Summer Blogging Vacation

Lately my blogging mojo seems to have died. 

I've been going places but I've written about most of them several times before.
We haven't been to any fun new restaurants.
How many sewing and knitting projects can a person write about???  (without boring my readers to tears!)
Not to mention the word 'HOOK' in my header, a tool that I've not been using with very much enthusiasm.  I have been to a few hook-ins but haven't gained much inspiration, though I did pull a few loops on my new rug design.

So that said, I'm taking a summer vacation from blogging.

If anything REALLY exciting happens (I wish!), I'll post about it.
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful summer!

p.s.-  I'll still be visiting your blogs and leaving comments when I have time.

On to New Projects

My cooking binge is over.
I made a lot of creative things last week even though I had some serious pain in my left shoulder.

A few months ago I went to the Asian market in Hagerstown, MD.  I bought some Phillipine pastries that were just delicious.  I wondered what the unusual filling was, and when I looked at the ingredient list, it said 'coconut string'.  Last week I went back to the market and found a jar of coconut string and decided to make my own pastries.

I used a regular sweet roll dough from the book 'The Bread Baker's Apprentice'.  It was a very soft dough and I knew it wasn't going to stand up to filling and rolling so I flattened pieces of dough and put them in muffin tins and put the coconut strings in the middle.  After pulling the dough over the filling, I added come crumb topping.  They came out great.

Then I made Chinese style dumplings.

And pasta with shrimp, fake crab, tomatoes and basil in a garlic, butter and white wine sauce.
That was yummy.

And now I'm tired of cooking and ready to go on to other things.

I think my shoulder problem
came from being so cold.  It was in the 40's here last week and I was freezing!  We are out of wood fior the woodstove and I hate to use fue oil with ther cost so high, so we suffered through.  When I get cold my muscles in the neck and shoulders are the first ones to get tight.  After several days, the pain began.

Yesterday was the first in a week that I felt like  could move my arm.  So at breakfast I drew out a design for a rug.  It's a big one, 42 x 52 inches.  That will give me something to work on for a good long while!  I put the grandmother rug away again.  I just couldn't get into it.  This one should use up lots of scraps with all the big flowers.

 

Since it was warmer and I seemed to thaw out.  Zip and I took a trip to Mannings in Eas Berlin for a yarn buying trip.  Recently I joined an online group called 'Dream Sweater' sponsored by Julie from the Knitting at Large blog.  Those of us who live close enough are going to get together in Frederick, MD about once a month and compare our progress and discuss problems.

Since I have always dreamed of making a sweater by designer Kaffe Fassett, that's going to be my project.  I bought this book back in the 1980's and had felt that all his designs were above and beyond my skill level.

     
 This is one of the easier sweaters in the book.  I plan to make a pullover sweater instead of a vest.

I had tried the intarsia type of color knitting years ago and it was a total disaster.  I'm hoping with the patience of advanced age (that's a JOKE!) and maybe more knitting skill, I'll be able to tackle this project.

Here's the yarn.

My little companions will be glad Mommy has lots of things to work on so they can sit close by and give advice.  And play in Mommy's stuff.

Izzy usually site nearby, quietly inconspicuous.  You can talk to her but she does not like a lot of handling.

Deiter loves being touched and played with.

But the play can get a little crazy!  He looks like the Goodyear blimp with legs!!!

If they get bored they can always fight over a box.

I took some pictures of pretty old homes in East Berlin.  I'll show them the next time.
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Stuck in the Kitchen

Stuck in the kitchen, chained to the sewing machine.
It sounds like the plight of the 1950's housewife.  It seems to be where I've been lately, but not regretfully.

Actually I like being stuck in the kitchen.
Since I cleared my counter tops several weeks ago of knitting and rughooking projects, plus piles of books and papers, I've been on a happy cooking binge.  The new oven is wonderful.  Don't know how I've lived without it!  So far I've baked cookies, bread, and casseroles and they have all come out good.

The breakfast strata made with sausage and brussels sprouts and cheese baked perfectly.  No burning the bottom and edges.

Since morning is the time when I have the most energy, breakfast has been the meal that has brought out the creativity.  With asparagus season being upon us, I couldn't resist rolling some in crepes with mustard cream cheese and crumbled bacon.

I have to confess that the Food Network is one of my guilty pleasures.  I love Chopped, Iron Chef and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  But, I DO NOT watch during the daytime!  Only after 6 p.m.!!!  Do I sound like an addict justifying my addiction because I only indulge after a certain time of day???  You bet!

Since the 'pink slime' in grocery store burger revelations, Zip and I have decided to grind our own burger and sausage meat.  I've also been irritated by the 'enhanced' label on many meats.  Since when is adding water to make an item weigh more an enhancement?  This past week our grocery had chicken thighs on sale.  We bought a pack of ten thghs.  Look at the excess amount of FAT and SKIN that I removed from them.  And there was still plenty of fat and skin left on the meat for pan frying.  

I fried it crisp and it will go to the stray outside kitties who come by for a meal.

We're hoping to get a smoker this summer so we can make some good lean smoked sausage.

