tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61694995746940706072024-03-12T21:17:33.235-07:00The Knitting LlamaLike crossing Martha Stewart with a camelidLlamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06142521707581001219noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-78219270592868229822012-03-28T21:34:00.000-07:002012-03-28T21:34:40.908-07:00Trip to Alexandria, VA (part deux)For din<span style="font-size: small;">ner, we originally were going out for happy hour oysters, but the restaurant was closed for a wedding rehearsal (with very little signage, so it took us a minute to figure out what was up), and so we decided to go back to Cafe Salsa for some happy hour munchies instead. Appetizers were half off, and drinks were cheap. I had a glass (okay, two glasses) of their Red Sangria, which was very good - not too sweet and with a good amount of fruit tossed in. Mr Llama had a mojito, obviously the overindulgance from the night before had little effect on him! We ordered their ceviche (raw seafood marinated in citrus juice), Papitas Rellanas (mashed potatoes around cuban meat and deep fried), and the Arepitas (cornmeal cakes topped with shredded pork). The ceviche was by far the best, tangy and a bit spicy, with noticible cumin and cilantro flavors. The seafood was firm and moist and very tasty. The cornmeal cakes with shredded pork were good but not outstanding, and I liked the papitas mostly because fried mashed potatoes are good in any form.<br /><br />It was still early, so we decided to walk up and down King Street, where we spotted a sign for a wine and coffee bar called <a href="http://www.grapeandbean.com/">Grape + Bean</a>. We sat down at the bar, I had a glass of Sauv Blanc, and Mr Llama tried a wine flight. Unfortunately, after mojitos and some wine, I forgot to write down any of the wines we tried. However, we did try a fabulous Muscatel paired with some artisanal chocolate. . . . While we were there, I pulled out my Pomatomus sock to work on, and ended up in a number of conversations with nearby patrons, two of which knit as well! We talked about the pattern, knitting while drinking, it was fabulous! We probably spent two hours in the wine bar, since it was dark by the time we left.<br /><br />After more wandering, we finished the night at <a href="http://www.maithai.us/oldtown/home.php">Mai Thai</a>, where we shared an order of Scallion Rice Cakes, sticky rice shaped into patties, wrapped in scallions, and fried, served with a sweet Hoisin-based dipping sauce, and and order of vegetarian spring rolls, crunchy vegetables wrapped in rice paper. Neither dish was spicy, so we asked for hot sauce and got a tray of four different chili sauces - peppers in vinegar, a dry spice mix, a sambal-esque sauce, and a darker, milder combination that tasted almost like XO sauce. Full and happy, we headed back to the hotel.<br /><br />After<br />Stopped at Candi's Candies and bought a big bag of taffy - they have more flavors than I've ever seen in one place! Even things like molasses and honey, which, although they're two of my favorites, could not be considered to be the most popular of flavors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">(I am posting this even though I didn't finish it because it needed to be done! --Llama 3-28-12)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-18992439005653061732012-03-28T21:14:00.001-07:002012-03-29T12:48:24.341-07:00Restarting the blog and cleaning out the freezer!So, yeah, life happens and the first thing to go is the blog, of course. That and writing a dissertation for 10-12 hours a day makes writing in the down time exceptionally hard, but that's been over for more than a year, so I have no excuse not to start up again!<br />
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I've started to focus on cleaning out my freezers. They've now been reorganized and inventoried, and I've noticed two things:<br />
1) I have WAY too much tomatillo sauce. As good as it is, there is no way I'm going to eat all that anytime soon, so there will be NO tomatillos in the garden this year!<br />
2) I apparently buy frozen Brussels sprouts and spinach every time I go to the store. This is getting a bit silly.<br />
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So, tonight was getting rid of an (unlabeled, of course) Rubbermaid container of some-kind-of-pureed-winter-squash. Winter squashes go well with butter, bacon, onions, and sage. I had lasagna noodles in the pantry, bacon fat on the counter (in my bacon fat mug- doesn't everyone have one of those?!), half an onion in the fridge, and sage in the garden. And before you say it, yeah, I know, I was totally lazy and Sandra Lee'd it up with the "pre-grated cheese", but that's what I get for picking up cheese at Target. That was the only thing I needed to complete...<br />
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<b><u>Some-kind-of-squash Lasagna</u></b><br />
<i>Serves 4-6</i><b>;</b><i> one 11"X7" pyrex dish</i><b><br /></b><br />
<br />
1.5 cups of some kind of roasted squash puree (butternut, acorn, pumpkin, etc)<br />
12 lasagna noodles<br />
2 Tbsp bacon fat (sub butter or oil if you need)<br />
2 Tbsp unsalted butter <br />
1/4 cup flour<br />
1/2 onion, chopped<br />
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage <br />
2 cups milk (I used 2%)<br />
8 oz grated Italian blend cheese <br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Boil water in a large pan. Add salt until the water tastes like sea water, then add the lasagna noodles and cook as indicated on whatever package you have. You could probably use the no-cook noodles but I would add extra water to the squash or make extra bechamel sauce. While the water boils/noodles cook, melt the bacon fat and butter together, then add the onions and saute until they start to brown. Add the chopped sage and saute until it turns bright green. Whisk in the flour to make a roux; cook for a couple minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Whisk in the milk, turn down the heat, and stir regularly until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the squash is unseasoned, you'll want to make the bechamel almost too salty to make the final lasagna palatable. Drain the pasta (I gave it a little rinse in cold water just so I could touch the noodles). Put a thin layer of bechamel on the bottom of your pan, cover with 4 noodles. Spread with half the squash, a fourth of the grated cheese, and a third of the bechamel. Repeat with noodles, squash, cheese, bechamel, noodles, bechamel, and the last half the cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese on top is browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes so it doesn't fall apart on you.<br />
