So once again winter has arrived here in the mountains. Snow men have been made, cocoa has been drunk, people have been stranded, heaters have been cranked (sorta. I'm a scrooge, that propanes expensive yo!). Anywho, all these snow days have given me plenty of time to knit. In the last month I have cranked out:
3 scarves
1 neckerchief thingy
grocery bag holder
1 hat
most of a big bag
3 dishcloths
and part of another scarf.
Point is, I am a machine. Rawr. Pictures will be forthcoming after gifts have been opened. I guess I'm sort of giving it away by listing, but there are no details, so whatever. Oh, and did I mention that I also am done with shopping? I have 1 thing to finish and a couple of small things to crank out (some of which are optional), and I am done.
December 13, 2010
November 24, 2010
Baked Potato Soup
Baked potato soup is nommy and super easy. Go make it. Go make it now. It's one of my favorite winter recipes since chances are good I have all the stuff on hand, and it only requires one pot.
What you need:
baked potatoes. 4 or so should be sufficient, but quantities aren't set in stone here
4 cups milk
4 cups chicken stock
bacon!
cheese
green onions
sour cream
salt
pepper
Cook some bacon. I use like 6 pieces, because I want the fat, and bacon is delicious. I suppose you could use turkey bacon, but why? Anyway, cook off your bacon and set aside, but don't drain the fat. Throw in some flour (roughly the same amount of liquid and flour). Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and deglaze a bit so that you have all those yummy bacon bits. Pour in the milk. I usually cook it for a few minutes and let it all heat through, then dump in the potatoes. Now, I usually put in the skin of one and the innards of the rest. I sort of chop them up, but since baked potatoes don't chop real well, don't spaz if they just kind of chunk up. Dump these in and stir around. As it simmers some more, if it looks like the soup isn't going to be thick enough for you, just mush up some of the potatoes and stir it around. Once everything is hot and thick, put in a glob of sour cream, a cup or so of cheese, the bacon, and some chopped up green onions or chives. If I don't have green stalky things, I just saute some onion in the bacon fat instead. Anyway, do this and then cut your heat. At some point in this process I throw in a good amount of fresh ground pepper, usually a little paprika, and some season salt. This is definitely a taste as you go kind of thing. Remember that milk and potatoes are bland as hell, so chances are you are going to use more seasoning than you think you need. Just keep tasting. But you can honestly throw in whatever the hell you want, it's all good!
What you need:
baked potatoes. 4 or so should be sufficient, but quantities aren't set in stone here
4 cups milk
4 cups chicken stock
bacon!
cheese
green onions
sour cream
salt
pepper
Cook some bacon. I use like 6 pieces, because I want the fat, and bacon is delicious. I suppose you could use turkey bacon, but why? Anyway, cook off your bacon and set aside, but don't drain the fat. Throw in some flour (roughly the same amount of liquid and flour). Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and deglaze a bit so that you have all those yummy bacon bits. Pour in the milk. I usually cook it for a few minutes and let it all heat through, then dump in the potatoes. Now, I usually put in the skin of one and the innards of the rest. I sort of chop them up, but since baked potatoes don't chop real well, don't spaz if they just kind of chunk up. Dump these in and stir around. As it simmers some more, if it looks like the soup isn't going to be thick enough for you, just mush up some of the potatoes and stir it around. Once everything is hot and thick, put in a glob of sour cream, a cup or so of cheese, the bacon, and some chopped up green onions or chives. If I don't have green stalky things, I just saute some onion in the bacon fat instead. Anyway, do this and then cut your heat. At some point in this process I throw in a good amount of fresh ground pepper, usually a little paprika, and some season salt. This is definitely a taste as you go kind of thing. Remember that milk and potatoes are bland as hell, so chances are you are going to use more seasoning than you think you need. Just keep tasting. But you can honestly throw in whatever the hell you want, it's all good!
November 17, 2010
Some thoughts on knitting
So as those of you who know me in real life know, I knit at pretty much any available opportunity. This often means I am knitting in public which leads to some inevitable statements from people. For the purpose of performing a public service announcement, I'm going to debunk a few of them.
1. "I don't have time to do stuff like that." Do you watch movies? Wait in doctors offices? Watch tv? Sit in traffic jams? Then guess what? You have time to knit. Just because you don't have hours on end to knit doesn't mean that you don't have time. Quite frankly, a lot of the time I am knitting it's a row or two here and there. I don't sit down and churn out a sweater in one sitting here people! My point is, once you start knitting, you realize that you do have time. And then you will become obsessed and make time.
