Wind! Snow flurries! See? We got some winter at last.
I spent the middle part of my day off on the road, going from Target to Michael’s to Linens ‘n Things, and finally to Sag Harbor and home. Home is best. New pillows, paper towels, laundry detergent, mail… I never found the 2.5-Quart Slow Cooker of my Dreams, though. That’s my newest quest.
I want to cook things, but I don’t want to have to come home and do a lot of cooking. With encouragement from T at work, I bought Beth Hensperger’s Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two (Drat! The Harvard Common Press website is under construction, and I can’t bring myself to link to A****n, so no link!). The recipes look delicious, many of them are simple, and the whole book is filled with practical information. It’s been a long time since I got creative in my kitchen, and this year, I’m aiming for more homemade. I’ll start once I get the Machine of My Dreams. There’s a store in town that might carry the one I want, so I’ll stop there tomorrow. I know it exists, at least!
Meanwhile, the Red Scarf I made on Sunday is blocking, and I started another one last night. It’s a simple bias scarf, in Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed with a stripe of Other Red Yarn every once in a while. Television knitting. I think I’ll manage to get these two done and mailed in plenty of time.
I’m still poking along on my other projects, and thinking about the direction I’d like my knitting to take this year. I have no big plans, or major projects in mind. I might let the yarn speak. I do have an itch to make a pair or two of mosaic socks from the patterns in Sensational Knitted Socks. Kathy posted the very same idea the other day — maybe we should do a two-knitter knit-along. Hmmm… Other knitting-wise, I am content to follow nobody, listen to the needles, and enjoy myself completely. I’d like to avoid too many deadlines this year, so that when one does approach it will be just one. I suppose I’ve just made another resolution!
Not Plain Jane 
Fresh start all around, huh? I know what you mean…I want to “knit from my stash” yet don’t want to not buy yarn, I want to grow in my creativity and not be locked into projects. While I was making dinner the other night I looked at my pantry and laughed. Perhaps I should “cook from my stash”? Try to empty out the shelves and my freezer and start anew. What creative meals would come from such a process in the kitchen? As the years go by, I find that I put less and less expectations on myself at the beginning of the year. Happiness and the feeling of satisfaction in being where I am is the goal now. Good luck in the kitchen! And I think the mosaic knit a long is a great idea!
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Thanks for the note on the slow cooker book. I’ll have to check it out. I tend to avoid knitting deadlines much of time. I like to take my knitting nice and relaxed.
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When I’m not on the road for work, I love using my crockpot! The red scarf looks lovely.
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Powells has that book. Not that I’m buying books right now, because I’m not. No books for me. That would be cheating. This is going to be a very hard quasi-resolution to keep.
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Hello sweet JaneHappy delurk week too – and happy happy happy 2007. I will always love Good Ideas for New Ways of Looking at the World. But then, just because I have good ideas doesn’t mean I have to do anything about them. I am working on a Knitters Almanac, though – be up soon – because I would like to do some special fun things done this year and I don’t want to forget to do them!! Happy snow and good knitting to you.
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I believe with all my heart that hand-cooked food is much more nutritious than the most delicious restaurant food. I, too, love to cook, though it’s a lot harder to get inspired when you live alone. Fortunately I have roommates who gratefully dine on whatever I’ve prepared – that makes the whole process even more fun. Happy winter!
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snow flurries? finally!We had some snow on Wed. morning, and it’s been below freezing ever since – perhaps it’s headed your way now!Love the ocean photo on the right.
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Okay, so I’ll be shopping for a new crock pot/ slow cooker soon — what is the Machine of Your Dreams (maybe it’s a dream I haven’t yet dreamt but will soon…)
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Any time you can find a slow cooker recipe that does not call for a can of cream of mushroom soup, you’re a happy cooker!I have a recipe for pork chops that is really nothing more than the chops (which I brown in the morning, cause they look better and leave less fat on in the cooker) with chicken broth and seasonings on them. I guess that’s braising (?). Anyway, they’re nice to come home to if you have your potatoes all cut in the fridge and ready to boil, mash, whatever.Enjoy the book!
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The only place I can think of to keep the slow cooker safe from the cats is in the refrigerator… But the weather is perfect for coming home from work and opening the door to the smell of something simmering away.
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