George has been telling me to get a new camera, Taraz too. They say that my old Sony, now 8 years old, should be replaced.

I bought it new just 3 years ago, ordering it from the company through 'back stock'. Now you could ask, why would you want to buy a camera that is already 5 years old! Well, my computer is also very old, and very temperamental. And, both my old camera and my ole puter have suffered so long together that I can't bear to buy a new camera or a new computer until both crash - preferably at the same time.

I waited about five years before I finally started using the family computer, and when I began to use my son's camera, found it quite simple, I ordered a camera just like his - a beginner's camera. No complex settings, F-stops, lighting, depth of field measurements. Just one adjustment and point and click. It was great, and I was not in a mood to be challenged by anything more complicated.

When I started blogging, it was just to write and present some of the new material I was finding on the Internet. I touched down on an irascible writer, Rob Smith of Gut Rumbles, and was hooked on the pastime of blogging. I evolved into photography because my writing was so bad!

And now, I mostly enjoy the photography....imperfect as my pixels are. Taraz says, "Mom, your camera only has 2.0 mega pixels!" And, he tries to give me his camera, "Try THIS, see the difference."

I think I relate to old cameras like the elderly relate to an old house-dress or an old pair of shoes. I've trusted this camera, yet I know there is better out there. But I'm just not ready to relinguish my camera or my computer for something better. When one of them finally crashes, I'll give both items more consideration.

Meantime, Flickr rejects most of my photos for PRINTS. They require higher definition or the prints turn out fuzzy. (Geez, even Flickr expects an upgrade.) My printer doesn't always work; sometimes, I have to hand-copy recipes off the Internet. It takes minutes to download any blogger site (due to videos on site?). Pod-casts give out mid-stream. It is like trying to prod a darn mule. Best thing to do is tell him to lay down and use him for a backrest. Gaze at the clouds and forget where you wanted him to go.

I've been involved in a project, putting a cookbook together from all the recipes I've tried the past year. If you look at this Flickr page, you know that I enjoy cooking. With a few photos (yes, some do make the grade), and my adaptations of recipes, I'll have something lasting and memorable for a year's worth of work. I'm hand-writing all the recipes, adding packaging labels and info, and enclosing all of it in plastic-covered pages, so that when I use the cookbook the pages won't get splattered.

This past week I have experimented with phyllo dough, those thin wafer-like sheets that are a Greek delight. They come packaged and layered, found in the frozen food section of our local market. I just have to spread them out, brush on a little oil, and layer them. They dry out within minutes, so I take out only small portions at a time, keeping the rest sealed and buried under a damp washcloth.

I made a Spinach-Leek Phyllo Casserole , (pictured above), preparing just two large servings in a small pyrex baking dish. This is a perfect meal for empty nesters.

I made a flaky pie-crust, then layered leeks, onions, orange peppers and mushrooms on the bottom, followed by ricotta, feta, and cottage cheese. Add a beaten egg to a layer of steamed spinach, then more feta, then about 10 layers of phyllo dough, waved in layers.

Last Sunday while George was doing the taxes I made this heavenly pie, a creme pie with a layer of baked apples, then a phyllo topping. The crust is a sweet-crust, almost like a thick bread.
This dessert has a creme filling similar to that found in Sfogliatelle Napolitan. Vanilla, orange zest, apples, ricotta, egg and milk. The brown crunchy flakes are dried oven-roasted potato flakes. I crumble them like bread-crumbs.

Still experimenting, I poured the creme filling into phyllo pockets, and baked several of these, forgetting to dust the top with powdered sugar (a must for an Italian pastry). We ate them warm from the oven, and simply groaned they were so good. I baked several, so have saved one for when Ruhiyyih visits in May for our annual camping trip.

In fact, I save a small portion of almost everything I cook and stick it in the freezer for her. When it is time for our afternoon coffee I can then pull out a treat, and not waste any time in the kitchen.
I made this Sweet Potato Pie also, adding a bottom layer of chopped walnuts. I'll be savin' a slice for her!