My First Arm Knit Afghan

I watched a few videos (click here for one example), read a bunch of instructions (like these) and looked at diagrams (another example here) all online - there are lots to pick from! I started this blanket, and then ripped it back out,  a few different times before figuring out the technique, once I got it tho this was quite easy to do.

My only beef with most of the directions is they say it's going to take about 45 minutes to make a blanket... and pretty much once you start you can't stop because your arms are the knitting needles so there's no "putting it down for later"... I waited until after lunch and 2 iced teas (important to the story line haha) when I knew there was an open window to start it, figuring I'd have it done in an hour. Somewhere around the 3 hour mark and I wasn't done yet but needed to use the bathroom (thanks to the iced tea!) I had a bit of a dilemma - 45 minutes my a&$ LOL!! I waited until all of the loops were on my left arm so my right arm was free and wrapped the long blanket around my neck like a scarf in order to do my business hahahahaha. My advice is to start this after you've eaten, don't drink a lot, use the bathroom first,  and don't need to do anything with your arms for about 3 hours!


I think this turned out really good for my first blanket, I'm definitely going to make more because c'mon - a knitted blanket in 3 hours is sweet (perfect for gift giving!), and it's just about the softest, fluffiest, cosiest blanket ever. I wanted to curl up and just stroke the softness (my dog hates to be pet so I could use this blanket as a replacement for something to pet haha) but I made it for a gift and had to let it go. Sigh.

Brooke picked out this pretty chunky pink yarn at Walmart - I used 6 skeins and the finished blanket is 3' x 27' (yep you read that right - it's 1 yard wide by 9 yards long, it's big!). Because my arms were the needles it has big loopy holes for the stitches - it looks so much like a big net that Dave asked if I was going to catch fish with it; once folded at the foot of the bed tho I love the texture and how it looks.

one year ago: salad in baked meat cups
two years ago: pineapple upside-down cake cocktails!

Around The Campfire (week 36)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a recap of the week of tomatoes and some random chitchat about the happenings at 'day camp':


Posts you might have missed ~

9/2: around the campfire (week 35)
9/3: roasted corn and rice stuffed tomatoes
9/4: tomato jam
9/5: fresh tomato sauce
9/6: roasted cherry tomatoes with angel hair and homemade croutons
9/7: tomato tart
9/8: b.l.a.t. sandwich



What's cooking ~

• grilled pork tenderloin, stuffed tomatoes, fresh spinach
• baked salmon, cauliflower rice mixed with peas and chopped carrots, creamed spinach
• grilled chicken sausage, tomato tart, steamed broccoli
• buffalo burger salad
• steak, baked potato, caprese salad (another delicious thing to do with those tomatoes!)
• we went out twice this week - that's unusual!  

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy but not interesting enough for an entire post ~

• read the first Harry Potter (Sorceror's Stone) book, and "Fairest" by Marissa Meyer (part of the Lunar Chronicles which I discovered while working in the middle school library - it's a good series!)
• did the Great Pumpkin Run 5k with my sister and friends. I should clarify that I did more like a "Great Pumpkin Walk" but the shirt is the same so no one needs to know. 
• made 3 more morse code bracelets (I intended to only make 2 but I spelled one wrong! Not that anyone would probably notice hahaha but I couldn't give it with the words spelled wrong, even if it is in code LOL)
• helped Ronda at her Stampin' Up studio - I haven't been helping much and I missed it (and her), so took time to help out. I punched out 400 paper bats, 400 gray leafy sprigs, at least 800 circles (maybe more!), and 200 hearts in addition to stamping 200 tags. I'm always so inspired to be in her crafty creative paper world!
• changed my office completely around - which is really just code for procrastinating when I should have been working. It happens. Sometimes it's nice to change things around and see your stuff in a new way - I moved everything, de-cluttered a bit, put it all back in a different way. Fresh and new, and no more excuses to get work done (for now).

That's it - hope you guys enjoyed "tomato week"...not as cool as "shark week" but it is what it is...see ya next week!

