You would think that this is an example of a highly retouched photo, but it's not. Not to say I didn't tweak things here and there, but in large the sky really was this crazy beautiful that day. I forgot exactly where, but I remember I was in a valley and the light was gorgeous.
I had to pull off on the wrong side of the road for this one to get a better view. I couldn't believe how much the landscape looked like a Dutch painting. The challenging part is getting the lighting timed out perfectly. With all the cloud cover in Ireland, it can go from flat to beautiful in a matter of seconds. I was more unlucky than lucky overall, but this was one of the rare moments where it came together.
I bought my aerogarden thinking that it would make the perfect compliment to the occasional meal that required or could be enhanced by fresh herbs. Little did I know that it would grow out of control and necessitate the cooking of meals that use as many herbs as humanly possible. The biggest problem for me was the cilantro and the purple basil that was growing out of control. To remedy this I decided to cook Pho from scratch.
Boil the beef bones
Roast Ginger, Onion and Star Anise
Discard this
Clean the bones off
Scrape off burned bits
Back in the pot they go, along with your meat of choice, fish sauce, sugar and salt.
Simmer on low FOREVER and then add the bag of clovers, star anise, cinnamon and ginger. Notice how clear and clean the broth is here now. MSG free baby!
In the meantime, you can get your prep ready.
Sprouts
MEAT
Blanche the noodles and get everything ready.
Wash the herbs and get some limes cut up
Pour on the boiling stock and enjoy! Notice the mandatory sriracha in the background :)
Brought the flashes into the office just to fool around. Someday James (pictured) and I are going to have a flash party.
Possibly the best thing about the Giant's Causeway in Ireland isn't the Causeway itself, but rather the hike one can take that takes you around the cliffs overlooking the ocean and eventually on top looking down. If one were to take this and face away from the ocean instead of forward, they'd be greeted by green pastures as far as the eye can see and an abundance of sheep and cloud.
Still no notebook, so no new pictures. Just more of Ireland. I took this one after eating an excellent meal at a restaurant on the pier in Portrush. I think I had to use a rock wall as a makeshift tripod.
Despite being in a somewhat alien and remote looking landscape, it's hard to escape people nowadays. I tried to be the first person out on the Giant's Causeway, but sadly somebody beat me to it. He had so much time in fact that he decided to make a phone call.
This small town happened to have a little carnival area. Everything was shut down as I was travelling during the off season. Somehow that made me like it more.
I was walking up the grassy hill pictured earlier when I saw these two ladies enjoying the view. Something about the way their hair was blowing and the way they were standing reminded me of an advertisement for something. I could even see it in B+W.
Just got back from a trip up the coast. As I drove along the ocean, a lot of the scenery reminded me of what I saw in Ireland. The colours, the smells, the sounds. It's hard to beat ocean air, great company and an open schedule.
As I started the first leg of my trip in Ireland, after dipping through hills and skirting the coast I came to a curious area where everything flattened out and the sky disappeared. After stopping my car, I looked forward and backwards and the view was identical.
I think this is the one looking back.
Normally one buys herbs at the supermarket as the meal dictates. If your salmon needs dill, you buy some. Ever since I bought this Aerogarden Pro though, I find myself desperately making foods that specifically require the herbs that are growing too fast. My purple basil and cilantro in particular need to be eaten.
Vietnamese food to the rescue. Pictures to follow.
Belfast was my first city stop on my short tour of northern Ireland. I'm assuming that Sunday church had something to do with the entire city being a barren wasteland. I found it somewhat comforting as I walked around the city, quite often meeting the same people many times. If you're walking around on a Sunday morning in Belfast, odds are you are a tourist. The people you keep seeing? Also tourists.
It's possible to O.D. on sandwiches, no matter how delicious. This was the last one that made it through:
Turkey 2 ways (deli style, oven roasted), pesto, and asiago cheese on sour dough
Perhaps making up for years of ignoring the noble sandwich. Recently I went on a sandwich-spree.
The accomplices:
Turkey arugula brie and cornichons in between two wonderful slices of pugliese. Pomegranate mojito courtesy of the girlfriend in the rear
One of the views near the Carrick-a-rede bridge in Northern Ireland. I got there late after a whole day of driving the coast and stopping too often to take pictures. The sun was setting when I left to find a place to stay the night.
I pulled the car off the road to take this one. As cloudy as it gets in Ireland, the sun always finds a way to peek through. I wish I could say the reverse of LA sometimes.
Like now.
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