auto no more: dslr workshop with rachel johnson

on saturday, may 30th i gathered with a wonderful group in crestwood for rachel johnson's auto no mroe dslr photography workshop. rachel blogs over at stupid good rachel, has worked with bon appetit and cooking light, runs her own lunch delivery business here in birmingham and has great insight on how to take your best photos with no fancy equipment involved.

food was our subject, so of course, we had some treats to enjoy after the workshop was over! how fantastic does this quinoa look?!

key takeaways

• light is your best friend. rachel holds what some may consider a controversial opinion: if there's no good light, don't shoot. simple. sometimes you can create artificial light in a slightly dim restaurant by diffusing your phone's flash through a glass of water, but otherwise, stick to natural light.
• manual is not a nightmare. becoming familiar with f-stop, iso and your shutter speed makes all the difference in the world when it comes to adjusting how your photos look. rachel reccomends a shutter speed of 1/125, iso around 300-400 and an f-stop of 3-4. of course, these settings all depend on how much light you're working with!
• use tools like white posterboard or a board wrapped in foil to bounce light and eliminate unsightly shadows. these items are cheap and simple to obtain.
  
  

huge thanks to rachel for hosting this incredible workshop! thank you for being such an asset to birmingham. oh, and thank you for the delicious food! (i didn't get any photos of the brownies - but trust me, they were killer!)

rachel will be moving to austin, texas next month, so texas folks, y'all are in for a treat! visit stupid good rachel for recipes, photo tips and future workshops!

 

a journey westward: my spring roadtrip

long post ahead! ever since i was a teenager, i have wanted so desperately to take a roadtrip out west. i've finally done it. words cannot express how overjoyed i am that i made this journey. this is one of the best things i have ever done, and i would roadtrip again in a heartbeat. i learned so much about my two best friends, our amazing ability to never get irritated with one another, and most of all, i checked a huge item off my bucket list.

originally, we wanted to go to los angeles, but changed our mind for some reason. i honestly couldn't tell you why, but likely because we thought there would be more to do in las vegas.

after this post, i plan on making a road trip tip guide, giving some insight into how to roadtrip efficiently and some things to take into consideration. but for now, here's what charla, sofia and i did for the entire week!

♥ day 1: we awoke bright and early to finish packing our rented car, a ford escape (never again). we were off into the distance by 8:30am, making our way north to travel through mississippi, tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. we made incredible time, and stopped in amarillo, texas around midnight. we were incredibly tired after driving 15 hours, so we slept wonderfully. no photos - trust me, we looked rough.

♥ day 2: time for roswell, new mexico! we left for roswell and made it there after lunch. but first, we stopped by cadillac ranch in amarillo. roswell was, by far, one of the weirdest places i've ever been. the entire town was adorned with alien stuff - hotels and restaurants had alien statues out front. even the lightposts downtown were in the shape of alien heads. we checked out the UFO museum and it was just about what i expected - totally weird. afterward, we left for albuquerque, new mexico and got caught in a sandstorm along the way. that night, we tried to go out for mexican... and between two restaurants, we couldn't find any margaritas or queso. major fail.

♥ day 3: this day was so much fun!! we left new mexico for arizona, and along the way, took a detour to the wild spirit wolf sanctuary. we spotted a billboard for it on I-40 and immediately took the trip. SO WORTH IT!! this is nerdy, but i love wolves, and the sanctuary gave us a very informative tour about wolves, wolf dogs, why they aren't suitable as pets and the work they're doing to help these animals. I LOVED IT. and why yes, we ARE wearing wolf shirts at the wolf sanctuary.

afterward, we visited a classic route 66 landmark, the jackrabbit trading post. finally, that evening, we made it to flagstaff, arizona. i had no idea that place was so beautiful! the mountains capped with snow were breathtaking, the surrounding scenery was beautiful, and the downtown area was quaint and inviting. we ate at a restaurant called mama burger for dinner.

