Awash in squash.

Fall is upon us (officially today!) and squash is in season. For the past few weeks we have been receiving generous portions of squash in our CSA basket. So Wes and I have been trolling recipes and experimenting. We made this one last night and it was TASTY!

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash
courtesy of Cooks.com

1 butternut squash (cut in half)
1/2 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage
3 slices of bread, cubed
1 egg, well beaten
1 small onion
Garlic
1/8 to 1/4 cup parsley.

Place squash cut side down in greased shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes until squash is tender.

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and fry until brown and crumbly. Add onion and garclic and saute until onions are soft. Stir in egg, parsley and bread. Remove from heat.

Scoop seeds from squash. Remove squash meat and add to sausage mixture.

Spoon mixture back into shell. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes until top is golden brown.


P.S. In full disclosure, I sidelined myself last night early in the game with the knife, so Wes did the actual cooking. DELISH!

The knife set is out to get me.

Just sliced finger with the wedding knife set AGAIN. I think it hates me.

Weekend in photos.

We managed to accomplish quite a bit this weekend. Yesterday we did wedding and clothes shopping, ran errands, and found a tasty lunch. Last night we saw Hellboy II - I liked it a lot better than the first. This morning we got up really early and went out to kayak at Longview Lake. We trolled near the shores looking for wildlife, and enjoyed photographing a beautiful water lily garden. Then we came home and I started working. I have irish soda bread baking right now, and I just turned the rest of our CSA peaches into a healthy peach cobbler - I'll post the recipe if it turns out well. Now for some knitting and maybe a nap. Oh yes, and the pictures:



1. Dock, 2. Wes & I Kayaking, 3. Shadow Water Lily, 4. Water Lily, 5. Water Lily Garden, 6. Water Lily, 7. Gnarly tree, 8. Tree & Sky, 9. Fresh peach cobbler!

Nothing says summer like potato salad.

What do you do when you have about a dozen red and small russet potatoes and a lot of fresh dill? Why make potato salad of course!

This weekend I experimented with what I had in the kitchen and whipped up some potato salad from scratch. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it (the one above is borrowed) but it was extra special tasty!

I started with boiling about half a dozen red potatoes and half a dozen small russets. I also threw an egg in the water to boil as well. (next time I think I would use two, but I only had one in the fridge!) After they had boiled for approximately 30 minutes and the potatoes were fork tender, I put everything in a ceramic bowl in the fridge to cool for an hour.

After an hour I pulled everything out of the fridge and started assembling. I cubed the potatoes, smashed the yoke of the hard-boiled egg, and diced the white part. Then I chopped several stalks of celery and got a few small handfuls of fresh dill. I added a few teaspoons of Dijon mustard, several tablespoons of Miracle Whip (sorry for the lack of measurements - I was going by taste and look!), and finally a sprinkle of garlic salt and pepper. Then the whole thing went back into the fridge for another hour or two.

It was delicious - even more so today as the dill had time to infuse the leftovers! Enjoy!

Knittin' and Growin'

I realize I haven't posted too much lately and I think it's because I don't have tons to show for myself. The past few weeks I've been consistently employed, which is great on the financial side, but cuts down on the crafty productivity. The last two days I've been off so I've gotten to catch up on errands, chores and of course, some knitting!


Apparently I seem to have a fixation with blue right now. Clockwise we have Stefanie Japel's Airy Wraparound Sweater in Filatura di Crosa, ChicKnits Ribby Tank in Elann Incense, a sample for an LYS in Rowan Bamboo Ribbon, and my (almost there!) Pomatomus socks in Dream in Color Smooshy. I can't wait to get some of these projects off the needles! I've also got a baby blanket (the bright Encore in the background) and a few other gifts to get to knitting so it's going to be a busy month!

We're also doing some growing over here. We planted on Sunday night and as promised our basil has started sprouting in 3-4 days.











This weekend we're heading to my inlaws to finish up the bookcases that will frame the entertainment center and to bring Wes' bike back to KC since it's now SPRING! Next week I'm heading out to LA to see friends and family, visit A Mano, and do assorted wedding planning (get fitted for my dress!). Luckily all of this will include transport time which means more knitting.

KITHing it up.

