Tomatillo Time!

The tomatillo skins and fruits are extra colorful this year. It's going to make for a wild salsa!

Today I am trying to capture some decent food images with my old Lumix (Leica lens). I'm actually pretty happy with the result.

The Lumix will serve as my temp camera while I try to find a camera to replace my beloved Nikon D800. Yes, after much angst, I've decided that the D800 is far to heavy for me to use on an ongoing basis. It actually wonks my back after a while. And if I use it with a heavy lens while I'm out tromping around a vineyard for a few hours? Flat on my back for a day or two. Yikes!

So it's time to move on to something lighter. Research mode!! I'm excited to see what I find : )

Green Tomatillos, Black Plate

So, if food can be brooding, these tomatillos are acing it!

In any case, today we are preparing these beautiful tomatillos for a chicken chile verde dish. Did you know... cooking time is the key to any chile verde worth it's salt. Lots of cooking time! Time allows the flavors to mix, mingle and develop into a savory and complex stew.

I found a great recipe here — http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-chile-verde/— although I tend to cook the stew for a little longer, about three hours total. Enjoy!

Horchata and Aqua Fresca

Horchata and Aqua Fresca
Originally uploaded by pixelish
This week I'm up in Portland, OR visiting my son and my darling almost daughter-in-law. On Sunday we ended up at a small but lovely farmer's market in a way trendy neighborhood. And there I found some watermelon and canteloupe aqua fresca, not to mention the yummy horchata!