Day 2 of the Cowboy boots

Day number two of outfits styled around my new Frye boots.

 
Blousey tunic-top and Jeans ("Flirt" leggings -- even though they're actually jeans), both from Old Navy.  I actually wore this today with a thick, handspun purple shawl, because the FREAKING AIR CONDITIONING was on full blast at the stage in our church building.  And I nearly froze.  But thankfully I had that shawl.  Lesson learned: IT PAYS TO KNIT, PEOPLE. I will always be the most warmly dressed girl in Texas.  Except for when I wear shorts with my sweater.  But besides that.


A few weeks ago, I had tons of egg whites left over from my bread pudding with vanilla custard sauce situation, so I decided to make some meringue cookies with some of it (the last 6 egg whites are sitting in my freezer until I come up with another use for them.  Perhaps a winterfruit pavlova...).


 

These are Chocolate Chip Pecan Meringue Cookies, recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I highly recommend tasting your pecans before you add them though.  Mine were kind of fruity tasting, which I did not appreciate.  Also, 1/2 a cup of sugar was still almost too sweet for me, so I'd cut it down to 6 tablespoons next time.  I substituted brown sugar for the white, which added a delicious hint of butterscotch.  They're fun to eat though -- almost like marshmallows, they dissolve on your tongue, and, not counting chocolate (who EVER counts chocolate?!) (that's obviously against the rules) (OBVIOUSLY.), they're entirely fat free.  Yay!

 

Great Aunt Nancy's Apple Sausage Stuffing

*My apologies for not including a photo with this.  I'll try to take one when I make this on Thursday, but trust me -- you don't want to miss this one!*

Growing up, this stuffing was always my very favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.  I've since tried to branch out a little and have experimented a bit with some other types of stuffing, but I always come back to this one.  It's savory, a little bit sweet, push-button easy to make, and all around a very satisfactory, delicious addition to the Thanksgiving table.  I never really got to know my Great Aunt Nancy before she died -- she and my grandma were never very close -- but I do very dearly thank her for this recipe that has been passed down to me: her delicious Apple Sausage Stuffing.


Great Aunt Nancy's Apple Sausage Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350.

Soak in a bowl of water:
2 loaves French or Italian bread

Saute until translucent:
2 onions, chopped
pinch of salt

Add and saute until browned and cooked through:
1 lb Italian Sausage (casings removed, or buy bulk sausage)

Squeeze soaked bread of excess water and break into pieces.  Combine broken bread and sausage mixture in large bowl.

Add:
Small handful of chopped, flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated (with a microplane or the finer side of your box grater) Romano or Parmesan
2 eggs
1 apple, chopped (any kind -- I've used Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, and they're all great)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients well, and place into a large, greased, oven-safe skillet, casserole dish or roasting pan.  Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour until browned all over and crusty at the edges.

A Thanksgiving menu and a pair of new boots

Every November, I am faced with the same dilemma.  Or at least for the past 10 Novembers that I've known Greg.  For both Greg and I, Thanksgiving is our absolute favorite holiday.  It frustrates us to no end that literally the day after Halloween, CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS are already up in stores, and Christmas music has begun to play.  It's like Thanksgiving doesn't even matter!  No wonder why people get burned out from the holidays.  It just...too much holiday!  Christmas is supposed to be a precious, beautiful time with family, listening to special music that ONLY GETS PLAYED AFTER NOVEMBER 30TH.  Period.  (Please take me with a grain of salt -- if you disagree, you can be sure that I WILL JUDGE YOU, but I'll try to quietly, and only behind your back.  Agreed?)  (Haha.)  (I'm actually not kidding.)  But enough about Christmas -- today, we're talking about Thanksgiving.  The dilemma in our family is this: Thanksgiving is special to Greg and I for somewhat opposite reasons.

For him, different-ness equals awesomeness (and yes, "different-ness" IS a word.  BECAUSE I JUST INVENTED IT.  Thanks.)  A holiday is the perfect time to try out SUPERSPECIALCOMPLICATED recipes from our shelves of cookbooks, "show off Faith's cooking skills" (his words not mine), and generally use all sorts of ingredients we usually wouldn't budget for/consider using (unless it was a holiday).  Also wine, plenty of wine.  And possibly after dinner drinks.  (Those last two are things that we can both agree on.)

For me, every holiday has it's own traditional menu guidelines, and if I don't stick to them, it's hard for me to even feel like we're celebrating that particular event.  Ham is for Christmas (sometimes I've subbed in lamb or beef, but it just doesn't feel quite right), lamb is for Easter (although I'm pretty sure I made something rather un-special this past Easter because I was feeling overwhelmed -- but once again, it didn't really feel like the proper "celebration" without it), and Thanksgiving?  Thanksgiving is absolutely, 100%, without-a-doubt: TURKEY.  And stuffing, and cranberry sauce (both out of the can AND homemade -- I can't get enough!), and always some sort of handmade rolls (usually the Cracked Wheat Rolls from Moosewood Celebrates.)  Along with that there are always some sort of greens, and hopefully some version of sweet potatoes.  For dessert, I am a big fan of both pecan AND pumpkin pies.

