Fiber Fool

Friday was a fantastic day! About mid-morning Amanda stopped by to pick me up and we headed down to Boulder to meet up with Kristi G. for lunch. We stopped at Shuttles first and did some damage to our bank accounts - most of which was from the shelf of orphan yarns which were marked down an additional 15% off of their already reduced prices so we got a lot of bang for our buck. Oddly, I did a bit more damage than Amanda - that is a rare occurrence!

After filling a bag each at Shuttles we had a wonderful Indian lunch buffet in the same shopping center. It is sure is nice to just park once and walk. We hadn’t seen Kristi in a looooong time so lunch ended up being a 2 hour affair - oops! But the company was fantastic, as was the food.

On our way back to Fort Collins we stopped in Niwot at The Berry Patch. It is a really fun little shop filled with all kinds of things, from amazing vintage-style jewelry and scarves to high end bath and kitchen products and a whole corner of stuffed toys for kids. Our main purpose for the stop was not all the boutique items, but rather the wall of ribbon and shelving unit of buttons. It is the best selection of ribbon and buttons that I have ever seen! Thankfully I was pretty restrained and did not do too much damage. I bought a yard of ribbon and 8 buttons. But there are plans to go back before too long with yarns in hand for matching embellishments. If you find yourself in the Boulder area I strongly recommend the slight detour to The Berry Patch! (Berry Patch photos were taken by Amanda - thank you for remembering your camera!)

Then that evening Drew and I attended a Gogol Bordello concert at The Aggie. It was a fabulous show full of amazing energy and entertainment. They call their style of music Gypsy Punk and I certainly can’t think of a better description for it. I even liked the opening act - Apostle of Hustle. They had fantastic drumming and their sound was amazing full for only two people (yay loopers).

Needless to say, there was no trouble sleeping on Friday night with a day so jam packed with fun activities!

Just a quick note to let you know I will be in a double booth my My Sister Knits at the 2009 KnitWear Fiber Arts Extravaganza this Sunday at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. The show starts at 11am and runs until 4pm. Admission is $5, $3 for students and free for children under 11. There are free demos all during the event as well as door prizes and a wide variety of vendors, including regional yarn shops, yarn companies and designers and artisans. There are also plenty of tables and chairs for just sitting and working in public with friends old and new. It is a really fun event that is not to be missed.

Come by and fondle samples of most of my currently available patterns as well as samples from the many classes I teach in the area. If you have any of the books or magazines I’ve contributed to feel free to bring them with you to get signed if you’d like.

Full details can be found on the Lincoln Center’s web site at http://www.fcgov.com/lctix/galleries-events.php#knitwear.

Photo taken by Amanda

I had a lovely e-mail on Friday asking me if I’d share some of my canning experience in exchange for some of the goodies this weekend. Amanda had gotten a great deal on a 20 lb crate western slope peaches through her work, but they arrived earlier than planned such that she couldn’t split the crate with her parents as intended. So, Saturday afternoon we canned. We did two batches of ~6 pints each. I hadn’t done jam before (just fruit butters and curds) so the first batch is not as good looking as the second.

The first batch we didn’t break the peaches down as much, thinking they would break down during the cooking. Instead, they stayed pretty much the same. The chunks floated to the top of the jars and also didn’t set as well, but that consistency would be yummy on pancakes or French toast. On the second batch we got out the immersion blender thanks to Dave’s suggestion and that batch looks much better and set firmer. Thankfully we saved the little 4 oz jars for the second batch so Amanda will have prettier looking jam to give as gifts come holiday time.

Photo taken by Amanda

We also tried something new to both of us - pickled peaches! I first ran across it when mom practically ordered me to buy the July issue of Better Homes and Gardens for a sweet hot pickled peach recipe in there that she got to try. We didn’t make that recipe, but we made one Amanda found on the Food Network web site. We haven’t tried it yet as it only made a quart, but I think it will get sampled soon to see if some of the unripe peaches from the crate need to be turned into more once they ripen. If I find ready peaches at Wednesday’s market I may try a half batch of the BH&G recipe later this week.

Brandon continues to settle in more and more as Emma also accepts his presence more and more. In fact, this morning I feel like I need to be pinched because everything is going so well (no doubt now that I typed that something dramatic will occur). Brandon is lying in his kennel in the kitchen of his own accord for extended periods of time, popping out only when I show signs of going somewhere. If I’m working in the kitchen he goes back into the kennel - yay! Emma is lying IN HER BED in the bedroom which is her normal morning routine and has me thrilled beyond belief since for several nights she was sleeping in the basement or the living room rather than in the bedroom. I expect/hope in an hour or two she’ll come asking to be let outside to soak up the sun for a bit.

