Apples and Swingsets

Where in the world?

applesandswingsets — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:31:24 +0000

Yep, I’m a horrible flaky blogger, when something that I used to love becomes a chore I stop doing it. That is why I haven’t blogged since September, crazy. Oh well, you all know me well enough to know how flighty I can be.

Happenings here: Things are a bit crazy right now. My sister had a baby girl and my life has been consumed with helping her and snuggling a squishy little blob of human. Yesterday she smiled and cooed at me and I melted, then I went home and told my husband to impregnate me, he said no.

The boys are awesome. Sade is working on a science fair project, he is testing magnetism and propulsion, he is making a toy roller coaster move with opposite force magnets. I’m pretty impressed and excited for him. He is such a cute kid and such a little smartass, I couldn’t be prouder.

Ethan is doing so good in school this year. He is my little reader, I love watching him pick up a book because he wants to know what happens next, not because it’s 7 and reading time. He is super athletic and wants to take every sport, but my pocket book can’t handle his ambitions. He does get to go skiing this year, and I have a feeling he will love it. He is such a sweetheart, so sensitive and full of compassion.

Drew is a spitfire. He turns 5 in a few weeks and I just might go into mourning. He is in preschool two days a week. He is slow in the reading area (he is 4 after all) but is fantastic at adding and counting. He is super social, talks non-stop and tells me he loves me approximately 15 times a day.

So the big news for our family: After years of sacrifice, wondering if we made the right choice by leaving the military, Stewart graduates with his BS in computer science this spring. He just registered for his finale two classes. What faces us now is the job hunt. We have this huge list of places we won’t move to for various reasons, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, Idaho, Arkansas and probably more. But we aren’t sure where we want to live, well check that, I have a list of places I want to live and Stewart has his, they don’t match. My list includes Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New England in general and his includes Georgia (blah), Florida (been there done that) and that’s about it. I want to be near family and friends, so I’m pushing hard for Oregon, and then Washington as a compromise. He’s a good husband and says that if he gets a good job there he is willing to there, so I’m looking hard. We have had a couple of opportunities, but nothing that has felt right so far. I’m not super stressed, I have a feeling he will get a good job soon, it’s the where that I’m most nervous about.

So that’s us in a nutshell right now. We hope all of you are enjoy the holiday season and wish you all the best.

Filed under: random erin

Finishing what I start

applesandswingsets — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:53:08 +0000

I’m not trying to completely forsake the 30 day challenge, it’s just been on hold for a little while. School being is has made life crazy and then Sade sprained his arm, then the next day both Drew and Sade got sick, only Sade didn’t get better and has strep. My life is cleaning and disinfecting along with caring for the sick and whiny. I promise I will finish it, I want to finish it.

Filed under: deep thoughts by erin

Day 15

applesandswingsets — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:09:48 +0000

I’m going to skip day 16 and come back to it later, it’s going to require my buying a new tripod and some careful planning to get the right shot.

So day 15, silhouette.

This is a photoshoot from a friend of mine that I am cheating with again, but it’s not like anyone has ever seen these and they are only a couple of weeks old.

F/11

ISO 200

f/stop 1/200

Filed under: photo erin

Day 14

applesandswingsets — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:29:46 +0000

Eyes…

I knew exactly who I wanted to shoot for this, he is responsible for the delay in this post. Sade has the coolest eyes. They are a true hazel, I used to think hazel was a color for those that didn’t want to admit their eyes were brown. Sade’s eyes started as a greyish blue when he was a baby then changed up until he was 3. We weren’t sure what color his eyes settle on, but then they settled and yet still changed depending on what he was wearing. We tell him he has the smolder, he can kill you with those eyes and make you love him all at the same time. The most amazing thing was last year when I met my sister Melanie, one of my first impressions of her was her eyes, I looked in her eyes and saw my son, it was a breathtaking moment that caught me off guard.

Filed under: photo erin

Day 13

applesandswingsets — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:09:28 +0000

Me with 13 things, how appropriate.

I hemmed and hawed over what to shoot. I went to my roots and the thing I tend to do the best, my knitting. The sock I am currently procrastinating in finishing (I don’t really enjoy knitting socks), the yarn for my next project I am about to start, and many of the sweaters I have knit over the last few years.

I got lazy and didn’t even check my ISO, I just shot and adjusted the shutter speed. I did shoot in RAW again because it was already set there. After checking the properties I was at:

f/stop: 4

ISO: 1600

Speed 1/80

Filed under: photo erin

Day 12

applesandswingsets — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:54:41 +0000

Sunset

Oh how I love a good sunset. I love shooting in the sunset as well, the soft glow, the light bouncing just right, it’s my favorite time to shoot someone.

