One of the first things new photographers want to learn how to do is to make the subjects of their photos sharp and the backgrounds (and/or foregrounds) blurry. This actually isn’t tough to do. Simply set the camera to auto and get real close to whatever it is that you’d like to be sharp. Then, take a picture. Because of the close proximity to the subject, the camera will automatically reduce its depth of field. Don’t know what depth of field is? This post will teach you about it. It’ll also teach about how to measure aperture, how to use aperture priority, what lens speed is, and how lens aperture size affects depth of field. Above, I mentioned that close proximity affects depth of field (sharp area of a photo). What also affects depth of field? Lens aperture size. Smaller apertures are great for deep depths of field and larger ones are great for shallow depths of field. Beyond all this, I also discuss the depth of field preview that’s available on many cameras and much, much more. If you’d like to learn more about aperture priority mode and how to manage it on your camera, click through to the post. Continue reading…
Vegetable Lasagna with Ricotta & Tomato Sauce Recipe by Curtis Stone
Looking for an insanely delicious vegetarian lasagna recipe? It just so happens that I’ve got one for you. It’s a recipe I pulled from Curtis Stone’s cookbook called What’s for Dinner?. If you browse my blog, you’ll find that I’m a big fan of Curtis and that I’ve prepared many of his recipes. I’m not sure I can say I’ve ever had a bad experience. This lasagna recipe is one of his best. It uses a tomato sauce that’s full of dynamic flavors – most likely because of the inclusion of garlic, red pepper flakes, white wine, ricotta cheese, and basil, among the usual ingredients. As for the lasagna itself, beyond the typical noodles and mozzarella cheese, this recipe calls for eggplant, balsamic vinegar, zucchini, and red bell pepper. If you’re a lasagna lover, you really need to try this one out. It’s the perfect vegetarian meal. If you’d like to add some ground beef to this dish, simply include it along the way. It’s fairly versatile. Click through to check out the recipe along with lots of photos. Continue reading…
What’s the Most Common Camera Gear for a Beginner?
Most people who start out with photography want to jump right in and start taking photos. That’s good! That’s what I did when I bought my first real camera. I can remember having it delivered to me and after popping in the charged battery pack, I found myself in my front yard snapping away. It wasn’t long, however, before I discovered that I’d need a few more items beyond just my camera to really get into the hobby the way I wanted to. For instance, my first camera came with an 18-135mm kit lens. I knew I wanted to take some telephoto shots, but my lens wasn’t long enough. I asked myself, “Should I buy an additional lens?” I also wanted to take some wide angle shots. I asked myself the same question. Also, it didn’t take long after running out of battery power that I realized I’d need another battery to use as a spare. And it wasn’t long before I filled up the tiny memory card I bought with the camera. My point here is, yes, it’s great to start photographing right away, but there are some additional items beginners usually find they need almost immediately after buying a camera. In this post, I offer a list of those items. Read the post and tell me if you agree or disagree with my list. Photographers, whether they’re fresh or seasoned, tend to have strong opinions no matter the topic. So give me yours. Click through to read the post and to learn which pieces of camera gear you might need as a beginner. Continue reading…
Italian Omelet with Roasted Peppers Sandwich Recipe by Paulette Mitchell
This may just be the largest sandwich I’ve ever made in my life. It’s essentially an eight-egg omelette that’s topped with onion, spinach, Romano cheese, and roasted red bell peppers, situated in a giant loaf of Italian bread. Oh yeah, there’s also goat cheese applied to the bread as well. I found this recipe in a book called Vegetarian Sandwiches written by Paulette Mitchell. Paulette suggested using focaccia bread, but when I found that in the grocery store, I wasn’t impressed. I opted to go with the loaf of Italian, which suited me fine because I also opted to increase the two eggs the original recipe called for to eight. Needless to say, the sandwich I made was a bit bigger than the one I was supposed to make. That’s fine because I had some leftovers to enjoy later on. If you click through and read the ingredient list, you’ll quickly see how delightful this sandwich can be. Besides being huge, it offers a lot of flavor. These favors are primarily derived from the herbs, goat cheese, the roasting of the peppers and onions, and the garlic. This thing is no joke, so if you’re in the mood, you need to check this one out. Click on through today. Continue reading…
Thai Curry with Butternut Squash, Chickpeas, & Cilantro Recipe by Curtis Stone
Back in my early days, I can remember avoiding foods that seemed too complex. I was a basic American boy. I stuck to what I knew; sandwiches, pizza, burgers – what everyone else around me was eating. As I grew older and began looking around my surroundings a bit more, I discovered some of what I’d been missing. One of those things was curry paste. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, a large portion of the world (India) has been enjoying this wonder food for eons. What’s curry paste you ask? It comes in a jar and is a mixture of (generally speaking) turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and cumin. Also mixed in is oil, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (or Thai ginger), and some chilies. This is one of those foods that, after being tasted, will change your life as you know it. If you’ve ever eaten at an Indian restaurant, you know how delicious the food can be. Actually, it’s quite simply off the charts good and it’s the spices that help everything along so much. The dish I share in this post takes advantage of not only curry paste, but coconut milk as well. Combine these things with butternut squash, chickpeas, and cilantro and you’re going to surprise yourself. For so few ingredients, this dish is bursting with flavors. The best part is, it’s so simple to put together. You need to check this one out. It’s preparation is fast and the result is awesome. Continue reading…
