Bird tagged me for the 10 things you like starting with the letter __ meme. She gave me the letter D.
1. Dpns. Knitting on dpns (double pointed needles) is my favorite. It's probably rather peculiar, since so many people seem to hate these with a passion that burns in the night. I, however, detest circulars, and long straights feel awkward. My love of dpns may be part of the reason I most prefer to knit socks and mittens.
2. Dough. such as, cookie, or bread, or pastry dough, either in the raw or cooked form. Tasty! Well, I'd rather have my bread cooked, but raw cookie dough, yum :)
3. Daisies. Such a cute, honest flower! A probable wedding flower.
4. Doilies. They're pretty. I loved crafting with doilies when I was a kid.
5. Dachshunds. I'm really picky about dogs, but I'm fond of dachshunds. We had one when I was young, and she was both a good dog, and a beautiful dog. I kind of hope my parents get one again.
6. Data, especially the good kind. Nothing beats good data, especially when you take it to your boss, and they get all excited and giddy. It's like winning the lottery, only the lottery of skill...
7. Dressing up. I loves it. I love buying pretty clothes for the remote possibility that sometime, I will wear them. I have high hopes for more dressing up opps in Worcester.
8. Danskos. This is Denise's fault. They're great lab shoes, though, attractive and comfy.
9. Dishes, especially serving dishes. I love to buy them (on sale, of course), and plan parties around the dishes. Registering at Simon Pearce was such a kid-in-a-candy-shop experience, I registered for so, so many centerpiece and serving dishes.
10. Ducks, both real and rubber. The rubber ones are so jolly and round, and the real ones are funny and adorable. I want a pet duck, but people always try to talk me out of it.
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
My absense...
Sorry for the lack of posts! I have been cooking very little. I'll get some pictures up soon, of 94 cupcakes that I frosted last Friday, and some other tastiness.
I've been knitting a bit, mittens for mom and baby blankets and sweaters for people. I'm going to finish all the baby knitting and then get on some mittens for myself.
But the main thing I've been doing is packing! I'm moving in a week and a half. I don't have an apartment yet, so I'll be staying with a cousin who has room to spare, probably for a month. I'll continue to look for an apartment and hopefully be able to move in around March 1st.
I hate packing. How in the world did I accumulate so much stuff?? Sigh.
I've been knitting a bit, mittens for mom and baby blankets and sweaters for people. I'm going to finish all the baby knitting and then get on some mittens for myself.
But the main thing I've been doing is packing! I'm moving in a week and a half. I don't have an apartment yet, so I'll be staying with a cousin who has room to spare, probably for a month. I'll continue to look for an apartment and hopefully be able to move in around March 1st.
I hate packing. How in the world did I accumulate so much stuff?? Sigh.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Christmas meme
I've seen this on some other blogs, and I just received it from Melissa. I'm pretty Christmassy this weekend, so the timing is perfect. :) (yay Christmas I love it)
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper. Bags are so expensive!
2. Real tree or Artificial? I'd prefer real, but I currently have a fake tree. Tree disposal in this area confuses me. (and it seems that many that prefer fake prefer it because it's easier to put up than real. But.... Clint's real tree was far, far easier than my fake tree, even considering that we had to drive back to Long Acre's because they forgot to drill the hole in the trunk for his spikey tree stand. Also, my fake tree sheds almost as much as a real one, so I'm not avoiding post-holiday vacuuming at all by having the fake tree)
3. When do you put up the tree? when I was in college, my parents and I would decorate usually around the 22nd or 23rd, or whenever I got home after exams. Now I usually put it up the first weekend in December.
4. When do you take the tree down? not until after the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th.
5. Do you like eggnog? I keep trying to.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My American Girl Doll, in 1988.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Clint's dad
8. Easiest person to buy for? mom and Michelle
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have my dad's mom's nativity that she used to have in her apartment, which is nice and small, but I really covet my parents' that my mom made for their first Christmas together.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? multiple sweatshirts in size XL petite, at least one with a collar. I don't wear sweatshirts, and I am neither an XL nor a petite. (and oh god, I'm not 75, I would never wear a collared sweatshirt). Also, a button-down shirt with changeable Christmas-theme collars, and plaid elastic waist pants, both in size 14. This is all from the same person, who doesn't get that I'm not a 14/XL petite. I've also gotten Halloween decorations as Christmas presents. I could go on, I've had some real gems...
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? You'll shoot your eye out (A Christmas Story), which is quite possibly my favorite movie ever.
13. When do you start shopping? always. I have been known to buy Christmas presents before the previous Christmas. I usually finish my shopping around Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um, see above, the XL petite sweatshirts.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? cookies, fruit cake, yorkshire pudding, mulled cider and mulled wine, stollen.
16. lights on the tree? the more, the merrier! Lately I'm into white lights, possibly because the rest of the room is lit with colored Christmas lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? the more religious ones, O Holy Night, etc, (which is half the reason I'm so good at going to church during Advent) and Wassail Song (not "here we come a-wassailing", but "wassail, wassail all over the town")
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to go home. Usually it's Christmas Eve at my grandma's and Christmas night at my parents', but this year there's talk of doing Christmas Eve at Granby and have that be it, due to all the on-going construction mess at my parents' house.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? growing up, it was an angel, but my mom bought me this awesome fluffy, glittery star at Ikea a few years ago.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? extended family on Christmas Eve night, immediate family on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? that Christmas starts before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving's a great holiday, give it its chance!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? my parents have some lovely pastel ornaments, but I feel bad having a pink tree at Christmas. We set up a separate Disney tree and cat and dog trees. My NH tree has all the ornaments I stole from my parents, some home-made ones, some from trips, some were gifts, and a slew of glittery Martha Stewart Home balls. I'm bad at themes, because I want to put all the ornaments up... when I have a house, I'll probably have to have multiple themed trees.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? our Christmas dinner does not change. I tried to change it once, and people were angry. We have: shrimp dip and cheeses with crackers, and baked brie and gruyere puff pastry bites for cocktail hour, then roast beef with green beans (which are always canned, no matter how much I complain), mashed potatoes, salad, jello, yorkshire pudding (which I introduced a few years ago, and people were ok), and banana and maraschino cherry breads for the main meal, and Friendly's jubilee roll and assorted cookies for dessert. This year I'm considering axing the stupid jubilee roll (I've never liked it) and making a semifreddo with honeyed fruit.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I really have no idea. A security deposit for an apartment, perhaps? Or anything off our new bridal registries would be much loved. Nothing that I have to worry about packing when I move in February.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper. Bags are so expensive!
2. Real tree or Artificial? I'd prefer real, but I currently have a fake tree. Tree disposal in this area confuses me. (and it seems that many that prefer fake prefer it because it's easier to put up than real. But.... Clint's real tree was far, far easier than my fake tree, even considering that we had to drive back to Long Acre's because they forgot to drill the hole in the trunk for his spikey tree stand. Also, my fake tree sheds almost as much as a real one, so I'm not avoiding post-holiday vacuuming at all by having the fake tree)
3. When do you put up the tree? when I was in college, my parents and I would decorate usually around the 22nd or 23rd, or whenever I got home after exams. Now I usually put it up the first weekend in December.
4. When do you take the tree down? not until after the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th.
5. Do you like eggnog? I keep trying to.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My American Girl Doll, in 1988.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Clint's dad
8. Easiest person to buy for? mom and Michelle
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have my dad's mom's nativity that she used to have in her apartment, which is nice and small, but I really covet my parents' that my mom made for their first Christmas together.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? multiple sweatshirts in size XL petite, at least one with a collar. I don't wear sweatshirts, and I am neither an XL nor a petite. (and oh god, I'm not 75, I would never wear a collared sweatshirt). Also, a button-down shirt with changeable Christmas-theme collars, and plaid elastic waist pants, both in size 14. This is all from the same person, who doesn't get that I'm not a 14/XL petite. I've also gotten Halloween decorations as Christmas presents. I could go on, I've had some real gems...
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? You'll shoot your eye out (A Christmas Story), which is quite possibly my favorite movie ever.
13. When do you start shopping? always. I have been known to buy Christmas presents before the previous Christmas. I usually finish my shopping around Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um, see above, the XL petite sweatshirts.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? cookies, fruit cake, yorkshire pudding, mulled cider and mulled wine, stollen.
