Festive Photos

I am quickly learning that my best shots are of inanimate objects......I suspect that Macro Photography may turn out to be my forte! At this point, the photos I take of people completely suck....there's just no other way to say it. At the top of my wish list is the Nikon 50mm/1.8 AF D lens, which will certainly help me to get the portraits of people I really want, but a huge part of it will be practice and improving my technique. Although I'm not particularly happy with my kit lens, I certainly can't blame it for my portrait fails!

Regardless, here is a shot that just makes me feel happy and festive every time I look at it.

 And the runner-up for my fave shot of the day:

~Michelle

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Rosemary Biscuits

Today's culinary endeavour was all about comfort. Rain on December 15th? Really? Anyway, I decided that chicken stew in the crock pot was just the ticket. Aside from baking, I rarely follow a recipe exactly, which makes it difficult to relay what I did. And my amounts are usually limited to measurements such as "handfuls" and "bunches", but here's my best shot:

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

Dredge 8 chicken thighs in flour and season with salt and pepper (no need to cut up the chicken - it will fall apart in the stew later). Brown both sides and set aside. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock. Add chicken and pan juices to slow cooker, along with:

- 4 potatoes, chopped
- lots of baby carrots
- a couple celery stalks, sliced
- one onion, chopped fine
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- thyme (fresh or dried)
- rosemary (fresh or dried)

Cover and cook for however long you estimate your slow cooker needs. When it's close to your desired done-ness, add 1 cup frozen peas.

If you find it is more "soupy" than you would like, dissolve 1-2 tsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup warm water. Add to stew and stir.

Rosemary Biscuits

- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together egg and milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine (dough will be lumpy - no worries, that's fine!). Drop spoonfuls on top of stew. Cover and let cook on High for about 30 more minutes. Once a toothpick inserted into biscuit comes out clean, you're good to go!

Hmmm....maybe these are really more of a dumpling than a biscuit. Whatever. I MacGyver-ed this recipe, I can call it whatever I please. It's tasty, comforting, and aside from the white flour it's a pretty healthy dish! I likely left out a few steps here, but unless you're a total novice I'm sure you can figure it out. Cooking is all about problem-solving and experimentation!

~Michelle

Holiday Shots

Just a few shots that I've taken of festive things! So far, I've only been playing around in auto mode - yet to start shooting in manual. Truth be told, I'm totally intimidated and kinda scared to make the leap. It seems easy when I'm reading tutorials, but once I've got the camera in my hands my mind just goes blank!

Willow's first snowfall!

This shot took me nearly an hour to get right, but I think I'm finally on the way to creating festive bokeh. A full-size tree would have helped, but I think I did pretty well regardless.

Although rather misshapen, these Mocha Truffles were delicious! I would definitely recommend making them, but use of a chocolate mold will likely make your life a lot easier. Damn hindsight...

~Michelle

Merry Christmas From The Fuzzbutts!

My best friend came to visit last weekend and we decided to torture my pack with a holiday photo shoot. The animals are mine, but the photography is hers! I have a ways to go before I'll be taking portraits as nice as these :)

Chase was by far the most cooperative. He wasn't thrilled, but my boy will do anything to please!

Kailey (could she look any more pathetic?) Maybe she was worried this picture would end up on the internet....

Willow was too bouncy to keep the antlers on!

I'm surprised Rupert hasn't murdered me in my sleep for this....

Being able to torture my furkids once a year makes all of their shedding, chewing and general shenanigans a little easier to bear!

~Michelle

Holy Learning Curve...

So I've decided to take up photography as a hobby. I need something other than television to occupy my free time and since I don't have a crafty bone in my body...photography seemed to fit. I don't expect to be great at it, but hope I can learn enough to become decent!

After much research, I decided on the Nikon D3100. It's the perfect mix of quality combined with being user-friendly for beginners, and different lenses will allow it to grow with me as I improve. I was thrilled to realize they just started offering it in red, so of course I had to get the pretty, shiny version!

The main lessons I have learned so far are: 1) The best shots seem to happen by accident, and 2) It is going to take MUCH longer to learn the basics than I thought it would!

I have found two websites particularly helpful so far:

Digital Photography School

Improve Photography

And here, my best (flukey) shots so far:

That's three out of about 200. Ouch. This will take time....but I do have plenty of that.

~Michelle

Welcome!

So here I am, yet again, starting a new blog. I'm pretty sure this is my fifth....Anyway, I've been like this for as long as I can remember so it's no big surprise. I used to start a diary and three pages in decide I wasn't happy with it and rip all the pages out to start over.

I can't say for sure what this blog will be about. I know my pets will be a huge part, or as I affectionately refer to them: The Fuzzbutts. I'm learning photography as a hobby, so I'll likely post pictures here as well. Expect some recipes, stuff about fitness and weight-loss as I continue on my self-improvement journey, as well as general thoughts about random happenings and social commentary (because Social Workers just cannot keep their opinions to themselves!).

I know it's a random mix, but that's pretty much how I operate. I can't identify any one primary interest or skill, since I like too many different things all at once. And some of them really don't go together well at all - but I'm trying to stop worrying about that.

~Michelle