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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

foodie friday

Foodie and Foto, all on Friday

June 7, 2013

OK, so there’s something I need to get off my chest.

Why the hell is it so hard to take photos of food? Seriously. As I dive into trying new things for the Foodie Friday feature, I figure it’s well worth taking photos. Especially if I’m blogging about it.

It’s not good that the photos from the iPhone and some apps come out better than the DSLR!

But take a stroll back to some of my past food posts. The photos really aren’t that spectacular.

So, I’m going to try and change that up a bit.

I recently won a blog giveaway where one of the prizes was a $50 gift card to Target. With that, I purchased a few “neutral” plates and bowls for food photos. I went with white (though I may go back and get a few other plates and such of different colors), as that seems to be the best way to start.

I’ve also started reading about food photography online.

See, I’m more of an outdoor photographer. And if you know me and have read my blog, you know a lot of that is more action and sports. I pride myself on being able to do that at a high level.

But lighting and all that? Ugh.

These tasted way better than I made them look with this photo!

Turns out food photography is often done with light. Who knew?

Let’s take for example, the peanut butter bar photo to the right. This photo doesn’t really do the end product justice. There are shadows, and it’s too bright and doesn’t show the color of the bar that well.

Needless to say, it frustrated me.

It was even worse when I look at the photos of the site where the recipe came from. The bars look divine!

And, honestly, I get better photos out of my iPhone and Hipstamatic of food than I do with my actual DSLR. That’s kind of annoying.

It doesn’t matter if it’s food or drink, the images are tough for me to take. One of the other reasons I want to get better at this is to be able to take better photos of my homebrews.

So it’s time for Foto Friday and Foodie Friday to meet.

In the coming weeks, I hope to have a few posts for the Foodie version of my Friday posts. And with that, hopefully better photos. I don’t know if I have everything I need, but I’m going to try and learn a few things so I can deliver a bit more with the images.

Anybody out there do food photos? If so, any tips? I’d like to make sure the photos come out well as it’s not like I’ll be plating $100 meals, so it would be nice to make them look as good as possible!

Hopefully I can figure it out though as I know there’s only a certain amount of time to take the photos. After that, you just have to dive in and start eating!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: Beer, food, Foto Friday, My world, Photography Tagged With: beer, food, food photography, foodie, foodie friday, foto friday, photo, photographing food, photography

3 Comments

Foodie Friday: Granola bars

April 19, 2013

(Foodie Friday will be a semi-regular feature on my blog where I try and expand my cooking knowledge. It might be a meal, a snack, a drink or something else, but it’s something I’ll have created and — hopefully — it will taste good. This feature will share time on the blog with Foto Friday, but there will be no set schedule for either.)

I love granola.

Always have. Even as a kid, I was a fan. Whether it be granola bars or granola on its own, I love it.

Besides being a healthy snack, it’s also quite nice to have when you are out doing things, such as disc golf or geocaching or hiking or whatever. It can be quick and filling and, sometimes, that’s what one needs.

A little thicker than I would like, but the granola bars were a success.

I always figured it would be cool to make my own granola bars. In the end, I figured it would be cheaper than buying the mass-produced ones, and I’d know all the ingredients, which would hopefully, in turn, make things healthier.

That’s why I got excited when I came across my latest attempt at making my own snack — no-bake peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip granola bars. Yeah, it sure is a mouthful to say, but it’s well worth it in the end.

I came across this recipe (snagged from this one) when I was working on the peanut butter bars. I figured if they were both no-bake, I may as well tackle two of them, right?

I didn’t make any major changes to this one as I’m not even sure if there is a sugar-free brown sugar out there. If there is, I would likely try to do that in the future. There could be a change or two I’d make when I do them again, however. I’ll discuss those below.

Again, my idea for these would be to take out and about with me. I’m not sure, as I did them, if this would be feasible. But, with a couple of changes, it easily could change.

This recipe is supposed to yield 10-12 bars, which it did. But they weren’t the size I was hoping. I like granola bars to be like the ones you get at the store — thinner and a little longer. The dish that’s called to be used for this is too deep and the bars are thick.

Anyway, the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
  • 3/4 cup chopped pretzels
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I used regular sized and added some peanut butter ones, too)

Directions

  • Cut out an 8×8 piece of parchment paper and place in the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray. (I didn’t have parchment paper, so just “buttered” up the pan and it worked well).
  • In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  • Stir in the oats, crispy cereal, and pretzels. Stir until well coated. Pour into the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan and press firmly with your hands. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars with your hands.
  • Place the bars in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into bars and serve.

I really did enjoy these bars and still have a few I’m chomping on. But the one issue is the 8×8 pan. Doing these again will require a bigger pan so the bars can be thinner and take the shape of an actual granola bar. I saw the photos on the other websites and either they didn’t use an 8×8 pan, or something went wrong with the recipe on my end because it was thick as can be in the pan.

Something bigger than an 8×8 pan probably makes these a bit better.

The recipe was quite easy to follow and finished quick enough.

The taste is excellent. I really like it. The one problem is leaving them in the refrigerator makes them a little harder. I wonder if it’s necessary to leave them in the fridge after they harden up some? I think I’d like to find a way to cut them all up and store them separately so they can be grabbed on the go a little more. Something tells me they should be able to last for 3-4 weeks, if done right. I could be wrong here, but I’ll have to play around and see.

I also think it might be fun to mess around with the recipe a little, so I might try that down the line, too.

In the end, I’d definitely encourage this recipe. Especially if you have little ones who need snacks. These could even be something they help you make, so it could even taste better. Give it a try!

Fundraiser: I am, again, trying to raise money for the Relay For Life. If you donate to me — a minimum of $5– you will be entered to win a super-sweet quilted lap quilt or pillow. Click here for all the information!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Filed Under: food, My world Tagged With: food, foodie friday, granola bars, no-bake bars, no-bake granola bars, no-bake peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip granola bars, peanut butter, peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip granola bars

4 Comments

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Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to ha Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to have a cup of tea in my new mug, which was a birthday gift from my nephew/godson Cameron!
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How could we skip this? North of the border this How could we skip this? 

North of the border this weekend to get away and hit a few caching events and geocache. Dinner tonight was at @harpersburgers, especially with outdoor seating and dog friendly! @harper_dublin got to enjoy a little of my #burger, of course. And, yes, I got poutine, duh! Great service and great food! Went back later for a spiked shake. This one was a Malibu Colada (malibu rum, dark rum, vanilla ice cream, and pineapple juice) … yum! 

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Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He g Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He got some waves for when he goes to the shore next week! One shot of me getting the straight razor too! Nice job @studio11chris at @studio11barbersuite ! 

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Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio h Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio has been installed ... (the rock garden area is basically done, too ... but i need to put a few things up with it). The guy who did my patio did a great job... looks cool. 

I think Harper approves. 

One more step and we'll be set to really enjoy it back there with some shade!

Working on a few other landscaping things, too.
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As a @sunydelhi alum, and local, I still love walk As a @sunydelhi alum, and local, I still love walking around the campus. It’s especially nice in the morning when college isn’t in session as it’s quiet and @harper_dublin can sniff and explore her surroundings (if in session, she will want to stop and meet every student etc.). I know a lot of people local walk the campus, and it’s really nice that we have something like this in our community to be able to do so. 

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Ok folks… barbershop experience is good times. H Ok folks… barbershop experience is good times. Hair, tend to the beard … you get it. In Oneonta, check out @studio11chris at @studio11barbersuite ! Tell him I sent you! 

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A video looking at my first year and a half of owning a golden retriever, my first dog. It's had its ups and downs, but I've truly loved the ride and look forward to the future. 

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