Grapefruit and the color pink. Yum.

Aren't grapefruits just...pretty? My heart also made it into one of the photos - it is an object I'm using for a 365 day Flickr project.

The Gus Man

This is one of our two kitties, Gus, peering out the window into our backyard (otherwise known as his kingdom).  Watch out, birdies!

Giant chocolate toffee cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

5 1.4 ounce chocolate-covered English toffee bars (such as Heath), coursely chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped, toasted

Preparation

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm. 

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes.  Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.  Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts.  Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper.  Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart.  Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes.  Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead.  Store airtight at room temperature). 

Recipe from www.epicurious.com. 

Andy Samberg rules

I saw this online for the first time this evening, and I almost laughed until I cried.   Merry Christmas.

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Finally done!!

Phew!  My final critique for digital art class was today.  I'm pretty happy with the end result of my portfolio.  You can find my final written statement and images below.  

My photographs are an exploration of organic form and texture. Like a scientific experiment, I reduce the number of distracting variables to isolate the object, moving the viewer away from everyday associations with nature. Stripping flowers, leaves, and trees of color reveals symmetry and detail in sharper focus. By removing plants from their natural environment or simply focusing on individual plants or parts of a plant, each subject is shown simply as it is in a moment of time; identity is defined outside its usual physical or culturally conceived environment.

For a moment, then, a gerbera daisy is not defined within human language by its latin name, Gerbera jamesonii, or culturally bound as a cheerful flower well-suited to floral arrangements. A close-up image of its central florets doesn't give that much away. An image of an eye, for instance, or a lily pad may surface for a moment before the mind snaps it neatly into place as "gerbera daisy." 

A pattern is revealed as these images are observed as a collection, transforming them into a case for Darwinian natural selection. Nature has, indeed, selected more successful forms and textures that are repeated over and over in the natural world. The rough bark of an oak tree is reminiscent of the exterior of an orchid's pseudobulb, while a close up of a daisy's flower head may remind the viewer of a field of corn. By examining form and texture outside of context, common links are revealed.