Sunday Shots & Crockpots

I've been trying to take photos every day.

A new challenge for 2009.

An attempt to improve my photography skills and to hopefully use my point & shoot camera which I rarely use (instead favoring my Canon)


So for all of you blog followers out there, here's another link for you:

http://www.shuttercal.com/calendar/lazyfroggirl/

It's a calendar style format. If you click on each date you'll see the photo uploaded for that day. Just one picture a day (if others come out nice, I'll likely post here).



Sunday we got more snow. A lot more snow. The sticky kind that make the woods around our house look even more enchanting. Here are some of my favorite shots:

Of course besides trudging around in the snow, Sunday morning meant cleaning and doing laundry. Simple stuff, yet seeing all the whites piled up on the top of the hamper just called to me. I grabbed the camera to snap a few shots. I love these two. Can't say exactly why. Something about the colors and the textures (the towels and the hamper)... the every day things (the washer and the toilet, the doorframe)... just looking at it from a different angle perhaps {its not often I sit on the closet floor}

And Sunday was the day I did something I've been saying I was going to do for a long time- use my crockpot!! What a great first experience. I made three things (between 2 crockpots-- Joey left his at our house the last time he visited. thanks Joey)

The first was Jambalaya! Seemed like the perfect football afternoon kind of food. And look how pretty these ingredients are!!

Recipe

[care of this wonderful lady]

The Ingredients:

5 fully cooked sausages (I used some spicy ones)

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup raw brown rice (thought it wouldn't be enough but it was)

1 can (and juice) Itallian stewed tomatoes

1/2 can drained and rinsed black beans

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 head chopped garlic (thought I had some in house but didn't)

3 chopped celery spears

1 green pepper & 1 red pepper (I added 2 small hot peppers too)

1 cup frozen white corn kernals

2 cups cooked frozen shrimp

The Directions

pour the broth, wine and the uncooked brown rice into the bottom of your stoneware

stir the rice in the liquid

cover with chopped vegetables, frozen corn and garlic

put in the black beans

add sausage

I promise it's enough liquid

cook on low for 8-10 hours, high for 6. (i cooked it on high)

an hour before eating, stir in frozen shrimp and turn to high

I also made Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

-veggies of your choice

--olive oil
--kosher salt
--pepper

Directions
wash and trim veggies
put into the crockpot still moist
drizzle olive oil over the top (1T? 2T? I didn't measure)
healthy pinch of salt and pepper
toss with hands to coat vegetables evenly with oil and spices

cover and cook on low for 4 hours, high for 2-3

stir every hour or so and check vegetable tenderness

super easy and they came out so tasty (i know you love that word mom)

veggies i chose: sweet potatoes, carrots, acorn squash, eggplant and zucchini

p.s. tip for acorn squash which is the toughest vegetable to cut through- but soo yummy once you actually cook it {also got this from the crockpot lady}

microwave the acorn squash for a few minutes before trying to cut it

it works fabulously

and you can eat the skin

i like it. dan doesn't. but its easier to cut off after its cooked.

third and final crockpot recipe for sunday

Creamy Crockpot Risotto

The Ingredients

1 1/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

3 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

5 cloves chopped garlic (again, none on hand but usually do add- might add some finely chopped onions next time too)

1 t kosher salt

1/4 t black pepper

2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (to add at the very end)

The Directions

toss the uncooked Arborio rice with the olive oil in your crockpot stoneware

add the seasonings and garlic

pour in the broth and white wine

stir to mix flavors

cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the rice is tender

stir in the shredded cheese and leave uncovered for about 15 minutes

to let a bit of the moisture escape

All three were big hits! And it was so nice not to have to actively cook while we had company!