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new york city | point & shoot camera

Part of our adventures in the northeast included seeing a taping of the Colbert Report (can be seen on Comedy Central at 11 EST). We completed that on Thursday (I will do another post with that picture and more details later). The taping was in the evening, so we went into NYC early to walk around.  I didn’t want to bring my camera gear for many reasons, so the P&S came out!  We went down to the Brooklyn Bridge and the WTC area. They are heavily edited and many of them have textures applied.  I may blow up one of the Brooklyn Bridge pictures to hang in our living room. Leave a comment telling me which one you think (I’ll probably print in B&W).

NYC

NYC

NYC

NYC

NYC

NYCNYC

We wanted to see ground zero but they are in the process of building the memorial site. They have huge fences with pictures so you can’t really see in. I was a little bit bummed, but just being down there is something else. One of the buildings next door has very little damage – I was very surprised about this. This church is right across the street from the site. The towers would have been straight on.
NYC

March 17, 2009 - 9:35 pm

Christina - I love the first bridge shot, what great perspective and how cool it would look blown up and in b/w.

good deals | central new jersey photographer

If anyone knows me, they know I love to cook. There is a pleasure that comes with me being in the kitchen. It may be because growing up my family rarely sat down to dinner at home. When I was much younger, my father started his own pharmacy. He was gone a lot and to get to see him involved going out to eat with him. Even now that the pharmacy is well-established after 20+ years, my parents still go out to eat every night (see I’m outing my parents out – sorry mom!). Monday is Van’s Pig Stand night, Tuesday is Mazzio’s Pizza Buffet (which I really do miss that pizza!), Wednesday is another BBQ place, Billy Boys and then the rest of the week is switched up among going to the country club, two steak houses or into Oklahoma City to eat. It’s not healthy and I was determined to cook at home when Anthony and I got married close to 4 years ago. Watching Rachael Ray‘s 30 Minute Meals in college really gave me inspiration to think outside the box when it comes to cooking. Now I can’t stand watching Rachael, but I do owe a lot of my cooking style to her. I know you are thinking why am I telling you all this. Below you will see an “omelet” pan from Calphalon. They have a lifetime warranty on their pots and pans (which they should be since they are so darn expensive!). Our little pan lost its coating a month or more ago. I sent it in and now we have a brand new one! Thank you Calphalon! Be expecting our little sauce pot next since its starting to lose its non-stick coating as well. This just goes to show you how much cooking I do (and I hand wash them so they aren’t ruined by the evil dishwasher!)

kim schmidt photography

Around the same time as our pan incident, my sonicare toothbrush stopped working properly – it was vibrating uncontrollable and my hand hurt after. During this time, Anthony and I had to learn to share an electric toothbrush (we used our own heads, we aren’t that gross!). At times it was difficult because we don’t share a bathroom so one or the other had to go to the other side of the house to get it (we aren’t lazy, I promise!) or one is brushing their teeth when the other wants to – you get the point, right?  I’m just glad that yesterday I received a brand new toothbrush. No more sharing! I even put a little mark on it so I know its mine and Anthony can steal it, hehe.
kim schmidt photography

Last piece of good news: Anthony and I had lunch together the other day in downtown Princeton. We parked right outside of Banana Republic (which can be very dangerous with the two of us!) and then enjoyed our Subway sandwiches. We sat by the window to people watch and a lady walked by with a red coat. I leaned over to Anthony and used my sweet voice to explained my desire for a red or green winter coat. Anthony looked at me like I was crazy. On the way back to the car, I mentioned stopping into BR to browse. Sure enough, I’m in the sale area since they have all their spring stuff out, and I spot a red winter coat. You can imagine the pure joy I was feeling inside when I picked it up and it was my size! The price tag said it was $75 but they were taking an additional 30% off, I scored this originally $250 coat for $55. Here is a picture of it in black. I’m meeting up with some photographers tomorrow. I may bring it and have one of them take a picture so I can show you the red!
coat

March 6, 2009 - 1:56 pm

MicheleLouise - It I wear my red Ann Taylor coat tomorrow we will match! That BR one looks really cute!

The Schmidt’s Adventure – First Task Touring Princeton University

Anthony and I took a prospective student tour of Princeton University yesterday afternoon as part of our “The Schmidt’s Adventures” of the northeast.  We definitely aren’t prospective students but a lady from a book club I’m apart of told me about this tour.  It was interesting to hear more about the buildings that I pass daily on my way to work.  Our tour guide was a junior English major.  She LOVED everything about PU – the class size, the campus, the activities and groups (especially equestrian and tap dance), traveling to the Bahamas for 4 weeks last semester, living at Forbes College (aka a dorm), etc.  She went on and on about her love of everything.  It started to get annoying how enthuasiast she was about her university.  In closing of the hour long tour, she told us she wants to come back after she graduates and audit all the classes she couldn’t take.  So basically she wants to stay a student forever – don’t we all wish that.

For proof that we actually went on this tour here is part of our group.  Its a crappy photo taken with my P&S.

Tour

And documentation that we completed our first task; in front of Nassau Hall (again taken with the P&S).
Schmidt

Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup

While making the weekly dinner menu, I came across this recipe in Giada De Laurentiis’ Everday Pasta. Oh my it was delicious!  I highly recommend you try it out.  Its very hearty and perfect on the cold, yucky evening we had last night.

Start out with the olive oil, shallots, carrots and pancetta. Make sure you get the pancetta crispy.
soup

All the ingredients are in (minus the swiss chard) and it is almost done (took 20 minutes at the most from start to finish).
soup

Look at that hearty bowl of soup! It made for great leftovers for lunch today also.
soup

Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups of Swiss chard, chopped (1 bunch)
6 cups chicken broth
1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are soft and the pancetta is crisp, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, chicken broth and bring up to a boil over high heat. Throw in the Swiss chard and let it wilt, about 3 minutes.

Add the tortellini and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the tortellini are tender, about 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

I eliminated the swiss chard and added parsley at the end. I made my own white beans the morning of in the crock pot and added the bag spinach & cheese tortellini that is found in the pasta aisle of most grocery stores.  I hope you try this recipe out on a cold day.

January 29, 2009 - 2:14 pm

Megs - That looks delicious! How did you do your beans in the crockpot? Also – sorry not have gotten back to you about the hat . . . are you still interested?

Weekend Adventures in Princeton, NJ

Anthony is finished with his first semester at PTS. He had three papers due on Friday and they are complete. It was a rough week for both of us, while he was locked up in his room writing and editing away and I was bored. I did read a lot (almost finished The Hour I first Believed by Wally Lamb) and that’s about it. It was so nice after he turned the papers in – we went to dinner and a movie (saw Frost/Nixon). Before the movie we walked around Market Fair Mall and found a calendar/game store. Anthony purchased a 1000 piece puzzle of the Tower of Babel. Below is a picture I found on the internet and the progress we have made in less than 24 hours.

puzzle

puzzle

I spent this afternoon playing with the sewing machine my mother gave me for my birthday. Its the first time I got it out of the closet and surprisingly enough it worked out for me. The reason I got it out was to let out the hem of the pants I wore to church this morning. They were too short and my mom taught me to sew the hems while home for the holidays. It was painless and now my pants are longer. I was going to hem up another pair of pants I got from Banana before Christmas but I don’t have the right color thread to do those. So that pair will have to wait a little longer. I edited these in photoshop a little different using The Pioneer Woman’s Actions Set 1 (slight lighten and boost) and Set 2 (seventies, reduced opacity). The images needed the vintage feel!
central jersey photographer

central new jersey photographer