2. "My grandmother used to do that. Isn't knitting only for old people?" No. Shut up.
3. "I could never do that!" Well guess what? Have you ever tried? Then how would you know? It's really not that hard. You have two pointy stick and some string. You essentially make a serious of knots to form fabric. This is not rocket science people. Yes there are some techniques that are more difficult. But what one knitter finds difficult others think is a piece of cake. For instance, I find color work difficult and tedious. But I do enjoy knitting things with cool textures and shape. So there you have it.
4. "Would you teach me how?" Sure. Let me know when and where.
And then simply for the hell of it, a picture of the Mario afghan I've been working on for Sean:
1. "I don't have time to do stuff like that." Do you watch movies? Wait in doctors offices? Watch tv? Sit in traffic jams? Then guess what? You have time to knit. Just because you don't have hours on end to knit doesn't mean that you don't have time. Quite frankly, a lot of the time I am knitting it's a row or two here and there. I don't sit down and churn out a sweater in one sitting here people! My point is, once you start knitting, you realize that you do have time. And then you will become obsessed and make time.
2. "My grandmother used to do that. Isn't knitting only for old people?" No. Shut up.
3. "I could never do that!" Well guess what? Have you ever tried? Then how would you know? It's really not that hard. You have two pointy stick and some string. You essentially make a serious of knots to form fabric. This is not rocket science people. Yes there are some techniques that are more difficult. But what one knitter finds difficult others think is a piece of cake. For instance, I find color work difficult and tedious. But I do enjoy knitting things with cool textures and shape. So there you have it.
4. "Would you teach me how?" Sure. Let me know when and where.
And then simply for the hell of it, a picture of the Mario afghan I've been working on for Sean:
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| Knits |
November 16, 2010
I can't think of a witty title
So tis the season. The season of Christmas knitting that is. I REALLY want to share pictures, but I also don't want to ruin the surprise for the recipients, so I am just going to taunt you all with the fact that I am getting shit done. I do promise that I will make a huge post after the fact showing off ALL THE THINGS. But to make you all feel better, here's a hat I made for the craft fair awhile back. It's actually up for grabs if anyone wants it!
And here is the blanket I made my little bruvver when he left for college. It's been over a year, but I just now got some pictures of the FO.
And here is the blanket I made my little bruvver when he left for college. It's been over a year, but I just now got some pictures of the FO.
October 8, 2010
Comfort food
We've had a spate of cold weather (and the annual fall colds) around here, so comfort food has been a pretty high priority. After consuming more cup o'noodles than was probably healthy, I've started in on some of my favorite fall recipes. The first one may possibly be one of my favorite foods of all time: Chicken with Forty Cloves. My mom used to make this sometimes, and I would eat my weight in it. The recipe is more or less attributed to James Beard, but I don't always do it his way. Because following recipes to the letter is no fun doncha know.
The Cast of Characters:
The Cast of Characters:
3 or 4 stalks of celery chopped up small
an onion, likewise diced up fine (sometimes I leave out the onion. It honestly depends on how much chopping I feel like doing)
some chicken thighs and legs. I use 4-6, but I eat the mush more than the chicken, so basically use a piece or two for each person
2/3 c or so olive oil
1/2 dry vermouth
2 1/2 tsp salt. I usually add about half this and salt the finished product to taste
good amount black pepper
40 cloves of garlic. Yeah. 40. That's about 3 or so heads.
some good crusty bread for serving
some good crusty bread for serving
parsley
tarragon
Preheat the oven to 375. Peel the garlic. James Beard doesn't but I think it is easier in the long run. Yes if you want to use the pre-peeled garlic go ahead, but it's out the ass expensive, and doesn't taste as good. But no judgment. Chop up that which must be chopped. Put the onion and celery in the bottom of some oven safe dish, something with a lid. Sprinkle on a good amount of parsley and tarragon. Coat the chicken in the oil and put it in the dish. Chuck in all the garlic, pour the remaining oil and the vermouth over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the lid on and bake for roughly 80 minutes. JB wants you to do some crazy shit with flour paste and tinfoil and the lid, and whateverthefuckelse, but I just use the lid and it comes out fine. You want your chicken cooked and your garlic smushy. I also do this in my crock pot a lot, and might even prefer it that way. Use the bread to soak up all the awesome garlic mush from the bottom of the pan. And before you ask, no you cannot cut the garlic. God will smite you. Not really, but do remember that roasted garlic is super mild, without the bite of raw garlic. Promise. Although you will have garlic breath. Embrace it. Then go get seconds.
