Making some pumpkin seeds a la this method. I'll post a pic of the finished product.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tablecloth Update
Remember this? Check it out!
I have 14 out of 15 motifs completed! I will finish this last one, connect them all, wash it, and attach it to the fabric that I have yet to buy... (good thing I have a friend who works at a fabric store!) All that remains after THAT is to do the lace edging along the fabric's edge.
I am so close to done!
I have 14 out of 15 motifs completed! I will finish this last one, connect them all, wash it, and attach it to the fabric that I have yet to buy... (good thing I have a friend who works at a fabric store!) All that remains after THAT is to do the lace edging along the fabric's edge.
I am so close to done!
Projects!
So, I have several projects lined up for the holidays. One, I have to finish the tablecloth for Sharon (and I'm almost done with the crochet work -- aside from the edging). Two, I am making steampunk clothing for my mum and sis for Christmas (we're going to a Con in February). That's probably at least two corsets, a skirt, some ruffled petticoats and maybe a jacket-y thing or two. Three, I would like to make two scarves for Mister's female relatives. One fuzzy, warm, and mobius (probably knitted), and the other delicate and lacy (crocheted of course!).
So a quick search on Ravelry and I found the most beautiful crocheted lace pattern.
Isn't it gorgeous? However, the girl is charging $7 for that lovely pattern. Are you crazy? Asking for money for a pattern on the internet is highly silly IMO. Also, she gave an up-close picture. I now know how to make it. :-D
Here's how I figure: it's obvious a bunch of motifs which are attached together at the end. So, for each motif, start at that grid -- that's a double crochet separated by 2 chain grid. After making the grid, you start going around the edges with a single crochet. When you get to the center of a side, you chain about... let's say 8 or so. You then go back around your little chain with single crochets, adding little picots and finish single crocheting the side of the grid. After having completed all four sides with picots, you start on the next round out. Easiest way to do that one is to go twice around -- once with all of the chains connecting to picots, the next with the single crochets over the chains with additional picots. Et voila, one motif! To connect them all, is more chains connecting picots, with a second time around of single crochets and additional picots. I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS.
[Note: it looks like there are TWO connecting rounds -- what I thought was the last motif round is actually connected on the North and South to other motifs...]
That is what I love about crochet -- I know it well enough that just staring at the picture I can figure it out.
So a quick search on Ravelry and I found the most beautiful crocheted lace pattern.
Isn't it gorgeous? However, the girl is charging $7 for that lovely pattern. Are you crazy? Asking for money for a pattern on the internet is highly silly IMO. Also, she gave an up-close picture. I now know how to make it. :-D
Here's how I figure: it's obvious a bunch of motifs which are attached together at the end. So, for each motif, start at that grid -- that's a double crochet separated by 2 chain grid. After making the grid, you start going around the edges with a single crochet. When you get to the center of a side, you chain about... let's say 8 or so. You then go back around your little chain with single crochets, adding little picots and finish single crocheting the side of the grid. After having completed all four sides with picots, you start on the next round out. Easiest way to do that one is to go twice around -- once with all of the chains connecting to picots, the next with the single crochets over the chains with additional picots. Et voila, one motif! To connect them all, is more chains connecting picots, with a second time around of single crochets and additional picots. I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS.
[Note: it looks like there are TWO connecting rounds -- what I thought was the last motif round is actually connected on the North and South to other motifs...]
That is what I love about crochet -- I know it well enough that just staring at the picture I can figure it out.
Cabbage remains
As I used half of a GLORIOUS cabbage yesterday (I love those guys -- I am buying all of my cabbage from them!), I needed to figure out what I'm doing with the remainder. I think I'll cook Beekeeper's Cabbage as it looks tasty, and I have all of the ingredients that are begging to be used!
The question is what to cook for food tonight, since I'll be at work until close, but then having friends over. I make baked pasta a lot, so I'd rather avoid that. I also need to cook squash this week, and Thursday was a good day last year...
Man, I wish my crockpot wasn't in storage atm...
Also, some random recipes to save:
Pounded Walnut Pesto
Giant Chipotle White Beans
Bean Mole with Winter Squash <-- definately doing this next week! We have a bottle of mole that's been sitting here for as long as Mister and I have been together.
The question is what to cook for food tonight, since I'll be at work until close, but then having friends over. I make baked pasta a lot, so I'd rather avoid that. I also need to cook squash this week, and Thursday was a good day last year...
Man, I wish my crockpot wasn't in storage atm...
Also, some random recipes to save:
Pounded Walnut Pesto
Giant Chipotle White Beans
Bean Mole with Winter Squash <-- definately doing this next week! We have a bottle of mole that's been sitting here for as long as Mister and I have been together.
Soup
'Tis a happy soup season. I love soup, and I love making soup. The funny thing is, that even though I tried to make a light, thin soup, it still came out thick on me!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Soak beans overnight. Drain, and cook at a simmer for 1.5 hours.
Actually start by weighing potatoes. Realize that 1/2# potatoes is ONE potato, grab another, and a little shrivled redskin potato as well. Chop. Dice onion, and 4.5 cloves of garlic (one little one had so many bad spots...).
Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and start frying potatoes. When they start to get a little color, throw in the onions and garlic and cook until they become aromatic and NOT burned. If you have too many potatoes for your pan (*cough), please do it in batches, and do 1/2 of the onions/garlic in each batch. When potatoes/onion/garlic is cooked, toss it in a pot.
