TrinKnitty

Strong, Sexy & Stylish

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Hello! I would like to introduce you to a few people. These lovely ladies are, from left to right, Karen, Laura and Sally. Sally is a friend of mine, which is how I came to meet Karen and Laura last week.

For a little while now, this trio has been in cahoots under the name Strong, Sexy & Stylish. Their goal is simply stated yet quite complex: teach women to love themselves. Their approach is threefold: write a blog, host a podcast and get out there and talk to/with people.

Last week, they hosted an event titled 9 Steps to a Happier You. Now, I am not normally one for the self-helpy stuff, but these ladies do it well and sucked me in with their humor and enthusiasm. Their steps/suggestions were logical, doable and all based on solid knowledge about fitness, sexual health and the intersection of body image and style. For me, their approach sends 2 consistent messages: 1. You are wonderful as you are. 2. You should take care of yourself in a way that honors that notion. It is important, worth the effort and likely to cause a domino effect of awesomeness for you.

Karen, Laura and Sally really care about their mission. This collaboration builds off of what each of these women do. They each have their area of expertise. Karen represents the strong, Laura the sexy and Sally the stylish. It also helps that they are funny and obviously have fun doing this together!

You can learn more about their backgrounds on their site.

In addition to being strong, sexy and stylish, these women are smart! I look forward to watching their movement of self-love grow. When they take over the world, I will be able to say I was on board from the start. If you want to check them out, they make it easy for you with a podcast, a blog, a facebook page, and more events to come. Linky link for you here.

Soup Swap 2012

2012-01-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

Maybe you weren't aware of it, but this past Saturday was a very important holiday in the United States. It was National Soup Swap Day!

I joined a vibrant group of women for a soup swapping and potluck party. The potluck contributions and the soups were plentiful, varied and homemade.

We snacked, chatted, imbibed a bit, even! I spent much of the night talking to these wonderful women, Melissa and Megan.

Holly was our hostess and she wowed us all with her scissor pizza cutting ways and with her truffle oil mushroom pizza. More, please.

Holly's daughter Lydia was in charge of the number selection process we used to determine our soup swapping order.

Fourteen of us brought soup, with most people bringing 6 quarts each. Some people brought 2 or 3 kinds to make up their 6 quarts. That is roughly 84 quarts of soup with around 17-20 different soups!

It was important to browse the soups and recipes, so you could make your selection wisely when it came to your turn.

Before making our selections, we took turns pimping our soups by explaining what we made and boasting about anything that made it special.

Everyone listened very intently.

I took these pictures, which meant I forgot to pay close attention to what people brought. It turns out that enough people brought vegetarian options, that I had no problem coming away with a wonderful variety of vegetarian soups.

A lot of the people at this event know each other from a mothers' group, so there were a few tiny cuties at the party. This mom is a good multi-tasker!

More soup pimping...

And....Holly in her domain!

What a wonderful swap! Thanks to Holly for hosting us and to all of the attendees for the soup that I will get to eat throughout the next few months of the winter.

Nobody is Safe

2012-01-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

It is winter here in Minnesota, which means when the sun is out, it is bright white. But, the days are short this time of year and not all of them are sunny. When it comes to taking pictures, natural light is pretty universally praised. So, what can you do when you don't have the natural light you'd like? You adjust! I've heard having the right lens can help. After a bit of research, I decided on the Canon 50mm f/1.8. I brought one home this weekend and from that moment on, nobody is my house was spared from the camera.

Not Tchazo.

Not Fanny.

Nor Jack.

Not even Paul, who was the only one whose objections had any chance of being heard. Although, it did help my case that I snuck up on him while he was cooking so he didn't have much time or attention to spare.

So far I am having a great time playing with it and am trying to relearn how close I need to stand to my subject. I guess I had grown really used to having a zoom function!

What about you? Do you have any favorite camera lenses? What does your favorite do well?

Further Lovely Connections

2012-01-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

Remember when I told you about the Beckoning of Lovely event? Well, the video of that day is now available! It is great fun to relive the day in this 11 minute and 11 second format. And, of course, now it means you can share the experience, too!

You can see me cast on the red scarf while Amy talks about the project at 3:40.

I have been waiting for this video to be available so that I could share it with Gale Zucker. If you are a knitter, you may know Gale by her sheepy photos in Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn. In 2009, I met Gale when I took one of her knitting focused photography workshops. Through the wonderful world of the internet, we have crossed virtual paths many times since then. It was from Gale that I learned about the Red Scarf Project. I knew I needed to let her know what a wonderful trickle down effect her suggestion caused.

The red scarf that you see me casting on in the video is currently on its journey. We knit it that day at the bean, I knit on it a bit when I brought it home and now it is out there in the world. A series of lovely knitters are each taking their turn knitting a part of the scarf and then mailing it on to the next knitter. Our goal is to have it finished and to the Red Scarf Project organization by 12/12/12. I contacted Gale to thank her for her part in providing my little bit of Beckoning of Lovely with a fitting end.

So, what did Gale have to say about the project? She was excited and, to add another delightful happenstance to the mix, Gale's newest book is called Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join In . I had no idea that the timing would match up so wonderfully! Gale shared my letter to her on the Craft Activism blog.

The number of links in this post is representative of the wonderful connections, virtual and physical, I felt surrounding my involvement with this project. A little bit of reaching out to connect has ended up circling back in a most smile-inducing way. Serendipity is a wonderful thing and I am so grateful I was open to letting it work its magic.

You know, if you feel like it, you can honor the spirit of Beckoning of Lovely by doing something to bring a little lovely to someone's day. After I shared this project with her, my sister went to the supermarket and bought a few bouquets of flowers. She and a friend headed to a city sidewalk and offered them to strangers along with a wish to have a good day. She said the reactions she got and knowing that she helped make a part of that person's day out of the ordinary were well worth the money she spent on the flowers. So, go ahead! Be playful!

FO: Bit by Bit Rug

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Exactly 2 years ago, I cast on for what I thought was going to be a blanket. My plan was to knit strips in different color families and then seam them together for a blanket. After working on it for a bit, in a bit-by-bit fashion, I realized the fringe was going to be too much for the overlapping join I had envisioned. I also recognized that it was a great width and color for a spot in my house that needed a rug.

After many, many, many hours of linen stitch, I recently bound off the Bit by Bit Rug!

It was a really fun knit that allowed me to use random balls of yarn and leftovers from projects. I chose yarn that was in the blue/green arena and randomly switched colors on each row leaving a tail of yarn on each side. Every 2 rows, I would tie the fringed edged together to secure them.

I was able to make it the exact length I needed it to be to fit the spot. I hope the pets don't find the fringe too alluring! I still need to get to the store to buy one of those rubbery mats that go under rugs to prevent them from slipping around.

I knew from the start of this project that it was going to take a really long time. A ridiculously long time. I made peace with that. However, what I didn't know is how addictive this project would become. The basket full of yarn and the work in progress has accompanied me through 2 years. This project regularly filled in when I was craving a stress-free knit. It often provided a much needed contrast to a long expanse of stockinette in a solid color. As it went on, it was slowly eating through my stash while reminding me of past projects, past knitting excursions and my first attempt at hand dying.

Someone at my LYS was shocked to hear that this project was destined to catch the mud, snow and salt from the boots and shoes that come into my house. I see her point. But, personally I am happy to have all the bits of yarn come together with a purpose other than sitting uselessly in my yarn cabinet. I think I may just cast on something similar soon. I have already been missing my basket of random bits!

Crafting in the New Year

2012-01-02T11:34:00.008-06:00

May you relish 2012!

Crafting, chatting and sharing delicious food has become my favorite way to welcome in a new year. Luckily for me, I have a great group of crafting friends who are willing to celebrate with me! I didn't capture any pictures this year, but I do have the memories of a great brunch filled with interesting conversation that spanned from religion to health to crafting with children to pet personalities. Thank you to Jill, Mary Margaret, Casey and Jessica for helping me start the year as I mean to go on.

We also welcomed in 2010 and 2011 in this same fashion.

Jars of relish are the Cucumber Relish from Canning for a New Generation.

A bit older and a whole lot of spoiled.

2011-12-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

"Don't make plans!", Paul says each year around my birthday. In our relationship, I am the one who tends to plan things for us, so it has taken some getting used to over the years to let go of that role. But, at this time of year, Paul takes charge and he does an amazing job of it. Each year I tell him that it is ok to celebrate modestly and each year he assures me he celebrates it how he wants to. And, boy, he does not do it modestly!

To us, birthdays are the holiday most worth celebrating. Honoring the day you were born is a way of honoring your existence. Last year, I wrote about my mixed feelings on how much Paul spoils me on my birthday. I think I am getting better at letting go of that baggage and basking in the awesomeness of whatever that day brings for me. Between Paul, my family and friends, it is definitely a time of the year where I feel the love that surrounds me. It is a wonderful feeling.

So, on to the story of the day/s of my 33rd birthday:

My morning started by when I awoke and went downstairs to find a breakfast in progress, a bouquet of flowers and a lovely letter about Paul's plan for the day. He had planned a day around celebrating aspects of me and the things I love. Of course, that included a lot of food related things!

We started by baking cookies together. He knows how much I like to swap food and with the MPLS Swappers swaps on hold, I haven't had a chance to swap in a while. He had found a vegan cookie swap and signed us up. He had also picked a vegan cookie recipe and had bought the ingredients so we could bake them together. Later in the day, we took our cookies to a vegan boutique and swapped cookie for cookie. I can't say that I love vegan cookies, but the experience of baking with Paul and knowing that he really pays attention to what gives me joy was a wonderful thing.

After baking cookies, we set out for the Science Museum of Minnesota. I haven't been to the museum since I was a kid, which means I hadn't seen their new building. It is a beautiful space, with tons of exhibits to explore. We were there to check out the Identity exhibit. In keeping with the theme of the day, we learned about what shapes a person.

The museum would like for you to know that you are so smart!

I took many, many pictures of plates of food throughout the day, but chose not to post them. I never know if others like to look at pictures of plates of food as much as I do! Regardless, you should be assured that I ate amazingly well that day. We had lunch at Cafe Ena before the cookie swap.

After a stop home to meet up with my Dad, take care of the dogs and get dressed up, we fought the downtown sports and holiday parade traffic in order to get to Cosmos for dinner. In advance of my birthday, Paul had sent me a list of entree choices he had pulled from a few restaurants he was considering. I got to pick my entree without knowing the restaurant. I think we chose well! Cosmos was beautiful and we both had delicious meals that were just the right amount of filling.

Notice that I have a million wine glasses! I ordered one glass, but asked a few questions before making my selection. Our waiter took it upon himself to bring me tastes of a few other wines just to make sure I was happy with my choice. He had me tasting different wines with different parts of my meal. For someone who typically has had no more than a few sips of alcohol here and there for quite a few months, the wine had quite an impact!

Paul enjoyed his food, too. I shared some of my wine with him, which is how I think I shared my cold with him, too. Oops. That is not a very nice appreciation gift from me!

All of the stuff above took place over the weekend, with my actual birthday being a few days later. On my actual birthday, he made a wonderful curry dinner at home and gave me my gifts. His gifts were immensely generous and extravagant this year! I received an ereader mostly prompted by its usefulness on our upcoming international vacation. Paul and I are also taking an intensive cooking class together next month. And.....the gift that made my jaw drop....a VITAMIX! There have been many wonderful smoothies coming out of that blender.

Once again, Paul demonstrated that he listens when I talk about the things that make me excited. He notices the activities that I enjoy and figures out a way to tap into them. I am looking forward to learning and cooking and traveling with him this year. My partner is a keeper!

At long last: The Kefir Post

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

Well! It is about time! Kefir has become an omnipotent part of my life for the past 6 months so it about time I give it some space here.

I obtained a kefir grain from fellow MPLS Swapper and (now) friend, Holly, after the June swap. It quickly made itself at home and starting growing and growing and growing. For the uninitiated, kefir is a form of fermented milk. It is fermented using something called a grain, which looks and feels a bit more like squishy/rubbery cauliflower.

Here is what I have been doing to make my kefir: I place the grain in a canning jar along with my milk of choice. I have tried cow (various percentages of fat) and goat milk. I then loosely screw on the plastic canning jar lid. I found the metal rings weren't holding up well against the fermenting kefir, so I switched to the plastic lids that are made for canning jars.

After the loosely covered jar sits out for a day or two, depending on the temperature, I pour it into my ceramic strainer. I have heard it is better to avoid contact with metal when you are handling fermented foods, so I use my ceramic berry bowl strainer.

Sometimes the kefir is bubbly! The fermentation is also said to produce a tiny amount of alcohol.

Depending on what I am planning to do with the kefir and my desired consistency, I can use it as is or strain some of the whey off.

But, no matter what, the grains need to be put back into another batch of milk right away. Sometimes I rinse them between batches and sometimes I don't. The grains grow a bit bigger with each batch, which adds up quickly when each batch only takes 24-48 hours. This means that my kefir grain has grown to over 10 times the size it was when I first got it! The bigger the grains, the more milk they process, too! As my grains have separated, I have given some away to others and plan to give some more away soon. Fortunately, I have figured out how to "rest" it in the fridge for a break. I have definitely needed the break on more than a few occasions.

Kefir Cheese in straining (jelly) bag

Being able to control the consistency of the kefir by straining off whey has made it such a versatile ingredient. Leave it as is and you have a buttermilk substitute. Strain a little whey off and it behaves like plain yogurt. Strain a little more off and you have a mayo replacement. A little more than that and it can be used like sour cream. Keep going and it is a spreadable, tart tasting cheese. Plus, straining the whey off means you also have whey you can use!

Using whey is a new thing for me. I have greatly enjoyed the lacto-fermented carrots I made recently. Paul and I are both looking forward to making lacto-fermented pickles with our next cucumber crop. I have been poking around for other ideas, but I have to confess, most of the whey has gone into our compost pile. I am not sure how to use it in large quantities, so any suggestions you have are welcome!

The kefir-as-buttermilk substitute has opened a door to so many lovey baked goods. The yogurt consistency mixed with a little vanilla extract and maple syrup poured over granola has become a common breakfast. In the past month or two, I have made many modified versions of this baked oatmeal to use up kefir. The baked oatmeal makes for delicious leftovers. Sometimes I even reheat it and then pour some kefir over it. All of this kefir has been a delicious curse.

Here is a round-up of some recipes I know I have followed with kefir subbing in for the dairy products:

Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes (We have made this many times. They are great as cold leftovers with jam.)

