Oddball Photo Challenge…Don’t cry for me, Argentina…

…or anyone else.

To my delight Cee’s brought back the Oddball Photo Challenge. So I’m switching “Silent Sunday” to “Silent Saturday” so I can be part of it.  Very, very early Monday morning, I’ll be aboard a Southwest Airlines flight to Arizona for my yearly visit to see my parents. I love spending time with them and I also plan to enjoy the 60 and 70 degree temperatures while I’m there.   I know I just had a blogging break over Christmas, but I can barely keep up with everyone’s blogs and entries when I’m at home, where I have an internet connection, let alone at my parents’ who don’t.  Besides, I only see them once a year usually, so they and what we do deserve my undivided attention.  But it won’t be long and I’ll be back.  In the meantime, enjoy what each day holds for you.

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro…This one will make you cry.

My usual macro subject is something from nature, often a flower.   Well, an onion is from nature, so I’m not too far afield (so to speak.)  Anyway, here’s my offering for “Macro” this week.

COB Challenge 2016, Week 15…You’ve been chopped.

I don’t watch cooking shows on TV, partly because of time and partly because in the same amount of time, I can peruse a number of cookbooks or cooking magazines.  But every so often, I enjoy watching “Chopped.”  Four chefs start the program, competing in three rounds: appetizer, entree, and dessert.  Prior to the start of each round, the chefs each get a basket of mystery ingredients (the same in each basket.)  There’s always one weird ingredient, often more than one.  Each round has a time limit and contestants are scored on taste, creativity, and presentation.  However, at the end of each round, one person is chopped and must leave the program.  The chef left at the end wins.

I’m always amazed at what creations emerge from these odd ingredients (and also at the egos of many of the chefs.)  Although I was a lunch cook in a very nice restaurant in Steamboat Springs, Colorado many years ago, I didn’t create dishes, just fixed them.  However, I did learn a few useful kitchen skills, including some knife skills.  While prepping ingredients for chicken soup recently, my photographer’s eye was caught by the following shot of cut celery clinging to the very knife that made it “chopped.”  Odd, but fun.

 

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro…carrot slices

“Macro” generally finds me pulling up photos of flowers or other natural things.  However, this week, I had a couple shots I took in the kitchen while preparing dinner one night.  Carrots are good for you, so enjoy these.  They have even less than the usual number of calories.  🙂  The shots are  aren’t sharp, but I like the somewhat abstract quality and softness.

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I know I’m meant to be writing today, but real life is enthralling me.  And since I’m hungry, I’m sharing photos of our recent meal at The Ramen Bar in University City in Philadelphia.  Enjoy!

Not my meal, but beautiful

Gyudon

Chashu Roll

Katsu Curry

Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge: Editing…abstract in the kitchen

On the rare fifth Monday, our challenge is to play with editing a photo that fits one of the Challenger’s Choice categories from week 5.  I had fun with another food photo, this time of a layer of oil suspended atop other wet ingredients, turning it into an abstract by the use of editing.  The Picasa 3 edits I used are listed under the edited photo.

original

soft focus, HDR-ish,crop, sharpen, vignette, tuning, boost

Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge: Week 40 (redux)…in the kitchen

Last week I tried to deprive Cee of her week off blogging and in the real world by posting an entry for the challenge that didn’t exist.  This week, I’ll get it right.  Hope you had a relaxing time off, Cee, and thanks for being our hostess.

When I’m in the kitchen, I often stop to grab my phone to take a picture.  This one is of what will become a sauce for sloppy joes, but currently looks more like most modern art (although if you can tell when it is, perhaps it doesn’t qualify)  Maybe an Andy Warhol?

Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge: Week 32…Don’t cry for me, Argentina (or anyone else.)

The kitchen is full of opportunities for photos, with many oddballs among them.  As I was about to toss it into the garbage, this over-the-hill onion caught my eye.  I love the jaunty look of the green.

Phoneography Challege: Edible Delights

The Phoneography Challenge is issued on Monday morning for the entire week.  The theme/themes for each week repeat monthly and can be found included in each week’s post.  That means you can start agonizing over which photo/s to use early and set up your post at your leisure.  If you take photos with a phone or tablet, please consider joining us.  It’s fun, the people are great and you’ll see many beautiful photos.

For the Challenger’s Choice this week, I decided to take on the challenge of “Food” as my theme.  There are many wonderful food photographers and I don’t claim to be one of them.  But I do like to take photos of food I think people will enjoy hearing about and imagine eating.  I played around a bit more with editing this week and am pleased with the results.  What do you think?  Which is most appealing to you (as a photo?)

These scone are adapted just slightly from “Moosewood Restaurant New Classics” recipe.  They are delicious and distressingly healthy.  Here’s the link to the post where I shared the recipe as well as a few others:  https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/dinner-and-scones/.  Enjoy!  And if you try them, let me know what you thought.

Scones (edited in Picasa with boost and vignette)

These two burgers are from Michael Symon’s “B Spot”, http://bspotburgers.com/.  The top one, a portobella burger which, as I recall, was dubbed “Why?” (as in why would you order that when you could get a “real” burger) and came with free bacon.  I say “was” because search as I might, I don’t see it on the menu any longer.  Too bad!  It was wonderful!

Portobella mushroom burger (edited in Picasa with saturation and museum matte)

“Lola”, also from “B Spot”, is a burger with sunny side up egg, bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar cheese.  My sister-in-law loved it, although it can be a bit messy!

“Lola” (edited in Picasa with museum matte and saturation)

What’s your choice?  Either way, you won’t walk away hungry and if you still have room, there are scones for dessert.

Now go forth and take photos!