16. lights on the tree? the more, the merrier! Lately I'm into white lights, possibly because the rest of the room is lit with colored Christmas lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? the more religious ones, O Holy Night, etc, (which is half the reason I'm so good at going to church during Advent) and Wassail Song (not "here we come a-wassailing", but "wassail, wassail all over the town")
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to go home. Usually it's Christmas Eve at my grandma's and Christmas night at my parents', but this year there's talk of doing Christmas Eve at Granby and have that be it, due to all the on-going construction mess at my parents' house.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? growing up, it was an angel, but my mom bought me this awesome fluffy, glittery star at Ikea a few years ago.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? extended family on Christmas Eve night, immediate family on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? that Christmas starts before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving's a great holiday, give it its chance!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? my parents have some lovely pastel ornaments, but I feel bad having a pink tree at Christmas. We set up a separate Disney tree and cat and dog trees. My NH tree has all the ornaments I stole from my parents, some home-made ones, some from trips, some were gifts, and a slew of glittery Martha Stewart Home balls. I'm bad at themes, because I want to put all the ornaments up... when I have a house, I'll probably have to have multiple themed trees.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? our Christmas dinner does not change. I tried to change it once, and people were angry. We have: shrimp dip and cheeses with crackers, and baked brie and gruyere puff pastry bites for cocktail hour, then roast beef with green beans (which are always canned, no matter how much I complain), mashed potatoes, salad, jello, yorkshire pudding (which I introduced a few years ago, and people were ok), and banana and maraschino cherry breads for the main meal, and Friendly's jubilee roll and assorted cookies for dessert. This year I'm considering axing the stupid jubilee roll (I've never liked it) and making a semifreddo with honeyed fruit.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I really have no idea. A security deposit for an apartment, perhaps? Or anything off our new bridal registries would be much loved. Nothing that I have to worry about packing when I move in February.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Tagged!
Both Cate and Bird tagged me for a couple random things list. Cate wanted 7, Bird wanted 6, so here are 7 random facts about me! (and sorry for procrastinating so on this!)
7 random facts
1. I'm allergic to green bell pepper (i.e., raw bell pepper tastes like burning, but jalapeno has a pleasant, mild zing), but I'm content to pick the green pepper bits out of cooked dishes like pizza, fajitas, etc.
2. I have a severe aversion to raised ranch houses. I hates them. I have no idea why.
3. I had a great love of socks, and subsequently, many, many pairs, until shoes started getting cute and varied, around the year 2000. Now I have both too many socks and too many shoes (approx 90 pairs of shoes, and 2 sock drawers)
4. Fall is my favorite season.
5. I like to use Christmas lights as part of my interior lighting, college dorm room style. I'm worried I'll have to grow out of this habit at some point.
6. I knit in public regularly, and love to work on cabled socks (5 dpns, one cable needle) to get reactions out of non-knitters that see me.
7. My favorite foods are cheese (most varieties) and grapefruit. (not together)
I'm not going to tag anyone, because I actually don't know that many bloggers. But if you're reading this, you can pretend I've tagged you. :)
7 random facts
1. I'm allergic to green bell pepper (i.e., raw bell pepper tastes like burning, but jalapeno has a pleasant, mild zing), but I'm content to pick the green pepper bits out of cooked dishes like pizza, fajitas, etc.
2. I have a severe aversion to raised ranch houses. I hates them. I have no idea why.
3. I had a great love of socks, and subsequently, many, many pairs, until shoes started getting cute and varied, around the year 2000. Now I have both too many socks and too many shoes (approx 90 pairs of shoes, and 2 sock drawers)
4. Fall is my favorite season.
5. I like to use Christmas lights as part of my interior lighting, college dorm room style. I'm worried I'll have to grow out of this habit at some point.
6. I knit in public regularly, and love to work on cabled socks (5 dpns, one cable needle) to get reactions out of non-knitters that see me.
7. My favorite foods are cheese (most varieties) and grapefruit. (not together)
I'm not going to tag anyone, because I actually don't know that many bloggers. But if you're reading this, you can pretend I've tagged you. :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Knitting meme
Bold = Have already tried this
Italicized = Plan to try this
Unemphasized = Have no desire to try this
- Afghan
- I-cord
- Garter stitch
- Knitting with metal wire
- Shawl
- Stockinette Stitch
- Socks: Top-down
- Socks: Toe-up
- Knitting with camel yarn- if the opportunity presents itself
- Mittens: Cuff-up
- Mittens: Tip down
- Hat
- Knitting with silk
- Moebius band knitting
- Participating in a KAL
- Sweater
- Drop stitch patterns
- Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (unless yarn purchased at tag sales or found while cleaning out someone's house before they move to a nursing home counts, that I've done.)
- Slip stitch patterns
- Knitting with banana fiber yarn (interesting!)
- Domino knitting- meh
- Twisted stitch patterns
- Knitting with bamboo yarn
- Two end knitting (I don't really get it)
- Charity knitting
- Knitting with soy yarn
- Cardigan
- Toy/doll clothing
- Knitting with circular needles
- Baby items
- Knitting with your own handspun
- Slippers
- Graffiti knitting (lol)
- Continental knitting (just so I know how)
- Designing knitted garments (do socks count?)
- Cable stitch patterns (oh so many!)
- Lace patterns
- Publishing a knitting book
- Scarf
- Teaching a child to knit (if I have a child, it's going to knit)
- American/English knitting
- Knitting to make money
- Buttonholes
- Knitting with alpaca
- Fair Isle
- Norwegian knitting
- Dying with plant colors
- Knitting items for a wedding
- Household items (do coffee cup cozies count? I'm not really into washcloths)
- Knitting socks on two circulars
- Olympic knitting
- Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn (I'll take any yarn I can get!)
- Knitting with dpn’s (honestly, this is my favorite- it's probably why I knit socks so much)
- Holiday-related knitting
- Teaching a male how to knit
- Bobbles (I have an irrational hatred of bobbles)
- Knitting for a living
- Knitting with cotton
- Knitting smocking
- Dyeing yarn
- Steeks (I'm afraid)
- Knitting art
- Fulling/felting
- Knitting with wool
- Textured knitting
- Kitchener BO
- Purses/bags (I'm really surprised to realize I haven't actually done this yet)
- Knitting with beads (I should, what with all my beads)
- Swatching (aren't we always supposed to?)
- Long tail CO (I need to learn another way)
- Entrelac
- Knitting and purling backwards
- Machine Knitting
- Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegated yarn
- Stuffed toys (I should add this to the baby knitting list)
- Knitting with cashmere
- Darning
- Jewelry (I tried... and frogged)
- Knitting with synthetic yarn
- Writing a pattern (I've made a few patterns, I just haven't written them down)
- Gloves (so far, only fingerless- but I should go all the way)
- Intarsia
- Knitting with linen
- Knitting for preemies (well, I would if there were a preemie to knit for)
- Tubular CO
- Freeform knitting
- Short rows
- Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
- Pillows (ok, this could be cute)
- Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
- Rug
- Knitting on a loom
- Thrummed knitting
- Knitting a gift
- Knitting for pets (I've knit all the pieces for Pansy's bed, but I haven't assembled it yet)
- Shrug/bolero/poncho
- Knitting with dog/cat hair
- Hair accessories
- Knitting in public (constantly)
- Double knitting (interesting, but I'm not sure I see the point)
Italicized = Plan to try this
Unemphasized = Have no desire to try this
- Afghan
- I-cord
- Garter stitch
- Knitting with metal wire
- Shawl
- Stockinette Stitch
- Socks: Top-down
- Socks: Toe-up
- Knitting with camel yarn- if the opportunity presents itself
- Mittens: Cuff-up
- Mittens: Tip down
- Hat
- Knitting with silk
- Moebius band knitting
- Participating in a KAL
- Sweater
- Drop stitch patterns
- Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (unless yarn purchased at tag sales or found while cleaning out someone's house before they move to a nursing home counts, that I've done.)
- Slip stitch patterns
- Knitting with banana fiber yarn (interesting!)
- Domino knitting- meh
- Twisted stitch patterns
- Knitting with bamboo yarn
- Two end knitting (I don't really get it)
- Charity knitting
- Knitting with soy yarn
- Cardigan
- Toy/doll clothing
- Knitting with circular needles
- Baby items
- Knitting with your own handspun
- Slippers
- Graffiti knitting (lol)
- Continental knitting (just so I know how)
- Designing knitted garments (do socks count?)
- Cable stitch patterns (oh so many!)
- Lace patterns
- Publishing a knitting book
- Scarf
- Teaching a child to knit (if I have a child, it's going to knit)
- American/English knitting
- Knitting to make money
- Buttonholes
- Knitting with alpaca
- Fair Isle
- Norwegian knitting
- Dying with plant colors
- Knitting items for a wedding
- Household items (do coffee cup cozies count? I'm not really into washcloths)
- Knitting socks on two circulars
- Olympic knitting
- Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn (I'll take any yarn I can get!)
- Knitting with dpn’s (honestly, this is my favorite- it's probably why I knit socks so much)
- Holiday-related knitting
- Teaching a male how to knit
- Bobbles (I have an irrational hatred of bobbles)
- Knitting for a living
- Knitting with cotton
- Knitting smocking
- Dyeing yarn
- Steeks (I'm afraid)
- Knitting art
- Fulling/felting
- Knitting with wool
- Textured knitting
- Kitchener BO
- Purses/bags (I'm really surprised to realize I haven't actually done this yet)
- Knitting with beads (I should, what with all my beads)
- Swatching (aren't we always supposed to?)
- Long tail CO (I need to learn another way)
- Entrelac
- Knitting and purling backwards
- Machine Knitting
- Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegated yarn
- Stuffed toys (I should add this to the baby knitting list)
- Knitting with cashmere
- Darning
- Jewelry (I tried... and frogged)
- Knitting with synthetic yarn
- Writing a pattern (I've made a few patterns, I just haven't written them down)
- Gloves (so far, only fingerless- but I should go all the way)
- Intarsia
- Knitting with linen
- Knitting for preemies (well, I would if there were a preemie to knit for)
- Tubular CO
- Freeform knitting
- Short rows
- Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
- Pillows (ok, this could be cute)
- Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
- Rug
- Knitting on a loom
- Thrummed knitting
- Knitting a gift
- Knitting for pets (I've knit all the pieces for Pansy's bed, but I haven't assembled it yet)
- Shrug/bolero/poncho
- Knitting with dog/cat hair
- Hair accessories
- Knitting in public (constantly)
- Double knitting (interesting, but I'm not sure I see the point)
Friday, November 7, 2008
/Phase1
, as Clint put it.