October 7, 2010
Baby knitting
So now that I have given it to her, I can share photos of the dress I made Katie's impending baby girl. I used a pattern named Rana that I found on Rav, and it came out freaking adorable! The baby cashmerino yarn was great, and super soft. The pattern was super easy to follow, and it took me about a week/week and a half of knitting. I could whip it out in a couple of days if I needed to. I do (inevitably) have a few quibbles with the patter. First, the sizing. It made no sense. I guessed, and made the smallest size, and I would guess it's at least a 12 mos size. Not a bad thing, but still worth noting. Also, I thought the back slit was excessively long, and sewing on snaps was a pain and a fucking half. Next time, I might try and join in the round sooner (so as to close the gap), and work in button holes. Or find snap tape, or something. Because UGH. But without further ado, here are some crappy cell phone pics. Cause I forgot my camera. Sorry.
Sleeve detail:
I'm also whipping out some hats, bags, dishcloths, and maybe a scarf or two for a craft sale in a couple of weeks at my mom's church, so if you're in the Huntersville area and are curious, come on! I'm sharing a booth with my baby brother who is selling some of his badass chain mail jewelry.
Sleeve detail:
I'm also whipping out some hats, bags, dishcloths, and maybe a scarf or two for a craft sale in a couple of weeks at my mom's church, so if you're in the Huntersville area and are curious, come on! I'm sharing a booth with my baby brother who is selling some of his badass chain mail jewelry.
September 14, 2010
Roasted tomatoes with feta and shrimp
So I made a positively delicious dinner tonight, so I figured I would share. I used the last couple of tomatoes from my pseudo-MIL's garden that were starting to get a little soft, since they would only get more so in the oven. Shrimp and feta are two of my absolute favorite foods, and this dish combined them quite well. I imagine this would be fairly healthy as well.
Go rummage around in your kitchen and find the following items:
tomatoes
garlic
shrimp
olive oil
salt/pepper
some sort of grain. I used couscous, but it would be equally good with pasta, rice, or orzo.
feta
lemon juice
So you preheat your oven to 450. Hack up your tomatoes into eighths or so. Chop up some garlic. I used four or five cloves, but we love our garlic around here. Throw in some salt and pepper. Toss it around so it's good and coated. Put in the oven for around 20 minutes. Add in your shrimp, cup or so of feta, and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Bake for 10 or so minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve with whatever grain you are using. I had a fair amount of liquid in the bottom of my pan, and ladled some of it on the couscous, and zomg nom. This will definitely be going into the dinner rotation. Throwing in some spinach would be a nice addition.
Go rummage around in your kitchen and find the following items:
tomatoes
garlic
shrimp
olive oil
salt/pepper
some sort of grain. I used couscous, but it would be equally good with pasta, rice, or orzo.
feta
lemon juice
So you preheat your oven to 450. Hack up your tomatoes into eighths or so. Chop up some garlic. I used four or five cloves, but we love our garlic around here. Throw in some salt and pepper. Toss it around so it's good and coated. Put in the oven for around 20 minutes. Add in your shrimp, cup or so of feta, and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Bake for 10 or so minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve with whatever grain you are using. I had a fair amount of liquid in the bottom of my pan, and ladled some of it on the couscous, and zomg nom. This will definitely be going into the dinner rotation. Throwing in some spinach would be a nice addition.
August 31, 2010
Apple butter!
So one of my favorite foods in possibly the whole entire world is apple butter. For some reason, I had always thought it would be terribly time consuming and complicated to make. Then one day a couple of years ago I found myself with 2 bags of apples going soft and yucky. I figured they were going bad anyway, so why not do an experiment, so I peeled 'em up, whacked them up some and threw them in my crock pot. Many hours and some spices later, I had apple butter! And it was good! Hooray! This might not be the 'right' way to make apple butter, or the way your grandma made it or whatever, but this is the way that works for me, and quite frankly, as long as I am happy with the results, I don't think the 'right' and 'wrong' ways mean shit. So without further ado, here is my "recipe" for apple butter.
