'Tis the Season...

The end of November isn't too early to put up a Christmas tree, right?! Well, I didn't think so. Especially since Matt and I have an upcoming trip out of the country, and I wanted to return home to some Christmas Spirit.

And since we had just celebrated our holiday Christmas potluck last night with friends (with the holidays coming up and travel plans booked, this was the only time we could do it!), it felt only appropriate to put up the tree in our condo today. We did so to the tunes of a Beach Boy's Christmas with scenes of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade in the background (recorded weeks ago for just this occasion). 

I was a little concerned that we might not have the space to put the tree, but with a little rearranging of our 'dining room', it fit in just perfectly in a corner by the kitchen. We still need a tree topper, and perhaps some tinsel, but other than that, it just needs presents underneath. The shopping is already underway, so it won't be long before the wrapped gifts arrive...

Our holiday Christmas ornament this year for Matt and I were candy-filled metallic spheres from Shopper's Drugmart, quite a steal for only $1.99 each. And the perfect addition to our first Christmas tree - some sparkle and some sweets (although I hope the Runts and the Nerds are not a reflection of us!).

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecakes

Celebrating the season with great friends and good food can be easily accomplished with a potluck dinner, and that's exactly how Matt and I spent Saturday night. On the menu: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, potato casserole, and gravy. And for dessert, two types of sweets: pecan pie and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup mini cheesecakes. The latter is what I brought for the group of us, so naturally, I thought I would share with you the recipe for the dessert

Sharing my cooking and baking on this blog also gives me a great electronic collection of my recipes, but it has also inspired me to put my recipe book to good use. The book was a housewarming gift from my two close friends, and it's a great idea for organizing all my recipes, especially the ones that I find online and then copy onto post-it notes (often again and again, as I inevitably lose them...). The book is organized by sections and comes with blank notes just waiting to be written on and filed, so it really is a great thing to have around the house. Besides, what if one day, heaven forbid, I'm without internet and I need to find a recipe?!? That would be a disaster!

The finished cheesecake minis were quite decadent, but small enough to satisfy a sweet craving after a big meal. For last night, however, when paired with a pecan pie (also super delicious, Dar!), I'm glad I made them smaller than I have in the past.

Crust Recipe:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tbsp sugar

1/4 butter, softened

Filling Recipe (makes 12):

2 pkgs Light Cream Cheese

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

4 pkgs Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:

1.  Blend together crumbs, butter and sugar roughly until mixed together;
2. Line 12 cupcake molds with paper cups;
3. Add roughly 1 tbsp of crust to each cup. Using the bottom of a glass, press crumbs firmly.
4. Place 1 Reese's Peanut Butter cups into each of the 12 molds (I first placed them right side up, but then flipped them so that the filling would more easily fill around them);
5. Blend cream cheese until soft and fluffy;
6. Add flour, sugar, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly;
7. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing completely;
8. Add filling over top each of the cups, flush to the top.
9. Bake in a 350 Degree oven for 20 minutes;
10. Let cool before serving.

There you have it! They are actually pretty quick to mix up and equally quick to consume. Whip up a batch for your very own potluck dinner...

Fat Friday - Caplansky's

This week for our Fat Friday dinner, we took Diane to Caplansky's Delicatessen at College & Spadina, famous for their smoked meat sandwiches. And that is exactly what we all ordered: 3 Smoked Meat sandwiches on Rye, 2 orders of fries, 1 order of coleslaw, and 3 Black Cherry Colas. Isn't your mouth watering just looking at the picture?!?! (Matt had to remind me to take a photo for the blog... I was just too hungry and dug right in. That's why there is only half a sandwich, but don't worry, you get a full one with your order.)

Each sandwich comes with their own basket of fries, but we took the recommendation of the waitress and split the two baskets between the three of us, and we were plenty full. But still the waitress tried to sell us on dessert, (which sounded delicious on the menu board before we ate...) but we had better things in mind for an after dinner treat.