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I had a salad with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar on it on the side.<br />
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Approximate nutrition information for 6 servings: One serving has approximately 500 calories, 56g carbs, 22g fat, 26g protein. (From <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/">www.myfitnesspal.com</a>'s recipe calculator)<br />
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<br />Llamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06142521707581001219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-92073697227113694022009-10-01T09:55:00.000-07:002009-10-01T09:58:17.838-07:00Tomato Nation - DonorsChoosePlease help out Sars (of Television Without Pity fame) raise money for schools! The goal is high, the prizes are many, and the month is full of AWESOME!<br /><br /><a href="http://tomatonation.com/?page_id=3748">Bet Red.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-50319408728859464582009-07-29T13:15:00.000-07:002009-07-29T14:18:16.396-07:00Trip to Alexandria, VA (part 1)<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >I spent last weekend in Alexandria, VA on a much-needed vacation. As it coincided with Mr. Llama's business trip, we only had to pay for my ticket and one night in the hotel (more money left for food and yarn, I say!).<br /><br />The flight in was quiet, uneventful, and productive for knitting - I'm currently knitting <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jess-birthday-sweater">this</a> sweater out of Cascade 220 100% wool, and managed to finish the body up to where the sleeves will be joined! There was another knitter in the same row, which was nice to see, and the in-flight movie was </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >Monsters vs Aliens</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >, a movie I had been intending to see but never got around to. I really enjoyed the movie - good vs evil plus some girl-empowerment going on, I found it both funny and original. Plus, Stephen Colbert voices the POTUS!<br /><br />After taking the Metro and a nice walk to the hotel, I spent a bit of time sitting before Mr. Llama returned and we walked down to King Street in Old Town Alexandria. The street is lined with restaurants, stores, and historical sites, and is extremely pedestrian-friendly though King Street can have heavy traffic at times. Dinner was at the <a href="http://www.fishmarketoldtown.com/main.html">Fish Market</a>, a busy place with a raw bar and giant glasses of beer. We shared a full pound of their specialty, the "Hot" Spiced Shrimp. Basically, just unpeeled shrimp cooked in a combination of spices that included bay leaves, coriander, and red pepper flakes (among many others I couldn't identify, but I was about halfway through the bathtub of beer - Harpoon IPA if you're interested - so that probably had something to do with it!) The shrimp, two orders of Hush Puppies, and some bread made a good meal for a hot day. Their Hush Puppies are some of the best I've had - lots of garlic flavor kept them from being just fried sugary cornmeal.<br /><br />After dinner, we made our way to Cafe Salsa for some mojitos - they were apparently on special that night, as we only paid about $40 for 14 drinks (we were with a group - really). No skimping on the mint here, and they weren't too sweet, either. I probably would have preferred mine to be made with a dark rum, but that wouldn't have been a standard mojito, either. That pretty much finished off the night for all of us, and we made our way back to the hotel and some sleep.<br /><br />The next day I spent alone while Mr Llama was again at work. I wandered back to King St to find some breakfast and especially some coffee, and went into <a href="http://www.lamadeleine.com/">La Madeleine</a>, one of a chain of French bistro-ish eateries, emerging with an almond croissant and a double espresso. Unfortunately, the croissant, while topped with crunchy toasted almonds, was filled with a too-sweet flavorless goo which made the pastry soggy and unappitizing, and the espresso, which lacked any semblance of crema, tasted only slightly better than the coffee I had on the airplane. I'd like to hope that the rest of their menu isn't so bad, but I didn't bother going back to find out! After the nauseating breakfast, I walked the shops. There's a definite French influence and a number of imported French furniture stores and French bistros. I found a place to try breakfast the next morning called Le Pain Quotidien, which I glanced into and looked less like a cafeteria than La Madeleine. The menu was also smaller, which was encouraging.<br /><br />And then I found the yarn! Two stores were within walking distance, and one was having their grand opening as well! Fibre space (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/fibre-space/109826276371#/pages/fibre-space/109826276371?v=wall&viewas=502263573">here</a> they are on Facebook) had opened that morning - a nice airy space with lots of well-organized shelves, though they were only half-full since all the yarn hadn't come in yet. They did have samples of the yarns yet to come in, though, so people could touch and grope and fall in love! I bought a skein of 100% merino superwash sock yarn in a deep purple/green colorway called Iris and a set of #2 dpns to start the infamous<a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTpomatomus.html"> Pomatomus socks</a> - yay! I really loved the colors and, now that I've started the socks, love that it's not pooling strangely and the variagation doesn't lead to striping! The people there were very nice, fun, and excited, and I really enjoyed myself. I wished I had brought some knitting so I could have just spent some time on their couches! I also purchased a reusable bag with their logo - big enough for the sweater parts I've got in progress.