This weekend I spent most of the weekend with my knitty girlfriends at Knitting in the Heartland, the Sunflower Knitters Guild's annual conference. This year's featured guest was Stefanie Japel from Glampyre Knits and author of the book Fitted Knits. The best part was that this conference was local - right here in KC!

Friday night we started with a knitty girls dinner at the famous Jack Stack for some great margaritas and BBQ (and mmmm cheesy corn bake!). Saturday morning dawned too early for me. I got to the hotel just before 9am and settled into a class taught by Stefanie. I was so impressed! She's fun and funny, and a great teacher. While I was too advanced for the class, I enjoyed hearing about how she applies her techniques to existing patterns and she had some great thoughts about designing your own patterns using some simple tips and tricks.

Then lunch time arrived and it was time to SHOP! I was pretty good, but I did pick up a few things....


First I got a long awaited project bag from Girley Purls. The proprietress has been one of the most welcoming people since I arrived here in KC and her work is really amazing. She hand crafts each one of these bags, and she actually thinks about her customers and picks fabric that she thinks suits them. This one is perfect for me! I would highly recommend visiting her site and snapping up some project bags, stitch markers and anything else she sells!

But then there was YARN.


From left to right: Memphis from Textiles A Mano, Knitty Bits sock yarn from Two Windows Dye Co., and Happy Feet from Misknits here in KC. I also picked up some stitch markers and some beautiful buttons (for the purple yarn).

Then last night 20 of us knitters (along with Stefanie) went out to dinner. I think we scared the restaurant staff when we showed up, ordered drinks, and pulled out our knitting to hang out for the evening. What a great day!


Today was a lazy day. I slept in a bit and then started some laundry. Wes and I took a long walk on the paths near and around our complex and then did a quick grocery trip. We also managed to set up a garden! No, we're not planting outdoors but for Christmas I bought Wes an Aero Garden so that we could try hydroponic gardening (water, seeds and light - no soil!) We set it up tonight and in a few days we should have herbs sprouting in our kitchen. Within 28 days we can harvest dill, chives, cilantro, basil, parsley and a couple of others.

Tonight he's cooking dinner and I'm knitting my little arse off (working all week means I'm really behind on my commissions and samples) and preparing for Monday.

Cleaning.

In my new domestic role, I'm responsible for cleaning the house. I hate cleaning. I live for the day when I make enough to hire someone to come clean my house once a week.

That's why I was so glad to find this little helper.

Why I don't sleep at night.

Last night I woke up to this:



That's right, I opened my eyes and Wes's fist was on my pillow about 3 inches from my face. I was disturbed.

Never mind that he elbowed me in the head later that night.

A Domestic Goddess I am Not

One of the more interesting challenges I face in my new life in the Midwest is that of dinner chef. Since I am not working at present, my contributions to our family are the household chores: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. These have not been imposed upon me by Wes, but rather are my way of thanking him for providing for me while I get my ducks in a row.

The sad fact of the matter is, however, that I am no cook. Given that I am now responsible for several meals a week, this is a skill I'm trying to improve upon. Wes has provided me with almost a year's worth of his subscription to Cooking Light and I have been perusing them for ideas for new meals each week. Tonight I was hoping to regale you with my triumphant tales in the kitchen.

Last week I made a delicious dinner: chicken with onions, peppers and mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce. I served it with brown rice and we both enjoyed it very much.

Last night, I made a tasty creole recipe with Turkey Sausage, canned tomatoes and a box of Zataran's. (Hey it counts as cooking if it requires the stove!)

But, this week I also decided to get more ambitious. Lately Wes and I have been enjoying a lot of Thai food. A particular favorite of ours is Tom Kha Kai, a coconut lemongrass soup with chicken and vegetables. Somehow I got the notion that I could replicate the soup we love so much on my own stove. I consulted one of my wisest friends, the internet, for a variety of recipes and suggestions on what I should include in my soup and headed to the local market to stock up. Surprisingly, the local Hen House has a great selection of Asian delicacies: fish sauce, coconut milk, and others. Sadly though, it is lacking in the fresh spice and vegetable department. I had to substitute or omit many ingredients. The result was predicable - the soup tasted nothing like I had hoped it would. Wes declared it not entirely a failure since "it's edible!" but I was hoping for something better. So much for victory laps around the house.

