Freshly shaved..., originally uploaded by in2jazz

I had just shaved and was inspired to take this photo by one of my flickr friends. I used a 50mm f/1.8 lens and my head is almost touching the keyboard.

Hello everyone! I am in Chicago again this weekend. It is bitterly cold here. I will never complain about it being 50 degrees in Oakland again. That is a heatwave compared to here. I am here visiting my mom who has lung cancer. She is in good spirits and comfortable. She told me last night that I was not was not invincible and that I needed to rest. She is right as our mother's are always right. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Much love to everyone.

I am very honored to have my photo of Bakesale Betty Bakery selected for the article "A New Gourmet Ghetto" in The Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition for December 29.

See the full article here, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119888290037156475.html .

Once again it is that special time of year when wonderful baked goods come from my oven. The 6th Annual Festival of Desserts was quite fun this year as you see from the photos above. I will come back shortly to share recipes.

Congratulations to Alison "Bakesale Betty" Barakat and her husband, Michael Camp, on their birth of their daughter, Hazel Mary on November 6. Mom and baby are doing well. I got to chat briefly with Betty when I stopped by on Saturday for a fried chicken sandwich and a slice of really yummy apple pie. Truly a guilty pleasure but I did take a short bike ride before going there. :-)

Long before Fenton's Ice Creamery in Oakland ruled my world, there was Petersen Ice Cream on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois. I took this photo recently on an early morning drive from the airport through Oak Park. I lived here for nine years before I moved to California in 1998. I remember I became fascinated with Oak Park when I took the "el" train to see the movie "Reds" in early 80's with friends at the Lake Theater. I knew then that I wanted to live there. Five or six years later, I made my move and I loved it. Oak Park will always hold a special place in my heart.

james1, originally uploaded by sfopanda.

A great, cloudy, misty Sunday afternoon with my photography friend, Dave (sfopanda), on Haight Street in San Francisco. The sights are truly endless. I must go back there again on a bright, sunny day.

You can see my Haight Street Photo Stroll photoset, here and Dave's photoset, here. It is was interesting to see the differences and similarities in our photo perspectives.

Calalily, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

Just a few calalilies to celebrate the coming of Spring. You are probably saying WOW because I posted two entries in the same month and even in the same week. Just trying to blow dust bunnies away and do a little spring cleaning....lol!

Between both sites, this is my 500th blog entry. Woo hoo!

When a photographer dreams...., originally uploaded by in2jazz.

It was just that kind of evening. I was taking a break in Yerba Buena Park in San Francisco. I had been shooting photos at the Chinese New Year Parade and Flickr 333 Party. Toss in the fact that I was also hungry and it makes for one tired man. I love this photo.

The Making of a Red Velvet Cake, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

Yummy!

First cookies of the holiday season, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

Cranberry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups pecan halves
1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon; gradually stir into creamed mixture. Fold in rolled oats, cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans. Drop rounded spoonfuls and press them by hand onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in preheated oven. Remove cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.

Tips and pointers:

I have made these cookies for a few years now but I wanted them to be more chewy and soft. My secret baking angel suggested that I use 1/4 cup less flour and also finely chop the cranberries and pecans. Press the cookie dough flat by hand on the cookie sheet which makes them spread wider. I bake my cookies for 12 minutes then pull them out of the oven as they will keep cooking as they are cooling which makes them more chewy.

Makes approximately 36 cookies. (More like 4 dozen.)

Looking all around, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

I like this photo because it gives the two perspectives of looking in the rear view mirror and look forward. The image in the rear view mirror looks like it is bursting out of the background.

master at work 2, originally uploaded by dralion64.

In between baking and writing about music, my other passion is photography. My good friend, J.S., recently captured me shooting while we were walking about Alameda. I got my first digital SLR camera earlier this year and I love it. It is a Nikon D50 and no, I have not given it a name, yet. What I find most amazing is the ability to control how the photo will look. I still have much to learn about my camera especially adjusting the settings for various light but I am having a great time.

Banana Bread & Strawberries, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

This week's treat is very yummy banana bread. I decided to plate a few slices, garnish them with strawberries and take a few photos.

Banana Bread

The banana bread is the Fanny Farmer Pumpkin Bread recipe with some minor changes.

www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000842pumpkin_bread.php

Instead of pumpkin puree, use a cup of banana puree (but leave it a little lumpy.)
Instead of olive oil, use vegetable or canola oil.
Omit the nutmeg and allspice
Add 2 tablespoons of honey to your wet ingredients.

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Spread liberally over the banana bread dough before placing in the oven.

The aroma will make you want to hurt someone!!!

Thanks to Bakesale Betty for her guidance and mentoring on this yummy recipe.

Puppies, originally uploaded by in2jazz.

These two very happy puppies were sitting in the front seat of a car while I was out walking. I looked in at them and they jumped up to greet me. The sunroof was cracked so they were getting air. They were very adorable.