♥ day 4: we made the drive from flagstaff to the grand canyon, which only took about two hours. and afterwards, it was time for las vegas, only another 3 hours away! we rolled into vegas right at sunset and immediately went out exploring to the bellagio fountains. 

the rest of our time in vegas was spent shopping, exploring the strip and eating delicious food i had been waiting for for what seemed like forever. the day after arriving, we ventured to the bellagio's warhol art exhibit and the canals of the venetian.

the next day, i finally got to try in-n-out burger!! i consider myself a cheeseburger connoisseur. no really, i do. i've had burgers in every state i've visited, and i have always wanted to try in-n-out to see how it stacked up. for the price, it's incredible. best burger i've had in a long, long time. 10/10 burger awesomeness.

our final night in vegas, we had dinner at a restaurant in luxor called tender. i had saved my money and taste buds for this night, and it was well worth it! we got a cheese plate (we're all cheese obsessed) and steaks. not to mention, luxor is a beautiful and unique hotel.

after our last night, we woke up at 5:30am to make the drive back. originally we planned to split it up and spend the night somewhere in texas along the way. nope, didn't happen. i don't know what possessed us, but some insane force drove us to keep going and we made the drive back without stopping. we paused in witchita falls, texas for a nap around 3am, but trudged onward until arriving back in alabama around 1pm. um, can i just say that i'll never do that again? we were all pretty desperate to get home, but man... i felt like a total zombie. 

i took SO many photos but i don't want to totally flood my blog. these are the highlights! i'm so happy i chose to go on this trip. for all of college, i've resigned myself to going to the beach for spring break. i wanted to do something different. i got to see many states i'd never seen, explore the country and bond with my two best friends. i still can't believe we did it! but then again, i totally can. we're all fearless and excellent at going with the flow. hands down, one of the greatest experiences of my life.

welcome changes

 celebrating my best friend charla's 21st, tango videochatting with corey, deliciousness at cheesecake factory, opi's coney island cotton candy + seche vite topcoat (current favorites), returning my empties via back to mac in exchange for my free lipstick - 'hue', the 161 miles between rival universities that make my relationship long distance, building pokemon decks, my new hair!, cupcakes from twist cupcakes for my grandfather's birthday, chicken salad at mary anne's, & my new dress from kintage.

at the beginning of august, i went to six flags in georgia with corey and we had a great time. i surprised myself. i'm kind of a theme park wuss (though i've gotten better in recent years), but i ended up riding four rollercoasters, including batman! needless to say i didn't carry my phone around so i have no photos, but it was a great way to celebrate classes being over. also, ALWAYS get the flash passes - waiting in the 90 degree heat in half a mile long lines would have been a waste of a day.

ok, as lame as this sounds... this is the biggest change in my life recently. i guess i'll start at the beginning. in highschool, i cut my hair into a pixie cut after having long hair for my entire life. i grew my hair out to my shoulders, then cut it off again. having short hair is positively freeing, by the way. i could make it look awesome with minimal effort and it never got in my way. well, after experiencing these extremes, i vowed to grow it out during my senior year. and that's exactly what i did - until now.

i grew my hair as long as it would go. i loved it, but it was beginning to become a drag. too much upkeep, too much shampoo/conditioner, just too much hair. so, i decided to get a trim to my shoulders and add a few longer layers. it's the biggest hair change i've made since i was about 18. i love it so far. for a few minutes i kind of felt like it made me look 16, but i got over it.

i've just recently gotten back from spending a few days in auburn and fairhope. i visited corey from the 15th to the 18th, then headed to my parent's house for family time and relaxation. classes start on the 22nd, and though i'll regret saying this when i have a mountain of work due next month, i'm welcoming the change.

hello april

♥ last weekend i drove to auburn to spend some time with the boyfriend & we saw the hunger games. i meant to read the books for the longest time but i never got around to it - i did know the basic premise though. i enjoyed it, but i guess it was a little more brutal than i expected? a game where children kill each other... yeah, i am not entirely sure what i was expecting it to be like, but i was surprised. it was very well done & i'm still interested in giving the books a shot.

