Moussaka Monday

Hello all!  Today I made a vegetarian moussaka.  No, it's not raw.  But moussaka is my weakness at the Greek festival and I thought I would try this meatless version from allrecipes.com.  I made extra bachemel sauce and it overflowed in the oven!

It looked better when the top browned a bit.

Also, I wanted to show Christina my linzortorte because I was telling her on Facebook that it looks like my kids made it, but I alone am responsible for the wonky weirdness.

Sarah says it looks sensational.  Mmmm!  It's dark because there's 1 Tbsp of cocoa in the dough, along with cinnamon and stuff.  It's supposed to be made well in advance and kept in the fridge, so we'll see how it tastes on Thanksgiving. 
Again-not raw.  I am starting to think I should have named this blog "The Catholic Cooking Knitter."
Speaking of knitting, tonight was our new knit-night.  (used to be Thursday, now it's Monday).  I didn't go.  I watched "The Lord of the Rings" with Spencer.  Sometimes, this is the priority.
For those who asked, the hot water bottle cover from yesterday was made out of left-over Rowan Kid Classic.  70 stitches on US #7.  Thanks for checking in!  God bless you all! 

I'm back!

Hello my friends!  I am back to the world of blogging after many weeks of silence.  I have been struggling hard against seasonal depression, the flu, teenage drama, and other single-mom-related stresses.  Thanks to anyone who was checking my blog in my absence!
I have been enjoying my work as kitchen staff. I meal-plan with the help of all-recipes.com and my recipe box.  As a result, I run to the store less frequently and my kids eat less convenience foods.  Also, we are starting our holiday baking and cooking.  I did a trial-run Thanksgiving meal (mostly because I never host Thanksgiving, so I like to do one at our house).  We watched a Thanksgiving DVD of Good Eats and brined the turkey as suggested.  The meat was good, but the gravy was uber-salty.  (Alton Brown doesn't make gravy, so he didn't mention that).
Spencer came back from the Apostolic school and is going to the local Catholic school now.  Also Theresa is doing online classes thru the local high school.  So the past few weeks the order and routine of my life has been obliviated, if obliviated is the word I mean.  I don't do well with change.  It's starting to settle in now, though.  Phew.
My hands have not been idle.  Here is one of the projects I have completed for Christmas, but which will probably be given to the recipient this week because I cannot wait to give people their gifts:

One of my sisters is using her vacation time to go to Disney this week by herself.  One of my other sisters just got back from a pilgrimage to Italy where she saw Padre Pio's town and had mass in St. Peter's and went to Benedict's monastery...  I am not jealous, though, because I am happy for both of them and I know that God has wonderful plans for me, too.  On Black Friday, my sisters and mother and I are going to see Harry Potter.  And the same group is going to see the musical Christmas Carol in Pittsburgh during Christmas week.  Yeah!  AND Wicked is coming to Pittsburgh in September.  I am very excited as I have been wanting to take my girls to see it for a couple of years, now.  Hopefully, we can have enough lemonade sales to buy tickets for all of us!

A Pretty Thing

Happy All Saints Day!  Did you go to mass yet?  It's not obligatory in my diocese, but I'm not sure why.  I mean, do they think that it's too harsh to make folks go to mass on a Holy day if it falls on either side of a Sunday?  I think we'll survive!  Christmas falls on a Saturday this year.  Hmmm.

Well, I am not done with the first one yet, but I thought I'd show you Ginny's birthday sock(s).  I am also using this opportunity to show off the socks that I finished today that are for me (the ones on my feet in the picture).  Don't tell Ginny I was knitting for me when I was supposed to be knitting for her!  Actually, I needed mindless knitting today and that meant not knitting her crazy-cables-and-twists-socks.

I am pretty happy with the way Ginny's are coming out, but for some reason I am over the moon about my own!  Not sure if you can see their true beauty, the right one's not that dark in real life.  This is the first pair that I have knit for me.  I have 2 pair that were kind-of "factory rejects."  Now I have my very own!