Sincerely,

Your camp counselor, Jill



one year ago: wine cork flower holder

Tomato Week: BL(A)T Sandwich

Last day of 'tomato week' - hope you've enjoyed a few different ways to use up too many tomatoes! I've found some new recipes in addition to my tried and true roasting method, especially the stuffed tomatoes and tomato tart,  I'll be making those again for sure...

I can't leave tomato week without mentioning the most classic of what-to-do with fresh-garden-giant-juicy-ripe just-picked gorgeous tomatoes -  Dave wished for it right from the beginning of my complaining about too many tomatoes - a bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich. Not much I can say other than 'just about one of the best things ever'...unless you don't like bacon in which case I'm not talking to you - look away. Oh wait, I know, just eat an LT and it'll still be fabulous. You could even do a T sandwich - mayo and tomato with salt and pepper on lightly toasted bread, yep I'd love that too!

I cook the bacon in the microwave and it's waaaaay less messy - do you do that? Put a couple/three paper towels on a microwavable plate (or a big Chinet paper platter, then you can throw the entire thing out!), lay bacon slices (not touching, leave space between the slices) on the towels, cover with a couple more paper towels and micro on high. To do 8 thick slices at once I micro for 3 minutes, turn the slices on the towels, and continue microwaving in 30 second intervals until it's cooked thru.

The other thing I just did this week is spread ripe avocado on the toasted bread and use a bit less mayo - you don't really taste the avocado with everything else that's going on but it does add a nice creamy texture that we both really liked. Avocado is high in fat of course, but better for you than mayo!

Tomato Week: Tomato Tart

I combined different recipes to come up with this tomato tart and I have to tell you - I'm in love (if one can be in love with tomato tart that is)!!! This is SO good!!!  Where has this been all my cherry tomato growing life? It was quite easy to make this delectable tomatoes layered on top of a light cheesy filling baked in a buttery flaky crust heavenly tart - Dave and I both went back for seconds we liked it so much,  and I had to stop myself from finishing the tart at dinner so I'd have leftovers for breakfast!

I used a Bobby Flay tart recipe for the crust, and winged the filling after reading so many different recipes - I just picked different elements that sounded good to me and fortunately it doesn't seem to need to be an exact science (which is the best recipe haha) and it turned out perfect. Please, please don't be afraid of making this homemade crust, I usually buy packaged store-bought pie crust but this tart crust is different than store pie crust and worth the few minutes it took to whip it up - and it's very forgiving so nothing to be scared of. After I rolled it out to fit in the tart pan it totally broke apart, but I just took all the pieces and pressed them together in the pan and up the sides - you'd never know it didn't roll out perfectly. And it tastes great!

Crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks) cold, cut into 1/2" pieces
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons cold water

For the dough: Combine the flour, butter, and some salt and pepper using a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in 2 Tablespoons of the oil and the water just until the bottom of the mixture begins to cling together. If necessary, add an additional Tablespoon of oil. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 

My Note: I used a food processor to make the dough, and it took all 3 Tablespoons of oil to bring the dough together. 

A quick tip for rolling out dough - my mom bought me this big wooden cutting board that has a channel around the edge to collect meat juices while carving, an added bonus is the other side is completely flat and I roll out dough on it instead of getting flour and the mess all over the counter. 

roll the dough out in a circle a bit bigger than the tart pan

normally to transfer the rolled crust to the pan you gently roll it up onto the rolling pin,
and then lift it over to the pan. this dough was too crumbly tho and fell apart
when I tried to do that. no worries, just press it all into the pan and things will be fine! 