♥ on tuesday, i went shopping for patio furniture for the balcony at my apartment. my roommates & i have lived here for almost a year, & our balcony was totally empty! i picked up 3 chairs & a cute little table. i'm looking to get some decorative pillows too.

♥ i'm definitely no gardener, but i purchased a chocolate mint, strawberry plant & begonias for the balcony. the chocolate mint will make a great garnish for desserts, & the strawberries are more of an experiment, so we'll see if i'm totally lacking in the green thumb department. any tips?!

♥ everybody loves funfetti, right? right. making cupcakes mid week was awesome... & my roommates ate them all. goodbye temptation.

♥ i finally got the naked palette!! this has been on my wishlist forever, & i went back & forth between whether or not it was a worthy purchase. i have a lot of neutral shadows, but i'm really not crazy about any of them, & i've hit pan on most. i went to ulta intending to buy a single shadow, but i got sucked in... & i definitely don't regret it. i cannot wait to experiment with this palette! even shades i wouldn't normally purchase, like gunmetal, look like they'd be a lot of fun to play around with. i also got a cute cupcake bath fizz, just because.

♥ i've got a lot of studying to do this week because i have a huge exam coming up, but other than that, you'll find me poolside or binging on mad men.

valentine's week

girls valentine's day dinner at cheesecake factory with michelle & charlotte, new scarf from francesca's that i'm IN LOVE with, baking baguettes on sunday night, ua vs. florida basketball game on tuesday night.

i love valentine's day. regardless of my relationship status, i will always love it. i believe in celebrating love - all kinds of love! i'll get to celebrate with my boyfriend this weekend when he comes to visit, & i can't wait. i'm thinking of cooking steaks, which i've never done before, but there's a first time for everything. here's to hoping i don't set the oven on fire! besides valentine's day, this week has been insanely busy for me. i am counting down the hours until the weekend.

i've done a lot of writing lately. & i like it.

key lime pie cupcakes

this is an older photos of the key lime pie cupcakes i made for my dad for father's day last year. key lime pie is his favorite, + these were delicious & had the most subtle hint of lime, just perfect enough. i suppose i'm thinking in spring/summer mode since we didn't really have a winter here in tuscaloosa, so these cupcakes were on my brain & i had to share the recipe.

in the original recipe adapted from food network, white chocolate icing is used. if you'd like to give that a try, follow the link! i used cream cheese icing instead, which is the same i use for my red velvet cupcakes, found here. any variant of cream cheese icing would taste delicious, or you could even create a lime buttercream if you really enjoy the lime flavor.

for the cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated key lime zest
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

preheat oven to 325 degrees f.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. with the mixer on low, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. add the vanilla extract, key lime zest and juice and mix well. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. in 5 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. mix until just combined.

line a muffin pan with cupcake papers & scoop batter evenly into each. bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing. i simply sprinkled graham cracker crumbs on top & garnished with a tiny slice of lime. enjoy!

a february day in photos

i woke up this morning with a cold in full swing, so i've been living off of dayquil & endless bottles of aquafina trying to stay hydrated. despite being sickly, i woke up ready to conquer the day & made my way to campus for classes, errands & a venti passion tea lemonade.

my spring break plans are finally in order, much to my relief. i was beginning to get that nagging feeling that things weren't going to come together & i'd end up spending a week at my parent's place - love you mom & dad, but i need some beach & sun please! ok, well... this has never happened before, but i'm technically having 2 spring breaks, all in one week. the first part will be spent with my boyfriend in his condo, & we're hoping to make a trip to destin while we're on the gulf, but i'm honestly just hoping for some relaxation time. the 2nd part of my week will be spent with my best friends in a different condo.

more lovely things! i got tickets to hangout fest in may, & the lineup looks pretty awesome! i am also grateful to have a new parking pass that allows me to park like a bazillion times closer to my internship building & the communications building. seriously, it gives me at least 30 extra minutes of sleep each morning! i've also discovered that poetry is just not my thing. odd, considering i used to think poetry was the essence of writing itself & true writers wrote poetry. nonsense. i respect it & love reading it, but writing it? nah, i'll pass. i'll take prose any day. thank you creative writing minor for teaching me these things.