I handed in my thesis yesterday. Two weeks from today, I will give an hour-long public seminar on my thesis project and have a 2-3 hour private oral defense.
Rather than being nervous about that, however, I'm listless and have no idea what to do with myself. Thesis filled my time such that I didn't eat meals, but snacked while writing or revising. I have a good deal of work to prepare for the 21st, but I'm taking a mental vacation today.
And last night, I celebrated. I left lab super early (4:30!) to go shopping, and I bought gifts for swaps and for friends for Christmas (including one item I bought 3 of, but would have bought 6 or 7, if only they'd had more). I spent $80 on groceries, which included nice crusty bread, a pound of gruyere and a bottle of sauvignon blanc, and dined on cheese fondue (I've lost weight from the thesis, so I figured I could have fondue for one night, and not have to worry that I won't get to the gym). I knitted (finished 2 items, one for a swap and one for Christmas) and baked cowboy cookies. The cowboy cookies weren't that impressive, yet I'll share the recipe anyway. I found them rather bland, even with chocolate chips, coconut, oats and pecans. The dough was pretty good, though (and cookie dough goes nicely with pinot noir), but mostly because I love oatmeal cookie dough.
And during my absence from blogging, we had an absence of FFE swap questions of the week- nice coincidence for me.
So, lame answer, but nothing specifically "seasonal".
Oh, except maybe a christmas tree hat (ravelry link) that my SnB is doing as a KAL- although they're meeting to decorate the knitted hat a week from yesterday, and I'll never have it done by then. So I'm not sure I'll knit it, but it's so cute.
I handed in my thesis yesterday. Two weeks from today, I will give an hour-long public seminar on my thesis project and have a 2-3 hour private oral defense.
Rather than being nervous about that, however, I'm listless and have no idea what to do with myself. Thesis filled my time such that I didn't eat meals, but snacked while writing or revising. I have a good deal of work to prepare for the 21st, but I'm taking a mental vacation today.
And last night, I celebrated. I left lab super early (4:30!) to go shopping, and I bought gifts for swaps and for friends for Christmas (including one item I bought 3 of, but would have bought 6 or 7, if only they'd had more). I spent $80 on groceries, which included nice crusty bread, a pound of gruyere and a bottle of sauvignon blanc, and dined on cheese fondue (I've lost weight from the thesis, so I figured I could have fondue for one night, and not have to worry that I won't get to the gym). I knitted (finished 2 items, one for a swap and one for Christmas) and baked cowboy cookies. The cowboy cookies weren't that impressive, yet I'll share the recipe anyway. I found them rather bland, even with chocolate chips, coconut, oats and pecans. The dough was pretty good, though (and cookie dough goes nicely with pinot noir), but mostly because I love oatmeal cookie dough.
And during my absence from blogging, we had an absence of FFE swap questions of the week- nice coincidence for me.
Question of the Week #6
“What seasonal knitting projects are you looking forward to?”
I don't think I'm really doing seasonal knitting projects, I'm really just trying to pump out all my Christmas and baby gifts asap. After that, I may start my wedding shawl, because I'm getting close to choosing a pattern. Also, in February, I will be living in Massachusetts, so there's a move in there to interfere.So, lame answer, but nothing specifically "seasonal".
Oh, except maybe a christmas tree hat (ravelry link) that my SnB is doing as a KAL- although they're meeting to decorate the knitted hat a week from yesterday, and I'll never have it done by then. So I'm not sure I'll knit it, but it's so cute.
Monday, October 13, 2008
FFE Swap Question of the Week #5
I'm far behind on other things I mean to post, but this question is easy for me.
Do you like football? Who is your favorite team?
I hate football. Passionately. I hate how obsessed people get with it, I hate that it takes forever to play the stupid game, and I find it incredibly dull. I also dated someone once whose life revolved around football, and he'd never do anything else if his team was playing, and had to talk about it constantly. It got old, fast.
I attend superbowl parties because the secondary goal of the party is to eat, and usually to eat chili (which I love and never make myself) and I enjoy the company of my friends. I also have learned to bring knitting to superbowl parties.
Back in high school I hated football because I thought it was very sexist- it probably still is, but I care less about that now, because I'd never want to play myself.
I hate the Patriots because they put Hartford in a small uproar for a while (they'd planned to move the founder's cemetary (i.e. where all the 1600s people are buried) to build the stadium). I also hate that Brady guy because everyone's so gaga over him.
I can't wait til football season is over :)
Sports I like: basketball, baseball, hockey. Sports that have action (I make an exception for baseball) and movement.
(I'm not this bitter normally, football is just one of those things)
Do you like football? Who is your favorite team?I hate football. Passionately. I hate how obsessed people get with it, I hate that it takes forever to play the stupid game, and I find it incredibly dull. I also dated someone once whose life revolved around football, and he'd never do anything else if his team was playing, and had to talk about it constantly. It got old, fast.
I attend superbowl parties because the secondary goal of the party is to eat, and usually to eat chili (which I love and never make myself) and I enjoy the company of my friends. I also have learned to bring knitting to superbowl parties.
Back in high school I hated football because I thought it was very sexist- it probably still is, but I care less about that now, because I'd never want to play myself.
I hate the Patriots because they put Hartford in a small uproar for a while (they'd planned to move the founder's cemetary (i.e. where all the 1600s people are buried) to build the stadium). I also hate that Brady guy because everyone's so gaga over him.
I can't wait til football season is over :)
Sports I like: basketball, baseball, hockey. Sports that have action (I make an exception for baseball) and movement.
(I'm not this bitter normally, football is just one of those things)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I should start a wist.
Of course, it'd be filled with food-related items, otherwise I wouldn't post it here. wamozart12 cooks, after all.
Look at this. Buy your own gum paste.
Gum paste (and fondant, the key difference is that gum paste is softer than fondant, and stays soft if it touches buttercream. however, gum paste is often used to make fondanty decorations (i.e. placed on top of rolled fondant, which is on top of buttercream) is not exactly easy to make. You need weird ingredients (incidentally, these are items I use regularly in lab, but I'm not about to bring bottles of reagents home to use to make a cake).
KAF also sells this cupcake pan I've featured before, and since I can actually get to KAF any time I want (whereas WS requires a 2.5hr drive), I might run over there... or perhaps request gift cards for Christmas. O.O
But really, the goal I had when I got side tracked by all the
se lovelies was unique cupcake wrappers. My grocery store has the regular ones (pastel pink, yellow or blue, with or without the silver wrapper) and the all natural, organic, vegan, no-animals-were-harmed-in-the-making-of-these-cupcake-wrappers kind (because I live in the UV). I want fun ones! Little orange pumpkins, or christmas trees, or hearts or flowers or stripes or polka dots. Anything. If the cupcakes themselves are lovely, why must they have such dull wrappers?
These are lovely, but $12.95/dozen, so not ideal.
Searching for wrappers... these white filigreed ones are lovely, but $12.95/dozen- not ideal.
However, here are Lilly Pulitzer meets J Crew meets cupcake wrappers.... perfect! $4 for a package of 80, from fancyflours.com. They have a nice variety, including the above filigreed ones (which I originally found on amazon.com)
Look at this. Buy your own gum paste.
Gum paste (and fondant, the key difference is that gum paste is softer than fondant, and stays soft if it touches buttercream. however, gum paste is often used to make fondanty decorations (i.e. placed on top of rolled fondant, which is on top of buttercream) is not exactly easy to make. You need weird ingredients (incidentally, these are items I use regularly in lab, but I'm not about to bring bottles of reagents home to use to make a cake).
KAF also sells this cupcake pan I've featured before, and since I can actually get to KAF any time I want (whereas WS requires a 2.5hr drive), I might run over there... or perhaps request gift cards for Christmas. O.OBut really, the goal I had when I got side tracked by all the
se lovelies was unique cupcake wrappers. My grocery store has the regular ones (pastel pink, yellow or blue, with or without the silver wrapper) and the all natural, organic, vegan, no-animals-were-harmed-in-the-making-of-these-cupcake-wrappers kind (because I live in the UV). I want fun ones! Little orange pumpkins, or christmas trees, or hearts or flowers or stripes or polka dots. Anything. If the cupcakes themselves are lovely, why must they have such dull wrappers?These are lovely, but $12.95/dozen, so not ideal.
Searching for wrappers... these white filigreed ones are lovely, but $12.95/dozen- not ideal.
However, here are Lilly Pulitzer meets J Crew meets cupcake wrappers.... perfect! $4 for a package of 80, from fancyflours.com. They have a nice variety, including the above filigreed ones (which I originally found on amazon.com)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Kaputt: Ein blog auf Deutsch.
