Things have been quiet here on the blog, but that doesn't mean they've been quiet anywhere else...As I type this I'm staring at a pile of dishes and needing to run off to work. Last weekend was full of catching up with an old friend who's in town for a conference, cooking for the week ahead (and doing dishes - so many dishes!), organizing, and bingeing on Game of Thrones Season 3 and the Downton Abbey season finale.
Knitting
It's almost the end of February and I'm behind on my knitting. Go figure. I'm still looking for a sweater to knit - I'm planning on making three this year, remember? Anyways, I've been seeing a lot of lovely yokes and fabulous construction. This sweater has piqued my interest, and is a strong contender.
DIY
I'm almost out of store-bought all-purpose cleaner. I think I'll give this one a try next.
Gardening
I'm pretty much apolitical on most topics, but get me talking about the farm bill and I start foaming at the mouth. I've never understood why the government subsidizes corn, wheat, and soy to the extent they do, while they don't subsidize vegetables. It is completely incongruent with their message to eat more veggies (which we should all be doing, whether the government tells us to or not, but I digress). It turns out that vegetable farmers don't want subsidies. This article is really interesting and clear about what on earth is going on with the farm bill. There's always room for improvement, but I'm frothing at the mouth a little less.
Cooking
Maybe you've heard the news that eating too much sugar leads to heart disease. Womp womp. The kicker is that "too much" is way less than we thought it was, and of course, most processed foods have sneaky amounts of sugar. My mother was on to something when she started making baked goods sweetened with fruit juice all those years ago. (Sorry for making fun of you back then, Mom.) I've noticed, off and on, that I do better with fewer grains, even gluten-free ones, and less sugar. Last weekend I baked chcoclate cupcakes sweetened with applesauce and just three tablespoons of sugar. They're different, to say the least, but I could get used to them. Next up, these cinnamon rolls. This website seems great for low-carb, low-sugar goodies, only I'd rather take my chances with a few tablespoons of sugar spread out over a dozen treats than use xylitol or stevia.
What caught your eye last week?
Beer and Pizza
A cold glass of beer. A hot slice of pizza,
with a wonderfully chewy crust. Sometimes, when you're gluten-free, you just
want those simple things.
Living in Utah, it's tough to get a decent
gluten-free beer. And brewing beer - gluten-free or otherwise - has been at the
top of my "wouldn't it be cool to try" list for quite some time.
Mike's parents gave him a beer brewing kit,
complete with gluten-free ingredients. This is a sorghum beer, with some orange
peels added for flavor and lightly hopped. After we bottled it, the
instructions said to wait a week or two for it to carbonate in the bottle.
We waited a week, and tried the beer - not
quite fizzy enough. After a second week, it was just right. A surprising amount
of head - usually gluten-free beers are lacking in that department - and just
the right amount of carbonation when we drank it.
P.S. - I haven't forgotten about the pizza. We
had some a-m-a-z-i-n-g gluten-free pizzas when we went to Italy, and I've
been trying to recreate that kind of crust ever since. This pizza crust is
Against the Grain, and I cooked it at 450 degrees on a pizza stone. The pizza
stone seems to be key to getting that crispy on the outside and chewy
on the inside crust...
Weekend Links
I spent this weekend at my best friend's wedding - catching up with old friends, making new friends, and enjoying being in Virginia. It was a great wedding and a fantastic party!
Knitting
I forgot to pack my knitted hearts in my luggage this weekend, but I am loving this Valentine's knitted and crochet heart bomb.
DIY
This one's really more about life than DIY, but I just had to share it. It's about preventing burnout. Definitely worth a read if you ever feel overwhelmed.
Gardening
Yes, yes, and yes. This winter, I've chased away winter blues by keeping fresh flowers in the house and even forcing my own bulbs. After reading Flower Confidential, I'm more than a little grossed out by the chemicals cut flowers are treated with, so I buy them at Whole Foods, aiming for local-ish flowers as much as possible. But there's always room for improvement ...
Cooking
Um...bruschetta with leeks, goat cheese, and bacon? Yum! Also, I had no idea this community existed. You can bet I'll be surfing there for some recipe inspiration soon. And one more - coconut waffles. I don't usually go in for waffles, but I've been craving them lately...
What caught your eye over the weekend?
Happy Valentine's Day!
I don't know about you, but I've never been one for cheesy Valentine's day stuff. I'll take a bunch of tulips over red roses any day. But this weekend, I'm in my best friend's wedding, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate love than to witness two people promising to commit their lives to each other.
Whatever your Valentine's weekend brings you, I hope it's full of love.
DIY Dryer Balls
Ever wondered what's in dryer sheets? I sure have. Don't get me wrong, they smell awesome. Who wouldn't love a fresh, hot pile of laundry with a sweet scent?
Anyways, I got to thinking, and thinking led to noodling around the Internet, and noodling around the Internet led to...
DIY Dryer Balls! Apparently you can buy these for a pretty penny over on Etsy, but I've got buckets of wool yarn stashed away. Honestly - the hardest part of this whole project was admitting to myself that I was never going to knit a hat with the leftovers from that sweater, or make a pair of mittens with the leftovers from a blanket I made five years ago. So, I mustered up the courage to weed out my wool stash, and got going, with this as a guide.
