Old Film.

Some old film finally developed.

Carouselle in Philly. From April 2010.


Daytona Beach Pier. From March 2010.


Jessie, the best friend, on her 22nd birthday.

Three Weeks

This is a niche book in progress. Found this bright red book at the Book Exchange and discovered it had fabulous old photographs in it with quotes from the book. It seems to be a cheesy old romance novel, copyright 1907!

More wedding stuff...

Hope no one's getting tired of it, but the editing has pretty much consumed all of my time. That and fruitlessly searching for a job.




Also, I'm working on my actual photography website so hopefully I'll have a link to post soon.

More from Jenn's Wedding

Here are a few more photos from Jenn's wedding.

The beautiful bride getting assistance slipping into her stunning gown.


The mother and bride after putting on her veil.


And my personal favorite of these three, the father seeing the bride for the first time.


The cake!

A big day....in many ways

So here are the first few of a multitude (1,000+) of images from the wedding of a close family friend, someone I've known for 12 years now (wow!!). I am so thankful I was able to contribute to her special day. These are from the golf outing that the boys took the day before the wedding, a couple shots from the rehearsal, and a hair detail on one of the bridesmaids.

This first one is one of my favorites so far.

Camel Driver

Hamza sent videos that he took of us riding the camels in the Sahara. He was just too sweet. So I thought I'd share one with you:



Also, I was lucky enough to shoot the wedding of a close family friend this past weekend and will soon be sharing some of these photos. I also got my film back from Morocco as soon as I hook everything up I'll scan some in and post them as well.

Two

Today, my pup is 2 years old!

And I wanted some way to commemorate it other than just by getting him special treats at the Dog Bakery. So, here is my commemorative blog post for my best friend. Although, I think he prefers the fancy dog cookies.

Happy Birthday Milo :)

Bslama

Yesterday at the Children's Hospital was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I made a new friend and got to spend time with my old ones which was a nice way to end these two weeks. I saw little Hajar and Yasir. It was a fun day. Hajar's mother brought out a photo album to show David and me her other children and family. When we left, I went into Hajar's room to say goodbye to her mother and explain that I was leaving for good. All I said was "Amrika" and she understood perfectly. She ushered me toward her and grabbed my face and kissed each side, hugged me, & said "shukran" (thank you). The other mothers in the room did the same and little Hajar gave me a kiss as well and said SLAMA (Bslama is the proper word for goodbye...she's so adorable). I teared up as they were so sweet and appreciative of our help and said thank you to us more times than I can remember. These two weeks have been incredibly touching and eye-opening.











After placement we had couscous for lunch. Couscous is the traditional meal eaten on Fridays, which is the holy day for Islam. I never learned why couscous is the dish eaten on holy days, but both Fridays that I was in Morocco this dish was served at the house.

Following lunch, Khedija gave me some henna, as most volunteers do before they return home.

Once it dried Adrienne, Alexis, Alex and I went to the beach just below the Kasbah to kayak. Adrienne is a certified kayak instructor, which made me feel better about kayaking in the ocean for the first time ever. It only cost us $6 a piece for an hour on the water. It was a beautiful day, perfect for kayaking. I wiped out within 30 seconds…a wave got the better of me. But, I hopped back on, and after quite a bit of effort, made it out past the breaking waves. It was such a stunning view. At one point I somehow managed to accidentally ride a wave in to the shore and flipped, all the while freaking out. I got back in the boat, bobbed around past the breaking waves for a while and enjoyed the stunning view until it was time to go in. While we were out in the water, there was a call to prayer, which was really very cool to hear the call from the shore in the Kasbah and the shore of the little town of Sale. Another “wow” moment. I successfully rode a wave in to shore and we returned home to get ready for dinner.

Since most of the house was off on weekend excursions, the remaining 9 of us went out to dinner at Ristorante Finzi and it was beyond delicious. So mouth-wateringly good in fact that some people ordered second dinners. We split up after and 5 of us went to get ice cream near the house. It was a great way to say goodbye to the new people and incredible culture that have enveloped my time these past 2 weeks.

Thank you to all who made this trip possible. I gained many invaluable experiences that are all because of everyone’s generosity. This has been an eye-opening experience for me and really started me thinking about where I’m going next as far as my life plans.

This blog will continue to function as an art/etc. blog and I will post some more pictures/videos in the coming days and weeks from Morocco. Especially once I get my film developed…..

A Little Bit of Culture.

Today we had cooking lessons & Moroccan music...one of my favorite cultural activity days! We learned to make one of my favorite foods (and WORST for you) that I've eaten here. We made little fried pancakes I guess you could call them...and despite my discovery that they are just flour slathered in butter & oil that are then fried, I still had 2 for breakfast this morning. They're just too good :) Here are some photos of the process.







Above is Fatiha, our marvelous cook.

Above is the finished product and below is another one of our cooks, Aisha.


And last is Stephanie showing her tea-pouring skills after we learned how to make Moroccan tea.

