“It was like watching a couple of high school kids falling in love,” the best man teased in his toast.  Clearly beyond the years of high school romance, Jim and Lois looked at one another, laughed and rolled their eyes a little.  But I’d assert that the best man was onto something.

Jim made cracks throughout the day about miscellaneous well-wishers assuming he was the father of the groom, rather than the groom himself.  Lois laughed with friends about the 8 grandchildren she was inheriting.  But despite the jokes about their ages, the energy running between Jim and Lois was similar to that of young love – giddy, happy to be married, and excited for what’s to come next.

I photographed this wedding at the Brown Palace with Frances Marron.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening spent with these two and their families.  Now that they’re both living in Colorado, Lois and Jim plan to fly around the world together – literally.  They’re both pilots, and share a passion for aviation.  I wish them many safe travels together in their future as a married couple :)

People have been pushing me towards gazpacho.  I do not like gazpacho, and I do not want to make it.  I’m sticking to my guns on that one.  But I do see the merit in expanding my horizons into chilled soups.  To that end, I thought nothing could be better than chilled Avocado Chipotle Bisque.  I love avocado.  This should be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, the ickiness factor of this recipe is alarmingly high.  It’s consistency reminded us of the remnants of John’s cold (gross, but true), which made it highly unappealing.  It also boasts a high oddity factor – for some strange reason this soup tastes like bacon.  Something to do with the smokiness of the chipotle and the oils in the avocado must produce this flavor, and it’s slightly off-putting coming from a cold green soup.  Especially for a vegetarian.

In the end, neither John nor I could take more than three bites of this one, and it met it’s fate in the garbage disposal.  I mourn a bit for the delicious avocados that went into this recipe.  They could have been put to many, many better uses.

Avocado Chipotle Bisque

Ingredients

• medium avocados, diced (2 cups)
• 1 Tbs olive oil, hemp oil, or avocado oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 Tbs. white miso paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary or
• 2/3 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
• chopped tomato or red pepper for garnish » Continue reading “Year of the Soup: Week 35″

I’ll be honest, I laughed.  When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to photograph a couple of plumbers for Garvin’s, the response I got was “don’t get any crack in the photos.”  Kind of a lame joke, but it did make me laugh a bit.  No crack.  Just smiles from two of their friendly guys. :)

As a couple, Kaitlin and Adam have charisma.  Kaitlin has an adorable southern accent, and a genuine curiosity about people that’s hard to resist.  Adam’s passion for biking and skiing comes through so clearly in his speaking that it’s impossible not to get excited right alongside him as he tells stories.  In short, they’re just an enjoyable pair to be around, which made my job that much easier.

Kaitlin and Adam won last month’s Engagement Contest (despite having been married for the last two years – I bent the rules. :))  We spent an evening in Riverfront Park downtown for their session, meandering through the park and then back into the city.  The resulting images had a nice blend between city and nature, which makes this an fun place for a portrait session.  Many thanks to these two for entering the contest, and for being such a joy to photograph :)

You can see it on his face the minute he tastes it.  For just an instant he looks as if something sour has touched his taste buds, then his features turn to consideration as he tries to figure out what that icky flavor is.  He describes it as earthy, dirty and perfumey, looking at me as though I’ve fed him dirt.  It’s one of the few things that John doesn’t like: thyme.

Discovering this is huge – John likes damn near everything.  The only other food item I know he doesn’t care for is bleu cheese, and he’ll even eat that on occasion.  Now I can officially add thyme to that tiny list, and I suppose try to avoid future soup recipes that feature it.  If I’m feeling nice :)

In the case of this soup, I think the thyme is excellent.  In fact, this whole soup impressed me.  I thought it sounded good because I love roasted peppers, but the thyme and fennel give it another savory dimension.  After that first taste it was clear John wanted nothing to do with this soup.  That’s fine with me.  This recipe makes a small batch, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to finish it off without his help :)

Rainbow Roasted Pepper Soup