<br /><br />The second shop, though promising, was a bit disappointing. It was completely void of customers, and the only employee was very quiet and a little standoffish. I did buy a single skein of a locally-dyed yarn because 1) it was locally dyed and I wanted a souvenir yarn, 2) it was </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >so soft</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >, a 50/50 blend of merino and silk, and 3) it was the only skein of a pretty varigated green - I'm a sucker for orphan skeins, they're like little lost kittens!<br /><br />Since I hadn't brought any knitting with me, I planned to go back to the hotel - but first, a side trip to Trader Joe's! There aren't any Trader Joe's in Colorado, so I needed to get my fix. Tasted some wines, bought a lot of chocolates and freeze-dried fruit, and picked up some Bourbon Vanilla and Spanish Saffron for much better prices than I can get around my town. After that, it was back to the hotel, where I spent the rest of the afternoon winding my new sock yarn and starting the Pomatomus - got all the way through the cuff and into the pattern before Mr. Llama returned and we were off for dinner.<br /><br />To be continued . . .</span><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-69868649175554112772009-07-07T10:49:00.000-07:002009-07-29T14:19:05.152-07:00Crockpot Beef Stew and Sandra Lee<span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >So, I feel like since I've been giving this recipe out at least once a week to someone, I might as well just post the darn thing on here and then just reference my blog! More readers and less work on my part, heh.</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >I came up with this beef stew recipe after some great discussions with friends on the </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showforum=743">Television Without Pity Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee</a></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" > forum about crockpot cooking and how to make good meals </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >without </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >cooking like Sandra Lee. </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >I suppose I should explain further.</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >I am a self-proclaimed Shrike. I do not like Sandra Lee, I do not like what she stands for, and I really do not like her "recipes" (or arrrrussipees, if you like to use Sandra-speak). Many years ago, I happened upon her show as I walked through the room. This was back when Food Network focused mainly on actual cooking shows, and was great for having on as background noise, and since I was in the middle of writing for my comprehensive exam, I spent a lot of time at home. Anyway, she was making Tiramisu. With Mascarpone cheese (mars-capone, in Sandra-speak) </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >mixed into pudding cups</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >. Seriously? I am not going to spend money on good Mascarpone just to mix it with artificially-flavored paste, and I am especially not going to </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >scrape out pudding cups</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >. I started watching her show just to yell at the TV, and then eventually I found the community on TWoP. They are absolutely hilarious, smart, wonderful people, who never would have met if it wasn't for our shared dislike of this woman. Crazy, isn't it?</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >In any case, we tend to share a lot of recipes. Good recipes, many of which could be considered to follow the Semi-Ho philosophy, if it had ever been executed correctly in the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >first</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" > place. Lots of canned beans, tomatoes, etc, are fine. Using truffle oil with your RealLemon? Not so much. We like real food, with real ingredients, and NO seasoning packets.</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
<br />
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >This beef stew is easy, tastes good, and is inexpensive to make. I don't need to flavor it with a can of beef stew or a packet of beef gravy. The only seasoning is Emeril's Essence, and that's not even essential to the recipe - you can flavor with thyme alone if you want. Enjoy! I like to serve with cheesy grits, but it's also fine with egg noodles or your favorite starch. Or just by itself with a loaf of crusty bread and a pint of beer.</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" >
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<br /></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: times new roman;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cschultja%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Crockpot Beef Stew</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p>3 Tbsp olive oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">¼ c flour</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2 lbs lean stew beef</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2 Tbsp Emeril’s Essence</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1 onion, sliced against the grain</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 carrots, in ½” slices</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">½ lb mushrooms</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">1-2 lbs baby <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Yukon</st1:place></st1:state> gold potatoes, quartered</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2-3 Tbsp tomato paste</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">¾ can Murphy’s stout, or Guiness, or red wine, or beef broth
