Posts Tagged ‘Glendale’
Continuing from last week’s Mexican food them, here’s a simple recipe to make homemade Spanish rice. This goes great with enchiladas 
Ingredients:
1 c brown rice (not instant)
2-3/4 c hot water (or according to package instructions)
6-12 oz tomato sauce
1 small tomato diced (roma sized)
1/3 smaller yellow onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper seeded and diced (optional)
2 tbsp oil
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add rice and stir to coat. Lightly toast rice.
2. Add water and cook until all water is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Stir often (or it will burn and stick to the pan).
3. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil. Add onions and peppers and cook until onion is translucent and pepper is tender.
4. Add tomato sauce, cumin and salt to taste. Mix in tomato, onion, and pepper. Cook until heated through.
See, easy peezy and super yummy!
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Tags: Adults, arizona, AZ, boudoir, child, Children, enchiladas, Engagement, Family, food, foodie, glamour, Glendale, maternity, Mesa, Newborn, Peoria, Pets, Phoenix, photographer, photography, pin-up, portrait, Recipe, rice, Scottsdale, senior, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Wedding
Posted in Foodie Friday, Recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized |
16 Comments »
Courtesy of Mom*tog
I get asked a lot by both photographers and clients what my policy is on letting my clients post their images to their blogs and facebook account. I personally love it when my clients post their family pictures on their blogs, facebook, etc. It shows me that they truly love their images! I encourage my clients to copy their pictures from my blog to use on the internet. Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should think about when reposting your images:
1) DO ask your photographer what their specific policy is on taking pictures off of their blogs. Some photographers encourage it and some don’t allow it. If this is important to you this is something you should ask BEFORE you hire your photographer!
2) DO include your photographer’s name and website under the images (a link would be super nice!). That’s just the polite thing to do 
3) DON’T crop out their logo. Most photographers use their blogs to advertise their work and do so as a courtesy to give their clients a sneak peek. If a client crops out the logo then how will other people know who took the picture?
4) DON’T edit the picture in ANY way. Taking the pictures is only half of a photographer’s job. The other half is editing. If you think you can do a better job or want to edit out some of your wrinkles or use selective coloring please don’t. That is super insulting. If you don’t like your photographer’s editing enough to want to edit it yourself than maybe you need to find another photographer next year.
5) DON’T try to print from the files on the blog. For me specifically I know that the files I upload to my blog are too small to be printed in a 4×6 size. It’s not cool to invest in a family session and then print the images off of the blog and not pay for prints. Make sure you know how much the prints cost before the session to avoid sticker shock. Same goes for scanning prints that you already bought. Not cool (and illegal)! Some of my family members are guilty of printing images off of my blog. It makes me cringe when I see them FRAMED in their homes with my logo still on there! To be fair, I’m also not great at emailing them the file when they ask for it
*used and edited with the permission of the author*
Ok so now you ask what exactly are your policies on this?
I have no problem with you copying the images from my blog to use on Facebook, MySpace, your family blog, etc. In fact if you ask I will even email you the watermarked copies of the blog pictures and any that you order. BUT you are not allowed to edit them in ANY way. Do not crop out the logo (or really even crop at all) and give credit to the photographer (please tag me if we are Facebook friends). If you would like I will post them on Facebook and tag you in the photos so that you can share them without having to worry about it. You are in no way allowed to edit your photos-I edit them in my style which is what you hired me for. The photos are a representation of my work-I do not want my work associated with your bad edit. Do not print these photos either, they are a low resolution to protect me from theft and you from unscrupulous people stealing them and using your image for a purpose you may not like (think advertising for a disturbing product, it’s happened to many people). If you have any other questions on what you can and can not do with your photos, please ask me. You don’t want to accidentally break a copyright law that could cost you a lot.
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Tags: Adults, arizona, article, AZ, boudoir, boys, child, Children, Engagement, Family, glamour, Glendale, inspiration, maternity, Mesa, Newborn, Peoria, Pets, Phoenix, photographer, photography, pin-up, portrait, Scottsdale, senior, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Wedding
Posted in Uncategorized, Wednesday Wisdom |
10 Comments »
I’ve pretty much lived in Arizona my whole life. Being from the Southwest, I really enjoy this side of the border Mexican food. I say that because real Mexican food is actually quite different from what we consider Mexican food. But what you can get here is very different from what you eat in other parts of the country-most are really tamed down and extremely Americanized. I mean do you really think Velveeta cheese and store bought precooked meat are authentic? Authentic Mexican food is really about fresh ingredients and food prepared with love (meaning a long time to cook ). My chicken enchilada recipe won’t take hours but for the most part it is made from fresher ingredients.
Ingredients:
10 burrito-sized tortillas (I do use store bought-the kind that are made daily if possible)
2 16 oz cans enchilada sauce (I prefer green, you can use red. and I’m guessing on the can size :O )
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 3 smaller ones)
1/4 c water or chicken broth/stock (broth/stock adds more flavor)
1/2 c finely chopped yellow onion (sweeter, you can use whatever you have)
1 clove pressed garlic
1 c shredded cheese (shred it yourself-it’s cheaper and tastes better, we use cheddar you can use your favorite but not Velveeta)
1 6 oz can of sliced black olives (optional)
sour cream
Directions:
1. Put chicken breasts and water/broth in a crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-4 (I usually throw them in frozen, even if it’s against the directions but it works for me). They are done when they fall apart as you try to take them out.
