Free style cooking

Keeping with the cottage theme, cooking is always a bit unstructured at the cottage.  And while I often bring a cookbook or two with me, I tend to free style things.  So two notable recipes from the weekend.  One made while there and one made with leftovers last night at home.

I'm still eating yummy goodness from the garden and brought a sugar pumpkin and some pears donated from a local farmer that my husband did some work for and made soup.  The onion that had been in the fridge seemed to have left with the in-laws who left before we did so I made do frying a bunch of green onions (including about half of the green parts), a clove of garlic, the pumpkin, the pears and some rosemary.  No chicken stock, so I used water and a bit of orange juice, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon. Very tasty as an appetizer to the barbecued steaks, also simply done with salt and pepper before grilling and a dab or rosemary butter after grilling.  With a side of foil roasted potatoes and Moose Tracks ice cream for dessert, we were happy and the fridge was that much further to being empty for the end of the season.

We had a bunch of leftover ham from Friday's dinner so I decided to make a ham and mushroom risotto.  I fried up a chopped onion until very soft, added garlic and celery, fried for a couple of minutes more, then added the mushrooms.  Once the mushrooms were mostly cooked, the rest of the process was standard risotto, toast the rice in the olive oil in the pan, add liquid in small amounts and keep stirring.  I used 1/4 cup sambuca instead of white wine as the first liquid added and then chicken stock after that.  When the rice was almost done, I added chopped up ham and finished the rice with parmesan cheese before serving.  The flavour of the ham (which had been baked with a maple mustard glaze) and the mushrooms went very well together.  I think I'm actually overcoming my general dislike of ham.  I really enjoy the things I have made with the leftovers.  The ham and cheese sandwiches on the griddle for lunch today were also fantastic.

Tonight, it is more simple pleasures with a roast chicken and roasted vegetables picked from a big dig in the garden this morning.  I'm really looking forward to the leftovers at lunch tomorrow.

Fall Relaxation

We had a very nice few days at a family cottage this weekend.  We threw the cat into the car and off we went.  The cat travelled very well and seemed to be content with the cottage.

The weather this weekend was fabulous and I went kayaking twice.  Saturday morning, the lake was quite glassy for the most part and I was out for at least an hour, exploring a bay I hadn't really plumbed the depths of before.  It was so peaceful and makes me forget why we don't go to the cottage more often (the horrendous traffic).  The leaves are about 1/2 down and the lake was covered with pine needles.  There were other people up there but it was not crowded with signs of habitation at about every 4 or 5 cottages.  That early in the morning, the only motorized boats are those of the fishermen moving from one spot to the next.  The sound of a passing train across the quiet lake sounded like the train was going to run me over it carried so well.  I saw (and heard) a few loons enjoying the morning and had a conversation with some cottagers outside on their deck doing some repairs.  It was fabulous.

This morning was even quieter.  It rained last night and the sky was still cloudy with further threat of rain.  But I went anyway.  As the husband says, I love kayaking and only get to do it very periodically so I went.  While the weather wasn't as nice, the cloud cover makes the colours more saturated and even nicer to look at.  I spent more of my paddle this time floating and looking at the scenery.  Fantastic.

We came home this afternoon to avoid the Monday traffic and get a few things done here and I'm trying to remember that relaxation for at least a few more days.

Friday crafting

My husband brought home a new set of frying pans that were on sale at Canadian Tire the other day so I decided to make little quilts to keep them from getting scratched when stacked.  I used leftover pieces from the Christmas quilt that I made for my dad.  I quite like them.  The execution isn't perfect but I think they turned out well enough.  

I also got my favourite bread made and the best bran muffins from the Flavours of Canada cookbook.  These are the only bran muffins I will ever bother making.  They don't dry out if you stir a little too much or bake a little too long like others I've made.  I can mix it up with different ingredients.  I like using bananas, walnuts and a few chocolate chips but pieces of apple and dried cranberries taste great too.  

And on the knitting front, I switched my purple project, partially begun in the last post's photos back to the Norah Gaughan pattern, kaide.  I bought the yarn to make this in the first place, then waffled and started a different sweater.  Today when I was making the pot quilts, I looked at the swatch I made for kaide and decided that the pattern really looks nice.  So, I ripped out and started again.  

This puts a damper on the startitis ...

I think I'm finally finished with my stash inventory.  I say I think because I found a bin that I didn't realize was there and more sock yarn than I remember buying so there might be more.  

Now, I know I don't have as much stash as some ... there is no yarn in the piano, for instance ... and I don't have stash that I hold on to because I can't bear to knit with it.  But I have realized that I have a good amount of stash.  And the inventory process has been getting my imagination going.  Until today when I decided to take stock of my projects in progress and realized that I'd better focus on the projects already in progress before I got too far ahead of myself.  

At the top, I have a market bag from Weekend Knits that I started using some of my Lopi collection on.  Up next, a cardigan I started making for my niece for last Christmas.  The selling feature of this cardi is the rather large collar that I had to frog after being mostly done because I had completely messed up when starting it, joining one side properly and the other side completely wrong.  Because I left starting it too late, I had no hope of getting it done for Christmas.  If not for stash inventory, I might not have had a hope of getting it done for this Christmas either.  I was very happy to discover that I had corrected the error and all I had to do was start knitting.  I'm about half way to finish.  Then the button band.

The third is a sweater that I started a while ago.  I actually don't mind the knit but find I'm currently more interested in accessory knits so have been slow to finish.  

