Strict Paleo

So for the month of November I got talked into doing a strict paleo challenge. I'm a little apprehensive, and I will already be cheating because I'm making donuts today for a wedding shower (check back for the recipe and pictures), but I am going to make my best effort to be strictly paleo this month. And to keep myself motivated, I will be trying out some new paleo recipes. The first one I tried, banana almond pancakes, has left me feeling like I may be able to make it through this month after all. They were very easy (only 4 steps!), and super good.


Here is the recipe.

• 2 bananas
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tbsp almond butter
• fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (I used pecans)
• 1 tsp coconut oil

1. Process the pecans in the food processor until finely chopped.
2. Add the bananas, egg, and almond butter and process until well combined.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with a pat of coconut oil. This was the first time I have ever used coconut oil. I like it! It's too bad it's so expensive =( but don't skip it because the coconut flavor comes through in the pancakes and I don't think the recipe would be the same without it.
4. Pour small discs of the batter onto the skillet, put blueberries on top. When the edges start to look cooked, flip and press the batter down so it is "pancake" thickness. Cook until golden brown.

 This is the batter in the food processor. It is thicker than typical pancake batter. When I looked back at the original recipe I realized I was not supposed to mix the chopped nuts into the batter, this could be why it is a little thicker. I didn't mind the nuts mixed in, it gave them more of a banana-nut-bread quality.

 The pancakes with blueberries.

The pancakes flipped and deliciously golden brown. Make sure the heat is not too high when you are cooking or they will burn. These are done perfectly.

Here is one from my first batch. I had the heat on too high in the beginning. It still tasted good!

Instagram

These are an assortment of photos from the summer. All are taken with my phone. This summer I got addicted to instagram, an app on the iphone that lets you apply different filters to your photos and then share them with others that use the app. There is a huge community that uses the app, and you can view photos and interact with people across the world. Pretty neat.

candied jalapenos

Ever since having the sweet and spicy burger at the Grind, I have been searching for a recipe that will duplicate the candied jalapenos. This one is close, but still not the same. I guess I have to keep going to the Grind. . . Who am I kidding, there is no way I could make the fried ratatouille, I'm hooked.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 3 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1. Slice the peppers into uniform rounds. I used a food processor and the slicing blade. It made this step really fast, and I didn't have to worry about gloves with the jalapenos. I love my Cuisinart!
2. In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic, and cayenne pepper to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down and simmer it for 5 minutes.
3. Add the jalapenos and simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers into clean sterile canning jars. Then turn up the heat on the syrup and boil at a rolling boil for 6 minutes.

1. Pour the boiling syrup over the peppers in the jars until full. Seal the jars.
2. If you want them to be shelf stable, you need to boil them in a canner. But I just keep mine in the fridge, so after the jars are full, put the lids on. Let them cool, and put them in the fridge.

They are good on everything! Of course burgers, crackers, sandwiches, eggs, and a simple but delicious combination, on a toasted tortilla with Greek yogurt.

Pictures from my Lubitel

I just got the pictures from my new TLR back. I used 35mm color negative film and am pretty happy with the results. Unfortunately, the lab cropped the sprocket holes when they scanned the images...

The Lubitel uses medium format film, but it has a conversion kit that allows it to take panoramic shots with 35mm film that exposes the entire film (including the sprocket holes). The tall skinny pictures are taken with the 35mm film. The last picture is on medium format and is double exposed.

I am still figuring out the proper exposures for the different films, but I am happy to say I have gotten a better handle on focusing the camera. Baby steps!

First Canoe Trip of the Season (yes, there will be more in the future)

I can't believe it has been months since I have posted anything! Part of the reason for my long absence is that I have gotten lazy and stopped bringing my camera with me. Another part is that I recently bought a TLR camera, which only takes film, so the pictures I have been taking are not easy to post electronically. But enough with excuses.

A couple weeks ago, a group of us went on our innaugural canoe trip. I've paddled a canoe before, but this was a river we had never been to before with water conditions that we were unfamiliar with (nothing big, just the unkown factor). The trip was a great success. The weather was perfect, the water was freezing, and there was a rope swing!

It's Snowboarding Season!

The mountains in Arizona have only just recently opened up and we have already gotten in two snowboarding trips (with another one planned for this Saturday!). I just recently ordered a Lubitel 166+ which I am very excited about, but for these pictures I was still using my Fujifilm Finepix S1500. Ironically, some of my favorite pictures are ones I took without even looking at the camera's display. I don't know if I should take credit for those ones or not.

Of the two trips, one was great, and one was not so great. First we went up to Flagstaff during a snow storm. We ended up getting stranded in Flag for the night after sitting on the highway for hours trying to get back into town.

 We had to get a hotel room to stay the night in Flag. When I went to check with the front desk in the morning, this hat was sitting on the ground outside of a hotel room. Resisting the urge to pick the hat up, I took a picture instead.

Our second trip was to Sunrise, and we made sure there weren't going to be any snowstorms during this trip because it had been way too cold in Flagstaff! The weather in Sunrise could not have been better. I tried to bring the camera with me while snowboarding, but I didn't want to fall and break it so after a few runs I put it back at the car. I did manage to get some pictures.

Bunch of Goofballs

 Technically, we are all in this photo. (look at the reflection in the goggle lens)

This is my favorite.

Yeah . . .

Family in Town

In December we had some family in town from New York. What better way to show them Arizona than to take them out to the desert and go skeet shooting? I brought my camera along; the video we have is more entertaining, but I will only put the photos up here. My favorite thing about these pictures is the shadows.