Saturday, February 06, 2010
Feather and Fan Scarf
It's another rainy weekend…and a perfect time to finish the Wavy Scarf that I started months ago. It’s blocking right now, and I’ll be wearing it to Stitches West this year.
There were a few modifications I made to the pattern: I used 32" US size 10 circular needles, completed 11 repeats, and switched yarns about every 3 rows. It's no coincidence that my yarn stash is all in the same color family so it was a great way to use it. My next project will look just like this scarf but in a cowl form. I just love how the feather and fan looks with all these yarns mixed together.
Yarns used to knit this scarf include: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Berry, Crystal Palace Panda Silk DK in Sangria, Recycled Sari Silk, Manos del Uruguay wool in Mulled Wine, Louisa Harding Mariposa in Magenta Burgundy, Manos Silk Blend in Woodland, Tofutsies sock yarn #733 Get Your Feet Wet, Rowan Tapestry in Antique, Shibui Baby Alpaca DK in Mulberry, Noro Silk Garden Chunky, Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Pink, Cascade 220 Quatro #9433, and Malabrigo in Velvet Grapes.
So what's cooking? Not much really. It's more like what's BLENDING now. Read on...
One fruit I look forward to enjoying in Winter is the guava. We have two trees in our backyard, and the smaller one actually has a larger crop this year. What a perfect way to use my Christmas gift: a Vita-Mix 5200. I strain out the seeds after blending yogurt, guavas, bananas and agave nectar in the Vita-Mix. Whatever you've heard and read about this blender is true. I was thinking about getting it for months, but my sister must have read my mind. I'm so tickled that I can blend carrots, tomatoes, spinach and fruit together and have a quick, healthful smoothie with me all day at work.
Of course, my favorite smoothies include fruit. Today I made one with yogurt, strawberries, mangos, bananas and guavas...super delicious. There are still lots of soup recipes I'm planning on making with our new Vita-Mix including masoor daal, cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom and a butternut squash/chipotle soup I saw on the new Food TV show Mexican Made Easy with Marcela Valladolid. There's still plenty of cold weather ahead according to this little fellow, and what a better food than soup to warm us up.
Strawberries are a year round crop here in Oxnard (and probably the Central Coast as well). As a matter of fact, on my way to work yesterday, I saw the strawberry fields dotted with field workers donned in bright yellow raincoats. It's an amazing sight to see a field full of yellow raincoats, but also a poignant reminder that field work isn't for the weak of heart. The summer crop always tastes the best, though these Winter berries photographed here aren't bad at all. You can still taste the natural sweetness coming through every bite. And having them grown locally is a bonus during Winter when fruit seems scarce or just seems like slim pickings.
And speaking of natural sweetness, have you ever had raw garbanzos? My Mom used to snack on them while watching her novelas (Spanish soap operas). The only way I'm familiar with enjoying them is straight out of the husk or sauteed quickly with a little olive oil and salt. If you have any ideas of using raw garbanzos, please comment here or email me. I'd love to incorporate them more into my cooking. They are so satisfying like edamame...crunchy and naturally sweet.
There were a few modifications I made to the pattern: I used 32" US size 10 circular needles, completed 11 repeats, and switched yarns about every 3 rows. It's no coincidence that my yarn stash is all in the same color family so it was a great way to use it. My next project will look just like this scarf but in a cowl form. I just love how the feather and fan looks with all these yarns mixed together.Yarns used to knit this scarf include: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Berry, Crystal Palace Panda Silk DK in Sangria, Recycled Sari Silk, Manos del Uruguay wool in Mulled Wine, Louisa Harding Mariposa in Magenta Burgundy, Manos Silk Blend in Woodland, Tofutsies sock yarn #733 Get Your Feet Wet, Rowan Tapestry in Antique, Shibui Baby Alpaca DK in Mulberry, Noro Silk Garden Chunky, Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Pink, Cascade 220 Quatro #9433, and Malabrigo in Velvet Grapes.So what's cooking? Not much really. It's more like what's BLENDING now. Read on...