We justified the decadent dinner with the more than 9 km walk to the Bata Shoe Musuem on Bloor st, then to Caplansky's on College, and then over to Younge/Dundas to watch The Fantastic Mr. Fox. If you haven't seen the trailer for this movie yet, get thee to a computer to watch it, because it is a really fantastic movie. The stop animation is awesome, and this movie is not just for kids. But I will warn you, there were also some fantastically AWFUL trailers beforehand (I love me some movie trailers, so I was especially disappointed that they sucked!), so there is no harm in showing up late to miss those. But you may have troubles finding a seat.

And, as mentioned, our after dinner treat consisted of movie popcorn for Matt (he never passes up popcorn at a movie, but he did settle for just a small - a first!), Junior Mints for me (I was going for a more refreshing snack after the salty sandwich), and we shared an Icee (blue, of course). A pretty good Fat Friday, all in all...

Mmmm....ravioli

Many of you might have heard about my homemade ravioli. It was really just a spur of the moment idea one evening, but it turned out so yummy that I have since made it three more times, the most recent for dinner last night.

The idea first came when I had some simple ingredients in the fridge, chorizo sausage and goat cheese, and wanted a way to incorporate them all into a meal. I headed to my favorite food site for a ravioli recipe, and learned that it really was not all that difficult to make your own pasta.

And the great thing about ravioli is that you can make any sort of filling to put inside and customize to your own tastes. I serve mine with an alfredo sauce, which I combine with any left over filling, and a side salad, but you can serve with a simple oil and garlic sauce, for a lighter fair, or a tomato sauce, whatever your preferences might be.

After making the ravioli a couple of times now, which is a little labour-intensive, I have searched the cooking websites to see what solutions are available for making more uniform size and shaped pockets. Turns out there are some great accessories for making pasta, including molds, attachments, and rollers and (links conveniently included for Christmas shopping...).

Filling Recipe:

1 finely chopped cooking onion

3 chorizo sausages, casings removed and minced

1 pkg goat cheese

Directions

1.  Brown cooking onion and chorizo sausage;
2.  Add small log of goat cheese, stirring to melt.

Pasta Recipe: 

2 eggs

3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup water

3/4 tsp salt

Directions (for 3 servings):

1. Mix eggs, water, salt, and half the flour;
2. Gradually mix in remaining flour;
3. Let rest in fridge for 15 mins, if time allows;
4. Roll out on floured surffice and cut into squares (or use your handy-dandy ravioli mold)
5. Fill with small spoonful of filling of your choice, and seal, using water on edges to keep closed;
6. Cook in boiling water until ravioli float to top, about 10 mins.
7. Warm Alfredo sauce in large frying pan on low heat; add cooked pasta to coat and keep warm until ready to serve.

It's as simple as that...almost. I'd love to hear about your successes, so feel free to share if you make this dish!

Life!

For any of you who are Discovery Fans, and in particular HD Discovery (if you have the luxury of owning an HD Package from your local television provider), then you might be interested in a new show airing Sunday nights called Life.

It's in the same stream as Planet Earth, and, in fact, David Attenborough narrates the Life series as well (whom I could listen to endlessly for his lovely British accent...). We are already half way through the Planet Earth series, and are mesmerized by the scenery and live action shots, and Life just takes it one step further, including new and exciting features.

How they put such an impressive compilation together, both in Life and Planet Earth, is beyond me, but I'm thoroughly glad they did! It must take hours upon hours of sitting and waiting to capture just the right scene. Some of the shots they gather, David informs us, have never before been captured on video.

Disney also "borrowed" some of the content for their recent release Earth, which they released under their new brand Disney Nature, and this one focuses more on the happy stories of the animals, for the children, of course. The Life series, not so much... it's the gory truth about real life in the wilderness, and for those of you who can stomach 10 kimono dragons feasting on a fallen water buffalo, then this show is for you!

Ok, they have some not-so-gory parts, too, which are really beautiful and brilliant, but you'll have to just tune in and see for yourself what they include.

A little something...

Once I heard that my dear friend Shannon and her hubby were expecting their first addition to their household, I knew that I had to find just the perfect little gift to express our happiness and excitement. And what better way to welcome a new little girl into the world than with a hand knit jumper!

