Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Trying to get caught up...

Well, company for the holidays has departed, but left behind yet another bug.  Not the same as the cold earlier in the month, unfortunately.  I hesitate to say we need another cold snap to kill off all the germs about. 

So, first, the Antioxidant Salad:
Blueberries and pomegranates mixed in a bowl.  Yum!  Love the sweetness of the blueberries countered by the tartness of the pomegranates.  No need to add anything - no sugar, no lime, no lemon.  Just clean and store.   

Reminds me of my grandmother, who always used to say "Eat a rainbow a day."  Meaning, you'll get all the nutrients your body needs if you eat fruits and vegetables of every color.  (Of course, we'd always ask do M&M's count?)

Nigella Lawson puts mango and lime juice in her Antioxidant Fruit Salad.  Which makes it even prettier and adds another color.  I just find the mango gets too soft too quickly.  (Won't last a few days, I find.)

Also, got to the Park the other day.
An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
My girl is walking just to the right of Dad.  His two girls are off by the tree on the right.  They all LOVE the Park!!  We can't even say the word, we have to spell it.  The barking is unbearable if they hear the word 'Park' as they wind themselves and each other up into a frenzy!!  And you can't fool my Girl - she starts barking once we enter the Park and can *barely* contain herself while we get the car parked. 

Don't even try to drive by, without stopping.  I once made the mistake of going to the storage facility 1/4 mile past it and she carried on and kept heading through the parking lot towards the park.  Needless to say, we stopped on the way home, but I slipped and slid up/down all the hills in the loafers I was stupidly wearing (having, of course, not planned on going to the Park).  But, as long as Girlfriend is happy...

And, finally, knitting in progress:
Yup, must be lace as it looks like crap on the needles!  ha, ha, ha.  This picture was a few days ago (1/1/11) and now I just have to knit the border and then block.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cabled Hat

Also, got one more item finished in 2010.  It was a little cabled hat (good for early morning dog walking):
Pattern: DROPS 66-15b Hat
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted (Color: TW11)
Needle: US6
Ravelry: Cabled Hat
Modifications: provisional cast on

I started it in early December 2010, but set it aside to do some last minute hats for Christmas presents (2x2 ribbed hats for quick production.)  The cable band has cable crossings every other row, so you need to pay attention, but it goes quickly.  Anyhow, was able to finish it last night.  Of course, it was 39 degrees F this morning and so didn't really need a hat, just a headband to walk Girlfriend.  But, I'm ready for when the next cold snap arrives! 

This morning, Dad and I walked the outer loop in the development (about 3.2 miles, I think) with our dogs.  It was a nice day and perfect for an extended walk.  The dogs certainly loved it!!  I still need to find something to do with Girlfriend as she is bored, bored, bored.  (More on that later.)

It was better than the picture!

Yet another fast, quick, and easy meal.  (Hmmm, I see a theme, here.)  This was whole wheat chicken & prosciutto in a browned butter and balsamic vinegar sauce with toasted walnuts, grated fresh parmesan and chopped parsley.  (The last added for some color - way too much brown!!)  And although it may look less than thrilling, it was very good. Giada De Laurentiis' recipe here.

It's taken me a long, long time to appreciate pasta and Italian food.  When I lived in Upstate NY, Italian food was always filling, heavy and loaded with garlic and thick tomato sauce.  And everyone there seemed to love it that way.  The only restaurants that seem to make it there were Italian restaurants that served food this way.  Yuk!

I'm glad I've gotten to learn that there is something to Italian cooking besides your grandmother's secret [heavy] tomato sauce! 

Yesterday, I heard Ina Garten, on the Barefoot Contessa (cooking show), mention that Julia Child didn't like Italian cooking because it was so easy it didn't seem like cooking.  Hello!  Something I can get behind.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Simple, Quick and Easy

I received the "Cook This, Not That!" book for Christmas.  I love to flip through this series of books as some of the choices are surprisingly and the numbers can be staggering!!  Anyhow, on page 102 of this book is a GREAT Greek salad.  I finished up a rotisserie chicken and almost everything else was stuff on hand.  Very easy and very good!  Great choice for lunches.  So easy I don't know why it never occurred to me to do this before.  Anyhow, future salads may include artichoke hearts or whatever else happens to be on hand....