One fruit I look forward to enjoying in Winter is the guava. We have two trees in our backyard, and the smaller one actually has a larger crop this year. What a perfect way to use my Christmas gift: a Vita-Mix 5200. I strain out the seeds after blending yogurt, guavas, bananas and agave nectar in the Vita-Mix. Whatever you've heard and read about this blender is true. I was thinking about getting it for months, but my sister must have read my mind. I'm so tickled that I can blend carrots, tomatoes, spinach and fruit together and have a quick, healthful smoothie with me all day at work.
Of course, my favorite smoothies include fruit. Today I made one with yogurt, strawberries, mangos, bananas and guavas...super delicious. There are still lots of soup recipes I'm planning on making with our new Vita-Mix including masoor daal, cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom and a butternut squash/chipotle soup I saw on the new Food TV show Mexican Made Easy with Marcela Valladolid. There's still plenty of cold weather ahead according to this little fellow, and what a better food than soup to warm us up. Strawberries are a year round crop here in Oxnard (and probably the Central Coast as well). As a matter of fact, on my way to work yesterday, I saw the strawberry fields dotted with field workers donned in bright yellow raincoats. It's an amazing sight to see a field full of yellow raincoats, but also a poignant reminder that field work isn't for the weak of heart. The summer crop always tastes the best, though these Winter berries photographed here aren't bad at all. You can still taste the natural sweetness coming through every bite. And having them grown locally is a bonus during Winter when fruit seems scarce or just seems like slim pickings.And speaking of natural sweetness, have you ever had raw garbanzos? My Mom used to snack on them while watching her novelas (Spanish soap operas). The only way I'm familiar with enjoying them is straight out of the husk or sauteed quickly with a little olive oil and salt. If you have any ideas of using raw garbanzos, please comment here or email me. I'd love to incorporate them more into my cooking. They are so satisfying like edamame...crunchy and naturally sweet.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Rainy Day Food
The rain came yesterday at noon, but it wasn't forecasted to begin till Sunday evening. I guess not everything is full proof. I still managed to make some "ceviche" which Kurt really loves. 
It's especially good in the summer time when you don't feel like cooking. But you could easily make it for your upcoming Superbowl gathering. My good friend Gina showed me this recipe years ago when she was living with us for a while. She called it cheater ceviche because you don't cook any raw fish in lime juice overnight like traditional ceviche. So let's be clear about this...it's good but it's not real ceviche. Hopefully your friends and family will forgive you once they try it...mine did. Enjoy!
Mock Ceviche
2 12-oz. cans of chunk light tuna, drained
1 lb. of 70/90 shrimp, cooked, deveined and chopped into bitesize pieces
1/4 c. Best Foods mayonnaise
4-5 medium roma tomatoes, drained of juice and chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 lemons OR 3 Tbsp. of lemon juice concentrate
avocado slices for garnish (I didn't have any today)
16-20 tostadas or tortilla chips and tapatio sauce
First incorporate the mayonnaise with the tuna really well before adding the rest of the ingredients. This amount easily makes 16 tostadas. The largest batch I ever made was for my niece's college graduation party a couple of years ago. I made about 4 gallons worth, and there was none leftover. I've never measured for this recipe, so I really had to make a conscious effort when making it this time around for the blog. 
Leave me a comment if you decide to try it.
It's especially good in the summer time when you don't feel like cooking. But you could easily make it for your upcoming Superbowl gathering. My good friend Gina showed me this recipe years ago when she was living with us for a while. She called it cheater ceviche because you don't cook any raw fish in lime juice overnight like traditional ceviche. So let's be clear about this...it's good but it's not real ceviche. Hopefully your friends and family will forgive you once they try it...mine did. Enjoy!Mock Ceviche2 12-oz. cans of chunk light tuna, drained
1 lb. of 70/90 shrimp, cooked, deveined and chopped into bitesize pieces
1/4 c. Best Foods mayonnaise
4-5 medium roma tomatoes, drained of juice and chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 lemons OR 3 Tbsp. of lemon juice concentrate
avocado slices for garnish (I didn't have any today)
16-20 tostadas or tortilla chips and tapatio sauce
First incorporate the mayonnaise with the tuna really well before adding the rest of the ingredients. This amount easily makes 16 tostadas. The largest batch I ever made was for my niece's college graduation party a couple of years ago. I made about 4 gallons worth, and there was none leftover. I've never measured for this recipe, so I really had to make a conscious effort when making it this time around for the blog. Leave me a comment if you decide to try it.Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year
Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade! May it be a healthy, productive and fulfilling year for us all.