I found this pattern in Debbie Bliss (of course!) and modified it slightly. I choose a pink and white yarn but decided not to include sleeves, as the pattern suggested. I instead made it a pullover that could be worn with or without a shirt underneath, making it great for all seasons. I also modified the neck and added in the split collar, which I thought would look adorable (all of which was by the seat of my pants, havning no pattern to go on, so who knew how it would turn out. Luckily it worked, because there is nothing worse than having to pull out your work!). So far, little Chloe is still too small to fit into it, but that's the great thing about growing babies - it will fit her one day!

I then heard that my boss was expecting a little boy, also his first, and in an attempt to earn some brownie points, I also knit something for his son - a white and blue vest, in honor of the Maple Leafs, which his dad is a fan of (not sure why...). I'm sure there will be more babies on the way, so more upcoming projects will certainly be in the works. I already have a new niece that might need a new outfit...

The great thing about knitting kid's clothes (as opposed to men's sweaters that take months and months...), is that the knit up so quickly! And there is something very rewarding about sewing in the last strand of yarn, putting it into a little box, and giving it away.

Plus, kid's clothes are huge sellers at the One of a Kind Show, for example. Matt's mom keeps encouraging me to open a booth there one year, but I think I need to build up some stock first. It's true that people will spend a pretty penny on hand knit goods for their young family members, so I am keeping this in the back of my mind for the future. I would love to be able to turn my passion for knitting and crafting into a career! I'll keep you all posted...

That's a giant tree...

While on our Sunday morning walk towards brunch, Matt and I stopped in to the CIBC bank on King St to take out some money (mom, we were actually on the phone together!) and found this ginormous Christmas tree in the lobby! For scale, you can see little me at the base. Some of the decorations were the size of my head! Can you imagine this monster in our condo?! Ours is not that impressive, but it is just the right size... We didn't get around to putting it up last weekend, but hopefully this coming Sunday.

I love the holiday season and all the decorations. The Bay already has some of its windows decorated, and the Cavalcade of Lights kicks off this weekend at Nathan Phillips Square, where they will be lighting yet another gigantic tree with all its trimmings. Plus, there are fireworks every Saturday night, usually accompanied by a live band. Check out the schedule by clicking on the link above.

I walked through NPS yesterday and saw some of the prep work, and even without the lights on, it is one pretty darn fantastic tree. The cavalcade (which is also a very hard word to spell) runs throughout December, and I hope to see some of the lights and maybe participate in some of the other activities, including ice skating. The rink is already frozen! Top that off with a cup of hot cocoa, and you've got yourself a perfect winter date.

A cabled turtleneck...

Before I finished Matt's sweater (but after I had already started it, of course), I found this pattern in Debbie Bliss for a short sleeved turtleneck and fell in love! It was many hours of knitting and cable-ing spent in front of the tv, or on long drives, or during conversations at the chalet in Tremblant. It's a good thing I can do more than one thing at a time!

The thing with knitting is that once you have completed a new pattern, you learn where you might want to change things for the next time. Simply by mixing up the colour or the texture of the yarn, or changing the type of cables, for example, you can have yourself a completely different looking style. I like that I am always learning new things when I knit, and with each project, I try to do something I haven't done before. I love that knitting is a constantly evolving process for me, and a little imagination can go a long way!

I especially love when I come across a style of pattern for a vest or sweater, for example, that I know I can vary with yarn or texture. It keeps knitting exciting for me! Plus, its always great to have a fall-back pattern in mind when wandering through a yarn store. You never know when inspiration is going to strike!

I think I may attempt this pattern again in the near future. I do really like the style of the short sleeve, but I may mix up the cable pattern and the neck. I think a shorter crew neck would work very nicely...

Sunday night Chili!

Sunday nights are probably one of my favorite parts of the weekend. While it is bitter sweet that the weekend is coming to an end, I still love a home cooked meal while watching the Amazing Race or Steelers football (no Steelers last night; Matt doesn't want to talk about it...). You might think the latter is not really my thing, but actually, it's great for doing a lot of knitting!! And then both Matt and I are happy people!

