I am seriously delinquent in reporting this, since I meant to post it after Karyn’s baby shower. Whatchagonnado?
Pattern: By Kristin Goedert, available on Knitty. Made For: My future niece or nephew, due to arrive April 6th! Needle: US7 Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 8 Ply (10 skeins in various colors) and Cleckheaton Country Naturals 8 Ply 1800 Series (3 skeins in various colors) Fabric: “5 Funky Monkeys” by Erin Michael for Moda, #15070 Completed: March 5, 2009 (just in time for the baby shower!)
This is perhaps the quickest I’ve completed a knitting project. I began in September, just after learning about my sister’s pregnancy. She and my brother-in-law decided not to find out whether they were having a boy or a girl, so it wasn’t hard to pick this pattern—multicolored to please any little kid!
This was a project full of learning, too. The knitting was simple, and changing colors so often kept it interesting. I learning how to weave my ends in as I knit, so I didn’t have a bunch of loose ends to clean up when it was done. This was also my first time with blocking. It was difficult to find a space in my tiny apartment to lay it out where my cats wouldn’t bother it too much. In the end, they bothered it a little bit, but only when I was giving it attention. I think they were mostly just trying to bother me.
The real challenge came when I had to start sewing. I began sewing the Maxi Piping to the fabric with a chain stitch, but after 2 very long movies, several thread reloadings, and not evening finishing a third of the sewing, I had to find a different way. I didn’t want to make too much of an investment in a sewing machine that I would barely use and I didn’t have time to find a friend’s machine to use (nevermind that I only know two or three people with sewing machines). Luckily, I found a very simple beginner’s sewing machine at Target for $25. It only has a straight back and forth stitch, but I can’t imagine ever needing more than that. Sewing the piping to the fabric with a machine took less than a half hour. Thank goodness.
Over the last week I had to work on the blanket, I solved the mystery (to me, anyway) of a hidden slip stitch. After several online video tutorials (including a desperate plea to the pattern author for tips), and adding a couple finishing embellishments, I had finished the blanket. Very satisfying.
In 5-quart Dutch oven, place potatoes; add just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Drain. Reserve 1 cup potatoes; return remaining potatoes to saucepan. In small bowl, mash reserved potatoes with fork; return to saucepan.
Stir in broth, salt and pepper. (Naturally, I also added a bunch of red pepper flakes… and some crushed garlic I had in the fridge.) Heat to boiling. Add broccoli. Return to boiling; cook uncovered 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium.
In small bowl with wire whisk, stir flour into milk until well mixed. Add milk mixture to potato mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in sour cream and green onions; cook until thoroughly heated.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls.
My chowder seem remarkably cheddar-y in color, but tastes super delicious! There was chopping and boiling, but this whole recipe was easy and flowed very well (I have a tendency to be easily distracted). I will definitely be making this again! I think it might be awesome with peppers, snow peas, and other yummy greens.
Saturday’s baby shower for my sister, Karyn, and my future niece or nephew went very well! I had my clipboard, many lists, and excellent guests. We had a lot of fun and Karyn received a lot of very nice gifts (in many shades of green and yellow). I put my cousin, Jen, on photo duty and she did a great job of capturing the day!
Thanks to everyone who came!
After that party, my family (from my Mom’s side) went out for dinner at Buca di Beppo’s (always too much food). Some of the gals and I played Phase 10 at the hotel afterwards, as well.
The place looks like a castle, with hidden, maze-like passages everywhere and exposed brick and low lighting. When I arrived, I got flustered because I wanted to look around instead of listen to what the wait staff was telling me. I was a little ahead of my dinner companions, but I opted to sit at our table instead of at the bar. (In retrospect, it would have been very vintage Hollywood to be found drinking a martini at that bar. I’ll save this scenario for my next Lurcat experience.)
I was offered three kinds of water: still, sparkling, and tap. I don’t know why I chose tap water when I really wanted still water, but as I said: flustered. I was too busy absorbing the ambiance to think clearly. Unfortunately, this meant that I chose tap water for the rest of the table, as well. For this, I felt guilty. I think Lurcat could take a tip from the Red Stag Supper Club; offer a simple coaster with one side indicating a preference of still water and the other side indicating a preference of sparkling water.
Once I gained my composure, I began to peruse the menus for the evening. I ordered a Lavender Martini (Stoli Vodka, Lavender, Raspberry Purée, and Prosecco) though I also wanted to try the Lurcat Royal (Grey Goose vodka, passion fruit juice, Campari, fresh orange juice, and lemonade). A basket of warm bread arrived just before my dinner companions, which helped soothe my appetite while we all discussed what to order for the evening.
For $30, you get three courses: a starter, an entrée, and a dessert. I ordered the following:
Apple salad with Manchego cheese and fresh chives
Barramundi with tahini, lemon, and parsley (with a small side of couscous and cherry tomatoes)
Triple Chocolate Cream Cake (served with raspberries)
I have never eaten Barramundi (it’s a fish), so I had to try it. It was simple, but quite tasty. I didn’t expect to like the tahini sauce, but it wasn’t too over-powering. Fortunately, I also got to try a little of everyone else’s food (notably: Olive Oil Poached Shrimp with Sweet and Sour Butternut Squash, Hanger Steak with Sweet Garlic Confit, and Berkshire Pork Tenderloin with Ham Hock Glaze). The cake was one of the best chocolate cake experiences I have ever had; it wasn’t overly bitter or too sugary, and the raspberries were a perfect compliment to the other flavors. Everything was quite tasty and the whole experience was really lovely. Next time you feel like buying me dinner, let’s go to Café Lurcat!
I don’t recall having heard about restaurant week in previous years, but this would be a good week to budget for next year! There are so many other participating restaurants that I would love to try (to name a few: La Belle Vie, The Oceanaire, Cavé Vin, Cosmos). I’ll have to set a reminder for myself next March!
For the second installment of Salon Saloon, the discussion focused on the topic of “hard luck.” Andy’s co-host for the evening was local musician, Mike Gunther. Guests included one of the founders of NEED magazine, Brad Zellar, and Molly Priesmeyer. And if all of these awesome people weren’t enough, the intermission provided a rousing game of group poker.
And the sing-a-long? Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”
