(mis)adventures of spindlerose

Ten on Tuesday: My refrigerator

Every week, Carole suggests a list of ten things. This week's topic is 10 things in my refrigerator right now.

1. Leftover pizza from Saturday night's "I don't wanna cook." All that remains is 1 slice of sausage and mushroom and 1 slice of cheese.
2. Cheese, glorious cheese. Whenever I visit Wisconsin (or anyone from Wisconsin visits me), I haul as much cheese as I can squeeze into my luggage. There are a few 1 lb. tubs of Merkt's Port Wine Cheddar and Swiss Almond spreads and several pounds of Grassland Extra Sharp cheddar (the cheese of my childhood brown bag lunches, grilled cheese sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese).
3. Red pepper, green pepper, and cucumber salad with homemade red wine and herb vinaigrette. This is D's favorite salad and we eat it frequently, so I usually chop up several days worth at one time. I chopped up a big bowl of it last night.
4. Tuscan kale
5. romaine lettuce
6. napa cabbage
7. green beans
8. colorful baby carrots
9. apples and pears
10. Maitake mushrooms

The last six items came in last week's box from Washington's Green Grocer. I have plans for almost everything on the list: the romaine, napa cabbage, and carrots are turning into lunchtime salads; the kale will be added to soup tomorrow night; and the fruit will be afternoon snacks and baked into desserts. Do you have any suggestions for what to do with the mushrooms? I'm excited to try them, but none of my usual internet recipe sources have turned up recipes.

It's alive!

Food science, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

Periodically, my husband decides to clean out the refrigerator when I am safely out of town. Last March, he decided that the sourdough starter (I had tended and baked with for almost 10 years) was an unknown, probably unsafe, science experiment. In short, he threw it away.

Since I bake very little during the spring and summer, I waited to start over. I thought about ordering more starter from King Arthur Flour and even put it into a shopping cart last week. Yesterday, I decided to try culturing my own from scratch. About an hour after I fed the sponge this morning, I was greeted by bubbles! An hour after that, the mixture of about 1 cup rye flour and 3/4 cup warm water had expanded to almost fill a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup.

It looks like I colonized my very sterile kitchen with the crazy yeast that ate eastern Massachusetts (or at least every refrigerator I shared started with) when we moved in almost 5 years ago. I remember how awful the first couple batches of bread I baked after we moved were because the house was new and sterile.

If I tend this experiment carefully for the next few days, I will bake my first batch of bread with the new starter this weekend. I can't wait.

Sunday spinning

Sunday spinning, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

I spun half of the batt yesterday and half this afternoon. This is today's spinning. After I took the picture, I wound the cop off onto a TP tube (universal storage bobbin for the very cheap) for it's resting period. I will probably wait to ply it until Friday so I can use it as a demo for session two of my spindle spinning class.

Tonight while watching the Red Sox, I will finish one (of three) pair of socks in progress. Look for pictures tomorrow.

Saturday afternoon

Saturday afternoon plans, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

Finally, some spinning.

I've been dragging this batt to classes as an example of effects you can achieve with a batt that you cannot achieve with hand-dyed top or roving. As a result, it has become just a bit ratty. I decided to put it out of its misery this afternoon and turn it into yarn. I managed to spin half of it into singles before my hands and arms declared that it was time for me to do something else. I'll finish the singles tomorrow, and ply on Monday.

For the record, it is a romney batt, colorway is Peter's Basket, dyed and carded by a friend who is no longer selling fiber with my favorite Bosworth spindle.

Fall grass and soup

Fall grass, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

I'm feeling much better today. I think the walks to and from Metro for my doctor appointment yesterday helped. So far all tests are normal, and I start physical therapy Monday.

I did a bit more walking today, and snapped the lovely grass above along our neighborhood bike path. It fits the slight crispness in the air today. As did the tasty soup I made (from the leftovers of the produce box from a 2 weeks ago) for lunch today.

Potato Kale Soup Modified from recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

1-1/2 c aromatics. Today I used half of a large onion, 2 shallots, and 2 cloves garlic. The original recipe calls for 1 c onion and 2/3 c leeks
1 T canola oil
1/2 t salt
4 c chicken or veggie stock
4 c coarsly chopped potatoes
1/2 c diced celery
1/2 t dried dill weed
1/2 t dried basil
1/4 t ground fennel
bay leaf
2 T dry white wine
4 c shredded kale
2 t Dijon mustard
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over low heat in 3-4 quart soup pot. Add aromatics and salt. Sweat over low heat until thunder (5-7 minutes).

Add stock, potatoes, herbs, fennel, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Purée (I use my stick blender for this) until smooth.

In a separate pan, boil kale until just tender.

Add kale, mustard, and milk to purée. Season to taste and reheat gently to just below boiling.

This soup does not freeze well--the potato starch gets weird and the kale loses its bright green color.

This week's lesson

Knitting (even small things like socks) is challenging when you cannot sit for more than about 5 minutes at a time. I have spent the past two days mostly standing or lying on my back thanks to something bad happening in my low back. When I sit pretty much anywhere for more than a few minutes, my one (or both when I'm really lucky) of my feet go to sleep.

Today, I saw the doctor, had x-rays, and picked up a prescription for PT. Since walking is much less unpleasant than driving, I took the Metro downtown. I hope that whatever this is ends soon.

My biggest disappointment is that whatever this is has prevented me from running for the past few weeks. I will be cheering my friends Sunday morning rather than running the half-marathon with them.

Custard heals most ills

, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

I had a not great day today, so I ran away to The Dairy Godmother late thie afternoon. I intended to take a photo before I started eating my peach cobbler with vanilla custard, but it was too tempting. Tomorrow should be better; I don't think it can be much worse.

Ten on Tuesday

I'm starting to have trouble coming up with good blog topics and it's only the 14th. Inspired by many of my friends, I've signed up for <a href="http://caroleknits.net/" target="new">Carole's</a> 10 on Tuesday. 

Today's topic is 10 Reasons to watch football.

1. It is fun.
2. Three hours of knitting time per game.
3. Three hours of spinning time per game.
4. I get to spend quality time with D. I grew up watching the Packers, the Badgers, and my high school team, but got away from watching football in college. Shortly after D and I got engaged, I found myself shopping for a television with him so that he could indulge his Sunday afternoon football addiction.
5. Fantasy football. D and I participate in 2 longstanding leagues (both have been going for over 10 years) with college friends. Draft weekend is a great chance to reconnect with those friends and find out what has happened in their lives in the past year.
6. It gives me a chance to pull out my <a href="http://www.cheesehead.com/products.asp_Q_catid_E_6" target="new">foam cheese</a>.
7. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in tight pants.
8. It gives me something to chat with my parents and siblings about.
9. Excellent snacks. Bratwurst anyone?
10. At least one day a week, D and I do not fight over who controls the remote.

And she does it again

Tonight, the mystery sock looks like it did yesterday, complete with 3 sides of a sock on one coiled needle. I'd take another picture, but it's dark outside. Imagine another 20 rows of lace added to yesterday's progress. I think it might be time to move this project to serial knitting or to stop working on it when I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open.

Football and knitting don't always mix

Aargh, originally uploaded by SpindleRose.

Right around the time Aaron Rodgers threw his first quarter interception this afternoon, I grabbed the wrong tip and ended up with the mess above. Remember that I said that getting through the two socks on two circular needles would be a challenge for me? As you can see, I wasn't kidding.