only game in town (so to speak) and we have a good time at the games.

We've got pretty good seats. You should be thankful that I left my DSLR in the car and had to use my cell phone for pictures. The first month of school has not been kind to the cheerleaders. Apparently no lack of beer on campus. Enough said.



And it was band night! Something like 10 high school bands came to play with the Aztec Marching Band at half time. They sit in front of us. This was the view for much of the game.


Someone was always standing. Either the band or the dance team.


We got my MIL to go to this game....




... because they had an amazing fireworks show after the game.





We had a great evening. And the Aztecs beat the Utah State Aggies! 41 - 7!!




Ni Hao Y'all



Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Friday, September 24, 2010

Jalapeño, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid

Are you looking for a wonderful Sunday brunch dish to serve friends ad family?  Or a Saturday dinner recipe?  This recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light, is it!  Easy and fabulous!  Flexible too - change the types of sausage, cheese and/or veggies and you will have an entirely different meal.  So worth trying!



Jalapeño, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 ounces chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeño peppers
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.
5. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap! If you have a recipe to share, please join in the fun!

If you are looking for some healthy and budget friendly recipes, check out the recipes at Get Healthy Cheap:
Get Healthy Cheap




Zentmrs

Mhnaty!
Pin It

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Before and After

I love reflection pictures. This one was taken on our cruise last year. I've always liked it, but wished I could do something to make it better. Actually I wish I could have had them turn off the lights in the fitness center behind the glass so the picture would have turned out better... but they were totally not going to do that.



I took a stab at a couple of different edits. I cropped out some of the noise. And I tried texture (texture is my new friend... I can see where I could go way overboard with it) and some different colors.


The second edit has the color the way I remember it. Warm, sunny, golden. Probably not the way it really was, but it does capture my memory of the moment. And I think that's what photography is about for me.

If you like my shots, you need to visit Pixel Perfect for more before and after fun! And if you want to play along all you have to do is show us your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then the edited version. Link back to Pixel Perfect and link up your post below! Feel free to share with us your editing program and camera gear too!



Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Having a Great Week!

What a wonderful week I am having!

The Mr built us a waterfall for our pond over the weekend.  I love it!!



The waterfall sounds so peaceful,.


The fish love it too!  (I'll catch a shot of them one of these days....)  They also love our brand new lily pads!


Great start to the week.

And... I applied for a new position at my company, and got the job!   I'll be moving into the legal department, working on negotiating sales contracts.  Finally, I use my law degree.  My parents will be so happy.  ;-)

The new job moves me to a different location.  I like my current location (I work right on San Diego Bay) but my new location is in the same building as The Mr!  Yea for commuting and lunch!

Hope your week is going as well!


Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tuesday Garden Party - Fall is Almost Here

Not so you would know it by the weather, but fall is almost here. We've had pretty much the same weather all summer (I could have started my fall garden back in July......).

But now that we are almost officially there, I've started to plant the fall veggies.


And The Mr built me some great raised beds to plant them in!




They make it so that my garden is at waist-height - is that not cool?!



Here's the first of my lettuce seedlings, ready to be planted.




And a row of lovely peas....



And, it looks like we are (finally) going to have sweet peppers one of these days!





I wonder what this week will bring - come on back to see what we've got. In the meantime, check out An Oregon Cottage for her weekly Garden Party.




Zentmrs Pin It

Saturday, September 18, 2010

On our Way to Dinner

We celebrated our seventh anniversary a few days early with a fabulous dinner at Flemings Steak House. DE-licious!

We got a picture before we left for dinner. I thought you might like to see it with a picture from our wedding.







So what do you think? 7 years later... no worse for wear?




Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It

Friday, September 17, 2010

Strawberry Rhubarb Souffle

What do you do when you have some of this....


... and some of these?




You've got to try Strawberry Rhubarb Souffle!


Though souffle always sounds intimidating, this recipe is quite easy, and pretty foolproof. I substituted blackberry syrup for the creme de cassis and the taste was wonderful!


Strawberry Rhubarb Souffle

2 cups finely diced fresh rhubarb
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup creme de cassis
2 tablespoons fruit-only strawberry jam
Vegetable oil and sugar for souffle dish
6 egg whites, at room temperature

Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, creme de cassis and jam in a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until the mixture has reduced and thickened. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel balde and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 2-quart souffle dish and coat the interior with sugar, shaking over the sink to remove any excess.

Place the egg whites in a copper bowl (or use a pinch of cream of tartar if you are using a stainless steel or glass bowl) and start beating at medium speed until light and frothy. Raise the speed to high and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Beat one third of the egg whites into the fruit mixture to lighten it and then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into the souffle dish and place in the center of the oven.

Immediately turn the heat down to 375 degrees adn bake for 25 to 35 minutes. The souffle will have puffed, and the top will be brown. Serve immediately.

Note: Baking time varies depending on your personal souffle preference. If you like souffles soft, take it out sooner. If you like them firm, leave it in longer.



For more great recipes, check out The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap! If you have a recipe to share, please join in the fun!

If you are looking for some healthy and budget friendly recipes, check out the recipes at Get Healthy Cheap:
Get Healthy Cheap


Zentmrs Pin It

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Before and After

I love watching the hummingbirds in our yard. We've got one guy who is very aggressive and will sit guarding the feeders. If any other hummingbirds come around? He chases them away.













I think I like the second edit the best.  Which one is your favorite?

If you like my shots, you need to visit Pixel Perfect for more before and after fun! And if you want to play along all you have to do is show us your SOOC (straight out of camera) shot and then the edited version. Link back to Pixel Perfect and link up your post below! Feel free to share with us your editing program and camera gear too!



Zentmrs

Mhnaty! Pin It