The only real struggle now that we are dealing with is Brandon’s major bond to me and lack of much bonding to Drew. But, I think he is coming around. He is not scared of Drew (unless he’s getting reprimanded) and is going to him to get pet if my hands are occupied with knitting. So I suspect he’ll come around. The question is how long will that take? In time I imagine I’ll be okay to be gone for 2 weeks. But not in the immediate future. This morning was the first morning he ate breakfast from Drew without my needing to be in the room so there is even progress in that regard. Really, it is quite remarkable given that he hasn’t been with us a full two weeks yet.

On Monday the gals whom I knit with in the afternoons had an all day “sock-in” that was hosted by the lovely Rahchayl (who was hiding the fact that her birthday is on Friday). She has a great place with copious shade in the backyard that looks out onto pasture that houses a few horses. It was a perfect location to spend our first 90 degree day of the season.

The trick with 90 degree days and potlucks is something that will survive the heat. One of my favorite dishes to bring is a bean salad from The Border Cookbook, a James Beard award winner. It is called Ensalada de Dos Frijoles and is free of meats, mayo and other ingredients that can be dodgy in warm weather. It is also naturally vegetarian (and easily vegan if desired) so most can partake in it. Several people asked for the recipe so I figured I post it while I was typing it up. The version here is with the changes I’ve made.

Ensalada de Dos Frijoles

(adapted from The Border Cookbook)

For the dressing:

• 6 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbl Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Prepared Dijon Mustard
• 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo, minced fine
• 1-2 tsp Adobo Sauce (I use 1 tsp for potlucks which most everyone can handle, but I really like heat of 2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin, toasted and ground
• 1/4 tsp Dried Sage Leaves, crumbled
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced fine
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

For the salad:

• 1 14-oz can Chickpeas, drained and well rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
• 1 14-oz can Black Beans, drained and well rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
• 3 oz Medium Cheddar or Pepper Jack Cheese, cubed to same size as chickpeas
• 1/2 Red Onion, finely diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 Pint Grape Tomatoes, halved
• 3 Tbl Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Combine all dressing ingredients in small bowl and whisk well. Combine all salad ingredients except cilantro in a large bowl. Pour dressing on top, stir and chill overnight. Just before serving add the fresh cilantro.

For those who dislike beans, I’ve also adapted it by replacing the beans with rotini pasta and grilled chicken breasts that had been seasoned with a touch of salt, cumin and oregano. I also added some chopped black olives for some additional color.

The dressing is real versatile. Use it to make a nice southwest inspired cous cous salad with many of the same vegetables plus perhaps some jicama! Or even have it just over simple baby greens with or without some chicken. I expect it would make a nice marinade for chicken or tofu as well. Experiment and have fun!

Mary Ann kindly hosted the Aries Baby Bash yesterday. Lucky for me she lives just a few blocks away so I donned my iPod and walked over (stupid me - had to hitch home because of too many gifts). She went all out. She accepted little help from anyone and had the most incredible feast and fun activities for us all. She kicked it off with an egg hunt! It was one day after Easter after all…

Each of us had ten eggs to find that were coded with stickers. This meant we all got the same sorts of things in our eggs. No one got more chocolate than anyone else, thus avoiding any vicious fights over eggs. She knows us all too well, LOL! It was fun being a kid again and hunting those eggs. Plus, it was a great excuse to roam her gorgeous yard and garden. Granted, it is early spring and it wasn’t at its peak of beauty, but there were a few blooms that made an appearance for the festivities.

The great spread of wonderful breads, deviled eggs, spanikopita, salad and fruit salad wasn’t all we had to eat either. She baked TWO BIRTHDAY CAKES! A carrot cake which I was told was to die for. Even a self-proclaimed chocoholic opted for seconds on that rather than trying the chocolate chiffon with berries cake. I’m not a fan of carrot cake (I know, the horror - I’m leary of nuts in baked goods) but the chocolate chiffon with berries was phenomenal! That said, I haven’t had a cake made by Mary Ann that wasn’t. I’m not a coconut person either and I loved her German chocolate cake she made for birthdays a few months back.