What's a meme?

So it looks like Jen from I Like to Knit tagged me with the foodie side of the Basic Juice meme. I am still a bit confused about what I am supposed to do, but I'll give it a try. Since Philip left, my diet has pretty much consisted of Ives veggie bowls and salads, I'm just too lazy to cook for one. While my diet might be boring, grocery shopping has been a breeze.

The best meal I've had in the last month was an antipasto pizza that Philip and I made before he left. It had an artichoke base with red peppers, portabella mushrooms, black olives, basil and Follow Your Heart mozzarella. Follow this with a glass of Folie a Deux 2003 Menage a Trois California Red and that is what I call the perfect meal, simple and flavorful.

I am now going to tag Michelle from Michelle knits to keep this thing going.

In other news, today is a big day of packing since I only have a week left until Philip arrives with the moving truck. Today is the day that I pack up the yarn and crafting supplies. I am packing everything except the yarn and needles I need to make a top secret project (I would tell you, but then it won't be a secret) and my first pair of socks which will be knee socks. I am also having our internet turned off today which means my commenting speed might be a little slower than normal. Hopefully, next Sunday everything will slow down quite a bit and I can write about my adventures in one pot cooking and knitting with tiny needles.

Moving is fun?

Is there something I'm doing wrong? I have piles of boxes that are making it difficult to walk around my apartment and yet nothing seems packed, there is still stuff everywhere. This is my first move in three years which is pretty impressive considering that I moved over 15 times in college. I definitely prefer staying in one place and I hope that this move will be long-term. I am really happy with the place that Philip picked out, it has almost everything on our wishlist for an apartment and then some. There is lots of project space for me and he will still have his studio. The only thing that we don't like about the apartment is the bathroom.

We had planned on decorating the bathroom around the shower curtain that we were going to make out of some billboard vinyl we have. We were going to paint the walls red and do some spray paint stenciling and graffiti to give it an underground feel. Unfortunately, this won't quite work in our new bathroom with it's pink countertop, vanity lights, gold fixtures, and public restroom soap dispenser. We haven't decided how we are going to decorate, but whatever we do has to accentuate the 80's decor.

My night of crime fighting

As you might remember from an earlier post, I am a certified superhero by night. Last night I found my first real bad guy and I let him have it! After the whole thing was over he apologized for being bad and he promise to turn his life around.

Time for some yummy soup

I love soup, it might be the perfect food. I came up with this recipe when trying to duplicate a soup I like to order at a local Thai restaurant. Their soup has a coconut base, but the spices resemble those used in tom yum soup. I came up with a hybrid soup, part coconut and part tom yum. This soup is fast and easy to make and it is the perfect meal for watching King of the Hill (I'm not sure why.) I got the tomatoes free from a friend's garden and the onion and mushrooms were leftover from my salad-making supplies so I will factor in $.75 for them. I bought the tofu and noodles at the grocery store today for $3.48 and the coconut milk came from the Asian grocer where it was 2 cans for $1.

Coconut Tom Yum Soup

4 cups water
3 Tbsp tom yum soup paste*
half an onion (chopped)
1/3 cup mushrooms (chopped)
1 tomato (diced)
3-4 oz tofu (cubed)
2 bundles somen noodles
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (diced)
half a can of coconut milk

Put the water, paste, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and tofu in a pot and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling add the noodles and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and add cilantro and coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Makes 4 servings.

*Not all tom yum soup paste is vegan; make sure to check the label.



Philip also participated in the $5 challenge. Below is his recipe for 'cheezy' enchiladas.

'Cheezy' enchiladas

1 can refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce
1 pack flour tortillas
1 onion chopped
1 can diced black olives
1/2 pack taco seasoning
1 jalapeno

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine refried beans, 1/4 enchilada sauce,onion,olives and taco seasoning into a saucepan. Set on low heat and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Add a portion of the "cheeze" into the saucepan and stir.

Scoop contents into the tortillas and fold in rows into casserole pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top and then add the remaining "cheeze". Top it with chopped jalapenos and stick in oven for approximately 20 minutes. Remove and serve.

'Cheeze' Sauce

1 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup yellow mustard

In a skillet combine nutritional yeast, flour, salt and garlic powder. Set heat to medium/high and whisk until conistancy becomes thick. Remove from heat. Add yellow mustard and margarine and whisk until margarine has melted.



Also, Michelle made an awesome black bean and corn salad with mangos so you should definately check that out on her blog.

