PB & Jay

This is what happens when Beastie & I both take a sick day, but he recovers waaaaaaay faster then I do....


Dontcha love that look, kinda like "What's the problem mom? I was hungry? You got an issue with that???"

Thanks OT who taught him how to unscrew lids -- thanks a lot!

woah...

Lace!

Somewhere, somehow the cosmic forces that control what flows into my stash have decided that I am supposed to be knitting lace. How else could you explain the plethora of lace that has landed in my stash the last few weeks. Above is a skein of Suri Elegance by The Alpaca Yarn Company. This yarn is done in a dyelot that wasn't released to the public -- yet another perk of my job. It's a dreamy blend of lemon, peach & celery (which sounds gross when I say it like that, but you know what I mean). Beth found it in one of the bins and asked me if I wanted it -- well duh! No self respecting knitter/crocheter turns down free yarn. Ever.



Next comes a luscious skein of Fino in a mix of greens and greys that is just simply gorgeous. This one came from Sarah in my Not-So-Secret Santa Swap as part of the Harrisburg Sock Knitters group.



And finally, we have two skeins of mystery lace, also from the "Not-So-Secret" Santa Swap, from my friend Dee. The top one is a bluish-purple, a little thicker, more like malabrigo lace but still lace. The bottom one is a silver-blue ice kinda color, and I think it might have a smidge of alpaca in it. Not sure, but it's more then just wool I believe.

So, I have four new skeins of lace yarn, all calling my name to be made into something gorgeous. I don't even know where to begin! I'm open to suggestions, please feel free to comment me. Each skein is I'm guessing at least 800 yards.


Today's recipe is one I plan on trying tonight, it comes from Kraft Foods and usually theirs are pretty good, even if I occasionally have to add a bit of fresh garlic or basil to kick them up...

Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Tomato Pasta

Prep Time:
10 min

Total Time:
25 min

Makes:
4 servings, 1-3/4 cups each

What You Need

3 cups whole wheat farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

3 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, cook chicken in large skillet on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Add bacon, tomatoes, Neufchatel cheese, water and pepper; mix well. Cook 3 min. or until Neufchatel cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; place in serving bowl. Add sauce; mix lightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

I'll update you & let you know my thoughts on it over the weekend.

handspun crocheted cowl & rum balls

Believe it or not, this is occasionally a crafty-type blog. I mean it's also a frantic mom, recipe, autism, funny, bitching blog, but in theory, it was started as a crafty blog.



So often I make things & send them off in the world to their new homes and never even remember to share them with you. Bad blogger! My latest FO, which I say I am keeping for myself, but we will see how that actually goes, is my crocheted cowl made from my handspun yarn.


The yarn is a merino silk blend made from dyed fiber that I purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool 2007. It is a two ply, spun to a fingering weight. Unfortunately when I spun it, I didn't feel that it had enough twist in the ply, so I wouldn't send it off to the shop to be sold. But that didn't mean it would go to waste.



The pattern is the One Row Lace Cowl. It was a super simple and yet stunning pattern. I crocheted with a size G bamboo hook for a more open, lacy look. I actually enjoyed it so much I may make another one, although I'm the queen of hating to do something twice (hence my second sock syndrome).


Now, to prove that I can actually follow directions on occasion, I will post (as promised) my rum ball recipe.

RUM BALLS

2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. crushed nilla wafers
1 1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts (and I do mean finely)
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T. light corn syrup
3 T. light rum
3 T. water

Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly. Stir in wet ingredients until combined. In a shallow bowl pour a handful of powdered sugar. Take small spoonful of dough, drop into sugar and shape into ball, dusting with sugar to keep from making a huge sticky mess of yourself. Add more powdered sugar to bowl as needed. Refrigerate in tightly sealed container. Best if stored for 2 or 3 days before serving, but still yummy right away. Makes about 50 balls.

Ice

It's cold. Really cold. When it gets cold I have trouble focusing on much of anything other then how damn cold I am.


And when it gets icy like this I can only sit and wonder how long till my power goes out. As you may be able to tell, we live in a very rural area, at the top of a mountain-lette (bigger then a hill, but not quite pretentious enough to call itself a mountain).


This means we lose power with frightening regularity. I am equipped with candles, batteries, flashlights & a hand-crank radio. I even know where they are all located.


This also means Beastie's van drivers are terrified to come back the lane to bring him home. If Medium can drive back & forth in a PT Cruiser they should be able to suck it up and drive back the lane, but yeah, whatever.


However, it does make for some beautiful photos.