Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Fritata as Executive Compensation


I had plans for today. Oh yes, I had plans. I was going to go to Costco and pick up some prints I had ordered online just to test the system. You see, I want to start printing some of my photos, but before I go crazy, I want to make sure I understand how to do it right. So I'll be starting with Costco, and learning how to make the prints come out the same as what I see on my monitor instead of with some crazy blue tint. Whatever.

And then I was going to go for a nice long walk. I spent this past weekend sitting. My current acupuncture teacher was in Pasadena, so I drove up to LA for the weekend and sat through classes on both Saturday and Sunday. My teacher is terrific, her information is invaluable, but by Sunday afternoon I had had it. I couldn't focus anymore. I needed the CEUs, and I knew that even in my state of diminished attention, I would still be able to latch on to a sentence here and there, and that they would be incredibly useful. So I sat for two days and felt like I had a square butt by the time I left. I really, really needed that walk today!

And then, because I had spent the weekend in Pasadena, I didn't have time to do any cleaning around the house. So I needed to do some basics - like the bathroom sink and the kitchen counters. And of course, there's always cat hair that needs to be vacuumed. But I don't want to bore you with this list - it's not why you, dear reader, have come to my blog.

So why didn't I accomplish any of this? Not one single thing on my list? Because I spent the entire day trying to figure out how to insert an image and some type into another image in Photoshop. I had my layers. I created new layers. I inserted the image in one and the type into the next. And then I flattened the layers and the image and the type disappeared. For those of you not familiar with Photoshop, this is all gobble-dee-gook, and I don't want you to even begin to try and puzzle it out. You'll miss a perfectly good day. But since I am redoing my photo website, I really need to figure this out!

There are times when I wish there was no such thing as modern technology. I waste my day in front of a machine in my little office instead of getting outside, doing some work in the garden and getting the fresh air I need. The antidote? Cooking. Yes, I have a combination stove with gas burners and an electric oven, and this, too, is technology. But that's different. It's the way I reward myself for everything else I do, be it the back breaking labor of digging up plants or hauling tree limbs in my garden, or the tedium of figuring out how to deal with the minutiae of my digital darkroom.

So sit down and join me, won't you? We're having a fritata with onions, tomatoes and roasted asparagus. Believe it or not, we have had some asparagus on sale recently! Wasn't it Mae West who said "I can resist anything but temptation"? Well, for me, asparagus is temptation. And I already had the eggs as well as some tomatoes.

1 onion, diced
1 tomato, sliced
5-6 roasted asparagus
6 eggs, beaten, using only 3 yolks. (My reduced fat version).
1 TBS Earth Balance (Or butter, if you wish).

Since I prefer my onions well cooked, I heated the pan, put the Earth Balance in and added the onions, cooking them until toasty.

Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.
Add asparagus and tomatoes to the eggs.
When the onions have cooked, pour the egg mixture into the pan.

Allow to cook over medium heat until the bottom has set and there's only a little bit of runny egg on top. Place in the oven under the broiler until the top has cooked and the eggs are set.

Serve slices with crusty bread.

It's hard to stop at one slice, I know. Especially when you're seeking comfort in simplicity. Go ahead -- help yourself to another slice....

7 comments:

Cynthia said...

Okay hon, here are a couple to things:

Ritz's Camera - a photography store has stores throughout the US, I use them all the time. They are great, I've never been disappointed. The people working there are knowledgeable and their prices are excellent. Check and see if there is one in your area. http://www.ritzcamera.com/

They even have a facility is you would like to sell your photographs where you have a website, they will provide all the tech support etc. You upload your images watermarked and Ritz's site provides further security. Anyone in the US can just log on to your site, purchase and go in to the Ritz nearest them and pick up their prints based on the size and quantity they ordered.

Secondly, I do not hurt my head anymore with Photoshop. Apart from my Canon Editing Suite that came with my camera, I use Photoscape which is a free, excellent and very easy to use photo editing software. It even works with RAW images. Check it out: www.photoscape.org

Cynthia said...

Sorry for the long response.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

A frittata makes everything better. It's my absolute go-to for dinner when I think I have "nothing" in the house to eat.

Toni said...

Cynthia - Thanks so much! I don't mind long responses - especially when they are filled with such good information.

Lydia - Yes, it's my go-to as well. Eggs always work!

Susan said...

Photoshop - I feel your pain, Toni. The learning curve is like Mt. Everest, especially if you have the professional version (I don't). There are several good basic manuals out there that can step you through. If you don't take classes (I didn't), you will find these primers invaluable and time saving in the long term.

Your frittata looks excellent. Roasted asparagus sounds like a plan for a recipe I'm working on now. Thanks for the idea.

Penny said...

Hope you have your photography problem figured out. The frittata looks great. The more vegetables the better and I like that you reduced the yolks. I love my onions cooked almost to a char.

Toni said...

Susan - It IS like Mt. Everest. But you know what? All it takes is someone who knows their way around to show you a simple trick and voila! Problem solved! I've decided that all I really need to know is what's important right now. I'll get to another bell or whistle if or when it becomes important.

Penny - Read my comment to Susan -- yes, problems solved. And I'm with you on the onions - cooked almost to char. I like that!