Day 293 - Oil Droplets

I took these shots the day before yesterday but had too much on my plate to post.  I tried this from my "to-do" list, and I am NOT satisfied by the way they turned out.  I was hoping for a sharper focus, but I had very little time to spend on perfecting this.  Therefore, this idea remains on my to-do list to retry in the future.

The first shot turned out OK, but the second one almost got there, but missed! :(





Once I've perfected this, I will post a how-to.  I plan to do this again soon, so stay tuned.

Day 241 - Comforting

I really needed some comforting food to see me through today, so I decided to use up the carrots sitting in my fridge for the last few days.  I made a carrot soup that's really simple but tasted really great!  This recipe should serve two if you plan to eat it as a meal.  This is my own recipe that I just cooked up as I went along.  I would encourage you to try different add-ins, and please let me know what you threw into your pot so I can try it as well!

Ingredients:
Carrots, large - 4
Chicken/beef stock - 4 cups
Ginger - 2" piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Bay leaf - 1
Butter - 1 tbsp
Fresh cream - 2 tablespoon
Croutons - a handful
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg

Method:

1. Wash the carrots, peel them and cut them into 2 inch pieces.
2. Pour the stock in a pot and add the carrot pieces to it.
3. Chop the ginger and garlic into small pieces and add to the pot.
4. Add the bay leaf and a couple of pinches of pepper, or to taste.
5. Boil covered, until the carrots are tender, about 20 - 25 mins. (I used a pressure cooker to save time).
6. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaf before pouring the contents into a blender; be careful not to splash the hot liquid on yourself.
8. If there is too much liquid, keep some aside, and use the rest to puree the carrots.
9. Once the puree is very smooth, and has no lumps, remove it to the pot again, and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  
10. If the puree seems too thick, you can add a little water (or the reserved stock, if you kept any) to thin it down to your preferred consistency.
11. Add the butter and let it melt into the soup; simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes before turning off the heat.
12. Add a pinch of nutmeg and stir into the soup.
13. Serve hot with a swirl of fresh cream and croutons.
14. You can also garnish it with some green herbs to add some colour.  Chive might be a good garnish, but I had none at home. 

Day 158 - On the phone

No.. I don't mean I'm on the phone.  Today's shots were taken on my phone camera.

One wet day, today!  I saw a little bit of blue sky and was really excited hoping it would stay that way.  But the weather has a mind of its own - it decided to throw down buckets of rain instead.  I saw such pretty colours on my way home that I had to stop and admire the scene, sans camera.  And then I thought - wait!  What did I pay the big bucks for my phone for?  It has an 8 MP camera on it and so I whip it out to get some nice shots.  Of course the megapixels don't really have anything to do with the quality of the lens, but you do expect a moderately good piece of glass in a hi-res camera.  Well, at least I did!

I have used it before on a nice, bright day, but this evening was a completely different story.  I couldn't believe the grainy shots I got, no clarity or sharpness - nothing.  I am certain there are settings on the camera that I could have manipulated, but I have never really taken the time to get familiar with this one.  I made a mental note of that - make friends with your phone camera!

What a bummer it was!  Anyway, out of the 15 odd shots I took, I discarded most of them.  The following remain:

To add a final note. the first three shots were processed in LR3 and the last one is SOOC.  I think the difference in quality between them is noteworthy.