javafoto.com has seen an increase in traffic this year but I have yet to see some evidence in the comments section. The gardening and food posts are the most popular as well as the festivals. For 2010, I plan to write more about these topics but also want to take the blog to the next level. I surprised myself when I learned to cook a lot of complicated recipes. I even got into baking. I’m not sure yet what this next level looks like but I am looking forward to a bigger and better javafoto.com next year.

Here are my favorite posts in 2009:

KishFish – This is what summer is like in Oregon.

Central Oregon Coast – A guest post from my brother Francis who spent the summer with us. The beauty of the Oregon Coast is breathtaking.

Garden Project Update – July 2009 – Our garden was in full swing and looked so beautiful here.

Speedlight and 50mm Lens – The day I re-discovered my camera equipment and significantly improved my photos.

Mt Angel Oktoberfest – We enjoyed this festival with a group of friends and would likely go again.

Wonton Noodle Soup- A taste of Hong Kong made right in my own kitchen.

If there is a post you liked in particular, please mention it in the comments section. You can use the search function on the left side bar to find a post by keyword. Any other suggestions, recommendations, or constructive criticism are welcome. My goal is to make this site more interesting to my audience and hopefully increase my readership.

I would also like to post a shout out to the following bloggers who inspired javafoto in one way or another:

Paperseed – Emily inspired me to start my own blog.

Smitten Kitchen – Deb showed me that baking is easy and taking good photos is not complicated.

Get Rich Slowly – J.D. believes that anyone can be an entrepreneur and that’s what I want to be.

Art of Non-Conformity – Marcel likes this site but more importantly, I totally respect Chris’ insights about life and work.

Posie Gets Cozy – Alicia shows that life is more beautiful with fabric. Someday, I will take the dust cover off my sewing machine and start crafting.

Steamy Kitchen – Simple but flavorful Asian recipes and beyond by Jaden. My source of the Wonton Noodle Soup recipe.

David Lebovitz – A reminder that life is sweeter with chocolate. David is the author of “The Perfect Scoop” where I learned how to make ice cream.

Cosmic Adventure – Life is an adventure. A great one with Marcel and Mulder.

Green Crop Circles – If we all do our part and be wise in our use of resources, we are essentially building a brighter future for generations to come.

Finally, I believe that information is meant to be shared. Somehow when you share, the blessings come right back to you. Thank you to all the bloggers out there who are giving a part of themselves to make the world a better place. To our families and friends, we appreciate your support.

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure– pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38

Cheers and Best Wishes for 2010!

-Charlotte with Marcel and Mulder

Christmas Lights in the Snow

As you know, we recently harvested the last batch of carrots from our garden. I have more carrots than I know what to do with, so I thought about making a cake. This recipe from smitten kitchen seems easier than making a big cake so I tried it. I made a few changes and they came out good (in my opinion, with a few substitutes which I will explain below).

Freshly baked. The kitchen was dark when I took this photo. All the light was provided by the speedlight (external flash)

Carrot walnut goodness. The orange pumpkin in the background is a jedi mind trick to make you want the carrots.

Frosted with plain whipped cream cheese. I saw this cool plate at City Liquidators and I just had to get one.

Recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

Substitutions/options include:
- I made a half portion of the full recipe
- Used 3/4c sugar instead of 1 cup
- Added 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- Used whole wheat flour instead of APF
- I used less cinnamon because I do not like it that much
- Grated fresh ginger instead of powder
- I used plain cream cheese for frosting

Notes:
- Grating the carrots really made a difference. The batter came out smooth even with whole wheat flour.
- The amount of canola oil scared me a bit but I followed the recipe anyway. The paper cups were stained with grease but eating the cupcakes did not feel greasy. They were deliciously moist. I read somewhere you can substitute apple sauce but I have not tried it myself.
- The sweetness is just right for me but may not be sweet enough for others.

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated peeled carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
A light dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Line 12 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each. Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

At around 130 calories per cupcake (no frosting), these could very well be the “healthiest” baked goods made in my kitchen. Consider the monounsaturated fats from the canola oil and walnuts, the natural goodness of organically grown carrots, organic sugar, whole grain flour, and most of all freshly-hatched eggs from a friend who has a chicken coop in their backyard. Another winner from smitten kitchen.

smitten kitchen is one of my favorite food blogs not only because of the tasty recipes and creative writing but also the fabulous pictures. I’ve always wondered how I can take pictures as good as Deb’s. I’ve taken classes but it seems too much work for me to lug a DLSR around with all the accessories. One day, as I was reading the latest entry, I stumbled upon the FAQ page where they described their approach to food photos. Then it slowly came back to me – I already  have most of the equipment listed here. A few years ago when I decided I was going to be a “photographer” and started javafoto, I bought all kinds of camera accessories. I quickly lost interest since then. 

Today, I wiped the dust off and took my SB-600 speedlight and Nikkor 50mm lens combination for a test run with our recently purchased Nikon D90. It is another overcast day here but I angled the speedlight towards the ceiling and I was pleasantly surprised! Now all I need is a good tripod

Note: These photos were not edited – which explains why the tomatoes look orange or I just need more practice…

The most beautiful bunch of carrots I have ever seen and it is from our garden!

Lunch today was seafood combination from Jin Wah (Beaverton)

We are still harvesting tomatoes. Some of our campari plants are sheltered by the patio roof so I think they will survive a couple more weeks of cold air.

Home-made avocado gelato - best when it is just starting to melt

Ingredients:

The weather here has been very nice lately that sometimes I forget that it is now fall season. Today, between our CSA share and harvest from our garden, our “fruit” basket clearly said “autumn”. Yes, we are still picking tomatoes and peppers but this time with pumpkins!

This is what our basket looks like today

My first attempt at making pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin

Marcel came back from a trip to NC and claimed to have bought me a custom-made cup

September was another good month. The tomatoes keep coming, as well as the peppers. The herbs are drying up a bit while pumpkins have started maturing. With the weather as it is, I estimate we would have 3-4 weeks more of harvest. It’s been a great long summer!

Although our garden continues to produce tasty treats, this will be the last update for 2009. October will be dedicated to cleaning up the garden for next season. I hope you enjoyed the summer’s bounty!

Almond Blueberry Muffins Made With Free-Range Eggs

Here’s a summary of what we did with all the produce and reviews:

Fruit – green apples were tangy, as well as the pears. The cara cara oranges were sweet!
Baked Potatoes – The potatoes were very good. Smooth, and full of flavor, not gritty like commercial potatoes
Potato Leek Soup – (leeks, potatoes) – 4 servings
Lemongrass Noodles – (carrots, broccoli) – 2 servings – carrots were sweet and juicy
Filipino Pancit / Rice Noodles – 4 servings – carrots, cauliflower and onions
Salads – (romaine lettuce, kale, mushrooms) – 8 servings – romaine lettuce was crisp with a nice flavor
Mushroom Stroganoff – (mushrooms) – 4 servings
Sauteed Kale – salads, added to soups

Beets – I would love to try this Red Beet Ice Cream recipe when I get an ice cream maker.  

Eggs, lemon, onions - of course we used them…

Most of all, we learned to be creative with our recipes and consciously chose to eat more vegetables. It also felt good to eat farm-fresh food in the middle of winter.  Will I use their service again? Very likely but more on as-needed basis. Maybe once a month or every other month in the winter. Meanwhile, I am working on  expanding my recipe collection.