White Water Madness

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” –Judy Blume, author

My man and I after surviving an adventure!

And this is the part where I say I am not an adrenaline junkie, so nearly drowning isn’t exactly my idea of a relaxing weekend! I’ve been white water rafting before, but this was the time the raft flipped and I ended up underneath it. There’s a blog post coming about my processing that experience, but for today, I just wanted to share some favorite photos of my hubby and friends! It’s always a blessing to be with friends, but I would rather be photographing their experience from the riverbank…

Gluten Free Fish Sticks

I remember the glory of fish sticks and tater tots before I became gluten free. Now that I’ve moved past the “I can’t eat anything” stage that lasted a couple years, I’ve turned to the “How can I make it so I can eat it” stage! (If you’re in the “I can’t eat anything” stage, be patient– this too shall pass.) I’ve also been aware that eating healthier = feeling good, so I’ll pass on those tater tots for now and share a healthier alternative. And if you have wee ones who are picky eaters, they’ll at least eat the fish sticks!

Gluten Free Fresh Fish Sticks with Pasta Salad

Fish Sticks
1-2 lbs. fresh white fish fillets (I believe I used cod)
1/2 cup rice milk (or whatever kind of milk you prefer)
1 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
dill, a couple shakes
garlic powder, a few shakes
paprika, a few shakes
salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp. sunflower oil

Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl (or in a plastic bag). Pour milk into a second small bowl. Slice fish fillets into long narrow strips, dip in milk, then swish around in flour mix until coated. Place into preheated oil in a frying pan and let sizzle on med-high heat for several minutes. Flip fish over and let fry until desired crispiness. *Now one last thing* If you can eat tartar sauce, dig in! If you need an egg-free alternative that is good served with any fish, mix together about a cup of plain yogurt, about 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, and about 1/2-1 Tbsp. dill. Stir it all together and add more dill or lemon juice to taste. You can also add a dash of garlic powder.

Pasta Salad (I modified this recipe from Good Housekeeping Aug. 2013 issue, page 141)
1 lb. brown rice pasta, penne or elbow
1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used sunflower oil)
2 Tbsp. white wine or white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill (I used dried)
1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained, chopped (I used chopped green olives)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves
1/2 English (or regular) cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons

Cook pasta until al dente. While pasta cooks, squeeze 2 Tbsp. lemon juice into large bowl. Add oil, wine/vinegar, dill, capers, mustard, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper; whisk to combine. Stir in tomatoes and cucumber. Add hot pasta to the large bowl and toss until well coated. Serve warm or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 day ahead. (The original recipe added shrimp, however since we’re doing fish sticks, I left that out.)

Odysseus (The Cat)

Finally, here is Part Three of Three in the Rob + Kelsey + Artemis family! I’ve had an affinity for felines since I was a 3 year old with my first kitty, Whiskers. Whiskers was a tabby, so I have something for tabbies, too. When I walked in the door to do the baby’s photos, Odysseus met me at the door with big green eyes. In fact, he even felt the need to immediately inspect the props. Believe me, there’s no posing cats for photos.

By the way, I love photographing pets, so contact me for more information!

Rob + Kelsey = Artemis!

The much anticipated darling Artemis! Part Two of Three is celebrating four weeks of new life!
“Though she be but little, she is fierce!” -W. Shakespeare (On the wall of her nursery.)

Rob + Kelsey =

There’s nothing like a fun trip downtown for a Portlandia themed maternity photoshoot! This is part one of three (!) of this amiable and engaging family. Just wait for part two and three coming later this week!

A Glimpse of Summer

Being that it’s the first day of summer and the sky disagrees with calendar by producing gloomy clouds and a chilly breeze, I wanted to remind myself of one of my favorite happinesses (a word, yes?) of the season: violas. With a little playing around with new photo editing techniques, I smiled. I hope you smile, too.

Better Than Starbucks Homemade Iced Coffee

It’s the middle of the afternoon on a warm sunny June day, and I wanted a spoonful of the delicious salted caramel gelato my husband and I found yesterday at the store (no corn syrup and it’s to die for!). I was also cleaning the kitchen at the same time and was about to dump out the coffee pot from yesterday, but before I dumped the coffee, I thought an iced coffee would be delish (some of you would say, “Day old coffee? Yuck.”). So, here’s the simple way to make Better Than Starbucks Homemade Iced Coffee:
1. Pour just over half a cup of cold coffee into your glass or mug.
2. Add about a tablespoonful of your favorite ice cream or gelato (I don’t like my coffee super sweet, so a tablespoon added just enough flavor and cream).
3. Stir until ice cream is melted.
4. Add ice cubes to fill the cup (by hand, I might add, since if you put the almost full glass under the auto ice dispenser on the fridge, you either get your coffee all over or ice cubes all over– or both).
5. Sit in the sunshine and enjoy!

Nathan + Cherith = Classically Elegant Wedding & Beautiful Love

Nathan & Cherith are the epitome of adventure, laughter, and joy! Their wedding was full of those qualities and it is a delight and honor to not only be a part of their lives in friendship, but be a part of celebrating their glorious God-blessed wedding day!

Grilled Beer-Butt Chicken

With the recent acquisition of a shiny black grilling machine, my (new!) husband has taken it upon himself to research any number of unique recipes to try this summer. The first experiment started with a text he sent me saying (to the effect), “Can you buy a whole chicken, please?” The results were really quite fantastic! Voilà! If you’d like the recipe, send me an e-mail or post a comment and I’ll get the recipe from my chef.

Happy Birthday Fluffy Monkey!

Duncan Donuts. Chunky Dunky. Fluffy Butt. Chewbacca. Duncan Doodle. Treebeard. Fluff. Big D. All the affectionate names dear Duncan has been called through the years. He is my melancholy collie with some Cheasapeake Bay retriever to bulk up his frame. I knew he was a special pup when I found him on PetFinder.com and I knew that beautiful little boy had to be mine. I’ve taught him how to say “I love you” and to high-five. He’s my guardian dog and sensitive friend. Just this afternoon while I was working away on my computer, he came over and sat next to me, fluttering his long blonde eyelashes at me. “Do you need a hug?” I said. He whined and stuck his nose out towards me, so I wrapped my arms around his neck, stuck my face into his soft fur and inhaled. I love how collies smell, especially after a good romp in the fresh mountain snow.
So Happy 6th Birthday my Duncster. Here’s to many more!

Bubbling Brook Photography

capturing life without limits

Author Archives: starners