This is a photo of a friends little girl that I got to shoot. I have so many from this shoot, but I’ll share one of my favorites.

Aperture 7.0

F/stop 1/125

ISO 200

Filed under: random erin

Day 11

applesandswingsets — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:48:28 +0000

Something Blue. Cheating again.

You would think that with school in I would have oodles of free time on my hands, but instead I’m catching up on all the things that are harder to get done with three munchkins around. Hopefully things slow down a bit next week.

This is a photo of the dress I made my niece and just for a bonus I’m adding one Melanie took of my niece in the dress because, well because she’s seriously adorable.

Filed under: photo erin

Day 10

applesandswingsets — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:29:32 +0000

A childhood memory:

One of my favorite things about my childhood was fruit picking. I grew up in oregon and there were berries and fruit trees, picking your own and going home with it was the norm instead of merely going to the store. My very favorite to pick were peaches. I loved peaches, climbing up in the tree to find the perfect ripe peaches and tossing them down to my mom. Coming home with boxes of peaches that I ate freely while my mom canned them. Peaches smell like my childhood, they smell like summer, they were and remain my very favorite fruit.

I decided to turn my childhood memory into a tart.

Recipe for the tart and the crust follows

Shot in RAW this time, which is a good thing because my settings were off when I did the slice and was able to semi-repair the photo.

Adapted from http://www.sweettarteblog.com/2010/08/twd-crunchy-and-custardy-peach-tart.html

For the Streusel

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons oatmeal

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Filling

3 large ripe peaches, halved, pitted and peeled*

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon princess cake flour (a delicious baking additive that adds that extra something to your baked goods)

confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

To Make the Streusel: in a food processor, blend all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Cover the streusel tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. (Wrapped well, the streusel can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Getting Ready to Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To Make the Tart: Slice 5 of the peach halves crosswise. The best way to do this is to place each peach half cut side down on a cutting board and slice it crosswise into thin slices, keeping the sliced half intact. Then lift each half on a spatula, press down on the half lightly to fan it just a bit and place it in the crust, with the edge of the outer peach slices almost touching the edge of the crust, so that you have 5 peach “spokes” and an empty space in the center. Trim the remaining unsliced peach half so it will fit into the center of the tart and, using the tip of your knife, cut a little tic-tac-toe pattern in the center of the peach. Set aside while you make the creamy filing.

Whisk the cream, egg, sugar and almond extract together in a small bowl. When blended, rap the bowl on the counter to knock out the air bubbles, and pour the filling over and around the peaches.

Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake the tart for another 20 minutes, at which point you should add the streusel.

Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and, using your fingers, break it up into small bits. Carefully pull the baking sheet to the front of the oven (if you can manage to get the streusel onto the tart without removing the tart from the oven and jostling the delicate filling, so much the better, but pull it out completely if it’s easier) and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the creamy parts of the tart.

Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes (total baking time is 50 to 55 minutes), or until the filling is set and the streusel is golden. Remove the tart from the oven and transfer the pan to a rack to cool until barely warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

*To Peel Peaches: Blanch peaches for 10 seconds in a pot of boiling water, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool, then slip off the skins.

Tart crust http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/the-great-unshrinkable-sweet-tart-shell/

The Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

My favorite part about this shell recipe and technique is that it doesn’t require pie weights. How cool is that?!

Makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg*

1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for about 2 hours before rolling.

2. To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. (Alternately, you can roll this out between two pieces of plastic, though flour the dough a bit anyway.) Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork.

Alternately, you can press the dough in as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully or partially bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. (To partially bake it, only an additional 5 minutes is needed.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature, and proceed with the rest of your recipe.

Do ahead: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out.

Filed under: foodie erin, photo erin

Day 9

applesandswingsets — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:31:36 +0000

Someone I love…

This picture was not easy to get. Some people just don’t like their photo taken so I have to get stealthy about it. I’m going to be completely cliche and pick the first person that comes to my mind when I think of someone I love, my husband. We have been friends for 13 years now. It’ s been a long crazy journey and I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. He was my best friend before he was anything else and still is. He knows my crazy and loves me anyway, I honestly never knew someone could love me like he does.

Filed under: photo erin

on hold

applesandswingsets — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:07:40 +0000

I’m going to put a short hold on the photo challenge and start back on Monday since we have company right now.

Filed under: deep thoughts by erin