Stoneview

CSA chicken is the best

I have really enjoyed the chicken from our CSA share, it's just head and shoulders above any other chicken I've eaten. This week I made a chicken marsala with it that was very tasty indeed. We received breasts this time still attached to bone and still attached to each other so I attempted to remove each half. It was pretty sloppy but it's just one of those things that takes practice and since I was chopping the meat up in the end it didn't really matter. Next time I'll keep those bones and make some chicken stock with them but I didn't think of that this time.

A basket o' figs

It's rare that we find affordable figs here so when I see them at a reasonable price I snatch them up right quick. This week we enjoyed them in a salad with fried manchego and ham as well as a side of broccolini.  Delicious!

Scratch and Sniff?

How about embroider and tear instead. I finished knitting the mitts for Daniel earlier this week and finally took the plunge to do the embroidery. Past attempts at embroidering on knitted fabric have been less than satisfactory but I'd seen a tip to embroider over tissue paper that I wanted to try. I found an image he liked in a size that was appropriate and printed it out then traced it onto tissue paper (making two copies, one for each mitt). I basted the paper onto the mitt with a sewing needle and thread then used a sharp tapestry needle to embroider. Once it was all done I ripped out the paper  leaving the embroidered design intact. Weave in the ends and they're all set. Mission accomplished!

The pattern is similar to previous fingerless mitts I've knit but I've made it just a bit larger for a better fit and the ribbing is easier on the hands as well.

Shorts that aren't short

The time that I could wear shorts shorts is long behind me but as we are heading into the deep South for vacation this year I will definitely need to lay in a supply of shorts for self-preservation. Pardon the wrinklies, I was wearing them to see where I wanted the hem to fall. Gabby felt the need to attack them during the photo session but I think we can see them well enough since they are just a very basic elastic waist short with pockets. The closeup shows where I edge stitched the pockets to help them lay nice and flat. They may not be the most attractive shorts but they'll definitely serve the purpose and are possible to make in one afternoon. If all goes well there'll be more of these churned out this week.

Crunchable

On the menu this week was another request from Daniel: fried chicken with mashed potatoes.

Fried Chicken

1 8 pound chicken cut into pieces for frying
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying

Mix together buttermilk, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and Tabasco. Add chicken and cover tightly, refrigerate overnight.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and drain well. Place in a large ziptop bag with remaining ingredients (except oil) and shake to coat.

Heat a large cast iron skilled with an inch of oil until a pinch of flour dropped in sizzles vigorously. Fry chicken in batches until deep brown (dark meat will take longer 10-15 minutes, chicken is done when juices run clear). Drain on a rack and serve warm.

Walkabout

Yesterday Jason took off work just a few hours early and we ventured out to Tower Hill Botanic Garden. It seems lovely any time of year we go and this time was no exception. There were lots of lovely things blooming and along the loop trail I saw the largest patch of Indian pipe I've ever seen. The full set of photos is over on Flickr here.

More hair tamers

Yesterday I whipped out a few more headbands based on this pattern. The flower one follows the pattern exactly and for the stripe one I made it narrower and longer with a shorter piece of elastic. I think the verdict is that I like Hooray for Headbands best so I'll work on making some more of those in several colors. It takes about three times as long to make but it looks nicer in the end so I think it's worth it.

Lobstah

I was pleasantly surprised to find very affordable lobster at the farmers market this week so we brought one home for Daniel. I'd wanted to try grilling one like I've seen on some of the cooking shows. I had to get Jason to dispatch him since I'm still on light duty with the shoulder until Friday next. We also pulled out some CSA beef for a little Thai salad with more farmers market bounty.

My hair has been fairly unruly since my last haircut which turned out less layered than I like. I've tried several wrangling gadgets from the store with zero success so yesterday I finally got around to testing out this pattern which has been on my todo list for quite some time. I think if I make it again I need a light interfacing so the seam is not quite so visible but it fits nicely and it definitely tames the hair so I can see what I am doing.

Chop chop

Yesterday morning the weather forecast was for hot and sticky by the end of the day but early on it was quite cool and comfortable. I'd already done some pruning over the weekend but I pulled out my shears and did a bit more. The tulip tree is now looking  a bit more tree-like and the honeysuckle has been tamed again. I also dead-headed the monstrous lavender bush on the side of the house. There really isn't anything in the photo for scale but this guy is about 4 feet across!

Later in the morning I finally quit procrastinating and finished up the robe for my niece. It need only a hem and edge stitching along the belt.

Daylily alley

We've got quite the selection of daylilies now thanks to the $5 surprise table at Seawright gardens as well as a few other judicious inexpensive purchases. In a few years the back will be awash with color all summer once these babies really get going.

No Sunday drivers here...

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity between baking and gardening. I started off the morning making blueberry pancakes then moved on to a double batch of sandwich bread followed closely by a batch of focaccia (apparently it's been a long time since I posted this recipe)..