Get you a bunch of apples. I usually just get a bag of whatever I can get. As far as I can tell, anything will work. I've used everything except green ones, but that is because I don't like the green ones. Peel them, core them and chop them into roughly equal pieces. I peel mine for one very simple reason. I don't have a food mill, and the idea of picking out apple peel at the end just seems like more work than peeling. So I peel. Throw all your chopped apples in the crock pot. Mine is usually pretty full. They are going to cook down. They are going to cook down A LOT. I set it on low and walk away. Check them every now and then. You want to be able to squish them easily with a fork. This has taken me anywhere from 6 hours to 12 hours. Seems to have something to do with the water content of the apples. When they are all nice and squishy grab your potato masher and smush them all up. Throw in your sugar, starting at about 1/4 c. I suppose if you wanted to use fake sugar you could, but I never have. I don't keep the stuff around. Then dump in some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and a pinch of ginger. I usually go about 1 tsp of each. Cook for an hour or so, then taste it. Add more spices, or more sugar if you don't think it's sweet enough. Cook until it tastes right. Sorry, I know that's vague, but that's how it works.
When it's done, I let it cool a bit, then put it in some tupperware and either freeze it or stick it in the fridge. If you want to be adventurous and can it, be my guest.
I think I might attempt doing this with pumpkin this fall. Pumpkin butter sounds really good to me. I imagine you could also use the same method for peaches, or pears.
Get you a bunch of apples. I usually just get a bag of whatever I can get. As far as I can tell, anything will work. I've used everything except green ones, but that is because I don't like the green ones. Peel them, core them and chop them into roughly equal pieces. I peel mine for one very simple reason. I don't have a food mill, and the idea of picking out apple peel at the end just seems like more work than peeling. So I peel. Throw all your chopped apples in the crock pot. Mine is usually pretty full. They are going to cook down. They are going to cook down A LOT. I set it on low and walk away. Check them every now and then. You want to be able to squish them easily with a fork. This has taken me anywhere from 6 hours to 12 hours. Seems to have something to do with the water content of the apples. When they are all nice and squishy grab your potato masher and smush them all up. Throw in your sugar, starting at about 1/4 c. I suppose if you wanted to use fake sugar you could, but I never have. I don't keep the stuff around. Then dump in some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and a pinch of ginger. I usually go about 1 tsp of each. Cook for an hour or so, then taste it. Add more spices, or more sugar if you don't think it's sweet enough. Cook until it tastes right. Sorry, I know that's vague, but that's how it works.
When it's done, I let it cool a bit, then put it in some tupperware and either freeze it or stick it in the fridge. If you want to be adventurous and can it, be my guest.
I think I might attempt doing this with pumpkin this fall. Pumpkin butter sounds really good to me. I imagine you could also use the same method for peaches, or pears.
August 21, 2010
Birthday cake
So the other night was Sean's moms birthday. Since I had to work all day and wouldn't be able to help Sean cook dinner (which was some sort of Moroccan lemon chicken thing with some mango chutney thrown in. FUCKING AWESOME), I volunteered to make the birthday cake. What I made was this: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/tiramisu-cake. Oh. My. Gawd. Delicious.
Here comes the but...
Now, I don't know about ya'll, but I see baking as a learning process. I make it the way the recipe says to (more or less) then decide what I want to change. This time was no exception. Firstly, I would make twice the icing. I think it could of used more filling, and I use every bit. Secondly, my cake didn't absorb as much of the espresso syrup as I would have liked. I didn't use cake flour, I used all-purpose, which might have contributed to this. Lesson learned, I will pop for the cake flour next time around. My solution for both these problems will be simple - make it into four layers. More filling, more absorbency, and presto, problem solved!
I also started contemplating what this icing would be like on chocolate cake and immediately started drooling.
And here's a teaser for what's going to emerge next from the pastel covered walls of our kitchen:
Here comes the but...
Now, I don't know about ya'll, but I see baking as a learning process. I make it the way the recipe says to (more or less) then decide what I want to change. This time was no exception. Firstly, I would make twice the icing. I think it could of used more filling, and I use every bit. Secondly, my cake didn't absorb as much of the espresso syrup as I would have liked. I didn't use cake flour, I used all-purpose, which might have contributed to this. Lesson learned, I will pop for the cake flour next time around. My solution for both these problems will be simple - make it into four layers. More filling, more absorbency, and presto, problem solved!
I also started contemplating what this icing would be like on chocolate cake and immediately started drooling.