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2 cups water</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Salt</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Pepper</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Bay leaf</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2 Tbsp butter/margarine/oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">2-3 Tbsp flour</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Season beef with salt, pepper, essence.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Add flour and toss to coat. Heat oil in pan, brown beef in two batches and put into crockpot.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">While beef is cooking, cut up onion, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots and put into crockpot. After beef is finished, add tomato paste to pan, cook a bit, then deglaze pan with beer, scraping up all the browned bits.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (Drink the rest of the beer as a present to yourself, or add the whole can, I guess, but I'd rather drink it!) </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Add to crockpot along with water.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Cook on high setting for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours). Make a roux of butter and flour, stir into stew, cook for 1 hour more. Adjust seasoning as needed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Serve with green beans, bread, cheese grits.</span></p>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-44254693550426199752009-07-01T13:13:00.001-07:002009-07-01T13:21:23.413-07:00My husband. My friend, My yarn enabler.Yesterday, I took some time between work and fun to head over to the <a href="http://www.thelambshoppe.com/">Lamb Shoppe</a>, a lovely, well-organized, <span style="font-style: italic;">very </span>friendly yarn store for some dpns (double-pointed needles for the uninitiated). I'm working on my very first sweater, and am almost done with the body, and didn't own #8 dpns with which to knit the sleeves. Of course, I brought the husband with me since we were on our way to dinner, and he didn't want to sit in the car. We went in, I headed right for the needles, intending an in-and-out stop. I did stop to fondle and ogle some yarns, and kind of went over the basics for Ray since he was interested in what you do with different weights/styles/fibers of yarn. Anyway, by the register was a basket containing some balls of gorgeous Louisa Harding Kimono Angora. Four balls, <span style="font-style: italic;">from the same dye lot</span>, and 40% off. <br /><br />And Ray told me to just buy them. So I did, disregarding my original plans to completely destash before I buy new yarn.<br /><br />I'm a freaking yarn addict.<br /><br />And now I have an enabler.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-15846719062270734222009-05-19T12:11:00.000-07:002009-05-19T11:13:20.128-07:00First Knitting Post!So I know you're all thinking "the blog is called The Knitting Llama, but there aren't any llamas, and there isn't any knitting - I want my money back!"<br /><br />Besides the fact that you're not paying for this, and never will have to pay for this, it really is time to say something about knitting. I knit. I taught myself about 7 years ago, when I started grad school, because I decided I needed some sort of portable hobby. I started pretty much where most knitters start: a scarf. While not the ugliest scarf in the world, since it was just off-white, it was too short and inconsistent in width, plus I had knitted it in <a href="http://knitting.about.com/od/stitchglossary/g/stockinettest.htm">stockinette stitch</a>, so it would constantly curl up. Worst. Scarf. Ever. I still have it somewhere, though I'll never wear it. It's a symbol of accomplishment now, nothing more.<br /><br />I stopped knitting for a time after that, mostly because classes and working got in the way, but I eventually started again, armed with this <a href="http://crafts.benfranklin.com/AMERICAN-SCHOOLKNIT-DISHCLOTH-SAMPLER/M/B001689IBW.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle">book of dishcloths</a>. If you're using them to wash dishes, who cares if they look bad, right? The book got me started again, gave me confidence in my knitting ability, and taught me new skills; I now give this book to anyone I know who wants to start knitting. Making a dishcloth is relatively quick and easy, the yarn needed is thick enough and not fuzzy so you can see your stitches, and this book even has some relatively intricate cabling patterns - great for learning how to cable without running the risk of ruining something expensive and large. Plus, they make fabulous gifts for anyone, and for relatively cheap (depending on how much your time is worth, I suppose). When else can you essentially give your practice swatches as gifts?<br /><br />My first full afghan was a present to my husband's grandmother. Not knowing any better, I knitted it with very cheap, not very soft acrylic yarn (Red Heart, I believe). The pattern was simple, just a diagonal stripe. It seemed like it took forever, as I had been making tons of dishcloths for the last few months, and I realized that a boring afghan pattern makes it really hard to want to work on said afghan. I think the only reason I finished it was because it was a gift; it would have been easy to give up on something for myself, since I didn't really like the colors all that much in the first place, and it wasn't soft in any way.<br /><br />Since then, I've knitted socks, hats, baby afghans, full size afghans, and baby booties. Unlike this post, my future knitting posts will focus on types of projects, ideas, things like that. I just wanted to get some of the history out there, and let other beginning knitters know that it does get better than that first oddly-shaped scarf we all have hidden in our closets!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-52381807644972574442009-05-18T12:22:00.000-07:002009-05-18T12:47:16.992-07:00Chickpea and Spinach StewI frequently listen to the local NPR station on my commute to and from work. Last month, NPR started a segment sharing recipes for meals that serve four people for under ten dollars, the first of which is <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102854605">this recipe</a> from Chef Jose Andres, who trained under Ferran Adria and now owns a number of restaurants in the DC area. After hearing the segment on the radio, I decided to try it that night. Lacking time, I used one can of chickpeas, had no Sherry vinegar and so used white wine vinegar, and based on the contents of my spice rack, omitted the saffron and replaced the Spanish paprika and olive oil with regular paprika and olive oil. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written. It was very good, not amazing, but was added to my standard menu list.