It's sunny! Too sunny for photography...

We went out the other day to shoot some new photos of our Fish Face For Her line, and wowzas, I was super excited to see how the pictures turned out. We had some great friend-models and an absolutely beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. Not a chill in the air. It was certainly t-shirt weather.

We decided on an often seen but never visited site, the bloomingdale trail in Chicago. An abandoned train line that will one day be converted into a bicycle and pedestrian walk way. For now, the trail remains closed to the public, which makes it extra exciting and mysterious. It's full of graffiti in areas, overlooking the Chicago skyline and various old industrial factories, while other sections feel remote, an urban secret garden, elevated and out of sight. It promised to be a great day of exploration, of nature in the city, and fantastic photo shoot to boot.

well, at this point you can probably sense, and see, that something went awry. Yup, while light is an important part of photography, too much light makes it difficult to take great photo's. I think the composition is right for these pics, but the lighting is all wrong, and I while I should have guessed given the intense sun that afternoon, I didn't realize just how bad the lighting was until I got these off the camera and onto the computer. You live, you learn, and you get to go on more adventures to take better photo's!

Cocktail of the Week: Fish N' Soda!

This simple cocktail is so much more than just a gimmick! Anyone who's had vodka infused gummy bears will understand this recipe right off the bat (and anyone who hasn't should try them!).

1/3 vodka
1/3 citric soda (such as 7-up)
1/3 orange juice
3-4 swedish fish

Fill your glass with ice cubes, a handfull of gummies, vodka, soda, and juice. Don't shake it, but do stir it, and let it sit for a minute, preferably in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the more of the gummy deliciousness will seep into the cocktail.

I'm calling this one "Fish n' Soda", because not only do I love fish, I also love the ascetics of bright red swedish fish in a pale-orange vodka-juice concoction. That being said, any sort of gummy will work with this recipe, worms, bears, whatever you can find! So with that, I say cheers! And please drink responsibly.

*this concoction was modified from an original at www.1001cocktails.com

CATCH of the day, SOUP of the day!

Of all the adjectives suited for this soup, VERSATILE is probably the most fitting. The brothy and fishy qualities complement the summer season, while the parsley and tomato aromas belong to the winter kitchen. This is truly a soup for any season. This soup also works with almost any fish you have at hand, making it the perfect dish for whatever happens to be biting today. Ready to give it a try? Here are the simple directions, and as always, feel free to modify and let us know which substitutions work and which additions don't! 

You'll need: 

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon basil 

1 teaspoon oregano

salt

pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chunky tomato sauce (or 1 can crushed tomatoes)

1 cup water

24 oz fresh fish

Start by:

Melt butter and heat oil over medium flame in a stock pot. 

Add diced onion and garlic, and simmer until the onions become translucent (fairly standard soup starter).

Stir in parsley, basil, and oregano, with a pinch of salt (be sure to save a few pinches of parsley for garnish).

Add white wine and let the mixture cook down for a few minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, water, and continue to cook down for a few more minutes.

Cut the fish into 1 inch cubes, stir into the soup, cover, and boil until the fish is fully cooked through (10 to 15 minutes).

Salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a pinch of parsley and a sliver of butter.

This soup goes great with a crusty French or Italian bread. It's never better than with a fresh parmesan baguette! Enjoy!

Is 'ladder ball' Really For the Elderly?

             ***spoiler alert: the answer is maybe...

Looking back on July and August, I must say, I've played a lot of yard sports in the last two months. But when I reflect on the matter, I get hung up on one main question; what's the difference between all the projectile based yard games? I'm thinking primarily of horse shoes, ladder ball, and bags, though we could certainly add others to the fray (beer pong anyone?).

Lets think about it, we don't even have to get to deep into the details. Competing parties stand on opposite sides, next to their opponents target (of sorts), and launch a projectile of some kind towards it. Your score is based on proximity to the target, and if you're old enough, you can drink a beer while youre playing any of them. So what exactly is the substantive difference? Two balls on either end of a string (called a bola), a heavy metal U, and a cloth bag filled with beans. That's about it.

