the SIMMER blog

soup swap, part the first

[PSA first: go vote! Happy Election Day!]

I'm going to my first-ever soup swap tomorrow. It sounds like a cookie exchange, only with soup. Six one-quart containers, preferably frozen. You trade yours in, and take others home. Hmm. Maybe it's also like a key party, only with soup.

Anyway, here's the recipe for my contribution, Cheddar Cauliflower Soup. Which, unbelievably, I made exactly as written.

(Oh, okay. I used orange cauliflower and orange cheddar instead of white cauliflower and white cheddar. But it's basically the same. I also may have included a head of garlic. Not sayin' either way.)

in praise of food photography

One of the things I struggle with on this blog is food photography. I mean, there are people who do it so much better. (Particularly Deb and Matt, to name two.) And I don't have any fancy-schmancy equipment, or good lighting, or even white plates. But like cooking, photography is a science-art blend that benefits from a lot of experimentation, and you learn as you go. Witness the three shots I got of just this one plate of pot roast and accompanying vegetables. (Oh, how I love pot roast, especially as it gets colder. SO GOOD.)  

Anyway, here's how most of us would start: stand over the plate, aim down. Maybe use the flash, maybe don't. Hit it head on. Bam!

Craptastic. Okay. Let's get closer so the empty spaces aren't so obvious, and get a better angle so the elements don't seem completely frightened of each other. How about this one?

Better... except for that shadow. Nice job, Giant Head Photographer. Back away and zoom. Let's try again:

I'd consider that quite an improvement. And it's just experimentation, trying to imitate what you've seen elsewhere. And now, I want to go make pot roast.

pull up a chair: it's NaBloPoMo!

We've got cheese! And wine! And an author/blogger of dubious sanity (not pictured)!

 

Yes, it's that time of year again. To most people, it's November, that post-Halloween pre-Christmas run-up-to-Thanksgiving period. To many authors or would-be-authors, it's NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. I've done NaNoWriMo a few times, and it's always a good way to renew focus on your work, though it has its faults. For someone like me who loves to write a fast first draft -- not to mention someone who is occasionally more stubborn than smart -- you can end up on November 30 with a complete short novel of 50,000 words... that is no good at all. Which is what happened to me last year.

This year is different for two reasons. One, I'm very excited about this year's project, and I've got it mostly mapped out.

Two, I have gone totally nutty, and will also be attempting National Blog Posting Month, aka, yes, NaBloPoMo.

So I'll be writing a WHOLE lot about food for the blog. Recipes, how-tos, basics, trips down memory lane, the works. Let's see how it goes!