October is for yellows and oranges

Luckily for me, when I was planning for this trip,  I had a feeling that yellow was going to come into play for October's color of the month.  I grabbed lots of yellows, golds, and oranges when I was packing up fabrics to keep me out of trouble busy while I visited down here.

Leading with a few kaleidoscopes -

in a range of contrast, from low to high.  I've got more fabrics that I want to kaleid before the month is out, because you can never have too much yellow/orange!

And this is Ziggy.

I'm a little concerned about the tire-tread look he's sporting here.  Or is it bacon?

I even found some of the correct colors at the local botanical garden -

and I made some pumpkin muffins, because there's no more glorious orange than a pumpkin!

(If you're interested in the recipe, it's here - Streusel Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins aka Gayle's Totally Decadent Pumpkin Muffins .  You're welcome!)

Linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday!  Come see all the rainbow fun!

Happy Pigday to me!

Both my daughters are up visiting this week, and they sprang a birthday surprise on me.  First of all, it isn't actually my birthday until Monday, so that helped with the surprise.  Then my youngest daughter lured me away to a fabric store for part of the afternoon.  (I admit it wasn't a hard sell...)  While we were gone, my oldest daughter did some piglet magic with a chocolate sheet cake and some fondant.

You can get instructions for making your own piggy here and here at Sally T's blog, though you'll have to settle for just a fabric one.  For a fondant pig, you're on your own...



Since this is based on my main block for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts, I'm linking with So Scrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Come see all the lower-calorie fun!

Cookies, guillotined geese, and that other pig

I saw these cookies the other day, and was so enchanted that I promptly copied down the recipe and checked the pantry.
The dough was made last night, but needed to chill for a couple of hours.  By the time it was ready, I was too pooped to scoop, so I didn't start rolling until this morning.
The recipe advised putting the minty kisses in the freezer, but I scoffed at the idea and just used them at room temperature.
Turns out there's a reason for the freezin'.  (Sorry, I just can't stop.  I think the solstice has affected my brain.)

My kisses got a little gooey...
So for the second batch, I froze the kisses.

Much better.
Then I wondered what else I could stuff into these cookies.

It occurs to me that the nutella will stay sticky forever, so that may not be the smartest cookie I ever made.  Tasty, though...

Still can't share most of what I've been sewing lately, but I did put in a little time on Allietare today.
A little sewing to add to the completed clue 4 guillotined geese units.

And a few more sets ready to sew.

And some more bits cut out and ready to sort into sets.

I'd been trying to get at least half of each clue done before the next clue was revealed, but this week is a fail.  Next clue isn't until Saturday, but I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in any more sewing between now and then.
So I'll leave you with this fella, which I don't think I ever showed in the completed state.  This was my dad's birthday present - a cushion for the bench where he sits to change into or out of shoes, boots, and slippers.

Yep, a pig to park one's butt on. 
Who could ask for anything more?

Episode 25: Where our heroine vanquishes a behemoth and achieves squash

Cue the trumpets, here we go.
It's Hubbard time!

For an idea of scale - that's my little size 7 shoe there.  Big damn squash we're talking here.
It was a gift from my sister-in-law for our Thanksgiving dinner - she grew a bunch of them in her garden this year.  Her advice on opening it was to put it in a trashbag and drop it on a concrete floor.  Preferably from a second story window.
Well, I didn't have a second story window, but I had a trashbag and a concrete floor.
Step one:

 I closed the bag, heaved it up to chest level (I'm sure there's a weightlifting name for the move), and then dropped it on the floor.
Peeking inside the bag, I found no change.  Not so much as a dent.

Wrap, heave, drop again.

Nope.

I tried a couple more times, still with no results.  I would have tried lifting it over my head, but it was just too heavy.  Finally I bent my knees slightly, then rose up abruptly while throwing the squash into the air.  (Picture caber tossing, only with a squash instead of a tree.  Same technique.)  I managed to get it up about head high, and it hit the ground with a crunchy noise.
I got excited!  Success at last!

Nope.  But at least I chipped it!  Progress!
I launched it a couple more times and got  this beautiful crack.

 I tried prying it open at this point, but no go.  Two more tosses and I opened the bag to this glorious sight:

 Huzzah!
No squash in the verse can stop me!

 I piled the chunks on the table and started hacking off rind.

And hacking.
And hacking.
Finally I took the two biggest chunks left, piled them on a cookie sheet, and threw them in the oven.

 And finished peeling the last little piece.

 Done.  The pot is boiling and the tray is baking, and I'm resting from my mighty labors.

And trying not to think about the fact that my sister-in-law actually gave us TWO of those squashes.
The other one is still waiting for me.
I think I hear it humming the theme from Jaws...

Pssst! Don't look around...