This simple distinction, however, translates into various advantages for some players and relative disadvantages for others, and age may be what matters. Bean bags are for kids. They're soft, blunt, and a miniature version of a favorite kids chair. Horse shoes, on the other hand, are hard, heavy, and easily turned into a dangerous weapon. They're definitely for adults. Adults with some arm strength. As for the bola, wielding it requires patients, finess, and precision. These skills come with age. I'm not trying to say a 10 year old will never school her grandfather in a game of ladder ball. In fact, I've seen it happen. But when it comes to planning your backyard parties, organizing your yard sports, and dividing up teams, it might be wise to keep this in mind. Obviously there are exceptions, but as a general rule of thumb, horse shoes is not gonna be grandma's strongest game.

We now have an Etsy store!

Remember those new designs we unveiled at the festival in Cedarburg? Well we've had such a positive response that we've decided to offer them to our online friends as well. That's right, the new designs are available online!  We haven't worked out all the kinks at the moment, in terms of where and how we're going to make them available, but for now, you can check them out at our new Etsy store, appropriately named FishFaceGoods. Because it's a simpler format for uploading new designs, we'll be experimenting with a more artistic style of shirts, and we'll soon be offering men's designs as well, so please stay tuned! The Etsy store is another component of our attempt to reach a wider audience through the internet, one that doesn't require quite so much traveling. If you have any advice, we'd love to hear your comments! And if you have any friends who you think may enjoy our work, please help spread the word!

Cocktail of the Week: Summer Sangria

I came across this interesting article earlier today, on pairing fish and wine. (Sneak peak: it's not all white wines, and it's not all salmon!) While looking through the extensive list of pairings, I started to get thirsty. Really thirsty. But not for a glass of wine. My hankering was for something cold. And sweet. As the pieces came together in my minds eye: wine, cold, sweet, the cocktail of the week snapped in to focus: Summer Sangria! It's fruity, refreshing, and since it's mixed the night before, it'll be ready as soon as you get home from work!
Ingredients:
1 orange, sliced into wedges
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
2 limes, sliced into wedges
1 apple, sliced into wedges
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup rum
1 bottle dry red wine
1 can lemon-lime soda (to taste)
1 cup orange juice (to taste)

Method:
Mix the orange, lemon, limes, apple, and pineapple together, with the cup of rum. Let it sit at least between 2 and 24 hours in the fridge.
Gently smash the fruits with a spoon, and stir in the red wine, lemon-lime soda, and orange juice. Stir gently and taste. Add more wine, rum, orange juice, or soda, depending on taste. Don't drink it too quickly, this one will sneak up on you!

Food of the Week: The Perfect Summer Fish Sandwich

 I have a tendency to eat a lot of sandwiches in the summer , as I'm sure many of you do. They're great cold, they're light, they're filling, and they're quick, so you can get back to enjoying those summer activities!

I'm always looking for new combinations and new concoctions, and when it comes to sandwiches (and not just sandwiches) there are millions of great pairings. This was a fun combination centered around pickled red onion, which we happened to have in the fridge. It's sort of a spin off of the Veitnamese Banh Mi, but with some extra cream to smooth it out for the summer. Here it is:

Ingredients:
peanut oil, for frying
4 or more fish fillets (what ever's biting that day)
1 1/2 tablespoons seafood seasoning
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs (for best results, make sure they're panko style bread crumbs)
2 eggs beaten
1 jar pickled red onion (you can make your own here)
cillantro
thinly sliced jalapeno peppers
thinly cut carrot sticks
thinly cut cucumber sticks
ranch dressing
sourdough or french bread

Method
Preheat oil in a frying pan. Wash off fillets and pat dry with a towel. Lightly sprinkle with seafood seasoning on both sides. In 3 separate bowls, place flour mixed with seafood seasoning, panko, and beaten eggs. Dip fillets in flour, egg, then panko. Fry the breaded fillets in oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.

Spread ranch dressing on bread, lay fish on, spread pickled red onions on, followed by jalapenos, carrots, cucumber, and top with cilantro.

What's your favorite sandwich combination? We'd love to know your different versions!