hot air balloon ride

For our birthdays, Mom gave my brother, husband and me tickets to go on a hot air balloon ride….we just had to pick a date. This past Saturday finally worked, and the day could not have been more beautiful. We were able to ride "Tiny", the largest balloon in Ohio.

If you have ever dreamed of flying in a hot air balloon, I would highly recommend it! We flew with Gentle Breeze Hot Air Balloon Company out of Lebanon, Ohio. They were so professional and had a great sense of humor. www.hotairballoonrides.com

Unloading the basket from the trailer.

Ready to tip the basket after the burners were attached.

Straightening lines and filling the balloon.

Filling with air.

Three other balloons ready for take-off.

View from the basket looking straight up.

Looking down as we take-off.

A beautiful evening.

Here we are in the balloon.

Our shadow.

Putting the basket away.

With our awesome pilot!

fall photo shoot 2014

This past Saturday was a beautiful, cool fall day here in Ohio. I always enjoy taking the kids to the farm to get their photos taken. These were shot during the evening. I use a Nikon D80 with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. I prefer natural lighting when possible. The kids and I had great fun, and many thanks to my mom for helping the kids to smile for the pictures. Of the 132 photos taken, these were my final and favorite pictures.


In black and white:

In color:

Together. (Getting multiple children to stand still, smile, and pay attention can be quite a feat.)

Almost Peruvian…..lomos saltados

While we were in Peru, we found a dish that we both really enjoyed called Lomos Saltados. We have been missing Peru lately, so I thought I would make my own version of this meal for dinner tonight.

Peruvian's typically have white rice. I substituted with wild rice.

This was the prettiest onion I had ever seen. It was perfect.

All the veggies cut.

Veggies on top of the steak in my stone crock to cook.

Almost Lomos Saltados

1-2 pounds beef sirloin tip roast
1 red onion, cut into 1" wedges
2 peppers, cut into strips (red & yellow; to be authentic use Peruvian aji amarillo)
3-4 garlic cloves, diced
8 small red potatoes, quartered (Peruvian recipes call for thick french fries instead)
3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and quartered (I admit I omitted these tonight.)
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 dash soy sauce
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
cumin to taste

I put all this in my Pampered Chef deep covered stone baker and cooked for 40 minutes in the microwave. Check around 30 minutes depending on the thickness of your meat. (Mine was 2 inches thick, so the cooking took a little longer.)

Traditionally, Peruvian meals are served with white rice. We prefer the long grain, wild rice, so that is what I prepared. I must admit, it tasted amazing, and my hubby was glad to have a meal with steak.