Banana Blueberry Buttermilk Bread (I used frozen raspberries instead of blueberries and I didn't mash the bananas very thoroughly. Yum.)

Cranberry Buttermilk Loaf (I made multiple batches over Thanksgiving. This was delicious with frozen or fresh cranberries.)

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins (Made with apples my dad grew!)

Baked Oatmeal (Mentioned above. Play with the combination of fruit and definitely add in minced candied ginger.)

Lemon Dill Deviled Eggs

Cucumber Salad with Tarragon Cream

In the warmer months, I blended the kefir with all sorts of things to be eaten as smoothies or frozen into popsicles. I also tried mixing it with fruit and turning it into fruit leather in the dehydrator. That received mixed reviews.

I am looking forward to continued experimentation with this ingredient. In addition to the versatility and the tangy taste, kefir is purported to be full of great health benefits. A quick google search for "kefir" and "health benefits" brings up a ton of positive claims including that it helps boost your immune system and, in many cases, is easily digested by people with lactose intolerance.

Last but not least, if you are local to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and this kefir thing piques your interest, feel free to get in touch with me by email or through the comments. I would be happy to pass on a grain to you! Be warned, though, when I give a grain I call NO BACKS!

Henry's Henry and Janes

2011-11-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

Next up: Henry!

Henry is a month and a day old today, so he doesn't fit into these clothes just yet, but he should soon. I knit these before he was born, but only mailed them recently (I blame buttons. The buttons always delay delivery for me.). Friends Abby and Jeff waited until birth to find out if they have a son or a daughter, so I didn't know the name of the baby when I knit these. I was thoroughly amused when I found out they named him Henry. Why? The name of the vest pattern: Henry's Manly Cobblestone Inspired Vest.

I had yarn enough left over to make some matching booties for the vest.

The buttons for these came out of the stash. It is somewhat of a miracle to find a matching set of buttons in the jumble of buttons that make up my "collection".

Plus, did you notice? I have my very own labels! My friend Becky gave these to me a while ago and I finally remembered to use them. When I gave Holly Magnus's pants with a label on them, she joked that it was smart of me to do that so she can't take the credit for my work!

The yarn is a lovely, springy, hand-dyed cormo wool. I received this yarn as a gift from Susan at Juniper Moon Farm at the time where her farm was part Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm and part Hudson Valley Fiber Farm, so I am not sure who to attribute it to. I'll bet her current cormo is just as nice. The yarn arrived to help cheer me up during my moth fiasco. I've been holding on to it, waiting for the right project to come along. A knitter's baby is a deserving recipient for this special yarn.

Two asides:

First, I got to see Susan recently! She was in town on her trunk show tour. My mom and I met up at Amazing Threads to listen to Susan tell the abbreviated story of her fiber farming and yarn production journey. Susan is touring in support of her newly released Juniper Moon Farm yarn line. The yarns are all very nice, but I was especially smitten with Findley, the laceweight yarn. Merino and silk? Yes, please! Word is that a semi-solid Findley is on the way with the next season. Double yes.

Second, I am almost afraid to say it out loud, but I think we may have beat the moths. They are such jerkfaces and kept coming back. I went on an all-out assault mission over the last month (so. much. laundry.) and think I may have finally eliminated any spots that could harbor the vile pests. Luckily, the stash didn't experience much loss after the original discovery as I put it on lockdown. However, with dogs and a husband who didn't know better, the moths found other places to set up shop. It has been a long battle, since we moved these nasties from Boston with us over 3 years ago! Fingers crossed.

Welcome to the world, Henry! You have awesome parents, so let them get some sleep, okay?

Back to the knitting: Magnus' Pants

2011-11-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

What is this jumbly mess of knitting? Pants! Baby pants, to be specific.

The side: Once again, I lucked out at Hunt & Gather when it came to finding appropriate buttons. These pants button down the side of each leg, so I needed lots of buttons.

The front: I chose brown for the front knowing that the little one who will wear these will likely be crawling by the time he fits into them.

The back: The pattern was designed with a big back pouch to house a cloth-diapered baby bum.

I knit them out of a cotton/modal blend yarn for ease of washing and for comfort. But, I knew they weren't going to stay up on their own due to cotton's saggy tendency. The drawstrings were added to the pants to take care of that. Also, I expect that the drawstrings will help to extend the fit of these as they can grow with him for a while. I hope my friend Holly's little Magnus gets some good wear out of these!

And then some.

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Random outtakes from the rest of my time in Chicago...

I spent a few hours my last morning in town wandering around Millennium Park with Erin, my roommate from my first year of college, and her two little ones. We got along splendidly back then and didn't skip a beat this time even though our paths hadn't crossed since we met up in D.C. in 1998. (Typing that made me feel old!) It was a great coincidence that she had recently moved to Chicago. And, an even greater coincidence that she had found me on Facebook right before my trip. When I saw where she was living, I knew we had to get together to catch up. I'm glad we did.

The Art Institute of Chicago is pretty on the outside, even when everything is dried up and the fountains are empty. I'm sure it is pretty on the inside, too, but I didn't go in.

Downtown Chicago is full of many, many beautiful buildings. The Harold Washington Library was a particular standout one for me. Those gargoyles are immense!
Scoot scoot and some Italian Beef.

The L went right past where I was staying. I was level with it when eating breakfast by the big windows on the 2nd floor of the hostel. It made for interesting breakfast scenery and great white noise for sleeping. I've lived by a lot of train tracks in my life and find them really comforting. I am not sure everyone at the hostel feels that way, but I was glad to have it nearby. Elevating the train above the road makes for a really packed city with traffic below, then trains and then layer upon layer of buildings above everything else.

All of the density makes the city feel bustling and it makes the stretch of park the borders downtown feel really special.

The fall colors were wonderfully displayed throughout the green space with the tall buildings framing it on one side and Lake Michigan on the other side. The contrast was stunning.

Well, Chicago, thanks for the fling. I'll be back again.

Beckoning of Lovely, 11/11/11

2011-11-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

On Friday, 11/11/11, this yarn, these needles and I headed over to the Bean. We had a date.

At 10:30-ish, this is what the area by the Bean looked like:

By 11-ish, this is what it looked like:

Then, at 11:11am, this wonderful lady walked in with her yellow umbrella!

We had all gathered to beckon the lovely, to make the most of our time here and to feel that we are all one...all sentiments from Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Beckoning of Lovely project. She has been at this bean-related awesomeness since 2008. If you would like to get up to speed (you totally should), you can watch the videos on her YouTube channel. The story starts with "17 Things I Made."

Every year since 2008 a group of people have gathered at the Bean and have made memories full of whimsy and joy. We sang happy birthday to someone who was having an 11th birthday, we witnessed someone getting engaged, we saw people get merried (no, not married, MERRIED!), we hokied pokied, John Green came, Nick Gage performed, we flash texted and so much more.

I've been watching the videos each year as they get released and when I realized I could be there for this last one, I jumped on the chance. Amy posted an invitation to the event along with a call for ideas related to the 11/11/11 (aka We Are All One) concept. I added my thoughts with this comment:

One thought that comes to my mind when thinking about the symbolism of 11/11/11 is knitting! For me, knitting is based on the importance of each individual stitch AND how those individual stitches come together to form something complete. In knitting, it is the accumulation of many, many individual stitches that creates a whole. Each stitch could stand alone, but it really gains meaning and a purpose when it interacts with the stitches around it. By connecting with the other stitches above it, beside it and below it, it becomes something greater than it would be alone. I may be a strong stitch, but together we are a warm sweater!

Knitting! Of course! Amy liked this idea and what started as a blog comment turned into me standing front and center casting on a scarf while Amy talked about what it is we will be making together. I am very thankful that she did the talking. It is hard to cast on, count stitches, not fall over from nervousness and talk coherently into a megaphone that is being oscillated by an adorable child! Here is what Amy shared with everyone:

Trinity's idea is to knit a scarf together, stitch by stitch, person by person. It will then be donated to the Red Scarf Project. The Red Scarf Project creates care packages and sends them to college students who have aged out of the foster care system. Each care package includes a handmade red scarf. So Trinity is starting the scarf right now... If you would like to add a couple stitches to it today, or be part of it later when it gets passed through the mail, meet her over by the Bean after this gathering. She'll be the one with the red yarn.

After the event, I hung around for a good long while chatting with people while they knitted a bit on the scarf. There were plenty of people who were interested in knitting on the scarf but didn't know how to knit. A few people gave their friends impromptu lessons and a few people tag teamed the knitting by swinging the yarn around the needle while I worked the stitches.

I have a list of knitters who will be taking their turn knitting a few inches on the scarf before sending it on to the next knitter. We are aiming to knit this scarf throughout the next year with the goal of having it to the Red Scarf Project by 12/12/12. I am looking forward to seeing the end result of our collaboration and hope the person that receives this scarf will feel the magic knit into these stitches. Thank you, knitters!

The event was recorded, so when the official video goes up, I will let you know. Until then, you should check out Beckoning of Lovely (The Movie), the film that was released on 11/11/11 after 3 years in the making. Be sure you keep an eye out for the red scarf in the movie. Coincidences like that rock my world! (UPDATE: Amy has temporarily removed the movie. She says it will be back and shinier than ever later on.)

And, last but not least, a huge thank you to Amy and everyone else who made the event happen and to the super rad ladies who sat near me, one of whom took the picture of me while I was casting on the scarf. You are lovely. All of you.

Solo in Chicago

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

It has been far too long since I have been somewhere that is full of brand new sights and sounds and experiences. Paul and I are planning a big trip together but that won't be happening until February and I have been having a major traveling urge. February is getting closer but it still feels so far away that I had to do something little before then. So, in order to tide me over, a few weeks ago I decided to plan a solo trip to Chicago. Chicago isn't brand new to me since I have visited there a few times in the past when friends Mark and Jerri and Beth lived there and hosted us. I have been meaning to go back since we moved back to Minneapolis.

Even though the city isn't brand new to me, this would be the first time I would go to this specific part of Chicago and the first time I would be in charge of finding my way around. Chicago is a big enough city, that I could easily take multiple trips there without stepping in the same place twice.

There was a particular reason I felt compelled to go to Chicago on this specific weekend. More about that later.

Another appealing aspect of a trip to Chicago was the ease and affordability of it. I was able to get a wicked cheap Megabus ticket and a room at the hostel. The bus ticket meant I could sit back and relax in transit. The hostel reservation meant I would stay right in the thick of downtown in a place with a kitchen and companionship if I wanted it.

My first day was mostly spent in transit, but I did venture out in the evening. I found an amazingly quiet moment to check out the Sears Tower observation area. Well, truthfully it is now called the Willis Tower, but I haven't accepted that yet. I didn't realize how lucky I was to walk in and up through all of the waiting areas without having to wait in any lines. When I walked past the entrance on my way out of town, there was a huge line that snaked out of the building and around the corner! Lucky timing!

The tower now boasts a "ledge" which is a box that juts out and is completely transparent. It freaked the heck out of me as I am not fond of heights. This little girl was just sitting there calm as can be. Meanwhile, I couldn't make myself step out there. Not even with one foot. I leaned over to take this photo of the floor:

110 floors straight down. A box with big screw-looking things hold it up. No thank you!

Supposedly Giordano's has the best stuffed/Chicago style pizza in town. I was actually craving Neopolitan style pizza, but I figured when in Chicago, eat Chicago style pizza. I should have gone for the Neopolitan. That would have been a better modification of the when in Rome saying.

I got the mega-vegetable pizza and it still left my tummy feeling like it had a brick made of bread and cheese in it. Hopefully someone at the hostel enjoyed my leftovers.

The next day, something special happened. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Meet me at the Bean!

Violet's Vest

2011-11-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

Baby Boom!

There have been a whole lot of new lives coming to be in my circle lately. When there are new babies, there must be baby knitwear!

Jamie and Adam's Violet was an early, early arrival, so even though she is technically 5 months old, it didn't seem too late for her arrival gift.

At the retreat I went to recently, we got a little tutorial on embellishing knits with crochet, so I figured I would give it a try on this vest.

The knitting of this vest took a fraction of the time that finding the right buttons did. On a simple knit like this, you gotta really love the buttons. I had a few options from my button stash, but none of them seemed happy enough. I finally made a trip to Hunt & Gather, my favorite local button source, to take a dive into their vintage button mound. I ended up finding buttons for all 3 of the baby projects I had brought with me.

Jamie received this vest as the "decoration" on top of her birthday gift. It was a surprise even though she had told me before she got pregnant that if she had another baby, she would love for me knit this vest for her baby. Check!

What Became of the Apples

2011-10-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

As I shared before, I went hiking and came home with 13 pounds of apples. A bunch of these beauties were eaten out of hand but most of them were preserved. With an early batch of apples, I had already made dried apple rings and apple preserves/jam. I wanted to try some different options this time.

Applesauce was at the top of the list. I haven't been much of an applesauce consumer in the past but recently that has been changing. I've enjoyed mixing it into oatmeal, spreading it on pancakes and am interested in making more baked goods with applesauce. Perhaps the reason behind my burgeoning love of applesauce is a few delicious jars of sauce from Jamie and her mom, Charleen. As with many things, homemade applesauce is a million times better than store bought. This is especially true when you start with delicious and complex apples and don't add sugar to the sauce. So, if I want to increase my applesauce intake, I need to get a little stockpile of homemade sauce in my pantry. I started by cutting 6 pounds of apples into big chunks without peeling or coring them.

I put the apples into a big electric roaster along with cinnamon sticks, ginger slices a bit of water and some lemon juice. After a day of cooking down and occasional stirring along the way, the apples were soft.

I busted out my brand new food mill, washed it with soap and water and set to milling the cooked apples. Here is where things went downhill. The food mill was secretly releasing some sort of lubricant on the underside as I milled the apples through it. I noticed when I set it down on a plate to add more apples into it. When I picked it up, there was a little pool of grey applesauce on the plate! Yuck!

At this point, after investing hours into this sauce, I was not happy to see it get ruined. I tried to salvage it by scooping out any suspicious looking sauce from the bowl of apples that had already been milled and transferring the yet-to-be-milled apples to a wire mesh colander. I would have liked to just stop right there and accept a chunky sauce but, since I opted to leave the cores in while cooking it down, it had to be milled. I ended up using a spatula to push the sauce through the colander, hopefully filtering out the seeds and hard bits. It was irritating, to say the least.