OK, we're done in the kitchen and off to the basement.  Not the most pleasant place, but it's where we keep our two container-sized citrus trees, a lemon and an orange.  We repotted them last year and the lemon didn't give fruit.  But...Horay! the orange gave us two fruits!

The trees themselves aren't that attractive, but look at the lovely fruit!  They are more like clementines with a thin skin and sweet flavor.

 The other passtime that's been using much of my creative energy has been sewing.
My sewing for Brad and Kami is now mostly hats and shoulder boards for their re-enactment business.

And this early 19th century style vest.

Two weeks ago when we had those few days with the temperature in the mid 70's I was digging around in my selection of summer clothing and found that I had NOTHING to wear.  I am not kidding.....ONE short sleeved shirt!!!  After checking out the selection at KMart, I decided it is time to do some sewing for myself.  So far I've finished one shirt and have several more in the 'almost' stage.

I started with some of my least-favorite fabric in case the pattern didn't come out right.  I'm pretty well pleased but next time will add a little across the shoulders.

I'm off in a few hours to a Knitting at Large meet-up in Frederick, MD.  It will be fun getting together with a bunch of women and comparing projects.  I hope to take lots of pictures.  If I don't forget!

Have a great weekend!

Spring Fever

Zip and I have been amused lately by the crazy antics of the kitties when we opened the windows to let in the first of the warm spring air.  They fight over the rights to the window sill and then run like maniacs through the house, jumping on furniture and chasing each other.  Amazing how inspiring a little fresh air and sunshine can be!

I've been almost as bad.  The self-imposed hibernation of the winter is over and I'm out running loose and wild like a sailor on shore leave.  LOL!
My friend Marian and I made our first trip to the greenhouse to celebrate the season, though we know it's a little early to set out plants.  But looking is such fun!  These pictures are from Ashcombe near Williams Grove, PA.

 

Aren't those orchids lovely?  The following Saturday they were having an orchid sale sponsored by a group of local orchid growers.  I wish I had the environment for successfully growing these beauties. 

We strolled around enjoying all the lovely plants and the decorating accessories that they have available before going to lunch at the Pizza Grille in Carlisle.  The pizza with the roasted tomatoes and basil pesto was excellent!  Then we went next door to Knisley's farm and pet center to look at the peeps.  We have both raised chickens in the past (Marian more recently than Zip and I), and were considering the possibilities.

She already has a chicken coop, we do not.  This one is really nifty for just a few chickens and can be easily hosed out when it needs cleaned. 

Unfortunately it's $400+!  A bit pricy for four little hems!
In the end we came home without peeps.

The next day Kami and I went to East Berlin to Mannings and Woolgatherings.  We were checking out the knitting and crochet books and looking at yarn.  Unfortunately Mannings yarn is mostly out of our price range (I'm a yarn cheapo!).  But Carol at wool gatherings just happened to have a great deal on some yarn and we left with a hamper full.  Seventy five skeins!!!  which Kami and I shared.

We had lunch at Sidney, on the square in East Berlin.  It's a very upscale establishment run by a chef/owner who creates dishes of the kind presented on the Food Network.  Dining as an art form! And I forgot to take pictures of our lunch!!!  I did get a few shots of the lovely colonial dining room.  Everyone else was outside on the patio enjoying the nice weather, but we decided on the indoor ambience.

  
For more information about Sidney and the amazing culinary creations, here's the link-
 http://www.restaurantsidney.com

My new laptop and I haven't come to total companionablity yet.  The keyboard seems VERY sensitive and I am constantly  pabumping something that puts my cursor back in the middle of a sentence I've already written.  When I finally notice, my post has gone all wonky.  Waaah!!!
We'll eventujally have a meetiong of the minds, I hope.

So far the kitties have been happy with the new table arrangement.  They are sitting comfortably on either side of the keyboard where I can reach out and pet them. 

Penny on a pile of wool.

Deiter on the knitting bag.

Izzy decides to join the party.

No furry little bodies on the keyboard!  My babies have become good little computer companions!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Enjoy your Easter or Passover or whatever you celebrate, even if it's just the joy of Spring.

Crazed Spending

Many of you know if you've been reading my blog for a while, that my kitchen stove is an early 1940's gas stove that my Mom purchased used when she and Dad rented their first house.  That was in 1947 or '48 about a year after I was born.  When they moved to Chambersburg when I was 13, they gave the stove to my uncle, who stored it in his basement till about 15 years ago when he gave it to me.  I've been using it ever since, hooked up to a small grill tank that's located in our back pantry.  This stove is amazingly gass-efficient.  The only problem is that the oven temperature control no longer works.  I've gotten used to it's quirks, but every once in a while, there's things I'd like to bake that take vey specific low temperatures that just aren't possible.

Lately, I've been researching countertop convection ovens as a second, more reliable, baking alternative.  Two weeks ago Zip and I went to the Kitchen Shoppe in Carlisle to 'just look'.  I had in mind the Breville convection oven that I had seen on TV.  They didn't have that model so I was ready to wait until it came back in stock.  Zip's thinking bigger and better (typical man  LOL!). We found the Waring Pro.  Zip has the 'why wait' mentality.  Probably because he doesn't want another shopping trip looming in his future!