<br /><br />Last night, I made another attempt at the recipe. This time, I did extra alterations, and really enjoyed the results, so here's my new recipe (and it still doesn't break the $10 mark as long as you have these ingredients already):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Stew</span><br />serves 4<br /><br />1 slice bread (white or wheat), cut into cubes<br /><br />3 Tbsp olive oil<br />1 large shallot, chopped<br />6-8 garlic cloves, chopped<br />1 Tbsp ground cumin<br />1 Tbsp ground paprika<br />Pinch red pepper flakes<br /><br />2-15oz. cans chickpeas, drained<br />2 cups stock (I used Imagine Organic vegetable stock)<br />2 Tbsp sherry<br />1 Tbsp white wine vinegar<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />2 cups frozen cut spinach (you can toss it in frozen)<br /><br />1-2 eggs per person<br />Pita bread (one per person)<br /><br />Toast the bread in a large skillet (dry, over medium high heat) until browned and crisp, then either crush into crumbs with your hands or with a food processor/blender/mortar and pestle. Heat the olive oil in the skillet, saute the shallots and garlic until soft, then add the red pepper flakes, cumin, and paprika. Cook for about a minute, then add the chickpeas, stock, sherry, vinegar, and bread crumbs. Simmer for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, add the spinach, and cook about 5 minutes more to let the spinach soften. Fry 1-2 eggs in olive oil for each person, and warm the pita bread in a toaster oven or toaster.<br /><br />Serve in a bowl, topped with the egg(s) and with the pita bread on the side.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-62825222835646422842009-03-23T18:14:00.000-07:002009-03-23T18:36:56.956-07:00Shrimp Linguini? Nope! Colcannon!On the way home from work tonight, I was mulling over the possibilities for dinner. My original thought was shrimp linguini, which is one of my go-to dinners. I always have raw shell-on shrimp in the freezer (when they go on sale I buy a LOT), and the rest of the ingredients are kitchen staples. I'll just post the recipe now so I don't forget later on. This is more a technique than a recipe; the ingredients are very much to taste and quantities are approximate, so feel free to add more or less of anything. I tend to make enough for dinner and leftovers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shrimp Linguini</span> (for two people, with leftovers)<br />12-20 shrimp, raw, shell-on, thawed (quantity depends more on shrimp size and personal preference than anything else)<br />Olive oil or butter<br />5-9 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, roughly chopped<br />red pepper flakes<br />white wine (NOT "cooking wine" - that stuff is naaaasty)<br />juice of one lemon (and zest if you feel like it and your lemon's not old and wrinkled like mine usually are)<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />1/2 lb - 3/4 linguini<br /><br />Start water for the linguini (heavily salt when it comes to a boil). Shell the shrimp completely, including the tails, and put the peels into a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then simmer while you start the garlic and shrimp. Melt butter or heat olive oil in a skillet, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and shrimp. Add the linguini to the boiling water. Saute until the shrimp get a bit of color on the outside, but don't cook them all the way through. Take out the shrimp and set aside. Deglaze the pan with some white wine (1/4 - 1/2 cup is good), scraping the bits off the bottom, then strain the shrimp stock into the wine. Let this simmer until the linguini is just short of done (it will finish cooking in the sauce), then put the linguini into the sauce, using tongs to get the pasta all covered. Add the shrimp and lemon juice as well, and cook until the pasta is done. Add salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of chopped fresh parsley is great as well.<br /><br />Now, this is what I was going to do until I realized that 1) no lemons and 2) I still had leftover potatoes and carrots from the corned beef. The corned beef was finished off as hash this last weekend, but I'm not about to let the potatoes go to waste. So, I made . . .<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colcannon!</span> It's normally a side dish, but I'm eating it alone, with a salad and an egg on the side for protein, and, of course, a pint of Murphy's stout (I prefer it to Guinness).<br />Probably about 1-2 lbs leftover cooked potatoes, taken out of the corned beef broth<br />There were about 10 baby carrots in there, too.<br />I mashed up the potatoes and chopped up the carrots, then chopped 1/2 small head of cabbage, put the cabbage into the broth, and microwaved it for 5 minutes to get it partially cooked. Strained the cabbage, then added it and a heaping spoonful of leftover horseradish sauce to the mix, tasted for salting and peppering, then put it in an 8" square glass casserole dish, grated a healthy amount of sharp cheddar onto the top, then into a 350 oven for about 30 minutes.<br /><br />I really like the horseradish in this - it adds an extra dimension of flavor while also helping me use up the leftover sauce. I may have a little more on the side as well!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-80250989411158701132009-03-20T10:15:00.001-07:002009-03-23T17:24:37.415-07:00Corned BeefI'm still alive, if anyone was worried. Just, well, busy and therefore not cooking, knitting, or doing anything else worth posting about and thus, no posts. However, since St Patrick's day was this week, I threw a party last Saturday. Lots of beer, car bombs, and food. Corned beef and cabbage, to be specific, and here's the recipe I made up that day.<br /><br />Now, this recipe uses the prepackaged, already-brined corned beef brisket. I still haven't tried corning my own, and since I was going to be making at least 10 lbs of the stuff, I went with what I've done before. I did the corned beef, potatoes and cabbage, and served it with roasted carrots and parsnips with onion, and soda bread. The <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/irish-soda-bread-recipe/index.html">soda bread recipe</a> I got off of Food Network's website, from an episode of Sara's Secrets. I didn't use loaf pans, just formed the dough into two rough balls and put them on a half-sheet pan. I'll warn you - the recipe is really sticky and moist, so your two balls will run together if you do it this way, and if you don't use a pan with edges, might slide right off. However, this bread has great flavor and moisture. Instead of raisins, I used one cup of dried currants (which are really just tiny raisins, they're not actual currants, in case anyone wanted to know).