Last night, thanks to an inspiring recipe from our lovely aunt Megan in Pembroke, chili was on the menu. What makes her recipe so good, you may ask? Well, there are no beans, plenty of seasonings and spices, and just so darn easy to make! I could have spent at least half an hour sifting through online recipes for chili, goodness knows there must be hundreds! But luckily we have had the good fortune to taste Megan's recipe, so we knew it was a hit! Top it off with some melted cheese and serve with cheesy garlic bread, and you've got yourself a meal. I also added some chorizo sausage for some added flavour.

And for those concerned about our health, we had a full plate of salad beforehand.

Recipe for 2:

1 lbs ground beef

2 chorizo sausage, skins removed

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 green pepper, coarsely chopped

1 can tomato sauce

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 pkg El Paso Chili seasoning

Directions

1. Sautee onions and garlic on medium heat until golden;
2. Add beef and chorizo and cook through; drain fat;
3. In a large pot, combine tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings;
4. Add in meat and green peppers and stir; cover and simmer on low for at least 1 hour.

The longer you let the chili simmer, the stronger the flavors will become. If you have time. prepare the chili in the morning and let simmer all day. It will be delish when you serve! I like to serve ours with cheese and a loaf of garlic cheese bread. Plus, if you are only making it for two, you will have plenty for leftovers the next day, or freeze for a quick dinner one night. Enjoy!

Round and round...

I attempted my first pair of socks over the summer (I've come a long way from knitting only scarves...). I had hesitated because I wasn't too familiar with knitting in the round on double pointed needles, and knitting socks sounded kind of scary! But I found a simple pattern from Paton, and after a quick visit to YouTube for a demonstration on how to knit the heel and instep(you can find anything on YouTube!) , I was well on my way!

The sock yarn I picked made some really fabulous stripes all on their own, and it actually didn't take too long, nor was it as difficult as I thought I might be. But that being said, I do only have one of the socks finished, thus far. The other one is still pending.

There are so many different patterns and colours specifically designed for socks, that the possibilities are endless! Plus, I think once I get the hang of it, they could be really sweet gifts! And knitting in the round with double pointed needles is really not all that difficult...

Sunday morning brunch!

Can you think of a better way to start your Sunday morning then a plate of scrambled eggs, homefries, and Canadian bacon?! I can't, so that's usually how we start EVERY Sunday morning.

This particular weekend we walked to Eggspectation at Younge Street, conveniently located on the east side of the Eaton's Centre, where we headed afterwards to walk off said breakfast. Now, if you are planning on visiting this particular breakfast locale on the weekend, I highly recommend that you do so only in pairs of 2, as the wait for a table for 4 or more will surely be upwards of 30 minutes. But luckily, we laughed at all those large parties as they seated us almost immediately.

There are numerous locations to visit for brunch in the city, and the great thing is, we can almost always combine where we go with what we are planning on doing that day. Today, for example, was shopping for some new work clothes at the Eaton's Centre, so naturally we ate at Eggspectation for its convenient location. Plus, the 5 km walk there and back helps to ease some of the guilt we feel for ingesting so much bacon...

Fat Friday - Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches

Matt had this brilliant idea to eat out on Fridays, and not just out at the local all-you-can-eat-salad-buffet (because where is the fun in that?!?), but instead to indulge our tastebuds in the offerings of all thing delicious and bad for you! Hence, Fat Friday!

This week, we found ourself at Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches on King St. We had walked past this little diner numerous times on our way to either Craft Burger or The Wheatsheaf on other Fat Fridays, and decided it was time to stop in for one of their famous sandwiches, in particular, the Pulled Pork.

We had previously had another delicious pulled pork sandwich at The Stockyards up at St. Clair, but thought we needed a second opinion to compare, and perhaps one that was a smidge closer. I have to say, while the sandwhich was good, it was second rate to the Stockyard's version. But, that is not to say that we wouldn't head back for a taste of their other sandwiches, because we will! 

I wonder what we'll have next Fat Friday? Check in next week to find out... and suggestions are always welcome, as is company!

Its baking time!

I sure do love to bake! And Christmas is the perfect time to break out the measuring cups and cookie cutters. I love to give little platters of goodies as gifts over the holidays to my family and friends, who can enjoy the sweets and then re-use the platter for their own use! Enjoyable yet practical.

