Bruce Barone Photography

Regarding Haystacks

Nature

My Internet friend, Jerry Saltz, art historian and art critic, recently wrote on Instagram:

“…musing on Judd and Minimalism…from Marfa…Think of the boxes as Monet’s haystacks…”

Here the former art critic for The Village Voice and recipient of the Pulitzer Price for Criticism in 2028, is referring to Donald Judd‘s “boxes” at Marfa.

This reminded me of this note I received years ago from a gallery owner in Denver, Colorado:

”I am impressed with your sensitive and imaginative eye. Because of your photos, the viewer sees the landscape with all of its subtle nuances and myriad of compositional relationships. Many of your portraits capture the inner nature of the individuals without being posed or contrived….I have a gallery in Denver and also have an art consulting firm. We have been in business for 30 years……I’ve been intrigued with your photos for a long time…just waiting for the right client to show them to and I believe, that we have found one……….I am interested in doing a series of images of the mill pond that you so effectively depicted in B/W and color and at different times of the day and primarily during the Fall. It reminds me of Monet’s compositional and light variations of his series on Chartre, lily pond, haystacks etc. The images are accessible but thought provoking in their characterization of the nuances of change in a given environment…. they help the viewer understand that there is an ongoing transformation and evolution in a given landscape. Sometimes the change is slight; sometimes birds inhabit the scene, sometimes the grasses become the emphasis rather than the water, sometimes the log protrusions become geometric constructions in an otherwise organic surround…….” (–Sandy Carson)

For your viewing pleasure and inspiration, a few of those images (There are hundreds) (Click on image to enlarge):

Best Banana Bread

Recipes

Truly, I say to you, this is the best banana bread. Mango, dates, and a ginger and pistachio streusel topping.

Susan found this recipe. “Why don’t you make this for us? We have the ingredients.” And, I did.

You will be very happy you made this delicious and special banana bread.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon baking soda 
¼ teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
1 ½ cup mashed bananas
1 cup sugar
 ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter 
¼ cup chopped dates 
½ cup chopped fresh mango 
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 

Ginger Streusel-Nut Topping

 3 tablespoon packed brown sugar
 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
 4 teaspoon butter
 ¼ cup chopped pistachios
1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger 

Directions 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.  
  1. In a medium bowl stir together eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Meanwhile, toss chopped mango in 1 Tbsp. flour. Fold dates and mango into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle Ginger Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.  
  1. Bake for about 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.  (I didn’t wait that long! It looked so delicious and it was delicious.)

Ginger Streusel-Nut Topping  

In a small bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pistachios and crystallized ginger. 

Based on a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen.

One-Pan Paprika Chicken with Lentils, Squash and Daga

Recipes

For one week, maybe two, Susan kept asking me to make this recipe. At first, I thought it might be a bit labor-intensive. How wrong I was. It was, in fact, fairly easy to make and so delicious!

Writing for The New York Times, Yotam Ottolenghi:

“This oven bake requires minimal effort and is very much a meal in itself. Daqa is a vinegar-based condiment, most commonly used when making the much-loved Egyptian koshari, a hearty dish of rice, pasta and lentils. Daqa is a nifty way to brighten stews, braises and anything that needs an acidic lift. Feel free to swap out the kabocha squash for root vegetables, such as sweet potato or celery root, and serve the whole thing with nothing more than a leafy green salad.”

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 6 servings

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
  • ¾ pound skin-on kabocha squash, seeds removed, cut into about 6 (1-inch-thick) wedges (I used butternut squash)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground sweet paprika
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Fine sea salt
  • 2 small yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted
  • 8 ounces/1 heaping cup (uncooked) French green lentils, rinsed
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup finely chopped chives
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus 1 tablespoon picked leaves for serving
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

PREPARATION

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, squash, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon salt; set aside.
  3. Place the onions, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 teaspoons paprika in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and mix to combine. Roast for 10 minutes, stirring halfway, until the onions are lightly colored. Stir in the lentils, chicken stock and 1 cup of water. Arrange the squash wedges and the chicken, skin-side up, on top and roast for another 20 minutes, until the chicken skin is deeply golden. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for another 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the squash is nicely softened.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, chives and dill; set aside.
  5. To make the daqa, mix the remaining garlic and cumin with the vinegar, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of water.
  6. When ready, remove the bake from the oven and top with spoonfuls of the sour cream mixture. Pour over the daqa and sprinkle with the extra dill. Serve hot, straight out of the baking dish.

