Happy New Year!

To wrap up 2008,here are a few random statistics from this year:

I uploaded 658 photos into Flickr.

I used more than 4 pounds of butter in my holiday baking.

I completed 51 knit and crochet projects. This does not include completed afghan squares that are not yet an afghan but it does include:

10 washcloths/dishcloths.
6 pair of felted slippers.
5 bracelets.
4 bunny rabbits.
4 scarves.
3 pair of socks.
2 pair of baby socks.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? My goal for 2008 was to learn to knit and it was the first time I've ever made good on my resolutions. My resolutions for 2009 include getting back into the habit of exercising regularly, knitting my first adult-sized sweater, and knitting lace.

Here's wishing you all the best in the coming year. Have an enjoyable but safe night. I'll be at home knitting and watching movies, cuz that is what you do when you have a 4 year old, New Year's Eve falls on a weeknight, and grandma is out of town.

A Plague Upon Our House

My baking, and therefore blogging about it, came to an abrupt end early this week when Ethan came down with a nasty stomach bug. Naturally, as a thank you for cuddling him, babying him, and washing his sheets at midnight... he passed the bug on to me. He recovered for a day and then relapsed so we were miserable together, right up to Christmas Day. We were able to spend the day with family, assuming we'd been sick so long, we couldn't possibly be contagious anymore. Though, I suppose I should look at it from the positive side... I didn't gain any extra weight from stuffing myself on Christmas dinner and sweets or over indulging on wine, because I just couldn't stomach it. I was hoping to share a couple more cookie recipes, but I guess this means I can save them for next year.

On the knitting/crocheting front, I did manage to finish all but one of my gifts. On top of the things I blogged about previously, I managed to finish one more pair of slippers, a wrap, a washcloth, bath mitt, afghan, and a headband. The one thing I didn't finish was a scarf for my sister. For some reason, now I'm having trouble getting back to it. It is the day after Christmas and I don't want to knit! My mom ordered a volume of the Barbara Walker Treasury for me as a Christmas gift and Cliff gave me a gift certificate to the yarn shop, so I'm definitely well armed.

The snow is finally melting but the wind is picking up. The snow level is supposed jump up and we're supposed to have flooding by next week. We just can't win when it comes to weather this month.

So, I'm off to force myself to work on the scarf. If I manage to avoid it, I'll be uploading photos from Christmas...

Blondies

Blondies, adapted from Great American Home Baking

These are a dense and chewy cookie, technically a blonde-colored brownie. As far as I can tell, GAHB is out of print and I’ve been using this recipe for about 10 years now.

The TOOLS:
9 x 13 baking pan
Electric mixer
Spoon/rubber spatula
Toothpick/cake tester
Wire rack
Knife

The CAST:
2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (yes, when it says sifted, I sift. Not doing so can affect the texture of your cookie.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup light cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips


Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.








Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.










Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cream and vanilla.











At low speed, beat in dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth.

Fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick should come out almost clean. (If you are using a dark pan like me, watch it carefully because it goes from done to overdone quickly.)



Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut blondies into bars when cooled.











Variations: You can substitute peanut butter or another favorite chip for the butterscotch. Add 3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts with the chips if you like nuts.

Mint Frangos

Mint Frangos are a yummy, creamy chocolate candy that has its roots in a Frederick & Nelson's department store in downtown Seattle in 1927. The current incarnation of the original Frango is sold at Macy's Department Stores in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Macy's across the rest of the country sell a Frango made from a different recipe. This recipe is a good imitation, though not an exact duplicate, of the original Northwest Frango.

Unfortunately, I made a batch of these before I decided to blog about it, so the photos are limited. As much I would love to make another batch for the sake of properly documenting the process with photos, Frangos are very rich and creamy, and hard to resist... and if I had more of them in my refrigerator, I wouldn't have a reason to resist them.

I honestly have no idea where this recipe came from. My mom has been making it for at least 30 years and for all I know, it could be a family secret... and I'm sharing it with the 6 people who read my blog.

The TOOLS:

2 qt saucepan (It is best to use a pan that does not have Teflon or any special coatings, because you will be using a hand mixer in the pan and you wouldn't want to ruin that pretty coating.)
spoon/rubber spatula
electric hand mixer
8x8 or 9x11 pan, greased and lined with waxed paper (size depends on how thick you like them... I actually don't have either size on hand, so I use 9x9 and I like 'em thick)

The CAST:

1 cup butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1-1/4 pound powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons peppermint extract

As you can see in the photo, my dry ingredients are in rectangular containers. I put most of my staples in containers like this for two reasons... 1) it makes organizing my pantry MUCH easier (yes I'm just that organized) and 2) it keeps out bugs. With that, I'm hoping you can read the labels on the containers and trust me that they contain what I say they do.

Melt the butter in a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat.

Add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate and 1 cup milk chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted.