However, I will persist. Just tonight I found ThaiGrocer.com who will ship me the fresh spices and herbs that I need, but couldn't get here. I learned that I should cook the broth and chicken, and put the vegetables in the pot much later in the process. I also learned that this should make a downright tasty meal when served over rice. So I'll try again and some day soon I'm hoping for this:

A little cleanup.

I realized the other day that I barely look at my blogroll any more. I have all my daily reads in my Google Reader and I rarely venture beyond that. So I've cleaned up the sidebar a bit, removed some of the images, and added all the people I read to my list. The list is very much indicative of my tastes: full of knitting, humor, creative individuals and great writers. And ok there's a slight bent towards parents with really cute children too. If I've missed you let me know and I'll add you right on in!

Excuse my dust.

Let the planning begin...

In the first of what I'm sure will become a long series of posts, let the wedding planning begin!

Wes arrived in town on Saturday afternoon. After a little R&R and a wonderful dinner at the Chart House with Mom and Dad on Saturday night, we headed out to Malibu on Sunday to look at a wedding site. Don't want to link here and extol too many virtues, for fear of jinxing it, but suffice it to say, we may have the WHERE of the marriage question settled. More details to come.

After the tour, we drove through Malibu a bit, grabbed some lunch and went to see 300 with Knitmeister S. We all enjoyed the movie, but it did get a little long in the middle. The stylistic and special effects were incredibly well done however.

Last night I cooked (I know... I'm not domestic!). I whipped up some chili and cornbread and we enjoyed some DVD's, some knitting and some snuggling. We were in bed EARLY (I must be getting old).

Now today is recovering from the weekend, dreading going back to school (only 7 weeks left!) and fuming over being blown off by my superviser yet again. Can't I just knit all day?

Hershey's Chocolate

Butterscotch Brownies are like crack - I can't stay away. I baked last night for my supervisor's birthday.

***We briefly interrupt this broadcast to lament the closing of the Ralph's market near my house. Ralph's is MY store. Never mind Vons which doesn't stock my favorite peanut butter, or Albertson's which pissed me off during the great supermarket strike. Now that Ralph's is closed I can't get anything I need.****

Anyway, I went looking for my special brownie mix and Nestle milk chocolate and peanut butter morsels. I didn't find either, but somehow came up with butterscotch chips and a different brownie mix. Well, who knew? I'm hooked. If you're in the neighborhood stop by. :)

Popeline 2005

Not really going to comment on Popefest 2005, but just thought it was an appropriate title since it's STILL stealing all the headlines. Nevermind world hunger, AIDS epidemics or the war on terror. We want to know who's going to wear the funny looking hat in Rome.

Still Buddy-sitting and making it through the week, though I'm ready for my long winter's nap. Actually it's beautiful out today and I would love to just lay out on the quad and nap peacefully. (Of course in college this translated to one of my friends trying to do something funny to me while I slept.) Actually I just think I'm ready for some home time - I realized today that I haven't slept at home but one night in the last week. I want my tiny little messy studio life back. :)

I think tonight is finally going to be Netflix movie night - I'm heading home after work to pick things up and spent another night snuggling with Buddy. Wish it were a boy though!

Fluffy Bakes a Bridal Shower

Fluffy has just returned from High Tea in Aptos. Ok if this is all greek to you - Fluffy is yours truly, High Tea was the Bridal Shower for one of the brides-to-be, and Aptos is outside Santa Cruz (about 1.5 hours outside of San Francisco for the non-Californian's). This weekend was the big bridal shower showdown of 2005, and it being my first hosting event and one with hands on experience, I would say it went quite well. Special mention to Ritter Gifts for selling the Victorian Tea Cups (party favors), Bristol Farms for their amazing tea selection, and Foodnetwork.com for their recipes. We feasted on cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches and cantaloupe and prosciutto sandwiches lovingly de-crusted by the bride. I suprised myself with domestic capabilities and included cheesecake cupcakes with cherry filling, brown sugar shortbread, amaretto raisin scones and lemon bars. (Side note - adding the lemon juice to the baking soda-flour mixture produced some 5th grade science results - think of the erupting volcano!) In all a fun trip!

Which brings me back to home and back to school. What a week this promises to be - Wednesday is the much anticipated Sardi's event and then Spring Break baby!