Originally published Aug. 25, 2012 Finally, it is State Fair time again! Many Minnesotans have been waiting 365 days for this. How many you say? The last few years have averaged around 1.7 million visitors. Our state has a population count of around 5.3 million, so I’d say almost one-third of our state attends the fair. I’m trying to eat lean until then, kind of like going on a diet before Thanksgiving. This way, I will not feel guilty about the eating world’s best cheese curds, bacon ice cream (hoping I run into Jim Gaffigan there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaK9bjLy3v4), deep-fried candy bars or Twinkies, foot long corn dogs, cotton candy, fudge puppies (waffles dipped in chocolate then sprayed down with a can of whipped cream) and the borderline mandatory stop at the all-you-can-drink milk stand – to cleanse yourself, of course, (you feel so good being there with all the unhealthy food choices around, it’s like going to church at the fair) all in one day! I have been doing fair photography for 14 years now. I started with black and white film but have been all digital since 2005. I can’t wait to see what I come up with this year. If you are nearby, I hope you will come too and enjoy the “Great Minnesota Get Together.” See you at the fair!
Originally published Aug. 18, 2012 Visiting a farmers' market in late summer showcases many different fruits and vegetables than one can find at a spring or early summer market. I have been meaning to visit the market and in addition, a special one that is located in Minneapolis. Today I decided to merge those two “have-to-dos” together. I am not certain how to appropriately describe this market to you. Some words that come to mind are: high-end, organic, exclusive, heirloomish, luxurious, gourmetish. The name is Mill City Farmers' Market. It is only open Saturdays from 8-1 through late October. http://millcityfarmersmarket.org/ I do apologize about the images that are fuzzy, my little hand-held ran out of batteries and I had to resort to my (old) phone camera. Here is what I ended up bringing home. The prize of my visit is something I have been searching for a few years now. Squash blossoms. They were only two dollars a bunch. I am thrilled to try them. Now, if I can only remember where I saw that recipe!
Originally published Aug. 11, 2012 These street signs are in New York City and being an out-of-towner, I found them rather humorous. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong. I had to look it up on the internet. It actually means that there is street cleaning Tues. and Fri. during the designated times and there is no parking on that side of the street then. Maybe it also implies that if people didn't litter, we wouldn't have to impose this no parking time so we can clean the street. You might be wondering whether this sign can be true “Don’t Honk”. They seem pretty serious about it too since it’s in all capital letters and with a $350 fine. A vehicle’s horn is put there for a good reason, right? Did I hear any horns honking? Yes, but only a few and I did not see anyone get caught. I can imagine though if they didn’t impose this restriction in Manhattan (seems like a pretty aggressive group of drivers), there would probably be horns going off constantly and the sound might be deafening.
I wonder if people look around them to make sure the coast is clear before they honk? If you come to Minnesota, you can honk the car horn all you like, but people just don’t do it here very much. It must be the Minnesota Nice in us! Originally published Aug. 4, 2012 In U2′s song “New York” Bono sings: In New York freedom looks like I think they must have been referring to deciding where to eat. I occasionally find myself thinking that in order to get any good food where I live I have to drive into Minneapolis or St. Paul. After being in New York City, I am now thankful for that. There are Fodor’s-rated restaurants on almost every block of Manhattan. Even with all the walking they do, New Yorkers must have a hard time watching their weight with the surplus of amazing dining available around the clock. Pre-dinner offerings from The Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station http://www.oysterbarny.com/ Staying in the city for 3 days meant that 9 meals were possible. Using Fodor’s as a guide, I found my way to one phenomenal dining experience after another in the Big Apple. Somehow I didn’t take those dollar signs seriously enough though and I was mentally unprepared to spend over two hundred dollars a day on food. Lunch for two is an easy $50 and dinner at least $100 even without the extras (no dessert or wine/cocktails). One of the best rated pizzas in NYC, John’s Pizzeria http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/ The highlights of my trip include Second Avenue Deli which, when it was all said and done, was probably the most memorable food I had while there and gets my vote for best food. The pastrami sandwich and Matzoh Ball soup (also affectionately named “Jewish Penicillin” on the menu) make me want to see when I can fly back for a Second round. They offer shipping and I did bring some home (the pastrami) but it just wasn’t the same. I am also left wondering: what was that mysterious dish of pickled items that came before the food and the post-lunch shot of ? Best Matzoh Ball soup ever, Second Avenue Deli http://www.2ndavedeli.com/ My vote for best ambiance goes to Tao. It was sublime to sit in front of a giant Buddha and enjoy great asian food. Good marketing move with the big guy. It’s what you remember afterward. http://www.taorestaurant.com/index.html Favorite comfort food? Having a Starbucks a half a block away in not one but two directions from the front door of my hotel. There are about 255 Starbucks in Manhattan alone. I may have been a pedestrian and traffic hazard on the way there, but once caffeinated, I walked like a New Yorker all the way back to my room. A quarter of a Pumpernickel Bagel from Ess-A-Bagel. These bagels are 3 times larger than those found in Minnesota. Wished I would have had lunch there instead of a breakfast bagel because the deli case was amazing. http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/ Originally published July 27, 2012 The city of Prospect Park lies in between St. Paul and Minneapolis and is home to the Prospect Park Water Tower. It is also known to locals as the Witch’s Hat, a 110 foot water tower constructed in 1913. The infamous rumor it lays claim to is that Bob Dylan lived within viewing distance of the tower and it inspired him to write “All Along The Watchtower.” Many people remember Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of this song because he took it into the Top 20 charts in 1968, 6 months after Bob Dylan recorded it on John Wesley Harding. My daughter’s friend lives in the neighborhood and told me a couple of years ago that the interior of the tower is open one day a year so people can climb the stairs and look out the windows. This year, the tower was open from 5-8 p.m. Hoping to catch the best light possible, I waited until 7 to go. I have to admit getting pretty nervous because the line was super long and at times felt like it wasn’t moving at all. I could see no way I was going to make it inside before it closed. So I was feeling pretty lucky when the volunteers were so kind that they let everybody inside who had been waiting. I think people were still in there at 9 p.m. The mood was lighthearted and festive. A little boy was having a birthday and everyone at the top of the tower started singing “Happy Birthday” to him. Moments later, a marriage proposal was made and people were clapping and flashes were going off. If you are interested in going, check the city’s website next May. Historically, it has been open the first Friday after Memorial Day.