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

1 3/4 cups warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup garlic and rosemary infused olive oil
1 tablespoon salt, extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Mix the water and sugar in a large non-reactive bowl and allow to stand ten minutes or until foamy. Add oil and three cups of the flour and blend with a wooden spoon. Add salt and as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a smooth soft dough, knead until smooth directly in the bowl. Cover bowl tightly with saran wrap and allow to stand for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Sprinkle two rimless cookie sheets generously with cornmeal. Punch the dough down and cut in half. On a floured surface press out each half, one  at a time into  an oval about 3/8 to 1/2-inch thick. Allow to rise 15 to 20 minutes. Dent the surface deeply all over with the tips of your fingers. Brush the surface generously with infused olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt. Bake at 475 F for 12- 15 minutes or until dark golden brown.

To infuse the olive oil, bring 1 cup oil to a simmer. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves and several stems of rosemary. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes then turn off heat and let stand for an hour. Strain and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  The strained rosemary can be used to top the bread.

  I also made a giant dent in my garden todo list with some help from Jason. I potted up some things for Daniel's dorm room, as per his request and then Jason dug iris, coreopsis and rudbeckia for me to pot up for the ride south as a care package for my sister's garden at her new house. I cleared out the peas since they are about done making space for the butternut squash to climb on the trellis and while I was putting the pea vines in the compost I spotted what looked sort of like an avocado tree sprouting there. I grabbed a pot and a trowel and soon unearthed  a determined (if a bit squiggly) mango tree. He does have pretty shiny leaves so if he survives the next few months he can become a houseplant.

Woosh

This week really flew by and I realized when I downloaded my pictures this morning that it's a bit of a jumble. I made falafel this week but I can't recall which day. I used the rest of the chickpeas from Tuesday's dinner and whizzed them up in the food processor with cilantro, onion, bread crumbs, cumin, salt and pepper, and oil then baked them off at 400 F for 30 minutes. They were good but a bit crumbly so I'll have to work on that again sometime. Meanwhile the garden is loving the regular rain and the daylilies continue to entertain. At Daniel's request I made a blueberry coffeecake which Jason and I embellished with blueberry syrup.

Eating Local

I'm much more concerned with eating local vs. eating "organic" or "naturally grown" since those terms have been so diluted of late. This means the food arrives at my table with minimal transportation and relatively quickly after harvest making it fresher and more nutritious. Most of our local vendors utilize sustainable agricultural practices that represent the original intent behind the terms organic and locally grown and that makes me happy too. It doesn't mean I'll never eat a banana or use flour or spices and things but it does meant that I choose local when that's an option and I try to do the bulk of my cooking with local foods. Last night's dinner was probably one of the most "local" meals we've ever eaten. Everything except the salt and pepper came from the farmers market and I could really taste the differences.

Rinse, recycle, repeat...

Daniel's black half-finger gloves went missing at the end of the school year and he requested a new pair right away. I delayed for awhile trying to give the shoulder a good rest but as he's leaving soon and I need his hand present for fitting I've decided I'd best get busy. I'm reworking the pattern to use a yarn that can go through the washer and dryer since I won't be available to wash them for him anymore. This is Knitpicks Essential and since it looks a bit on the thin since I'm reworking the numbers on my fingerless gloves pattern. I'm also doing a slightly different cuff that's easier on the hands to knit but looks much the same, at least to Daniel's eye.

The trouble with having company

I've always had a fairly large request list at the library but it's grown exponentially since I joined Goodreads and began to get all sorts of fantastic book recommendations.  Emma and I stayed so busy last week that I didn't make it out to pick up my books as they came in which resulted in a very large pickup this week. Looks like I have some catching up to do!

Making Friends

The fish vendor at the farmers market must not have a lot of regulars because it didn't take her long to start recognizing us. Yesterday she told us we should definitely let her know if we had any special requests and she'd try to have those for us when she comes. On rainy days (which there've been a lot of this year) she brings a much smaller selection so it can really make a difference. This week we bought a delicious wild salmon which Jason grilled for me. It fit in nicely with the recipe I'd chose. We have fresh green beans and tomatoes from the market, local chickpeas, toasted baguette from the market and our lovely salmon topped with a yogurt dressing that is well worth repeating.

Yogurt dressing for fish

1 cup plain strained yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
juice of half a lemon
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill until serving time.

In the pink

When I learned that a very good friend is expecting this fall I knew exactly what I wanted to knit her. Sadly I'm not physically up for that project at the moment so I pulled out some handspun and had a little dye session. Last week I whipped up this cute little hat and booties set which is very fittingly a pattern of her own design.

Homework

This is the second year Emma has come to visit and the second year I've had homework to finish once she's gone. She spent the night at a friend's house one night last week and while she was there I got busy with the robe so that when we got home the next day I had all the pieces cut out. Later that evening we started putting it together but didn't quite finish. I'd hoped to knock it out on Friday but since I wasn't allowed use of my right arm it had to wait. Yesterday afternoon I made good progress and it's now nearly done.

I've learned from past experience that 2 gallons of blueberries in the freezer isn't enough to make it through the winter so Jason and I went out again for a second batch. We're now nicely stocked and I even had enough to make a batch of blueberry syrup. These were a different variety than what I picked with the girls, it's nice to have an assortment to try.