we built these paper mountains

winning the national championship on january 9th & partying on the strip, the '2011' added behind nick saban's statue, my vodka & cranberry at skybar in auburn, watermelon hookah at big daddy's, vanilla bean frap, dinner at moe's, dinner at panera bread, fresh manicure, my new yankee candle & new mineralized skin finish natural.

school has been busy as usual! lots will be going on with my internship this semester, & i'm really excited about it. i know the semester is in full swing when i'm drinking coffee every weekday. winning the game on the 9th was a great way to start off the year & its been amazing since then! i don't do resolutions, but i do want to try sushi this year - i guess i'll start off with california rolls, isn't that standard? i've already tried a lot of new things, like kickboxing classes. i think 2012 is going to be great, & i've never been one to be pessimistic about new beginnings.

my favorite bowtie pasta salad

this pasta salad is my #1 favorite. it's delicious, refreshing & dare i say, addicting. i can't stop eating it! my mother prepared this years ago, & i got a craving for it the other day when i rediscovered it on myrecipes. i made some slight modifications to fit my tastes & ingredient availability, so feel free to modify it as you wish.

• 3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard (i used dijon)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (i used leftover grilled chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (omitted!)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

bowl the pasta according to package directions. combine the first nine ingredients in a bowl & mix with a whisk. shred the chicken breasts, chop the red onions, chives & walnuts. combine all ingredients with the pasta & toss.

this is the perfect mid afternoon snack, side to a salad at lunch or side dish at dinner. i have found that this pasta salad can be enjoyed both warm & cold & with a variety of dishes to compliment it. i had it with a caesar salad yesterday & it was delicious. enjoy!

ps; an actual life update is coming soon! i've started classes again & i don't get home till 6 every day, & it's been busy seeing friends since i got back to tuscaloosa. i'm off to auburn for the weekend to spend time with the manfriend & then i'm back into the full swing of interning & class!

it won't be long

nothin' but good things. lunch with anna & michelle, way too much netflix, passion tea lemonade, & adorable toiletries from forever 21. tomorrow i'm driving up to tuscaloosa, finally. i'm truly enjoying my winter break, but being at my parent's house can get a tad boring, so i resort to shopping and baking a lot. i also took a 5 hour nap today, but i had to be up early to go with my brother to get his wisdom teeth out, so it's excused, right? right. i can take 5 hour naps on winter break.

2011 was an interesting year for me. plenty of ups & downs, including some of the most horrific moments of my life thanks to april 27th. i am so fortunate to be alive & surrounded by amazing people on a daily basis. i am proud of some of the choices i made this year. i am also happy about my growing interest in food, baking & wine; it's a real passion of mine that has grown immensely in 2011, & it's brought me (& my friends who hardly cook) great deliciousness & happiness. this year, i learned who my true friends are. i also learned that my choices matter. & most importantly of all, i've been reminded that my family is what matters the most. 2011 was a year of growth, difficulty & amazing moments. i'm truly one of those people that's pretty damn happy no matter what happens. there are parts of 2011 i wish hadn't occurred, of course. if i could take back april 27th, i would. but i am so fortunate to have the life i do, & i cannot wait for a new year to spend with the people i love. i'm also pretty excited for the national championship, duh!

this is the song in my head at the moment. maybe because i'm excited for the weekend? i hope everyone has a splendid new year's, & best wishes for 2012!

it comes naturally

"your love" on repeat, my fortune when i got chinese last week, china glaze's "meteor shower", geekin' in a homemade facial mask with honey, nutmeg + cinnamon, my peppermint meringues, new velour hoodie from juicy couture after a day of shopping with michelle, making my favorite orange chicken stir fry for dinner tuesday night, homemade caesar salad + pinot noir wednesday night. i can't wait for christmas!