In the end, my efforts and my 6 pounds of apples became 2 pints of sauce; sauce that may or may not be tainted with lubricant. I won't be making applesauce again anytime soon. Plus, now I am super leery of using my new food mill. Hopefully I will be the recipient of some more delicious applesauce from Jamie and/or Charleen come Christmas time this year.

After the sauce fiasco, I still had a few pounds of apples left. I wanted to preserve them, but wanted to try something interesting. Coincidentally, my friend Holly found an intriguing recipe for Sweet and Spicy Apple Slices and passed it on to me at just the right time. I haven't cracked these open yet, but I am definitely enjoying looking at them. The floating slices and spices are quite pretty. I'll bet the apple slices themselves will be tasty, but I am mostly looking forward to trying out uses for the syrup in the jar.

Lacto-Fermented Curried Carrots

2011-10-27T20:30:00.001-05:00

The garden is nearly done for the year. Last weekend we pulled up the root veggies. We did not treat them right, so they didn't grow very big and strong. I am sensing a theme in my planting style: plant them close together and don't baby them. Unfortunately, that approach yields tiny carrots and beets.

Next year I will thin them so they have more space. I will also do a better job of prepping the soil so that it is the right mix of sand and clay and so that it is loose enough for those roots to grow down. For this year, I have many tiny, stubby carrots.

I also let the cilantro go to seed and then dry out in the garden. This wasn't necessarily intentional, but as it turns out, it was useful! Cilantro is also known as coriander and I just happened to know of a recipe that combines carrots and coriander!

I separated the seeds from the plant and measured them out.

Then, I shelled some cardamom seeds.

I mixed them all together along with some other spices, some garlic slices and a halved and seeded cayenne pepper which also grew under neglected conditions in our garden.

We grew two varieties of carrots this year. The Carnival variety yields some gorgeous and vibrant carrots.
I put the carrots into the jar with the spices, leaving some of the roots on the smallest carrots. I didn't peel any of them since they were all so small. These are currently fermenting on the counter with the help of some kefir whey and salt. I still owe you a post about kefir! Soon. Soon, I will get that one together. I've opened the jar once so far and it bubbled, so I must be doing something right!

I was lucky enough to score a jar of Kim's Cultured Curried Carrot Sticks at a previous food swap, so I know of their potential. If mine turn out anything like her batch, I will be a happy rabbit.

Surprise Apples and a Happy Birthday

2011-10-20T07:00:00.003-05:00

Ooh la la! Fall in Minnesota is pretty. That doesn't mean I am not sad to have missed Rhinebeck over the past weekend, though. I hope all those who went had a wonderful, wooly weekend and that you all had the apple crisp with caramel sauce. I hope to make it back to the festival again someday. Until then, I have the memories (2006 was pre-blog, 2007, 2009: 1, 2009: 2) and the abundance of fall activities here in Minnesota.

Jamie, Sylvia and I meant to go for a hike at Carpenter Nature Center but, when we arrived, we found out they also have a great orchard and it just happened to be Apple Fest day. I told myself that this year I would not purposely seek out apples, but if I happened into them, I would accept. I think accidentally going to Apple Fest qualifies, so apple picking we went.

Before picking the apples, we hopped on a hay ride that went around the orchard. The host described all of the pest prevention strategies they use to avoid having to spray the apples. From my experiences last year with cellulite apples and this year's mostly rotten apples from our trees, I was primed to learn about non-spray pest prevention.

Despite the fall leaves, it was actually a warm day!

At this orchard they have a tasting table set up in the orchard. It was great to taste each variety that was ripe and learn about their uses before choosing the ones we were going to take home. Plus, I am sure it saves them from having people taste and toss apples as they are picking. Good thinking!

Sylvia was a great apple picking helper and, despite the surly start, seemed to enjoy herself by the end of the afternoon. It probably helped that there were a lot of cool creatures to look at in the nature center including this curious snapping turtle.

In addition to posting about our fun day at the orchard, I also want to take this opportunity to wish Jamie a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My friendship with Jamie is the longest friendship I have had, going all the way back to 3rd or 4th grade, depending on who you ask. She remembers me being tall and mean in 3rd grade and swears we weren't friends until 4th grade. I do not concede :) She is my friend but she is also family. A very happy birthday to you, Jamie! See you tonight for some craft-based celebrating!

Pet Roundup

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have updated you on the super important activities of my pets. Fanny has taken to napping on the dog bed. Jack and Tchazo frequently share the pillow, but Jack was a little uneasy about sharing it with Fanny. She is tangential to his pack; neither friend nor foe.

After about a month or so, he warmed up to her and their personal space bubbles got a little smaller.

Tchazo doesn't know where he fits in with this new arrangement. There isn't enough room for all three of them and he is too polite to budge in.

Luckily, he prefers trips to the dog park to sleeping on his bed. So, while the elderly and feline members of the household take it easy, he gets to run and splash and dig and fetch.

Fall is a great time to go to the dog park as the stinky, mucky parts from summer have dried up and the air is crisp but not yet bitter cold.

You are invited to meet us there. We'll be going as frequently as possible for the next month or two. Chances are Tchazo will see you, pause like this for a minute and then run to you for some loving. Then, I suggest you throw a stick. If you pet him and then throw a stick, you will be in his heart forever.

Fall Randomness

2011-10-16T10:56:00.006-05:00

Well! I had not intended to be away from the blog for that long! It seems my to-do and to-make lists for this fall are big and mighty. Down time has not been much lately which is when I usually have time to process and post and write about stuff. I've got a bit to catch you up on!

I've been apple picking and apple processing. Full posts about apples to follow shortly.

After receiving our large cabbage delivery from my dad, Paul and I are trying out a different method of sauerkraut making. We are a week into it at this point and so far so good. When the results are ready, I will post a comparison between last year's (not very good) batch and this year's (hopefully really tasty) batch.

Along with the cabbage, we also received a cellar's full of squash, pumpkins and potatoes. There will be a lot of roasting and baking in my near future. I've also enjoyed sharing the wealth as I have lots of local friends who also treasure the tastiness of winter squash.

I've been pulling in the last of the crops from our garden and processing them. There have been a plentiful amount of small tomatoes still coming out of the garden. Those have been roasted, dried and frozen as they come in to the house. These particular roasted tomatoes were made using the recipe from Supernatural Everyday. I used some in the black bean salad recipe also from the book and froze some for use later. This book is new to my collection and I have been working my way through a bunch of the recipes.

I've also been making sure to spend a lot of time hanging out with people because as soon as the temps go low and the ice sets in, I am much less motivated to leave my house for social occasions. A few of my social outings recently include: an art opening with Jessy (photo above), attending and hosting some great crafting sessions, a dinner party where I met a whole new group of people, a yarn tasting with Jill and an open mic session at a neighborhood cafe. Paul and I have ate meals at a few new and a few favorite restaurants and we have been trying to get back on the cooking-great-meals-at-home bandwagon. It is funny how the gardening and preserving season takes over the kitchen and preparing meals takes a lower priority.

We've also been working on a lot of home and yard improvements. Rabbit proof fencing has gone up around the garden. Paint colors and flooring are being carefully selected and installed. Long researched and debated pieces of furniture and lighting are coming in and mismatched, random acquisitions from the past are being handed on to others. With each new box that appears, it must undergo the Fanny inspection. She wastes no time getting to work as this stack was in the house no more than 2 minutes before she took her perch.

With each change we make and each project we finish, it feels more and more like home here.

Fall Knitting Retreat with Annie Modesitt

2011-09-26T18:55:00.001-05:00

A lovely group of knitters representing Minnesota, Idaho, Ohio, West Virginia, New York and North Dakota descended upon a bee themed resort in rural Minnesota this past weekend. The reason for our gathering was a knitting retreat organized and hosted by the warm and witty Annie Modesitt.

The cabins and the retreat center were right on the lake shore and were super clean and spacious. We were spread between two cabins but were able to gather in one for meals and socializing and the other for the classes.

Annie's friend Kathleen, who was formerly a catering assistant, prepared the delicious meals and snacks that kept us fueled for a weekend packed with knitting.

There was plenty of socializing, project sharing, knitting book perusing and a fair amount of wine consumed. All wonderful things, in my world.

Our first morning, I took a cup of tea out to the dock that was covered in dew and drank it in the bright, early sun while the waves gently lapped at the dock. It was a good thing that I seized the opportunity that morning, as the crew came and removed the dock for the season just a few hours later.

Like clockwork: the first official weekend of fall...the wool was out and the dock was in!

The two classes included in the weekend's retreat schedule were a colorwork class and an entrelac class. I've heard great things about Annie's teaching so I was excited to be able to take classes from her. I've done a bit of colorwork and a bit of entrelac but do not feel like a master of either. It was really helpful to go through the content with Annie.

Annie lived up to the hype! She is a great teacher. Her colorwork class was so much more than I had hoped for. We went over stranding, intarsia, twining and plaid techniques, but what I really loved were the little tips and tricks Annie threw in. I came away with some ideas for joining new colors, weaving in ends more effectively and embellishing with crochet and duplicate stitch. As if that wasn't enough, Annie also gave me some tips about how to better control my gauge when I mentioned always needing to go down 2 or 3 needle sizes to get gauge. Being in control is a good thing!

The afternoon class covered the basics of entrelac. It was a helpful that I had a little background in entrelac because it is mind bending. Annie teaches entrelac using charts, which makes great sense, if you ask me. Plus, charts free the knitter up to customize the heck out of their entrelac. Once you understand the construction, you can add cables, lace, ribs, colorwork or whatever else you want to throw into those little angled grids. It really helps to knit forwards AND backwards when doing entrelac, which is what Elizabeth is practicing in the photo above while Annie watches and encourages.

During our entrelac break, we received a special delivery from Kathleen: warm, homemade apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. Delicious.

Here are my class swatches. The color craziness at the top left was intentional. We were instructed to swap bits of yarn with those around us to make some crazy looking plaid. Well, the color craziness minus the errant row of orange that happened when I forgot to change back to pink. Oops! According the Annie's request, when we make mistakes in class, we are supposed to leave them there so we can learn from them and so we can keep pace with the class. It was hard to leave it! I am a bit of a rule follower AND a perfectionist, which meant I either had to follow the rules and leave it or break the rule to satisfy my inner knitting perfectionist. Discord! You can see which side won.

Also with us this weekend was Becca. She is the super cute and smart service dog of Heather. This dog is so smart that she knows when Heather's blood sugar drops too low or, get this, is ABOUT to drop too low. Those are some skills. Becca uses her stare down skills for good while Tchazo uses his stare down skills to persuade us to let him on the bed or open the door for him.

The weather was perfectly fall-like, with a bit of chill, blue skies and crunchy leaves below my feet. It was way too nice to spend the whole weekend inside, so I headed out for walks at least once each day. My hands are a little out of practice from the lack of knitting this summer, so the walks gave my hands a chance to rest and my eyes a chance to take in some beautiful Minnesota views.

Big thanks to Kathleen, Heather and London for taking care of our needs before, during and after the retreat and for being great company this weekend. Thanks to the other retreat-goers for sharing your projects, your stories and your excitement for knitting. It is a wonderful thing to be amidst a group of competent and confident knitters. More than once this weekend, I heard one knitter tell another, "You can totally make this! It isn't too hard! It is just one stitch at a time!"

And, of course, a big, big thanks to Annie for organizing a great retreat that increased our skills and our connections to other knitters. If you ever have a chance to take a class from Annie or go on a retreat with her, do it!

Pogona Shawl

2011-09-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

Next up: My Pogona! Pogona is another of Stephen West's patterns. I tapped into my stash to harvest another skein of Fleece Artist for this shawl. I think this yarn gets along well with his patterns. No pooling! That is always a relief when using variegated yarn.

The resulting shawl isn't quite as flowing as the pattern photos make it seem, but I still like the wavy result that the extra fabric in the increase sections creates.

As with the Herbivore pattern, this shawl is easy to memorize yet varied enough to keep you engaged. I hope the friend that gets this shawl likes it!

Purple Revolution

2011-09-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Circular Shawls = luscious, versatile, perfect

The great thing about circular shawls is that you don't have to pick if you want your front or your back to be covered. You can have both!

Ever since making my Vortex shawl and wearing it for a while, I have been sold on this shape. If you are someone who doesn't like a lot of fabric around your neck, this probably isn't the shape for you. I like how wrapped up and cozy this shape feels.

This shawl is made from the Industrial Revolution pattern. It is made from the center out. When I got towards the edges, I was worried about running out of yarn, so I skimped on a few repeats of the last column section. Turns out I had enough and could have followed the pattern. I think it is big enough, so I am ok with the change.

Blocking out those "gear" edges meant a pin for each point. 7 pins per gear by 16 gears equals 112 pins! I think the blocking efforts were worth it, though. The gear edging strikes my fancy. This shawl is for me and I plan to wear the heck out of it, alternating between the Vortex and the Revolution this fall and winter.

SLC Herbivore Shawl

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

I will soon be on my way out, heading to a knitting retreat. It will be the perfect way to celebrate the first official weekend of fall! Since I have knitting on the brain again, I realized I've been holding out on you when it comes to posting my recent F.O.s. Well, I will make it up to you this weekend with a set of posts about shawls.

I love shawls. In fact, I love them so much that I very rarely wear anything around my neck that is a traditional scarf shape anymore. I find the bulk and shape of shawls much more comfortable and cozy and warm (and way more fun to knit!). I especially like shawls that are horseshoe or circular as I find those to be great shapes for wrapping around my neck and still covering my shoulders.

One of my favorite shawl designers is Stephen West. I've found his patterns to be well written with interesting shapes and construction. I love that the resulting shawls are unusual yet there tends to be enough repetition in the patterns that I can get my bearings and not have to continually consult the pattern as I knit.

This shawl is made following the Herbivore pattern. I used some Fleece Artist yarn that has been in my stash for years. This project was actually knit in January on my trip to see Becky. It made for excellent travel knitting. Somehow it took 2 weeks to knit and 8 months to photograph! Now that I have finally documented it, this shawl will be gifted to a friend.

Went to Market

2011-09-18T15:21:00.007-05:00

Sure the farmers' market is great in the summer. But, my preferred market days are when the weather has a bit of a chill to it. The beginning and end of market seasons are my favorites. This could be related to the fact that in the middle of market season, I am usually overwhelmed by produce and have no business going to the market. The truth is, with our garden and supplements from my dad's garden, I rarely need to buy vegetables during the growing season. I am lucky that way. However, I do enjoy many of the other local goods for sale and can appreciate them best when the heat is off, literally and figuratively.

