Baked Salmon

After church each week, Hubby-kun and I go grocery shopping. Yesterday we bought some salmon (the L is silent, in case you were wondering. So please do not go around saying sal mon because you will most definitely be laughed at.) fillets.

Normally we just steam the fish we get, but we decided to try and bake it this time. I have never actually baked fish before (I know, I am totally lame and inexperienced in all things culinary). So I asked my dear friend, Google, and he very eagerly directed me to this recipe. I was a little hesitant, because I don't usually use basil or parsley when I cook (again, totally lame and inexperienced I know). But Google insisted and told me I would not be disappointed. And alas, he was right.

Baked Salmon
(from recipezaar)

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets


1. In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.

2. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade.

3. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

5. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal.

6. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Brisingr

This is the third book in the Inheritance series (the first being Eragon and the second Eldest). Hubby-kun introduced me to the series a while back and I quickly became hooked! More importantly, it has definitely filled the Harry Potter shaped hole in my heart.

Oh.. and Roran.

RORAN!

That is reason enough to read it.

Lord of the Lens - Round 1 - "Zoo Choose"

The submissions for Round One, "Zoo Choose", of the Harland Family Lord of the Lens competition have been made, and I will be your Master of Ceremonies.

I've flipped a coin to determine which picture will be shown first. Tails won, so Lisa's picture choice is first:

Lisa's Picture

And now here is Derek's choice:

Derek's Picture

Click the pictures above to see the full-size version. Voting will be open for 7 days and you can place your vote over on the right-hand side of the blog. Please, only one vote per person. Derek has asked that I limit this to ADULTS only, so only those 18 or older can vote. But don't worry, I won't be allowing any inappropriate content.

Unfortunately I don't have my own camera, so I'm not able to enter the competition. Any other Harland family members will be allowed to enter the next rounds as long as they have a submission based on the theme for that round.

If I could enter, here's the picture I would choose (I took it with Lisa's camera):

(The young chimp went rolling through as I took the picture)

It Is {totally} On..

Last year, for Christmas, I received the best.gift.ever.

Well, maybe not ever.

That spot is still reserved for Mr. Snuggles.

Anyway.. I was gifted with a camera. A Nikon, if you must. And we quickly became friends. I love my camera. I squint. I click. I take dozens of pictures of Hubby-kun, or Pumpkin, or kids, or giraffes, or turtles. I admit I am still learning all of his little quirks, but we have a good relationship. We have traveled the States, seen many places, many peoples. We are happy.

Brother has a camera of his own. He has had one for quite some time now and has plenty more gadgets and gizmos than I. They have traveled to far more places, and seen far more things and people. It certainly puts a strain on my relationship with my camera, you know living with his nemesis (the Canon) and all. And especially with Brother and I checking each others albums, searching through the dozens (or in some cases, hundreds) of images.

Seriously.. we are like kids with Pokemon cards, comparing collections.

The truth is, Brother knows more about his camera and photography than I do. I am still learning about aperture and how to get the perfect lens flare. I still shoot mainly on automatic. I still refer to my trusty old manual. But now I feel as though my confidence has been built. My opportunity is here to take the crown as the Harland Family Lord of the Lens. Are you with me?

So Brother, the gauntlet has been thrown..

Will you accept the challenge?

Now, I know what all of you are thinking, "Wow, that is awesome! What can we do? How do we help?" Well.. if Brother is willing to battle, I will post my favorite shot from our trip this weekend to the zoo and also Brother's favorite shot. And you can VOTE! Don't worry though, I'm sure this will become a regular event and we will keep a record to see who takes the crown in a few months.


*And, no Brother.. I will not use photoshop. Straight out of the camera shots only*

LA Zoo

Photo: Derek Harland

The boys and I went to the LA Zoo this weekend. It is always a fun time when the three of us hang out. Not to mention, it is nice to have someone take cheesy pictures (see above) of Hubby-kun and me so we are not forced to take the horribly-up-too-close-and-personal self portraits.

California marks the fifth state (Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee, and NC are the other four) that Hubby-kun and I have visited zoos. Crazy, eh?

Also, notice what I am wearing. Remember the other day when I said it was starting to feel like Autumn? Apparently, Saturday didn't get the memo. I can't really complain though. It really wasn't that hot and felt quite nice for the majority of the day.

Plus, it was perfect weather for shaved ice. Cherry and strawberry flavored. Yum!