And here's a teaser for what's going to emerge next from the pastel covered walls of our kitchen:
August 4, 2010
Snack food
Once in awhile I post a healthy, low-fat, veggie filled recipe. This is not one of those times. This is one of those foods that you just don't really want to know, but damn it, it tastes good. What delicacy am I whipping up this time? Chex Mix. One of my favorite snack foods ever. The kind you buy in the store is pretty good, but I like making it myself because A) it's hella cheaper, B) I can put in it whatever I want, and C) the kind in the bag is never seasoned enough for me. This "recipe", is more like a description of how I do something that is stupid easy, but people seem to like mine, so I am sharing. Now I know this is nothing special, but I love it, and I like sharing things that make me happy.
Like many things that taste good, this will involve butter. I suppose you could use the fake stuff, but given that I live with a French-ish trained chef, nothing but the real thing ever enters my home. I think I might get left behind if I ever tried to slip fake butter into the cart at the store. So butter. Here's what all you're going to need:
2 sticks of melted butter
1 tbsp garlic powder
heaping tsp seasoned salt
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
some cumin
some chili powder
more salt if you think it's not salty enough, but mine usually is
if you're feeling frisky throw in some hot sauce
Mix all this together in your 4 c pyrex measuring cup you got from your mother. Pour over: approx one box corn chex, half a box wheat chex, most of a box of Spicy Cheez-It's. I usually pour half, then stir it good, then the other half, stir again. You want everything good and coated with the butter-y deliciousness. I usually cook it in my roasting pan, because that's the only thing I have big enough. Sadly, I think Chex mix is the only thing my roasting pan has ever really seen. Bake at 350 until it's all crispy, stirring every 20 minutes or so. It might take awhile. Mine has taken anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours. Stirring is important though, otherwise it gets super crispy on top and is mush on the bottom.
One of my other favorite things about Chex mix is that you can use up stale stuff in it, cause it crisps back up in the oven. For instance, this time I used half a box of stale-ish cereal we had kicking around, and half a bag of stale pretzels that have been in my pantry for god knows how long. And it will be delicious. So the next time you want something salty, make chex mix. You won't regret it. And hey, you don't like my way, make up your own!
Like many things that taste good, this will involve butter. I suppose you could use the fake stuff, but given that I live with a French-ish trained chef, nothing but the real thing ever enters my home. I think I might get left behind if I ever tried to slip fake butter into the cart at the store. So butter. Here's what all you're going to need:
2 sticks of melted butter
1 tbsp garlic powder
heaping tsp seasoned salt
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
some cumin
some chili powder
more salt if you think it's not salty enough, but mine usually is
if you're feeling frisky throw in some hot sauce
Mix all this together in your 4 c pyrex measuring cup you got from your mother. Pour over: approx one box corn chex, half a box wheat chex, most of a box of Spicy Cheez-It's. I usually pour half, then stir it good, then the other half, stir again. You want everything good and coated with the butter-y deliciousness. I usually cook it in my roasting pan, because that's the only thing I have big enough. Sadly, I think Chex mix is the only thing my roasting pan has ever really seen. Bake at 350 until it's all crispy, stirring every 20 minutes or so. It might take awhile. Mine has taken anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours. Stirring is important though, otherwise it gets super crispy on top and is mush on the bottom.
One of my other favorite things about Chex mix is that you can use up stale stuff in it, cause it crisps back up in the oven. For instance, this time I used half a box of stale-ish cereal we had kicking around, and half a bag of stale pretzels that have been in my pantry for god knows how long. And it will be delicious. So the next time you want something salty, make chex mix. You won't regret it. And hey, you don't like my way, make up your own!
August 3, 2010
Chai Cupcakes!
So there has been tons of stuff happening this summer. Wedding showers, baby showers, slip and slides, gardens, baking, re-organizing, and of course working TONS. Sean moved to nights at the restaurant, I've been working close to full time thanks to summer schedules, plus a new weekend gig. Needless to say, we've been keeping super busy! However, it being me, I have found lots of time for baking and knitting. A couple of weeks ago I concocted what might be one of my new favorite desserts. Chai cupcakes. And since it was demanded of me, I shall now share:
Cupcakes:
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chai spice mix (following)
1/2 c butter at room temp
1 1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c milk steeped with chai tea
Chai Mix:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
pinch of nutmeg (optional, I put it in because I mistakenly pulled it off the spice rack and felt like it)
Pre-heat your oven to 350. Heat up your milk and steep with chai teabags (I just microwaved it and threw in 2 tea bags, but do whatever floats your boat.) Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Alternate blending in wet/dry ingredients. If you feel like it makes it a difference, you can sift all the dry stuff together first, but I never do. I throw it in a bowl and whisk/mix with a fork and call it a day. Again, whatever you feel like doing will work. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I found mine usually required the 20 side of things, but I think I have a lazy oven.
