david's tree {life}

You may remember this tree from last Friday. I took these photos in Pennsylvania, at the suggestion of our friend David.

He told us about a tree that he drove past almost every day whose branches looked as if it was reaching back for the ground.

Standing alone in a field by itself.

On our way back from the tile works, we parked our car along the field and David and I scurried across the street (Neel and Diana wisely stayed in the car!) to snap a few quick shots. I was still shooting in .jpeg and still adjusting to the camera, but I wanted to try to catch the light and shadow and that stunning, towering tree. I love the little glimpse of roofline we catch in some of those photos. I'm sure that pop of blue is something utterly unromantic like a tarp, but how nice if someone painted a panel of roof that beautiful bright shade of sky?

We had great plans to get up the next morning and head out together, each with our cameras, and come back out, but did I mention that it was 14 degrees (F)? Never mind.

These will have to suffice. I played around in Lightroom some, brightening up the blue of the sky (have you ever noticed that when it's super cold or super hot the sky just isn't as blue?) and picking up the blacks to play up the contrast of that gorgeous tree. What do you think? I don't really fancy landscape photography, although I do enjoy looking at it. Still, I think my frame of reference may be skewed. Would David like them? I know you've never met him, but he's a pretty nice guy! Any in particular speak to you that I should print for him as a housewarming for their future home? David, if you read this, feel free to speak up! Oh, and Friday's tree, which was processed separately, is open for discussion too!

bookish {life}

As if The Kitchen Counter Cooking School wasn't enough. I have a new beloved cookbook.

I think Tamar Adler might be changing my life as much as Kathleen Flinn. (Noreen, you have to get this one too!) I am trying really hard to change how I cook and how we eat, and these two women and their books are helping tremendously.

Adler's book is very different from Flinn's. It's not a memoir, really. It's almost a James Joyce-esque look at cooking and food. Her voice is soothing as she tells you how to test for doneness in roasted vegetables or how to make pesto. It's actually quite moving.

What I like about both Flinn and Adler's books is that they are pushing me beyond the way I normally cook. Last weekend, according to Flinn's recipe, I made chicken stock.

Adler has me rethinking parsley.

I've never been a fan of parsley, really. To me, parsley brings to mind that suprefulous sprig you find on the side of the seafood platter that you get at, well, a seafood platter place. Adler has a different sense of the stuff. One thing I learned from Flinn and The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is that a splash of vineger dashed on at the end makes a dish taste more alive. Adler says the same of parsley. She contends that dishes need parsley (or any herb for that matter) "to make them all brighter and more present and because you will feel more present when you eat them."

She seems pretty trustworthy to me. Ever-duitiful, I purchased my parsley and picked the leaves from the stems. Adler suggests doing this just to have parsley on hand. You're more likely to use it that way. I used the stems for my chicken broth (how's that for resourceful!) and my fridge has a bowlful of parsley, waiting. As luck would have it, and because the universe works that way, Adler was featured in this month's Everyday Food. Carmelized onion soup. It was a perfect meal for a sick boy who loves soup, and besides rainy nights are always perfect for soup. The parsley, well, that was pretty nice sprinkled on top.