Ich habe mein kaffee-mahler gebrochen. Oder, mein kaffee-mahler habe sich gemahlen.
Ich brauche ein zweiter. Wieviel kosten den?
(Intended translation, because my German is extremely rusty: I broke my coffee grinder. I tend to switch to German when thinking/talking about coffee.)
In other news, I'm sorely undercaffeinated because I can never make coffee strong enough using pre-ground grounds. yech. I tried to buy one as I was hurriedly running errands today, and stopped in Kohl's for some Hose without Toes (no, they do not carry that), and they don't seem to carry coffee grinders. I'll have to stop at Board & Basket sometime.
Ich brauche ein zweiter. Wieviel kosten den?
(Intended translation, because my German is extremely rusty: I broke my coffee grinder. I tend to switch to German when thinking/talking about coffee.)
In other news, I'm sorely undercaffeinated because I can never make coffee strong enough using pre-ground grounds. yech. I tried to buy one as I was hurriedly running errands today, and stopped in Kohl's for some Hose without Toes (no, they do not carry that), and they don't seem to carry coffee grinders. I'll have to stop at Board & Basket sometime.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Falling For Ewe Swap Question of the week #2
What ‘cold weather’ project are you looking forward to making the most the autumn?
I'll be making some of the new knitty.com socks, for me and as Christmas gifts. I'll also probably make clapotis for myself with my new red mohair (assuming 500yds is enough). I had hopes to make myself a cardigan, but I probably won't start it til the winter, and there is one cold-weather item I have high hopes to start, but it's top-secret.
If I'm able to make that top-secret one, I bet it'll be my favorite, but I am looking forward to using my new blue sock yarn from Saturday for socks for me.
Other WIPs include baby items for the big baby boom of Jan-April 2009. So far I'm nearly done with a recently-found baby sweater UFO, and I'm working on a pinwheel blanket.
I also need to finalize my Christmas gift list, and figure out what I'm really making for everyone, I have 5 projects to start and 1 to finish, but I only know what two of those projects will be, and have no yarn for any of it.
I'll be making some of the new knitty.com socks, for me and as Christmas gifts. I'll also probably make clapotis for myself with my new red mohair (assuming 500yds is enough). I had hopes to make myself a cardigan, but I probably won't start it til the winter, and there is one cold-weather item I have high hopes to start, but it's top-secret.
If I'm able to make that top-secret one, I bet it'll be my favorite, but I am looking forward to using my new blue sock yarn from Saturday for socks for me.
Other WIPs include baby items for the big baby boom of Jan-April 2009. So far I'm nearly done with a recently-found baby sweater UFO, and I'm working on a pinwheel blanket.
I also need to finalize my Christmas gift list, and figure out what I'm really making for everyone, I have 5 projects to start and 1 to finish, but I only know what two of those projects will be, and have no yarn for any of it.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Fun at the Fair, part 1: The Big E
Yesterday was day 1 of the Fair Weekend: The Big E in Agawam, MA. Clint and I joined my parents there in the morning. We had to stop first for 2nd breakfast (first breakfast was scones in the car)2nd breakfast was had in the Rhode Island building (you can't see in this photo, but the building says "Rhode
Island" right above the main entrance. We dined on clam fritters- my favorite fair food.Clint and I washed our fritters down with some Del's frozen lemonade.
We went through all the state buildings (RI, MA, ME, NH, CT, VT- I think I got that order right...?), stopping in MA to say hi to Smokey the Bear, snack on chocolate milk, raspberr
ies and maple goodies.The CT building had a nice United Technologies exhibit (where my dad works), and also a stand with some really nice-looking tomato-mo
zzarella salad that many others seemed to enjoy.
The NH building had some really pretty stained glass windows, as well as a
granite map of NH in front. Clint and I tried to stand on our towns... and we do really live in Northern NH.
We paused in VT for beer, cider donuts (which were saved for this morning's breakfast) and yarn oggling- check out these adorable felted alpaca baby booties!!
We then met up with some of my parents' friends from the beach, and had lunch at the Storrowton Tavern. We dined on classic New England fair (baked scrod for Mom, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and butternut squash for Dad, a turkey club wrap for Clint, and chicken pot pie for me) and got to sit at proper tables- a nice change from normal fair meals.
After lunch, we saw animals:
Chicks! And a giant English Angora bunny! Also llamas, alpacas, ducks, and horses. We went to the cow/sheep building, where some 4-H kids played a 4-H joke and folded a $1 bill in half, sticking cow poo in the middle, and dropped it on the floor. It didn't quite fool us.I went to the wool knook, and.....
BOUGHT YARN. I was wrong, mom was right, they do have nice yarn there- a very small selection, but the prices weren't bad. The red mohair was only $3/skein!
We did some other stuff (looking at vendors' stuff, going to the Grange building- Mom and I are going to enter stuff in their craft competition next year), and then it was time for the parade, so we gathered near the state buildings to watch.
Randomly, John Kerry was there. He led the parade.
Some floats in the parade threw Mardi Gras beads, and among the 4 of us, we did pretty well!
After that, more vendors, and we stopped for a drink. Clint made this
Souveneir Cup Day and got a cherry soda.For dinner, Mom and I had lobster rolls from the ME building, Clint had salmon on a stick from ME, we shared a blueberry crisp from ME, and dad had a chili dog from...somewhere, and a beer from VT. We also got Kettle Korn from NH, but that was mostly for the drive home and to enjoy this week.
We also carried on our tradition of maple sugar candy taste-testing, and bought maple pumpkins and little bite of maple candy from MA, maple ladies from VT, and maple NH and man-in-the-mountains (and a leaf for Clint) from NH. We haven't tried those yet, but I look forward to it.
More vendors (um... and Clint and I caved bought a couple Super Chammies
... I'll let you know how they work), and finally, we left around 9:30, passing a calliope on the way out (they are calliopes, right? I think I have the name right).All in all, we ate good food, didn't buy anything really crazy (I also got free toothpaste at a Sensodyne booth!), and we ended up exhausted and with hurting feet. Very fun!
Friday, September 12, 2008
I WANT MY SHOES.
I ordered them last night around 10 or 11, and they still haven't shipped! grrr incredible impatience.
Sigh. I'd kinda hoped they'd come tomorrow. It'll probably turn out that I paid $15 for the 2-day shipping and get them on Wednesday.
In packages-not-arriving-related news, I continue to detest Fedex. The first time they shipped something to me, I got a phone call a day or two after the package should have arrived, from a guy saying he needed my correct address, because it was written down as "Wolf Rd", which doesn't exist in my town. Um. It took an in-depth conversation to convince him that, yes, Wolf Rd does exist, and there are 4 condo complexes on it, as well as houses, so you'd think they'd have heard of it! Well anyway, I ordered a package last week (which I thought I needed by Monday, but luckily I did not) that finally shipped Friday, sat for 3 days in a warehouse in Mississippi (or Michigan? One of those western Ms), and still has not arrived. 5-10 my butt, I ordered it 9 days ago. When I order things shipped by UPS or DHL (even UPS ground from CA or AZ) they come in 2-4 days. Fedex should be Feddragsalongslowly.
I made a different kind of smoothie last night (since I should have something about cooking): chocolate soy milk, nonfat fudge swirl ice cream/froyo (Clint's), one container of nonfat vanilla yogurt, and a banana. It was.... smooth. Tonight I'll be doing peach, peach "nectar", and coconut gelato. Or possibly apricot nectar. I think I'm not one for bananas in smoothies.
Edit: Monday, 9/15: The shoes have arrived!! I'll get to see them when I go home tonight!!
Sigh. I'd kinda hoped they'd come tomorrow. It'll probably turn out that I paid $15 for the 2-day shipping and get them on Wednesday.
In packages-not-arriving-related news, I continue to detest Fedex. The first time they shipped something to me, I got a phone call a day or two after the package should have arrived, from a guy saying he needed my correct address, because it was written down as "Wolf Rd", which doesn't exist in my town. Um. It took an in-depth conversation to convince him that, yes, Wolf Rd does exist, and there are 4 condo complexes on it, as well as houses, so you'd think they'd have heard of it! Well anyway, I ordered a package last week (which I thought I needed by Monday, but luckily I did not) that finally shipped Friday, sat for 3 days in a warehouse in Mississippi (or Michigan? One of those western Ms), and still has not arrived. 5-10 my butt, I ordered it 9 days ago. When I order things shipped by UPS or DHL (even UPS ground from CA or AZ) they come in 2-4 days. Fedex should be Feddragsalongslowly.
I made a different kind of smoothie last night (since I should have something about cooking): chocolate soy milk, nonfat fudge swirl ice cream/froyo (Clint's), one container of nonfat vanilla yogurt, and a banana. It was.... smooth. Tonight I'll be doing peach, peach "nectar", and coconut gelato. Or possibly apricot nectar. I think I'm not one for bananas in smoothies.
Edit: Monday, 9/15: The shoes have arrived!! I'll get to see them when I go home tonight!!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Domestic Goddess Gets Dressed
or tries to, at least.
I need shoe opinions. Unfortunately, you have to go without dress pictures. But in appropriate-for-autumn ness, what do you think? The dresses I'd consider these for currently are a black/red/fuschia/white print bubble skirt dress (the effect is a dark-ish red/fuschia) or a royal blue with black mesh/lace overlay (for a dark, dark blue effect) with embroidered embellishments empire waist dress.
