By this point, you’re aware of what pearl couscous, otherwise known as Israeli couscous, is. It’s a wonderful little pasta ball that’s used in many different types of dishes, salads being most of them. When preparing pearl couscous, it’s best to toast the pasta in a bit of olive oil or butter before cooking it, as the toasting adds a nutty flavor. This type of couscous, which actually isn’t a couscous at all, was developed in Israel in the 1950s, when rice was scarce due to austerity. No matter its history, this food has become wildly popular across the world and I use it for many of my salad dishes as a tender, chewy base. After all, why eat a salad that only consists of vegetables? Why not add some pasta (and cheese)? And if you’re going to be adding vegetables anyway, why not brown some of them for additional flavor? If you were to do that, your result would look like today’s dish. This incredible salad recipe features a honey and lemon vinaigrette as well as cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, and basil. It also includes browned red bell pepper and Swiss cheese. As far as salads go, this one is outstanding. Click through for the recipe. Continue reading…
How to Take the Sharpest Photos
You may have guessed that taking sharp photos is important, but have you thought about just how important it is? Think of it this way; when was the last time you used a blurry photo…for anything? Sure, we can get away with using a photo that’s got some blur in it. Perhaps the area we’d have preferred to be in focus wasn’t, but at least some other areas were. We might use that. But what if the entire image is blurry? Sorry, can’t use it. So if this is the case, one might claim that taking sharp photos is the most important aspect of photography. It’s foundational, at least. In this post, I discuss what it means to have something in focus so the result is sharp. I discuss the focal plane and I break down what that is in an easy to understand way. Photography doesn’t need to be challenging, but it does require that you understand some core concepts. The benefit of understanding those concepts will usually manifest as better photographs. So there’s definitely an upside to the effort you put into your learning. Click through to read about how to best take sharp photos. Continue reading…
Camera ISO Explained
When it comes to photography, if you learned nothing beyond what the exposure triangle is and how it works, you’d have learned quite a bit. Once you understand how aperture size, shutter speed, and ISO work together, you’d know probably around 90% of what there is to know about photography in general. Yes, there are other areas such as lighting, composition, gear, and all that, but exposure is definitely the most important. It permeates just about everything else. I’ve already written extensively about the three parts of the exposure triangle, but I thought a deep dive into each part would be beneficial to those who’d like to learn more about the real nitty gritty details. This post is about ISO, which is an acronym for the International Organization of Standardization, an organization that has to do with camera sensors and their measurements. It’s an old acronym that’s been carried over since the good ol’ days of film. It’s not important that you know that, but it is important that you become familiar with what ISO is, how to set it, and how it can affect your photos. Click through to learn all about it. Continue reading…
Aubergine Parmigiana (Eggplant Parm) Recipe by Mary Berry
Eggplant Parmesan is quintessential Italian. Mary Berry has done a fine job of bringing a favorite to us via her Complete Cookbook. As I write in this post, this recipe comes in two basic parts; the eggplant slices and the tomato sauce. Once the eggplant slices are dipped in egg and flour and then fried in a skillet, they’re essentially finished and ready for the next step. The same is true for the tomato sauce. Once it’s done, it’s ready for the next step. For this recipe, I use another recipe from this very website. It’s my famous tomato sauce that pretty much goes with many Italian dishes I prepare. Once both of those things are prepared and completed, the assembly and baking begins. The result is an extremely flavorful and tender aubergine parmigiana, or otherwise known as eggplant parmesan, or eggplant parm. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s an incredible Italian dish that you can make for any night of the week. Click through to take a look at the recipe and some photos. Continue reading…
White Bean Salad Recipe by America’s Test Kitchen
This white bean salad is an excellent way to bulk up any meal. I like making salads like this to add to my nightly garden salad. Around these parts, our salads are serious business and anything we can add to them to make them bigger and better, that’s just fine with me. Especially when what we add is as beautiful and tasty as the dish in this post. I used navy beans in this dish, but feel free to use any white bean you can get your hands on. Navy beans are good because they’ve got a lot of health benefits, but Cannellini beans are nice too because they’re buttery smooth. Choose what you like. Otherwise, this dish features a nice sherry vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette, red bell pepper for its crunch, scallions, parsley, and shallots. The shallot is soaked in the vinegar to improve its taste and the beans are infused with a garlic broth. This is an interesting recipe and I hope you click through to try it out. If you do, let me know what you think. Thanks! Continue reading…