The process was simple - wind the yarn into balls, tie the balls inside some holey pantyhose (you could also tie them into a pillowcase or old rags - anything to help them keep their shape), wash with my clothes on a hot cycle, then toss in the dryer. And - dryer balls.
I'm not into strong, perfumey scents in my laundry these days, but if you're feeling like the laundry is missing that special something, you could definitely put a few drops of pure essential oils on your dryer balls for a nice, fresh laundry smell.
And, even if you're not a crazy knitter/yarn stasher like me, you can pick up supplies at a craft store. Most places now sell 100% wool yarn, including Michael's and JoAnn's.
What crazy DIY projects are you cooking up? I'd love to hear about them!
Anyways, I got to thinking, and thinking led to noodling around the Internet, and noodling around the Internet led to...
DIY Dryer Balls! Apparently you can buy these for a pretty penny over on Etsy, but I've got buckets of wool yarn stashed away. Honestly - the hardest part of this whole project was admitting to myself that I was never going to knit a hat with the leftovers from that sweater, or make a pair of mittens with the leftovers from a blanket I made five years ago. So, I mustered up the courage to weed out my wool stash, and got going, with this as a guide.
The process was simple - wind the yarn into balls, tie the balls inside some holey pantyhose (you could also tie them into a pillowcase or old rags - anything to help them keep their shape), wash with my clothes on a hot cycle, then toss in the dryer. And - dryer balls.
I'm not into strong, perfumey scents in my laundry these days, but if you're feeling like the laundry is missing that special something, you could definitely put a few drops of pure essential oils on your dryer balls for a nice, fresh laundry smell.
And, even if you're not a crazy knitter/yarn stasher like me, you can pick up supplies at a craft store. Most places now sell 100% wool yarn, including Michael's and JoAnn's.
What crazy DIY projects are you cooking up? I'd love to hear about them!
Weekend Links
I spent this weekend getting over a cold ... it seems to be on its way out, thankfully. Luckily, there were plenty of Olympic games to watch. I'm a sucker for figure skating...
Knitting
Knitting at the Olympics! Apparently it's a group knitting project that the Finnish Olympic team is working on. Awesome! Also, I'm reading Adventures in Yarn Farming. Two words: Lambie Jammies. It's total cute overload.
DIY
My studio is undergoing some much-needed cleanup. If only it could be as clean (and multifunctional) as this one.
Garden
While the rest of the country keeps getting blasted with snowpocalypse 2014, here in Salt Lake City we've been getting rain. Odd, to say the least. On the bright side, the snow has melted around my herbs, and I'm hoping most of them will come back in the spring. I'm seriously considering growing more lavender this season, and looking to this for tips.
Cooking
Apparently, February is National Grapefruit month. What with this cold knocking me off my feet, I've been downing grapefruit like nobody's business. I especially like broiled, with cinnamon and honey. But vanilla would be tasty too...
What caught your eye over the weekend?
Knitting Goals 2014: February Update
This year I resolved to do something fun. You can check out my knitting goals for 2014 here.
So far, I've made three pairs of socks:
And, I've knitted twelve, count 'em, twelve blanket squares for my king-size log cabin quilt.
February is a short month, so I'm already hard at work on this month's blanket squares and a new pair of socks. Check back in March to see how I did!
Getting Better all the Ti-i-i-ime
About a month ago, I made spinach-leaf sushi, and enjoyed it immensely. But wilting the leaves was tedious. I was doing it one at a time, because when you cook it all at once, it globs together, and isn't so great as a substitute for nori.
Well as I was getting ready to make it a second time, I realized I could do it all at once in the microwave.
Line a plate with plastic wrap, and spray with a nonstick spray. Lay the spinach so that each leaf overlaps by about half with the leaves around it.
Microwave until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 30-40 seconds. If any holes open up, simply cover with another spinach leaf, then microwave another 10 seconds.
From here, it's just like any other sushi...fill with rice...
Add your filling...
Roll, slice, and serve!
Weekend Links
I spent my birthday weekend doing all sorts of things...working, a bit of yarn and shoe indulgence, eating sushi, puttering about the kitchen, knitting, and tidying up the house. And of course, there was the guacamole and queso fest that I only really indulge in for the "big game," which turned out to be not so big after all.
Knitting
I'm still knitting away on those blanket squares (more on that soon), but I'm also starting on a new pair of socks. I'm taking a break from designing my own, and joining in a Ravelry mystery knitalong for fun. We're knitting this pattern. Should be fun, once I manage to get the hang of it. (Note to self: don't even think about trying to start a new project when Downton Abbey and Sherlock are on. Just don't.)
DIY
A while back, I got into binding my own books. It's REALLY fun, and surprisingly simple. I do it mainly for themed journals, but it's a great idea for decorating, too.
Garden
My parents gave me this nifty little tool for my birthday. It's a soil blocker, which will replace the need for peat pots when I start my seeds for the spring. It's still a ways off before I can get tomatoes and peppers started, but I'm excited for starting seeds all the same.
Cooking
I've been jonesing for some Reese's cups lately. One little hiccup: I can't really eat them. Don't get me wrong, as of today they're gluten-free, but I have trouble digesting them all the same. (I might just have an allergy to tree nuts AND peanuts...) So, I'm planning on trying this recipe for sunflower seed butter cups.
What caught your eye over the weekend?
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