<br /><br />This is what I did for the party; you can scale it down as needed, it won't change the recipe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corned Beef, Potatoes, and Cabbage</span><br />Serves 15-20<br /><br />12 lbs corned beef point cut (packaged in juices)<br />Water<br />Spice packet from corned beef (mustard seeds, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, and coriander)<br />7 lb red potatoes, small ones halved, larger ones quartered<br />2 heads cabbage, quartered, cored, then each quarter sliced into thirds<br /><br />For roasted parsnips and carrots:<br /> 2 lbs baby carrots<br /> 2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces<br /> 1 onion, peeled, quartered, then each quarter cut into thirds<br /> Olive oil, salt, and pepper<br /><br />Preheat oven to 300. In a large roasting pan, put beef and spices. Add water to about halfway up the beef, bring to a boil on the stovetop, then cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 3 hours. When there's about one hour left, mix the carrots, parsnips, and onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper in an ovenproof dish, and put into the same oven.<br /><br />When the beef is done, pull it out of the juices and let it rest on a cutting board. Put the potatoes into the juices and put back into the oven for about 30 minutes, then add the cabbage, cover, and cook another 10-15 minutes. I like my cabbage relatively crisp, so if you like yours completely cooked, put the cabbage in earlier.<br /><br />Slice the corned beef across the grain and serve with the veggies and soda bread. Mmmmm . . .<br /><br />I love how easy this recipe is; it's technically time-consuming, but it's nearly all just down time. You can probably also do this in a crockpot, but the potatoes and cabbage will probably have to be added with the beef at some point, and I've always just done it in the oven.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-61030756198759063782009-02-09T20:27:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:07:36.075-08:00Comfort FoodTonight's dinner was good ol' grilled cheese and tomato soup - standard comfort food for me. This is what we used to get on snow days home from school in between building snowpeople and having snowball fights. The cheese has to be sharp cheddar, the bread homemade whole wheat (or honey whole wheat from <a href="http://www.greatharvest.com/">Great Harvest</a>), and the soup?<br /><br />No matter how much I dislike processed food, I still have to have the standard Campbell's condensed Tomato Soup. It has to be almost boiling hot.<br /><br />When I was in tenth grade, my boyfriend at the time turned me on to thinly sliced (raw) onion in grilled cheese, which was delicious when we used onions from my garden, but these were replaced with sauteed onions when we ran out of the sweet little ones that winter.<br /><br />I don't use any butter on the outside of the sandwich, though I will cook it in the leftover oil from cooking the onions. I guess it's not really "grilled" per se, but I've always called it grilled cheese, and I'm too stubborn to change!<br /><br />Anyone out there want to share their favorite comfort foods?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-50921202411983938812009-01-19T11:17:00.000-08:002009-01-19T11:51:03.812-08:00UpdateSorry it's been a while - almost two weeks!<br /><br />I finally finished another chocolate box review for your reading pleasure. In the next few days you can look forward to a post on my New Year's Cocktail Party, plus pictures and descriptions of all the knitting projects I've done over the last couple months.<br /><br />Hope everyone's getting along well with 2009!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-5885967821383359232009-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:002009-01-19T11:49:26.317-08:00See's 8oz Truffle BoxWhy does everyone put a "Key Lime" in their chocolate boxes these days? Maybe it's just me, but Lime flavoring isn't all that tasty, and it permeates <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span>.<br /><br />Now, unlike my <a href="http://knittingllama.blogspot.com/2008/12/russell-stovers-urban-chocolate-box.html">last post on chocolates</a>, the Key Lime <a href="http://www.sees.com/prod.cfm/Truffles/Truffles">this time</a> wasn't nearly as bad, but the first truffle I ate did taste faintly of lime, so I removed the Key Lime truffle from the box and allowed the other chocolates to sit before I ate them.<br /><br />There's one problem with this box - I couldn't for the life of me find anything to tell me which chocolate was which. The first one I ate had a top that looked kind of like it contained coconut, but from what I can tell it was just chocolate-flavored and I have no idea what that stuff on top was. At least it tasted like chocolate, and while it wasn't anything to write home about, I don't really regret eating it. I think it might have been "Dark Chocolate Chip".<br /><br />Next came one of the ones with a swirly design on top. Of course, pretty much all of these had that kind of design, so it didn't really help with identification. I think it might have been "Cafe Au Lait", but only because I don't think it was "Cafe Hazelnut".<br /><br />I ate a bite of one that had a white criss-cross pattern on the dark chocolate coating. The filling was white, tart, and not readily identifiable. I think it might have been Raspberry, but again, not sure. I know it was supposed to be some kind of fruit, based solely on the acidity of the filling.<br /><br />I think I'm giving up on this box. No identifying photos plus unidentifiable flavors equals not a box of chocolates I'm going to eat. I'll mail the rest to one of you if you want to take over, though!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-42663614392418025032009-01-06T09:26:00.000-08:002009-01-06T09:44:59.987-08:00Ham and White Bean Leftover SoupWe had an absolutely fabulous New Year party this year; I made tons of canapes and we had a cocktail party. I promise to post about that soon, though I forgot to take pictures of all the food, so the descriptions are taking a bit longer to write up.<br /><br />In the meantime, how about some more soup? This time, it's a recipe using leftovers from the fridge helped by stuff I keep on hand all the time. From the pantry. I'm like Sandra Lee, but without the sagging boobs and seasoning packets! We had a bunch of leftover ham from one Christmas dinner, chunks of onion and red bell pepper from some fajita beef skewers from New Year's (they had been touched with raw beef so they had to be cooked), the normal mug o'bacon fat from breakfast bacon and half a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that, well, tasted like white grape juice *shudder*.