Panning Your Camera & Tracking Objects
Like I’ve said a thousand times, most people can point and shoot a camera to take excellent photographs. There’s not much to it. Camera manufacturers have set things up in such a way as to allow folks who have purchased cameras to pop in a battery and have at it. The challenge, as well as the creative and interesting photos, comes when the photographer breaks free from auto mode and begins to explore the more challenging modes. Sure, there will be some learning along the way, but that learning isn’t difficult. The concepts aren’t even difficult. There’s no excuse to stick with auto mode for the rest of your life. In this post, I introduce a concept that’s referred to as panning. You’ve probably already heard of it. It’s basically when you use a slightly slower shutter speed than you normally would with the intention of introducing movement into your photos. You track moving objects with the goal of keeping the object sharp while allowing the background to blur. This technique will require you to use Shutter Priority and will be an excellent introduction to the mode, if you aren’t already familiar with it. Click through for some thoughtful tips and tricks that just might better your photography as whole. Continue reading…
Spinach & Parmesan Lasagna Rolls Recipe by Cooktoria
For much of my life, I’ve attempted to settle upon which food I’d choose, if given the option of having only one, on a deserted island with me. When I was a kid, I chose bananas. I don’t know why. I guess I thought they’d sustain me. Just a few weeks ago, I changed my mind to whipped cream. I suppose I’m not so picky about sustainability anymore. Today, my mind has changed again. It’s lasagna rolls. These lasagna rolls to be precise. I chose them because they’re awesome. First, there’s something to be said about avoiding the lasagna mess while attempting to plate something such as this. Rolls make the entire process so much neater. Second, these rolls have everything traditional lasagna has, but in a sized portion. Again, the making life easier thing. Finally, take a look at the ingredients in the recipe; spinach, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, herbs – it’s all in there. If you love Italian food and are ready to make an incredible dinner, click through for the recipe and to take a peek as some beautiful photos. Continue reading…
Sweet & Savory Grain Salad with Dates & Toasted Walnuts Recipe
As you may have guessed, these types of salads appeal to me. Orzo, pearl couscous, grain – no matter what it is, if it’s got a nice vinaigrette, some olives, some sort of vegetable, and a sweet element, I’m all in. I think you’ll like today’s salad as well. It features whatever type of grain you’d like (I used farro), dried dates, green olives, honey, thyme, cayenne pepper, walnuts, and a few other ingredients. It’s Mediterranean in nature and it’s got all the flavors you’d need in a salad. What I think sets this one apart is the dates, olives, and the walnuts. To add some additional flavor, I suggest toasting the walnuts for a few minutes in a small skillet with some olive oil and salt. If you compare that to a regular untouched walnut, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t been toasting walnuts all along. Overall, this is an excellent salad and I hope you’ll give it a try. Click through for the recipe. Continue reading…
How Do Photographers Store Their Photographs?
As you become more active with digital photography, storage becomes an issue. There are two parts to photo storage; actual storage of the photographs themselves (where you are going to keep them and work on them) and backing up those same photos. These two areas are generally considered afterthoughts and are often overlooked. The most common method used for photo storage is to transfer the photos from your camera to your computer and simply keep them on your computer’s hard drive. Easy enough. Until you run out of room or there’s a disaster and your hard drive fails. Then what? What was initially an afterthought becomes the most critical issue of the day. In this post, I discuss options for both areas of photo storage. Please click through to give it a read. By doing some work today and creating a system to handle your needs, you may just save yourself a huge headache down the road. Continue reading…
Fruit Mousse with Fresh Berries Dessert Recipe
Every so often a wonderfully simple to prepare and perfectly delicious to taste dessert comes along to make my day. This is one of those desserts. If you take a peek at the recipe, you’ll find just a handful of ingredients; cream, vanilla, cream cheese, and fresh fruit. Mix things up a bit and serve. I’m not sure how the forces that be worked this one out, but it’s awesome. Tasty, sweet, creamy – everything. If you’ve got a date night coming up, this might be the dessert you’ve been looking for. If you’re having guests over for dinner, same thing. Don’t stress yourself out over some far-too-involved dessert when you’ll get many more oohs and aahs with this one. Cut the labor and go for the flavor. Now that’s a good rhyme. Click through to take a look at the recipe and some very appetizing photos. Continue reading…