I worry the last pair, the d'orsay style (with lovely 2.5in heels, my perfect heel height) are too light for fall. However.... wedding shoes? 0.0
The dark blue dress- this is it in "teal", so the color's not as dark as mine is, but otherwise it's the same thing. This is appropriate as "cocktail attire", no?
Red dress.... and close-up of the pattern
I need shoe opinions. Unfortunately, you have to go without dress pictures. But in appropriate-for-autumn ness, what do you think? The dresses I'd consider these for currently are a black/red/fuschia/white print bubble skirt dress (the effect is a dark-ish red/fuschia) or a royal blue with black mesh/lace overlay (for a dark, dark blue effect) with embroidered embellishments empire waist dress.
I worry the last pair, the d'orsay style (with lovely 2.5in heels, my perfect heel height) are too light for fall. However.... wedding shoes? 0.0
The dark blue dress- this is it in "teal", so the color's not as dark as mine is, but otherwise it's the same thing. This is appropriate as "cocktail attire", no?
Red dress.... and close-up of the pattern
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Bits and Pieces
I think it's going to be one of those weeks. I also think I've officially Begun To Freak Out about graduating- I'm glad it's now, very early, so I can deal with it before the time crunch comes.
I'm still enjoying my risotto as leftovers. The recipe said it would feed 4, but so far we've gotten 5 meals out of it, and I think what's left will give me two more lunches.
I'm getting ready for the Tunbridge Fair. I've had two late (til 2 or 3am) nights so far, and I'm fairly sure tonight will be a third. Everything has to be delivered tomorrow, and I think Denise and I will go over in the early afternoon to take our (and our boys') things.
Last night I finished my Slippery Socks.
I started the sleeves on a UFO Peapod Sweater I came across. Luckily, I started the newborn size. The sleeves are about 20% done, have to do the collar (pick up 58 stitches and knit 9 rows) and all the seams. I think this could easily be done tonight, and still let me get to bed at a decent hour, but....
I also have to bake. Banana bread (quick to prepare the batter, 70min to bake), jam squares (quick to mix together, 20min to bake, at the same temp as the banana bread, yay) and coconut macaroons (which I could even make in the morning, that's about 20 min from getting the ingredients to taking out of the oven). Finally, I have to stuff and frost the cupcakes I made last night (I burned half, sigh- not badly burned, just noticeably).
As you can see, it's a bunch of stuff to do- not even counting sewing in the ends on my Lelah top and baking scones tomorrow morning, so that they'll be fresh and as good as possible for the judging on Thursday.
We're going to the Tunbridge Fair on Sunday, because we have to pick up our things on Sunday to take home. On Saturday, we're going to the Big E YAY!! I love the Big E. This should have been an answer to the "what I love about fall" post. I adore the Big E. I've been going since before I could remember. My mom used to fake doctor's appointments for me in elementary school so we could run away to the Big E for the afternoon. It was awesome.
I am extremely specific at teh Big E, there are things that must be done. First, we go to the state buildings (starting at the end near RI), and go through them all. We buy Del's frozen lemonade and clam fritters in RI, this is 2nd breakfast (first breakfast having consisted of toast and eaten in the car). In VT, NH and MA, we buy bags and bags of maple sugar candy and taste-test later. In MA we buy raspberries, maple cream in tiny ice cream cones, and honey bears. In VT, we stop off so Dad can have a beer.
Then we go to the Grange building, tell everyone that works there the people active in our Grange that they might know, buy some jellies and pointless do-dads to give them money, and check out the things on exhibit.
After this, our schedule varies. We usually make our way to all the vendors and see what fun things are for sale, and at some point, we'll possibly have lunch at the Storrowton Tavern (an actual sit-down restaurant), we'll go to teh better living building and try to get samples of whatever "as seen on tv" things we can find. We'll go to the animal buildings and someone will have to drag me away from the incubator with all the chicks in it. We'll go to the sheep building (probably not buy any yarn in the Wool Knook, unfortunately, it's been kind of boring for the past few years), baa at the sheep and goats, and mosey over to the cow building and get a 4oz milkshake for $1. We'll end the day with those tiny little donuts that are made right in the window of the trailer, and on the way out, buy a big thing of kettle korn.
This year, Mom and I aren't volunteering in the Craft Adventure building. This is the first time we haven't in..... um.... probably longer than I can remember. They changed the volunteer shifts from 2hours to 4 hours, and 4 hours is just too long, even if you do get free parking and admission. So we'll have much more time for fairing.
In non-Fair news, I finally heard from my future boss. She wants me to work on a zebrafish project! Zebrafish! huh. I wonder if I have to kill them myself. I guess I could do that with fish, but taking them apart.... ew. My salary won't give me much more money than I get now, which is very disappointing, and I'm super glad that Clint got his new job.
I still have not heard from my spoilee for the Falling for Ewe Autumn Yarn Swap, which kind of annoys me. I have most of her first package assembled, and I want to mail it when I go home for my high school reunion on the 19th, so I can mail it from another state, but I don't want to finalize any of the stuff until I hear from her. She finally updated her blog, so she's around. My spoiler, on the other hand, seems very cool and I can't wait for my first package! (no rush, though, I'm excited in a patient way)
I skipped going to the gym on Sunday and yesterday I could hardly walk. :-/ I decided to also skip yesterday, so I must, must go today. I'm trying to fit into a dress for an October wedding (I'd also wanted to wear it to reunion, but I'm not sure if 11 days will be enough time to fit into it,
especially when I'll probably only get to the gym 5 more times), so gym is important.
Oh I want to make pumpkin bread soon. Does anyone have a good pumpkin bread recipe?
I'm still enjoying my risotto as leftovers. The recipe said it would feed 4, but so far we've gotten 5 meals out of it, and I think what's left will give me two more lunches.
I'm getting ready for the Tunbridge Fair. I've had two late (til 2 or 3am) nights so far, and I'm fairly sure tonight will be a third. Everything has to be delivered tomorrow, and I think Denise and I will go over in the early afternoon to take our (and our boys') things.
Last night I finished my Slippery Socks.
I started the sleeves on a UFO Peapod Sweater I came across. Luckily, I started the newborn size. The sleeves are about 20% done, have to do the collar (pick up 58 stitches and knit 9 rows) and all the seams. I think this could easily be done tonight, and still let me get to bed at a decent hour, but....
I also have to bake. Banana bread (quick to prepare the batter, 70min to bake), jam squares (quick to mix together, 20min to bake, at the same temp as the banana bread, yay) and coconut macaroons (which I could even make in the morning, that's about 20 min from getting the ingredients to taking out of the oven). Finally, I have to stuff and frost the cupcakes I made last night (I burned half, sigh- not badly burned, just noticeably).
As you can see, it's a bunch of stuff to do- not even counting sewing in the ends on my Lelah top and baking scones tomorrow morning, so that they'll be fresh and as good as possible for the judging on Thursday.
We're going to the Tunbridge Fair on Sunday, because we have to pick up our things on Sunday to take home. On Saturday, we're going to the Big E YAY!! I love the Big E. This should have been an answer to the "what I love about fall" post. I adore the Big E. I've been going since before I could remember. My mom used to fake doctor's appointments for me in elementary school so we could run away to the Big E for the afternoon. It was awesome.
I am extremely specific at teh Big E, there are things that must be done. First, we go to the state buildings (starting at the end near RI), and go through them all. We buy Del's frozen lemonade and clam fritters in RI, this is 2nd breakfast (first breakfast having consisted of toast and eaten in the car). In VT, NH and MA, we buy bags and bags of maple sugar candy and taste-test later. In MA we buy raspberries, maple cream in tiny ice cream cones, and honey bears. In VT, we stop off so Dad can have a beer.
Then we go to the Grange building, tell everyone that works there the people active in our Grange that they might know, buy some jellies and pointless do-dads to give them money, and check out the things on exhibit.
After this, our schedule varies. We usually make our way to all the vendors and see what fun things are for sale, and at some point, we'll possibly have lunch at the Storrowton Tavern (an actual sit-down restaurant), we'll go to teh better living building and try to get samples of whatever "as seen on tv" things we can find. We'll go to the animal buildings and someone will have to drag me away from the incubator with all the chicks in it. We'll go to the sheep building (probably not buy any yarn in the Wool Knook, unfortunately, it's been kind of boring for the past few years), baa at the sheep and goats, and mosey over to the cow building and get a 4oz milkshake for $1. We'll end the day with those tiny little donuts that are made right in the window of the trailer, and on the way out, buy a big thing of kettle korn.
This year, Mom and I aren't volunteering in the Craft Adventure building. This is the first time we haven't in..... um.... probably longer than I can remember. They changed the volunteer shifts from 2hours to 4 hours, and 4 hours is just too long, even if you do get free parking and admission. So we'll have much more time for fairing.
In non-Fair news, I finally heard from my future boss. She wants me to work on a zebrafish project! Zebrafish! huh. I wonder if I have to kill them myself. I guess I could do that with fish, but taking them apart.... ew. My salary won't give me much more money than I get now, which is very disappointing, and I'm super glad that Clint got his new job.