I had some time off this week from work...so I experimented with an idea that hubby had about a Thanksgiving tamale. I added prepared cornbread stuffing with sauted celery and onions to the masa, and made the filling using turkey meat and gravy.
We came up with two kinds of sauces: cranberry chipotle sauce and traditional turkey gravy.
I had some time off this week from work...so I experimented with an idea that hubby had about a Thanksgiving tamale. I added prepared cornbread stuffing with sauted celery and onions to the masa, and made the filling using turkey meat and gravy.We came up with two kinds of sauces: cranberry chipotle sauce and traditional turkey gravy.Kurt calls this photo Hers and His tamales. Here's to 2010.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
On Family Traditions
Chances are if you are Latin American or know someone who is Latin American, they might be making tamales during the Christmas season. Tamales are definitely a Christmas tradition in our family. 
There are so many varieties of tamales throughout Mexico, Central America, South America and the Carribean that range from sweet to savory, from corn husk leaves to plantain, banana and corn stalk leaves. I remember enjoying corundas anytime we’d visit my Mom’s family in Morelia, Michoacan. My aunt would make plain corundas, so small yet so fragrant and satisfying. They are small, triangular shaped tamales wrapped in the tall green leaves of a corn stalk. I also had a Salvadorean friend who used to share banana leaf tamales that she and her family would make during Christmas. And I’ve also tried the tamales de elote that are sold at the local corner market. These are tamales made with sweet white corn, which is different than the nixtamal or hominy based tamale dough. My favorite kind of tamale though, is a pork tamale. There’s nothing better.
The two kinds we make are with corn husk leaves: green chile & cheese and pork in red sauce. Our morning began at 4AM. We got ready then headed to La Central Bakery on the corner of Sixth and Meta Street in downtown Oxnard. If you wait too long, there will be a line down the street and wrapped around the corner of Seventh Street. No joke. Then we stopped at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for the morning caffeine fix. It was going to be a long day.
The masa order this year: 50 lbs. of masa preparada (prepared hominy dough) and 4 packages of hojas de elote (dried corn husk leaves). Each package has approximately 120 corn husk leaves. This was enough to make 18 dozen pork tamales and 12 dozen green chile & cheese tamales. That’s 360 tamales total: 20 lbs. of masa was used for the green chile & cheese tamales, and the remaining 30 lbs. was used for the pork tamales. My sister uses a 1:1 masa-to-meat ratio. And at 0.67 cents/lb. for pork shoulder at Food 4 Less this time of year, it’s not a bad deal. Calculating our cost per tamale this year, the green chile & cheese were more expensive than the pork: 86 cents versus 58 cents per tamale. That calculation is based on supplies only. It does not include labor, mileage to get supplies, or cost of steaming them.
The amount of time it took for a sister team of two to prepare 30 dozen tamales? About 12 hours (we took an hour break for lunch) if you count only the preparation time, not the time needed to buy ingredients the evening before and the morning run to the bakery. And by preparing, I mean spreading each husk, filling it, wrapping it and placing one dozen raw tamales inside a Ziploc bag to freeze until they are ready to be steamed later this week. So those are the stats. Now here’s a little pictorial in case you haven’t seen one in its various prep stages. I didn’t remember to photograph the meat ones, but you get the idea. Once we got started, it was a race to get them done by evening time. Enjoy your Holiday traditions, whether they are making tamales or any other Holiday family tradition you cherish.
Stack up the tamales till you get a dozen, then place them into a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze till they are ready to steam.