I am still cleansing.  My kids are pretty happy because apparently I cook like a fiend for them whenever I am on the Cleanse.  You know that scene in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie when Barbossa is watching Elisabeth eat and he says, "And the apples?  One of those?"  I go around feeding everyone and saying "And the apples?  One of those?"  Today I made my Grandmother's Bread Pudding, but don't worry, I won't show you.  My kitchen counters are too messy.  :)

No Pumpkin Shortage Here

Hi, all!  A few weeks ago I over-heard a woman in Aldi's saying that there's a canned-pumpkin shortage due to some sort of pumpkin blight.  Well, all you have to say to me is "shortage" or "discontinued" and I will buy it.  Anything from pumpkin to yarn (or best of all: pumpkin-colored yarn).  So a week later, when there was a flat of canned pumpkin in the front of the store, I bought enough pumpkin to last until times get better.  Now, in a normal year I might make a couple of pumpkin pies if the mood strikes me.  But say "shortage" and I am certain the holidays will be ruined without pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies...  And I don't even eat this stuff!  But the children...

The result is another picture of non-raw food.  The second batch of pumpkin pies this year along with my pumpkin-scented candle, my beautiful bowl from Ginny, my Twinings Christmas tea, and my Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies book that I inherited from Saadia.  (Thanks Saadia!)

I am so psyched about the holidays!  I looked through the cookie book and made my grocery list for holiday treats, especially the making of the plum pudding this year.  I negotiated a deal with Cathy that if she buys the tins for the steaming of said puddings, I will buy all of the ingredients.  I found good tins on Amazon for 13 bucks, so I didn't take liberties.  My folks are springing for the brandy and are providing the silver coin.  I'm just giddy at this point.  I've been browsing for Christmas crackers, too.  They are pretty spendy, especially when all that's inside is a paper hat along with a joke and a silly prize.  However, I think it's a swell tradition for an Anglophile like me.  At least 50% of my readers think so, too.  That's you, Christina ;)

P.S.  Here's the pumpkin-colored yarn:

I'm a Genius and Why I Love the Library

Hi, All!  I hope you are well!  Okay, so a while back I bought a skein of sock yarn online.  It was a highly-coveted brand and it was really reduced.  So far, so good, right?  When it arrived, I realized why.  The color had looked like a pleasant light-green on my monitor, but it was actually a hideous green.  Sad.  What to do?  First, I brainstormed on what pattern to use to make it less hideous.  No good.  Then, I thought, "I just need to darken it."  Last summer after Spencer mowed the lawn, I made a "tea" out of the grass clippings and cheese cloth and soaked the yarn in that. (grass stains, right?) The yarn seemed impervious to the green water but not to the little bits of grass that made it through the cheesecloth.  Sigh.

Yesterday, I researched dying yarn with food coloring.  I used green and blue and vinegar and the crock pot and I feel like a genius.  I should have taken a few photos of the process, but I don't even have a "before" picture.  The "after" picture speaks for itself, it's scrumptious!

I don't know if it's the pride and partiality of a parent, but I think it's wonderful!

This Tuesday we are voting to provide funding for the local libraries.  I could talk for a long time about how amazing I think the library is, but a picture of my recent haul should give you an idea: 

At any given time I have well over a hundred dollars worth of media from the library.  Books on CD, DVDs, music CDs, knitting magazines, and of course, BOOKS!  What a cool concept!  As you can see, I am in a heavy knitting phase, but I have taken stacks out on many topics.  For free! What a great idea! 

P.S.  Day 5 of the Cleanse and feeling pretty good!

60 days till Christmas!

Today there are 60 more knitting days till Christmas.  What?
I have loads of things I want to get done before then.  Once Advent starts I want my focus to be more spiritual, so I will hopefully knit a lot, but I will emotionally detach myself from these goals! ;)
This is what I made for my non-raw family this morning:

 Homemade Bread (before baking)

And this is what I made for me:

That's right!  Yesterday I started the Master Cleanser.  I love the cleanse.  I have done it many times.  My friend Angela thinks I'm crazy.  I am a huge fan.  When I am on the cleanse I feel light, I have energy, I lose weight, I cleanse my body of yucky stuff...  I could go on, but you can get better info on the Internet or your library.  The original book is by Stanley Boroughs (I may have spelled that wrong).  There are a couple of other good books on the cleanse, too.  I will probably keep you posted on my progress, but I won't go on and on about it, so don't worry.  If you're only here for the knitting or the Catholic bits, you'll still be fine!

