Old Liquor

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800
“Old Whisky” Cedar Park, 2022

Last year I brought home several bottles of old very liquor. My parents’ neighbor/friend passed away and he had a lot of bottles in his collection, which my parents saved. These are two of the unopened whisky bottles. I don’t know how long they stay good, but we opened the one on the right and it seems fine!

We did try a couple of other bottles which were a bit foul so we dumped them, but I’m happy that we can enjoy at least one of them. Cheers! 🥃

Burrito Night (Shredded Chicken Instant Pot)

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640
“Wet Burrito” Cedar Park, 2022

Our family loves burritos! We recently enjoyed some at Alfredo’s and Mi Burrito in Southern California, and also often get them at Freebirds and Chipotle near our house here in Texas. So when I was asked to use up some chicken breasts that are taking up space in the freezer, burritos came to mind.

Chicken breasts tend to be too dry and tough for us, but cooking them in the Instant Pot keeps them juicy and tender. And it’s so easy! I just added the four large chicken breasts to the pot with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a cup of water, some cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and a few canned chipotles, set the Instant Pot for 30 minutes at high pressure, and voila! Tender and flavorful chicken ready for shredding.

Assembling the burritos was easy and fun, and left up to the individual to do. For tonight’s meal, I just put extra-large flour tortillas, diced onion, cilantro, cheese, salsas, sour cream, avocado, jalapeño peppers, refried beans, rice, and both red and green enchilada sauces on the table.

The burritos were not very hot though, so we microwaved them, topped them with enchilada sauces and cheese, then popped them under the broiler for a minute to make restaurant-style wet burritos. 🌯❤️

Super good! And we have plenty of leftover fixings for a second dinner tomorrow. 😀

Here’s Koa’s plate. It’s amazing how much teenagers can eat!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
“Double Burrito” Cedar Park, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800
“Wet Burrito” Cedar Park, 2022

Neewer 660 LED Lighting Kit

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO640
“Lighting Kit” Cedar Park, 2022

We received a new Neewer 660 LED Lighting Kit today and it seems pretty good! Just a few days ago I sold my old studio flash and switched to these continuous lights which will be good for stills and video.

The kit we chose comes with two lights/stands, but doesn’t have any soft boxes. However, I have a shoot-through umbrella that I was able to use and it works great. The first photos I took were of an antique lamp that I am trying to sell on Facebook Marketplace. I think it looks nice!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO64
“Lamp for Sale” Cedar Park, 2022

For the second lamp, I might purchase the Neewer soft box just to see how it compares to the umbrella. I’ll post again when I get it, but it might not be for a while yet.

Reading Day

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/35 sec, ISO3200
“Reading Day” Cedar Park, 2022

I was feeling under-the-weather today so I took a rare sick-day. I ended up resting, drinking tea, and reading.

I borrowed She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan from the library last week, and finally got into it. I’m a bit over half way through and enjoying the story and characters very much. Excited to see where it leads!