Summer Photography Class

My Ideal Day! Paula in a neighbors hammock!

This summer went by so quickly I can hardly believe my class at Tri-C begins next week and I am still tweaking my syllabus. There were a number of highlights this summer one was a day trip with a travel buddy to Presque Isle, in Erie, Pa. but I have say taking a digital photography class with my friend  Paula was one of the brightest.

My dad was an avid photographer. At one time I thought he might actually switch careers to become a full time photographer but instead it remained one of his passions until just about 3 years ago when macular degeneration took most of his site. Fortunately I reaped the benefits of his interest spending weekends learning how to use his treasured Nikon and develop pictures in our basement darkroom. I can smell the fixer marinating in the tubs, stacks of Kodak colored boxes filled with photo paper sitting next to the enlarger and the inviting red light signaling magic was about to happen. When the opportunity came about it wasn't hard to say yes because the extent of my digital camera skills was Focus, Point & Shoot and this would give me a chance to learn a skill I could use personally as well as professionally. So the class started on July 3rd, 4 hrs, 3 days a week for a month. Paula & I thought we'll go in hear a lecture and leave by noon to take pictures the rest of the afternoon..... NOT THE CASE but we didn't care, most days we wanted to stay longer.


So what was it about this class that made me want to stay longer most days. For starters the professor was very knowledgeable and taught from a creative  perspective which I really enjoyed. Second I would have to say is the equipment I got to use. I was able to borrow a Nikon D60 for the class (in camera speak it's a "SWEET") and we were in a brand new photography lab with state of the art Mac computers and Epson printers. My creativity went amok. I took hundreds of photos, discovered the joys & pains of editing and learned new applications in Photoshop I only touched the surface of before this class.The entire experience was opening the windows on a spring day and I was utterly completely in the ZONE. Enough of my chit chat hope you enjoy looking at some the photos I created. Happy snapping!

Moms Story (1) 

Moms story (2) Murals she painted at the French Coffee Shop in Cuyahoga Falls 

Moms Story (3) - Legacy

My love of the movies!

14 months since my last post, REALLY?!@#$%*

 My friend Carla (coach) sent me an email today about an online seminar Wednesday night that I could register for titled "BecomeABlogger" and I thought oh yeah I have one of those. But what's the address? I know I'll Google myself  to find the link. So, I did just that and it popped right up under my LinkedIn profile at the top of the page - pretty good placement if I don't say so myself. But there's a small problem, what's the password? I immediately scrambled to find my worn-out, coffee-stained notepad next to my desk containing every password & user ID I've ever created, this is a gold mine if anyone found it.Whew, right where I left it under my syllabus & notes for  my fall class. "Sage Creation's" sign-in,  when I picked the name for my blog I thought it very fitting - I'm creative & my name is Sage plus everything else I liked or wanted was already taken. It's harder than you think to find personalized website using the name Sage.When I Googled Sage Blog (not using Culley) I just discover Adventures with The Sage, The City Sage and Sage Fly Fishing Blog. I'm curious if "The Sage" has a more exciting life than mine maybe I'll go back to that to get some pointers but I digress......

As my blog opens I see the last posting, WOW....June 14, 2011, REALLY! Can it be true? It is possible I haven't posted in over a year. I remember posting somethings about waste or recycling but now I realize that was for the Countryside Conservancy blog not my personal blog.  But what about the watermelon lemonade I made for Blackstone Launchpad last month, or the new job with StrEat Mobile Bistro, or even my second semester teaching Customer Service for the Hospitality program at Tri-C, or having my first roommate since college or anyone living in my home other than me since my divorce? Hard to believe not a single post in 14 months, it would have made for some great commentary or at least an outlet for this single white female navigating this windy, steep, hilly road called LIFE.

With a full page and writers cramp let this posting at 6:10pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 mark the beginning of a new cycle of blogs - maybe I can "Become A Blogger". As Scarlet O'Hara  once said "after all tomorrow is another day".Scarlet O'Hara

Gnocchi with Red Sauce

After a long day working at the market I sat down Saturday and enjoyed a meal of gnocchi and red sauce just like the last meal I had in Roma 2 summers ago. Quick & easy.....

Try Ohio City Pasta's Gnocchi (Any flavor) but my favorit is traditional found at the Countryside Market
Boil in salted water and dress with fresh marinara sauce (recipe to follow), fresh parmesan & basil.