So I was excited to pick up the new Betty Crocker magazine devoted to Christmas cookies and bars (ok, it wasn't the only one I picked up, but it was the lastest edition to my collection...). The one from last year got a lot of use and I quickly found some favorites, and after browsing this year's, I have already found some great recipes that I'll definitely be trying out. Just need to find the time to put everything together.  

Once I get going on this project (just one of many...), I'll share some lovely photos of how they turned out. I'll also be sure to share the recipes of the ones I made. And who knows, maybe a tray of delectables will be under your tree this year...

Mornings made better....

It seems that coffee has now become a regular part of my morning routine. On the mornings when I'm not frequenting my one of many local Starbucks (is it sad that I know when they have hired new people?!?!), I like to brew my own coffee with my French Press (THE route for quick and easy coffee) to enjoy from my Monsters, Inc. mug.

Not only is it friendly and inviting, it also holds like 3 regular cups of joe, making certain I get my full caffeine mix. It also reminds me of a recent family vacation we took in January to visit Florida to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. It took some planning, some organizing, and then some re-organizing, but we all made it there and back in one piece, and had a really great time (really, we did!).

It turned out to be the vacation that reminded us what it's like to vacation with your siblings and parents, reminding us what it's like to live with six opinionated adults under the same roof.  But it also turned out to be the vacation where memories were created, where photos will live on in frames on my mother's wall and in vitural albums. And it turned out to be the vacation where my brother proposed to his girlfriend!   Not 10 months later, the happy couple wed on a lovely fall day on Thanksgiving weekend (I'll tell you about that another time).

Right, coffee... that's what I was talking about. Great thing about wandering down memory lane... there are lots of twists and turns! I think I'll brew me a joe...

How to simplify your life... one step at a time!

I'm always on the look out for ways that will help simplify my life, and Matt and I stumbled across a simple yet brilliant idea while were browsing Anthropologie, a women's clothing and accessory store - the All Out Of list.

We went there for the purpose of browsing the women's clothing, at a suggestion from Erin, Matt's sister. She had heard that the US store was now in Canada, so we made a day of it and visited the Don Mills location before our adventure to the Science Centre.

The clothes were very nice, but what really caught my eye where the knick knacks and other unique accessories, such as the above list. I, of course, had to buy it, and it now has a new home on our fridge. I simply check off the boxes of the items that I have run out of or know I need to purchase on your next trip, and shopping couldn't be easier! You tear off the sheet on your way out the door, and with 60 sheets in the book, it will surely last you at least a year. Items are grouped together in categories, with additional lines for adding in items not already there. Naturally, the first thing I did was cross off the mushrooms...

I was also drawn to the winter accessory section, trying on a few hats and admiring the colourful scarfs, although I didn't buy anything; I just  couldn't make up my mind! But Matt, the ever-so-thoughtful boyfriend he is, noticed which ones I liked and bought me one for our anniversary. He sure is the best!

While I'm in no hurry for the snow and cold weather to get here, at least I'll look cute when it does!

Someone turned 28 today...

In honour of my awesome little sister, I'd like to share with you all a slice of virtual DQ Ice Cream Cake (her favourite) to celebrate her 28th birthday - calorie free!!!

Happy Birthday, Sarah. Hope all your dreams come true!

'tis the Season...

November seems to be disappearing under our noses. We thought that after the summer, which was filled with cottage weekends, three nights of baseball, and various other summer activites, the Fall would slow down a bit. But then we had wedding season, accompanied with showers, and before we knew it, October had escaped us, too! Thanksgiving came and went, and so did Halloween! And we still haven't slowed down...

Now it seems November is quickly on its way to being over, but I'm ok with that, because you know what comes next.... Christmas! It's a magical time of year, my favourite, and this will be our first one celebrating it together in the City in our little space.

And I mean little, (600 sq ft, to be exact), but a full-sized Christmas tree will be going up, along with new stockings - monogrammed, no less! With nothing on the go this weekend (a nice little break), I'm going to put on the Santa Claus Parade that I taped last weekend, play some classic Christmas tunes, and we're going to trim the tree. I might even bake some Christmas cookies, to put us in the spirit.

