It Is Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

From the Father Christmas Festival In Mahone Bay:

 

On the veranda of the post office

 

At a local bed and breakfast

 

At a local spa

 

At the Have A Yarn store

 

To the crowded Saturday morning Seaport Market in Halifax

 

 

 

To the garden

 

 

 

 

 

And the house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last of the Autumn Browns

 

 

 

Pattern: K3P1 ribbing

Yarn: Fortissima Socka

Colour: 1083

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

 

And in Christmas preparations:

 

 Tourtière

 

 

I have been using the same pie crust recipe for decades.  It is called Nun's Pastry because it was taught in a cooking course at a Montreal cooking school run by nuns. It uses lard, not shortening, and it is no fail. It always rolls out beautifully and always makes a perfect, tender pie crust.

 

 

This recipe appeared in a 1970's Canadian Living Magazine special Christmas recipe edition.

The ground pork filling is aromatic with ingredients like summer savory, onions, garlic, and cloves.

 

I normally don't use an egg glaze on my pastry but it somehow suits a meat pie.

 

 

I love the silicone pie rim. No more burnt edges on an otherwise lovely crust!

 

 

And voilà!

Traditional French Canadian Tourtière for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pease Porridge Hot

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,

Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot, nine days old

 



A few weeks ago, I read an interesting article in a British newspaper, The Guardian, on how to make perfect porridge. The author points out that the body digests oatmeal slowly, allowing for a release of energy over a longer period of time, and a fuller feeling. 

 

I feel far more virtuous after consuming a bowl of homemade porridge than I ever did eating boxed, processed cereals.

 

Coincidentally, around the same time as the article appeared, Movita asked me how I made porridge when the children were growing up as she had a yen for it again. Her sister also still enjoys an occasional bowl. Well, I don't make it quite like I used to (rolled oats, brown sugar, a beaten egg, etc.). For one thing, tastes change over the decades. And for another, better ingredients are more readily available around here now. Years ago, it was not possible to pop to the store and pick up steel cut oatmeal or Demerara sugar.

 

And as you can see if you read the article, there are many different approaches to cooking porridge and you have to find the blend of ingredients and techniques that suit you personally.

 

 

I start with Scottish oats. Or Scottish or Irish steel cut oats. They seem more substantial and less gluey when cooking than regular rolled oats.

 

 

The proportions of liquid to oatmeal can vary.

I use 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup of milk, and 1/4 cup of oatmeal for a ratio of 3:1.

 

A dash of cinnamon

 

 

A wee pinch of salt

 

Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps. Then let simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes (longer if using steel cut oatmeal).

 

 

Add a bit of additional milk if the porridge seems to be getting too thick.

 

 

Place hot porridge in a bowl and top a sprinkling of Demerara sugar

 

Add cold milk to form a moat around the hot porridge and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Salad Ever - And It's With Kale!

I've mentioned before how much I love the produce from Ironwood Farm. Yesterday, Movita arrived with another Ironwood box of good things - including beautiful bags of baby spinach and kale.
I looked at a number of recipes for kale salad and then devised my own, based on the research, and the ingredients on hand. It turned out to be one of the best salads we have ever eaten!

 Kale Salad Recipe:

Four servings:
About five cups of kale, chopped into very small pieces and massaged to release the aroma of the fresh greens and to soften the texture
Manzanilla olives, sliced
Two small tomatoes, coarsely diced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
Small red pepper, diced
Feta cheese, about a two inch cube, crumbled

Dressing:
I made up a mixture of 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and tossed the salad with enough to moisten adequately.

And here's another pair of socks - basic, timeless tweed.

 

Pattern: K4P2 Ribbing
Yarn: Trekking Tweed
Colour: 260
Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

I have wanted to start a pullover for myself for ages, using this lovely yarn I purchased at a yarn store in Lille, France that Isa urged me to explore, but somehow I always end up starting another pair of socks! I swear that any day now, I will settle on a pattern size and cast on a turtleneck for the winter. This yarn is a blend of wool, silk, rayon, and cashmere.

Golden Girl gave me Amy Herzog's Knit To Flatter - a marvellous book about choosing the right size, style, amount of negative or positive ease, etc. to produce a sweater that fits well and flatters. I am going to use that as my guide.

A Purl of a Gurl

Look what arrived in the mail today!

A surprise package from Melissa, in Toronto, who asked her brother to pick this up when he was in New York.

 

 I have never been to New York. We sometimes talk about going and if we went, I would surely go to Purl Soho. They have such a lovely website. The colours they use, the yarns and other materials, the projects they feature, the beautiful photography, all make you want to stop whatever you are doing and work on whatever they are highlighting that day

 

And just last week, I was lamenting that I did not have a good bag, just the right size, for carrying my knitting projects around! Grocery bags do nothing to enhance your creativity. Now I can tote my work in style.

