title: konica big mini

i finally got some of the pictures from my konica big mini printed. i love them! the tone they all have, that cool greenish-blue! the glory of analog (well, sort-of analog)! the photo-processing guy couldn't say enough about them, too. but i think he may just have wanted to see some good ratings on the customer service survey. you tell me what you think:the full set is on my flickr photostream (see the link at the side). i forsee a lot more of these film scans in the future. let's hear it for outmoded technology! hieperdiepiep! hoorah!

title: venezia di diurna

it's quiet and mysterious at night, but vibrant and alive by day. you really visit two venices when you go.the above picture grabbed me in the daylight and under the flourescents at night.i like them both.

title: la nourriture

so, i have given up on doing things in any kind of realistic order. the pictures i took on a recent trip to nijmegen accidentally went back to the u.s. with my mom when she left paris this weekend, so instead i'll just skip right forward to paris. all that matters is that i'm updating! i have so many photos from paris that i have decided to split them into several smaller, themed posts. this one is all the photos i have of food. i spent the majority of my time there (4 of the 5 days) staying in an apartment with my mom and aunt on rue mariotte (of which there will be pictures later!). down the street from us was a regional farmers' market which set up every day of the week except monday. the vegetables there were so fresh and beautiful, i've never seen anything like them:
this woman sold roasted beets at her stand, which was such a wonderful idea. the last night's dinner was just 2 big fat beet and a huge hunk of crusty bread.
but with dinner must come dessert, and there is plenty of that in paris. my mom and aunt had heard about this "chocolate exposition" that was going on, so we went to that. you pretty much just pay the €12 admission price and walk around sampling the finest chocolates france (and other countries, like italy and even japan) has to offer. this was fun. i ate so much chocolate, and brought home so much more. as we speak, my dad, brother, cousins, and uncle are probably gorging themselves on the treats my aunt and mom brought back. i was also able to visit laduree bakery, which was one of the only places i had on my mind from the beginning of the trip. it was packed full of tourists, having made a name for itself not only because of its age but because its pastry chefs were responsible for the desserts featured in marie antoinette. the macarons and religeuse (violet flavored, no less!) i got were so out of this world. hooray for the french! coming up next in the paris series is the view from the streets! stay tuned!

... p.s., check this out:it was so good.

title: how august feels

title: jun 21

remember those tiny little sprouts i posted pictures of at the end of may?
booyah, grandma! each of these radishes is gigantic, spicy, and delicious. they are my father's day gift to my dad, who helped me build the garden earlier this summer. idn't dat just da sweetest widdle thing?

today it's actually sunny out. that's a rare occurrence. how about you take a little look into my world?those marigolds came out of my garden. they keep the rabbits away because they're all spicy smelling. i like how the flower petals taste--try some!

speaking of trying some...did you know that vegan cinnamon rolls exist?! i know i haven't said even a teensy word about veganism in a while, but i promise these will make up for it. click here for the recipe!

title: tiny cakes!

the other night i was watching food network and some show was on where a chef had to cook barbie-sized hors d'oeuvres (i was one letter off from spelling that right on my first try!!) for the barbie brand's 50th birthday celebration. he did, and they were adorable. one of his hors d'oeuvres was a tiny little birthday cake, with a little bit of icing and sugary sprinkles. at 11:00 at night, with an grumbling tummy and an inherent love of desserts, i spoke the unintentionally rhyming words: "i need to make some tiny cakes". and so i present to you, adoring fans, the products of a night of baking: les tout-petit gâteaux!
the cakes are no larger than a silver dollar, vanilla flavored, and decorated with buttercream frosting and various things. if you want to see pictures of each cake indiviually, please go to my flickr page! if you want to make your own, it's easy. there's no special recipe; use any cake and icing you'd like. i found that it was easiest to cut small cakes out of a large cake--baking them in little cupcake pans made them oddly shaped. when you put your large cake pan in the oven to bake, make sure the middle is indented a little so the cake will rise flat. this makes it easier to cut the little guys out, and you'll get to use more of your cake. i also reccomend cutting around a stencil (like a bottle top or something) with a knife rather than using cookie cutters--unless you have some wicked sharp cookie cutters, they tend to make the cut all messy and crumbly. try making them layered! try making tiny pies! whatever you do, send me your pictures!

title: may 14-16

here are the products of the past few days!my garden box is all built! it awaits a fresh load of dirt, some deer netting, and my seedlings! five of them have sprouted in the peat pots i planted them in. i love the smell of peat moss, it makes me think of everything good. my mom used to have it around all the time because our soil is very heavy and clay-like, so whenever she planted/tended her gardens that was what everything smelled like. spring!
cupcakes! these are vegan vanilla cupcakes. and this is the recipe!
(from the cookbook "vegan cupcakes take over the world!")

ingredients:
1 cup plain soy milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened (or 1/3 cup canola oil) (i use a brand called earth balance)
1/4 tsp. salt (increase salt to 1/2 tsp. if you are using oil instead of margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract, caramel extract, or more vanilla extract (depending if you want a different flavor mixed with the vanilla or not)

steps:

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. whisk the soymilk and vinegar together in a measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to get good and curdled. (ew!)

3. if you are using margarine: sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix.

4. in a separate large bow, use a handheld mixer at medium speed to cream the margarine and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy (don't beat it for more than 2 minutes!). beat in the vanilla and other extract (if using), then alternate beating in the soy milk mixture and dry ingredients, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times.

5. if you are using oil: beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, vanilla, and other extracts (if using) in a large bowl. sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no large lumps remain.

6. fill the cupcake liners two-thirds of the way (you can even fill them a wee bit more--they don't rise too much) and bake for 20-22 minutes. transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

there is also a recipe for frosting, which i didn't get around to doing this time:

ingredients:

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (a.k.a. crisco)
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (a.k.a. earth balance)
3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk

steps:

1. beat the shortening and margarine together until well-combined and fluffy.

2. add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.

3. add the vanilla and the soy milk and beat for another 5 to 7 until fluffy.

and there you go! the photo blog turns into a food blog! let me know if you make these/how they turn out.

title: mar 17

there is always time to take pictures on beautiful, seventy degree days. i had a date with myself today. there was a whole lot of pink.
i walked past this place and decided to go in. it's a cupcake restaurant. SERIOUSLY. a cupcake restaurant. and its adorable inside--all princessy and pink like a cupcake place should be. heaven. i have never had a more delcious cupcake in my life. plus two tons of icing.
i walked down to the esplanade to enjoy the spoils of cupcakey victory. i have never felt so attached to an object in my life. if that cupcake so much as shifted i would have crapped my pants. it is impossible to take a bad picture of a cherry tree in bloom.thanks for looking!