Originally published July 15, 2012 Now that the 4th of July is behind us, summer can really start going by quickly. Before the leaves start turning colors, I thought I would share one of my favorite summer recipes with you. Some time ago I found myself with a lot of lemons and luckily this limoncello recipe found me. Follow along with me while I make this year’s batch and a pitcher of lemonade with the leftover lemon juice. First of all, this recipe takes 5 days to make. Please, don’t leave! All good things take time. Most of the work comes at the end when you strain the limoncello through coffee filters. The rest is easier than baking a cake. My guess is this will take less than 3 hours of your time, maybe even two hours total investment. If you like a lemon drop, you will love this beverage. Secondly, if you are going to do it, I recommend doubling the recipe. Since you are making the effort, it will pay off and you will have more to share with friends and family. So mise en place: Limoncello (Single recipe) 2 lbs. lemons 1 quart (4 c.) vodka 6 c. purified water 2 1/2 c. cane or granulated sugar* or if you do it my way… Limoncello (Double recipe) 4 lbs. lemons (I recommend a big bag from Costco) 2 quarts (8 c.) vodka (I also use Kirkland Vodka, made by Gray Goose but half of the GG price) 12 c. purified water 5 c. cane or granulated sugar* *The recipe I am using recommends cane sugar. However, I have found that the limoncello takes on a slightly brownish color which is somewhat unappetizing. So, I now use fine granulated sugar. That’s easy right? Now, get a very fine grater, a microplane grater, and zest the freshly washed lemons. Just the yellow – no white! Add the zest to the vodka (use a funnel – I made mine with a piece of plastic cutting board), seal tightly and store in a dark and cool place for 5 days. As you can see, I have accumulated a few vodka bottles over the years. I save them for this very reason. When you add the simple syrup later, you will need the extra room, so it makes sense now to use only half of the bottle’s space. Now, take the lemons that have been zested, cut them in half and use a juicer to extract all the lemon juice. Pour the lemon juice in a pitcher, add sugar and water. In my case, since I doubled the recipe, I ended up with 2 cups of lemon juice. So I took 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice (set the other 1/2 cup to the side), add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) and 3 cups of water. Stir and refrigerate. The lemonade is done. Now, take the extra 1/2 cup lemon juice and if you have a tiny ice-cube tray, pour the lemon juice into each little cube. Mine is about 1 Tablespoon per cube. Freeze these until frozen, then pop out and store in a plastic freezer bag and keep them in the freezer. You now have fresh lemon juice by the tablespoon whenever needed. If you only have a regular ice-cube tray, then measure out 1 Tablespoon per cube. They will be smaller cubes but better than having a 2 or 3 Tablespoon cube, which might be too big. Back to the limoncello. Every day, take the bottles out and shake them vigorously. Do this two times a day, such as breakfast and dinner time. After 5 days, your vodka should be sufficiently flavored. Now strain the zest through a fine sieve. Discard the zest and set the flavored vodka aside. Rinse out your bottles to remove any remaining zest. Now it is time to make the simple syrup. Put 6 cups of water in a pan over low heat and add the sugar listed in the single batch recipe. If you are doubling the recipe, put 12 cups of water in the pan with the appropriate amount of sugar. Heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear. Cool it to room temperature and mix it with the lemon vodka. This can be tricky depending on what kind of container you are using. I use a large pan. Here’s where the real work comes in: strain the sweetened vodka through coffee filters. You will need to change them often. Plan on using 10-20 coffee filters, at least. I put the coffee filter in a sieve which is put over a pitcher or bowl. You are almost done so hang in there. This will take 20 minutes and maybe up to an hour depending on your filters. I usually end up forcing the vodka through the filters by closing them up at the top and squeezing when it stops dripping through. Now, it is time to pour the vodka back into the bottles, recork them and put them in the refrigerator. You are ready to enjoy some limoncello. I recommend serving it over ice. Be careful, it is smooth and tasty but potent. Cheers!