I still have not heard from my spoilee for the Falling for Ewe Autumn Yarn Swap, which kind of annoys me. I have most of her first package assembled, and I want to mail it when I go home for my high school reunion on the 19th, so I can mail it from another state, but I don't want to finalize any of the stuff until I hear from her. She finally updated her blog, so she's around. My spoiler, on the other hand, seems very cool and I can't wait for my first package! (no rush, though, I'm excited in a patient way)
I skipped going to the gym on Sunday and yesterday I could hardly walk. :-/ I decided to also skip yesterday, so I must, must go today. I'm trying to fit into a dress for an October wedding (I'd also wanted to wear it to reunion, but I'm not sure if 11 days will be enough time to fit into it,
especially when I'll probably only get to the gym 5 more times), so gym is important.
Oh I want to make pumpkin bread soon. Does anyone have a good pumpkin bread recipe?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Falling For Ewe Swap Question of the week
The organizer of the "Falling for Ewe" Autumn yarn swap is starting a question of the week, to be answered on our blogs.
What is your favorite thing about fall?
Oh, nice question! Fall is my favorite season. I love all the seasons (summer the least, it's too hot, ugh), but I get more excited when I see the trees changing color and apple orchards opening for pick-your-own apples than I do for new leaves sprouting on trees, and the first snowfall. (Although I have to say, part of my love for fall assumes that winter is close behind, but you still have the expectation of winter coming- I like Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day for the same reason)
So, why I love fall.
The weather gets pleasant again, and you don't have to worry you'll get heatstroke from walking into town (I really hate the heat, I kind of dread moving to MA, where it gets above 90 regularly).
I love fall cooking- apples, pumpkins, various squashes, and tomatoes (in early fall) are in season and plentiful. I love days with a little chill in the air that make you want to stand near the stove and oven.
I love the rich colors of fall, especially after the spring colors fade into dried-out and anemic-looking summer colors.
Halloween. I love Halloween. I'm going to be really mad this year if I'm sick on Halloween again and have to miss out on it. (I'm using the costume I planned for last year, because it was a really good idea)
Thanksgiving: it's a holiday revolving around food!! What's not to love? Plus pumpkin pie, yum. I go all out on TG pies.
Pumpkins. They're so nice and orange and round. I love buying pumpkins of all sizes and arranging them on my coffee table.
Apple Cider. With Mulling Spices. (let's not talk about the number of tins of mulling spices I keep on hand, or about the amount of apple cider I can go through in a week) (and why didn't I buy any cider at the farmer's market yesterday?!)
Finally, I love the smell of late fall, that slightly smokey-ness in the air at twilight.
(Things I hate about fall: yellow jackets come out full-force, the sun is low in the sky and makes it difficult to drive at certain times, and I don't really like many of the flowers in season during the fall- I think I can work on that, though. Finally, the farmer's market only goes through the end of October! I'm always sad to see that go)
What is your favorite thing about fall?
Oh, nice question! Fall is my favorite season. I love all the seasons (summer the least, it's too hot, ugh), but I get more excited when I see the trees changing color and apple orchards opening for pick-your-own apples than I do for new leaves sprouting on trees, and the first snowfall. (Although I have to say, part of my love for fall assumes that winter is close behind, but you still have the expectation of winter coming- I like Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day for the same reason)
So, why I love fall.
The weather gets pleasant again, and you don't have to worry you'll get heatstroke from walking into town (I really hate the heat, I kind of dread moving to MA, where it gets above 90 regularly).
I love fall cooking- apples, pumpkins, various squashes, and tomatoes (in early fall) are in season and plentiful. I love days with a little chill in the air that make you want to stand near the stove and oven.
I love the rich colors of fall, especially after the spring colors fade into dried-out and anemic-looking summer colors.
Halloween. I love Halloween. I'm going to be really mad this year if I'm sick on Halloween again and have to miss out on it. (I'm using the costume I planned for last year, because it was a really good idea)
Thanksgiving: it's a holiday revolving around food!! What's not to love? Plus pumpkin pie, yum. I go all out on TG pies.
Pumpkins. They're so nice and orange and round. I love buying pumpkins of all sizes and arranging them on my coffee table.
Apple Cider. With Mulling Spices. (let's not talk about the number of tins of mulling spices I keep on hand, or about the amount of apple cider I can go through in a week) (and why didn't I buy any cider at the farmer's market yesterday?!)
Finally, I love the smell of late fall, that slightly smokey-ness in the air at twilight.
(Things I hate about fall: yellow jackets come out full-force, the sun is low in the sky and makes it difficult to drive at certain times, and I don't really like many of the flowers in season during the fall- I think I can work on that, though. Finally, the farmer's market only goes through the end of October! I'm always sad to see that go)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Food Meme
I wish blogger had something similar to a lj cut. Oh, well.
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Star* things that you'd really like to try eating.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (I have it for dinner often!)
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (yum! I love this stuff)
17. Black truffle*
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (blueberry! apple!)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (thanks, Michelle)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi* (I don't like sweet lassis, but I wonder if I would like a salty one... maybe not)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I hate cigars)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly* (I'm intrigued)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal * (wiki says this is a very hot curry, hotter than vindaloo... I don't find vindaloo that hot, so I could try phaal- then again, I'm going by a restaurant that Indian people won't go to)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (thanks, Clint)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (does last night's gin martini with concentrated olive drippings count?)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (um, these are all very, very different... all quite tasty, though)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (ew)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (never together, though)
73. Louche absinthe*
74. Gjetost, or brunost (YUM. I heart gjetost tons and tons. Caramelized goat cheese, you can't go wrong with that!)
75. Roadkill (but I know someone whose father sells it at his shop)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (Michelle's are the best)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. *
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate*
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa*
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
some of these are less exotic than others... such as the ones I make for myself on a regular basis.
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Star* things that you'd really like to try eating.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (I have it for dinner often!)
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (yum! I love this stuff)
17. Black truffle*
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (blueberry! apple!)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (thanks, Michelle)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi* (I don't like sweet lassis, but I wonder if I would like a salty one... maybe not)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I hate cigars)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly* (I'm intrigued)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal * (wiki says this is a very hot curry, hotter than vindaloo... I don't find vindaloo that hot, so I could try phaal- then again, I'm going by a restaurant that Indian people won't go to)
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (thanks, Clint)
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini (does last night's gin martini with concentrated olive drippings count?)
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (um, these are all very, very different... all quite tasty, though)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (ew)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (never together, though)
73. Louche absinthe*
74. Gjetost, or brunost (YUM. I heart gjetost tons and tons. Caramelized goat cheese, you can't go wrong with that!)
75. Roadkill (but I know someone whose father sells it at his shop)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (Michelle's are the best)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. *
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate*
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa*
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
some of these are less exotic than others... such as the ones I make for myself on a regular basis.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Another swap!
The Starbucks and Yarn swap is almost done (I know, I haven't sent the package yet, but I'm very close- definitely will finish it by Sunday), so I signed up for the Falling For Ewe Autumn Yarn Swap. I saw it and considered, and then Bird signed up, so I thought I really would.
Anyway, the questionnaire.
Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
Knit. I find crocheting extremely awkward. I learned to knit when I was 8, and picked it up again in college because it was popular. I've knit feverishly through all 6 years of grad school.
Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?
No, but I might get into it in the future.
Are there any other crafts that you participate in?
All my free time is spent crafting ;) Cooking, quilting, cross-stitching (although seldomly these days), card-making with scrapbooking supplies, jewelry
What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
I like soft, natural fibers. I don't have any specific favorites yet.
What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers?
um... I hate Lamb's Pride and any similar 1-ply things. It feels awful in my hands, for some reason, it just rubs them the wrong way, like nails on a chalkboard.
Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?
I keep hearing about Blue Sky Alpaca, and I haven't been able to find it in my LYS. There are many, many yarns I want to try, mostly alpacas and cotton blends that I just can't afford enough for a good project.
What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
I love socks... really, I love anything that has minimal finishing to do. I hate blocking things, and sewing all pieces together, and weaving in the ends. Socks have 2 ends, and that's it. They're also easy to fit; same with hats. I'd love scarves if I found some better patterns. I'm trying to do more cardigans, because they'd be easier to fit than pullover sweaters.
What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn?
I just cast on my second clapotis, I'm working on a wedding garter for the Ravelympics, I should finish the Papillion sweater I started when the Spring (I think) Knitscene came out, and I cast on the Phyllo Yoked Pullover a couple months ago and have only done a couple inches. I may start a bucket hat to felt, and I'll make some more socks as Christmas gifts.
What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.)
I love my clap, and the Muscari socks I recently finished (photos on ravelry).
What is your oldest UFO?
heh. Actually, not too bad. I started Tatania by Berroco in 2004, and there's an error in the pattern, on the front shoulders. It's a simple fix, just increase instead of decrease, but I haven't returned to it. I imagine it will be difficult to block because I used cheap acrylic, so subconsiously, I'm not sure it's worth it.
Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn?
I need to learn different ways to cast on, and I still can't figure out toe-up socks.
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
oooooooh yes. size 10 (big feet are better for weight distribution!)
Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
I have a fiance, he's just as good.
Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
Some in a Simon Pearce ceramic vase, and some in a ceramic vase I made in high school. Not very organized, but I can easily see what I have.
Do you collect anything?
Rubber duckies, glass suncatchers, coffee-related doodads, cookbooks, shoes, supplies for making cards and supplies for making jewelry (beads, etc)
What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?
I like quite a variety, but probably mostly renaissance and baroque choral music. I prefer Green Day and Alien Ant Farm, etc to play while working. I have a two-year old iPod.
Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
Yes. I like gummy candy (gum-drop consistency more than gummi bears), licorice, chocolate things (especially caramels), baked goods, cake, pie, ice cream... ooh I'm hungry. I also like cheese. I know it's not sweet, but I love cheese.
What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?
I have a tiny kitten named Pansy- although she's not a kitten, just looks like one.
Are you allergic to anything?
Fresh pineapple, which shouldn't make a difference, and other things that don't matter (just don't give me any antibiotics, please).
Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal.
On amazon.com, under my full name.
Are you having a birthday during this swap?
no, in June :(
What is your Ravelry ID?
wamozart12
Edit: the swap coordinator mentioned she should have added a favorite color question to this. My favorite colors: pink. other shades of pink. also blue, in various shades, and brown is my favorite accent/neutral color.
Anyway, the questionnaire.
Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
Knit. I find crocheting extremely awkward. I learned to knit when I was 8, and picked it up again in college because it was popular. I've knit feverishly through all 6 years of grad school.
Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?
No, but I might get into it in the future.
Are there any other crafts that you participate in?
All my free time is spent crafting ;) Cooking, quilting, cross-stitching (although seldomly these days), card-making with scrapbooking supplies, jewelry
What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
I like soft, natural fibers. I don't have any specific favorites yet.
What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers?
um... I hate Lamb's Pride and any similar 1-ply things. It feels awful in my hands, for some reason, it just rubs them the wrong way, like nails on a chalkboard.
Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?
I keep hearing about Blue Sky Alpaca, and I haven't been able to find it in my LYS. There are many, many yarns I want to try, mostly alpacas and cotton blends that I just can't afford enough for a good project.
What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
I love socks... really, I love anything that has minimal finishing to do. I hate blocking things, and sewing all pieces together, and weaving in the ends. Socks have 2 ends, and that's it. They're also easy to fit; same with hats. I'd love scarves if I found some better patterns. I'm trying to do more cardigans, because they'd be easier to fit than pullover sweaters.
What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn?
I just cast on my second clapotis, I'm working on a wedding garter for the Ravelympics, I should finish the Papillion sweater I started when the Spring (I think) Knitscene came out, and I cast on the Phyllo Yoked Pullover a couple months ago and have only done a couple inches. I may start a bucket hat to felt, and I'll make some more socks as Christmas gifts.
What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.)
I love my clap, and the Muscari socks I recently finished (photos on ravelry).
What is your oldest UFO?
heh. Actually, not too bad. I started Tatania by Berroco in 2004, and there's an error in the pattern, on the front shoulders. It's a simple fix, just increase instead of decrease, but I haven't returned to it. I imagine it will be difficult to block because I used cheap acrylic, so subconsiously, I'm not sure it's worth it.
Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn?
I need to learn different ways to cast on, and I still can't figure out toe-up socks.
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
oooooooh yes. size 10 (big feet are better for weight distribution!)
Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
I have a fiance, he's just as good.
Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
Some in a Simon Pearce ceramic vase, and some in a ceramic vase I made in high school. Not very organized, but I can easily see what I have.
Do you collect anything?
Rubber duckies, glass suncatchers, coffee-related doodads, cookbooks, shoes, supplies for making cards and supplies for making jewelry (beads, etc)
What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?
I like quite a variety, but probably mostly renaissance and baroque choral music. I prefer Green Day and Alien Ant Farm, etc to play while working. I have a two-year old iPod.
Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
Yes. I like gummy candy (gum-drop consistency more than gummi bears), licorice, chocolate things (especially caramels), baked goods, cake, pie, ice cream... ooh I'm hungry. I also like cheese. I know it's not sweet, but I love cheese.
What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?
I have a tiny kitten named Pansy- although she's not a kitten, just looks like one.
Are you allergic to anything?
Fresh pineapple, which shouldn't make a difference, and other things that don't matter (just don't give me any antibiotics, please).
Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal.
On amazon.com, under my full name.
Are you having a birthday during this swap?
no, in June :(
What is your Ravelry ID?
wamozart12
Edit: the swap coordinator mentioned she should have added a favorite color question to this. My favorite colors: pink. other shades of pink. also blue, in various shades, and brown is my favorite accent/neutral color.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Meme, unrelated to cooking or knitting.
Most people who read this know me, or else have access to some profile or other that I've set up elsewhere. But I'm procrastinating, as I am wont to do, so....
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I'd graduated from high school, and I was "studying" to be a tour guide at the Hillstead Museum in Farmington, CT. I was also sleeping a lot, and packing for college, getting ready to take some trips, and...... not all that much. Exactly 10 years ago, I was probably at the beach.
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
1. Go to the gym
2. Bake cupcakes for Denise's craft night
3. Go to every single women's clothing store in Hanover in search of a white formal gown.
4. Have lunch with Mei
5. Finishing editing the results section of the darn paper.
(I've done 3 (which was unsuccessful) and 4, and a very small amount of 5. 1 and 2 will be done after I leave lab, so there's hope!)
3) Snacks I enjoy:
um, everything? There's a reason going to the gym is #1 on my to-do. I love cookies and nearly all jelly candies, I have a serious sweet tooth. Also, fruit. Any fruit, just put it near me and it'll be gone.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire (in no particular order):
Pay off my car (but not my condo, I get good tax breaks from a mortgage, apparently). Buy a vacation home on the CT shore. Buy some really expensive shoes. Throw an awesome wedding with all the bells and whistles anyone could ever want. Be completely frivolous, and then donate a ton of money to melanoma research.
5) Places I have lived:
West Hartford, Connecticut
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Lebanon, New Hampshire
and soon.... somewhere near Worcester, Massachusetts
6) Jobs I have had:
Lowly lab rat, Dr Barbarese's lab at UCONN Health Center
Lowly lab rat, CT State Health Department
Lowly lab rat, another lab at the CT State Health Department
Lowly lab rat and refrigerator defroster (because I was the female summer intern- no, I'm not still bitter- but I actually enjoy defrosting refrigerators), Metropolitcan District Commission (they're in charge of drinking water in the Hartford area)
Tour guide, Hillstead Museum in Farmington
Carillon teacher
Semi-important lab rat with real responsibilities, Dr Tanzer's lab at UCONN Health Center
Grad student and fashion adviser, Dr Barlowe's lab at Dartmouth
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I'd graduated from high school, and I was "studying" to be a tour guide at the Hillstead Museum in Farmington, CT. I was also sleeping a lot, and packing for college, getting ready to take some trips, and...... not all that much. Exactly 10 years ago, I was probably at the beach.
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
1. Go to the gym
2. Bake cupcakes for Denise's craft night
3. Go to every single women's clothing store in Hanover in search of a white formal gown.
4. Have lunch with Mei
5. Finishing editing the results section of the darn paper.
(I've done 3 (which was unsuccessful) and 4, and a very small amount of 5. 1 and 2 will be done after I leave lab, so there's hope!)
3) Snacks I enjoy:
um, everything? There's a reason going to the gym is #1 on my to-do. I love cookies and nearly all jelly candies, I have a serious sweet tooth. Also, fruit. Any fruit, just put it near me and it'll be gone.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire (in no particular order):
Pay off my car (but not my condo, I get good tax breaks from a mortgage, apparently). Buy a vacation home on the CT shore. Buy some really expensive shoes. Throw an awesome wedding with all the bells and whistles anyone could ever want. Be completely frivolous, and then donate a ton of money to melanoma research.
5) Places I have lived:
West Hartford, Connecticut
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Lebanon, New Hampshire
and soon.... somewhere near Worcester, Massachusetts
6) Jobs I have had:
Lowly lab rat, Dr Barbarese's lab at UCONN Health Center
Lowly lab rat, CT State Health Department
Lowly lab rat, another lab at the CT State Health Department
Lowly lab rat and refrigerator defroster (because I was the female summer intern- no, I'm not still bitter- but I actually enjoy defrosting refrigerators), Metropolitcan District Commission (they're in charge of drinking water in the Hartford area)
Tour guide, Hillstead Museum in Farmington
Carillon teacher
Semi-important lab rat with real responsibilities, Dr Tanzer's lab at UCONN Health Center
Grad student and fashion adviser, Dr Barlowe's lab at Dartmouth
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Misc. tasty things
A recipe:
Fennel slaw with pistachio pesto
This caught my eye: I like pesto, I like fennel. I also never really know what to do with fennel. One of my labmates once suggested putting it in stew/soup, but I'm not a stew/soup maker. I've also done prosciutto-wrapped veggies as a simple and quick appetizer, and used fennel as one of the veggies, but it's a bit boring. So when I saw this one on Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentiis, I said, ooh.