This past Saturday the weather was great for going to the market, so I headed over to the Midtown Farmers' Market. I picked up a loaf of bread from Black Paws. It was hard to choose which one to get because they all looked and sounded so good. I opted for the potato rosemary loaf so I could eat it with the Carrot Tomato Soup that I made with the last of the big garden tomatoes and so that I could properly taste a recently made batch of mustard. The jury is still out on the Bourbon Brown Sugar Mustard.

The chilly day probably didn't help the 10,000 Licks stand out, but I am glad they are selling at my local market. Such fun flavors! And, a clever business name for a Minnesota (Land of 10,000 Lakes) ice pop company.

I did not know that lemongrass can be grown locally, but was super glad to find out that it can. I have a block of tofu and some foraged lobster mushrooms in the fridge that are waiting to become ingredients in Coconut Soup with Galanga and Butternut Squash. The recipe I follow is from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott but this one seems basically the same. So, when I saw a vendor with lemongrass for $1, I was psyched.

If I hadn't been hitting up the market on my way to a potluck knitting brunch, I totally would have had a vegetarian arepa. The Hola Arepa food truck has been getting rave reviews all over town and their black bean and queso fresco arepa sounded great. Hopefully they will be there again next time because I definitely want to try their food.

Spike was there, too. The vendor selling these dog biscuits was talking about how well behaved Spike is. I would have liked to swap dogs after what Tchazo did Friday night. He snuck into the garden and ate a ton of cucumbers. Then, logically, he proceeded to be sick all evening. He threw up inside and outside (which meant I had to jump up every 15 minutes to get him outside for another round of sickness). Yuck! I did feel bad for him though because he looked pretty miserable with his hunched posture and shivers. He doesn't seemed to have learned his lesson, though, since we caught him in the patch again the next day. A diet of white rice has helped his stomach recover and we are working on getting the garden totally fenced in.

Since I have my own harvest going on at home, I didn't buy many veggies at the market, but I did stock up on a few giant bags of onions for the root cellar. I also was glad that my favorite maple syrup vendor was there so that I could get another jug from him. This recipe for Maple-Sweetened Blueberry Rhubarb Jam and lots of batches of maple sweetened granola have been depleting my stock of maple syrup.

It is fun to be at that point in the year where I can spend my energy on making great meals instead of making great preserves to eat with great meals later. I like doing both, but much like with the 4 seasons, it is nice when things shift gears every few months.

September Swap

2011-09-14T18:20:00.006-05:00

This time of year, if you work in education, is absolutely bonkers. I'm pretty spent by the end of the day, so it is hard to keep up with all of the non-work parts of my life. I have to admit, I have eaten some frozen dinners lately just to stay fed. That doesn't happen very often in my world. I really don't like when things get so busy that I don't have time to focus on fulfilling food. It doesn't feel good physically or emotionally when my food has to be sacrificed. But, sometimes it is unavoidable.

Despite being busy and pretty darn tired (and newly bandaged and bruised from a bike crash earlier in the day!), I didn't want to miss out on the MPLS Swappers' August food swap. I haven't missed one, yet! Here are recaps from the previous swaps: March, May, June, July, and August. Unfortunately, I felt like the frenzy that is the rest of my life right now was present at the swap, too. Setup! Taste! Bid! Swap! Done! It went by so fast! Maybe everyone else is pressed for time right now, too.

One of the tables

Salty, peppery crackers

Vanilla Cashew Cream & Raspberry Parfait

We were again swapping in the wonderful Open Arms space. Their farm plot is so plentiful this year that they had some veggies to share. If you are interested in helping them preserve, they are looking for volunteers with preserving expertise.

I have some of all of these veggies aging in my fridge and on my counter now, so I didn't need to take any home. In fact, the sight of all of those veggies raised my stress level a bit! I had a flashback to that night recently where I was making ketchup until midnight after working a long day and knowing I needed to get up early for another long day. It had to get done that night or everything would have been too far gone to salvage.

I didn't have time to make anything right before the swap, but luckily I did have things stashed away to bring. I brought 5 jars of Raspberry Rose Jam and 5 jars of dried sungold and pear tomatoes with applewood smoked sea salt. The rosewater in that jam is a great accent for the raspberries. Delicious stuff! The dried tomatoes were super savory with the addition of the smoky salt.

For my 10 jars, I swapped for:

a "misshapen" baguette (I ate caprese sandwiches 2 dinners in a row after the swap. Tom makes good bread.)
some of those crackers (they were in demand!)
a jar of that vanilla cashew cream raspberry parfait (I must get A-K's secret for all of her delicious cashew goods)
Orange Chocolate Zucchini Bread (vegan!)
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies (nice and chewy)
Pico de Soya (cleverly named and super tasty on tostada chips)
Tequila Peach Salsa (I was in the mood for peaches and the salsa had a splash of tequila to make it something special)
Ginger Plum Applesauce (Good thing I am friends with Jamie because everybody wanted a jar of her sauce.)
Concord Grape Jelly (There was a low sugar version and a regular version. I opted for the regular version because it was such a classic grape jelly flavor. Yum.)
Strawberry Ginger Jam (This jam was just sweet enough with a nice ginger zing to it.)

Que Sera

2011-09-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend felt like a fall appetizer. The cool weather came back and my urge to knit came back with it. I have been knitting a little bit this summer, but not nearly as much as is usual for me. I did manage to finish a sweater recently. I alternated knitting this sweater with knitting things for my friends' babies and children throughout the spring and summer.

This sweater recently got buttons and has been worn twice, including once this past weekend on a lovely day trip to Stillwater with my friend Jill. Aside: Darn Knit Anyway is a nice yarn store and Stillwater is a great day trip destination.

I think this is going to be a good transitional, summer to fall sweater since it is knit out of cotton and the lace pattern makes it pretty airy. The pattern is Que Sera from Knitty. Ravelry link here and my project here.

I knit this with Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted which is super affordable, as Knit Picks tends to be. The armpits have been pilling a little bit so far, so I am interested to see how the yarn wears over time.

I much prefer to knit sweaters seamlessy and from the top down so that I can try them on as I go. It feels like such a gamble to knit pieced sweaters. You really don't know what the end result is going to be until you are nearly done. My luck lately has not been great as the sweaters I have made have turned out too big. Not this one! It fits snuggly. I lengthened the arms, but I may have gone an inch or so longer than needed. No big deal, though, since I can fold the cuff over when I need to get it out of the way.

I recently started another sweater, am finishing up a shawl and have a few baby knits to pair with buttons. Welcome back, knitting!

A Little Less Steam

2011-09-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to get distracted by the impending end to summer. I am simultaneously wanting to pack in as much "play" as I can before summer turns to fall, while also wanting to put away foods to savor during the winter. I struck a good balance last weekend between time spent in and out of the kitchen. I whittled down my to-make list to a more reasonable size and just tackled those items. Adjusting my preserving goals meant I had time away from the kitchen for yarn shopping, a picnic in the park with a friend and her little ones, a bike ride and a lunch out with a new friend. Ah, summer!

I found an apple tree on a foreclosed lot in my neighborhood. The apples have been falling and rotting on the ground. Whenever I passed by they called to me! I have been monitoring the tree for a while, grabbing an apple each time I took Jack on a walk. I planned to go get some of them when the time was right. When swap friend Holly offered to let me use her peeling, coring, slicing doo dad, I said YES, PLEASE! Jack and I headed over to the tree early one morning. While I picked apples and sipped my tea, Jack ate his share of the fallen apples. A few of the neighbors saw us but nobody said a thing! Phew!

The peeling, coring, slicing mechanism rocked my world. It is so effective! I immediately went online and bought one for myself after using Holly's. I foresee many more apple desserts in my future.

I made dried apple rings and a batch of apples preserves with the apples.

I may go back for some more apples so I can make applesauce later. I have a food mill I have yet to use and I hear they are great for applesauce making.

When I saw this Bourbon Brown Sugar Mustard recipe on Food in Jars, I was intrigued. Paul and I have been rather smitten with interesting condiments lately and he loves bourbon, so I gave it a go. I haven't ate much of it yet, but I had a taste and this stuff has a serious kick!

FYI, if you want to make this, beware that the mustard seeds are hard to grind. The recipe said to use the food processor to puree them, but all my food processor did was whirl them around and around. I ended up having to be really aggressive with my immersion blender to break them up and the mustard still ended up pretty grainy.

Another batch of dried tomatoes went in and out of the dehydrator. This batch was sprinkled with applewood smoked sea salt for a little extra interest. I think these are destined for the next MPLS Swappers food swap. They are such pretty little gems in a jar. Plus, the flavor is concentrated and so thoroughly tomato.

I've been hearing great things about freezing cherry tomatoes whole, so I did a tray of those, too. I hadn't harvested my tomatoes in a while, so when I went out to pick them, I got a mixing bowl full! I like that kind of wealth.

Our ginger syrup bottle was due for a refill. We like that stuff a lot at our house. To make the syrup, I combine equal parts water, sugar and chunks of ginger in a saucepan.

I let it boil for a bit, until it starts to thicken a little. Then, I remove it from the heat and let the ginger steep in the syrup until it comes to room temp. A quick strain and into the bottle it goes.

My dad harvested the first of the pie pumpkins and had me test them out to see if they are done. Does anyone know the trick about how to tell if they are ripe? I have begun the process of baking, portioning and freezing them (2 cups per bag). I went through the pumpkin I froze last year really quickly, so I will put more of it away this year.

I better get some knitting up on this blog soon or else I might have to change the name of it! Luckily I finished a sweater a few weeks back and some of the recent cooler days have sparked my interest to pick up the needles again.

Must-make-more Red Pepper Ketchup

2011-08-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Last, but certainly not least in the recap of preservapalooza...Red Pepper Ketchup!

We started with some innocent tomatoes and red peppers. Then we boiled them and peeled their skin off and smashed them and charred them and ripped their insides out. It was a gory mess.

Then, they got added to all of this stuff, cooked for a bit and then pureed.

At this point they cooked and cooked until they turned into the most fabulous ketchup ever made. I don't think I will ever enjoy supermarket ketchup again after tasting this stuff. I must make more! If you would like to make some, you can find the recipe here or in the book Put 'em Up. I direct you to the recipe because it is not likely I will be sharing this stuff :)

And, so this ends the recap of last weekend's preserving madness. But, guess what?! I took tomorrow off from work and I'm going to be making a bunch more things this weekend! I told you I had a huge list and that thing isn't going to finish itself.

I am simultaneously ecstatic about all of these great ingredients and delicious recipes, while also looking forward to when I can just relax and knit and eat all of these goodies while it snows outside. I guess it is a good thing to live in a climate where the seasons regulate the crazy canning and preserving instincts with a blanket of snow.

From the Oven

2011-08-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

To get this much put away in a weekend, you have to be creative about overlapping tasks. These tomatoes just required me to set the oven to low and leave them alone for about 11 hours. We slow roasted some tomatoes and froze them last year. They've been a delicious alternative to canning tomatoes and our freezer is due for a restock.

The same can be said for dried tomatoes. A batch of these went into the dehydrator to replenish our stash. The size of the dried pear and sun gold tomatoes is just perfect for adding on to a pizza or tossing into salads and pasta.

These next two don't exactly qualify as preserving, but they came out of my oven this weekend.

I've been making my own granola once or twice a month for the last handful of months. It is cheaper then buying it and there are endless combinations of fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, sweeteners, oils and spices to play with. Variation on this recipe have become a favorite. This batch included sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, golden raisins and dried cherries.

Speaking of cherries! I subbed in cherries on this Herbed Fruit Crostada recipe. Let me just say, almond frangipane smells so fabulous that I just wanted to crawl right into the food processor so I could bathe in it! This crostada recipe was how I happened upon Piece of Cake. I did a bit of researching after hearing the idea for the crostada with rosemary on The Splendid Table. I am so glad that I did because everything I have made off of that blog has been super delicious. I can vouch for the Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies with Candied Ginger and for the Ginger Beer Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting. And, now I can vouch for the crostada, too.

After making that mint syrup, I felt bad just tossing the sugar soaked mint leaves, so I did a little experiment. I baked them to dry them out and harden the sugar. When they felt right, I took them out and cooled them. I would describe these as candied mint leaves. My plan it to use them as a garnish on something minty. I also snacked on a few and can tell you they are just fine as is, if it comes down to that.

To Drink

2011-08-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

I keep forgetting that I have an herb garden at my disposal this year and I should be thinking about how to preserve herbs, too! I plan to clean out my mint at the end of the season and dry it for tea. But, for now, I just harvested a bundle to make a batch of spearmint simple syrup.

It is seriously easy to make. Take 1 part water, 1 part sugar and bunch of cleaned mint and put it together in a saucepan. Gently boil it for a bit. Then, take it off of the heat and let it sit until it is cooled and as minty as you want it to be.

Strain it, label it, bottle it and store it in your fridge. I plan to use mine mixed with seltzer water and in mixed drinks. I'll definitely be using this the next time I have a mojito craving. I've already poured a bit over some cut up papaya and that was tasty, too!

Last year we made a lot of pickles. A LOT. So, this year I am looking for other things to make with cucumbers (hence the relish). I've been curious about agua fresca and figured cucumber was a good place to start. I busted out my jelly bag hanging thingie for the first time and put the pureed pulp in there to drip drip drip while I took Jack on a walk. Luckily, unlike with jelly, it is ok to squeeze the bag. The squeezing was necessary because the drip was a very slow drip.

After all of the water dripped out of the cucumber puree, I mixed in lime juice and sugar, to taste. You can stop there and drink it over ice or with a splash of seltzer.

Or, if you want to get really fancy, you can shake it up with ice and vodka and have yourself a martini!

Refreshing!

In Brine

2011-08-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

This last weekend was a doozy! When making summer plans, I made an effort to leave some days open so I would have time to process some of summer's bounty. I am glad I did, because the list of things I want to make is a mile long!

I spent nearly all of Saturday and Sunday processing foods in a variety of ways and barely made a dent in my list. I'm going to break the recap down into a few posts so it is a little less all over the place. That is what is nice about a blog; I can give the illusion that my mad weekend of preserving was organized, categorized and tidy.

First up: things that are pickled or pickle-like.