Today was my day off, which means laundry, errands, cooking, etc.  You know the drill - more work than if I was at work.
Grocery shopping was one of the things on the to do list, and I got a wicked good deal.  Leg of lamb for less than hamburger.  It was even less than the marked-down-for-quick-sale-oops-we-ground-waaaay-too-much hamburger.
It's a lot of lamb for just Madman and me, but I'm already thinking ahead to the leftovers:  lamb stew, lamb curry,  stuffed grape leaves, real shepherd's pie.

Just don't tell Goldie and the gang...

So let's get this show back on the road...

I've come to the conclusion that I'm always going to be busy and tired, so I might as well try to squeeze in a post.
We had a light frost last night - not the Jack Frost's Revenge kind of killer frost, but a good strong nip. Luckily, the weather service had predicted it (and they were right for a change) so Madman had bustled out after work yesterday and hauled in everything he could grab out of the garden. We've spent the day (except for the morning, where I got called in to work to cover for a sick co-worker. Damn my Team Spirit - it causes more trouble) packing stuff into the freezer.
First the greens (chard and beet), and then the beans (green and yellow). Peppers are next, and then a big kettle of tomatoes is going on the stove for sauce as soon as we can free up a burner. The onions are spread out to finish drying down. Cucumbers are everywhere there's a spot open to set down a cucumber. (Look first before sitting down on the couch, just in case...)
The brussels sprouts are still out in the garden - a couple of frosts will actually benefit them rather than harm them. And the carrots (what few germinated) are safely underground, hiding from the cold.
Garden '11 is winding down. We're already planning Garden '12.

Because he's the Birthday Boy,

as is the tradition in my family, Madman got to pick the menu for dinner.

Beer battered fish. (He caught them himself.) (The fish, not the beer.) (Though he is the one who went to the store for beer, so I guess he did catch that as well.)
Homemade french fries. (Actually, I picked these - as long as I had the deep fryer fired up anyway, seemed like a good go-with.)
Maple-glazed carrots. (I would have gone lazy on the veg, and concurred with a previous administration but Madman really loves maple, and we need to finish last year's syrup off anyway.)

For dessert, he didn't have any special requests this year, so I made him an apple-upside down cake.
(BTW, follow the link - her picture is way better than mine...)
It was well-nigh a miracle, but I actually followed the recipe exactly as written, even down to cutting a circle out of parchment paper. (This is rare for me. I usually read a bunch of recipes, then wing it. Or start with a recipe and modify as I go.) It was worth it - the cake is delicious!
And the parchment paper is a wonderful neat trick. I've had some ...umm... interesting experiences with the flipping of an upside-down cake.
Like the time we ended up with peach inside-out cake...

Happy Ho-Ho!

Resistance was futile...


Toldja I've been baking cookies.

And Hallelujah, I can stop now...

Best.Cooking.Video.Ever.

Trust me.

Whole lotta not-picking goin' on

I'd wanted to try out my new yarn picker today. I've got wool all washed and ready to go. I had the day off.
But.
The day just got jam-packed.
We butchered a couple of chickens this morning, Madman and I. The original plan was to do the remaining 10, but none of our helpers (i.e. amateur chicken-pluckers) could come and help today. So we tackled what we could handle, given how many other projects we had for the day.
Then we put 24 pounds of elderberries in the freezer. (Woohoo! Free fruit!) I would have taken pictures, but it's the same process as last year. Forks, fruit, bowls. Berries ricocheting all over the kitchen. After the first couple of hours, the fun starts to wear off...
We didn't start any wine, yet, but we will. In the meantime, the freezer is holding the elderberries for us, and, as a by-product, doing the mashing for us as well. (The formation of ice crystals within the berries smashes the heck out of them. Does a much better job than we could ever do with a potato masher.)
I butched the basil, since now that it's almost September, we could get a frost at any time. (Gotta love Zone 3. *sigh*) I made 3 batches of pesto, 2 of which went into the freezer. I filled icecube trays with the glorious green stuff - I'll bag up the individual cubes once they're frozen solid. Perfect little portions to add to pasta or soup, come winter. (So our ice cubes will taste a little funny for awhile. Big deal.)
And somewhere in between all this, I managed to bake a loaf of bread.
Madman picked beans while I was picking basil. We ate some for supper, but the rest went into the fridge, since we'd completely run out of steam by then. Tomorrow is another day.
And the rest of supper? The Second Annual first pestodilla of the season - homegrown tomatoes and homemade pesto. Life is good...