Now, these differences might not seem like such a big deal at first, but the thing is, not only does Greg not hold all of those foodstuffs dear for that particular holiday, he doesn't like most of it at all.  Tragic.  He doesn't like almost any version of pumpkin or sweet potato, and certainly not pie.  He's not a fan of flaky pie crust, and cooked fruit is a total turn-off, so even an apple crumble is out of the question.  He doesn't like chocolate, and cannot stand pecans or walnuts.  He has never liked turkey.  Autumnal spices (gingerbread, pumpkin pie spice, etc.) are not something he goes for.

Do you see the problem here?  It would seem insurmountable, and I have certainly mourned the loss of my favorite once-a-year lunch: the Thanksgiving Leftovers sandwich (thickly sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing)....so beautiful.  So unattainable.  However, there is hope!  I have come up with the following menu that I hope will please our whole family.  And I might even be able to have that sandwich after all!

• Quail (I bought 8 local quail, butterflied for grilling or roasting -- not sure what I will do with them yet)
• Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Chipotle Pecan Streusel (I will only make a 1/2 recipe of this, because I'll probably be the only one eating it)
• Smashed Potatoes (this has become Greg's Signature Holiday Dish, and he does it well -- his own recipe)
• Great Aunt Nancy's Apple and Sausage Stuffing (I'll post the recipe shortly -- it's always been a traditional dish for my family back in NY and NJ)
• Caesar Salad (a variation on my dad's recipe -- our whole family loves this intense, garlicky salad)
• I'm also throwing around the idea of an ambrosia-type thing, or some other sweet-spicy chopped salad.
• Cranberry Sauce straight out of the can (and possibly a homemade sauce/relish too -- undecided)
• Parker House Rolls (I've never tried this recipe, but I've found that I can trust Joy The Baker.  She has never steered me wrong.)
• I would consider making a Butterscotch Cream Pie with a graham cracker crust, but I think Greg might be butterscotched-out -- I made a large bowl of Butterscotch Pudding a few days ago and, while delicious, we still haven't finished it.
• He MIGHT like Pioneer Woman's Pumpkin Cream Pie -- it's got a lot of elements that he likes without a heavy pumpkin flavor, so I'll show the recipe to him and see what he thinks.
• Thanksgiving Twofer Pie (I just may end up eating this all by myself, but it's a Dorie Greenspan recipe, so how can I go wrong?)
• I'm going to keep this list of Best Hot Drinks on hand for after we tuck the children in at the end of the day.  Maybe we'll put a little soft jazz on the turntable...(*wink*)

I'd love to hear all of your opinions in the comments.  What (besides family and friends) makes each holiday special to you?  Special foods?  Traditions?  I look forward to hearing how each of you make your holiday special.

In other news, I finally got my first pair of long-anticipated cowboy(girl?) boots, and I am completely in love.

 
Frye Women's Billy Vintage Boot in Tan.

I want to wear them with everything.  So that's precisely what I'm going to do.  I'll post a picture each day for the next week or so of an outfit I've styled around the boots.

 
The weather here in Texas is so fickle in November, that it makes perfect sense to pair short-shorts with a thick, tweedy pullover sweater (layered over a t-shirt). Or at least that's what I have decided.  Don't judge.  Handknit sweater (a modified version of Stefanie Japel's pattern: Cozy V-Neck Pullover from her book Fitted Knits), shorts from Old Navy (can't even find them on their site -- that's how out-of-season I am), Frye Boots.

Of course I will also need a Black Pair -- studded this time, but I'll have to wait on that and give our wallet a little more breathing room before I strike again.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Bread pudding.  It's one of those things that I've always imagined that I should like...yet no matter how many times I've tried it, I've always been unimpressed and disappointed.  Gummy, dry, or just plain unflavorful, it seems that most people just can't get it right.  But seriously -- custard soaked challah bread?  People!  There MUST be a way to make this dish rock!  So when I discovered that Dorie Greenspan had a Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe in my Very Favorite Baking Book Ever (Baking: From My Home To Yours), I decided that I would give it a go.

Some friends and I get together once a month for a big potluck brunch, and I felt that it would be the perfect thing to share with a crowd.


 


I served it as Dorie suggested with a Vanilla Creme Anglaise Sauce.  I also had some dark chocolate ganache left over from something else, and I MAY have placed a bowl of that alongside...although there are no pictures to prove it... (and, just between us...that might have been overkill...)