Make pesto: toast 3/4cup of pistachios, then add them to a food processor with 2cups flat leaf parsley, 1T fresh thyme (I used a 1/2T of provence herb blend I found in my mom's cabinet, that was fine), 3 garlic cloves and blend until finely chopped. Then run the food processor and slowly pour in 3/4cup olive oil, and voila, pesto.
In addition to the herb change, I skipped the olive oil and replaced it with about 1/2cup lemon juice. I don't really like oily foods, so I usually either drastically reduce the amount of oil I add or cut it altogether. I'm also trying to lose weight at the moment (or realistically, cut down on other things so I can enjoy my baking, which is what I'd rather eat than anything fried or potato-y or with oil, anyway). At first, the lemon pesto was quite lemony, but when I coated the chopped fennel (into bite-sized pieces) with it, the mild licorice flavor of the fennel went really nicely with the somewhat overly-citrusy pesto, and was good. Also, the pistachios give it a great flavor, much more interesting (in my opinion) than pine nuts.
I made this recipe for a potluck luncheon. I also made a simple tomato/basil/mozzarella salad. I reduced balsamic with figs (see previous entry), starting with 1 cup of balsamic vinegar, and added that to a bowl containing 5 medium tomatoes cut into wedges, a bunch of chiffonaded basil, and a pound of small mozzarella balls. Mix it all together, and make sure you grab a serving for yourself before it's all gone! You can add olive oil, but again, not my thing. This recipe is completely fat-free if you avoid the mozzarella, and I believe that's not a very high-fat cheese, anyway (as cheeses go).
Non-recipe good food:
Boyfriend and I went to the farmer's market on Saturday. Since we live in a fairly rural area (at least compared to where I lived before), the farmer's market is big, a big deal, and popular. One should really arrive early, although the stand that used to sell out before 11am (except for the plain croissants) now has a bakery here in town, so their stuff lasts a bit longer.
Boyfriend got some elk sausage from an elk ranch relatively nearby. They have quite a variety, and since this was our first farmer's market of the season, he chose our favorite, the celtic stout sausage. It's good. They put Guinness in it, and I'm not sure what else, but slap those babies on the grill and the result is extreme goodness. He also grilled some sweet potato wedges and made a salad, and after my long day in lab (an on a Saturday, so I was a bit bitter), it was heaven.
I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. A labmate lent it to me, and praised it. It took me a while (about 6 months) to finally begin it, since I'm not usually a non-fiction kind of reader, but while it's slow going, it's really interesting. Last week I read the section on the pastoral farm, which, in a quick summary, is about how animals that eat grass are healthier and produce better food (meat, eggs, etc- probably milk too, but I don't think that was specifically mentioned) than their corn-fed counterparts. (Incidentally, feeding cows corn is terrible for their health, and the only reason they can survive on it is because they're slaughtered younger than their grass-fed counterparts.) By "better", I mean healthier for us, as well as tasting better- "more chickeny" was a common quote from people interviewed. Anyway, so I'm thinking about fresh eggs- not necessarily eggs from grass-fed chickens (cage-free and grass-fed are not the same thing, and free-range chickens don't always range freely. They're given the choice, but, being creatures of habit, don't always take advantage of the foreign outdoor range offered to them) because this seems to be hard to find, but fresh eggs. So, I found one stand selling eggs from their farm, and I bought them. Added bonus: they were cheaper than at the grocery store. Jumbo eggs were 14cents less, and large eggs were 69 cents less. Eggs are outrageously-priced right now in my area, $3.39 for the jumbos, $3.19 for larges.
So, the eggs. They don't look fresh when you crack them in a pan, the whites are runny, a sign of old eggs. However, they weren't refrigerated (which is fine, they just last longer in the fridge, and once you fridge them, they need to stay fridged), so maybe that affects the whites in ways I'm not familiar with. However, they're quite huge (the farm jumbos make the grocery store jumbos look like mediums) and they do have a richer taste. And, they're cheaper. So that's nice.
This week I have 3-4 hour rehearsals tomorrow on, with a choir concert on Saturday, so I won't be cooking at all after tonight, when I probably won't cook anyway because I'll need to sleep to get myself ready. I will probably make a pina colada smoothie tonight, my favorite post-gym meal/heavy snack, so if that's good, I'll tell about it. I'm planning another farmer's market trip on Saturday, when I have people in town for my concert and no Saturday morning rehearsal, so I'm hoping some veggies might start coming out. I'm not really in tune with vegetable seasons, unfortunately, aside from asparagus and citrus.
Fennel slaw with pistachio pesto
This caught my eye: I like pesto, I like fennel. I also never really know what to do with fennel. One of my labmates once suggested putting it in stew/soup, but I'm not a stew/soup maker. I've also done prosciutto-wrapped veggies as a simple and quick appetizer, and used fennel as one of the veggies, but it's a bit boring. So when I saw this one on Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentiis, I said, ooh.
Make pesto: toast 3/4cup of pistachios, then add them to a food processor with 2cups flat leaf parsley, 1T fresh thyme (I used a 1/2T of provence herb blend I found in my mom's cabinet, that was fine), 3 garlic cloves and blend until finely chopped. Then run the food processor and slowly pour in 3/4cup olive oil, and voila, pesto.
In addition to the herb change, I skipped the olive oil and replaced it with about 1/2cup lemon juice. I don't really like oily foods, so I usually either drastically reduce the amount of oil I add or cut it altogether. I'm also trying to lose weight at the moment (or realistically, cut down on other things so I can enjoy my baking, which is what I'd rather eat than anything fried or potato-y or with oil, anyway). At first, the lemon pesto was quite lemony, but when I coated the chopped fennel (into bite-sized pieces) with it, the mild licorice flavor of the fennel went really nicely with the somewhat overly-citrusy pesto, and was good. Also, the pistachios give it a great flavor, much more interesting (in my opinion) than pine nuts.
I made this recipe for a potluck luncheon. I also made a simple tomato/basil/mozzarella salad. I reduced balsamic with figs (see previous entry), starting with 1 cup of balsamic vinegar, and added that to a bowl containing 5 medium tomatoes cut into wedges, a bunch of chiffonaded basil, and a pound of small mozzarella balls. Mix it all together, and make sure you grab a serving for yourself before it's all gone! You can add olive oil, but again, not my thing. This recipe is completely fat-free if you avoid the mozzarella, and I believe that's not a very high-fat cheese, anyway (as cheeses go).
Non-recipe good food:
Boyfriend and I went to the farmer's market on Saturday. Since we live in a fairly rural area (at least compared to where I lived before), the farmer's market is big, a big deal, and popular. One should really arrive early, although the stand that used to sell out before 11am (except for the plain croissants) now has a bakery here in town, so their stuff lasts a bit longer.
Boyfriend got some elk sausage from an elk ranch relatively nearby. They have quite a variety, and since this was our first farmer's market of the season, he chose our favorite, the celtic stout sausage. It's good. They put Guinness in it, and I'm not sure what else, but slap those babies on the grill and the result is extreme goodness. He also grilled some sweet potato wedges and made a salad, and after my long day in lab (an on a Saturday, so I was a bit bitter), it was heaven.
I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. A labmate lent it to me, and praised it. It took me a while (about 6 months) to finally begin it, since I'm not usually a non-fiction kind of reader, but while it's slow going, it's really interesting. Last week I read the section on the pastoral farm, which, in a quick summary, is about how animals that eat grass are healthier and produce better food (meat, eggs, etc- probably milk too, but I don't think that was specifically mentioned) than their corn-fed counterparts. (Incidentally, feeding cows corn is terrible for their health, and the only reason they can survive on it is because they're slaughtered younger than their grass-fed counterparts.) By "better", I mean healthier for us, as well as tasting better- "more chickeny" was a common quote from people interviewed. Anyway, so I'm thinking about fresh eggs- not necessarily eggs from grass-fed chickens (cage-free and grass-fed are not the same thing, and free-range chickens don't always range freely. They're given the choice, but, being creatures of habit, don't always take advantage of the foreign outdoor range offered to them) because this seems to be hard to find, but fresh eggs. So, I found one stand selling eggs from their farm, and I bought them. Added bonus: they were cheaper than at the grocery store. Jumbo eggs were 14cents less, and large eggs were 69 cents less. Eggs are outrageously-priced right now in my area, $3.39 for the jumbos, $3.19 for larges.
So, the eggs. They don't look fresh when you crack them in a pan, the whites are runny, a sign of old eggs. However, they weren't refrigerated (which is fine, they just last longer in the fridge, and once you fridge them, they need to stay fridged), so maybe that affects the whites in ways I'm not familiar with. However, they're quite huge (the farm jumbos make the grocery store jumbos look like mediums) and they do have a richer taste. And, they're cheaper. So that's nice.
This week I have 3-4 hour rehearsals tomorrow on, with a choir concert on Saturday, so I won't be cooking at all after tonight, when I probably won't cook anyway because I'll need to sleep to get myself ready. I will probably make a pina colada smoothie tonight, my favorite post-gym meal/heavy snack, so if that's good, I'll tell about it. I'm planning another farmer's market trip on Saturday, when I have people in town for my concert and no Saturday morning rehearsal, so I'm hoping some veggies might start coming out. I'm not really in tune with vegetable seasons, unfortunately, aside from asparagus and citrus.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)