Something lovely

Took a moment to stop and smell the roses...or photograph some changing fall leaves.
Just a reminder to appreciate the little things in life!

Fall weather recipe

It's a great day for homemade soup!

One of my favorite things to cook is soup. It stores really well, is easy to make and has those weather-comforting properties that make it so good! Below is one of my newest throw-it-in-the-pot-and-hope-it-comes-out-okay, cupboard clearing creations: vegetable lentil.



Use some variation of the following:

Sweat in a big pot:
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
a small puddle of olive oil
pinch salt
pinch red pepper flake

Add (as much as you like)
3 stalks of celery
3 medium carrots
Cook until tender

I don't have measuring spoons, so I use my hands, makes life interesting!
palmful of cumin
palmful of corriander
Three bay leaves
a few grinds of the pepper mill

1 28oz. can of whole tomatoes (chop em up)
3 cans of water (use the empty tomato can)
1 can of chic peas (rinse em off)

I like to let this come to a boil

Then add
1 cup of lentils
1 bunch of rainbow chard (or whatever chard your market has)

Then cook this sucker till the lentils are soft, say 45 mins.? I usually add another tomato can of water at the half way point in this process.

At the very end, I like to add a few splashes of red wine vinegar. (I usually do this after I've divided the soup into various containers for storage.)

Friday night light...

...or Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Welcome back fall! Fall sports are in full swing and I am outside shooting preps 3-4 nights a week. I am certainly thankful for the nice weather and the beauty it brings.

Summer fun part III

With football back on television and the awesome 70 degree weather all around, it looks like summer is coming to a close. It's been a good one! Here's a mixed bag of photos from the last few weeks shot on the job for AnnArbor.com



Baby limbo! This photo cracks me up!




A little indoor, late-night summer fun!


Gotta teach em' young!


One light flare followed by another. Go team!

All photos in this post © AnnArbor.com 2010

Indiana Farmhouse

I trekked down to my old stomping grounds in Indiana for a brief visit with friends this past weekend. I spent waaaay more time talking than taking pictures but I did manage a few!
I spent Saturday with my good friend and former roommate Betsy at her new farmhouse home in Pendelton, about 35 minutes south of Muncie.



I was really inspired by all the goods they canned with vegetables from their own garden!


Beware of dog and I mean it! Queen Tangerine in her blanketed castle.


Beautiful, peaceful views.

A little football fun

Football season is just around the corner! (Ask me in six weeks if I still be using !'s to describe my feelings about football ;) ) I spent last Sunday photographing the Michigan football team take interviews from the media, ham it up for the cameras and meet with their fans at the Stadium. Here are a few from my long day of shooting for AnnArbor.com See the rest here and here.

All images in this post © AnnArbor.com 2010

My basil runneth over

As we all know by now, I am a sucker for a farmers market. It's pretty clear I have some major veg love.

Last weekend I hit up the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and there was a colorful bounty of AMAZING tomatoes, peppers, corn, berries and herbs. And speaking of herbs, basil was the star of this Saturday morning. It was everywhere! Needless to say, I came home with a giant bag full, leaving me with the challenge to use it all. Can one ever use a giant bag of basil? Well I certainly tired. Here are two tasty, basily treats I came up with.

Heirloom tomato, mozzarella and basil salad and a basil infused green tea. Summer love!


And just because I can't help myself, here are some vegetable beauty shots.

Athlete Portraits

I've been working on the player of the year portraits for AnnArbor.com. Here are a few from the spring season winners:

All images in this post © AnnArbor.com 2010

ARCHIVES: Memories from Africa

It's been over a year since I returned from my adventure in Africa. While digging through my archives this week, I came across photos and some video of my teammates Steve, Gina, Nick and Dan. I thought I'd share some of our memories here and hope to add more as I can continue to dig.

Behind every great photo, there is a great story. There is certainly a great story behind this one, see below.

Dan's Clean Mouth from Melanie Maxwell on Vimeo.

We spent an afternoon at a boys school in Mozambique. As you can see, Steve, at left, got his groove on.



Here's the epic tale of our 9 hour trip to Chimoio, Mozambique

Epic trip to Chimoio from Melanie Maxwell on Vimeo.

Then of course there was our trip deep, deep below the surface. I don't think anyone had a clue what we had in store. There is something very strange about being that far underground. It sort of felt like I was at some sort of Disney attraction.

Copper Mines from Melanie Maxwell on Vimeo.

I have no idea why I am smiling in this photo, I am pretty sure I was anything but happy.



Some sunset wheelchair basketball in Lusaka, Zambia.

Wheelchair basketball Zambia from Melanie Maxwell on Vimeo.

Dinner boat cruise in Livingstone, Zambia.


Gina sending me a message!

ARCHIVES: Lost and Found

While digging around in my archives I came across an image I made while in a market in Chimoio, Mozambique in May 2009. It's strange when you find an image you forgot you had taken, it instantly brings back the memory of the moment.