 


Oh dear me.


 


Oh my freaking gosh.  I always knew there was something to love about bread pudding.

Wooly hats for little heads

Looking over my blog posts of the past year, I've realized that I've come to a more holistic approach to crafting.  Rather than JUST KNITTING, or SPINNING OBSESSIVELY, etc., I've begun to craft according to what my family needs/wants at whatever given time -- Daisy needed dresses for the summer, so I sewed a bunch of those over a few weeks.  We needed curtains for our windows, so I just got down to business and sewed up a few sets (supplementing with a few from Ikea -- but I intend to make hand-embroidered tie-backs for those in the future).  Instead of letting Greg cover our walls with band posters again, I have instead been slowly crafting and creating my own decorative touches to our walls (embroidery...papercut....applique...tiny knits...).  It's slow, but it's good.  I love the way that I'm discovering myself as I'm opening myself up to all of these avenues of crafting, rather than locking myself into one mode.  

 

Of course I still go off on different stints of ONLY WANTING TO SPIN or what have you, but I feel like I'm becoming a little more balanced, and I really love the outcome of it all.  Our house, while probably put together in a factory about 10 years ago and assembled on site with a few staples and a hot-glue gun, is gradually easing into a homey, handmade sort of a place on the inside.  And I love it.

 

All of the above is why my knits have been slower in coming lately.  I do always have a small handful of projects on the needles, but I work on them as I can, among all of the other home-enriching projects that I have in progress.

 

Last week I finished up my children's hats for this season, just in time for a cold front that has moved in.

 
Variation on a Meathead hat pattern.  Shetland wool Spunky Eclectic (vintage!) club fiber in "Celebration".  Handspun, 2-ply, worsted weight.


 

From left: ONline "Linie 120 Fiorino" in crimson (color # 0021), Spectrum Batt from Purldrop Studo in Graduated Green, "Spring Forward" BFL Southern Cross Fibre Club March 2009.

Here in Texas, we have to enjoy those chilly days while we have them -- even if it just means bundling up in the mornings and evenings.  I'll take any excuse to put on a snuggly hat and a pair of mittens.

 


Sparky and Max requested ear hats again this year, so I decided to make one for Billy as well.  The only thing better than 2 little boys in Shrek-like ear hats is 3.  Obviously.

I based the pattern on the one in Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book Of Patterns.  (I just knit straight up with no shaping until it was long enough to cover the boys' heads, then kitchnered across the top, tying off the corners to make "ears".)

 


 
Billy thought that ripping his hat off for his individual shoot was the Best Pose Concept Ever.  Thankfully, everyone encouraged him with hilarious laughter...so it became impossible.  Ah well.

Daisy's hat is essentially the Meathead hat pattern, but I modified it for a smaller gauge, and ruched up the back so that the point would aim backwards and perfectly contain her ever-present ponytail.  I finished up her mittens (also from Ann Budd's Handy Book Of Patterns), and this weekend I intend to get at least one pair done for the boys as well.  Sparky has requested gloves, but the other two have mittens on order.  I will also be knitting a little winter set for my 2-year-old nephew, which I will start as soon as I'm done with these.

 



 

 

I always end up doing projects like these in batches, and I have to admit that I'm feeling weary already, but seeing these adorable little people decorated with my stitches (and in most cases -- my handspun), never fails to put a smile on my face.

 

A little bit of this, and a little bit of that

Making dessert for Greg is always a challenging endeavor -- he's not really a "dessert sort of guy", but he does enjoy the occasional sweet...it just can't involve chocolate, pie crust, nuts, cooked fruit, or dark caramel.  I think he's trying to stretch my creative genius.  For his birthday this year (Oct. 19th -- happy 33rd birthday, my love!), I made the old fashioned and elegant Floating Islands dessert: meringue "islands" poached in milk, "floating" in Creme Anglaise sauce.

 
(Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan -- my baking hero)

It was delicious, but we both agreed that the caramel drizzled on top should probably have been caramel sauce and not brittle threads.  I kind of enjoyed the crunch, but it was a little difficult to avoid getting stabbed in the mouth.


I recently came across a recipe for Caramel Macchiato Popcorn Balls and modified it to clusters instead.

 

Instead of using store bought caramel cubes, as the coating, I made my own caramel (are you surprised?) from this one on Allrecipes.com.  Instead of fussing with forming popcorn balls, I spread the sticky popcorn on baking sheets and baked them as directed in the Allrecipes version.  I wanted the chocolate and caramel to maintain their distinct flavors, so I opted to drizzle the chocolate (shot through with espresso powder and Saigon cinnamon) on top after baking instead of mixing it in to the caramel. 

 


Two days ago, I went from Fiery Redhead to Plastic Rockstar Blond.