Once chocolate is melted, add powdered sugar and combine. You can begin stirring by hand, but it will become very stiff and require a hand mixer to get mixed completely.

Beat in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons peppermint until creamy. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate. Be sure to lick the spoon/spatula.

Once set, you should be able to slip them right out of the pan with the waxed paper and cut them up. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to one week. They do require refrigeration because of the eggs.

If you're the adventurous type and have a favorite flavor other than peppermint, try replacing it. Peppermint tends to be a strong flavor so you may need more of your chosen flavor.

Designated Baker

Aside from a pile of holiday knitting, (which is nearly done!) holiday baking is underway at our house. I am the family designated baker... a position I inherited from my mom a few years ago. Basically, this means just about everyone I know wants (and sometimes expects) me to bring an assortment of holiday favorites to just about every social occasion during the holidays. It is a good thing I love baking! I try to do less of it because honestly, who needs the calories? but during the holidays, it just wouldn't be Christmas without tons of homemade goodies to stuff ourselves with.

There are a few staples that are "required" such as fudge and mint frangos, and then there are my personal favorites, which aren't necessarily seasonal but seriously yummy like orange bars, blondies, and mud bars. Ethan's current favorite is chocolate chocolate chip cookies. In past years I've made these with butterscotch chips but he insisted on chocolate. I think the kid is definitely like his momma and grandma when it comes to sweets... can't resist them.

Many of the recipes are not my own, so I'll share links to a couple of my favorites: Alton Brown's Peanut Butter Fudge recipe is a big hit. They are wonderfully creamy and very easy to make. One of my all-time favorites is Paula Deen's Orange "Brownies", which don't have any chocolate in them at all so I don't know why they're called brownies. I usually call them orange bars, because calling them a brownie confuses people. They are rich and sweet, and use real orange in the bar with an orange icing glaze.

Over the next few days, I hope to share some of my favorite recipes and the final results of my Christmas knitting. Stay tuned!

Mother's Day

Ahhh, Mother’s Day. My son made a card for Grandma, at my suggestion, and Grandma enjoyed it very much. I was finally able to put a photo of my Needle Cozy up on Ravelry. Since it was a Mother’s Day gift for my mom and she is on Ravelry, I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. I put 2 sets of needles in it for her, and now that she is getting more into knitting I’m sure she will use them.

My sister and her SO and my brother and his wife and kids drove up and we spent a beautiful sunny (though somewhat windy) day on the deck enjoying each other’s company and lots of good food. Brilliant photographer that I am, I FORGOT my cameras… both of them! So, there is no photographic evidence of the day, but we had fun. I made rhubarb crisp! The rhubarb came out of my mom’s garden. To me, rhubarb crisp is a signature of spring/summer. I’d share the recipe, but it’s a family secret.

I received my deposit from the IRS on Friday… $600 for economic stimulation. Too bad I have to send it right back to them for self-employment taxes.

My first socks!

They’re done! I finally finished my first pair of socks! I photographed them, but now I’m putting 3D paint on the soles so I don’t slip and kill myself on my hardwood floors. The yarn is Järbo Garn Raggi Multi in a green/blue/brown and the pattern is Cable Twist Socks by Adrian Bizilia. It took a little over a month to complete them (with many other projects going on in between). It appears that I knit socks *really* tight… Just socks, not all DPN projects or all round projects, just socks. Since this was my very first pair, that could change…

I placed a big ol’ Knitpicks order today. My mom decided we should go in on a set of Harmony Needles. So, since I already had free shipping with that, I decided to order some yarn, Harmony DPNs, and a book, and… and… and… so $200 later, I have all kinds of goodies that’ll arrive in a week or so.

My mom & I (I’m blaming mom for ALL the money I spent today) decided to go to our LYS today where I bought the Spring 2008 IK, some Happy Feet sock yarn, and finally picked up my pattern for the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs. I think the clogs are likely to be a big Christmas gift this year.

Ethan & I baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies yesterday so I’m off to give some to my neighbors to thank them for mowing my lawn after I hurt my ankle.

Baking

Usually, I save my baking energy for Christmastime, but in an effort to eat healthier and not go broke (it shouldn't have to cost more to eat better!) I have decided to make my own bread from time to time. Today it was French bread. I've made this particular recipe before; it works quite well and tastes yummy! Its actually from what should be the basic cookbook in EVERY home (IMO), the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. You know the one... it has the red gingham cover. My mom used this book frequently when we were growing up and now it is the first book I grab when looking for the basics. There are so many new, specialized, gourmet, and fancy cookbooks out there and I admit I own some of them, but this one has never let me down.

I enjoy baking a lot, but don't do it as much as I would like because someone (usually me) has to eat what I've baked. I'm hoping if I move toward fewer cakes and cookies and more breads and healthier muffins, I'll enjoy baking just as much but consume fewer calories as a result :)