2. When chicken is done, preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish-13×9 is a good size.
3. Using two forks (or your hands if you can take the heat) shred the chicken. Place in a bowl and mix in 1 can of enchilada sauce, onions, and garlic (and some olives if you like them).
4. One tortilla at a time, put a large spoonful of mixture spread down the middle longways. Don’t overdue it-it has to make enough for all of the tortillas.
5. Time to roll the tortillas! Fold both ends up about 1 inch. Bring one long side over the filling and tuck under the mixture. Roll it up the rest of the way.
6. Place them in one layer (can overlap some) in the baking dish. Pour the second can of enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled up tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
7. Bake 15-20 minutes until they are turning golden and the cheese is all melted. Top with sour cream and olives if you want.
Serving suggestions: beans (black, pinto, or refried), guacamole, chips and salsa, Spanish rice-super easy to make (check for the recipe next week)
*you can definitely make your own tortillas and enchilada sauce but for the price and time saved I choose to buy these-just get the best tasting sauce and the freshest tortillas*
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Tags: Adults, arizona, AZ, chicken, child, Children, enchiladas, Engagement, Family, food, foodie, glamour, Glendale, maternity, Mesa, Newborn, Peoria, Pets, Phoenix, photographer, photography, pin-up, portrait, Recipe, Scottsdale, senior, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Wedding
Posted in Foodie Friday, Meal, Recipe, Uncategorized |
14 Comments »
Another installment of Wednesday Wisdom where I will try to answer FAQ, share articles and inspiration. Today’s FAQ is about crop ratio or why an image is cropped the way it is.
Often customers wonder how I choose to crop their photos or how their photos will look at each size. Most cameras (including mine) produce photos that are a 2:3 ratio (equivalent to a 4×6 or 20×30). This means that when you want an image of a different ratio (ex. 4:5 or 8×10), some of the image must be cropped away. As a photographer, I try to take into account for this and leave extra room within an image to allow for an appealing crop that doesn’t lose important parts of the image. Even then not all images will look good at all crop sizes. To help compensate for these differences, I proof my images at a 5×7 size so that it is a pleasing crop somewhere between the more rectangular 2:3 (think 8×12) and the nearly square 4:5 (think 8×10). When you order your prints at a different crop ratio than your proof shows you need to remember there will be a difference between your proof and your final print. I will use my artistic judgement when I crop at these ratios to ensure that all important elements are included and that the image is still appealing. If I feel that a certain crop will not work for an image, I will let you know so that we can make a decision together for the best choice of the display of your portraits.
Here is a visual to help you see the differences a crop will make on one image.
Please keep this in mind when you order prints from our session.
If this doesn’t answer all your questions on the topic please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to help. If you have any ideas for future posts please let me know!
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Tags: Adults, arizona, article, AZ, boudoir, child, Children, Engagement, Family, glamour, Glendale, inspiration, maternity, Mesa, Newborn, Peoria, Pets, Phoenix, photographer, photography, pin-up, portrait, Scottsdale, senior, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Wedding
Posted in Fine Art, Tutorial, Uncategorized, Wednesday Wisdom |
15 Comments »
We love all kinds of food in my family, but so many of our favorites can’t be eaten by my youngest the way it can be ordered at a restaurant. So we find ways to modify recipes at home that we love for him to eat. One of my husband’s absolute favorite foods is chicken parmesan-if we go to an Italian restaurant I can pretty much guarantee that’s what he’ll order. Here is my recipe and how I’ve modified his version:
Ingredients:
2 large or 3 smaller boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c shredded mozzarella (can substitute other meltable cheeses)
-for the breading-
6 slices of bread (I save the heels and freeze them to make bread crumbs)
1/4-1/2 c oatmeal (optional)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 c grated or shredded parmesan cheese (more if you want it stronger)
-for the sauce-
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 clove pressed garlic
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425*. Put the bread, oatmeal (it creates a slightly crisper breading), and the spices in a food processor until it becomes a fine bread crumb mixture. Add the cheese and mix together.
2. I cut the chicken breasts in half through the long side so that I have 2 squarer pieces. You will need wax paper, plastic wrap, or parchment paper (what I used), a flat surface you won’t damage (I use a cutting board), and something heavy and not breakable like a rolling pin for the next step. Place one chicken piece at a time into the parchment paper or other material and fold over to cover both sides of the chicken piece. Pound the chicken piece until it is about 1/2″ thick.
3. Moisten the chicken pieces one at a time (you can use egg, milk, or water like I did) and coat both sides in bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake 8-10 minutes or until they look slightly browned.
4. Mix the spices and garlic into the tomato sauce. Spoon over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.
To make this dairy and egg free:
After creating the bread crumb mixture, I used water to moisten the chicken piece and I breaded his piece before adding the parmesan cheese. I also left off the mozzarella cheese.
Ok you are right, that’s not mozzarella cheese. I was almost finished making it when I realized that I didn’t have any so I substituted cheddar-not quite the same but it worked.
Delicious with steamed broccoli!
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Tags: Adults, arizona, AZ, boudoir, chicken, child, Children, Engagement, Family, food, foodie, glamour, Glendale, maternity, Mesa, Newborn, Peoria, Pets, Phoenix, photographer, photography, pin-up, portrait, Recipe, Scottsdale, senior, Sun City, Surprise, Tempe, Wedding
Posted in Foodie Friday, Meal, Recipe, Uncategorized |
9 Comments »