Tart:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese, divided (I used mexican blend because it's what I have on hand - mozzarella, cheddar, fontina, monterey jack...whatever you want)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (I used basil, thyme, and flat parsley mixed together), divided
• 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 30 cherry tomatoes (more or less, your call), rinsed and dried, then cut in half

1. roll out the crust to approx. 14" circle to fit into a 12" tart pan with a removable bottom. Fit the crust into the pan and trim the top edges to fit. If the dough breaks apart like it did for me just press the pieces into the pan to completely cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Chill for 15 minutes. When you're ready to bake, prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork (that helps keep the crust from puffing up) then bake at 450' for 9-10 minutes until just barely browned. Remove from oven and then reduce the oven temperature to 375'. 
2. after removing the crust from the oven and while it's still warm, spread 1 tablespoon dijon mustard all over the bottom and sprinkle on about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
3. make the creamy cheesy layer: mix together mayonnaise, parmesan, about 1/2 cup shredded cheese, salt and pepper, and 2 chopped herbs in a small bowl; spread on the melted cheese in the tart pan.
4. after cutting the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with the additional 1 Tablespoon chopped herbs and layer them on top of the cheese layer, lightly pressing them into the filling. 
5. bake at 375' for 20-25 minutes until heated thru and the crust is golden brown.
6. remove from oven, and separate the tart pan (remove the side piece but leave the tart on the pan bottom for stability), cut into 6-8 pieces and serve.

Note: I wouldn't put the tomatoes on top of the tart until you are ready to bake it, I think they'd make things too wet and soggy if you let it sit too long before baking. Also, after cutting the tomatoes in half I put them on a paper towel to blot out as much moisture as I could without smashing them!

I hope you like this tomato tart as much as I do! Let me know ;). 

spread mustard and 1/4 cup cheese on the bottom of the hot crust

top with the mayo/cheese/herb layer

right before baking add the halved tomatoes, lightly press them into the filling

crust recipe found here

one year ago: renewed my CPR certification
two years ago: ice cream cake

Tomato Week: Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Angel Hair Pasta and Homemade Croutons

I have posted about roasting tomatoes a few times before, but can't have tomato week and not talk about roasting cherry tomatoes. I hope by now you guys have tried my absolute favorite way to use up a lot of the little bite-sized tomatoes - cut them in half and put in a shallow roasting dish, toss with a little olive oil and coarse salt (other seasonings are up to you - pepper, Italian blend, whatever), and bake at 350' to 400' until you like the consistency stirring occasionally. The longer they bake the more they thicken up and turn into an almost glazed texture which is so so so good (!), shorter time is still good and keeps them a little 'fresher' and lighter texture - just depends on what you want to do with them.

For this dish I let the tomatoes really cook down, at least an hour (turn the temp down if they seem like they are cooking too fast - you'l know if they start to turn too dark but not getting thick and syrupy), then tossed them (including the juice and olive oil) with cooked angel hair pasta. Another one of our favorites is to add homemade croutons (click to see how I make them, very easy!) to red-sauced pasta - almost like a panzanella bread salad, the croutons soak up the sauce but still add a little texture to the dish. Nothing like adding bread to pasta to keep this dish low-carb LOL. Whatever, it's good. For a little more color and to beef up the veggies I added some chopped fresh spinach this time - add whatever else you like...cooked mushrooms, peas, chopped asparagus or broccoli would all be good.

Oh man do I love this pasta and roasted tomatoes SO MUCH!!!


one year ago: morning glory muffins
two years ago: Japanese steakhouse carrot-ginger salad dressing

Tomato Week: Raw Fresh Tomato Sauce

Day 3 of 'tomato week' is this simple recipe/non-recipe for raw fresh tomato sauce that I tossed with spinach ravioli (store-bought) and pearl-sized mozzarella balls for a quick easy side dish with grilled chicken. This includes 2 pretty interesting techniques I didn't know about - as interesting as tomato tips can be, that is!

1) I've shared how I usually peel tomatoes (click here for that post) but this recipe says to peel them with a vegetable peeler using a "zig-zag motion". I'll admit I did not think it would work, and why a zig-zag motion?... well whatever the reason, it works. The peels came right off. Super easy.

