Inspiration: Weekly Photo Challenge

Inspiration.  Show what inspires you.

Vivaldi, Van Gogh, a bookcase full of poetry and another full of cookbooks.

There are those family and friends who love and encourage me.  The new baby.

But I needed a single photo tonight.  Now! A single image as a response to Krista’s WPC.

I rummaged through archives.  There were no trumpet concertos calling to me.

When I went to the fridge for some cold water there it was!  I found the new gold foil package of Irish butter, purchased earlier today and sitting on the shelf calling to me. I felt inspired.

I added the eggs in the Pyrex bowl and the little bottle of vanilla extract my friend J sent at Christmas.

The box of raspberries.

I’m out of lemons but wish I had one to add.   A slice of toast.

eggs vanilla butter raspberries 018

iPhone 6 shot in my dark kitchen with the side light by the sink illuminating the Irish butter still life, not the overhead lamp- too much glare.

Unexpected Signage at East Exit Motel and Street View Google Car in an Alley

Be the Change SignWilliam Penn Highway on the way to the crafts store Pat Catan’s in Murraysville.

After I bought the couple of items I needed, I had to drive and turn around and come back so I could photograph this sign.  There’s a median in the middle of the road and LOTS of traffic so it was a bit of an effort but I knew I wouldn’t be this way again in the near future.

This location is near the Pennsylvania Turnpike Entrance/Exit.

The motel is old school in appearance and it would be nice to include the sign AND the motel itself but too dangerous to shoot from the highway itself so pulled into their parking lot. There was a lot of truck traffic.

Here is a slice of the motel taken out the passenger window.

East Exit Motel

 
And then later in the afternoon what did I see in my neighborhood?

A GOOGLE car with a big camera mounted the top, driving down an alley way off of Bryant Street.

Collecting images for Street View? Here is information on how the photos are turned into Street View.

I don’t know.  You can sure see them coming. By the time I got the camera to my eye they were going.

Headed in a different direction.

I wonder how much the camera costs that is on the top of the car? I looked up LIDAR camera technology.

 

google car

Above view is the cropped version of the photograph below.

 

google car in alleyBy the way, that sky is a true blue sky which is rare in our city. They say we have just 59 sunny days a year.

Well, this was one of them.   Seriously hot, too.

Millbrae Way is the name of the alley shown and it’s near the historic marker of the Billy Eckstine home on Bryant Street. Born in 1914-Died- 1993.  I just went to look up his grave and he was cremated and ashes given to a family member. There are many famous graves in Pittsburgh.

How I went from the signage at the East Exit Motel, to Google camera car to famous people buried in Pittsburgh I’m not sure so will close and post.

I’ve Been Making Jamie Oliver’s Recipe- Baked Orecchiette 8 Years Now!

LOriginally posted four years ago- May 2011- a REBLOG although you might not want to fire up your oven in the summer heat right now. Guess I have a taste for it tonight.

I’ve Been Making Jamie Oliver’s Recipe – Baked Orecchiette – 4 Years Now!

Some blog readers say they just look at my picture of the day and don’t bother reading what I write. They are “visual”.

The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is debatable some days.   The number varies.  On Thursday, a freshly pressed blogger suggested using photos you find on blogs to inspire writing and mentioned my blog as a resource which was flattering.  I love the idea of my photos being a writing prompt.

The New York City sidewalk image of the pizza box and the pair of shoes was a recent example that triggered some one-sentence short story writing!

Today’s post is experimenting with a new feature- distraction free writing- initiated by smart people at wordpress.com I’m checking it out even if everyone stopping by is just looking at the photo of the day!

This baked pasta recipe was in the newspaper more than four years ago and I have been making it ever since.  I haven’t looked at the recipe in a long time but decided to search my email and the year 2007 came up.   I also discovered the author of the recipe was Jamie Oliver. Four years ago I didn’t even know who Jamie Oliver was.  Since it is his recipe I will send you to Jamie Oliver’s Recipe

My mother always said to buy the best ingredients and do as little to them as possible.  The best ingredients you need are fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and ParmigianoReggiano cheese (no green-can-shaker-cheese!).

You can make the sauce in about twenty minutes and use the best quality San Marzano tomatoes just as he suggests.  I’ve made it with fresh tomatoes, too.

This photograph was taken in my daughter-in-law’s (and son’s) kitchen.  My son says don’t call the pasta “little ears” (orecchiette) as it grosses him out. “Call it pasta. Just plain pasta.”   The four grandchildren call it pizza noodles!

And if there are any leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.

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*July 29, 2015 P.S. I have made it with gluten-free brown rice pasta and it tastes delicious. Some shapes hold better than others but the same delicious taste!  Promise!

 


Comfort food.
Different choices
for different people
and occasions.
Chilly and rainy?
Bake and cook.
Eat!

Baked Pasta Using Orecchiette Shape Pasta- Fresh Mozzarella-Fresh Basil

Jeremy and Melissa’s Wedding 7-25-2015

A beautiful summer day for a joyous wedding.

Congratulations to Jeremy and Melissa.

IMG_8784

Ceremony: St.Paul’s United Methodist Church- Allison Park

Reception: Four Seasons Banquet House

Hair and Make Up:  by Indigenous Hair Designs and Boutique

Wing Chair Garden

After breakfast with my friend Donna, we saw this pink chair in the front garden.

I shot it through the windshield.  We were stopped at the end of the alley where it was time to turn into the street.

The wing chair didn’t look as if it was put out for the trash?

Wing Chair Garden

A bit of reflection in the street puddle.

Train Trestle in Traffic

Driving down the Parkway West as they call it (Route 376) the construction area provided lots of traffic.

Cars with brakes and I was able to photograph a scene I’ve just admired from the driver’s seat.

Train cars on the tracks were the added bonus.

train overhead

train overhead 2

Waking up to the Sound of Hogs

Maura (6),  Jack (8)and I spent an hour in Half Price Books on Lane Ave while we waited to meet the family for breakfast for dinner at Whole Foods after swim practice.

We bought a couple of books and Maura said she needed an alarm clock to get up in time for her daily 8 am dive practice.  Sounded reasonable to me.

The one she chose makes the sound of hogs-

No buzzer. No bells, no sonar beep- PIGS!!

Here is the first day of waking up to hogs. That is one crazy alarm clock!

Turns out it would be my new Grandson’s birth date but we didn’t know that fact in the morning. 

Video

Cecilia, of thekitchensgarden do they sound authentic ?