Sourdough, Milestones, and Great Balls of Fiber

The other day, when Madman picked me up from work, he asked me "Do you know someone named Erika who would mail you a lumpy envelope?"
"Why, yes," I replied. "Yes, I do."
Erika and I had been emailing back and forth about bread, and she offered to send me some leftover sourdough starter. Dehydrated sourdough starter makes for a lumpy envelope...
So I've got the Son of Makoto. Or, more properly, the little brother of Makoto.
It's been happily bubbling on my counter for days and days. I fed it up good last night, and used it to make this
today. I meant to take a picture of it before cutting into it, but, well, you know...
(And btw, Erika? I cheated and added a tiny bit of dry yeast to the dough, which is why I got such a good rise. Next time, I won't, I swear.) (Really.) (Patience? What patience?)

Hey, look! Little bunny is now eating rabbit pellets! And hay!
*sniff* They grow up so fast...

This is actually a major milestone. We're both breathing a sigh of relief, because it looks like the little booger is really going to make it. After all our recent losses, I don't think we could bear to lose this little sweetie. We've gotten way too attached.
The word "houserabbit" is now in play.
Though a New Zealand White isn't the best choice for a pet rabbit (there are friendlier breeds), at this point this little one is more acclimated to people than other rabbits. We'll have to wait and see as it gets bigger.
I've done weirder things than keep a rabbit in my house.


And last, but certainly not least, I've been washing up and carding a storm of fleece.

I started with Goldie's fleece. Now, to look at her, she looks like your average sheepy-colored sheep. You know, that basic off-white creamy sort of color. Imagine my surprise when I started working with her fleece - it's laced with dark gray and black fibers. The roving is coming out a light heathery gray, which I'm liking a lot.


I've made that little mountain of roving, plus I have twice as much washed and drying. And I still haven't made much of a dent in the fleece.
Do you think she'll be okay with me wearing a sweater made from her fleece? Or is that going to boggle her little sheepy brain?

One step ahead of the Riot Crowd of Interested Parties

What? You want the recipe? Really?

Well, okay, here goes...

Gayle's Totally Decadent Pumpkin Muffins

Streusel Topping:
4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Topping:
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 egg
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Muffin Batter:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup pumpkin (I used homegrown*, canned will work, too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease muffin pan, or use paper liners.

Streusel - In a small bowl, mix flour, sugars, butter, and cinnamon with a fork until crumbly. Stir in pecans.

Cream cheese layer - Beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Muffin batter - In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, and add the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir just until combined.

Fill the muffin cups about 1/2 full of batter. (I use an ice cream scoop.) Plop a good tablespoon of cream cheese topping in the center, then sprinkle on a generous amount of streusel.

Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes, testing with a toothpick.

Note: you can skip the cream cheese layer if you don't have or like cream cheese. Just fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full of batter and sprinkle with streusel. An excellent muffin, either way.

I ended up with 24 cream cheese muffins, and 5 plain ones (when the cream cheese ran out.) These probably have about a gabillion calories each - be warned!

*My homegrown pumpkin was a little drier than commercial pumpkin, so I ended up adding a splash of milk to make the batter moist enough. YMMV.

Fighting those negative temps, one muffin at a time

It's been damn cold up here lately. Temps below zero, with high winds that make the wind chill factor something you don't even want to think about.
On those kind of days, I like to stay indoors and invent ways to stay warm.
So, besides baking a 20+ lb turkey today, I turned this:

into this:
That was one of our wacky delicata pumpkin crosses - which started out green and white, and have turned green and orange in storage.
The muffins are pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese and streusel topping. I found a recipe out on the web and seriously tweaked it.
The picture shows the first dozen muffins. The recipe also made a dozen more. And there was still batter left over when the the cream cheese topping ran out - enough for 5 more muffins which got double streusel in order to use that up. (If I had only known, I might have cut the recipe in half...)
Madman gave them a serious thumbs-up - which is good, because we've got a lot of freakin' muffins...


ETA: OMG! I just tried one, myself. These are ridiculously good. I have to go right now and write down the changes I made before I forget. See ya!

Busy Sunday

I seem to be running behind in my posts. Yesterday's was about the days after Christmas; today's is about yesterday. Give me another day or so, and I'll finally be running in real-time...
So, anyway.
I finished (finally!) plying the merino-tencel.

Spinning was on hiatus for the Christmas season. Part of it was running low on time, the other part was my (hopeless) attempt to toddler-proof my house for the visiting grandchildren. (I wasn't home when my daughter arrived with spouse and children in tow. She might have screamed "Oh my God! This place is a toddler death-trap!!" but, since I wasn't there, I can pretend it didn't happen. After a certain point, I had given up. I ran out of high places to put breakables, and since everything else I own could potentially maim a busy grandson, I finally decided we could just keep an eye on him. Four adults, one toddler. Seemed like about even odds...)

After the spinning, I got to play with my new toy!

My much-beloved mother-in-law gave me this for Christmas. With our steady flow of eggs, a pasta machine seemed like a good idea. (Pasta is a very practical way to store excess eggs. Pasta's shelf-life is much longer than an egg's!)
My first efforts were a little funky -

but I got a little better as I went along.