Add the beans that you had been previously soaking (after draining them), without bothering to measure.
Add the carton of stock (~4 cups of chicken stock) and 2 cups of water. Yes, I added more liquid. Also throw in salt, pepper, bay leaf, cumin and paprika. Cook until the stock is fully heated.
Add the sliced cabbage to the soup and despair that your pot is rather small. Cook the cabbage until soft.
Serve with bread, and topped with grated romano and fried onions.
Is that not the most beautiful food picture I've ever taken?
Verdict? Absolutely delicious. And we have yet to have the anticipated problems arising from beans + cabbage... :-P Also, would probably taste delicious with the potatoes fried in bacon fat. But then again, most things taste better with bacon.
N.B. -- after looking at the original recipe again, I realized that she DICED her potato, not sliced into 1/4" pieces... that's how she can get away with only one potato.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Soak beans overnight. Drain, and cook at a simmer for 1.5 hours.
Actually start by weighing potatoes. Realize that 1/2# potatoes is ONE potato, grab another, and a little shrivled redskin potato as well. Chop. Dice onion, and 4.5 cloves of garlic (one little one had so many bad spots...).
Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and start frying potatoes. When they start to get a little color, throw in the onions and garlic and cook until they become aromatic and NOT burned. If you have too many potatoes for your pan (*cough), please do it in batches, and do 1/2 of the onions/garlic in each batch. When potatoes/onion/garlic is cooked, toss it in a pot.
Add the beans that you had been previously soaking (after draining them), without bothering to measure.
Add the carton of stock (~4 cups of chicken stock) and 2 cups of water. Yes, I added more liquid. Also throw in salt, pepper, bay leaf, cumin and paprika. Cook until the stock is fully heated.
Add the sliced cabbage to the soup and despair that your pot is rather small. Cook the cabbage until soft.
Serve with bread, and topped with grated romano and fried onions.
Is that not the most beautiful food picture I've ever taken?
Verdict? Absolutely delicious. And we have yet to have the anticipated problems arising from beans + cabbage... :-P Also, would probably taste delicious with the potatoes fried in bacon fat. But then again, most things taste better with bacon.
N.B. -- after looking at the original recipe again, I realized that she DICED her potato, not sliced into 1/4" pieces... that's how she can get away with only one potato.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Food/Meal Design
So as winter is coming on, I'm buying squashes at the Farmer's Market, and Mister and I had a spate of eating out for every meal, I figured it's time to go through what I'd like to be doing food-wise for the winter.
Pantry Items
Starch
-- rice (maybe -- Mister is less of a fan than I am)
-- pasta
-- oatmeal
-- any other grains in bulk that look good
-- tapioca
Protein
-- red lentils
-- brown lentils
-- up to five kinds of beans
-- split peas
-- nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)
Other
-- dried fruit
-- quick meal foods
Canned
-- applesauce
-- pickles
-- tomato sauce
-- baked beans
-- canned tomatoes
-- stock
-- salsa
-- nut butters
-- jelly
Meat(in freezer)
-- two rings of kielbasa at all times
-- 1-2 roasts
-- 1-2 chickens
-- two pork loans (one cut into chops)
-- ground beef
-- sausages of several varieties for soups
-- bacon?
Misc.
Root Veggies
-- 2 dozen squash (have one a week)
-- potatoes
-- cabbage
-- parsnips
-- rutabaga
-- carrots
Fridge/Freezer
-- frozen corn
-- frozen peas
-- eggs
-- milk
-- cheeses (esp. cheddar, mozz., ricotta)
Other
-- bread
-- coffee
-- tea
-- sugar
-- flours/starches
-- breadcrumbs
So there's the food planning, some menu planning:
-- eat one squash a week
-- aim for casseroles/soups/crockpot/make-ahead meals
-- eat the things that I've made (*cough pickles cough)
-- minimize food waste
-- maximize food storage (without Mister's knowledge if necessary)
-- use less meat/dairy
Tuesday's Dinner
I made a delicious meal for Tuesday night, and completely forgot to take pictures of it!
This is all that remains of the meal. But, here's the recipe! Note: I made this specifically because it was what I had in the house, and I wanted to have food ready to go in the oven when I got off training at 11 pm (and to ensure that Mister and I not eat out!).
Ingredients:
-- rice
-- canned tomatoes with chilies
-- ricotta
-- chopped onion
-- mozzerella
-- cheddar
-- olive oil
Cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, grease a casserole dish, mix the tomatoes, onion, ricotta and olive oil together, and grate mozz. and cheddar together.
When rice is cooked, mix with the tomato/ricotta/oil sauce, pour in the casserole dish, and cover with cheese. Bake at 400F oven for 35 mins.
This is all that remains of the meal. But, here's the recipe! Note: I made this specifically because it was what I had in the house, and I wanted to have food ready to go in the oven when I got off training at 11 pm (and to ensure that Mister and I not eat out!).
Ingredients:
-- rice
-- canned tomatoes with chilies
-- ricotta
-- chopped onion
-- mozzerella
-- cheddar
-- olive oil
Cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, grease a casserole dish, mix the tomatoes, onion, ricotta and olive oil together, and grate mozz. and cheddar together.
When rice is cooked, mix with the tomato/ricotta/oil sauce, pour in the casserole dish, and cover with cheese. Bake at 400F oven for 35 mins.
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