I enjoyed my morning cup o’ joe in the (periodic) sunshine. |
After an intense arm and shoulder workout followed by rock hard abs, which my muscles are kindly reminding me of today, I decided it would be okay to splurge a little on dinner. Pizza, anyone? With advice from Sondra (Alex’s mom) I have fallen in love with this homemade pizza recipe.
Last night’s din din. |
Homemade Pizza
- 1st layer: a few slices of fresh mozzarella
- 2nd layer: about 1/2 cup pizza sauce (I make my own)
- 3rd layer: toppings!
- 4th layer: shredded cheese (Sargento Italian blend is awesome)
- 5th layer: Italian seasonings (thyme and oregano)
My pride and joy. |
He gave me three lens filters:
- Ultra Violet: absorbs UV and gives a cleaner sharper image with less haze, also protects the lens
- polarized: dramatically reduces reflections from water and glass as well as rendering blue skies darker
- fluorescent: corrects for the green-ish tint from fluorescent lighting
Nikon D3000 – UV filter |
Nikon D3000 – Polarized filter |
Nikon D3000 – Fluorescent filter |
Nikon D3000 – no filter |
Canon PowerShot A570 |
Nikon D3000 with polarized filter edited |
I was shocked at how well the “little guy” did comparatively. The no filter image is decent, but I really hate having a bare lens. If that baby gets scratched, it’s done. The only replacement is a whole new lens and they are not cheap. For everyday use, I leave the UV filter on to protect the lens. Ultimately, I decided that the polarized lens out-performed all the others in this scenario. The colors are vibrant and the lines are crisp. The UV filter doesn’t capture the green grass in the background or the color of the daisies quite as well. The fluorescent certainly did its job of cutting out the green-ish tint. That filter works excellent in gymnasiums, by the way. Do you notice how the red daisy is just a little blurry? This is because I was holding the camera when I took the picture. The camera is uber sensitive to motion. Which leads me to the next item on my wish-list. A tripod. Actually, you’re probably saying, “What are you talking about? It’s not blurry!” But if you saw the same picture taken with a tripod, you would be shocked at the difference it makes. I’ll prove it to you when I get one.
Sorry for the ucky image. The last time I made this was pre-Nikon D3000. |
- 1 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped finely
- 2-3 Tbsp Thai green curry paste (in the oriental section)
- Sambal Oelek chili paste, as needed
- 1-3/4 cups non-fat coconut milk (in the oriental section)
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 4 kaffir lime leaves (can be very hard to find, for a substitution see below recipe)
- 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into cubes (stir-fry cut beef is good, also)
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce (plug your nose!)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- grated rind and juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp jaggery or soft light brown sugar
- VEGGIES!! (see note below)
- 4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish
- White or whole grain rice
Add the coconut milk, stock, and lime leaves. Bring to a oil and add the chicken and vegetables. Reduce the heat and let simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime rind and juice, and sugar. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.
Serve immediately over rice, garnished with chopped cilantro.
1) 1/2 of a small bay leaf plus 1/4 tsp of lime zest and 1/8 tsp fresh lemon thyme; or
2) 1 dried Kaffir lime leaf plus 1/4 tsp of lime zest and/or 1/4 tsp fresh lemon thyme; or
3)1/2 tsp of lime zest plus 1/4 tsp fresh lemon thyme
Tonight we’re going to Bann Thai, as usual, and probably watching a movie at home (Harry Potro!) for date night. I’m excited, sometime this weekend I’m going to plant more herbs!! I love variety and the garden store just put out a ton more. But for now, I’m off to meet my pilot for lunch. Talk to you soon!
Connie says
UV filter was my best pick too! That pizza looks great and the Thai as well!
Alison says
I LOVED seeing the pictures of the flowers! The colors are so bright and pretty 🙂 And that pizza looked awesome! Have I ever given you my homemade pizza crust recipe? I use whole wheat flower (uber-healthy). Freeze it in individual portions so I can have a pizza crust whenever I want. I'll get it to you sometime if you want…talk soon!
Emily says
I know, aren't they pretty? I've always loved gerbera daisies and now I have a pot of them every summer! They grow so well down here. I would LOVE your homemade pizza crust recipe! I started using whole grain pasta and ground turkey (instead of beef) and Alex is okay with that, so I think if I nonchalantly started using whole wheat flour I don't think he'd notice. 🙂
Anonymous says
Only problem is he might read your blog every now and then…after all his name is on it…
Emily says
"Anonymous" = Alex. I'm busted.
Alison says
Hahaha! That's hilarious! Em, I'll send you the recipe…anonymous…just joking 🙂