time for a new camera, I guess!

I think I've officially reached the point where it's time for me to buy a new camera. I love my Canon, but it's getting OLD. It's the only digital camera I've ever owned, and it's just not making the grade any longer! (And I'm finding photos taken with my phone have a weird greenish tinge to them -- why is that?)

Am I going to be able to afford an SLR, or will I settle on another point and shoot? Time to start price-comparing. I'm sure I'll just end up ordering something from Ritz Camera again, but it's not going to happen tomorrow, obviously. :) Let me know if you have a camera that you absolutely love -- I'd enjoy any input!

In the interim, enjoy some slightly blurry, low-quality food photos:

Sweet-and-Sour Tofu:

My, oh my, does this taste just like Chinese restaurant take-out! Super quick and super easy, to boot! Here's the recipe, courtesy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook:

Combine, and bring to a boil:
1/2 cup sugar (!!!! Yes, that's a lot! It's junk food!)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced or grated on a Microplane

Combine, stir into sauce, and cook until thickened:
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Fold into sauce, and return to a boil:
1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed and browned
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges or large chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
8 ounces canned pineapple chunks, drained well

(And yes, the tomato is take-out traditional, but a little strange, if you ask me. I might switch things up next time, using a red bell pepper and broccoli instead of the green bell and tomato. Might even improve the nutrition profile a little, right?)

Serve over brown rice, which will make you feel much better about the quantity of sugar you are about to consume. :)

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Dinner last night was a good, basic, homemade chili:

I think I've written about this ad nauseam in the past, but really, when it comes to chili, I like to keep things simple. Here's the recipe I made last night:

Saute in olive oil until soft:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
about 2 cups of minced white mushrooms
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
a few pinches kosher salt to taste

Add to chili, bring to a boil, then simmer until you are ready to eat:
28 ounces diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp hot sauce (I used Crystal, since that's what I had on hand)
enough water just to cover

I ended up adding a little too much water to my chili last night, so I simmered the whole thing uncovered for a while, until it thickened to my liking. Shredded cheese, green onions, and sour cream are my favorite chili garnishes. What do you like to pile on top of your chili?

Chili is best served with cornbread, in my opinion:

I'm really starting to love Real Simple's recipe archives online -- I've found everything that I've tried to be reliable, reasonably healthy, and mostly focusing on whole, real foods -- pretty much exactly in line with my style of cooking. This Maple Corn Bread was no exception! The only significant change I made was subbing canola oil for the melted butter, since I had plenty of oil on hand, but almost no butter.

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I've really enjoyed the last three days of my four-day weekend . . . and I'm so glad I have one more day left! Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!