Last week’s 52Frames theme was “Love Story,” and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with it. I talked a couple of my friends’ teenagers into modeling for me as Heathcliff and Catherine from “Wuthering Heights” — Catherine was a willing participant, but I had to bribe Heathcliff with promises of beef jerky — and we ventured out to the arboretum.
This was my first effort at using models who aren’t also my relatives, and I was very, very nervous about it. The kids were good sports even though it was cold and muddy and I didn’t know what I was doing. I rushed things a bit, and I think the pictures reflect that. They came out OK, but they’re not exactly what I wanted them to be.
Here’s the one I submitted to 52Frames:
52frames, week 6: love story “Heathcliff & Catherine, 2015″
The more I look at it, the less I think it captures the Heathcliff/Catherine dynamic. But I like the light and the expressions on their faces. I wanted to give the image kind of a cinematic feel, but I think I over-processed it. What do you think?
There’ve been a couple of things happening around here that have necessitated a change in my menu-planning operations.
The most fleeting change is Poppy and Rockford’s. They’re taking skiing lessons on Fridays, and they’ll probably be having dinner out afterward most weeks. This means that it’s just me and Pete having dinner at home, which could translate to a lot of cereal for dinner.
The second and longest-lasting issue came about after my annual checkup. Genetics bear part of the blame for my newly discovered high cholesterol, but I’m guessing at least 70 percent of it is due to my abiding love for cheese. My numbers aren’t insanely high, but they’re higher than they ought to be so my doctor said to start eating more fruits and vegetables, have fish twice a week, go easy on the eggs and cool it on the cheese.
Easier said than done, doc, but I’m working on it.
Monday: Pizza
Pizza on a Monday?!?! Have we been transported far, far away from the ButterscotchSundae universe? Nope. Pizza night was usurped by other things all weekend long, though, and Poppy really missed it. I’ll be having something light on the cheese and heavy on the veggies.
Tuesday: Festival of frozen
Pete chose chicken taquitos this week, Poppy is having pizza (again; I just realized this), and I’m having a kale-couscous-peanut thing.
Wednesday: Baked Grouper
I don’t like fish all that much, and I haven’t been able to tolerate the smell of it since the last time I was pregnant. I’m going to try to bake some filets this week. If the smell runs me out of the house, we’ll have to do it on the grill from here on out.
Thursday: Poppyseed chicken casserole
This definitely isn’t the healthiest of meals, but at least I bought the “heart healthy” cream of mushroom for it.
Friday: Leftovers, probably
Poppy and Rockford will be on the slopes again, so Pete and I will be on our own. There’s a good chance we’ll be having leftovers.
Last night we tried an excellent flank steak recipe from Good Housekeeping’s “Good Food for a Healthy Heart.” It was simple to make, and the marinade gave it a great flavor reminiscent of Mongolian beef. It’s going in the permanent rotation.
Soy-Scallion Flank Steak
Recipe Type: heart healthy
Author: Good Housekeeping
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch green onions
2 1/2 pounds beef flank steak
2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, oil, sugar and red pepper flakes until sugar dissolves. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade; cover and set aside. Transfer remaining marinade to large zip-tight plastic bag.
Thinly slice green onions and add to bag. Add steak to bag, turning to coat. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Place bag on a plate and refrigerate overnight, turning over several times.
Heat broiler for about 15 minutes. Remove steak from marinade, scraping off excess solids, and place on oiled broiler pan. Cook 12 to 14 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness, turning over once. Let steak stand 10 minutes before slicing.
In a small bowl, combine hot water with reserved marinade; drizzle over steak to serve.
It’s a hike up to the Diana statue, but the view is worth it.
There are a lot of things that I find a little creepy about Biltmore. Like this vaguely menacing statue, for example.I’ve been having some anxiety issues these last few weeks, so I was apprehensive about last week’s 52Frames “Greetings From” theme. I usually don’t have a problem getting to our regularly scheduled activities when the ol’ anxiety is acting up, but going out just for the sake of going out isn’t something that’s high on my To Do list. (To be fair: It rarely ever is. The anxiety just enhances my desire to stay home.)
I was pretty sure “Greetings From” wasn’t short for “Greetings From your living room, where you’ve been holing up whenever possible,” though, so I figured I’d need to get my act together and leave the house.
There was only one day last week that I had any time to go out in search of a picture. Thursday was chilly and overcast, and it turned out to be a perfect day for me to go to the Biltmore Estate. I nearly had the place to myself!
I couldn’t resist a “Downton Abbey” shot.
Diana stands above the Biltmore Estate.I’ve been to Biltmore a few times before, but I’d never made the hike up to the Diana statue that sits above the estate. I decided I’d start there this time, and it was worth the effort. (I was out of breath by the time I got to the top. It isn’t really a super-difficult walk; I’m just very out of shape.) There was no one else up there, and it was chilly and quiet and so peaceful. It was just what I needed.
They don’t let you take pictures inside the house, so I just spent about an hour walking around the grounds. I only saw about 15 other people the whole time I was there, which is pretty unusual considering it’s one of the top destinations in the area. I guess cold Thursdays in late January aren’t their peak days.
In the end, my favorite picture of the day was the only one I took on my phone. I was walking back to my car, and I turned around and liked what the sky was doing so I snapped a quick shot. The house is such a mammoth thing, and I really like how the sky minimizes its size in the picture. It’s still an enormous structure (not to mention a reminder that there are some insanely wealthy people in this world), but it’s always important to keep things in perspective.
52frames, week 5: greetings from “Greetings from the Biltmore Estate”