<br /><br />Here's the ingredient list:<br />Spoonful of bacon fat (or use your favorite fat)<br />Approximately 1/2 onion, chopped<br />Approximately 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped<br />2 cloves garlic, smashed and rough chopped<br />1 carrot, chopped<br />pinch red pepper flakes<br />Approximately 1/2 bottle white wine (or use less and supplement with stock)<br />Around 2 cups water (I didn't have any stock on hand)<br />Approximately 1/2 lb ham, diced<br />1 can white beans (I used Cannellini beans)<br />Pepper (there was enough salt with the beans and ham)<br />Pinch of dried thyme<br /><br />I sauteed the onion, garlic, pepper, pepper flakes, and carrot in the bacon fat until soft and just beginning to take on color, then threw in the wine, let it reduce to about half, then added the ham and water. I let this simmer for probably 10 minutes, mostly to get some of the ham flavor into the liquid, since I didn't have any stock. I added the beans, which I only drained of about half their liquid, fresh ground pepper, and the thyme, then let it simmer until the liquid was thickened, about 10 more minutes. We ate it with leftover bread from New Year's, which was already sliced and had been intended for Bruschetta, so it was perfect for sopping up the broth. We also had some leftover olives and Blue Cheese Ball.<br /><br />It actually turned out pretty well for a last-minute quick soup, so I was happy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-56147929602341191162008-12-29T13:50:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:24:47.933-08:00Russell Stover's "Urban" Chocolate BoxMy husband and I received <a href="http://www.russellstover.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=1034">this box</a> from a relative, who is well aware that we not only adore good chocolate, but I make some damn good truffles, if I do say so myself. Apparently Russell Stover is trying for the foodie audience by offering pseudo-high end chocolates with names like "Grapefruit Ganache," "Pistachio Nougatine," and "Key Lime" (Key Lime <span style="font-style: italic;">what</span>, exactly, they don't say). We gave them a chance, truly we did. However, I wouldn't recommend these chocolates to people who want good chocolate, or even people who like a normal Russell Stover mixed box.<br /><br />First of all, when we opened the box, we were rewarded with the smell of Lime. Not a subtle lime, either, this was Lime Jell-o scent at its finest. Knowing that chocolate picks up smells rather easily, we braced ourselves for tasting what were probably now "(Lime) Espresso Truffle" and "(Lime) Sea Salt Soft Caramel."<br /><br />We were not disappointed.<br /><br />The first to be tasted was "Espresso Truffle." Instead of being cylindrical, as shown on the box, it was more like they had taken the normal half-spherical chocolates and put a flat decorative circle pressed on top. Not very attractive. The filling was hard and crumbly, which I'm hoping was staleness and not intentional, because ew. It tasted nothing like espresso, and nothing like chocolate. Just kind of limey and crumbly and ew. <br /><br />Next came the "Grapefruit Ganache", which really means "white coating over a pink filling that tastes kind of like lime and has the texture of Crisco". <span style="font-style: italic;">Yummy</span>.<br /><br />"Pistachio Nougatine" was chewy. It still tasted somewhat limey and had little bits of what I think were pistachios, except they didn't taste like pistachios and didn't add anything to the flavor, which wasn't pistachio anyway.<br /><br />Since we'd already had three lime-flavored chocolates, we decided to try the actual lime chocolate. Apparently "Key Lime" means Key Lime Cream, and for some reason it had to be bright green, even though the smell coming off this thing immediately identified it as Lime, and it was more Lime-flavored than the aforementioned Lime Jell-O. Now, I don't like Lime Jell-o, I think it tastes like cleaning supplies, and I said so as I spit it into the trash. The husband then came in, spit it out, and said "thank you. I knew I recognized the flavor but couldn't place it until you said 'cleaning products'." Yeah, that flavor was a huge mistake. Key Lime that was not.<br /><br />We saved the best for last, surprisingly. Now, I've had good Sea Salt caramels before. This was not really a good sea salt caramel, but it was decent. No lime flavor (or we had completely overblown our lime taste buds), soft, smooth caramel with just enough salt to offset the sweetness. Plus, it was covered in dark chocolate. Not great, not something I'd ever crave, but it didn't offend either of us.<br /><br />The "60% Cacao Dark from Ghana" is sitting in the kitchen. We decided to give it some time to let the lime dissipate before we try it. 60% is pretty weak, and I'm sure it'll just taste like off-brand dark chocolate.<br /><br />Today's Lesson: Just splurge on the good stuff. Russell Stover is NOT good stuff, unless you normally eat chocolate-scented candles. It's not worth the calories or the disappointment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-19629742917806449252008-12-16T16:50:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:26:13.196-08:00Homemade Advent Calendar?After reading <a href="http://tomatonation.com/?p=2847">this</a> post on the beloved Tomato Nation, which led me to <a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2008/12/15/chocolate-advent-ures/">this</a> article on Advent Calendars (and the crap that is called "chocolate" held within said calendars), I have decided to embark on a mission: Create a (relatively) easy-to-make homemade advent calendar.<br /><br />The requirements:<br /><ul><li>Must be reusable or recyclable. One of the things that always bothered me was the waste involved in advent calendars. If I'm going to make one and take that much time and effort, it better damn well last more than one holiday season. Otherwise, if I can recycle it fully, so be it.<br /></li><li>Must be able to hold good chocolates or small toys. None of that "heartwarming picture behind the little window" crap here. And by good chocolate, I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> chocolate. Truffles, Lindt balls, etc. There will be no cutesy Christmas-shaped chocolates unless they are exquisite to eat as well. Toys would mean it's adaptable to children who should keep their mitts off my good chocolates.