Originally published July 9, 2012
While recently walking the streets of Manhattan, there were two sets of store windows that were so stunning I had to stop, unpack my gear and get to work. I didn’t realize until I was home that they were the same designer. Hats off to Louis Vuitton for great window displays! Originally published July 3, 2012 That is how long I recently had the pleasure of spending in Manhattan. It was one of those trips where everything went right. Connections were made, transitions flawless, plans wholly accomplished. Since it’s the eve of the Fourth of July, I want to spotlight 180 of those NY minutes that were spent getting to, from and visiting the Statue of Liberty. The weather looked like it might not cooperate, but in the end it all worked out and even provided me with two different backdrops for the Statue: cloudy and partly cloudy/blue sky mix. If you’ve never seen her before, I can just say one thing. You cannot fully appreciate how big she is until you are standing next to her. She is enormous (151 feet tall, 305 feet including the pedestal and foundation – a little less than a football field if you include the end zones). Her feet measure in at 25 feet long. Her face is over 8 feet and her nose is 4 feet 6 inches long. The arm holding the torch is 42 feet. Notice how small the people look in this image – they are walking around the bottom of the statue: People used to be able to climb inside the statue all the way up to the torch but access was closed in 1916. The next highest interior access was the crown which offered 25 windows viewing out to New York if you could climb the 354 steps. Unfortunately it was closed after 9/11 but reopened on July 4, 2009. Then they decided to close it again last year for upgrades and to improve safety. It should be open again by the beginning of next year. It would be pretty awesome to have a look out of those windows. It really makes me appreciate the work that went into designing, building and transporting her, how long she has been standing there, how many millions of people have photographed her, the people for whom she was the first sign of making it to America (12 million immigrants viewed her as they arrived at Ellis Island). Also the times she has stood through and watched and I thought of the people who were standing there when the World Trade Center Towers were hit. Now riding back on the ferry, another change in the skyline. The new World Trade Center being built. Signs of hope, perseverance and optimism. To all those celebrating it, I wish you a safe and fabulous Fourth!
In case you are reading this outside of the US, the western half of the states are experiencing high temperature, drought conditions that are partially responsible for starting dozens of significant and dangerous wildfires in the last week or two. I initially read that The Colorado Springs’ fire was started by a lightning strike but now they aren’t sure. A few years ago, I was at a home located on Highway 24 in or very near Waldo Canyon for a dinner party when suddenly a little thunderstorm rolled in. I happen to be in the faction that enjoys a good storm. I suppose it’s the electricity in the air and the fact that nothing bad has ever happened to me. I’d probably feel different otherwise. Anyway, this storm was producing some consistent lightning. So much so that I didn’t need a lightning trigger and what luck – I happened to have my tripod with me. So I sneaked away from the table, set up the tripod and clicked away. It is pretty easy to see how wildfires start with lightning strikes like this. There were a lot with this storm and I can imagine that there are hundreds or thousands of strikes per typical summer season. Another area in the evacuation path is the U.S. Air Force Academy campus. The Chapel, part of the Academy campus, is a fabulous structure and it would be devastating to lose it. The Air Force Academy has its own fire department trained to handle forest fires, so I hope all is well in the end. As of this morning, it looks like it will be ok. Currently, hundreds of people have lost their homes and it will likely take the community years to recover and heal. Yet, there remains many things to be thankful for. Thousands of fire fighters who helped save homes and animals, the swift evacuation leading to very little loss of human life. And in the American way or perhaps community spirit way, people will pull together to help one another. They always do. And that is something to be thankful for.
Originally published June 16, 2012 A few years ago I came across a flower called Allium in a friend’s garden. I made a mental note of it because they were so unique and had an almost Dr. Seuss type quality to them. They remind me of the flower Horton is holding where the Whos live in Horton Hears A Who!. https://www.google.com/search?q=horton+hears+a+who&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=FzY&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvnsb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DYHcT6HDJOXg2AXD1rTVDQ&ved=0CIABELAE&biw=1440&bih=765 I knew I wanted some in my garden as well. Eventually I found the bulbs at the local Costco and planted a bag of them last Fall. Allium is Latin for garlic. There are hundreds of species of this plant. Bulb sizes are large varying from 2-3 mm to 8-10 cm. Apparently some people eat these and they taste like onions. I have a funny feeling a bowl of Allium heads would not go over well at the dinner table, besides the fact that the Whos live in there. I think I’ll stick to enjoying mine in the garden at least this year. They are exceptionally fun to photograph because of their long spikes. It is possible to find several different planes of focus within one flower head. And the extra bonus: I’ve read it blooms repeatedly throughout the summer, without the need to deadhead. I’ve seen one round of flowers and am currently awaiting the second bloom. There’s also a neat picture of these all in a row at Wikipedia. I have no idea how you get them to grow exactly the same height like that but it looks very uniform and would make a nice background border.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Selection_of_cultivated_Alliums_.jpg Happy summer everyone! |
AuthorI am a photographer who lives in Minnesota. I blog about Minnesota, photography, music, food and miscellaneous topics. Archives
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