In terms of frosting, I did one batch with Honey Cinnamon, and one Honey Cardamom, both with a cream cheese base. I used 8 oz of cream cheese, a couple of tbps of milk, a stick of softened butter, and 1/4 c honey. Blended all this together and get it good and fluffy, then mix in either some of the spice mix leftover from the cake, cardamom (cardamom and some lemon juice was GOOOOOD), or cinnamon. Again, whatever you feel like. Now a note on cream cheese frosting. Most recipes use some god awful quantity of powdered sugar, like 4 cups, or an entire bag, or whatever. Um, yeah. I usually start with something like 1/2 a cup, and I usually stay there. I don't like super sweet frosting, so this is about right for me. Especially when I used the honey, I started light with the sugar and tasted as I went. This had nothing to do with my intense love of cream cheese frosting and my desire to lick the beater the whole time. Nothing at all. If you like it sweet, go ahead and throw in as much sugar as your heart desires.
The spice mix is also good mixed with a can of sweetened condensed milk and used to make chai tea, or in a glass of milk to make a chai latte. Thanks for that one Jess!
Cupcakes:
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chai spice mix (following)
1/2 c butter at room temp
1 1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c milk steeped with chai tea
Chai Mix:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
pinch of nutmeg (optional, I put it in because I mistakenly pulled it off the spice rack and felt like it)
Pre-heat your oven to 350. Heat up your milk and steep with chai teabags (I just microwaved it and threw in 2 tea bags, but do whatever floats your boat.) Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Alternate blending in wet/dry ingredients. If you feel like it makes it a difference, you can sift all the dry stuff together first, but I never do. I throw it in a bowl and whisk/mix with a fork and call it a day. Again, whatever you feel like doing will work. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I found mine usually required the 20 side of things, but I think I have a lazy oven.
In terms of frosting, I did one batch with Honey Cinnamon, and one Honey Cardamom, both with a cream cheese base. I used 8 oz of cream cheese, a couple of tbps of milk, a stick of softened butter, and 1/4 c honey. Blended all this together and get it good and fluffy, then mix in either some of the spice mix leftover from the cake, cardamom (cardamom and some lemon juice was GOOOOOD), or cinnamon. Again, whatever you feel like. Now a note on cream cheese frosting. Most recipes use some god awful quantity of powdered sugar, like 4 cups, or an entire bag, or whatever. Um, yeah. I usually start with something like 1/2 a cup, and I usually stay there. I don't like super sweet frosting, so this is about right for me. Especially when I used the honey, I started light with the sugar and tasted as I went. This had nothing to do with my intense love of cream cheese frosting and my desire to lick the beater the whole time. Nothing at all. If you like it sweet, go ahead and throw in as much sugar as your heart desires.
The spice mix is also good mixed with a can of sweetened condensed milk and used to make chai tea, or in a glass of milk to make a chai latte. Thanks for that one Jess!
May 9, 2010
The Rite of Spring
One of my favorite thing to read as a child (hell, I still love it), was the Little House series. It appealed to my inner history dork, I fully admit to identifying with the hot tempered, spitfire Laura and not matter how many times I read it (which was a LOT), I never ceased to be amazed at the things her family did that seemed perfectly normal to them.
Like spring cleaning. Now, spring cleaning in the 1880's was a little more necessary. When your sole source of heat is burning things, your house is going to get gross. There were no air purifiers, or filters, or any of the fun useful things we have today. One of my favorite scenes was Laura beating the rugs, and washing the sheets, which of course led to the idyllic image of sheets flapping in the prairie sun and wind. This often led to me doing odd things, like beating my bathmat on the clothesline, or hanging my sheets to dry. Of course, much like Laura Ingalls, I had little patience for anything, much less housework.
This hasn't changed much. But there is no way to describe what hit my house on Thursday other than a fit of spring induced cleaning. Thanks mainly to our friend Bobby, the house is borderline sparkling. Floors are swept/mopped/vacuumed. The vacuum was taken apart and cleaned. Baseboards and cabinets were scrubbed. Tops of high things were dusted. Trees were trimmed. Plants were planted. Grass was mowed. You name it, we did it. I rearranged the shelving in our closet, as it didn't really suit my style of organization.
