If I made my Top 25 list, I would say that soup would be on it! I just love it! I don’t think I would have made it through college without soup (and canned corn.) LOL! When I lived at home and my mom and I would go grocery shopping, she would send me down the soup aisle to pick up what I wanted. A few cans and I was good to go for the week. I also love to try soup recipes. Nothing is more comforting than a nice steaming bowl of homemade soup! A few months back I stumbled upon a recipe for Tomato Soup with Tortellini. My kids love it! It calls for canned soup and I’ve been trying to find a nice homemade recipe to substitute for the canned stuff (and that my kids would still eat!) I think I found it. Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try…super creamy and yummy flavor! Next time I make it though, I think I’ll cut down a little on the flour and add a little more tomato. Enjoy!
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 c chopped onion
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 c milk (I used canned evaporated milk – one regular and one nonfat)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 package frozen tortellini (cook according to package directions)
- parmesan cheese and bacon for garnish (optional)
In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion; cook, stirring until tender. Stir flour into cooked onion and butter, stirring until well incorporated. Gradually stir in milk and add sugar, salt, and pepper. Continue to heat, stirring, until mixture thickens and boils. Heat crushed tomatoes in a separate saucepan and then gradually add to the milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook tortellini according to the package directions. Drain and add to tomato soup. We like to garnish it with a little parmesan cheese and bacon. Yum!
I have been waiting patiently for Mr. FedEx to show up with some new frame samples I ordered! They finally arrived and I am SO excited! You won’t believe the variety of designs and yummy colors to choose from. 
I can’t wait to share them during ordering appointments! BTW – it’s not too early to start thinking about the spring. If you are interested in a spring session, email or give me a call. I look forward to helping you fill your walls with wonderful memories framed in fabulous, custom-designed frames!
I mentioned a few posts back that I was taking a class – The Art of Food Photography. I think I have found a new obsession! Lately, I have been spending lots of time browsing food blogs and cooking magazines. I’ve torn up magazines and started an “inspiration” folder of food images I love. I’ve spent hours walking the aisles at places like Pier1, Homegoods, and TJMaxx looking for cool food props. I have a problem, don’t I?
As I browse the food blogs, I dream of how cool it would be to have my own! I love to cook and try new recipes. Most have been successful. (But don’t ask my hubby about the baked carrots and whole wheat brownies. Blech!) Anyway…at this point I don’t have enough to time to dedicate to a whole new blog so…I’m thinking I may start “Food Friday” here! I suppose I could try to come up with some fancy kind of name but I’m not really the fancy schmancy type so I’ll keep it simple. Sometimes it may be a recipe. Sometimes just some cool images from that week. Who knows…we’ll see where this goes…
So..in honor of Valentine’s Day here my first “Food Friday” post. I hope you have a wonderful weekend surrounding by the people you love!
I needed an image for a test post while I work on my blog. Here’s more fun we had yesterday with all the snow. Ever had a real snow-cone?
Just in case you weren’t aware…. The Northeast was slammed this weekend with a major snowstorm. I haven’t seen this much snow EVER…even after living in Wyoming for almost five years! I’m thinking we might be lucky to get out of our neighborhood by the end of the week. And school…HA! I wouldn’t be suprised if the kids don’t go all next week. It usually takes a few days for us to see the plow trucks around here! Plus I hear we have more coming in a few days. For now…I’ll just enjoy the snow with my family and then come in a warm up by the fire! I hope you are enjoying some quality time with your family as well.
One of our favorite games recently is Whoonu: The Get-To-Know-You Game of Guessing Favorite Things. (We’ve been playing it quite a bit recently while being stuck inside b/c of snow!) Anyway…one player is the ”Whoozit” and the others get a series of cards with various items/activities listed on them (for example, baseball, sunsets, bananas, trampolines, roasting marshmallows, bowling…) The players have to pick the cards with items they think will be the Whoozit’s favorite things. Last game, my hubby knew he had the perfect card for our daughter – climbing trees! Yep, he was right and took the prize for that round! So the next day, I hear her calling me from outside and where do I find her??? Take a look…
I mentioned a few posts back that I was taking a new class…The Art of Food Photography. It has been so fun to try something new and it’s funny how differently I look at food magazines and recipes now! So my lesson this week was to photograph the same “subject” from different angles and perspectives. Here are my three favorites:
In case you are wondering…they are little cookies called Lime Snaps. My kids are very glad that my homework is done so we can eat them now! (This class may not be so good for my waistline. LOL!)
Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2010? First, I want to thank my clients for making 2009 such a wonderful year! It was such an amazing experience to photograph each family, child, and high school senior! I love getting a peek into your lives and I thank you so much for choosing me to capture your family memories through photographs. Now on to 2010…I am so excited about the year to come! During the slower winter season, I have several projects on my to-do list including freshening up my blog-site and developing some new products that will be available in the spring. (Hint: one is an ADORABLE little album!) I am also excited to be attending a photography workshop later this month and taking a class just for fun – Intro to Food Photography. I’m sure when the warmer weather comes around again, I will be refreshed and ready to go for an awesome spring season! Speaking of spring…it’s not too early to contact me if you are interested in a spring session. I already have a list going for those to contact when my spring schedule opens up. Give me a call or email if you are interested!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are now settling in to the new year. One of the highlights of our Christmas break each year is attending my family reunion in Florida. For some of us, it’s the only time we see each other during the year. It was so fun to watch my kids with their cousins this year. They were all a little shy to begin with but within a few hours, it was like they were long time friends! The last night of the reunion, they had a “sleepover” in each others room and we heard comments like, “I wish we didn’t have to go home!”
Here is my daughter and her cousin doing what they spent most of the weekend doing…skating! I love this.
As the holidays gets closer, I hope you are able to step back from the hustle and bustle and simply enjoy the season! With that in mind…Simple Expressions Photography will be closed December 18-January 5 as I enjoy this time with my family. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!
December 8, 2009 Posted in Kiddos
In the craziness of the past few weeks, I realized I forgot to post a sneak peek from this session. It’s just a tad late (considering I’m meeting up with Mom tomorrow for the ordering appointment) but I still wanted to share. These close-ups are some of my favorites from the session. I am so loving this type of shot lately! I can’t decide between the color or black and white version though. What do you think?
by Paige
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