Featured in: Yotam Ottolenghi’s Secret to Great Sheet-Pan Chicken

I am

Poetry, yoga 
I am the only man
                            today
                                    in yoga class.
Fifteen women and me.
I am here
               with my wife
                                    Susan.
Next to her a woman
                                 on her left.
                                 I am
                                 on her right.
I recognize the woman.
I say
        "You look familiar."
She says
         "I am a cashier
           at Big Y Supermarket."
"Ah,"
         I say.
"I thought you might have recognized me."
"I see
         so many people,"
         she says.
I am
       here
              with my yoga family.
My body is
                  relaxed.
My mind is
                  calm.
Teacher speaks
and says
              "Shanti
               Shanti
               Shanti
               Shanti
               Peace
               Shanti
               Peace
               Shanti 
               Peace."
My eyes closed.
I move
           from
                  unreality
                  to reality
                  from darkness
                  to light.
I am
       with my yoga family
I am.

Saffron fish stew with potatoes and green beans

Recipes

This is simply delicious! And simple to make. I made a few changes which are noted below.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 thyme sprig
  • ½ teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
  • ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 ½ cups clam juice
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound flounder fillet, cut into (2-inch) pieces (I used Cod.)
  • 1 (14-ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (I used small and diced potatoes from The Little Potato Company and Chopped Green Beans; about 1 cup+.)

DIrections

  • Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, fennel, coriander, garlic, and thyme sprig; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in rind and saffron; add water, clam juice, tomatoes, potatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, fish; cook 5 minutes.

Found the recipe at Cooking Light and The Mediterranean Refresh.

Potato curry

Inspiration, Recipes

For days Susan pleaded with me to make this recipe–Potato Curry, also called Aloo Masala. I made a few changes to the recipe from Nosheen Babar and they are noted below. It is delicious!

I also made curried turkey meatballs and sauté bok choy in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes.

At first I was thinking the meatballs would be a side dish to the curry.

But Susan said why not add the meatballs and bok choy to the potato curry? And I did.

Ingredients

  • 6 potatoes
  • 4 tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes.)
  • ¼ cup cooking oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp carom seeds (I substituted thyme.)
  • 1 tsp ginger paste (I ginger powder.)
  • 1 tsp garlic paste (I used garlic powder.)
  • 2 whole red dried chilies (I Used red pepper flakes.)
  • 2 tsp amchur powder (I used lemon juice.)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 10 curry leaves (I used lemon zest.)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Boil the potatoes till they are cooked through (Knife slides in easily).
  • Cool them enough to peel them and then loosely break them into clumps with your hands.
  • Quarter the tomatoes and cook them with a little water till they are soft, then mash them to get a thick puree and set them aside for later.
  • Heat the oil and add the ginger and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the cumin and carom seeds and saute them for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the potatoes and saute them for 1 minute.
  • Add the tomato puree, the salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder along with 1 cup of water and mix well together. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
  • Uncover, mash the potatoes a bit (you want some whole pieces of potato and some mashed)
  • Add the curry leaves, the whole dried red chilies and the amchur powder, cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes (depending on your stove and how much water you have left.
  • Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Note: I didn’t follow the instructions word for word as I substituted many ingredients. I simply added most of the ingredients to the diced tomatoes.

Here are the turkey meatballs cooking. I added the same spice to them that I added to the potato curry.