It never bothered me that I didn't have much decoration in my apartment. I always viewed it as temporary, and it seemed silly. I hung a few pictures, but that was about it. Our rental house was somewhat decorated, but I was still limited by the standard rules of renting. Few holes, no paint. I love that house, and would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, had circumstances been different. We love our house, but injecting a house with our style on a VERY, almost non-existent budget is proving challenging. Several websites are fueling my jets right now though, including apartment therapy, and the newly discovered www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com. I think another Ikea trip will be in the works soon. Of course, it is making me want certain things which are forbidden to me. Like a jigsaw.
Like spring cleaning. Now, spring cleaning in the 1880's was a little more necessary. When your sole source of heat is burning things, your house is going to get gross. There were no air purifiers, or filters, or any of the fun useful things we have today. One of my favorite scenes was Laura beating the rugs, and washing the sheets, which of course led to the idyllic image of sheets flapping in the prairie sun and wind. This often led to me doing odd things, like beating my bathmat on the clothesline, or hanging my sheets to dry. Of course, much like Laura Ingalls, I had little patience for anything, much less housework.
This hasn't changed much. But there is no way to describe what hit my house on Thursday other than a fit of spring induced cleaning. Thanks mainly to our friend Bobby, the house is borderline sparkling. Floors are swept/mopped/vacuumed. The vacuum was taken apart and cleaned. Baseboards and cabinets were scrubbed. Tops of high things were dusted. Trees were trimmed. Plants were planted. Grass was mowed. You name it, we did it. I rearranged the shelving in our closet, as it didn't really suit my style of organization.
It never bothered me that I didn't have much decoration in my apartment. I always viewed it as temporary, and it seemed silly. I hung a few pictures, but that was about it. Our rental house was somewhat decorated, but I was still limited by the standard rules of renting. Few holes, no paint. I love that house, and would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, had circumstances been different. We love our house, but injecting a house with our style on a VERY, almost non-existent budget is proving challenging. Several websites are fueling my jets right now though, including apartment therapy, and the newly discovered www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com. I think another Ikea trip will be in the works soon. Of course, it is making me want certain things which are forbidden to me. Like a jigsaw.
April 30, 2010
How does YOUR garden grow?
My title sounds like a bad euphemism, but I assure you, it's not. I genuinely am curious. Cause our garden? Not so hot. We have several issues going right now which are preventing us from having the glorious thriving garden we dreamed of. Part of what drew us to our house in the first place was the fantastic yard and flower/garden space. We could have gardened at our rental, but come planting time we knew we would be gone before we could reap the benefits, so it seemed futile. So this spring we got a little overzealous and spent about $40 on local, organic seeds (because we are hippies doncha know), and got to digging. Sean got the veggie bed all turned over and I planted two stargazer bulbs, of which I seem to have managed to keep one alive. And since I have killed cacti, this is a feat.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where we stalled. Partly because we work weird hours, and partly because there are some issues to contend with.
1.
The bed which I have claimed for my own personal flower orgy has three of...these. I don't know what they are. I am going to dig them up. As far as I can tell, they are massive, leafy green blobs, and I don't like them. So they are going away.
2. What real estate isn't take up by blobulis greenphilia is full of mint. And I mean full. Don't get me wrong, I like mint. Some will be kept. But dear god. Do I need this much?
3. Funny Eleanor-doesn't-know-shit-about-gardening story. So the following picture is the bed we designated as the herb garden. It's right off the patio and near the kitchen, so therefore perfect. Well it was full of weeds, which I planned on going at in my normal style of bare handed weed pulling frenzy. My mother sees the bed a couple of weeks ago and remarks, "Wow, your yard has a TON of poison ivy." Yes. Those weeds I was going to go nuts on? Poison ivy. It's EVERYWHERE. Now, I don't think I get it that bad, as I have only had it once in my life, but still. Pulling up massive amounts of poison ivy in shorts, tank top, and barehanded? I would have been miserable. So spray has been acquired and sprayed, but I think we need more. I also don't think we can viably grow edible plants in this bed this year, so herbs will have to be grown elsewhere. Anyone who knows about gardening, please feel free to chime in and tell me that I am wrong. Please?
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where we stalled. Partly because we work weird hours, and partly because there are some issues to contend with.
1.
The bed which I have claimed for my own personal flower orgy has three of...these. I don't know what they are. I am going to dig them up. As far as I can tell, they are massive, leafy green blobs, and I don't like them. So they are going away.
2. What real estate isn't take up by blobulis greenphilia is full of mint. And I mean full. Don't get me wrong, I like mint. Some will be kept. But dear god. Do I need this much?
