natural light

home is where the light is.

in ,

When I was home in Minnesota the other weekend I made sure to get out my real camera and take some photographs of the incredible light in my parents' home. My obsession with light, and my need for a light-filled home probably stems from growing up in that house, where every room gets amazing sunlight at some point during the day. 

The first few images below were taken the same day as the garden tour. The giant locust tree in the backyard filtered the sunlight, creating a stunning, speckled pattern on the wall and floor. I took a quick (and low quality) video of it as well, which you can see here, as it was mesmerizing to sit and watch. 

The morning that I was headed back to Kansas I poked my head into my parents' room, which gets incredible light in the morning through their wood blinds. Striped shadows are thrown across the foot of the bed and the bench made by my great-grandpa. This room is a favorite of mine in the morning, and it has set the standard high for my future home. 

This will probably be it for posts this week, since Wednesday is day one of the moving process, and I will be out of town until Sunday because of that as well. Hopefully next week I will have some exciting images to share though! Have a wonderful week, and don't forget to hit the "Subscribe" button on the left to stay in touch, and feel free to share via the links below. 

Baking Binge {with recipes}

in ,

When I bake, I have the tendency to go on a baking binge; I can't just bake one thing generally. I use baking as a form of stress relief, which may be why I tend to bake in waves. This particular time I whipped up some granola, as well as some banana blueberry muffins. Both are easy and relatively quick, and perfect for some added breakfast variety. 

The granola was made with plenty of maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. If you haven't made your own granola before, I highly recommend it. It is so much cheaper than store-bought granola, and so very easy to make. Plus, it makes your house smell amazing for most of the day, making it a free air freshener too! 

Vanilla Granola

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 300°F

In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and maple syrup until combine, and then whisk in the vanilla.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes. 

Allow the granola to cool completely, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats

3/4 cups slivered almonds

1/2 teaspon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla

The muffins were made to satisfy a craving. Filled with blueberries and bananas, and topped with cinnamon sugar, they were near perfection. 

As a side note, I'm sort of obsessed with oven light. It creates excellent shadows, which do a great job of highlighting textures, and it is a wonderfully warm light, making everything look even more appealing. The bokeh that results from an oven light is stunning as well. 

Window light is another one of my favorite light sources. It can produce an excellent backlight situation, as well a the perfect soft, filtered, sidelight. It is a simple (and free) way to get incredible lighting on your subjects.

Anyways, back to the important stuff, the muffins. These guys were fresh out of the oven, and my apartment was filled with the smell of their freshly baked goodness. It smelled so good in fact, that I couldn't resist taking a bite before I was technically done photographing...

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Grease muffin pan, or use muffin liners.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and 3/4 cups of sugar in a large bowl. 

In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs, milk, baking soda, vanilla, and salt, until smooth.

Pour half of the banana mixture into the butter mixture, along with 1 cup of flour. Mix with the mixer until incorporated. Add the remaining banana mixture and cup of flour, and mix until incorporated. Fold in the blueberries. 

Pour into prepared muffin pan.

Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over each muffin. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

Cool completely, and store in an airtight container.  

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 overripe bananas

2 large eggs

7 tablespoons sour milk (1 tsp vinegar + 6 1/2 tbs milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

 Have a wonderful Wednesday!