Smashed Potatoes: Comfort Food

Last weekend we had heavy rain and strong winds. Naturally, I was preparing comfort foods in the kitchen for Shabbat. “Smashed potatoes” are so easy and so delicious.

Boil a pot of potatoes until tender. Drain and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Smash gently with a potato masher. Sprinkle with chopped garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, paprika, or whatever takes your fancy (cheese, fried onion). Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a medium oven until the tops are golden and the edges start to look crispy.

Make lots, because you’ll want to eat some the next day. 🙂

Project 365 for 2018: Week 1

I’ve very quietly started a Project 365, with the specific goal of mastering my new Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera. When I took it out during Hanukkah, I was really frustrated over the fact that I didn’t know the settings well enough to be able to set it in the dark and that I wasn’t positive I was locking the focus in low light. At least the Sony is much lighter to haul around than the Canon T2i with 18-135mm lens. Photo above is the funky weave of our screen door leading to the back balcony.

Sometimes there are things to shoot. This sunset was past its peak, but I was on a bus and had to wait until I got off the bus to photograph the sky. By the way, this was not post-processed.

Dust storm moving in, before the rain storm.

Other times, there isn’t a lot to shoot. I find that after Shabbat goes out is a tough time. After doing dishes, tidying up, I’m usually too tired to think of a photo and don’t want to walk into town on the chance that there might be something interesting at the mall, so I usually shoot something inside my house, like my embroidery. Tip if you’re doing a project 365: make a list of easy shots for those times when you don’t feel like taking photos.

Rainbow seen from my office window, which is why there are reflections off the glass, the white balance is a little too cool, etc.