Magic Carpet Ride

Bible Verses, Inspiration, Poetry, yoga, Yoga Indra 
Amen, Amen, I say to you
This is the day the Lord has made
Rejoice and be glad
Join us onboard
The Intention Express
Consider this
Yoga Indra 
A magic carpet ride
Come, Come
Shanti, Shanti
Faith and Doubt
Will be your companions
The source will be
Your guide, this is
A sacred mystery
An ancient form
Of meditation
A spiritual guide
To become
More fully
What you are
Created to be
Don't fall
To sleep

poem

Inspiration, Poetry

On Saturday I wore an old flannel shirt
Bought years ago
Black and Red
Bought probably at WalMart
I didn’t know
Better, underneath
I wore a Red T-shirt
Life is Good
A camera
Mountain range
On the shirt
Two favorite things
These are a few
Of my favorite things
A gift
From Susan
I made her a peach
And raspberry cake
And a bacon, mushroom
Spinach quiche
Life is good
She made bread

Breathe

Black & White Photography, Inspiration, Poetry, yoga 
Teacher spoke softly saying 
Breathe in
Through your nose
Breathe out
Through your mouth
Breathing in deeply
Helps me to center myself
Thoughts come and go
Like the clouds above
The urn, when breathing
Breathe, when praying
Pray, when looking
See, the birds 
Engraved on the urn
There too triangles
Circles and straight lines
Signs that are read 
Top to bottom
Bottom to top 
In the distance
Out the window
Old buildings
In need of repair 
Alludes to the thought
The Church can never be completed
Always, like us, in need
Of breath, of repair
We see a peacock
We know from our art 
History classes
It can be easy to ignore
Birds and peacocks 
As symbols or art
But writing stems 
From the pictorial
The peacock became a symbol of immortality in Christian art
The peacock serves as a reminder of the Resurrection and eternal life
The peacock is symbolic of re-growth and rejuvenation,
Royalty, respect, honor, and integrity
The peacock is also a symbol of beauty, love, and passion
In Egypt the peacock was linked to the worship of the sun god, Amon-Ra and associated with the all-seeing eye of Horus. To the Hindus, the peacock was associated with Hindra, the god of thunder who became a peacock endowed with one hundred eyes that enabled him to watch out for the demon Ravana
Peacocks are also symbolic in the Buddhist religion
Symbolic because they display their feathers by opening their tails they are associated with openness and purity, and their feathers are even used in Buddhist purification rituals
Breathe in
Breathe out
Teacher softly speaks 
This advice from Swami Buaji
Be kind
Be peaceful
Be tolerant
Begin the day with Love
Spend the day with Love
End the day with Love
This is the way to Source
Breathe

Susan’s Birthday

Inspiration

The sunrise Sunday morning shined brightly, the day of Susan’s birthday, January Eight.

On the kitchen table was a birthday card I made for her. One of my photos, sunrise at the park down the street from where we live, and a poem.

“Did you write this,” she asked.

“I did.”

“It’s beautiful.”

This is the day
You are sacred
This the day
You are guided by love
This is the day
You embrace truth
This is the day
Truth is beauty
Beauty truth
You are beauty
You are truth
This is the day
To say Happy Birthday

The day began with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs. And coffee, of course!

I then made her a birthday cake, based on a recipe from a recently published and fabulous cookbook, a work of art, “Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes,” by Aleksandra Crapanzano, a recipient of the James Beard Foundation M.F.K. Fisher Award for Distinguished Writing. It was a Yogurt Lemon Tarragon Raspberry Cake. And it was delicious!

For our appetizer I made Steamed Shrimp Dumplings in a Bamboo Steamer served with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce. These were based on a recipe from Rasa Malaysia, a great recipe website.

And for our dinner I made a Glazed Spiral Ham, based on a recipe from Michael Symon. The glaze consisted of maple syrup, dark molasses, grain mustard, apple cider, curry paste and garlic. Gosh was it delicious! Served with roasted green beans and mushrooms. And I love the plate, too!

We are blessed. And blessings to you. Cheers!