Such a busy day

I made some hand warmers with the yarn I got from Hazel and I've been meaning to post them for a few weeks so here they are. They knitted up really fast, I can't wait until I get to wear them.

I am working on the triangular shawl from the Lion Brand site, but I am going to take Stacy's advice and modify the edging. It should be finished by the end of the weekend so I'll post pictures then.

In other news, Philip signed the papers on our new apartment today!

We have the entire first floor, basement, front and back yard and half of the garage. The basement is dark and creepy, but it has a giant sink perfect for dying yarn so I will be very busy once we get settled in. Philip will be here in a couple of weeks to get all of our stuff and I will be following him shortly. This is all very exciting.

This week's Vegan Cooking Challenge: The $5 meal. You can make anything you want, but your cost for the meal must be $5 or less. You can use ingredients you have on hand, but the cost of all major ingredients must be factored in. Veggies from your garden count as free as do herbs. Go wild and make sure to post you final creation by Sunday night.

It's bruschetta time!

Here is my version of vegan bruschetta. I decided to use the artichoke topping at the last minute as a base and it worked out perfectly. I bought the organic tomatoes, a lemon, garlic and a red onion at the Farmer's Market for $3.50 and the bread, artichoke topping, and living basil at Harris Teeter for $6.50 bringing my grand total for this dish to $10.




Super Easy Vegan Bruschetta

1 loaf Italian bread
3-4 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
1 jar Harris Teeter artichoke topping*
5 Roma tomatoes (diced)
4 Tbsp Red onion (diced)
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
8 leaves of fresh basil
salt to taste

Mix the tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, basil and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the bread into 1/2" pieces and place them on a baking sheet. Brush the bread with olive oil and garlic. Cook until the bread is toasty, but not brown. Spread the artichoke topping on the bread and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the bread is crusty and brown. Top with the cold mixture and garnish with basil.

*Harris Teeter artichoke topping is only available at Harris Teeter stores. If you do not have a Harris Teeter in your area you can make this topping by pureeing artichoke hearts with some olive oil and fresh parsley in your blender.

Here is Philip's version



Philip's Fabulous Bruschetta

1 loaf French bread
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 jar artichoke hearts
1 can mushrooms
1 can black olives
4 roma tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
10 leaves fresh basil
1 block veganrella cheese
pinch of black pepper

Place artichoke hearts, mushrooms & lemon juice in blender and mix until it reaches a chunky consistency.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Cut the bread in halves and brush the olive oil and garlic on each half. Remove artichoke mixture from the blender and thickly spread over the bread. Cut the roma tomatoes in vertical quarters and place on top of artichoke spread. Grate the veganrella cheese on top and garnish it with the fresh basil. Top it off with a pinch of pepper. Place in oven and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the bread is crispy. Remove and place the sliced black olives on top.

I think that it is obvious that Philip won this round!

Vegan Cooking Challenge- round 1

I am going to a snb movie night/potluck tonight so I have to come up with a scrumptious dish. I always have trouble deciding what to bring to potlucks, not because I can't think of anything but because I can't focus on one thing. I try not to duplicate potluck items within the same group so that is an added challenge. Philip and I brainstormed over the phone this morning and I decided to make bruschetta. Philip was so inspired that he decided he is also going to make a bruschetta in Lexington so I challenged him to a cook-off. It's not a real cook-off since we are 600 miles apart so there is no way to taste each other's creations, but we can post pictures and recipes of our finished creations. I looked up the definition of bruschetta to give us both a guideline and according to the Food Network Encyclopedia bruschetta is "From the Italian bruscare meaning "to roast over coals," this traditional garlic bread is made by rubbing slices of toasted bread with garlic cloves, then drizzling the bread with extra-virgin olive oil. The bread is salted and peppered, then heated and served warm. " This sets a nice palate for our creation. I will blog tonight with my finished creation.

If this works we are going to do a weekly challenge; the theme will be announced on Thursday and then everyone will have to show their finished creation by Sunday night. If you are interested, please email me.

bye bye Philip

Today Philip left Norfolk for bigger and better things. Although I will miss him like crazy over the next six weeks (44 days to be exact), I know that he is doing the right thing. On a funny side note, that suitcase he is carrying is full of his sock creature supplies and when he was pulled aside for a random search at the airport, they opened up his bag to find it full of polyfil and sock parts. I'm sure this was a first for the Norfolk TSA.

