Cookie's Crumbles

Cookie's crumbles, morsels and tidbits

July 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

Rhubarb Pie Deliciousness

A couple weeks ago I went out and picked the last of my rhubarb for the season. I peeled this and chopped it, then put it in the freezer in 2 cup bags to use this winter. I love fresh rhubarb pie. Sadly, I’m the only one in my house that likes it, so I usually make a pie for my dad and my good friend Jason every year. I also have a great recipe from my grandma for rhubarb bars, which are great! Next spring I’ll post that recipe. The following recipe is my mother’s and is the best rhubarb pie recipe I’ve had. The following pics were taken earlier this spring when I picked my first batch of rhubarb. Enjoy!

Rhubarb Pie:

Make 1 bottom pie crust

Filling:

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, peeled, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 T. flour

3 T. melted butter

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

stir the above well and spoon into the pie shell.

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

beat the above and pour over the rhubarb fruit mix already in the crust. bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. ovens vary, you may need to cook a little longer. make sure the filling is not too juicy. enjoy!

July 9, 2011 | 0 Comments

Wedding Details Photography

In celebration of the wedding I am photographing today, I thought it would be fun to talk about wedding detail photography. When I got married (wow, 15 years ago this year) detail photography was not very popular. You might have a shot of the cake, but not much else. With wedding photography today, detail shots are very important to brides and grooms. I set aside specific time at every wedding to shoot details. These include the dress, shoes, veil, rings, bouquet/flowers, table settings, favors and anything else that catches my eye. I actually love this part of the day as it allows me to be creative and I can relax while doing it. You don’t have to worry about someone blinking while shooting the shoes. Also, for anyone that wants to submit their wedding to any sort of publication to try to have it published, editors always want to see a lot of detail shots showcasing your wedding day style and theme. Enjoy a few shots I’ve collected over the years!

July 8, 2011 | 0 Comments

Millennium Park Fun

Yesterday, my sister and I took our kids to Millennium Park in Grand Rapids. For those of you that might not live here, there is a man-made lake, a beach area, a splash-pad and picnic areas. There is no cost to get in, but there is a minimal cost to use the beach and splash-pad. Adults cost $4 and kids over age 3 are $2. Total cost for me and my 3 boys was only $10. The weather was perfect. Overcast, but warm enough to be in the water. The lake water was perfect (at least for me, i do not swim unless the water is like my bathtub) and we started there. The water is so clear and the bottom is pure sand. The kids loved it! Then we moved over to the splash-pad. I stayed on the sidelines, as that water was too cold for me. But my oldest loved it and my sister’s little girl, who is only 2, had a blast. I would highly recommend spending a day here if you’ve never been. It is much busier on weekends and when it is 90 degrees, so keep that in mind. Have fun!

July 7, 2011 | 2 Comments

Outdoor Kids Photography

When I was thinking about starting this blog, I was trying to come up with one direction to move in. Then I realized I wanted to move in A LOT of directions, just like my daily life. So while I might blog about food one day, I might blog about my photography business or my favorite books the next. Today I thought we could take a look at outdoor children’s photography. Here are some tips and tricks for getting some good pics of your little ones.

1. Take them outside. As we all know, outdoor natural lighting is the best. And if you can get an overcast day instead of a bright sunny one, you’ll be really happy with the nice, soft light. My niece is 2 years old and not one to sit in front of a backdrop (at least not willingly). I found this great outfit at the local farmer’s market, bought it, got home and dressed her in it. I fluffed her hair and then said “Let’s go outside and play.”

2. Key word here: PLAY. Take them out and let them run around. The trick is to follow them around with your camera in hand. Some of my best shots from this photo shoot were the spontaneous ones.

3. Interact with them. Right now, my twins are 4 and are also not as into getting their photo taken as I am of taking them. Being 4, they are starting to think certain words are quite funny. Just say the word “fart” and they crack up. (What can I say, I have 3 boys). Another big trick we are using right now is saying “Now don’t smile, no giggling allowed…no, no, I said no laughing.” My 4 year olds fall for this every time.