Madman, meanwhile, was out ice-fishing. Look at these beauties:

Northern Pike. Tasty...

In the land of chickens, I am a goddess...

I finally got around to cooking off one of those giant delicapumpkins, delumpkins, squadeliumpkins delisqumpkins.


Here's a pic of it sitting next to a 5lb sack of flour, to give an idea of scale. This one is one of the medium-sized ones - we have both larger and smaller.

Madman had to cut it for me - it was just too darn big for me to be able to get any leverage. I used a big spoon to gut it,
then placed the two halves on a cookie sheet, and into the oven it went. I chose to bake it instead of boiling it, because I was concerned it would be soupy, and it turned out to be a good call. These squash er pumpkins objects were far from dry inside.
It was at this point that the camera started lying to me. I took shots of the cookie sheet, both before and after baking, and the camera assured me that I had perfectly lovely pictures. However, when I tried to upload them later, the camera just laughed and said "Pictures? What pictures?"
One of the happiest uses for squash/pumpkin is pie-making.


Luckily, I took about 14 shots of the pie, of which only 5 came out. (Do non-bloggers take obsessive excessive pictures of pies?)
Looks like pumpkin pie. Smells like pumpkin pie. As soon as supper settles a bit more, we're going to see if it tastes like pumpkin pie.

And the title? I saved the squishy squashy guts and seeds and the scraped cooked peels for the chickens. They were very pleased.
So pleased, in fact, that a riot broke out when I set down the dish. A few of the smarter hens grabbed a piece of treat and sneaked off into a quiet corner with it. But the not-so-smart ones grabbed a piece and took off running, holding it high in the air, and squawking that they had the "Best Treasure Ever!!" Naturally the rest of the not-so-smarts took off after them, trying to take their treasures away. There was one big ring of chickens circling the coop, each of the hens who actually had something being followed by 3 or 4 empty-beaked hens squawking "Gimme-gimme-gimme!!"
Of course, there was a whole bowl of 'treasure' right in the middle of the floor. Chickens who knew enough to keep their mouths shut were happily chowing down...

Leftovers

Pork Roast is followed by Pork Pot Pie as surely as Autumn follows Summer.


And yes, those biscuits are heart-shaped. I've been doing that since the time I couldn't find my regular biscuit cutter, and the plainest shaped cookie cutter I could find was a heart. When I discovered that hearts fit into the casserole dish much better than the round biscuits, I never looked back...

It's all about the food

Though I spent the morning just lolling around slothfully, I ended up in full production in the afternoon. First, I made these:And these aren't just cake doughnuts, like I made last fall. These are honest-to-goodness, full-tilt-crazy Raised Glazed Doughnuts. They're lumpy, bumpy, and oddly-shaped, but oh my goodness, they're tasty...
A pork roast was popped into the oven, potatoes were peeled for mashed, and I tried an experiment with one of our "Delicorn" squashes.
I made a baked stuffed squash, with a filling made of bacon, sauted onions, apples, brown sugar, and a big pinch of cloves. Here are the two squash halves, stuffed and ready for the oven.

And here they are after a good long bake. (You can see on the left one where I poked with a fork to see if it was done.)

The squash got a thumbs up, though next time I think I'll use more onion, and a lighter hand with the cloves. This is the first year we've grown enough squash that I dare to experiment. When you only get 5 or 6, you hate to lose one to a cooking accident.

Pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffed squash, and doughnuts for dessert. Madman had to roll me to the computer chair...

I love my library.

I just got this book from the library. Tomorrow is my day off. I'm going to play...
Homemade chocolate sandwich cookies, anyone? Or peanut butter cups? Or...

Post 200. Whoda thunk it?

I was hoping to think of something special for a milestone post. But the most special thing going on seems to be that I put a knot in my back from spinning too much, and had to take a few days applying heat, resting, and mostly groaning. Alternating with grumbling. And jonesing for the wheel...

Here's what I've got so far:


One thing I've learned is that it takes a looooong time to fill a bobbin with singles for laceweight. I'm getting close to being halfway through that first 2oz batch of merino-tencel. At this rate, I may finish the plying in time for cake and ice cream at my 100th birthday party.

I did manage to get a little knitting done. The scarf moves forward:

It's actually a simple slip-stitch pattern, with only one color at a time in play. I like the way it looks more complicated than it is.

And today started with a cold rainy morning - perfect for staying indoors and baking. I invented a recipe for oatmeal/apple/walnut scones. Though, technically it's really a bannock, since it's baked in one piece.


Want a closer look?

I'm going to try to sneak in a little spinning today, now that my back is better. I just need to remember to step away from the wheel...