Orecchiette & Broccoli in Brown Butter Sauce Recipe by Curtis Stone
One of the aspects of Italian food I’m just recently picking up on is how simple it can be. The Italians don’t like to muddle their flavors, so the fewer ingredients, the happier the Italians are. This suits me fine because it’s the more complex recipes that I shy away from. If I can pull the texture and flavor I want out of only a handful of ingredients, that’s perfect. And just so you know, I’m not making this stuff up. I was recently watching one of Gino D’Acampo’s TV shows and he confirmed this idea. Tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, pasta – it’s a go. In the case of this dish, there’s no tomato sauce, but it is simple and that’s what I was after when I made it. The ingredient list includes broccoli, orecchiette, parsley, pecans, olive oil, and a few other minor ingredients. Cook the broccoli and the pasta, toast the pecans, and that’s really all there is to it. Combine the ingredients and serve. As I said, simple is best and you can’t get much more simple than this. If you’re interested in a very fresh tasting Italian dish, try this one out. Continue reading…
Egg Salad Sandwich with Veggies Recipe by Paulette Mitchell
We’ve all tried egg salad sandwiches. I used to eat them for lunch in elementary school. What is it – hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper, and mayo on sandwich bread? That’s fine for a kid’s sandwich, but how about for an adult’s egg salad sandwich? In today’s version, instead of mixing the eggs with simple mayonnaise, the eggs are mixed with a very special sauce that’s made of yogurt, dill, mustard, lemon, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. How’s that for an elevation? Mix that sauce with not only the eggs, but eggs, carrot, green bell pepper, celery, onion, and capers. Of course, instead of using regular white sandwich bread, this dish is begging for something more along the lines of an all-grain or ten-grain loaf. In the ingredient list, I left the bread up to you. I said good bread and I’m confident you’ll find the best you can. Just remember, the heavier the better. I found this recipe in a cookbook called Vegetarian Sandwiches by Paulette Mitchell. I’ve actually shared a few of Paulette’s recipes on this site before and I can’t recommend them enough. She takes what’s regular and ordinary and makes it super extraordinary. If you like egg salad sandwiches and would like to bring them to the next level, click through to check out this recipe. Continue reading…
Summertime Mozzarella, Tomato, & Fresh Basil Sandwich Recipe by The Bojon Gourmet
I’ve already shared a few sandwich recipes on this website. If memory serves, they were recipes for some pretty huge sandwiches. I rarely make sandwiches I can actually eat like a human. With me, the bigger the better. That’s why I’m bringing you another big one. This time, it’s called The Green Goddess and it’s unique in the ingredients it calls for and the way it’s constructed. The green in this sandwich describes the basil mayonnaise. If you’ve never prepared your own homemade mayonnaise before, you’re in for a treat. The trick with this version is the fresh basil leaves that are added to the processor. If you click through to view the photos, you’ll see how green the basil makes everything. It sort of looks like a Saint Patrick’s Day sandwich, but really, it’s a wonderfully tasting and quite substantial summertime sandwich. Between the gourmet bread, avocado, mozzarella, tomato slices, cucumber, onion, sprouts, lettuce, and everything else, it really doesn’t get much better than this. So, if you like big fat vegetarian sandwiches, you might want to check this one out. Continue reading…
Tomato, Basil, & Parmesan Gratin Recipe by America’s Test Kitchen
This is an incredible gratin that takes full advantage of summertime vegetables. As I shared in the post, this dish tastes fresh. It must be the combination of vegetables. Think zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil, all melted together to make an outstandingly flavored medley. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs, shallots, and Parmesan cheese on top of it all and you’ve got something special. If you browse through the recipe, you’ll find that each vegetable was altered in some way before being added to the casserole. The squash and tomatoes were dehydrated, the onions were caramelized, and the garlic, olive oil, and thyme were all marinated together to form a wonderful topping that’s drizzled over everything else. While this dish may appear complex, it’s actually fairly straightforward. It’s worth the effort involved. Click through to take a look. Continue reading…
Orzo Salad with Everything Recipe by Cook’s Country
Orzo salads are fun and easy to prepare and I make them all summer long. In our house, we add this type of salad to our regular nightly garden salad. We use the garden salad as a bedding for this much more substantial companion. As I share in this post, these types of salads are quite simple to put together and really take no time at all. Basically, you’ll need to cook the orzo, which is basically cooking pasta, prep the vegetables, and then make the vinaigrette. There’s nothing challenging in any of the steps and the ingredients are readily available in any food market. In the case of this salad, the recipe calls for orzo, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red cabbage, Asiago cheese, pecans, and fresh basil. After reading that ingredient list, I’m sure you can imagine the flavors the ingredients create when combined. And that list didn’t even include the vinaigrette, which consists of balsamic vinegar, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. This is an incredible summer salad, so click through to take a look at some photos and to view the recipe. Continue reading…