 

It's the most artificial blond I've probably ever achieved.  I'm totally infatuated with this look.  I'm sure it'll pass quickly and we'll be back to red in no time.  Or purple.

 

Amidst the month

It's been quite a month. I know I haven't been blogging much, and that's what happens when I'm right smack in the middle of life and have no words...and then I like to wait for the perspective that time and distance provides.  I'm almost there.  I almost have enough energy to write, enough perspective to have anything worth saying.  (Yes, we're all healthy, no I'm not pregnant, and no we're not leaving the Army or moving out of Texas right now.)

So for now, since I seem to be fresh out of things to say, here's a sweet little knit that I completed at least a week ago with a tiny mitten blocker key chain (and pattern) from Kit Envy (I modified it a tiny bit because there is no row-gauge, so I just kept trying it on the blocker until it fit at the thumb and then the fingertips).

 

Right now I'm trying to get caught up with a pile of mending and hemming that I've been putting off for a while.

 

I like to procrastinate and let things build up, and then tackle it all at once.  It's a sickness.  Now that I'm elbow deep, I'm finding it strangely soothing.  I've started listening to At Home In Mitford on audio this afternoon (even though I own the entire series in paperback and have read them all -- love those books), and I find that it's the perfect accompaniment to the mindless needlework.

Even though the past month has been a challenge, I feel completely at peace.


 

And looking at this little face, I see that peace reflected back to me.

Wednesday

Playing Beauty Salon and painting tiny nails...
Cleaning up a smashed bottle of red nail polish out of the rug (acetone nail polish remover quickly followed by Borax and water)...
A loaf of bread in the oven...
Watching the movie "Charade", starring Audry Hepburn and Cary Grant...
Eating fluffer-nutter sandwiches on new-made bread...
Playing with liquid eyeliner inspired by Audry Hepburn...
Winding wool for upcoming autumn projects...
 

Welcome sunshine morning, welcome Wednesday.

Handspun Cowl!

Some things I've been doing with my Things In Jars:

 
Chicken Aioli Salad over greens with pickled zucchini and onions


 
Pecan Scones with lemon curd

I've been working on my Garter Yoke Cardigan a bit this weekend, and I've reached the fatigue point -- that spot about 10 inches down from the underarms, when a sweater just feels like it's just. not. going. to. be. worth. it.
 
We're watching a movie with subtitles tonight though (The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo -- loved the books!  I hope the movie doesn't scare me too much), and the mindless stockinette is just the thing for that kind of entertainment.

I started a pair of gradually striping socks this past Thursday, and as usual, I was SUCKED RIGHT IN.
 
I don't stand a chance against the subtle stripe.  I stand helpless.  This may have something to do with my intense boredom with the yellow sweater. 

The yarn I'm using is Jojoland Melody Superwash.  I've never used it before, and now I'm wondering where it's been all my life.  More consistant and softer than Noro, 3-ply, and the most gorgeous gradually shifting color changes.  I'm in love.

In late August, Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting released a brand new pattern that was so fabulous,  I had to have it.  Immediately.  I downloaded Shawl Collared Cowl that very night, and cast on with a skein of handspun the next day.  All went smoothly until I ran out of yarn...it took a few weeks for me to realize that I could just buy more wool to spin, and thankfully, my yarn shop still had one bump left in the matching colorway!  (Scarlet Fleece, "Purple Mountains Majesty".)  I spindle-spun the last few yards needed, and finished up the cowl this weekend.

 


This is going to my mom for her birthday this month.  Living out in the country in upstate NY, she tends towards the no-nonsense side of things, and I think that this is a beautiful blend of style and functionality, since she doesn't have to worry about arranging a scarf, or long ends getting in the way of things.

 
The blue/purple will bring out the blue in her eyes, and she loves my handspun, so I'm excited about sending this to her.

 
Thanks, Alana, for such a gorgeous pattern!  Now to make one for myself...  (Project details for this project here on my Ravelry page.)

Pickles and more!

It's sweater weather, and that's a beautiful thing.  Well, at least it's sweater mornings and sweater evenings.  Happiness in a big wooly hug.

I've been inspired to do some refridgerator and freezer canning lately.  In the past few days, I've pickled red onions (from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzan -- recipe here on Google Books), pickled some sweet and spicy Zucchini and white onions (by Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks), made a jar of Tsukudani (pickled Nori), and a recipe of fabulously velvety Lemon Curd.

It pleases me to see all of the jars lined up in a row.

 
With the red onions and the zucchini, I actually halved the recipes, and it still made WAY more than we could possibly eat in a week (expected shelf-life), so I put the extra jars in the freezer (with a bit of headroom for expansion in each jar), and I can pull them out as needed.


 

Now if you will excuse me, I think I'm going to go eat a pickled...something.  :-)