This is it.  I love it!!!

So I thought, OK, there goes the new computer.  I guess I can struggle along with the old one for a while yet.

Over the next few days it just kept getting slower and slower until it was almost at a standstill.  The error messages were popping up constantly.  I eliminated every unnecessary program and file that was possible, cleaned up and defragged, and still the darn thing wouldn't run right.

Yesterday I had finally had enough of struggling with faulty technology and started checking out 'reasonably' priced laptops.  Staples was particularly unhelpful.  Apparently that 'EASY' button was out of order.  We went to Best Buy in Hagerstown.  And had lunch at Pizzaria Uno.  Oh, I love their pizza, so much that I forgot to take pictures.

Anyhow, the new puter is up and running with some of my necessary stuff installed.  I still have to hook up the wireless router so I can take it to the kitchen and check out and use recipes right there where I do the cooking.  No more printing of dozens of recipes.  Saves on trees, ya know!

Enough playing for one morning.  It's time to get to work.

The weather is beautiful.  The grass is sooo green!
Get out there and enjoy!

Spring??? Maybe!

We can Hope!.  The weather has been WONDERFUL!  Zip rototilled a section of the garden and we planted snap peas and swiss chard.  No the violets aren't blooming....yet!  But I've seen daffodils.

I will keep this short because my computer is going down fast.

First I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my two dear friends in the UK.

Happy Birthday,  Angie at Shozzy's Place!

And Happy Birthday, Briony at Crafty-Cats-Corner!

Ladies, we might be a year older, but we're just getting BETTER!!!  Like fine wine.  Happy next year and many more!

Several weeks ago I decided to rearrange my work and sewing area by putting in another nice long table for cutting fabric.  The computer was turned off for a few days while I moved the furniture around.  I wanted the computer on a table where Deiter and I would both fit (LOL) without him having to be laying on the keyboard and sitting in front of the screen.

The computer is now in the corner of the room with a window on either side and plenty of cat room.  It's working out well except for....  the puter is wonky!  I keep getting all kinds of error messages and frequently it won't let me click on my internet connection.  It seems to have lost it's mind.

So I will be shopping for another used one that will hopefully last for ten years like this one did.  Maybe a laptop would be good.

I'll have to start disengaging from this one over the next week and setting up a new one.  So it may be a while before I get back here.

Take care, everyone, till then.
We'll be back!

The Medicare Birthday

....whoopee :(   (not!)

Bran muffin, anyone???
Geez, how did I get to this?  I could maybe admit to 45 but, holey moley, this is AARP and beyond!
I guess being alive and mostly well is a reward in itself.  So I am thankful!

Not for the sinus headache I woke up with.  But for being able to wake up.

Zip's brother and his wife invited us to go along to a local flyfishing shop and the Brass Crow  Bass Pro shop today.  Since it's cold and very windy and my head and nose it stuffy, I'll be having a day at home to do my own thing.  That will include making stuffed cabbage rolls, doing some sewing for Brad and Kami, and working on Mom's sweater.  Yesterday I went to the library and stocked up on audio books to get me through the weekend.

This past week I made another of my favorite pasta dishes, mussels with spinach and garlic.
This is as quick and easy as a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal.

Mussels with Spinach and Garlic

approx. 1/2 lb. dry pasta  (I usually use regular spaghetti)
1 package frozen mussels
1 cup fresh spinach(coarsley chopped)
3 cloves garlic
olive oil
4 T. butter
Thai fish sauce or anchovy paste
dash of cayenne papper

Heat pasta water.
Take mussels from freezer and thaw in a pan of warm water.
Peel and finely chop garlic.  Put in small glass bowl and drizzle with about 2 T. olive oil.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Set aside.
When pasta water comes to a boil, put in pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile open the mussels and pour into a dish to check for pieces of shell.  Remove any small pieces.  At this point you may either remove the mussels from the shells beforehand or check them carefully for cracked pieces and leave the shells intact.  You DO NOT want shell pieces in the pasta!!!


If you want a more elegant presentation, leave the mussels in the shells.

Put mussels in a large saute pan with the spinach and a little bit of water.  The mussels will also give off liquid as they cook.  When the shells have opened (if you left them on) or the liquid starts to simmer, add the garlic in olive oil, and the fish sauce or anchovy, and cayenne.

Add the drained pasta and stir to mix the flavors.  Cook for a few minutes, adding a little bit of water if necessary so that the mixture does not dry out.

Add the butter and cook until melted.

Very easy!  If you leave the shells on, the presentation is elegant enough for company.
Serves about four people.

My cleared countertops are really inspiring me to cook!  LOL!

I have been working on my fiber crafts, but don't have anything to show yet.  I finished my doll and her clothing, but the dress is looking too plain so will add some embellishments to the front.  Mom's sweater is coming along fine.  The cat hair is really showing up on the dark green yarn.  Not good for a picture.  I don't know how I'm going to get it all off before giving it to Mom!

I'd like to say I'm getting some hooking done, but not!

Time for another cup of tea.

Have a great weekend, whatever you plan to do!