by Kat | Oct 21, 2019 | General, In This Moment
I am so glad that I live in a world where there are Octobers. – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
It was a perfect October weekend. One that included a trip to our farmer’s market, glorious blue skies, and yes – even a pumpkin donut! I also made a big pot of chili on Sunday.
And, while there were no new yarn acquisitions – I am going to take Mary’s advice on bracelet-length sleeves and so Tegna sleeve knitting has begun in earnest. Why, I even managed to rip out (literally) the too loose neck edge and reknit it with the correct sized needles!
I also made some progress on my Aisé and I am very happy with how it looks. The sparkle in the kidsilk yarn is not at all overwhelming but I am not sure how well it shows up in a photograph.
However, today I can no longer ignore the sweater that I need to seam up for a friend and there will be no knitting until that is completed! And, once that is done this cake is next on my agenda!
What does your Monday include?
by Kat | Mar 18, 2019 | General, In This Moment, Uncategorized
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The Happiest of Hours
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Sewing
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Baking
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Beautiful baking!
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Corned Beef Cooking
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Really delicious baking!
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More sewing
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New knitting!
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and lots of reading!
Notes on a weekend: I do not consider myself a pie baker, but this recipe intrigued me and 8 cups of frozen raspberries from our garden that I had done absolutely nothing with glaring at me every time I opened the freezer. So, out came the raspberries to thaw a bit while I put mixed the pie crust ingredients together on Sunday morning. My raspberry modifications: 4 C raspberries – slightly thawed. 3 Tbsp corn starch (next time I will only use 2 Tbsp), 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla paste, the juice and zest of one lemon. I needed to bake it about 8 minutes longer than the recipe called for.
Oh, and that corned beef… omgosh, it was hands down the best corned beef I have ever made – or eaten! If you have always felt sort of ho-hum about corned beef… try Andrew Z’s recipe. It will turn you into a corned beef fan!!
My quilt top is almost done! As is the back of Deschain – so you know that means I simply had to cast on a new project, lol. This will be the shawl I am donating to and Close to You won the great pattern debate. I wound the yarn while I watched the NCAA selection show (there were cheers for Michigan pulling a #2 seed despite losing the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan State) and the winding continued while we watched the Circus. But, cast on was achieved before I finally turned off the lights and headed to bed.
And, with that – the weekend is just a warm memory and the mundanity of Monday awaits me! How about you? How was your weekend?
by Kat | Jul 23, 2018 | General, Making
It was one of those perfect “height of summer” weekends that started with a laid-back Friday Happy Hour that included Whipped Feta Dip… mmmm so good! This will be in the rotation again!
The farmer’s market on Saturday was full of all the good things! Peaches, Plums, and Sweet Corn all made their way home with us. Plus, we had a bit of a bonus at a local grocer who had some elusive but oh so delicious Michigan blueberries in stock! This meant lots of cooking over the weekend… I am not a pie baker, and while I have an aunt who would crank out pie crusts in volume, this is my least favorite thing to do. But, “cheater” pie crusts, FTW! Unroll, fill, and bake made it so easy! I made Plum, Blueberry, and Peach Crostatas. And, really… they were all so easy!
Saturday was also Genevieve’s third birthday! The day was extra special because Christian was in port and not too far away so it made for the perfect little family celebration for them!
I picked an almost overflowing bowl of tomatoes and a couple handfuls of beans.
Plus, there was an entire meal of Sweet Corn. Ahhhh, summer! How good you taste!
Lest you think all we did was eat and drink and sing Happy Birthday all weekend, there was plenty of other stuff accomplished too! And, today Steve is home and will soon be in “internet heaven” when FIOS comes to install giga-bit internet here. Be still my heart, lol.
BUT, drum roll please…I even have an almost completed Beekeeper Cardigan! The knitting is done, I just have the seaming of the sleeves to do! Just the thing to occupy myself and stay out of the way today! Ha!
There was even some much-needed rain… all in all, the perfect weekend!
I hope your weekend was full of as many good things! Happy Monday!
by Kat | Mar 28, 2016 | General, In The Kitchen, In This Moment
It was one of those weekends where you need a weekend to recover from your weekend.
There was lots of baking, lots of cooking, a glorious Easter sunrise, and a good bit of eating!
Easter was early this year, but the weather did not make it seem like that – it was 76 in Pittsburgh yesterday. On March 27. Yeah – that was crazy, but eating outside was certainly a treat!
Last night I was ready for bed by 8 o’clock – literally, ready to go to bed to sleep! I tried reading and no dice. I gave up and turned off the light.
You will find me quietly easing into Monday wishing it was Friday, which seems miles and miles away.
Pour me another cup of coffee, I think it’s going to be a long week…
by Kat | Mar 21, 2016 | General, In The Kitchen, In This Moment
Without bread all is misery. – William Cobbett, British journalist
I am a student of bread. I have taken Craftsy classes about bread. I have read tomes on bread. I have eaten tons of bread – some very good and some not very good.
And the challenge of my life is making very good bread given the limitations of a home kitchen.
I think I make a pretty good crusty loaf of bread – there is always room for improvement, but I feel confident that flour, water, yeast, and salt will result in a beautiful and tasty loaf of bread.
However, not everyone likes a crusty loaf of bread, crazy, I know…but they don’t.
Enter the quest for a good sandwich style loaf of bread.
I found this recipe via King Arthur Flour and have tried this bread several times. My first try did not get much rise…I questioned the viability of my yeast so I ordered new yeast and tried again.
Try number two with new yeast did not result in a markedly different result…
Now, don’t get me wrong – this bread tasted amazing. It was excellent slathered in butter, or toasted and topped with jam or peanut butter, topped with tuna salad, or grilled with cheese.
However, it was not a tall lofty loaf, but rather one that was short in stature.
I took to the internet and searched the King Arthur site to see if I could find an answer and lo and behold, I did! Who knew that my bread pans were the fault?!
The new pans did indeed improve the rise and the end result of two lovely loaves just made my weekend!
There is always room for improvement, but, I am on the right track!