The next item is a shawl made with left over sock yarn.  As I was sorting, I realized, despite having made two baby blankets and a scarf with the stuff, I have a great deal of leftover sock yarn.  So, I cast on to make this shawl.  

Then there is the pair of socks that I put the pedal down and finished this afternoon.  These are for my dad for Christmas.  Hey, I'm actually farther ahead for Christmas than I usually am.  One pair of socks and progress on my niece's sweater.  That's positive.

Onward ... next up, I started a pair of mittens from the Alana Dakos book, Botanical Knits, which I really like, especially the accessory patterns.  I'm not 100% certain about the sweaters but the accessories are very appealing to me and I'll likely knit most of them.

Then, there is the pair of mittens from the Debbie Bliss magazine that I started ages ago.  I really like the yarn but the pattern is taking me forever.  Mainly because I work on it in bursts and the bursts aren't all that regular.

 Finally, I cast on for a new sweater this week.  I bought this yarn a couple of weeks ago at Stix and Stones in North Bay and have switched projects about 10 times.  I was going to make a Norah Gaughan pattern but couldn't get 100% sure about it.  Then, when I went to Lettuce Knit last week, I saw this pattern and decided it was the right pattern for the yarn for me.

Phew.  I think that's it.  Bye bye startitis, at least for today!

I couldn't help myself

As mentioned, I'm working on an inventory of my stash, plotting things to make with said stash - which is bigger than I thought, mainly because I forgot about all of the Dream in Color Classy that I bought because I like it so much.  And I vowed that I did not need to buy anymore yarn (after I went to Stix and Stones in North Bay last weekend, that is.  I like to support my favourite businesses - I'm hoping that will sound good to my husband when he reads this post).  Of course, in going to get the link to the Stix and Stones website just now, I read Rae's post and she is going to be at Creativ this year which might push my "should I go, should I not go" debate in favour of "go" but we'll see.

Otherwise, I'm in a no-more-yarn-buying-make-things-with-what-I-have mood.  Really.  Honestly.

I think I've also mentioned before that on those rare occasions where I have time, I like to pop up from the office to Lettuce Knit to look around.  These trips don't always lead to purchases but are quite relaxing.  I bring a project, usually a sock, knit on the way there and the way back, get some fresh air and look at yarn.  The other day was one of those days.  A meeting cancelled and I decided to go.  That's where the yarn bundle in the picture comes in.  It was with a bunch of others labelled "Colour Affection bundles".  I thought, gee that's nice but I have already made a Colour Affection shawl and I really don't like making the same thing multiple times (other than the Noro Striped Scarf but that just has some sort of addictive properties that I just can't get away from) so I passed by.  Then on my return trip around the store (wouldn't want to miss anything), I picked this bundle up again.  And looked at the tags.  The yarns are Indigo Dragonfly (which I love) and the names are:

1.  If you really wanted to mess me up, you should have gotten to me sooner (High Fidelity)
2.  I've never been up with people before (Buffy)
3.  People are particularly stupid today.  I cannot speak to any more of them (Gilmore Girls)

Had to buy it.  As a child of the 80s, how could I not.  Now I just have to find another 3 colour scarf worthy of the yarn.

More Jars

Cleaning up the garden this morning, I noticed a bunch of tomatillos (which I was hoping would wait until next weekend) had fallen and several others had split their skins, a sure sign that they were ready to go.  So my best laid plans of continuing the yarn stash inventory were put aside to make tomatillo salsa.  I made this last year and thought I wouldn't be making it again this year because I didn't start any tomatillo seeds in the winter grow op.  Lucky for me, tomatillos seem to be quite happy self seeding and I had the 2 pounds needed for this yummy salsa.

And not to be outdone, the zucchini plants are still producing ... 2 more loaves of chocolate zucchini bread.  I'm sure glad it freezes!

Three More

I have been finishing projects lately.  Starting them too but I'll focus on finishing for the moment.  I have been trying to organize my yarn stash and using the Ravelry stash tracking function to get an inventory.  This has had a nice side effect - a lot of motivation to knit.

First up was the Poet Society tam which I bought yarn for at the now closed Stash in Campbellville.  I bought enough to make the Honey Cowl (which I made) and this hat.  Since I've been in a hat knitting mood lately and pretty much one of the first stash yarns I pulled out was the Madelinetosh Vintage that went with this pattern, I cast on.  I really love the finished project.  It is going to be a hat for me since tams aren't really my thing.  Some would say hats aren't my best look either but I live in Canada so don't have a heck of a lot of choice in the matter some mornings.

Then I found an almost finished pair of French Press slippers.  All of the knitting had been done.  All that was left was sewing up and felting.  I bought yarn for these intending to make four pairs for Christmas one year.  I realized pretty quickly that I find these an irritating little project.  I made one pair which I gave as a gift before I reminded myself that I don't like the seaming and I don't like felting so these languished in the cupboard for at least two years.  But now they are done.  I think they need one more trip through the washing machine - they are a very little bit too big.  So I'll do that this weekend and will hopefully be totally finished.  They are quite comfortable despite the fact that they weren't my favourite project.

My last project was a flannel quilt I made for my nephew for his high school graduation/going to college gift.  I've had the fabric forever and decided to make the quilt for my nephew in April or May but it took forever due to lack of excitement for the project.  Lucky for me, this one had a deadline.  I needed to get it done for his graduation party so made it work.  He is a blanket kid and seemed to really like it - as his mother said he would.

Now I'm going to go finish some fingerless mitts. I think I have enough of that Madelinetosh left to make them.  Fingers crossed.