After cooking lessons we had some Moroccan musicians come and play for us. We were all sitting in the living area waiting for their arrival when we heard drums in the distance. It gradually got louder and louder as they approached the house and they walked into our living room pounding their drums & tambourines and blowing a horn. It was awesome! They played for a little over an hour with a tea break in the middle. They got everybody dancing...even Abdellah, Khadija & Abdu. Pictures are below:

Moroccan Recipes

Khedija kindly sent me these vegetarian recipes...but, she forgot one, hopefully I can snag it from her :)

She said to make these vegetarian you start with onions instead of meat.

Moroccan Couscous

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
• 4 cups canned chicken broth, reconstituted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 pound plum tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or bouillon of suffron
• 5 medium turnips
• 4 large carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise then crosswise
• 1 small acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise then crosswise
• 1 19-oz. can chick peas
• Couscous
Combine chicken and broth in a large Dutch oven. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally (about 20 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from cooking liquid; reserve cooking liquid. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with oil in a heavy, large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender (about 10 minutes). Add tomatoes and next 8 ingredients and stir for 1 mn. Mix in reserved chicken cooking liquid, turnips, carrots, squash, zucchini, chick peas with their liquid. Cover and simmer until vegetables are almost (about 15 minutes). Uncover and cook until vegetables are tender (not mushy), about 5 minutes. Add chicken pieces to sauce and cook just until heated through (about 3 minutes).
Cook couscous according to package directions and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with 3/4 cup of sauce. Spoon chicken and vegetables on top. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

These doughnuts are AMAZING!

Moroccan Doughnuts

Ingredients:
•1 kg flour
•4 table spoons sugar
•1/2teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon yeast
•1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
•1/4 cup butter, very soft
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
•1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)
•vegetable oil, for frying
•granulated sugar or powdered sugar, for dusting the beignets

Preparation:
Make the Dough
Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, and add the warm milk. Leave a minute or two for the yeast to soften, and then add the butter, egg, baking soda and lemon zest. Mix well to form a soft, sticky dough that is barely firm enough to knead. If necessary, work in a little more flour or milk to achieve this.

Knead the dough in a mixer by hand on a lightly floured surface, for five to 10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth. The dough should still be a bit sticky, but it will become easier to handle after it rises.

Allow the Dough to Rise Twice
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a towel, and leave to rise until doubled, 45 min.

Punch down the dough and turn it over. Cover, and leave to rise a second time. When the dough is almost doubled, about 45 minutes, it is ready to shape.

Cut Out Circles
Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out rounds (a glass is fine to use), and transfer the rounds to a lightly floured towel. Cover, and let rise until puffy, 30 minutes.

Fry the Beignets
Heat two or three inches of oil in a pot over medium heat to 360° to 370° F (183° to 187° C). If you don't have a thermometer, test a scrap of dough – if it rises to the top without colouring and the oil bubbles around it, the oil is ready.

Fry the beignets in a frying pan for two to three minutes each, turning several times, until the dough is golden in color. Don't crowd the pot, and monitor the temperature of the oil carefully. If it is too hot, the beignets will brown too quickly and the insides will be undercooked. If the oil is too cold, the beignets will become heavy and greasy.

Allow the cooked beignets to drain on paper towels or in a strainer for several minutes before rolling in granulated sugar or dusting with powdered sugar.

Sweet potato and Raisins Salad

Ingredients:
5 Sweet Potatoes
½ cup Raisins soaked in water
1 Tbsp. of Honey
Pinch each of Saffron
1/4 tsp. each of Salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp. of Cinnamon
Note: Adjust seasonings to taste as you are cooking.
1 cup of water
2 TS of Olive Oil
Directions
1. Peel the Sweet Potatoes, and cut into 4 large pieces
2. Cook on medium heat; put the Olive Oil in the pan.
3. Add the Sweet Potatoes and along with all the Spices.
4. Cover with Water, and cover the pan; cook for 20 minutes - making sure there is always enough water in the pan.
5. Drain the Raisins from their Water and add to the Sweet Potatoes.
6. Add the Honey and stir, adding a little bit more of Water.
7. Taste the Sauce in the pan and see if it need any adjustment to the flavor.
8. Cover the pan, and let it cook for 10 minutes more to carmelized the sauce.
9. To make sure the Sweet Potatoes are ready, poke them with a fork - they should be soft.
10. This Moroccan salad can be served either hot or cold.

Peas and artichoke/potatoes


• 1 Cup of pealed peas
• 2 artichokes// or 2 potatoes
• 1 potato
• ½ preserved lemon
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (optionnal)
• ½ tea spoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Pinch saffron (or bouillon of saffron if you have)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup of chopped green olives

Directions:

In a medium size pot, cut the artichoke, potatoes into squared pieces. Add peas and then spices and the preserved lemon after you cut it into small pieces. Then add 2 cups of water and cover. Let boil for 40 minutes in a low heat until the sauce thickened, then add olives . Then it is done.


Enjoy...I know I will :)

The Chellah

We visited the Chellah today for our afternoon cultural activity. The Chellah is a mix of Roman ruins from the 2nd century B.C. through the 5th century A.D. and Islamic ruins from the 13th and 14th century. There were beautiful gardens, mosaic remnants, storks EVERYWHERE, and a beautiful landscape as a backdrop. I took tons of pictures.













The Chellah is hosting a jazz festival starting tomorrow which I think I'll be checking out with Erin & Adrienne tomorrow night :) I love jazz!!!