On a happier note, I received my new secret pal today! Of course I can't tell you who she is, but I am thrilled to have a new person to buy and create goodies for. Below is my finished questionnaire for SP6.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I am a vegan so I only buy plant based and synthetic yarns, the exception to this rule is recycled yarns in which case I'll use anything. I really love trying new fibers such as ingeo, banana silk and soy silk. I just like stuff that feels nice.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? Currently I am spinning on a drop spindle, but I am hoping to get a wheel for Christmas this year.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) CATS!!!

4. How long have you been knitting? Off and on for 6 years, but really intensively for the last 1.5 years

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I have an amazon list that I try to keep updated.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Good question, I love most fruit scents except citrus and my favorite scents are Nag Champa (not really a scent), sandalwood, and jasmine.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Sadly yes, but I don’t really like chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I love to sew, rescue and revamp trash, and cook.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love indie pop that is a little electronic as well as all things Japanese.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I hate the color salmon, but other than that I like everything. I prefer brighter colors and browns.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Typically, I live with my husband and our dog Astrid in an apartment, but right now it is just Astrid and I while Philip is off finding a new job and a new place for us to live. We will be moving in October (don't worry SP, I'll send you a forwarding address.)

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I want to own a store and live in an apartment above it with a rooftop garden. In real life I would settle for just the store.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I had some fabulous hemp/cotton that a friend of mine bought a few years ago, but I haven't found it since. I really like cottons, especially hand-dyed ones, bamboo, and crazy blended fibers.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I am vegan (technically a freegan) so I don't use any animal fibers unless they are recycled.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? I love knitting little things that have no practical use.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Hats, I can't seem to stop knitting hats.

17. What are you knitting right now? Lots of swatches for TKGA master knitter, cigar gloves from knitty, ribbed staff shrug from Interweave, and a simple shawl.

18. What do you think about ponchos? I don't need a poncho.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circulars although I am warming up to dpn's.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? My favorite needles arBrittanyey birch needles and I lovAddisis.

21. Are you a sock knitter? No, but I really want to be. I swear I am going to start a pair of socks soon.

22. How did you learn to knit? Self-taught

23. How old is your oldest UFO? ThatÂ’s a little personal donÂ’t you think?

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Deery-Lou

25. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

26. Is there anything that you collect? All things tiki- mugs, coconut monkeys, vintage Hawaiian cards and posters, lately I have also been collecting vintage cookbooks (1950-1969)

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Cast-on through my TKGA membership, but other than that I just pick them up when they have something that catches my eye

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Knitting Over the Edge

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?? Not that I can think of

ETA: 30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like? I don't know how to measure my foot, I wear a size 9 if that helps.

And I'm off

I am on my way to LA and since I will have no computer access there will be no blogging until Monday. The good news is when I return I should have lots of projects and pictures to share. I have lots of knitting, reading and even a special "flying to Californ-i-a" music mix on my iPod to keep me busy during my travel time. I also have a list of lys's in LA just in case I have some down-time, which doesn't look too likely.

Here is the picture of my staff shrug so far. I had to make some adjustments in the pattern after reading about jae's issues with using a non-elastic yarn. I changed the needle size to 9 and added stitches to make up the difference. It also looks like I am going to need to add an inch or two to the length. I am hoping to finish this weekend so I can post pictures on Monday, but we will see how much knitting time I actually have. See you next week!

Still no clapotis

My yarn trek Saturday didn't exactly go as planned. First, I went to AC Moore to buy the Paton's Katrina for my staff shrug and they didn't carry it, even though the Paton's site said they did. I shrugged it off (bad joke) and headed to my LYS for some bamboo only to discover that they have stopped selling it! I refused to be stopped by these two set backs so I bought an alternate yarn for the shrug. I am going to have to buy the bamboo online so I won't be able to start the clapotis for a couple of week, at this rate it will probably be winter by the time I finish. This weekend I am focusing my efforts on the shrug which I started on Saturday and the two flower power face cloths from Weekend Knitting. I will be flying for 15 hours so I should be able to complete something. I will post my progress on the staff shrug as soon as my camera is charged.

Too many yarns to choose from

So this morning I got up early to pick a color for my Clapotis. I looked at the colors that SWTC offers, but I also noticed that the Classic Elite's Bam Boo is on sale at the purl soho store. Now I can't decide if I want to use the SWTC bamboo or try something so totally new. Has anyone tried the Bam Boo? It looks so lovely in the picture and with shipping the price will be the same for both yarns. I like the SWTC bamboo because it comes in variegated colors which will knit up nicely, but I like the look and the texture of the Bam Boo. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.