2) after peeling, cut in half and remove the seeds (I left a few 'cuz I'm lazy and then ended up needing to drain the tomatoes because it was very liquid-y), chop into a small dice. Put in a bowl and when you're ready to eat them heat up some olive oil until very hot (use caution obviously, spilled hot olive oil hurts!) and then pour over the raw chopped tomatoes. The tomatoes were still fresh and raw, but the oil softened them and makes a sort-of sauce. Love this barely warmed up dish - perfect for the 90' days we're still having!

I halved the recipe and it made plenty to toss with a package of ravioli for the two of us. No leftovers tho... that made me a little sad. Here's the original recipe, easy to make smaller (or larger) amounts as desired.

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt

Directions:

Cut a 1/4-inch slice from the tops of the tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes with a vegetable peeler, using a zig-zag motion, halve them crosswise, and remove and discard the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4" dice and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the basil and oregano.

Just before serving, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 1-quart saucepan until shimmering hot (but not smoking): pour over the tomato mixture, add 2 teaspoons salt and mix well. Toss with cooked pasta and serve.

Yields 3-4 cups, enough for 1 lb. dried pasta


recipe found here.

Tomato Week: Tomato Jam

Day 2 of "tomato week" is this sweet and spicy tomato jam that you can use in place of ketchup, alongside meats as a condiment, spread on sandwiches (in place of sliced tomatoes - one of these days I'll run out of garden fresh tomatoes and am going to love having this jam as a substitute!), paired with cheeses and cured meats, spread on a crunchy crostini with a creamy cheese, on a spoon straight from the jar...so many ways to use this!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 4 1/2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 10 cups)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• kosher salt

Directions:

• In a 5- to 6- quart pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks syrupy, about 5 minutes.

• Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using), and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

• Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the juice has thickened, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (Keep an eye on it as it thickens, you might need to stir it more often).

• Season to taste with salt. Let cool to room temperature, transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 months. 

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Notes: I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and it's still plenty sweet. This took a long time to cook down, closer to 3 hours. After most of the liquid cooked out I cooled it slightly and then blended it up a bit in the food processor so it's smoother. If you don't want to process it I would remove a lot of the skins, when it's cooked down there are a lot of skins and I didn't like that. Once I blended it up tho the texture is great and much more "jam" like. This made over 2 cups for me. 

found the recipe here

two years ago: white beans in marinara sauce

Tomato Week: Roasted Corn and Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

check it out - it's heart shaped!

Today is the start of my self-proclaimed "tomato week" -  better known around here as "what the heck do I do with so many tomatoes?" as I frantically search google for ideas before the tomatoes all go bad!

There are lots and lots of recipes online for stuffed tomatoes, I was looking for one that didn't bake the tomatoes for long so they turned into more of a mushy cooked tomato (I love tomatoes but when they are cooked like that and become almost 'stewed' they aren't my fave) - saw this idea for roasted corn and rice stuffing and since they only baked for a few minutes it seemed like the tomatoes wouldn't cook down too much - and they didn't. These turned out really good, and one really interesting thing I learned is you can make "roasted corn" using canned corn and a dry frypan. Very cool, I will be using this trick often. The only thing I changed was adding chopped spinach tot he filling, no basil but I sprinkled in some Italian seasoning, and I used shredded cheese blend left over from the green chili frittata that I didn't end up using (remember the whole "my sister needs a dish to pass but then changed it to sloppy joe" thing?) - yes I realize that I used both Italian seasoning and Mexican cheese blend but whatever, it worked :) Look, I'm multi-cultural cooking hahahaha.

Click here for the recipe I started with, I'll give you what I did:

5 medium/large tomatoes
1 cup cooked medium grain brown rice (white will work of course)
1 can sweet corn
big handful of chopped spinach, stems removed
salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend, and garlic powder to taste
shredded cheese blend

• Drain the corn and blot it dry (I dumped it out onto paper towels and blotted). Place corn in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat with no oil or butter. Let sit for 3-4 minutes and stir. Repeat until corn gets nice and brown on the outside. Remove from heat and set aside.