Strike a pose

On Monday Emma and I hit the 50% off fleece sale as well as the 99 cent pattern sale and bought materials to make fleece pants and robes. These are the pants we made for her after a bit of negotiation. The pattern was for pajama pants but she was apparently thinking super skinny pants and once we discussed she conceded that we'd go with the pattern as written adjusting to fit her waist and height. I think they turned out rather nicely.

She'd heard about Gabby's bike basket escapades last year and was eager to have an outing with the leash. It's difficult to work with a cat on a leash if you're accustomed to walking a dog but they did enjoy their brief outing before Emma and her mom headed home.

Four and twenty bluebirds...

Isn't that how the rhyme goes? Yesterday morning I had a followup visit with the orthopedist to get my MRI results. They didn't find much (hints of tendonitis etc. but nothing major) so he opted to do another cortizone injection in hopes of eliminating the pain so that I can get on with strength building at PT and get back that last bit of range of motion. That meant I wasn't to use my right arm for 24 hours which made for a dull day for Emma. We'd planned to bake a blueberry pie to go with dinner after her mom arrived. Emma baked the pie virtually entirely on her own with just some direction from me. This is a recipe that worked nicely for me last year. Usually my pies come out runny and don't set up well so I tend to avoid fruit pie.

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes (cold)
1/2 cup almonds
ice water

Pulse almonds in the bowl of a food processor until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except for water and pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture is crumbly. With the processor running, drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a ball. Wrap tightly in cling film and chill 1 hour.

Set aside about 1/3 of the dough for the top. Roll out remaining  dough on a floured board and transfer to pie plate, pushing it in a bit to allow for shrinkage during baking. Roll out reserved dough and cut into lattice strips or desired shapes for top of pie. Return top and bottom crusts to the fridge while you mix the filling.

For the filling:

1 quart blueberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

Stir together all ingredients except butter. Transfer berry mixture to the pie plate and top with butter cubes. Bake pie at 375 for 30 minutes, arrange lattice or cutouts on top of pie and return to oven for a further 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly. Cool completely before serving.

On the waterfront

Yesterday we ventured in "to town" to visit the New England Aquarium. It's not really my favorite aquarium, having been spoiled at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it's been many years since I've visited so I wanted to give it a second chance. We had a lightspeed tour but it was just as well since the fire alarm went off and cut our visit short anyway. We grabbed a bite at the Summer Shack before heading home.

It was actually quite a chilly day (especially for July!) with highs in the 60's so I made some lovely chicken soup for dinner that banished that niggling sore throat I'd had all day.

Berrylicious

Yesterday morning the girls and I went to Tougas farm to pick blueberries. This is a large variety (and quite delicious despite all the talk about the tiny ones being the best) so picking was fairly quick. The girls stuck with it through about half the box and then went to the playground and petting zoo while I finished up. I put away about 2 gallons in the freezer and the rest were kept fresh for breakfasts and pie.

All crafting and baking all the time

Last year when Emma visited a friend's daughter joined us on a few of the days and the two got along very nicely. We borrowed her again this year and yesterday morning the three of us made slippers. It took a bit of fiddling to enlarge the pattern to the right sizes for them but once that was done these were a breeze to put together. I may have to do a pair for myself because they'd be great for traveling as they fold up quite flat. I used remnants of flannel and fleece. On the top we put the fleece on the outside and on the bottom we put the flannel on the outside thinking it would be a bit more hard-wearing and the fleece would make for a cushy insole.

It was Jason's birthday yesterday so the girls helped me make a peanut butter tart and we arranged his gifts on the bed awaiting his return from work. I love peanut butter but I'm not a tremendous fan of peanut butter desserts however, I have to say this one was really delicious. It's great for summer since it's a custard and you don't have to heat up the house with baking.

Potty

On Sunday Jason and I met my sister halfway between our house and hers to fetch my niece home for a week's visit. Yesterday Emma and I took Gwen for her vet visit, stocked up on crafty supplies at JoAnn Fabrics, and potted up some plants for both my sisters. Ages ago I got my aloe vera from middle sister Heather and sometime last year she'd asked for a new start. I'd potted up a slew of them to give away at the sock swap and then saved one for her. I've got a big list of plants I want to bring for youngest sister, Leslie, who's just got a new house with a garden in need of pretties. I thought it made sense to save the little aloe for her so we potted one of the big fellas for Heather and then set to work on the rest of the list for Leslie. I have here a few morning glories, some lamb's ear, plenty of mint and some lilies of the valley. Still on my list to dig are iris, rudbeckia and coriopsis and I've set aside the duplicate violet plantlet as well as. Emma and I also harvested some columbine seed heads while we were at it. That's a nice start on my garden todo list! Thanks Emma!

The tortoise

I'm still working on that Corriedale roving a little bit here and there. It really doesn't seem to bother my shoulder to spin which is lovely because I've really missed the wheel. This week I have an MRI to have a better look at what's going on with the soft tissue there as the PT and doc are not satisfied with recovery. I've got most of my range of motion back (except for turning the arm towards me and reaching up behind my back) but there is just still that spot of pain that doesn't respond. Perhaps there is a partial tear, tendonitis or bursitis. I should have results by Friday when I see the doc for a followup.