There are so many varieties of tamales throughout Mexico, Central America, South America and the Carribean that range from sweet to savory, from corn husk leaves to plantain, banana and corn stalk leaves. I remember enjoying corundas anytime we’d visit my Mom’s family in Morelia, Michoacan. My aunt would make plain corundas, so small yet so fragrant and satisfying. They are small, triangular shaped tamales wrapped in the tall green leaves of a corn stalk. I also had a Salvadorean friend who used to share banana leaf tamales that she and her family would make during Christmas. And I’ve also tried the tamales de elote that are sold at the local corner market. These are tamales made with sweet white corn, which is different than the nixtamal or hominy based tamale dough. My favorite kind of tamale though, is a pork tamale. There’s nothing better.
The two kinds we make are with corn husk leaves: green chile & cheese and pork in red sauce. Our morning began at 4AM. We got ready then headed to La Central Bakery on the corner of Sixth and Meta Street in downtown Oxnard. If you wait too long, there will be a line down the street and wrapped around the corner of Seventh Street. No joke. Then we stopped at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for the morning caffeine fix. It was going to be a long day.
The masa order this year: 50 lbs. of masa preparada (prepared hominy dough) and 4 packages of hojas de elote (dried corn husk leaves). Each package has approximately 120 corn husk leaves. This was enough to make 18 dozen pork tamales and 12 dozen green chile & cheese tamales. That’s 360 tamales total: 20 lbs. of masa was used for the green chile & cheese tamales, and the remaining 30 lbs. was used for the pork tamales. My sister uses a 1:1 masa-to-meat ratio. And at 0.67 cents/lb. for pork shoulder at Food 4 Less this time of year, it’s not a bad deal. Calculating our cost per tamale this year, the green chile & cheese were more expensive than the pork: 86 cents versus 58 cents per tamale. That calculation is based on supplies only. It does not include labor, mileage to get supplies, or cost of steaming them.
The amount of time it took for a sister team of two to prepare 30 dozen tamales? About 12 hours (we took an hour break for lunch) if you count only the preparation time, not the time needed to buy ingredients the evening before and the morning run to the bakery. And by preparing, I mean spreading each husk, filling it, wrapping it and placing one dozen raw tamales inside a Ziploc bag to freeze until they are ready to be steamed later this week. So those are the stats. Now here’s a little pictorial in case you haven’t seen one in its various prep stages. I didn’t remember to photograph the meat ones, but you get the idea. Once we got started, it was a race to get them done by evening time. Enjoy your Holiday traditions, whether they are making tamales or any other Holiday family tradition you cherish.
First you spread the masa with a wide spoon onto a softened corn husk.
This is what is should look like. You don't want to spread it too thick or too thin. And you want it spread evenly.
Stack up the tamales till you get a dozen, then place them into a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze till they are ready to steam.Friday, December 18, 2009
Toasty Toes
I've been busy knitting and felting warm, fuzzy slippers. That's what I've been up to. Christmas knitting...and not too much to be overwhelmed. I had them done in time to give away yesterday to their recipients.
Fiber Trends Adult Clogs Pattern #A-33
I hope your Holiday season is going well. Today is tamale making day, so I'll be posting lots of pics of today's activities. And tomorrow we'll stop by Solvang for scrumptious cookies and pastries. We must take advantage of the non-rainy weather while we can. More pics later.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Toasty and Cozy Cabin Jacket
I have two finished projects to show you. I used the Offhand Designs knitting bag that I won at Loop & Leaf as a photo prop, just so you could see the beautiful detailed design of the leaf pattern. This is the Zelda Weekender in Foliage.
The first project is Toasty by Leslie Friend. I'm planning on making a dozen of these as Christmas gifts. If I can remember, I'll take a photo of the whole stack before wrapping them up with care. I bought some Berroco Lustra today at the Anacapa Fine Yarns Holiday party and Food Share fund raiser. It looks and feels luxurious with all the beautiful shimmer from the tencel, and I think it will make fantastic fingerless gloves for just about everyone on my Christmas list.