 

Thank you so much, Melissa. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated even more than the lovely bag itself. And thanks to Derek for making a side trip!

Still In Brown Mode

 

Pattern: K4, P2 ribbing

Yarn: Plucky Feet

Colour: Mud Room

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

 

This is the first time I have used yarn from The Plucky Knitter. Her lovely colours are what tempted me to give the sock yarn a try. I do feel that it is on the heavy fingering side, somewhat reminiscent of the Dream in Color yarn base in terms of gauge. Plucky Feet has good stitch definition and though it doesn't feel to me as soft as Dream in Color, a knitter on Ravelry commented that it softened considerably with washing. It will be interesting now to see how well it holds up. Certainly, there have been no posted complaints in that regard.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, 2.0

2.0 reminds me in many ways of my father. And that is the nicest compliment anyone could ever give him. My father was a lovely man.

2.0  is hard working, methodical, conscientious, kind, and thoughtful. An excellent golfer and responsible family man. The kind of man you refer to as "salt of the earth".

So here's to 2.0!

Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Haddums

 

What can we add that Movita has not already said in her four day love letter to you, Golden Girl?

 

Your inner self never changes from that winsome, delightful little girl. May she live forever.

Shades of Brown

 

 

 

 

Pattern: Brainy Lady's Basic Cabled Socks

Yarn: Fortissima Socka

Colour: 1082

Needles: Circular - 2.25 mm

 

I have gone back many times to Brainy Lady's Basic Cabled Socks pattern. It is easy to knit, the ribbed design allows for a flexible fit, and the side cables add interest. This is an example of another generous knitter, who shared a great design with everyone, free of charge.

 

 

Plucky Feet by The Plucky Knitter

Colour - Map Room

 

 

Once or twice a year (usually at Christmas), I place an order with an independent dyer. This summer, I got two skeins of sock yarn from the Plucky Knitter. Her colors are luscious. Unfortunately, because I broke my wrist, I did not have much of a chance to try them out but I am going to cast on any day now!

 

The Late Linda Lietash

A Lietash Farm Chicken

 

 

Lietash Farm

 

Nora's dog trainer, Bob Ottenbrite,  and his wife, Zdena, operate Lietash Farm in South Rawdon, Nova Scotia. They have chickens and turkeys, geese and ducks, pigs and sheep and llamas. We purchased a couple of their chickens early in the summer. The chickens, I can tell you from experience, are absolutely delicious!

 

I like to cut into wedges whatever piece of fruit I happen to have on hand (an orange, apple, lemon - once I had none so used an onion), and stuff the wedges into the chicken cavity with lots of garlic cloves, and either rosemary or thyme. The chicken meat does not taste of any one of these ingredients but I firmly believe that they make the meat more flavourful and juicier.

 

I also pour lemon juice over the breast of the chicken before placing it on a small roasting rack, breast side, and roast it at 350 degrees F. for about thirty minutes. Then I turn the chicken over and cook until done.

 

 

 

 

Rosie Beaucoup's Box of Sox

 

 

 

 

A Day At The Cottage and Other Tales

We had a wonderful day at the Dunkleys' cottage this month - great conversation, great food, and great scenery. The cottage gardens are more beautiful each year and really suit the woodland setting.

 

 

This was Nora's first visit to the cottage and she loved it.

 

 

Dave was very patient with her, making her lie down and calm down before he threw the floating  toy for her to retrieve.

 

 

She could play this game endlessly.

 

 

Ah, retrievers...

 

 

Yesterday, I acquired a pair of Addi Turbo Sock Rockets from Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay.

 

I am a great fan of Addi needles and when I first saw a review for the Sock Rockets, I was keen to give them a try.  I cast on a cabled sock pattern this morning and they don't disappoint. They combine the quality of Addi with the sharp tip of Knit Picks products. They feel great in the hand and the stitches glide off the needles.

 

 

 

Ironwood Farm Kale

 

Ironwood Farm Carrots and Chard

 

The Nova Scotia government has announced that it is issuing specialized licence plates to support the Buy Local movement. I think it is a great idea.

 

And, finally, the sweet satisfaction of finishing Lucy Darling's Sweet Peasy sweater! I had it three quarters done when I fractured my wrist so it has been languishing for most of the summer in the yarn drawer.

 

 

Pattern: Sweet Peasy

Yarn: Ultra Pima by Cascade Yarns

Colour: 3748

Needles: Circular - 4.5 mm.