100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 10...

The Man has this camera. I call it Fancycam. It's much bigger, heavier and more expensive than the Canon Powershot A590IS with which I shoot all my food pics. Some have asked why I don't use that camera for my food pics instead. It does take really nice food pics, after all.

The primary reason is that Fancycam is not me. That's not to say that the Man is a fancy person, either. But he's a dude and a photography hobbyist, and we all know how dudes get about the gadgets that come with their hobbies...

This is totally irrelevant, but I'm
making *Champagne* vinegar with some
leftover cava... Let you know
in a few weeks how that
turns out.

But aside from the fact that the Man would have two coronaries in a row if I did with Fancycam the things I do with my point and shoot (all one need do is look at my cooking albums to imagine the array of foodschmutz that has touched that camera by way of my hands while cooking and shooting at the same time), the point and shoot is really just more my style. Compact, easy, tough, convenient, and most of all, unfussy.

And unlike Fancycam, which picks up amazingly bright colors, vivid detail and fine contrast, oftentimes beyond what my mostly 20/20 eye can see, point and shoot is more like life to me. Well, my life at least. It represents the best I can do with what I've got, when I've got it. No settings, no foodstyling, and almost no manipulation but for the effort it takes to get the food on the plate.

So I find myself back on the soapbox today saying that while I can appreciate the aesthetics that result, you will not find me colorizing my foodshots or backlighting them, or putting lipstick on my strawberries, or blowtorching my chicken skins, or putting my pics through any number of digital photoediting processes to make the food look any better or different than it is. Because to me, what Mother Nature gives me to work with is good enough on its own, even if it's better or worse sometimes than others. Chicken one day, feathers the next. That's life.

I imagine there will be a time that the evolution of other technology and the obsolescence of my technology will force me to use different equipment, but until then, and hopefully even after then, I plan to post real pictures of real food from my make-do point of view. Don't get me wrong. I think there's beauty and value in the other stuff, but I personally would rather represent this.

And on to the food...

BREAKFAST

While I would have liked to save the croissants for a mid-week treat, I like to eat them while they're still fresh. So this morning, it was Caprese (kahPRAYzeh) croissants made with some of that mozzarella I bought this week, one small Roma tomato, and a few leaves of basil left over from one of those hydroponic basil plants that I bought maybe three weeks ago.

Tossed in a little olive oil to keep them from sweating
too much in the bake...

8 minutes in a 350F oven later. :)

And coffee...

   2 croissants @ $1.50
+ 4 slices of mozzarella cheese @ $1.00
+ 1 small Roma tomato and a little basil $0.20
+ 2 cups of coffee @ $0.40

= BREAKFAST: $3.10 total, $1.55/serving

LUNCH

I don't care what anybody says. Leftovers is good.

Most of the gumbo leftovers from Saturday for the Man (plus a handful of grapes).

Most of last night's Korean style beef stew leftovers for me.

All previously accounted for but the grapes...

= LUNCH: $0.50 total.

DINNER

Dinner will be tacos filled with a spicy shredded chicken filling using the chicken breasts from the whole chicken I bought last week. And to use up some of those sooooo many free limes we got from my mom by way of her neighbor, I'm thinking a ginger-infused limeade that may or may not have anything to do with tequila, depending on what kind of a day the Man has at the office. :P

But as tequila is always entertaining, it always comes out of the Entertainment budget.

If you look closely, you'll see that the almost 10 day old
cilantro and mint still look great!

   1 whole chicken breast @ $2.00
+ 1 onion and some garlic @ $0.30
+ 2 jalapenos @ $0.10
+ 1/4 of a head of cabbage @ $0.60
+ 1/4 wheel of queso fresco @ $0.50
+ maybe 8 small corn tortillas at the most @ $0.30
+ misc. seasonings @ $0.50

= DINNER: $4.30 total for 3 servings (I'm pretty sure there will be leftovers), $1.45/serving

Saturday:  $15.00
Sunday:  $23.00
Monday:  $8.00

$46.00 so far, but I'll be back later to post dinner pics and update if anything changes.

Hasta luego,

shinae

@6:44 PM - Dinner of 7 shredded chicken tacos (4 for the Man, 3 for me), topped with red cabbage dressed in lime juice, yogurt and a little oil, as well as a blended salsa made of cilantro, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime, salt, oil and a pinch of sugar.

With a glass of ginger infused limeade to wash it down.

P.S. You get more juice out of the lime if you load it at an angle like so: