The Ochsners

Color Palettes,

2012-02-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

I spelled Gleaner wrong above... This image would look sharp with a the dark slate color painted wall.

This picture is one of the only professional pictures I remember getting taken when we were young, outside of the ones for the church directory. I remember it being in what is now that hotel across from Wiggs in Osky. Pastels is funny for a family with lots of boys, but I think they were sort of in style, maybe? I especially like Mike in pink. I do definitely remember some arguments about who had the better colors - Mark was content, I don't think Mike and BJ were.

It is interesting that none of use have kids with as dark of hair, yet anyways. My hair here is in the middle of turning from blond, on the ends, to the dark brown of my brothers. I was blond before this - I would have been in first grade, and Mark, Mike and BJ would have been in fourth, fifth, and seventh grade? Kurt and Karl would be about five months old? - so fall of 1989. I think the Christmas Eve after this was when our barn burned down?

Buffalo Chicken Chili and Blue Cheese Corn Muffin Pancakes

2012-02-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

The following soup recipe is usually made at our house around the time of the SuperBowl. I recieved the recipe from D. Brandes, who won the Brookside Christian Reformed Church Chili cook off with it in 2007 or 2008. I made it this weekend for a party, and was asked for the recipe. Here you go!

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T butter
2 pounds chicken
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
12 ounces beer (your favorite brew)
1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (optional)
One 15 ounce can tomato sauce
Mild Buffalo sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings (I use Cookies Hot Wing sauce - made in Iowa) to taste. 3/4 bottle
1 can northern beans

BLUE CHEESE CORN MUFFIN PANCAKES
One 8.5 ounce Jiffy brand muffin mix
1/3 C milk
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped
3/4 C crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)

Directions:
1. Heat a medium dutch oven or large skillet over HIGH heat. Add olive oil, and butter. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat. Add garlic, celery, onion, carrot and jalapeno. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. Add the beer and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Concentrate the flavor of the beer by reducing the mixture over medium heat, 8 minutes or so. Stir in the hot sauce, tomato sauce, northern beans and buffalo wings sauce. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer the chilli for 15 minutes.

2. Prepare the corn muffin mix with the milk and egg according to directions for corn pancakes. Stir in the scallions and blue cheese. Heat a nonstick griddle or large skillet over MEDIUM heat. Nest a small piece of butter in a paper towel and rub over pan. Drop rounded Tablespoons of batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes until bubbles from at the edges, then flip them and cook until golden all over, about 2 min per side. You will have enough for 20 pancakes. Serve 2 pancakes with each mug of chili.

Learning New Things

2012-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

There is no end to learning new things in the photography field. I heard a quote somewhere that creativity is only limited by knowledge. So in other words, creativity requires learning new things. I've been learning about Real Estate Photography the past few weeks, and enjoying pressing my learning curve. It isn't simple, and is actually quite complex to explain, so I won't try to describe it.

Basically it creates dynamic images, bringing out the details of the subject. I've been using it some for my farm photography.

I was first introduced to it when we needed to sell our house in Grand Rapids. We had one of the best, smartest, real estate agents ever, who also happened to help us find and purchase our house in 2006, and went to our church. He photographed our house, and we sold our house in just a few months in the WORST real estate market - Michigan in 2009/10. I know God had something to do with it too.

I used my parents cabin for my first attempt. What do you think?

Color Palettes, Day 6

2012-02-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Color Palettes, Day 5

2012-02-05T01:13:00.000-08:00

Color Palettes, Day 4

2012-02-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

And a picture of my brother Mark's equipment under the overcast sky.

Color Palettes, Day 3

2012-02-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Darling Dresses

2012-01-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

Check out these darling little girl dresses from Gap!
My wedding dress had boxed pleats, so I am a little partial to them.

This one reminds me of Tulip Time in Pella, IA. Beautiful!

Purple Irises! Sort of an old fashioned flower in a sweet little girls' dress.

The boxed pleats on this one stand out beautifully on the lace, with green lining! This would probably be my favorite. It would be beautiful for a 12 or 18 month photo session during the summer, outside. Someone should buy this so I can photograph a little girl in it.

You can find all of these dresses at kid's gap.com

Color Palettes, Day 2

2012-01-31T04:48:00.000-08:00

Here are my Color Palette posts for Day 2! To see a description of this project, see post on Day 1.

Photo Color Palettes, Day 1

2012-01-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

The other day when I was hanging some photography in my living room, I began wondering how possible it would be to create paint colors for home use out of my images. First, because it would accent the image, and second, because it would be meaningful to use a paint color for your home that was customized to a memorable experience.

I did a few this afternoon, and FELL IN LOVE! Now, I'm not going to be repainting any of the parsonage, it was all done in the remodel. BUT, I think it would be fun to present options to my clients for their own use. HOW COOL! It was all I could do to stop creating color palettes out of my favorite images. It was like the first time I learned CRAYOLA introduced the box of 96 crayons.

I will post a few new on my blog each day this week. For a teaser, the color palettes posted later this week include, Coalmine Hole, Farm Boy, Snakeweed, and Lake Michigan along with others! Enjoy!

The image above is from Pella Tulip Time, 2011.