Next will come the Christmas shopping... I love the spirit of giving at Christmas. I love the planning and hunting to find just the perfect gift for that special someone, and then seeing the joy and happiness (if I have succeeded) on their face. Just warms my little heart...

It's FINISHED!!!

After many, many months, I have finally finished my first full sweater! I have done others before, but this was the first with full sleeves, and a zipper! More than anything, the challenge was the time it took. The zipper was also a bit of a challenge, but it went pretty smoothly after I got the hang of it.

I choose a black tweed yarn (flecks of colour throughout) for this cabled sweater from Debbie Bliss (one of my favorite knitting mags), and knit is specifically for Matt. Although I did start it last fall, other projects came and went in the meantime. Of course, it didn't help that I ran out of yarn...twice! When I went back to the yarn store for more, they informed me that it had been discontinued! Wonder how Matt would have felt with a sweater with a different colour back? But luckily I was able to find it online and order 2 more balls... which should have been 3, as I ran out again and had to order more. But finally I had all the yarn and I could continue on my way. 

I just finished putting in the zipper this morning, and now it's waiting in a white box with a red bow for Matt when he gets home from his boy's weekend in Pittsburg. There is no particular occassion, other than I finished it, and he has been so patient while I've complete other projects in the meantime. I hope he likes it!

Now I can turn, guilt free, to my other Christmas projects!

Adding a lady's touch...

I soooo wish I would have taken a before picture for this project, but at least you can see the finished lamp and imagine what they used to look like. This was an early project of me using existing lamps that Matt had in the condo, and I had the idea to do a mini make-over on them. Plus, after moving into the condo, I felt I needed to add a bit of my own design style. So, I removed the maroon fabric from the lampshade and spray painted the brown base in white. I then headed to the Paper Place on Queen St and found this amazing teal and brown floral paper. It matched both the brown couch, brought in a bit of teal to accent the room (which also lead me to buy some new brown and teal curtains), and it wasn't too girly...

I made a quick template of the four sides of the shade, cut out the paper, and just used regular white glue to attach it to the wire frame. And they actually turned out really great! Of course, I could be biased...

But since the first pair turned out fine, I decided to update the ones in the bedroom, too. We had a cool photo on the wall with shades of orange, so that was my starting point. I went back to the Paper Place and found a great geometrical pattern. And presto-changeo!

Guess I'll have to wait for a bigger house with more lamps for another project... 

The perfect ball of yarn...

While it's fun to to find a new project and then head to the yarn store to scour the aisles looking for the perfect shade of yarn, there is something wonderful about being given a ball of yarn as a gift. The process now goes in reverse and you have to find the perfect project that would show off the brilliant colours. Sometimes it might be a scarf and matching hat, depending on how much yarn you have to work with. But this time, that was just too simple for me....

So, when I was given two scheins of this brilliant blue/turquoise/green yarn as a gift from Matt's mom Diane, I knew I had to find just the right project. My first thought was a scarf, as I knew I would have enough for that, but then my mind starting wandering for other ideas, like mixing and matching colours. I also had to decide on a project and landed on a vest, mixing the blue with white and grey. I found a style I liked, and then found the perfect shades, and settled on an argyle pattern for the front, which I created myself.

Something you should probably know about me is that I get really impatient when I get a new idea for a project in mind. Sometimes that means dropping what I am already working on (Matt can attest to this...) and starting a fresh, new project. But that also means that I generally have more than one project on the go, and that's great for keeping knitting (what could otherwise be sometimes boring) interesting and exciting.

I've already got the back of the vest finished, and only just yesterday found the right shade of white to match, so the front is now underway. Here's a sneak peak...

The finished vest will soon be on display, hopefully in person!

Felting 101

For one of my Christmas gifts this year, I decided to try my hand at felting. It was a very exciting adventure. The anticipationg of seeing what comes out of the washing machine was very exhileratin, but sadly, it did not turn out quite how I imagined it might.