The inspiration for these pickled sun gold cherry tomatoes was two-fold. Kim brought some pickled tomatoes to the last food swap and shortly before that I had seen the idea on Food in Jars. I used the vinegar/sugar/salt/water ratio from the Food in Jars recipe and the rosemary and garlic flavor from Kim's tomatoes. I didn't bother peeling them and don't think they were any worse for the wear with the peels on. I poured the brine over the tomatoes and let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before putting them in the fridge. These sun golds are a vibrant pop of summer in your mouth!

I've had these zucchini pickles on my radar for quite a while and finally got around to making them. Slicing the zucchini was super easy with our new mandolin. I like the orange and green combination and so far the pickles have stayed pretty crisp. The flavor hasn't become that deep yet, so I am hoping the zucchini will suck up some more flavor as they sit.

Last up on the brine bandwagon is relish! I followed the cucumber relish recipe from Canning for a New Generation. The food processor made easy work of the mincing after I handled the cleaning and chopping. (I washed so many dishes this weekend!)

The recipe was no frills. So, when I gave Paul a sample and his review was "tastes like relish", I wasn't too surprised.

I do think the lineup of relish was quite handsome, even if it wasn't super gourmet.

Open Arms - MPLS Swappers

2011-08-16T19:59:00.011-05:00

After some recent press in Minnesota Monthly magazine, the already well attended swap just got even more popular. When tickets are released, you better grab them fast. I lucked out and tickets were released the night BEFORE I went out of town for the weekend. I nearly missed my chance as tickets were gone less than 24 hours after they were released!

I am really glad that I didn't miss this one as it was the first time it was held in a new location. Open Arms, a local non-profit organization with a building that is just about a year old, opened their space to us. And, what a great space it is! Not only that, but I have a feeling their mission hits home for a lot of us at the swap. Open Arms provides free meals to people who are living with life-threatening diseases such as AIDS, cancer, ALS and MS. Their meals are made by volunteers in their amazing kitchen with special attention to the specific nutritional needs of their clients. This organization recognizes how important good food is and is making efforts to increase the number of local and organic ingredients in their meals. They have even expanded their operation to include a farm site called Open Farms. What a phenomenal organization!

The new location is spacious, air conditioned, well lit and provided plenty of tables. I hope they let us stay!

So...on to a few pictures of the many, many wonderful swap items. I think we filled 5 long tables and 1 long countertop with all of the offerings!

Limoncello

Pickled Tomatoes

Lavender Infused Vodka

Bourbon Orange Coriander Barbeque Sauce

Garlic Dill Pickles (Jamie is swapping again! Yay!)

This time I brought preserved lemons, which are a favorite ingredient in my house right now. They add such a salty and tart kick to foods when chopped into tiny pieces. Since this post , we have continued to try them out in different dishes. They've been delicious with sauted veggies in omelets and burritos, grilled, chopped and served over a veggie brat and mixed into grain and green salads.

I also brought kefir cheese. I really need to write a post about kefir as it is ubiquitous in my cooking and baking lately. I'll get that posted soon.

And, since Paul was busy recovering from his birthday party, I brought his bread to swap. He baked chili cheddar cheese bread. It has spicy, cheesy swirls inside. Unfortunately for me, the recipe included rendered bacon fat, so I can't tell you if it tasted good or not. Other people seemed to like it.

My swapping strategy was different at this swap than at past swaps. I am amassing quite the collection of jams, so even though I am usually drawn to jams before all else, I purposely tried to ease off of those this time. Here are the delicious foods I brought home:

Grapefruit Cupcakes
Gingery Gingersnap Granola
Bulgar Wheat Patties
Eggplant Tomato Spread
White Bean Dip
Lemon Curd with Candied Ginger
Caramelized Red Onion Relish
Savory Mango Chutney
Plum Apple Preserves (I couldn't leave without at least one jar of jam!)
Rosemary Onion Roasted Garlic Tartlet
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

If you are interested in swapping, keep your eyes peeled for the next ticket release. You can find MPLS Swappers via the blog or facebook. Apparently they are also on that Twitter thing, but I have yet to go down that slippery slope.

Paul's Birthday in 3 Parts: Part 3

2011-08-15T19:26:00.001-05:00

Last, but certainly not least, on the birthday celebration docket: Softball BBQ. For over 10 years, Paul and Mark have been co-hosting a day of softball followed by an evening BBQ and keg party in honor of their birthdays. They are each captain of their own ragtag softball team and usually pick team members gym class style. This year, to shake things up, teams were selected through a randomizing phone app. Hooray for technology being used to prevent hurt feelings, instead of causing them!

Save for a brief rain shower, we had a great day for playing ball at a local park. A second rain shower later in the afternoon provided a spectacular, full rainbow.

We had an assortment of spectators of all ages...

and breeds.
After the game, we headed back to our house for a evening of friends, food, fire and beer.

Paul explained the food options to everyone...

and a line promptly formed.

Some people get excited about meat! Nearly everything at the BBQ had bacon in it (corn salad with bacon, 7 layer salad with bacon, bacon wrapped appetizers, even the bread had rendered bacon fat in it!)

The entree was Smoked Chuck Roast on Chile Cheddar Bread. Paul followed the bread recipe from this site and made up his own smoked meat recipe.

Despite all of the meat, I did find some fruit and veggies to eat. My mom always taught me that you have to eat your dinner before you can have dessert and I wasn't going to miss dessert! Co-worker and friend Sarah brought a fruity dessert to share. She made a Tangy Lime and Mango Sauce with Triple Sec over Angel Food cake (recipe, Sarah?). I baked Guinness Gingerbread Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting following this recipe. Yum! I ate some of each.

We finished off the night sitting around a backyard fire, hula hooping, drinking and making merry. If it wasn't so much work to host this party, we would do it more than once a year!

So, for one last time until next year, Happy Birthday Paul!

Paul's Birthday in 3 Parts: Part 2

2011-08-09T19:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the second time is the charm. Paul's birthday weekend was supposed to include a canoe trip the day after his birthday. We woke up to severe storms that day, so we opted to reschedule to this past weekend.

We were glad we waited because it turned out to be an ideal day to paddle down the Mississippi River. The start of the day was overcast and mild, turning sunny and warm by the end of our 8 mile trip. We arranged our trip through Clear Waters Outfitting Company. They were super easy to work with and have a great package for an easy day trip. They provided the canoe, paddles, jackets and shuttle. We just had to show up with our picnic and sunscreen and get in the boat.

For some of the trip we paddled, but for a lot of it we just let the river take us along. We had great conversations, listened to the frogs croak, spotted an occasional fish jumping out of the water and had a few close encounters with a bunch of Canadian geese. We later learned that this part of the Mississippi is too shallow for jet skiers and speed boaters. It was a super quiet and peaceful stretch of water. We could even hear cows mooing in a nearby pasture!

I was wearing a shirt. I swear.

We had some dragonflies hanging out with us for a bit of the trip. They were really into perching on us and totally did not respect our personal space bubbles. They were even landing on our faces! Despite the lack of respect for our personal space, I was happy to have them along because anything that eats mosquitoes is a friend of mine.

We opted to hold out on our picnic until we found a good spot to stop, which we ended up finding on an island near the end of our route. According to our map the island has a name, but the only sign there said "toilet" to which someone had added "island". So, for us it will always be Toilet Island. The downside...the toilet was this:

Fortunately for me and my full bladder, I had brought a pack of tissues. I'd say this ranked just slightly above squatting.

Our picnic lunch featured some new recipes:

Lemon Dill Deviled Eggs (inspired by this recipe, modified to use kefir cheese*)

Cucumber Salad with Tarragon Cream (inspired by this recipe, modified to use kefir cheese and toasted sesame oil)

Cherries

Olives

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies with Candied Ginger (made following this recipe and not modified at all!)

And, to drink, Paul had some birthday beer. The day before the trip, we went to a new beer store where Paul was given free reign to choose the beer he wanted to drink while floating down the river. The very knowledgeable staff at The Four Firkins helped him choose this Halcyon wheat beer. It was spot on.

It was a lovely day on the calm waters of the mighty Mississippi.

Part 3 of Paul's birthday will be happening this weekend with the annual Softball BBQ.

*I plan to tell you more about this kefir cheese soon.

July Eats

2011-08-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

Canning for a New Generation declares this Nectarine Jam to be one of the prettiest jams around. I concur! I mixed white and yellow nectarines for my batch. Not only is it pretty, it is also way easier to make than peach jam because you don't have to peal the nectarines.

Oh, also, it is delicious.

What? You don't have a sink full of cucumbers in ice and a vase full of dill flowers? Why not? It is pickling season! Paul has been making his favorite garlic dill pickles and I am going to try some spiced pickles with our next round of cucumbers.

It is also zucchini bread season. Or, chocolate zucchini bread/cake if you are like me. Chocolate and zucchini are a fabulous combo. This is my tried and true recipe, but I am also looking to branch out this year and try other recipes. Like this one with coffee and cardamom!

Paul's Birthday in 3 Parts: Part 1

2011-08-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

Paul got a shout out on his birthday, but I haven't posted about what we did to welcome in his 33rd year. This year Paul's birthday is being celebrated over nearly a month, so as of when I write this post, we still aren't done yet!

The celebration started on the night before his birthday. Since he took the day of his birthday off from work, I figured he would want to start celebrating ASAP. When I came home from the gym, I came bearing a bottle of bourbon whisky. He enjoyed it with a pipe in the backyard. All that was missing was a smoking jacket.

On Paul's actual birthday, we got dressed up for a dinner out. We tried to capture a picture, but we had a hard time of it. It was hot and humid and we were a bit riled up. This was probably the best one we got.

We had dinner at Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul. The restaurant is across the street from where the St. Paul Farmers' Market is held, which we still have not gone to! I do want to make it there sometime soon. We also got to see the termination of where the new central corridor lightrail line will be. Downtown St. Paul is such uncharted territory for me.

Back to dinner...I chose Heartland because of their multi-course dinner option: Flora for me and Fauna for Paul. We had eaten at Heartland before they reopened in their new spot. I had really liked it then, so my expectations were high. Unfortunately, I thought the food was just ok. The amuse bouche and the dessert were the highlights but the salad was boring and the entree was just fine. More importantly, though, Paul was pleased with his meal. Watching Paul savor a good meal is great fun for me, too.

Heartland's new space is wonderful and I enjoyed checking out the farm direct market they have on site. Seeing the price tags on the canned goods was exciting: $10 for a jar of strawberry rhubarb jam! If I were to measure my wealth in terms of jars of jam, I would be sitting pretty high on the hog!

Part of Paul's birthday gift was a boost of funds to start work on his man cave. Actually, he was posed with the option of a flight to Boston or funds for the man cave. It took him all of 1 second to decide! I think he relishes his man cave as much as I treasure my craft room. A room of one's own is a wonderful luxury to have. Usually it takes him a while to redeem his birthday gifts, but for this one, he started planning that very same night!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Violet, Sylvia and Some Knitting

2011-08-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Little Violet went home from the hospital a few weeks ago. She met all of her goals for release and is doing lots and lots of sleeping, eating and pooping at home now.

Jamie is recovering and I am sure she is happy to have everyone under one roof again.

I visited recently to hold Violet and hang out for a bit. Growing is exhausting, so there were big yawns and lots of sleeping happening.

She has grown a lot, but is still teeny, tiny.

When I was holding her in my lap, she made this face and then let out a giant, vibrating poo. Apparently this is normal and didn't phase Jamie. I found it to be shocking, so Jamie got a good laugh at my reaction. I decided then that it was time to hand Violet back over to her mama.

Plus, this little one had a birthday recently and I had brought a gift for her to open.

I think she liked the popsicle molds and the book the best, but I also knit her something.

When Jamie was on bedrest before Violet was born, I visited her and hooked her up with some yarn and a pattern. Jamie had never knit a garment before and, since she was at my knitting mercy with the bedrest and all, I took the opportunity to bully her into a sweater knit-a-long. She is knitting Violet a sweater from the same pattern I knit Sylvia's sweater. Eventually, they will be able to have sort-of matching sweaters for cheesy photo opportunities.

The sweater I knit is detailed on Ravelry. Jamie is making her version out of Malabrigo. Yum. The pattern is called In Threes and I recommend it if you are looking for a simple, versatile little sweater. I added stripes since I was knitting from stash yarn and needed to stretch the yardage a bit.

I raided my button tins for some mismatched vintage plastic buttons. The word on the street is that Sylvia is a fan of pink and purple, so hopefully she will wear this.

Outing in Outing

2011-08-01T21:58:00.006-05:00

I am so terribly behind on blogging! I like to keep the pace as I really enjoy having things preserved here and shared in the case that it might interest you. I've been taking pictures, but finding the time to write and the right words to go with them hasn't been happening. It has been holding me back from posting. In the spirit of not letting too much pass by without posting, I am going to work on getting the images up and just go light on the words. As they say, something is better than nothing!

I just came back from a long weekend in Outing, Minnesota with my mom and a group of her friends. Some of these ladies I have known since I was little, so it was great fun to reconnect with them and to get to know some of my mom's newer friends a little better. We enjoyed the weekend in a lakeside cabin with good food, wine, books, games, knitting, walks, swims and plenty of that summer feeling, which I had been so thoroughly craving.

This Guy

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is my love. It is his birthday today. I hope this next year does right by him because the one he is leaving behind was kind of poopy. Even though this year included some rough times, I think we are both appreciative of all of the living we've done in his 32nd year. I feel fortunate that our life together is full of love and deep respect for each other. And silliness. There is a good amount of that around here, too.

Happy Day to you, my Paulie!

MPLS Swappers' July Swap

2011-07-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

Last weekend marked the 4th swap for MPLS Swappers. This once a month swapping schedule is keeping my fridge so well stocked with homemade goodies!

Our swap hostesses Mandy and Kim deserve some major props for pulling this one off! When we arrived at the swap, we found the doors to the site locked and a note directing us to head down the block to the park. Apparently, the locked doors were what Mandy and Kim found, too! They found a way to make the swap happen anyway and, in the end, the outdoor swap was probably a better fit for the super hot day then the non-air conditioned site would have been. With a rather hodge podge, yet functional assortment of picnic tables, benches and blankets on which we spread out our wares and a storm that patiently held off, the swap went wonderfully.

This month's swap included a lot of new swappers (and returning swappers) who went all out with packaging. Among the many beautiful items, the lemon confit in the photo up top was a real eye catcher and so were these cute herb assortments.

I didn't end up with one of these precious bottles of peppermint extracts, but I did get the scoop on how to make a batch myself. My mom bakes phenomenal chocolate peppermint bars for Christmas each year. Maybe this year I can have some extract ready to use in her recipe.