• Cut the tops off the tomatoes and carefully scoop out the flesh, reserving the flesh. Set whole tomatoes in a shallow roasting pan or cupcake holder.

• In a separate bowl smush the reserved tomato flesh with the back of a spoon or fork until there are no large chunks. Don't totally puree it, just chop it up. Combine the tomatoes with the rice, roasted corn, spinach, and seasonings. Heat the mixture up in a frypan until well combined and heated thru. Note: the original recipe doesn't call for this step, but I wanted the stuffing to be hot before putting it into the tomatoes and baking - trying to limit the time the tomatoes needed to be in the oven. Remove from heat and add a small handful of the cheese. 

• Preheat broiler. Stuff the whole tomatoes with the tomato rice mixture until rounded on the top. Top with shredded cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted. If you didn't heat the mixture before stuffing the tomatoes you'll want to leave the tomatoes in the oven until they are heated thru.
  
  
  
  

I served these with grilled pork tenderloin and set the stuffed tomatoes on a bed of raw spinach leaves to add a little more veg and make the plate look pretty. So good!!!

one year ago: cauliflower waffles
two years ago: Barbie soap - wrong but funny.

Around the Campfire (week 35)

Dear Campers:

Hobbes: Well, summer is almost over. It sure went quick, didn't it?
Calvin: Yep. There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.

This week's recap and some random chitchat about the happenings at 'day camp':

Posts you might have missed~

8/26: around the campfire (week 34)
8/27: updating an old purse
8/28: s'mores cookies
8/29: coconut rum cake 
8/30: photo storage cheat sheet
8/31: rustic chandelier
9/1:  painted cow skull

What's cooking ~

• grilled chicken, angel hair pasta tossed with roasted tomatoes, chopped spinach, and homemade croutons (click to see how to make them) from leftover ciabatta rolls
• grilled ahi tuna, greek salad (chopped tomatoes, cukes, feta cheese tossed with a little olive oil and seasoning)
• grilled pork chops with homemade rhubarb bbq sauce (I'll share the recipe soon!), perfect baked sweet potatoes (click for easy directions), roasted green beans from the garden
• grilled steak, caesar salad with homemade croutons
• mussels provencal (we went out and I ordered this - if I had a bucket list of foods I want to learn to make mussels would be on it. In fact, I'm starting a food bucket list right now!)
• spiced rubbed pork tenderloin, roasted corn and rice stuffed tomatoes with spinach

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy but not interesting enough for an entire post ~

• figured out how to arm knit and made a large pink throw that looks like a giant net - Dave asked if I was going to catch fish with it. I'll post it soon.
• bought some cord crimps and ribbon clasps to experiment with different jewelry techniques. More on that later.
• read another Diane Mott Davidson "Goldy the crime solving caterer" book called "Dark Tort". It was good enough to keep me entertained for a couple days. I need a break from these books tho and have just started re-reading all the Harry Potter books. 
• went to see "The Meg", a movie out right now about a megalodon shark thing that was stupid. And not scary. Best part of the movie (other than when it was finally over) was the popcorn.
• tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. I'm up to my ears in tomatoes. I'm naming this coming week "what to do with too many tomatoes week". Catchy, I know. 

Have a great week, check in often please! Go be amazing peeps :)

Your camp counselor, Jill 

Painted Cow Skull

I didn't make this but I wish I did! LeDonna knows the lady that painted and decorated it (she has a store in DeTour Village, MI called Timberdoodle), and when L saw it she said she immediately thought of me (yay!), and sent me picture of it - said that I'd either love it or be creeped out by it...yep, I love it! What do you think - cool or creepy? The old skull is painted in my favorite rustic distressed style and colors - and she wound a ton of different colored wire strung with beads around the horns to really make it pop. I hung it in our dining room and it's so striking, so different and original, and totally my style. Thanks again L for finding this for me!

two years ago: mini succulent shadow box