Knit & Nosh

tale of two sweaters

If you have been reading the blog for awhile you may have noticed a lack of sweaters. For reasons unknown to me ( ok, fear ) I have been ignoring sweaters. I am SO over that.  Vodka Gimlet is a huge success and has spurred me on to even more sweaters. First on the needles is Featherweight.

This pattern has been in my queue for far too long. My friend Mary has almost finished a version and it looks great!

I picked up the yarn for less than $10 and am loving how it is working up. Good mindless knitting for Star Trek reruns or the second season of Downton Abbey.

This is the beginning of Vodka Lemonade. My version will be Pink Lemonade. As a rule I do not like working seed stitch, but the design has it just a wee bit down the front of the sweater and then for the collar flap.  Just a few more rows of the collar flap and the knitting will speed up.

BTW, it's Friday?  How did that happen?  There has been some serious time warp action at my house.

cbrm - The Appetizer Book

Here we have one of those gems from the library sale shelves. The Sunset Appetizer Book, first published in 1965. For those of you who do not live on the west coast of the United States, Sunset magazine, "The magazine of western living", has been a staple since it began publishing in 1898. Sunset began publishing books in 1946 and I have collected a number of them through the years. They are thin, inexpensive, trendy, and always contain at least three recipes you will use for years to come.

Just look at the cover! The sliced, canned, black olive and cream cheese celery is not something I would ever serve, but Prosciutto Wrapped Melon, or Lox Stuffed with Cream Cheese and Onions, disappear in a hurry when put out for a party. This book holds enough really good recipes to keep your family and party guests fed until the end of time. One of my very favorites is Olive-filled Cheese Balls. Cheesy and almost spicy with a soft salty center and a warm crisp outside. At our last party they lasted about 15 minutes. I have never made too many.

Old, and sometimes tattered copies of the book can be found everywhere. Amazon has a few for sale starting at .48. Another edition was published in 1976. I promise the pictures of the Nut-studded Appetizer Cheeses are worth the price of admission.

Olive-filled Cheese Balls

1 cup (1/4 pound) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour (gluten free works great)

Dash of cayenne

25 medium-large green olives, well drained*

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have a mini food processor, this is the place to use it.

Put all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and run until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Remove the blade from the bowl before proceeding. I know you think you will be able to work around the blade, you won't and the resulting cut really hurts.

Wrap about a teaspoon of dough around the olive, covering completely, and set on baking sheet. When all olives have received their cheesy jackets, place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the olives just begin to brown. Serve warm.

Makes about 25 balls. Easy to double or triple.

*I like to use the unstuffed martini olives from the deli's olive bar. You can also use jarred martini olives, Santa Barbara Olive Company makes good ones, but are much pricier than the deli option.

boozy brunch

I am currently reading a not yet released book titled Boozy Brunch.

I love this book and can not believe the subject has not yet been covered. I did a quick google search for "boozy brunch" and came up with this:

Boozy Brunch by L'oreal. Yes, my local drug store had a bottle and, yes I brought one home. It is on my toes now, patiently waiting for someone to make me a Bloody Mary.

the return of the blanket

Last week I finished the Sleepy Hollow socks. They look great! I am not sure if I will keep them or gift them. Lori Law is one of my favorite designers and when linking to her I was surprised by just how many of her designs I have knit. The Sleepy Hollow socks have a smart heel and gusset that I did not work because I was away from my pattern when heel time came around. Very clever.

I am not quite ready to cast on other pair of socks, I am ready to begin working on a new sweater, but the yarn has not arrived. What to do? The Sock Yarn Blanket to the rescue.

It has been over a year since this fellow has seen any action. Over the past few days I have added 12 squares and once again love the project. It is so easy to work a square while watching old Star Trek. The current size is about 1/5 of what I would like the finished blanket to be. It truly will take years to complete, if only because I am using leftover yarn. Given the amount of little leftover balls of yarn currently in the house, I can probably get to the halfway point. After that ? Not sure. Now I think I need to weave in a few ends.

 Yikes!

 

cbrm - what color is your smoothie?

I have a stack of cookbooks set aside to review and would like to make Monday, Cookbook Review Monday (CBRM). I can be challenged when it comes to keeping on task, but will give it a try. Where do all the books come from? From time to time Grandma sorts through boxes and sends some good stuff my way. Friends who know I like to curl up with a good cookbook will bring them to me. The UPS man often stops at the house with books from publishers or PR firms. Then there is the library sale shelf.

The local library has a few shelves of books that are offered for sale. The price of $.50 for softcovers and $1.00 for hardbacks make it easy to take a chance. Most of the books I bring home from those shelves are returned to be sold again, but I have kept some real gems. I do buy new books from time to time. As a rule they have been checked out from the library and well vetted before I purchase a copy and give up shelf space. Occasionally one will jump into my Costco cart while my back is turned. I know I am not alone in my love for good cookbooks and I hope CBRM provides a few books that you can't wait to read.

What Color is Your Smoothie?
by Britt Allen Brandon

Youngest Daughter is very conscience about how she will eat healthy while she is away at college. The fact that she is thinking about this now, when she does not leave until September, means it is important to her. One of my biggest tips for her has to do with color. I have told her that different color foods have different nutrients, and by making sure her plate holds lots of different colors, she will be fine. I guess I was not the first person to figure this out because here is an entire book based on "eating the rainbow".

What Color is Your Smoothie? is of course dedicated to drinks, but has good information about which foods contain which nutrients and what to eat to gain those benefits. The book begins with a section giving broad information about which color groups contain which nutrients. That is followed by a breakdown of each nutrient and why our bodies need these things. Then each fruit or vegetable is given a detailed description of why it is good for you. Lastly, the recipes.

