Category Archives: Food

325/365 – Our Thanksgiving

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Although I’ve lived in the US most of my adult life, I never fully embraced Thanksgiving. Don’t take me wrong, I think it’s a terrific holiday. A truly American, non-religious holiday, solely about family and friends enjoying each other’s company, cooking and eating a big meal, and giving thanks for what they have. Our family celebrated the date in the traditional manner many times over the years because we are in the US, our daughter is American, and sometimes we just felt like going all out with the celebration. Not this year, though. This year I really didn’t feel like cooking that elaborate, highly caloric and not exactly tasty meal. Too much hassle. So we just decided to eat out with our daughter and her boyfriend and went to Fogo de Chão, in Beverly Hills. That’s a traditional Brazilian steakhouse chain found in several big cities in the US, where servers dressed as “gauchos’ come around to your table with endless skewers of different meats until you’ve had enough. They also have a fabulous salad bar and several Brazilian side dishes. Oh, today they even had turkey and all the usual thanksgiving side dishes, but we weren’t interested. The place was packed and very festive. We had a blast, ate delicious food, drank Brazilian “caipirinhas” and, best of all, when we finished the meal there were no dishes to clean, no leftovers to store, and no unpleasant feeling of having eaten too many carbs. Something tells me this will become a Thanksgiving tradition in our family. I didn’t take my camera so these shots were taken with my iPhone.

Fogo de Chão, in Beverly Hills.
Restaurant row, Beverly Hills.
The restaurant’s door with the map of Brazil carved in the middle.
The crowded dining room.
The gaucho serving meat,
Nice view of Rodeo Drive, on the way back home.
The sun was beginning to set as we drove down Wilshire Boulevard.

Share Your World – July 10, 2017

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How do you like to spend a rainy day? I love a rainy day, as long as I can be indoors for the most part. Since we get *very* little rain in L.A., any little bit of it brings me great joy. On such days I like to watch movies, catch up on the various TV series, read, or work on curating my photo library. And if and when the rain tapers off, I venture out to take some pictures around the garden or on the streets. There’s nothing prettier than photos of wet streets, people holding umbrellas, their reflections, or plants and flowers covered with real rain drops.

 

List at least five favorite treats. (They do not have to be sugary). Mine will be mostly sugary…. 1. A Brazilian treat called “Brigadeiro” made with condensed milk and chocolate and rolled into little bite-sized balls (sinfully delicious and sweet); 2. Italian gelato (pistachio is my favorite flavor); 3. Brownies! 4. Oysters! Large ones preferably; 5. Caramel Flan.

 

Where’s your favorite place to take out-of-town guests? I like to take them to the Getty Center, which houses the Getty Museum and other programs of the John Paul Getty Trust. The Getty is known for its fabulous architecture, beautiful gardens, and 360 degree views of Los Angeles, as it sits atop a hill. It’s a place to spend the day exploring art, nature, and food. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been there, but I always manage to find something new to enjoy and photograph. And the guests love it, too.

 

You are trapped in an elevator, who would you want to be trapped with? I feel I should say I’d like to be trapped with someone intelligent and interesting who would make the time fly until the elevator was fixed. Except that, being slightly claustrophobic, the last thing I need is someone brilliant watching me start hyperventilating and slowly just lose it… In this situation, as I always say in real life, I’d want someone like a US Navy Seal. You know, the type of person who’s been through all sorts of situations and would look me in the eye and say: “Don’t worry ma’am, I’ll get us out of here.” Then I would take a deep breath, close my eyes, and wait while he called for help! 😀

This is not my shot. I got it from the Internet as I unfortunately haven’t come across a real Navy Seal… 🙂

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? I am grateful that I had my routine checkup last week and everything was A-OK. There’s nothing special happening this week but I look forward to some wonderful surprise. Who knows?!

Cee’s Share Your World

Weekly Photo Challenge: A Good Match

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I tried very hard to come up with a Good Match that didn’t involve food, but I failed miserably…

Wine and all sorts of cheeses at home on New Year’s Eve.
Cappuccino and Sacher Torte in Vienna, Austria.
A great breakfast and a room with a view in Salzburg, Austria.
Special mini burger and beer in Munich, Germany.
Coconut water and an empty beach in Brazil.

11/365 – “When Life Gives You Lemons…”

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Shoot wet oranges! Thanks to all the rain we’ve been getting in Los Angeles lately, it’s been a bit of a challenge getting out to shoot daily. On the other hand, the rain is helping with our severe drought and our orange tree is proof of that. After a long period without producing any fruit, it seems to be back in business! Rain and gray skies are a drag for photography, but I’m excited to see our orange tree healthy again and happy to use its fruits as subjects.oranges-dsc_0996orangesweb-dsc_0967