Some red, white and blue action going on with the red velvet cakes. I am starting to think everything looks prettier when presented in a canning jar!

I've been hearing a lot about preserved watermelon rinds, so I was happy to finally taste one. From the recipes that I have seen, watermelon rind pickles are a total labor of love.

There were so many other phenomenal goods there, too! Well done, MPLS Swappers!

For the sake of my memory, here is what I brought to the swap and what I took home with me:

Dried oyster mushrooms

These mushrooms were from this foraging excursion.

Wood Butter

I followed Marisa's Spoon Butter recipe from Food in Jars.

Raspberry Green Apple Jam with Chocolate Mint

In exchange, I brought home:

1/2 dozen backyard eggs
Rhubarb Raspberry Peach Jam
Strawberry Jam
Balsamic Strawberry Jam
Thai Coconut Curry Hummus
Mulberries
Organic Strawberry Peach Ginger Jam
Poppyseed Bagels
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes
Baguette

Jam Jam Jam

2011-07-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

On the Friday before the 4th of July, I harvested my first palm full of raspberries out of my backyard patch. That was the kick in the butt I needed to finish preserving the fruits I have squirreled away in my chest freezer from last year. Out with the old and in with the new!

I made a batch of raspberry jam thickened with help from the pectin in a few green apples. The recipe was Raspberry Jam with Mint and Lavender from Canning for a New Generation. I thought I had lavender in my spice drawer but I was all out. I didn't want to stop to go to the store so I ended up stirring in a mixture of spearmint and chocolate mint. I kept the green apple flesh in the jam (peels removed at the end). This made a perfect amount for my jars so I didn't have any leftovers to sample! I am curious to try this later.

I started rhubarb season off with a trip to the farmers' market to buy some because my own patch is just a baby and I hadn't been offered any from anyone else. Then word got around that I was interested in rhubarb and it started flooding in! I didn't want to turn it down, so now I have many pounds of it prepped in the freezer. After it is frozen, it is really only good for sauces and jams because it released a lot of liquid when it thaws. I guess I am going to have to wait until next year to try Roasted Rhubarb Ketchup.

I used up some of my stash in a Ginger Rhubarb Jam (recipe from Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine). This jam includes chunks of ginger root that steep in the jam and slices of crystallized ginger. This jam is in your face with its gingery-ness.

Lastly, Paul's mom Joanne gave us a cantaloupe and a watermelon at the same time. So as to not let it go to waste, I made a batch of Melon Preserves (recipe from Put 'em Up).

This was the first batch I have made with Pomona's Pectin. I was a bit disappointed because I ended up with fruit float and the jam only seems to firm up after it is refrigerated. Since making this batch, I've used it in another batch and had no problem. I wonder if my results were just due to the watery and chunky nature of the melon. Have you worked with Pomona's Pectin? If so, have you had good results? Have you made recipes without any sugar? How about honey as a sugar substitute? I like the potential for making low-sugar, no sugar and sugar substitute preserves.

Vin d'Orange

2011-07-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

This recipe for orange infused wine from Put 'em Up! called out to me. I wanted to start small, so I made a 1/2 batch. The result is very cinnamon stick-y which took some getting used to. After a few small glasses, I have grown fond of it. I've just been drinking it on the rocks, but Paul enjoyed it mixed with some seltzer water. The flavor is best described like this: if Christmas (cinnamon and vanilla) and Summer (bright citrus and clean white wine) had a baby, it would be Vin d'Orange.

The notion is simple and makes me want to play with more versions. Maybe next time I will leave out the cinnamon and use star anise instead.

After you infuse the liquids, you end up with a good amount of citrus leftovers. I didn't want to let all of the yummy infused fruit go to waste, so I consulted the ever-useful internet and came upon this recipe. One Hundred Eggs' recipe for Vin d'Orange sounds great, but since kumquats and meyer lemons are not in season, I just used his marmalade recipe for my infused oranges.

And, after all of that was complete, I took the leftover vanilla bean and added it to some sugar to see if it makes vanilla sugar. I love it when one project flows to the next.

If you try a Vin d'Orange recipe, I would like to hear how you drink it. I am sure there is big potential here.

Violet

2011-07-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Jamie had her baby, which is a mixed blessing. She wasn't due for quite a while, so it wasn't so good that little Violet came when she did. But, before Violet came, Jamie's water had broken and she was on strict bed rest in the hospital. So, in that sense, it is good that Jamie only had to spend 2 weeks confined to a hospital bed rather than the 6 weeks they were aiming for. Born at 30 weeks, Violet is doing really well...an overachiever already. Mom and Dad are proud!

After I was sure I wasn't harboring any summer sniffles, I was able to go and visit Violet in the NICU (talk about high security!). I brought with me these tiny colorful booties, which are still way too big (pattern here, Ravelry project here). Violet has some growing to do before she can go home, don a tie dye onesie and wear these booties. Grow, Violet, grow!

Strawberries for the 4th

2011-07-05T19:15:00.000-05:00

The strawberry season is quickly drawing to a close here, so I knew I had to act fast or I would miss it. My mom was on board for some picking, so we heading south to Sam Kedem's. I chose that farm because this year I wanted to go to an organic farm for my pick-your-own experience. Sam Kedem's was a really relaxed place that basically just set us free in the field to pick wherever we wanted. Plus, the berries were scrumptious!

Since the berries are smaller and we were going at the end of the season, we had to work hard for our yield. My goal was around 13 pounds but after about 7 pounds, we ran out of time and had to get going. I left with more than just my berries, though. I also scored some honey, dehydrated strawberries, cherry tomatoes, a bell pepper and my mom bought me a perennial flower for my rain garden from the farm store. I was hoping to buy some eggs but they said their chickens were lazy and didn't lay any eggs that morning.

Even though I picked less than I would have liked, I still had enough to make a few recipes I've had my eyes on. I started by macerating lemons and strawberries in sugar overnight to make a strawberry lemon preserve that tastes like 2/3 strawberry jam and 1/3 lemon marmalade.

The timing for this strawberry yogurt cake recipe was perfect. When served with a dollop of plain yogurt, it feels reminiscent of a sophisticated strawberry shortcake.

I also have been wanting to try the Strawberry Jam with Thai Herbs from Canning for a New Generation, but I didn't have enough left for a full batch. To satisfy the craving, I followed the Quick Strawberry Jam recipe from Put 'em Up! and stirred in thai basil, spearmint and cilantro after the jam came off of the burner.

The herbed version is on the left and the lemon is on the right. The verdict at my house is that I love them both and Paul only likes the lemon one. I'd like to know your thoughts and experiences with mixing herbs into jam. Have you done it? Did it keep well? Did the flavor get stronger as it sits? What flavor combinations sound good to you?

Great River Bluffs State Park

2011-06-27T16:51:00.007-05:00

For the first time in I don't know how long, we managed to go on a camping trip that wasn't cursed with downpours. It was glorious. We had a bit of drizzle on Saturday, but the rest of the time the weather was pretty close to perfect. We enjoyed the peaceful and small campground at Great River Bluffs State Park in southeastern Minnesota. The vistas from this park are spectacular for a non-mountainous state.

The hiking wasn't challenging, but it went through an amazing amount of different scenery for such a short distance. We covered nearly all of the trails and all but one overlook during our stay. I was especially taken with these trees that looked like they were straight out of a Tim Burton movie. I think they are Bur Oaks, but I am not sure of that.

Due to the absence of rain, we actually got to cook all of the meals we had planned. We enjoyed this foil packet meal of curried potatoes, cauliflower, peas and onions that were cooked over the fire. We served it with brown rice. Yum! We also ate red beans and rice with grilled bananas (the co-op was out of plantains) and avocado for our other dinner. Steel cut oats with strawberry sauce and veggie frittata with goat cheese were cooked for breakfasts. And, we had lovely picnic lunches with cabbage salad, potato salad, cheese, crackers and fruit.

There were many of areas at the park that are undergoing prairie restoration. They were host to a ton of beautiful wildflowers.

The biggest hike we took involved a mid-point picnic atop King's Bluff. It was a gorgeous place with Queen's Bluff in the foreground and the Mississippi River flowing below us on both sides.

There were two sad parts to this trip. You might notice, we normally have one more dog. Jack has shown us over the last year that he isn't up for camping and hiking anymore. He toughed it out last year, but we knew it was going to be too much for him this year. Luckily, my dad was able to take him in for the weekend and was able to cater to his separation anxiety by remaining in Jack's site almost the whole time.

The other sad part was that we had to say goodbye to Paul's trusty camping hat. It was falling to pieces and got left behind at the campground dumpster.

Those two losses aside, it was a great weekend. It was the most relaxed I have felt in a long time. Plus, in order to get Jack from my dad's house in Wisconsin we had a long drive from SE MN to NW Wisconsin. Since we missed a turn right at the start, we deviated from our Google directions. I navigated us through the smaller county and state roads for the 4+ hour drive. I now have a much better mental map of those parts of the country!

Foraging for Oyster Mushrooms

2011-06-22T18:51:00.004-05:00

For most holidays my dad asks for my presence as his present. I honored his request with a trip up to his place in Wisconsin over Father's Day weekend. Paul and the dogs came along, too. I did also take the opportunity to give him his Blue Thuja socks. Since we were also fitting in time to see Paul's dad on Sunday, our trip was pretty quick.

We had two goals during our brief time there.

1: help out with some manual labor as my dad is recovering from an injury and isn't at 100% strength.

2: forage for oyster mushrooms.

Paul got to work on the manual labor part. He hilled the potatoes in my dad's nearly immaculate garden. With his injury, my dad can still pull weeds like nobody's business. Plus, he has a lot of time on his hands as he isn't able to work his physically demanding job. (As an aside, his garden was so pretty that I spent a big part of last night yanking up weeds and tidying up our garden space to try to achieve some semblance of the awesomeness that is his garden. It does not yet measure up.)

While Paul was working on the garden (and taking a nap afterwards!), my dad and I jumped in the car to go "road hunting" for oyster mushrooms. Luckily for me, my dad has been at this for a few years and knows the roads of rural Wisconsin pretty well. He knows of some good mushrooms spots that aren't posted as private land. We drove those road looking for the right trees with flashes of white mushrooms. When you see a possible batch, you pull over, jump out with your bucket and knife and head into the woods. In the photo above my dad is heading towards the tree that is fallen. If you look closely you can see a bit of the white clump of mushrooms at about shoulder's height. Oysters! I wasn't that great at spotting them to begin with, but after a while my eyes got tuned into the bits of white.

Our ideal oyster mushroom was only a day or so old and white with minimal bug invasion.

These oysters are too old. They've been invaded by bugs and have turned darker. We leave those for the bugs and for "seed".

Sometimes even the new, tiny mushrooms have bugs! Mushroom foraging is not for the bug-fearing. It was a bit uncomfortable as the bugs were swarming my head. I got a few tick bites and even more mosquito bites. Plus, it was wet and cold.

Still, it is so worth it!

This one was probably growing at about 12 feet. I ended up finding a big stick and knocking it off because it was too perfect to leave behind. No bugs on that one!

We picked 2 flats worth and then called it quits on the foraging stage of the mushroom experience. Next came the cleaning, sorting, trimming, chopping and drying.

Most of our mushrooms went into the dehydrator. I had dried some of these last fall and shared them with swappers at the first swap. I think I'll bring another round for the next swap, too. I definitely have enough to share!

We did save a stash for eating right away. Since we've been back from Wisconsin we have had them sauted in rosemary garlic olive oil and added to the Carrot Tomato Soup I made with last year's tomatoes. I also added chopped up basil from our garden and a splash of homemade plain goat yogurt to the soup. I paired this with crackers and the fig, lemon and anise preserves that I got at the last swap. I felt super happy eating so many homegrown, homemade foods in one meal!

I also sauted up a batch in that same oil and tossed it with whole wheat pasta and a bunch of the tomatoes that I roasted last fall. I realized recently that the next crop of tomatoes is going to be here soon. That was when it dawned on me that I did way too much saving of special foods and not enough eating of them over the winter. So, into the freezer I have been diving.

Lastly, we finished off the fresh mushrooms tonight with a fried batch. We made them just like last year's batch except for that Paul fancied them up this year by adding chopped preserved lemons into the pan right before they finished frying. I call this my own personal state fair night, because I seem to eat this fried dinner once a year when we have the fresh oyster mushrooms. Fried foods are not normally my thing, but these are a real treat!

Now that all of the labor is behind us, we have these dried goodies waiting to be rehydrated and added to soups, pasta and whatever else we can think of.

June Swap

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

We did it! Another excellent swap went down this past weekend with the MPLS Swappers. Prior to this swap, Kim posted tips for prettifying your swap items. The message was received! Let us relish a few visuals...

My contributions included this Orange Almond Cake made with the infused coffee olive oil I made for the last swap. This was my snack table contribution. I hope everyone read the name so they weren't surprised when they couldn't fall asleep that night!

I also made a giant batch of my pumpkin hummus. This time I altered the recipe to include a bunch of diced preserved lemons. Pretty much anything that we make in our house these days includes preserved lemons.

I also brought some jars of my blueberry lime sauce. I have come to learn after a few swaps, that sampling is key. People really get excited about what you have if they can taste it. However, sometimes I have a hard time tasting the jams or sauces when I eat them on a bread or cracker. What I really want is to just have a small taste of the item by itself. Luckily I happened upon these little sample spoons. I set them out with my sauce, saving the dirty ones after the swap so I can wash them and reuse them next time.

Another thing I realized is that it is great to include at least one of these little 4 oz. jars when I make a batch of preserves. They make the perfect size for sampling. And that way I don't have to worry about eating all of the leftovers after the swap when I really want to be eating all of the items I just got!

So, that brings us to the list of what I brought home with me in my foodie goodie basket.

For the 7 pumpkin hummus containers and 5 jars of blueberry sauce, I received:

garbanzo bean tempeh
cultured butter
black bean brownies
chocolate chip banana bread
backyard horseradish mustard
sundried tomato pesto
sorrel pesto
roasted pepitas and cilantro pesto (pesto was a popular item this time!)
fig, fennel and lemon jam
dandelion lavender jelly
cranberry maple butter
rhubarb hibiscus sauce

This time I just brought the two things, filled out the bid sheets in advance and didn't have anyone that came with me. All of these things afforded me time to chat with my fellow swappers a bit more than I have in the past. It is so exciting to be among people who are as excited about food as I am. So many of the swappers are so skilled and I am looking forward to learning from them. And, as with the previous swaps, I took away not only my basket of food, but so much energy and inspiration as well.