The first project is Toasty by Leslie Friend. I'm planning on making a dozen of these as Christmas gifts. If I can remember, I'll take a photo of the whole stack before wrapping them up with care. I bought some Berroco Lustra today at the Anacapa Fine Yarns Holiday party and Food Share fund raiser. It looks and feels luxurious with all the beautiful shimmer from the tencel, and I think it will make fantastic fingerless gloves for just about everyone on my Christmas list.
The other knitting project I have to show you took about 4 months to knit only because I wasn't knitting very much this summer. I'm very pleased with the results and have already been wearing it to work since it's been finally cold in Ventura.
The pattern is Cozy Cabin Log Jacket by Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli. The yarn is Mochi Plus by Crystal Palace in Violets Rainbow. It took about 13 balls (approx 1210 yards for the 44" size). Looking forward to taking more photos soon of the February Lady Sweater that I'm making my sister in Berroco Softwist and the FLS that I made for Nancy as a Christmas gift. She's already worn it to work this week.
This is definitely a sweater that lives up to its name...very cozy indeed. Thanks, Anne for doing all the math for this beautiful pattern.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
How I Spent My Weekend
I met Jared Flood this weekend. I even asked for a vacation day at work just so I could attend his book signing. 
Well, I didn’t have to…but you know there’s this taco stand in Santa Barbara called La Super Rica, and as long as I’m going to SB there should be a stop at La Super Rica somewhere on the itinerary. I ordered a tamal de verduras (a vegetable tamale covered in a white sauce), a #20 a gordita de frijoles (a thick corn tortilla stuffed inside with pinto beans) and a #6 a quesadilla de rajas (2 fresh corn tortillas topped with melted cheese, roasted chile pasilla strips, onions and herbs)…amazing, sublime, ethereal, but I digress. 
So where was I? Yes. I met Jared Flood! It was such a special occasion. I actually met him and heard his voice. It’s so interesting to meet someone you’ve only read about through the blogosphere. I wasn’t exactly sure what he looked like. Am I the only one? His photography is amazing, but he doesn't show his face too often on his blog. He was very gracious. He’s also younger than I thought. I'm so glad I took the opportunity to meet such a talented designer who has so much to offer our knitting community. I'm looking forward to knitting some of the patterns from Made In Brooklyn.
I got to Loop & Leaf early enough to get a parking spot behind the shop. I bought my copy of Made in Brooklyn, found a few skeins of Frog Tree alpaca in a beautiful shade of pumpkin for Nancy’s blanket, and I bought a raffle ticket. Loop & Leaf is celebrating their two year anniversary and is giving away three bags from Offhand Designs. All of the raffle ticket proceeds go to charity. And Jared would pick the winning ticket at Friday's book signing.
Being a scaredy cat about driving at night, I didn’t stay long at the book signing. I took a few photos, got my pattern booklet signed and headed home. What a party pooper I am! Celeste Varner's parents brought out some amazing hors d’oeuvres platters of stuffed figs, goat cheese with slivered almonds and drizzled honey, White Stilton cheese with dried apricots, and sparkling wine with jasmine tea ice cubes. I should have stayed. Just about the time I got back home, my cell phone starts ringing. I picked it up and it was Jared. I won the three bags! My heart fluttered and I think I may have screamed. I think I was hyperventilating too. The combination of Jared Flood calling me and winning three Offhand Designs bags was enough to make me lightheaded.
So today I went back to Loop & Leaf with Nancy and Stephanie. I got a beautiful Zelda Weekender in the Foliage leaf design along with a deluxe knitting clutch in the Jack green velvet design and a Stella Bella clutch in the Chicks in a Row design. You know a knitter can’t have too many bags. I feel so lucky to have won such an exquisite set of bags from Loop & Leaf. I think the only way to enjoy it more is to share it. I asked Nancy and Stephanie if they would accept the accessory bags as early Christmas gifts. And Nancy actually had a tougher decision to make. I offered her the choice of a completed February Lady Sweater in Berroco Alpaca Peat Mix #6277 or one of the Offhand Design accessory bags. Well, it was a tough choice but she went home with a warm hand knitted sweater. I will be sure to take photos of her wearing her hand knitter Christmas gift very soon! And Stephanie picked the super cute Stella Bella clutch.