Thought I'd show you the "after" picture of the bread, so we can be jealous together that we aren't eating any of it.  At least you don't have to smell the heavenly aroma and watch the kids devouring it!

Mini Stockings

Hi, all!  I am recovering today from my crazy weekend.  I managed to get some knitting in and some praying and some raw food, so I am covering all of my blogging basics.  The knitting makes for the best pictures, though, so here is my weekend in pics:

I am knitting these for Christmas (obviously).  I will knit these and some mini sweaters for gift ornaments.  I don't like the way the stranded knitting came out on the Santa stocking, so I will do it a little differently in future.

Theresa agreed to model my Angel lace shawl for you.  See the beads?  See the angels?  Lovely!

I also knit on Ginny's birthday socks, but I will save that for another post.

Yesterday's reflection in the Magnificat was another one from Jean-Pierre de Caussade.  He's my favorite.  Read it, you'll love it!

 Also, I have decided to reflect on the Stations of the Cross more frequently, so I am taking one each day to think about as I go about my duties and stuff.  It has been really good.  God bless, all!

St. Paul of the Cross and Lessons in Lace

Hello, everyone!  Yesterday was the feast of St. Paul of the Cross and the meditation in the Magnificat was from his writings.  I know that I mention the Magnificat all the time, but it's good stuff and my mainstay reading. Well yesterday's was uber-good.

"If anyone hurts you, look on him as someone of great value and, with the eyes of one who loves, see him as the person chosen by God to clothe you in holiness and in the patience, silence, and meekness of Jesus Christ."

Wow!  I am reading this after all interactions with my teenagers right now.  Help me, Lord!

OK, so on the knitting-side of my life - Why I love knitting lace:
1.  Thousands of yards of lace-weight yarn costs less than $20.  That's hours of knitting joy.
2.  Lots of  "Wow" appeal.  Everyone thinks knitted socks are cool, but when they see lace, they think I'm a genius!
That's just two of many reasons, but I have to go pick-up Theresa from school, so we'll mention the other glories of lace in another post.
Lace looks like a messy bunch of nothing until it's been blocked, so I thought I'd show you the magic of blocking lace:

The left side is unblocked.  The right side is being blocked with pins and blocking wires.  I highly recommend blocking wires for this job.  My knitting group shares Maureen's set (thanks Maureen!)  Cool, eh?

See the beads I bought to replace the pearls?  You can't see them too well, but they look pretty good.

Japanese Knitting

Yesterday I spent hours looking at Japanese knitting patterns.  I know, I don't read Japanese.  But knitters on Ravelry call it "challanging for the adventurous knitter"  and for some reason I feel that my life will be unfullfilled unless I tackle a highly complicated lace pattern that is charted with asian symbols.  Seriously, you should see the designs out there.  Fantastic! 

Garment "Construction"

Okay, it seemed like a simple thing.
I wanted to put beads on the bottom edge of the Angel Lace Shawl, so I went to Jo-Ann's with my shawl and picked out some pearl-type beads that looked pretty good.
I sat down to work on it & discovered that the holes in the beads were microscopic.  Unwilling to be discouraged, I tried using one of those things that you use to floss your teeth when you have braces.  It broke.  (These holes are SMALL).
After brainstorming a bit, I got out the drill and spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to change the drill bit.  Ten minutes later, I took the drill to Christopher and he changed it.
I started to drill a hole in the bead while holding the bead with my fingers.  Then, I thought better of it and found Theresa's little jewelry-making pliers.

I drilled bigger holes in about four of the pearls before deciding that the whole situation was ridiculous.  I needed 33 beads and the strand I bought had 34.  So when one of the beads got drilled in half, I knew it was a lost cause.
I am not a home-improvement kinda girl, so it's pretty funny to me that I even got this far.  I was committed to making the beads work, but not that committed.
Why would I want beads on that shawl anyway?
(Yes, Ginny, that is your drill.  Have you been looking for it?)