Establishing an Herb Garden

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Phew! I've been playing catch-up with gardening this year. This spring left rare windows of time where gardening was a possibility and long swaths of unfriendly weather. I've been trying hard to get things in the ground before it is too late. I am finally starting to see the end of that phase.

This is our third summer in our house, but really only the second growing season we've been here for, as we moved in at the middle of June that first year. We are still working on what we would like to grow and where it would work. We are taking into account sun/shade, dogs, water access, potential temptation to passersby and level of plant need when we evaluate what to put in and where to plant it. We are taking the long term approach, picking one or two projects to focus on each year. Last year, we established the vegetable garden. This year the biggest project we are taking on in the yard is to establish an herb garden in our front yard.

We started with a lot of grass that is being slowly infiltrated by the dandelion patch in our neighbors yard. I am not sure if we converted the space from lawn to garden in the most efficient manner, but we wanted to make sure the grass wouldn't just grow back so we invested our sweat equity. We manually dug out the sod, shook the soil off and then carried it to the backyard where we spread it around the new compost area.

That change might not look like much but man was it a lot of work! We spent many hours digging out the roughly 7'x8' space and ended up with a blank slate and sore shoulders.

Then, we added tons of worm compost. As it turns out, our worms don't eat the eggshells or avocado peels.
Then, on to the fun part! I had mapped out the space before we dug. My map was based on a bit of research about companion planting, perennial herbs and annual herbs. We planted lots of herbs from plants, some from seeds and some lettuce, flowers and herbs as well.

The seeds are just starting to come up now. I look forward to seeing how it looks once everything is fully grown.

For posterity, here is the full list of what we planted in this space this year:

Spearmint and Chocolate Mint (potted)
Spinach
Arugula
Green Leaf Lettuce
Red and Yellow Onions
Grandma's Cut Flower seed mix
Chives
Thai Basil
Sweet Basil
Tarragon
Rosemary
Sage
Lavender
Lemon Thyme (potted)
French Thyme
Parsley
Dill
Cilantro
some annual flowers that I can't remember the name of

Messages from Cohabitants

2011-06-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Paul says some weekends are best started with a Bloody Mary and a big, homemade breakfast.

Tchazo says, "Look! In this tree! There is a squirrel!"

Fanny says she doesn't mind being an indoor cat so long as she gets to peer out the windows and cackle at the squirrels Tchazo has chased into the trees.

Jack says that the world is a rough place to be and that it is very easy to get your leg stuck in the rope for the blinds. Twice. In the same hour.

Again with the Rhubarb

2011-06-07T20:20:00.002-05:00

I think rhubarb season is starting to wind down. The 103 degree day we had today in Minneapolis didn't do these cold weather plants any favors. Luckily, I have been the recipient of 2 more rhubarb deliveries. A batch from my mother in law and a batch from my Grandma have given me more opportunities to make some sweet and tart goodies.

I used some of those blueberries from my freezer stash for this Blue-Barb Buttermilk Muffins. I followed this recipe, but just used a mix of rhubarb and blueberries. The recipe isn't anything fancy, but it was just what Paul was craving. He doesn't crave sweets very often, so when he does, I like to deliver.

I've been so happy with all of the recipes I have tried from Food in Jars, that I thought I would keep the good momentum going and try out Marisa's Orange Rhubarb Butter. The only change I made to the recipe was to add 2 vanilla beans.

My mother in law has not one, but TWO patches of rhubarb. One patch yields thick green stalks and the other yields thinner red stalks. I mixed them together for this double batch of butter.

The cooking time on this was quite lengthy, so I set it to simmer and took care of other chores around the house. Every 5-10 minutes I stopped by and gave it a good stir.

In the end I produced 5 jars of thick, rhubarb goodness. I look forward to having this richly flavored, yet low sugar option this winter. It'll be a nice change from the sweet jams I seem to be stockpiling!

I'd like to try combining rhubarb with other fruits that don't come into season until later in the summer. So, in order to extend the rhubarb season, I chopped and dry packed a few bags of rhubarb in the freezer. That chest freezer comes in so handy!

DIY Deodorant

2011-06-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you don't want to hear about my armpits, you probably don't want to read this post. You are warned!

As I have mentioned before, I have really sensitive skin. I need to be really careful about the products that I use or else I pay for it with rashes and swelling. I decided to cut out mainstream, antiperspirant deodorants when I made the connection that they were causing rashes on my arms. Since then I have been trying a variety of natural deodorant products, but none have really done the job. I recently came across this recipe for deodorant and thought I should give it a try.

I found that a batch filled the tin I had right up to the top. I opted for the tin because that was what the photo in the recipe featured. Now that I have worked with the texture, I can totally see this working just fine in an empty deodorant container. Plus, it would be nice to apply deodorant without having to rub it on my armpits with my fingers.

Now, you probably want to know...does it work? It does! So far it is keeping the stink away and is not staining my clothes.

In this first batch, I used grapefruit essential oil. I think that might be a little harsh for my skin. With the next batch I make I will omit the essential oil to see if that lessens the tingling factor. Other than that, I am happy with it. I am actually surprised by how well it seems to keep the stink away and, equally importantly, so far there are no rashes on my arms.

Hooray for DIY, food-grade, toiletries!

Preserved Lemons

2011-06-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

Remember these lemons I started a while back?

Well they are now sufficiently preserved and ready to use.

We are just starting to play around with them and so far are super happy with the tangy, salty flavor they add to dishes. I made French Lentils with Onions and Preserved Lemons.

And, tonight Paul made up a burrito concoction that included sauted veggies with goat cheese and preserved lemons. Tasty!

There are so many other great recipes that I would like to try with these lemons. To name a few:

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash & Preserved Lemons sounds divine.

Spinach Saute with Red Bell Peppers and Preserved Lemons will be a good option when our spinach starts to come in from the garden faster than we can consume it.

This hummus recipe puts the preserved lemons to use, including the peel and pulp.

If you are interested in making your own preserved lemons, it is super easy. Super easy. Here is a link to instructions.

Blueberries and Lime

2011-05-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ever since Susan of Juniper Moon Farm posted her recipe for Blueberry Jam with lime, I knew I was eventually going to make it. Last year, I picked my own blueberries and when I recently came across a bag of forgotten blueberries in our chest freezer, I thought now is the time. Then I remembered how much effort went into picking those berries and I got a little gun shy. The recipe calls for 8 pints of berries which would have meant completely depleting my blueberry stash and then still having to buy more to have enough berries. So, when I saw blueberries on sale as part of the Memorial Day BBQ sale, I grabbed 8 pints and set to work, leaving my hand picked berries for another use.

This recipe was attractive to me because it uses relatively low sugar and is flavored with lime juice and zest. As an aside, I would like to give a shout out to this super old Sunkist Lemonade juicer that I love to death! This vice like tool squishes and strains the seeds out all at once and it keeps me from having to get the acidic juices on my sensitive skin.

Anyway, the recipe sounded great, but I struggled with it. The first step was to macerate the berries in sugar overnight, which went fine. The problem came with the next step, which is reducing the liquids over high heat. The liquid got so hot that it started to turn into taffy before it had finished reducing! At that point, I freaked out a bit and added water and the berries to bring the temp back down and soften it up quickly. When I realized that the added water was going to result in a loose texture, I added liquid pectin in attempts to firm it back up. It didn't work. The resulting texture was firmer than syrup but looser than jam. The flavor is delicious, so in the end, I came to terms with having made Blueberry Lime Sauce instead of Blueberry Jam.

When life gives you runny yogurt and saucy jam, I find it is best to let go of your original expectations and find uses for what you have.

We poured them both over buckwheat pancakes and greatly enjoyed the flavor combo.

I hope the swappers are up for some Blueberry Lime Sauce, because I will be bringing some jars to the next swap.

Rhubarb Vanilla Soda

2011-05-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

After making the rhubarb jam, I had extra rhubarb leftover. I had the Put 'em Up book checked out from the library and the rhubarb soda recipe caught my eye. I had enough to double the batch, so I chopped and boiled and mixed and ended up with these pretty pink containers of syrup.

After the mixture reduces, the solids are strained out.

A goopy green mess is left behind.

It was easy enough to make and since I am smitten with ginger syrup and love rhubarb, I figured this would be a tasty, refreshing treat. Turns out that I think it is a bit off putting. We tried it mixed with seltzer water and it tasted sour without much else coming through. I tried it by itself to see if I just didn't like the seltzer combo. It baffles me that rhubarb, sugar and vanilla can yield such a questionable flavor. I think the best way to drink this is to just mix it with water and ice, but I am still not sure I like it.

However, I do want to say that Put 'em Up is a fun book. After I checked it out from the library, I paged through it to see what recipes I would be interested in making. By the time I got to the end of the book, I had a ridiculous amount of post-it notes sticking out of the sides. I like that this book is organized by ingredient so if you have extra rhubarb, you can go the rhubarb section for ideas. I plan to add it to my collection someday, I'll just skip over the Rhubarb Soda recipe in the future.

Tis the season for rhubarb.

2011-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Spring in Minnesota means rhubarb! Since I just transplanted some into my own yard this year, I do not have my own yet. Rhubarb is sort of like zucchini here. If you have it, you normally have more than you can use and you don't mind sharing the wealth. I have not yet been offered rhubarb for free and I was growing antsy for that tart, rhubarb flavor, so I ended up buying a few bundles from the farmers' market.

After making and loving the Pear Vanilla Jam from Food in Jars, I knew I wanted more of that true vanilla bean flavor. Which meant I needed to find more affordable vanilla beans. My friend Jamie and I split a 1/2 pound, so now I have a glorious bounty of beans to use. I swooned when the package arrived.

First stop, Vanilla Rhubarb Jam. I followed the suggestion to use Earl Grey Tea instead of water. This turned out soft, as the recipe warned, but I don't mind the loose consistency, especially for when I want to mix it into yogurt, drizzle it over ice cream or have it on top of buckwheat pancakes. Yum.

One thing to note about the recipe, I had almost exactly 2.5 pounds of rhubarb stalks and I was quite a bit short for a full batch. I ended up having to make a dash out to the co-op to buy more. And, of course, I overbought. Stay tuned for what became of the extra rhubarb.

Goat Milk Yogurt

2011-05-26T21:14:00.002-05:00

A few months back my acupuncturist suggested that I lay off of dairy. I have no trouble being a vegetarian and never feel like I am missing out on food that I want to eat. However, I would struggle being a vegan. I love yogurt and cheese. When I told her how hard it would be for me to totally give up dairy, she suggested that, if I must have dairy, I should choose dairy products made from goat's milk.

I already knew that I loved goat cheeses and I soon learned that I like plain goat yogurt more than other yogurts. The only problem: goat yogurt costs nearly $8 per tub. I've been buying it each week, but every time I do, I look at the cow's milk yogurt versus goat's milk yogurt and bemoan the price difference.

Then, I realized that the equivalent amount of goat's milk is about $4. I did a bit of research online, consulted The Home Creamery and decided to give homemade yogurt a go.

And, it worked! I was surprised that it turned into yogurt because I do not have a yogurt maker and the incubation period is key to getting yogurt to turn out. I worked with what I had on hand. My heat source was an electric heating pad wrapped in a tea towel. I arranged the pad in a flour tin. Then, I put my candy thermometer and the jars of prepared milk in the center. After everything was set in place, I covered up the whole thing with a few kitchen towels and left it undisturbed for 9 hours. My test run without milk helped me to determine the proper setting on the pad, but I was still doubtful that I would get the range right. If you let it get too hot, the live cultures will die. When I checked it after 9 hours, the thermometer read the correct temperature and the milk had thickened into yogurt!

I felt quite proud when I made Paul and I breakfast out of my homemade granola, homemade yogurt and homemade blood orange marmalade.

I hope that I can fit making yogurt into my regular weekly routine. I also have a lot to learn about yogurt making as this first batch of yogurt started out firm and then got thinner as it sat in the fridge. Any experienced yogurt makers know why that is?

If you are interested in trying this yourself, you can make it with goat's milk or cow's milk as long as it isn't ultra-pasteurized. I followed general instructions from a bunch of websites and got good background information from The Home Creamery book I mentioned earlier. Here is what I did:

heat milk in pot over medium heat until it reaches 185 degrees F
remove from heat and let it cool to 110 degrees F
gently stir in "starter" (existing yogurt)
pour into sanitized jars and screw lids on
place in incubator for a long time (4-24 hours is the range I have seen)
take out of incubator and refrigerate

I plan to experiment with different starters and different incubation times to see how it impacts the results. The plain, tart, goaty flavor is so versatile. It pairs with any flavor of granola really well, highlights preserves and Paul has even used it drizzled over his omelet.

MPLS Swappers Does it Again

2011-05-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

After the first MPLS Swappers food swap, I went a little food crazy. I left the event inspired to come up with all sorts of eats to swap next time. With 2 months between swaps and plenty of amazing food bloggers constantly publishing new recipes (see the links on the sidebar for a few of my current favorites), I developed quite a list of options. By the time the May swap came around, Paul and I had:

6 bottles of ginger syrup, inspired by this post

(good for adding to seltzer water for ginger ale and mixing into cocktails or tea)

2 loaves of peasant bread

(This recipe is a pretty constant one in our house. It is from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.)

6 jars of infused EVOO

(3 kinds: Peace Coffee, Dried Lime Peel and Thai Pepper, Rosemary Garlic)

3 jars of pear vanilla jam, recipe from Food in Jars

(wish I would have brought more of this as it was the item that got the most offers)

2 bundles of garlic chives and scallions picked from our yard

(I packaged it with a copy of this Creamy Goat's Milk Spaghetti with Wild Garlic Chives recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like a superb spring dinner to me.)

The lot took up a good amount of real estate on one of the swap tables!

So many other people brought so many great things to the swap. This time around there were more people and it seemed like each person brought more variety with them. The two tables you see pictured here are only about a 1/4 of what was there. There were two other rooms with similar tables! I was a bit overwhelmed this time. I was so focused on sampling and making offers that I missed out on the chatting. I think that the next time I go I will bring less stuff so I can spend more time getting to know all of these creative cooks, canners, bakers, brewers and urban farmers.

For our offerings, Paul and I got an impressive array of goods. The photo is unimpressive, but believe me, there is plenty here to make you drool.