Easy Homemade "Marinara"

Sautee in 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• Chopped Plum Tomatoes
• Diced Vadalia Onions
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Shredded Carrots
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Current project and recent article

Here's a recent article I wrote for the Countryside Farmers' Market to introduce the new program I've been working in called ......Waste Not , want not….

What does this phrase actually mean? The proverbial saying was first recorded in 1772 but had an earlier, even more alliterative version from 1576, “willful waste makes woeful want.” Many of us whose parents, grandparents or great grandparents grew up during the World War I & II expressed this idiom as a way of survival. The government depicted this intention through a variety of inspirational posters posters directing citizens to act with phrases like “Use it up & wear it out” or Save perishable foods by preserving now.

Looking for more current versions of the expression Wikipedia defined waste not as – “If we are not wasteful of our resources (that we currently have), we still have them in the future.” But my personal favorite in researching was direct and to the point – “Waste and want; save and have”.

More importantly what does this all mean for the Countryside Farmers’ Markets? “Waste Not” is a program modeled after the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture’s,(CUESA) Waste Wise program in California. This program was developed to get as close to zero waste as possible and our Waste Not program has been designed to divert 90% of our market’s waste by 2012. This will allow us to walk the talk of sustainability decreasing the amount of Ohio land needed for landfills while keeping that land available for farming. Waste Not will accomplish this goal by educating you and our community to Buy Thoughtfully, Cook Carefully and Waste Less. As part of the program each market will have a designated “Waste Not” booth with educational materials and tools geared towards recycling, shopping wiser, minimizing cooking waste, composting, and repurposing. We will feature topics throughout the season akin to “What to do with your pumpkins after Halloween” and “Christmas tree’s – How to purchase and dispose of after the holiday.” We’re very excited about the Waste Not program and look forward to the opportunity to be a resource for reducing waste in our communities.

Saturday Morning at Countryside Farmers Market at CVNPA

Saturday at Countryside Conservancy Farmers Market


There is nothing better than starting a Saturday morning with a crisp walk through Howe Meadows Farmers Market in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The morning begins by sipping a Crooked River iced coffee in anticipation for the bell to ring and see the goodies of this weeks market. The fresh picked lettuce never disappoints so earthy and crisp. Will Blossom Acres repeat the stunning bouquets of last Saturday that passersby gawked over, whimsical arrangements of lilies the colors of fresh cut mangos and watermelon? Is this the last week for Huffman’s strawberries that with every bite invites a childhood memory of summer? Who will win the battle for breakfast, Simply Elegant with their spicy breakfast burrito or the sweet potato empanada from Totally Cooked? Morning patron’s wonder the market biting into homemade blackberry scones debating which grass fed cheese to buy the lemon zest cheddar or yogurt garlic herb never noticing their dew soaked flip flops.

This market is a treasure to the Akron-Cuyahoga Falls area attracting shoppers from as far as West Lake.
 It was only a year ago that this market would see around 500 people on a Saturday and as the 2010 season begins it’s already grown to as many as 800 market goers. Why do you suppose that is? Convenience, a great variety food & produce, pricing, the desire to purchase locally? Or could be in this crazy 24 hour world that one welcomes the peace and quiet of driving with the top down winding through the majestic Cuyahoga Valley Park on a summer morning without cell phones or possibility of self-checkout that we crave unexpected conversations and a sense of community that only a local farmers market can offer, while never noticing our dew soaked flip flops?

Wow it's been 3 weeks or longer since my last posting how the time flys!!! I just finished a great project, I've been working on selling my chirstmas cards and just sent a package off to my cousin to sell at her friends B&B in Ashville North Carolina. I've attached some photo's to see what people think, I'm pretty proud of the final product. Here's to American Greeting or Halmark discovering me!!! Let's see as for my menu lately I made a terrific lentil soup that lasted all week, baked all day last Saturday made a  lovely potato torte and homemade apple pie with a blended whole wheat, graham and all-purpose flour blended crust.Turned out really well and nothings better than apple pie for breakfast.
Have a great week, I'm off to the library for a new boo. Just finished The Expected One by Katherine McGowan Great read!!! 

Cooking hiatus? Do chefs or self taught chefs experience this?

After my first posting I went through one of my one of my phases where I don’t really cook much of anything at all and just cook to fill the void. Do other chefs experience this? (I am calling on those chefs that actually cook at home and are not exhausted by cooking at a restaurant?) What dishes do your turn to when the desire to cook is gone?


