Raving about Recipes

I've tried my hand at a couple more recipes. Again, I found them via the Epicurious app.

Baked Tomatoes

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1/2 loaf Italian bread (about 8 ounces) 
• 5 to 6 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley 
• 1 medium clove garlic 
• 1 tablespoon capers 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed 
• 2 large tomatoes or 4 small ones

Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut away and discard the crust from the loaf of bread and cut the loaf in half lengthwise. Bake for 5 minutes on each side. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 350°F on convection heat or to 375°F in an oven without convection heat.

Cut the bread into chunks small enough to fit easily in a food processor. Place them in the food processor and pulse until you have fairly even crumbs that are not too fine. Set aside 1 cup of crumbs and reserve any extra for another use.

Taking Drawing to the Next Level

I have always enjoyed drawing, and, once the technology became available, I've enjoyed using image manipulation programs to spruce up my drawings and create pieces of art from scratch. Over the years, I've gotten more comfortable with these programs and more knowledgeable about their capabilities. However, I've also learned to appreciate the benefits that come with drawing by hand.

Photoshop and its ilk provide many benefits over traditional drawing. When drawing by hand, mistakes are inevitable, and I often find myself having to work around problematic pen strokes; if I'm using Photoshop, mistakes can be rectified with the touch of a button. The ability to correct mistakes also allows for more experimentation, particularly when choosing a color scheme. Finally, digital art allows a greater amount of precision, particularly since one can divide a single artwork into multiple 'layers' and work on each portion individually.