The recipes are broken out by color. Looking for something to boost cancer fighting and high cholesterol? Turn to the Yellow section and find recipes such as Golden Goodness, with pineapple, ginger, maple syrup, and almond milk. Or Pineapple Pickers' Persuasion that includes bananas, cardamom, and coconut milk.

We love smoothies at our house and tend to just mix whatever happens to be around. Sometimes we make something great, often the mixture feels like it needs a little something more. After reading through this book I have a good idea of the flavor combos that elevate the humble smoothie.

If you have never added fruit, liquid, and ice to blender then this is the perfect book to get you started. If you love a good smoothie, this book will provide heaps of healthy ideas.

sleepy hollow and teqilla sunrise

A wrist injury left me out of commission for almost a week.  No spinning, no knitting, no driving.  Luckily it improved in time for a trip over the mountains to see Oldest Son in a play.  Not only did the wrist behave for the drive, I was able to knit at the hotel.

Sleepy Hollow socks, or more precisely, sock.  LOVE the pattern and the second sock should be finished in just a few days.

Tequila Sunrise fiber.  This is Texel Wool Top, which is something I have never ever heard of let alone spun.  The fiber feels pretty rough, but it is spinning up nicely.  This is for an  SAL/KAL for Babouches.  You know how I love Babouches and this pair will be for me to wear around the house.  I hope tight knitting and rough yarn will make for a durable pair of slippers.

A real Tequila Sunrise, made with homemade grenadine.  mmmm

 

norwegian cakes and cookies

Another new cookbook to cross my desk, Norwegian Cakes and Cookies by Sverre Seatre.  I had visions of traditional cakes filled with jam and topped with elaborate whipped cream designs.  This is not that book.  The flavors are fresh with a presentaion that is quite contemporary.  The author runs a patisserie in Oslo, and is a member of the Norwegian National Culinary Team.  Now that is a team sport I could get behind!

The book is broken up into six sections: Fruit, Berries, From the Cow, Nuts and Spices, Chocolate, and Basic Recipes.  At the beginning of each section is a bit about the ingredients you are about to encounter.  Many people are familiar with the Lingonberry, but what about about the Crowberry and the Sea Buckthorn?  You will learn about them and their uses in the section on berries.  I love learning new things from a cookbook.

Most recipes include a photo and fun presentation ideas, making this an enjoyable to book to flip through on the couch before bringing it into the kitchen.  Once in the kitchen you will find measurements given in both grams and cups to please every kind of cook, along with tips and suggestions to make the dish perfect. 

I am watching my trees so I do not miss the new sprouts needed to make Pine Shoot Lemonade!  With gin?  Yes.

lemon curd

The past couple of days have been SO busy.  I do not even want to know how many times the car went in and out of the driveway.  Of course the only way to stay sane during a busy day is to pull out the canning pot. 

Yesterday I put up 6 1/2 pints of Pickled Brussel Sprouts.  Husband LOVES them and I am happy to oblige.

This morning, I looked up from the computer to see snow.  I spent the next hour standing in the kitchen, whisking lemon curd with snow falling all around me. 

 So wonderful.  The white swirling snow and the bright yelllow lemons.  

Ploughman's Lunch coronation chicken and banoffee pie.

There has been sickness and travel and camera issues.  People are home and getting better, but I do not feel like like playing with the camera, and I do want to get on with the recipe testing.   So I give you two posts in one, sans photos.

With the 50th Anniversary of the Queen's Coronation upon us I thought it appropriate to whip up a batch of Coronation Chicken.  It is a savory/sweet chicken salad variation that works so well it left me wondering why American deli's do not serve it this way.

An internet search reveals that the book's recipe is quite similar to the original, which was made in 1953 by Rosemary Hume of Le Cordon Bleu.  The Ploughman's Lunch recipe differs mostly by the addition of curry paste over curry powder.  The paste has more complex flavors and is a great way to update a classic dish. 

Once again it is the sauce that sets this basic chicken salad apart.  Mayo (I used homemade), apricots, onions, curry, red wine, cream... there is a lot going on here.  Too fancy for a weekday lunch, but as a summer salad it is going to be in heavy rotation.

Lastly, I had to try the Banoffee Pie. Deceptively simple to make, with flavor so deep and rich. The custard is made by baking sweetened condensed milk in a water bath at 425F for two hours. That's it. Smooth, creamy, sticky, perfect.

A google search tells me there is a great deal of history and controversy surrounding the pie. Ian Dowdling appears to be the first to make and serve a slice, but others claim the title as well. Coffee or no coffee? Pastry or graham cracker crust? Whole bananas layered atop the custard, or sliced and mixed it? There are even some new fangled recipes that do not contain the baked evaporated milk center. Are they really Banoffee Pie? Something tells me you could start a pub fight bringing up the subject.

My pie was not pretty but was eaten very quickly. I think I over baked the milk because the consistency was too thick, and it was difficult to spread over the bananas. But the flavor was amazing. With the first bite Husband needed to know the ingredients. He did not believe me when I told him. He continued to ask questions, in between mouthfuls. Every diner in America should have this pie on the menu! The perfect company pie as it can be made ahead and will be a real conversation piece.

I will say it again, Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast is a book that is worth my precious shelf space. It is fantastic!

the new ipad

Everyone is all pumped about the new iPad.  Yes, it has a faster processor, but even my little ipod touch goes as fast as I need.  And yes, the new iPad has better cameras and resolution.  But the resolution on my laptop is pretty crappy and suits me just fine.  That is why when the new ipad was announced I held my breath and waited for the pricing on the old iPad.

$399?  Done.

Less than a year ago the iPad2 was the coolest thing on the block, and when in arrives, it will still be the coolest thing in my house.   Thank you Grandma!!!!!