<br /></li><li>Must not involve more than maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour to assemble, barring standing in line at the craft store during the holidays behind that woman who has 15 different silk plants, none of which have tags, and who wants to haggle with the poor cashier. Go shopping in May to make this stuff, I tell ya.</li><li>Must be easy to assemble. Not Martha-easy, I'm thinking more along the lines of "developmentally challenged monkey" easy.<br /></li></ul>This may not get done this year, but if you have any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-90075266101498581732008-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:26:34.637-08:00Support your local Shelter!Just a post to encourage people to donate, volunteer, adopt, but just do <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> to help your local animal shelter. I know our local shelters are packet to bursting, at least partially due to the high numbers of home foreclosures and abandoned animals.<br /><br />If you can, adopt an animal, especially an adult animal. If you're being foreclosed on, please try to find a home for your pet, then try a shelter, but don't just leave it outside. Please.<br /><br />We're seriously contemplating adding another cat to our three. We have the room and the resources, and we love our cats.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-64697596938897583702008-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:26:58.561-08:00Craft NightThis last Friday was our monthly Craft Club. It's kind of a stitch-n-bitch, but with a broad range of crafts. We've got the requisite knitters and crochet-ers, plus some sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, scrapbooking, card-making, and even a remote-control helicopter. Someone set up a project for her elementary-school level class at the natural science museum once. It's all friends from college, though it covers a broad range of ages, but we're all childless, which in some ways makes it easier to get together.<br /><br />Anyway, this month we also did a dessert potluck. I made <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/chocolate-mousse-recipe/index.html">this</a> recipe for Chocolate Mousse, which I love, though you do already have to kind of know what you're doing to follow the recipe. I don't bother with heating the egg whites because I don't worry about Salmonella, but I do heat the egg yolks and beat them until they "ribbon" (basically, you lift up the whisk, and the yolks should fall in a thick ribbon against the yolks still in the bowl before being reabsorbed). I figured out a way to use less bowls: beat the whipping cream in the bowl you beat the yolks in after folding the yolks into the whole mixture. I also melt the chocolate in the microwave, since I use semi-sweet chocolate (Callebaut, if you're interested) and it's less likely to burn.<br /><br />I don't think this makes it into "my" recipe, which is why I linked to the real recipe. Clarification of directions isn't really changing the recipe, and I certainly didn't come up with the whole thing on my own. It's nearly impossible these days to credit the real original recipe for anything; everyone makes their own changes, albeit tiny, and then can call it their own. Of course, trying to protect "your" recipe is also impossible; cooking isn't about citing sources, it's about satisfying physical and/or emotional hunger. I recieved praise for the mousse even though it's not my recipe, because I took the time to make it.<br /><br />And that's how it should be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-26760966340613086732008-12-10T08:47:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:27:12.769-08:00Cauliflower Soup!This week's new recipe: Cauliflower Cheese Soup!<br /><br />It's been snowy and cold, and when that happens, I have a tendency to make soup. Crockpot beef stew is a favorite, as are chili, corn chowder, and minestrone. I promise to post recipes for these the next time I make them. However, this time I happened to have a head of cauliflower already in the crisper, potatoes from the 10-lb bag I bought for Thanksgiving, sharp cheddar cheese, and leftover vegetable stock. Thus, no need to go to the store, and soup that doesn't require 2 hours of simmering!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cauliflower Cheese Soup</span><br />1 medium onion, diced<br />3 cloves garlic, smashed and rough chopped<br />Olive oil<br />2-3 medium Russet potatoes, cubed<br />1 head cauliflower (I had a pretty big one, but used it all), cut into bite-size florets<br />1 bottle beer (I used Shiner Bock but it's up to you what you use. You can also replace the beer with water if you swing that way)<br />Approximately 2-3 cups of Imagine Organic vegetable broth (this is important; it gives extra flavor and makes up for the lower amount of cheese by giving an almost cheesy taste. You may need to add more cheese if you use a different broth!)<br />2 American cheese slices<br />4-6 oz sharp cheddar cheese<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)<br /><br />I sauteed the onion and garlic in olive oil until they were soft and started to take a little color, then added the beer, waited until it stopped foaming, then added the potatoes and vegetable broth. I let these cook for about 10 minutes, then added all the cauliflower, about 1/2 tsp salt, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, put the lid on, and brought it to a simmer on what was probably med-high heat. Then I turned it down, and let it simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower were soft. It was probably half an hour, but it'll vary, so taste your soup! Add salt and pepper as needed, take it off the heat, and stir in the American cheese first (it helps with emulsification), then chunks of cheddar. Stir until combined. I served ours with just some reheated Italian bread and a Shiner Bock for each of us!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6169499574694070607.post-52644117362627929372008-12-05T08:34:00.000-08:002008-12-05T08:37:41.870-08:00First PostWell, hello there!<br /><br />I'd love to say I started a blog to share insightful observations, tell amazing tales about my amazing life, or to showcase my writing skills.<br /><br />But no.<br /><br />I totally gave in to peer pressure.<br /><br />So there you go!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1