I always turn to Pasta aglio olio made with lots of fresh garlic, I made steel cut oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts for breakfast and I always have plenty of fruits & veggies to turn to for munching. But luckily the hiatus didn’t last long… I creative juices started peeking there little head when I had a conversation with my friend Liz about ADULT grilled cheeses. She makes hers with cheddar, pickles and tomatoes and that spawned my own version which I was pretty proud of, try this I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. I didn’t have any bread in the house so I had to get creative right at the start! I did have corn tortilla shells in the house so I took 4 shells lightly buttered on the outside, filled each set with a Mexican shredded cheese blend, thinly sliced Italian paste tomatoes, (something new from the farmers market), red onion and flat leaf parsley and grilled it to perfection. My only critique for next time would be to use a sharper flavored cheese like fontina, montechego AND 2ND WAIT UNTIL COOLED, GOOEY CHEESE EVERYWHERE, DELICIOUS BUT EVERYWHERE!!! The next day I made a delicious EASY but SPICY black bean soup. If anyone wants the recipe just email and I’ll post it. Now that the creative juices are back my menu has included chicken paprikash with chive dumplings, and homemade apple & black cherry cobbler with a walnut oatmeal & flaxseed crumble. Yummy. I really hope you all stay tuned as I navigate this new adventure!!!

Where would we be without our friends & family?

Thanks to the coaxing of my dear friend home healing from surgery and another friend from high school I am back, writing in my new blog. I’m not sure if it was having an absorbanent (that was a word I had t look up!!) amount of time on my hands, too much or not enough to say or the little cooking hiatus I took since I last posted but each contributed in some way to me avoiding this new blog. But thanks again to my friends I here, writing in my pj’s on a Saturday morning, flipping between the foodtv network and a movie ready to begin again. So here we go.........

Remembering Julia Childs

First let me thank everyone who shared their comments on my new blog & sent encouragment and your humor is always appreciated! I spent most of the day working on this new blog 5 hours passed and I realized I hadn' eaten so I decided I need to eat & use a thawed package of ground turkey I had int he frid before it spoiled. So knowing the whole pound would be too much for one recipe I decided to divide it and make a couple dishes...First for dinner I was craving Mexican and decided to make a Turkey Enchilada Bake.     I layered corn torilla's, black beans, salsa and cheese in a casserole dish and baked for 25 mintues. The dish turned out pretty good although I forgot to add a little water to the taco seasoning I used to flavor the turkey and it was a little salty. For the most part it was perfect and served it with a little chopped lettuce & sour cream. With the other 1/2, I decided to make my variation of Rachel Rays Spanikopita Burgers a recipe
I adapted to my own tastes, it's a winner & delicious. Now remeber this was cut in half so double if you use a full pound, saute 1/2 onion with chopped garlic set asside, add 1/2 pkg. frozen spinach, 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese, 1/2 cap steak seasoning, mix gingerly to avoid toughness & make into patties. I think that's what I'll have for lunch today (right after my bike ride, if I can get it in between the rain) put it on one of those flat whole wheat burger buns (THESE ARE THE BEST), mayo, sliced cucumbers and Italian parsley, DELICIOUS!

Before signing off I wanted to share this....While catching up on facebook this morning I discovered this great video from my friends at the Chef's Garden on Remembering Julia Childs and felt it appropriate to share since the movie is the reason I finally began my own blog. I hope you get as big a kick out of it as I did....."Bon Appetite"         

Well I better get back to the job at hand and search through today's recent postings, wish me luck.

Remembering Julia Childs

Going Live......

Well it's only taken me 6 or 7 months but my blog is finally LIVE!!! please wish me luck. After months of himming & hawing??? (not sure if that's spelled right? my teachers always said I had a unique sense of spelling) Anyway... I decided to finally take the plunge & to start my own blog after looking up Julie Powell’s blog (the writer of Julie & Julia). Her story really hit home with me and the only person getting in the way of me starting my blog was ME!!! So here it is almost 6pm on a Thursday night and I'm putting my life out there. So as I mentioned in my about me section I wan to share my love of life, food, travel and creativity since I don't as of yet have a career home to give that energy to.
The Dish of the Week features a wonderful dish I had my last night in Rome almost exactly a year ago. It was pumpkin ravioli with a fresh mint butter or (beurre blanc). It was delicate but full of flavor and so good I don't even remember getting dessert. The other delicacies of that night were beef Carpaccio, homemade gnocchi with meat sauce and Portobello mushroom ravioli in cream sauce. Let's just say I'm now totally homesick for the Mediterranean and ready for dinner. So before this goes on  & on I'm signing off for now...until next time, take care & take each day one day at a time!!