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Saturday, November 25, 2006

crafting, baking and cameras.

So I wrote this long post about various things but for some reason it was not saved (even tho I double checked) as a draft. Thanksgiving this year was actually pretty relaxed. For once, it was just me and my family. Usually, my family has many friends over and they often drink to much and dance around. It isn't too homey and definitely doesn't feel like the holidays. I asked if I could make something for dinner this year and my mom told me to bake something. I have a love hate relationship with baking. Mainly, I always forget to put things into the mixture or my measures are off by just a bit and the entire thing gets ruined. I cook much better than I bake. But I do make a mean cupcake from the very amazing Buttercup Bakeshop Cookbook. My mom has this amazing cookbook called The Nantucket Holiday Table which I have cooked from before and adore for its amazing New England flavors and local ingredients. The pumpkin lasagna is amazing which I often make with squash instead. This year I decided on a Cranberry Beach Plum Cheesecake. Beach Plum is a local beach fruit and the jelly they suggest using is difficult to find accept in some cute little speciality shops. We don't have those around here really so I went with the other suggestion, red currant. It was my first cheesecake ever (besides the pumpkin cheesecake I attempted to make for JW in fall 2003 without a spring form pan but failed miserably so let's just say that doesn't count) The end product was unreal. It was incredibly simple to make and just what I wanted it to be. JW told me that it was the best cheesecake he had every had before which is a huge honor being as it was my real first try and he is a huge critic (in only the best way of course) You can see a little picture of it on the top left corner of the book picture above but before I finish the last slice tonight, I will take a picture and post my creation online!




In other news (yes, actually crafting news) Denyse Schmidt has inspired me to attempt a quilt this winter. Her designs are so amazing and the idea that quilts can be modern like she makes them really impressed and inspired me. I have no idea how to quilt or even how it to actually go about doing it but I love the all American idea of quilting and making something so warm and cozy from scratch. If you don't want to make one by hand you can always buy one from her less expensive line from Pillows & Throws.


As an update to my post below, I am having a horrible time trying to get my 120 and 220 black and white film developed. I've always done my black and white by hand and when I couldn't I lived in New York City, so finding some place to process the film for me was never a problem. Campus camera, for all their downfalls was my old standby. Its been closed for months now since BU priced them out ot the area (along with burrito max and other long lost establishments). Even Hunt's Photo in Melrose which is a superstore of film, cameras and everything photography no longer develops their own black and white film. It is sent out and developed far away. What is the world coming too? So my final attempt in not having to wait a week plus for the film to come back was going to AIB to do it myself (with the Abby's help of course!) but realized holiday traffic would be horrific and that there were unfortunately, no development tanks for 220 film. So I am back to going to Hunt's to send my film god knows where to develop my film. Analog is really dying, isn't is? I never thought I would see the day. I really never did. But along with my research I found this. I guess development for people has become such a problem that these cute little prepaid evelopes get you shipping back and forth to the lab, processing, and contact sheets, all for about $17.


Another thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is lens quality. I know its a rather boring supject for most of you out there but after getting back to using my Mamiya 645 I missed a high quality lens like the one that is on my treasured Medium format camera. Zeiss has come out with a line of digital lenses called the ZF Lenses which are for Nikon's and not Canons. While the idea that high quality European lenses are starting to be made for digital SLR cameras, even if I had the money their are for Nikon mounts only. Unfortunate. Zeiss, help a girl out! Maybe that's why I am such a huge fan of the Sony Cybershot line of cameras. They are all equipped with Zeiss lenses and the new models have huge crystal clear screens in the back. I'm a big fan of the Cybershot DSC-T10 which is pictured above. It's 7.2 megapixels very slim and compact and oh yeah, COMES IN PINK! I'm not a huge pink fan but I like the idea that this great little camera isn't just a stock grey like all the others on the market. It also comes in black, white and of course silver. Abby has a similar model which has as of seen on her flickr account, takes some pretty amazing photos. I have an older and extremely bulky version of the cybershot which was a christmas gift in 2004 I believe. It is time for an upgrade however. Putting a Canon 10d in your bag to go out with friends makes little sense. It would be nice to have something super slick to play around with. Whynot right?
Photos of cheesecake and the portraits taken are coming soon. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

1 comment:

vanessa said...

Nantucket schmantucket!!

oh, ps. this quilting book is fantastic. i have seen it and love it.