We completed our field trip to Santa Barbara by stopping at Pascucci Restaurant for dinner. That Stephanie knows all of the great places to eat. There are Italian restaurants and there are Italian restaurants. This was the latter. (An obvious twist on one of my favorite lines in Casino Royale, where Eva Green's character, Vesper Lynd explains the difference between dinner jackets and dinner jackets). It was a good weekend.
Well, I didn’t have to…but you know there’s this taco stand in Santa Barbara called La Super Rica, and as long as I’m going to SB there should be a stop at La Super Rica somewhere on the itinerary. I ordered a tamal de verduras (a vegetable tamale covered in a white sauce), a #20 a gordita de frijoles (a thick corn tortilla stuffed inside with pinto beans) and a #6 a quesadilla de rajas (2 fresh corn tortillas topped with melted cheese, roasted chile pasilla strips, onions and herbs)…amazing, sublime, ethereal, but I digress. So where was I? Yes. I met Jared Flood! It was such a special occasion. I actually met him and heard his voice. It’s so interesting to meet someone you’ve only read about through the blogosphere. I wasn’t exactly sure what he looked like. Am I the only one? His photography is amazing, but he doesn't show his face too often on his blog. He was very gracious. He’s also younger than I thought. I'm so glad I took the opportunity to meet such a talented designer who has so much to offer our knitting community. I'm looking forward to knitting some of the patterns from Made In Brooklyn.I got to Loop & Leaf early enough to get a parking spot behind the shop. I bought my copy of Made in Brooklyn, found a few skeins of Frog Tree alpaca in a beautiful shade of pumpkin for Nancy’s blanket, and I bought a raffle ticket. Loop & Leaf is celebrating their two year anniversary and is giving away three bags from Offhand Designs. All of the raffle ticket proceeds go to charity. And Jared would pick the winning ticket at Friday's book signing.Being a scaredy cat about driving at night, I didn’t stay long at the book signing. I took a few photos, got my pattern booklet signed and headed home. What a party pooper I am! Celeste Varner's parents brought out some amazing hors d’oeuvres platters of stuffed figs, goat cheese with slivered almonds and drizzled honey, White Stilton cheese with dried apricots, and sparkling wine with jasmine tea ice cubes. I should have stayed. Just about the time I got back home, my cell phone starts ringing. I picked it up and it was Jared. I won the three bags! My heart fluttered and I think I may have screamed. I think I was hyperventilating too. The combination of Jared Flood calling me and winning three Offhand Designs bags was enough to make me lightheaded.
So today I went back to Loop & Leaf with Nancy and Stephanie. I got a beautiful Zelda Weekender in the Foliage leaf design along with a deluxe knitting clutch in the Jack green velvet design and a Stella Bella clutch in the Chicks in a Row design. You know a knitter can’t have too many bags. I feel so lucky to have won such an exquisite set of bags from Loop & Leaf. I think the only way to enjoy it more is to share it. I asked Nancy and Stephanie if they would accept the accessory bags as early Christmas gifts. And Nancy actually had a tougher decision to make. I offered her the choice of a completed February Lady Sweater in Berroco Alpaca Peat Mix #6277 or one of the Offhand Design accessory bags. Well, it was a tough choice but she went home with a warm hand knitted sweater. I will be sure to take photos of her wearing her hand knitter Christmas gift very soon! And Stephanie picked the super cute Stella Bella clutch.We completed our field trip to Santa Barbara by stopping at Pascucci Restaurant for dinner. That Stephanie knows all of the great places to eat. There are Italian restaurants and there are Italian restaurants. This was the latter. (An obvious twist on one of my favorite lines in Casino Royale, where Eva Green's character, Vesper Lynd explains the difference between dinner jackets and dinner jackets). It was a good weekend.
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