As with last time, I swapped everything I brought. The rule is that you don't have to swap if you'd rather keep your own stuff. There were so many enticing options that I had no problem trading all of my stuff away. Paul and I swapped as a team this time, so some of the things we got were entirely for him, some were just for me, a good amount of them we will both enjoy and we even got something for the dogs.

Here is the full list of what we came away with:

lacto fermented carrots
rhubarb sauce
raspberry jam
curried apple chutney
roasted garlic and caramelized onion jam (Jamie made this!)
seville orange marmalade
fig, olive and cracked pepper cashew "cheese"
maple almond butter
tomato chili jam
blood orange, rhubarb, vanilla jam
fig and olive tapenade
caraway kraut
red irish ale (paul was really stoked about this one!)
pizza sauce
tomato catsup
thin mints
almond biscotti
dog treats
dried fruit bars
vegan, gluten free chocolate zucchini bread (this is almost gone already!)
french vinaigrette dressing (Jamie made this, too!)

Since the first swap, our hostess Kim has teamed up with Mandy and A-K to organize the event. Again, the swap was help at Madame, a great art/community space in the Powderhorn neighborhood. Thank you to Kim, Mandy and A-K!

Oh! And, we had a special guest. Kate Payne of the Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking and founder of BK Swappers, was in town for a book signing on Sunday, so we got to spend Saturday with her.

Can you see why I was so overwhelmed with the awesomeness of it all?

If you would like to join the next swap, you are in luck! They are going to be held monthly over the summer. Stay tuned to the MPLS Swappers website of Facebook page for more info.

Shepherd's Harvest

2011-05-08T08:17:00.007-05:00

After such a cold, rainy, grey spring, we finally got a good weather day on a weekend! It was great timing for good weather because yesterday was the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival. The past two years that I have gone to the festival have been cold and/or snowy/rainy so the sun and warmth was such a glorious change.

Jill joined me for her first fiber fair experience. I think she liked it and was even tempted by all of the beautiful fiber even though she doesn't spin.

There were a lot of great vendors at the fair including Briar Rose Fibers.

We got to watch Dirty Harry be shorn and get his hooves clipped. He wasn't so pleased about getting naked in front of an audience.

In each of the buildings, there was live music to be heard while you browsed the vendors' offerings.

The most educational part of the day for me was the booth that had silkworms for sale. They had the entire life cycle available for viewing and the woman minding the booth was super generous with her knowledge. I have never seen silkworms in person, so it was fascinating. The photo above shows the eggs, the worms at various stages and the worms about to spin cocoons (shown in reverse clockwise order).

There were also cocoons with the worms/moths inside them. This vendor lets the moths hatch out of the cocoons, so she showed us how the cocoons can be used after they have the hatching hole in them. I was pleased about that, because the alternative is to kill them while they are inside the cocoon. Killing the moth before it leaves the cocoon preserves the continuous silk strand but I think continuous strands are overrated :)

The moths can't fly so they were just flapping away in this tupperware. If I was a spinner I just might have invested in some silkworms.

Another fun part of the festival is running into fellow knitting friends. At lunchtime, we ran into Pam and Sarah, so we got to picnic with them. We also saw a few other knitting friends along the way and even chatted up some new people. For those of you who haven't experienced a knitting festival, people are quite friendly and it is even acceptable to fondle a stranger's knitwear.

I didn't enhance my stash much this year, since I only purchased one skein of yarn, a handcarved wooden spoon, some kettle corn and a woven silk scarf. Still, it was energizing to be amongst creative people on a beautiful spring day.

Things My Cat Broke

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is my cat.

She startles easy. Either that or she has an overactive imagination. She is prone to reacting swiftly to any disturbance in the force. Like, in this photo below. Paul cleared his throat in the other room...and BAM!...she becomes a blur. Most of the time her reaction includes a pretty dramatic skedaddle.

Unfortunately for us, oftentimes her imagination is most active when she is sitting in or next to a window. A few of those windows happen to have glass items nearby. Here are a few things my cat has broken recently.

A vintage candle holder that was part of a set. My sister gave them to us as a housewarming gift.

A lamp that was also part of a set and also vintage.

Lesson for us: Stop putting breakable things near windows.

Lesson for Fanny: Nobody is after you. Stop jumping out of windows like your life depends on it.

The rest of the early Easter celebration

2011-05-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

In addition to the birthday celebration I posted about yesterday, we were also in Wisconsin to have an early Easter gathering. Michelle and Bill and their kids hosted us for a delicious (and very German) meal with homemade dumplings, sauerkraut, gravy, beans, bread and pork chops with some fruit and veggies on the side. Getting the food out and everyone situated yields a flurry of activity.

Taylor and Mikaela got their very own table beside the big table. These girls knew just what to do when they saw the camera pointed their way!

After we ate, we opened cards and took some photos.

Cousin Hannah took this one so my grandma, mom, sister and I could be in a photo together.

Grandma and Mom

Mom, Hannah, Jessy

Playing Memory

Hannah and Jessy

Despite the chilly weather, the sun was shining so my mom, Uncle Bill, Bill's dog Jack and I went for an afternoon walk.

We saw a pheasant, which does not photograph well in its camouflaged surroundings, and these British Soldier lichen. They are named that because of their little red caps.

The timing also worked out just right so that I could transplant some of my Uncle Bill's rhubarb. My sources tell me that new rhubarb beds take 3 years to settle in before you can harvest. I've transplanted them and have now begun the waiting period. I hope my patience pays off and the neighborhood critters leave it alone.

Thanks to Bill, Michelle, Nicole, Hannah and Spencer for hosting us. It was a delicious meal and a great day.

Grandma gets rich.

2011-05-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago, we went to Wisconsin to spend the day celebrating my Grandma Rose's 93rd birthday with my mom's side of the family. I'll tell you more about the day tomorrow, but for today I'd like to focus on the fun we had with my Grandma on her special day.

At 93, it is not surprising that the lady of honor is pretty hard of hearing and not completely sure who we are. She is, however, still fun to be around. She is in good spirits, is adept at rolling with whatever is happening around her and has kept her sense of humor. We are finding that what thrills her these day are not too far off from what thrills a small child...glitter barrettes, hugs, smiles, back scratches, feather boas, balloons. It is rare for her to be the center of attention these days, so we enjoyed having her be the focus for part of the day.

My grandma is also at that point in her life where presents she gets are likely offered up as "junk" she doesn't need the next time you visit her. And, she will most likely urge you to take it with you. She isn't much for things to begin with and over the years, she has been trying to whittle down her possessions. These factors make it mighty hard to give her a gift she will appreciate. When my Uncle Bill gave her cash in her birthday card last year, she was pretty happy about it. So, my mom decided to run with that idea and encouraged everyone who came to the party to bring her a card with anywhere from $5 to $20 in it.

She was pretty happy when she sat down with her stack of cards and the first one she opened had money in it.

And, then the second card had money in it, too! "Oh my goodness!", she said.

"Oh, youse guys! You didn't have to give me anything.", said with her German accent.

"Well, for goodness sake!"

She opened each card, not assuming that the pattern would continue and each time, upon finding more money, she was as delighted as with the first card. "Well, I'll be darned!"

My Aunt Marion helped her identify the person who gave her the card if she needed help.

It is fun to take her picture because she doesn't care much at all about the camera being there and just continues being herself. I had planned to whittle the photos down to just a few, but she made so many fun expressions, I couldn't narrow it down.

She took time to read each card.

And, after all of her cards were opened, she leaned back and soaked it all in for a minute.

Then, she sat back up and declared, "I didn't know I was going to get rich today!"

Pear Vanilla Jam, Oh My!

2011-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

It is not too much to say that I have been a bit obsessed with jams, preserves and marmalades lately. I have been reading recipes on blogs, special ordering books from the library and hunting down specific ingredients. The next recipe that I could not wait to make after I got the blood orange marmalade monkey off my back is this Pear Vanilla Jam.

I am glad that I honored the suggestion that the vanilla beans were essential, because they totally make this recipe. I have been thoroughly enjoying this sweet, vanilla, pear goodness on bread. It is so good that way that I haven't ventured beyond that yet, but I can imagine it would also be good on ice cream or mixed into yogurt.

I am noticing that the more batches of preserves and jams I make, the less tiresome the process is for me. I managed to make this batch on a work night while my dad chatted with me in the kitchen. I think most of the labor is spent on the sterilization process for the hot water bath canning. I'm getting a system down for that, too.

Now, I have to decide what is next. I think it might depend on what the next round of in-season, affordable fruit is...maybe rhubarb!

What the heck, April?

2011-04-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

April has been a wacky weather month. We have not had much sun, but when we have, Tchazo has wanted to soak up every minute of it.

Jack still prefers the softer, indoor option.

This month has brought us a few warm days, but mostly grey, rainy and cold ones. We have even had a bit of a snow and a few hail showers. The deluge of hail in this photo came on really suddenly one evening. I was grateful to have skipped the gym that night or else I would have been walking home in it!

Every ounce of me is antsy to be out in the warmth, planting my garden, knitting on the back deck, taking the dogs on long walks and rejoicing in the comfort that the winter is behind us. Come on, Spring! The door is open, please come in!

Scenes from a Dinner

2011-04-27T19:20:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, we had some new-to-Minneapolis and new-to-us friends over for dinner. Jessica and Scott said they would eat anything so Paul and I had fun coming up with the menu.

We slow roasted one of the last of my dad's squash from the fall. To the roasted squash we added Farmdog Blue, a local, raw blue cheese and maple syrup.

The salad included carrots, green apples and shredded beets which we mixed with spring greens and a homemade honey mustard balsamic dressing.

The bread from above went with this cheese and some olives for starters. The middle cheese is a mango and candied ginger stilton. Paul put this on his burger the next night and he swooned.

The entree was Orange Pan Glazed Tempeh, which we served over sauted chard.

For dessert we doubled this Figs in Honeyed Wine with Mascarpone recipe.

We had this meal the night after our dinner at Spoonriver and the night before our first grilled dinner of the season. It was a weekend of good eats!

Free Easter Peep Show

2011-04-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Paul and I went to see a film that was in town with the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. We made a full-on date out of it, with a movie, dinner, dessert and a little shopping in Northeast Minneapolis. Nearby the theater we spotted a free peep show.

We had to take a look...

and when you peep, you see peeps!

Happy Easter to those that celebrate the holiday. May you eat peeps and cadbury creme eggs until your stomach hurts.

Nine Years Later

2011-04-23T10:55:00.007-05:00

On April 22nd 9 years ago, Paul and I went on our first date. Since then we have pretty much been happily ever after. We are a great match, with him slowing me down when I need to chill and me giving him a kick in the butt when he needs to get moving. He is the person I most like to talk to at the end of the day and the person I most like to see when I wake up. Together we laugh, we challenge each other and we grow. We both value how our relationship allows us to be our independent selves, yet still feel connected and close to each other. Wherever he is feels like home to me. I feel very fortunate to have found someone that is such a great match.

We have a wedding anniversary too, but our relationship anniversary is what we honor each year. This year we celebrated with a fantastic dinner at Spoonriver. We had eaten at the defunct Cafe Brenda many times in the past and enjoyed the food. We had high expectations of Brenda Langton's newer restaurant and were delighted that our expectations were met and exceeded!

Ever since we attended the CSA fair at Seward Coop last weekend, Paul has been considering ordering meat or a meat CSA from Sunshine Harvest Farm. When he saw that the farm is featured on Spoonriver's menu, he was sold on going there for our dinner out. There were a couple Sunshine Harvest Farm options last night, but the one he could not pass up was the grassfed NY strip steak with rosemary potatoes and vegetables. I can tell he really enjoyed it because he ate it very slowly. He might have even groaned in delight.

I was torn between the Udon noodle salad with mock duck and the vegetarian special. I ended up going with the special. There was so much on the plate that the server's description (given twice) was not enough for me to really understand what I was going to get. I am glad I trusted in the specialness of the special. The flavors were excellent and the risotto and wheatberry croquette was something I had never eaten before. Everything on my plate was prepared perfectly. The asparagus was grilled and dusted with just the right amount of salt. The croquette was on a bed of spiced tomato sauce and topped with pesto ricotta, both of which were plated in exactly perfect portions. The salad was dressed just right with the toppings mixed in evenly. I guess sometimes you get what you pay for! At least, in Spoonriver's case that is the truth. The prices are high but so is the quality, the food sourcing and the technique.

We tried to get a photo of us together at the restaurant but the hostess was really unsure about my camera and took some wacky pictures. We'll have to settle for this arm's length one instead.

Happy Anniversary, Paul!

April Cooking Frenzy

2011-04-11T20:43:00.007-05:00

The gardening season is just around the corner and I am looking forward to all of the fantastic things I will have to eat from my urban plot. In stark contrast to those bountiful gardening months, we are currently at a low point when it comes to local food. This is the point in the year where the foods that were stored over the winter are getting rubbery and/or rotten yet it is too early for the spring treats. As I plan the garden, I find that it feels like forever until we are eating out of it.

So, the main way to satisfy the crazy preserving/baking/making urges I have been having recently is through non-local goods. I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen over the past 2 weeks. Here are a few of the things I have to show for it.

After a night of chopping, stirring, sanitizing and simmering, I have these jars of blood orange marmalade.

I have a big jar of these preserved lemons aging in the fridge.

I have a cupboard of small jars of olive oil, slowly infusing. Some of these are destined for the upcoming food swap.

I used to have this carrot cake, although that is almost gone already.

I have a jar of this cocoa hazelnut granola, to which I added toasted sesame seeds and dried cranberries.
We also have a loaf of Peasant Bread, but that isn't unusual around our house since we discovered this artisan bread book. And, we are also taste testing a jar of homemade ginger syrup to see if that would make for a good swapping option.

There is still so much more I have been wanting to make, but there just isn't enough time!

Beginning Kumihimo

2011-04-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have started my foray into kumihimo braiding. And, so far so good. It takes way more time to do the setup than it takes to actually braid it. So, this is only a technique for someone who doesn't mind stringing lots and lots of beads.

For those who have not seen kumihimo before, it is done using this disk. You move the threads from one place to another, placing beads each time to create the beaded cord. Here is a video I found that explains the basic movements:

It is pretty fun to see how the beads all line up by each other and how the threads all overlap to hold them into place.

The bobbins are really helpful as they help keep the process tidy. I'm noticing that the cord has a natural tendency to swirl. Making this cord has helped me visualize how I might make color patterns through stringing different colored beads in different sequences.

So far I have not made anything out of the cord that I finished, but when I do, I will show you that, too.