3. Funny Eleanor-doesn't-know-shit-about-gardening story. So the following picture is the bed we designated as the herb garden. It's right off the patio and near the kitchen, so therefore perfect. Well it was full of weeds, which I planned on going at in my normal style of bare handed weed pulling frenzy. My mother sees the bed a couple of weeks ago and remarks, "Wow, your yard has a TON of poison ivy." Yes. Those weeds I was going to go nuts on? Poison ivy. It's EVERYWHERE. Now, I don't think I get it that bad, as I have only had it once in my life, but still. Pulling up massive amounts of poison ivy in shorts, tank top, and barehanded? I would have been miserable. So spray has been acquired and sprayed, but I think we need more. I also don't think we can viably grow edible plants in this bed this year, so herbs will have to be grown elsewhere. Anyone who knows about gardening, please feel free to chime in and tell me that I am wrong. Please?
April 16, 2010
Summertiiiiiiime, and the living is easy...
So I've been a busy bee this spring. Helping the pseudo-SIL move,doing house stuff. Working on the garden. A trip to Ikea meant that many house things were dealt with. Our front room is starting to look great! As long as it stays clean (haha, yeah right). Anyway, this is going to be picture heavy but I want to share!
I would post a before shot, but I don't have any other than the one I took when we closed, and it's just an empty room, and that seems silly. So I shall post the recent ones. Ignore the clutter, that's still a work in progress.
This would be the end tables we got at our couch that we don't really like, and haven't found a good place for. They look great in here! And the rug is my $20 Ikea find.
There's even some knitting content! Well, it is my house, so this is likely not surprising. The one on the far right is just a skull intarsia chart. It normally lives in Sean's gaming corner, but it works in here too. The one next to that is sort of ruched, has a really cool texture to it, and is by far my favorite. Then the one on the far left is based on a Wooly Thoughts design that I saw on Ravelry. I might still buy/make a couple more, but for now that's what I got.
There are also some framed postcard things I bought at Ikea hanging above the loveseat. I'm actually pretty damn happy with it.
More house updates to come soon, along with knitting galore!
I would post a before shot, but I don't have any other than the one I took when we closed, and it's just an empty room, and that seems silly. So I shall post the recent ones. Ignore the clutter, that's still a work in progress.
This would be the end tables we got at our couch that we don't really like, and haven't found a good place for. They look great in here! And the rug is my $20 Ikea find.
There's even some knitting content! Well, it is my house, so this is likely not surprising. The one on the far right is just a skull intarsia chart. It normally lives in Sean's gaming corner, but it works in here too. The one next to that is sort of ruched, has a really cool texture to it, and is by far my favorite. Then the one on the far left is based on a Wooly Thoughts design that I saw on Ravelry. I might still buy/make a couple more, but for now that's what I got.
There are also some framed postcard things I bought at Ikea hanging above the loveseat. I'm actually pretty damn happy with it.
More house updates to come soon, along with knitting galore!
January 8, 2010
Happy New Year!
Okay so I'm a couple of days late, but whatever. Figured I would do the obligatory "Here's a list of things I am going to say I will accomplish this year and in actuality won't do a single fucking one" post. Except I'm ALREADY doing mine.
New Year's Resolutions:
1. Not say shit like "I will be SO MUCH HAPPIER if I just lose 10 lbs", or "Everything will be so much better if I do XYZ", because quite frankly, it's not true. And it just gives me something stupid to stress about
2. I will get this house organized how we want it. I'm tired of never being able to find anything, and having stuff laying around everywhere.
To this end, I've already moved some stuff to the giveaway pile/storage in the garage, started cleaning and organizing our closet, finally hung the spice rack and started rearranging the kitchen. It's going to take awhile, but if I do a little bit at a time, I can get it done. The theory i have is my head is that if I get it done, it will be easier to keep that way.
New Year's Resolutions:
1. Not say shit like "I will be SO MUCH HAPPIER if I just lose 10 lbs", or "Everything will be so much better if I do XYZ", because quite frankly, it's not true. And it just gives me something stupid to stress about
2. I will get this house organized how we want it. I'm tired of never being able to find anything, and having stuff laying around everywhere.
To this end, I've already moved some stuff to the giveaway pile/storage in the garage, started cleaning and organizing our closet, finally hung the spice rack and started rearranging the kitchen. It's going to take awhile, but if I do a little bit at a time, I can get it done. The theory i have is my head is that if I get it done, it will be easier to keep that way.
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