Daze Off

A Little Lost But Not Forgotten

2011-07-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

So after about 2 years of not posting I have decided to brush off the old blog and start somewhat fresh. While honestly I had forgotten about it for quite sometime I figure that I do need something to keep me going through the time that I am not doing portraits or weddings. I hate to get rusty, especially when it comes to photography.

Today was one of the few Fridays that I have had off in quite a while. I got to look after my plants and read my book, which I feel I have fallen behind on. I have gotten so many books in the last while and yet no time to read any of them.

I always enjoy books on food, whether that is a debate of organics vs GM produce, an in depth look at the fast food industry, or the decline of the traditional farm. This subject has interested me since my teens and its still quite close to my heart. I am currently reading The End of Food by Thomas F. Pawlick he is Canadian which is really refreshing as there are very few books I have found about the Canadian agriculture industry and its current status in the world. In short getting around to reading this was quite a treat indeed.

After being inside at work for hours on end you tend to forget the world around you. After a long day at work I love to come home and check on my plants on the balcony and while currently I only have some chives, lettuce, tomatoes and garlic I think in the end they will turn out very well. Hopefully the summer will treat them well and I will be able to make a wonderful dinner in the near future using the few things that I have cultivated.

On the plus side I have planned out going to cottage with my boyfriend and his family a few weekends from now. I figured booking a few days off for it would hurt, enjoying the great outdoors and hopefully having some great photos to show for it would be excellent. I need a vacation.

Vegan Baking

2009-05-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't really had time for anything lately, what with two jobs and working at almost 50 hours a week there is just no time for almost anything.

So I had a few days off with the long weekend and decided to do something different, and relax! Baking cookies is something I always enjoy but with a lack of milk and eggs in the house I chose a vegan recipe. Although I have never had the chance to try out vegan baking before, I figured not much could go wrong. That did not end up being the case.

I mean if you take a look they seem awesome, but these things are as hard as rocks. I figured if anything it was the lack of egg and too much sugar, but I digress. I had a good time so I think it makes up for it. Though to be fair the banana leaves an awesome aftertaste.

When it comes down to it was great to try something different and it gave me a chance to relax for once. Hopefully I'll get another chance at something similar next week. For those who want to know what I did to achieve these dandy photos go ahead and give it a try, perhaps it was just me. I was never very good at baking, I'm more of a cooker anyways.

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 cup margarine, cold
1 1/2 cups tightly packed brown sugar (read this first)
1 cup table sugar (read this first)
1 ripe, mashed banana (if the banana peel isn't spotted black, cover the mashed banana with the juice of half a lemon for about 15 minutes before incorporating it into the mix)
3, 4, or 5 teaspoons vanilla (be generous)
2 tablespoons water or soy/almond/rice drink
2 cups all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder stirred into the flour for guaranteed dispersion
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats work well)
2 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (check the bag for milkfat!)

Method

Beat together the margarine and sugars. Electric mixers are unnecessary. Add the well-mashed banana and mix well, then add the vanilla, then the water. The water will try to separate; keep mixing with a figure-eight motion and add the dry ingredients, in the order above, bit by bit (say, by half-cup increments).

The final batter should be almost too dry to hold the chocolate chips; if it isn't, I've misrepresented the amount of flour or oats you need and you should add more or less, according to the problem. Dry batter is good, since any chips that fall off the batter can go directly into your mouth, and no one will miss them. If the batter is too wet, the cookies will flatten while baking and turn out hard and flat.

Bake them for 10 or 12 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cook them longer if you prefer a hard cookie, but be aware that bananas only approximate the action of an egg in the mix, and you can get cookies as hard as the cookie sheet if you aren't careful.

Let them congeal on the sheet for a moment after removing them from the oven, then cool on a plate or a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container. They taste even better after they sit overnight or in the fridge.

Radio Stations & Aeroplanes

2009-03-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

I had a short outing the other day to the airport and then off to an abandoned radio tower. I've been to the tower once before but its a nice drive through town to get there so its worth the trip. I'm trying to find some other places in town that I haven't been to yet. Since there aren't many places to visit I tend to go outside of Ottawa and to places like Smiths Falls and Mont Saint Marie for good shots.

Although one thing I can say is that I love the airport, not even to go and take photos but to just watch planes land and take off. I wonder where are those people are going to or coming from. I wonder if they had a good trip.

First Blog

2009-02-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I never thought I was the kind of person to start a blog, and while I always wanted to it never occured to me that there isn't a "type" for blogging until recently. I suppose after a few friends said they had one it pushed me to get my own as well.

Very soon I'll be posting photos I have a lot of food shots and photos from an interesting set of building interiors. Hope you'll be back for those.

Nessa