4. Sometimes the “grumpy” shots are the cutest ones. No photo shoot is complete for me without a few crabby faces or grumpy eyes. And don’t be afraid to get right in their face, sometimes filling the whole frame with just face is fun. (But let me warn you, great grandma will not like this one, it won’t be traditional enough for her. Mine always complains, “But his head is cut off, I just don’t like these so close up.)

5. Have fun! Because we all know they grow up fast and we’ll look back at these photo shoots and wonder where the time went. At least that’s what everyone says to me, I say a prayer every day thanking God that my twins are another day older and we’re one day closer to school. But I still have fun taking pics of my boys.

July 6, 2011 | 0 Comments

Pinterest Addict

A good friend of mine recently told me about a new website called Pinterest. When she tried to explain the concept, I was a little confused. But after I got home from our dinner out, I went right to the computer and looked this site up. What I found has been so much fun! However, if you already spend too much time on the computer and don’t need another site to consume your time, I would recommend staying away from this one 🙂 If you are into photography, design, interior design, staging, etc…you know what story boards or design boards are. This site basically houses your own digital story boards. You “pin” things to your “boards.” You can also follow other’s boards and repin things you see on the site. You can also pin almost anything you see on the internet. I have a board for wedding fun, tattoo awesomeness, my style, yummy food, for the home, etc…Check it out! You have to “request an invite” in order to join. You give them your info and they email you about 5-7 days later “inviting” you to join. It’s fun and inspirational. Lots of great ideas. Have fun. And husbands, I apologize in advance, this site is totally addicting.

July 5, 2011 | 1 Comment

Hot Pepper Jam

I love hot, spicy food! The hotter the better. My mom used to make this green pepper jam when I was younger, but I am not a huge fan of green peppers. But I love hot peppers. I finally asked her to find the recipe and decided to make a batch of freezer jam. My sister gave me a bag of frozen hot red peppers and hot green peppers. These were from her garden last fall. Lucky for me, she did the dirty work last year and prechopped the peppers. Unlucky for me, she did not remove the seeds before freezing. And in my experience, the seeds are what give the peppers their heat. The peppers I used were hotter than jalapeno peppers, but you could use jalapeno peppers or even plain green bell peppers. I made two batches of jam, one with the hot red peppers and red bell peppers. The other batch with the hot green peppers and green bell peppers. I also made jelly and jam in each batch, jelly without the fruit and jam with the fruit. To serve this, I drop an 8 oz slab of cream cheese on a plate and spoon about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the jam on top of the cream cheese. Serve with crackers. This is a great last minute gift that can be stored in the freezer until needed. It’s great at Christmas time, because of the red and green colors. And if you are in a fix for a quick snack to pass, just grab and go! Enjoy!

Hot Pepper Jam

2 1/2 c. finely chopped peppers (bell, hot, jalapeno, etc)

1 1/2 c. white vinegar

2 drops green food coloring (or red if doing red peppers)

7 1/2 c. sugar

1 envelope pkg Certo (6 oz)

mix peppers, sugar, vinegar and food coloring in large pan and boil for 6 minutes. add certo and boil another 3 minutes. remove from heat and stir for another 4 minutes. fill freezer containers and cover. let sit on counter for 24 hours. move to freezer and enjoy!

recipe from mom

boiling the mix

removing fruit for jelly

poured into containers and ready for the freezer

July 5, 2011 | 0 Comments

Here goes…

As most of you know, I earn my living as a photographer. I love my job and have a real passion for wedding photography in particular. Most of you also know I love food. I love to bake, cook, try new things and most of all eat. I also love to read, watch movies, scrapbook and watch HGTV and the Food Network. I spend a lot of time with our twin 4-year old boys and our 8 year old. Sundays are the most important day of the week for me, as I spend them at church in the morning with my family and at my parent’s house afterward for lunch and fun.

Spread the word to friends and family, tell them to check out my new blog. I will blog about photography, food, family, hobbies and more. Leave comments and let me know about topics you’d like to see covered. And check back often as I will hopefully be posting daily.

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