A quick explanation of felting: knitted woolen garments which shrink in a hot washing machine, condensing the fibres to form a tight felted fabric.


The actual process seemed simple enough: knit a certain width and length using wool, wash in hot water in washing machine to achieve finished desired width and length. The latter is where something went wrong. My starting project, a stripped bag, which was knit according to directions, and looked like this, with measurements of 28"x13":

I did think it seemed a little out of proportion after knitting it, but thought that the actual shrinking of it would even it out. (NOTE: actual intended felting differs from unintended felting, such as shrinking your favourite wool sweater in the washing machine... sure, THAT works!) It did shrink in length to 6", but not so much in width, only to 23".


However, all is not lost... there will be a finished Christmas project (or two!) out of it yet. This includes some additional sewing, so stay tuned for an update on that!


I do believe more felting projects will take place, now that I know what I must modify for the next one. Hopefully they will have better outcomes...

Yummy beef stew...

What could be more comforting after a long week at work (granted, it was only Thursday, but it sure felt long enough), than beef stew with yorkshire pudding!?! And it was the perfect way to start off our usual Thursday night tv line-up. I didn't have time yesterday to cook it how I usually prefer, in the slowcooker, but cooking it on the stove turned out to be faster and just as delicious! The meat was just as tender. So, while Matt and I were at the gym, the stew was bubbling to perfection. It was great to return to the room filled with onion and beef scents!
 Want to know my secret for the most irrestible gravy? Of course you do! So, for your cooking pleasures, I have included the recipe.


Recipe:
Serves 2 - 4 people

1/2 kg stewing beef
10 - 12 small potatoes, quartered
Container of beef broth
1 pkg of Lipton Onion Soup Mix (the secret ingredient!!)
dash of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat
3 tbsp Bisto (instant gravy)

1. Pour broth and onion soup mix into a large pot; stir thoroughly.
2. Add in beef and vegetables, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add Bisto, increase heat to bring to a boil, and stir to thicken.
4. Serve.
   

You could also add additional vegetables to the stew for taste, like carrots or mushrooms (who would have thought MUSHROOMS would ever had appeared on my blog?!?!). I served the stew with some yorkshire puddings that I picked up in the freezer section of my local grocery store, which only take an incredible 4 minutes to bake! That sure beats mixing up a batter, letting it sit for 12 hours, melting lard into muffin cups, and making my own...

To make it in the slowcooker, it is exactly the same, adding all ingredients at once (either at night and letting it sit in the fridge, or in the morning before you head out the door), and setting the temperature to low. While you're away at work, your dinner is cooking itself, and you come home to that great stew smell! Just add the Bisto about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, to thicken the sauce, and Voila!

Oh, and for dessert, a small bowl of ice cream covered with Oreo cookie crumbs (traditionally used for making pie crusts, just like graham cracker crumbs). This was one of Matt's discoveries, and it is possibly my favorite ice cream topping now!

Sharing the goodness!

In my haste to post my very first entry, I neglected to share with you all the easy recipe for making your very own batch of caramel popcorn at home. I should have known that the photo would make your mouth drool...

Follow these easy steps and you're only minutes away from your very own gooey goodness!

Recipe:

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. While you're popping your corn, mix butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a medium size pan and heat over medium heat, stirring occassionally.
2. Once boiled, stir once more and let boil another 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and baking soda.
4. Empty popcorn into a large bowl, and pour in caramel, stirring to coat evenly.

And Voila! You've got yourself a batch. Wasn't that simple...?

caramel popcorn...Mmmmm

I can't think of a better way to start of a fresh new blog than by talking about gooey caramel popcorn. It was an inspiration after ingesting some hot chicken wings last night, knowing that a sweet bite would be something I would crave. And it sure did hit the spot!

And of course I have included photos! I love taking photos, of all things big and small, important and insignificant. You'll learn that soon, I'm sure.

This being my first attempt at blogging, recommended to me by many close friends, I thought this would be a great way to share many of my adventures in knitting, sewing, cooking, and baking. Especially now that Christmas is just around the corner and homemade projects are well under way! So stayed tuned for more upcoming projects, savory dishes, and delicious treats.