The image above was taken by my grandma Ferguson of my brothers and I around 25 years ago. It has always been a favorite.

The image above was taken last October along the side of Brian and I's rented 40 acre bean field.

Winter Projects - Shutters and Windows, Oh My!

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

The above photo was "pinned" on pinterest, a creative idea internet site that I enjoy. I've been looking for an idea to use a few old cowboy-looking shutters i saved from being thrown out in the parsonage remodel two years ago.

I knew they would come in handy someday, and I think I found just the project! Cowboy shutters below that have been hanging out in the basement since the remodel.

This window I've been using as decoration was a curb pick up from our neighborhood while we were living in Grand Rapids...

So, do I paint the shutters? Leave them wood tones?

I'm leaning toward leaving them wood tones, and adding color with a few accessories. I don't know how much time I have to paint this winter...

A New Niece

2012-01-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Another girl in the family! I am very happy that my niece Amelia has a new little sister, and not another brother. Allison joins her four older siblings, who I photographed last summer.

I failed at getting a picture of her on the front of a pickup, which has this sign on it. Maybe when she is a little bigger. It really isn't the best time of year to be outside with a little one anyways, I guess.

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

2012-01-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

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I have a cookie recipe that I use several times a year. This recipe is originally from the Oskaloosa Christian School cookbook, from J. DeBruin, and I've adjusted the recipe a bit by adding cloves to make it more of a spice cookie.

Begin by brewing a pot of coffee to enjoy with the finished product. The spice and molasses is unbelievably good with a strong cup of coffee.

Then, Cream 1 1/4 Cup Shortening (Crisco) and 2 Cups white sugar until fluffy. Add 2 eggs and continue to cream.

Add 1/2 Cup Molasses. We also have a sorgham mill a few miles outside of our small town. Sorgham would be a slightly sweeter taste, with abit less of the Molasses-y bite.

You are done with the "wet" ingredients, now mix the "drys."

To mix the "drys", add 4 Cups of white flour, 5 tsp soda, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp cloves, and a dash of salt.

Slowly add your "dry" ingredients to your "wet" ingredients. Slowly, because you may end up with a floury mess if you add it all at once to the mixer.

Optional: Fold in Black Walnuts to the dough.We received our black walnuts from an elderly neighbor. Black walnuts are woods-y tasting, almost a buttery flavor when paired with a spice of some kind. Can be a stronger taste.

Dip into balls onto culinary parchment, or on a greased baking pan.

Or, flatten with your hands onto parchment paper and cut out heart shapes or shape of your choice. I used some heart shapes. The parchment paper is so so so much easier than flour on the counter. A metal spatula can easily transfer them to your baking pan.

Bake at 350 for BARELY 10 minutes. As soon as the begin to crack, take them out! It is tempting to want to leave them in until they get a nice beautiful bakery looking crackle, but then they will not be chewy. This is a touch to long.....

These, below are just right, barely a crackle. THAT is the secret to chewy cookies.

Pick up the dishes!

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies
Cream:
1 1/4 Cup shortening
2 Cups white sugar

Add:
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Molasses

Stir together and add to creamed mixture:
4 Cups Flour
5 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmed
1 1/2 tsp cloves
dash of salt.

Dip into balls, flatten slightly with palm, bake at 350 for 10 min.

A Merry Christmas with family

2012-01-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

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Our family has been battling a lot of sickness, starting Christmas Eve. Nothing has been serious enough to require any doctor's visits, which I am grateful for. Hopefully the colder weather will rid the air of the bugs going around. A lot of families have been sick!

Thankfully we were healthy for all of our Christmas activities, which occurred the week before and the week after Christmas. Brian and I especially enjoyed having all three kids be able to play off with cousins while we enjoyed our meals and conversation with family. The past three years we've had infants who have required a lot of attention and corralling.

Here are a few pictures of Christmas on Becky's side, which we celebrated the week before Christmas.

And here are a few pictures of Christmas with Brian's family, which we celebrated the week after Christmas:

Brian and I are very blessed to have both sides of our families to celebrate not just family, but the birth of Christ.

Olive Garden and Soup Recipe

2011-12-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that I love Olive Garden, and that Brian and I miss being in close proximity to this restaurant. Currently, its a good 50 minutes away. Earlier this winter I went searching for a particular recipe that Brian and I enjoy. And wouldn't you know, our boys loved it too. Although it can entirely depend on the day, they usually eat what i make them, especially if they get to help. I added a touch extra pasta, and it was perfect for their tastes as well. Pictures below of the progress:

We have the opportunity here to purchase locally grown beef, and when processed at the local meat locker, they stamp the name on the package in order to identify it. When ordering the butchering last year I failed to mention my husband's name, so when I picked up our order I was shocked. I don't know why, but it just looked funny, like a brand on a cow. My first and last name - on well over a hundred individually packaged beef items, in my deep freeze. This year I did it on purpose.

I think next time I could tease Brian and have them put, "Reverend Ochsner." Except I'd have to read it every time I looked in the deep freeze, so may be not.

Copycat recipe below:

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion , chopped
3 carrots , chopped
4 stalks celery , chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes , undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans , drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans , drained
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

Directions:

Brown beef in a skillet.
Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.
During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.