Monday, December 20, 2010

Another Muffin Tin Monday

This one was fun (again, as always!).
I took inspiration from the ones already posted (such creativity!)

How do you make ordinary meatloaf, veggies and potato fun??


Turn it into a "Muffin Tin Monday" meal


From top L-R
12 Drummers drumming (pretzel sticks)
11 Pipers piping (i totally stole this--mashed potatoes "piped in" with a piping bag)
10 Lords a Leaping (what makes my daughter leap with joy? candy! sugar!) (Jujubes)
9 Ladies Dancing (Musical notes made with fruit leather)
8 Maids a Milking (Milk)
7 Swans a Swimming (Meatloaf, packaged in a tin foil swan ;) )
6 Geese a Laying (Slice of Egg)
5 Golden Rings (Ring cookie)
4 calling birds (Chicken wing)
3 French Hens (French cut Green Beans)
2 Turtle Doves (Turtle chocolate)
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree (sliced pear)

:)

The Princess was happy!

My son got all the same food, but he doesn't like his food in the muffin tin ;)

(p.s. It looks like a lot of food--its little bites of everything--I actually find that she eats more when it's Muffin Tin Monday. She ate everything except couldn't' finish her chicken wing. She also has to wait for the chocolate/candy part until she's finished the rest)


Monday, December 13, 2010

Muffin Tin Monday

Muffin Tin Monday blog can be found here



I have participated in Muffin Tin Monday's once before and had a blast. I just had forgot all about it. I "liked" the page on fb and saw that today was "Holiday" theme. There were already some great ideas posted and that got me thinking.
I was planning meatballs and rice anyways and after that, it was easy.
I put 3 meatballs together to make "snowmen" but ended up making better snowmen for dessert.

Meatballs (which I joked with my daughter was Reindeer poop), Rice=snow, Sliced carrots=Snowmen noses, Beans=Evergreen boughs.
I then cut up a waffle to try to make it look like a Christmas tree (I tried, it kinda worked)--completed with a star on top.

The best was dessert
:
A marshmallow snowman with pretzels for arms, chocolate sprinkles for eyes, small piece of carrot for a nose, a black gumpdrop cut up for the hat and held together with a thin piece of spaghetti inside!

The snowman was laid on top of some "Christmas lights"--cut up chocolate marshmallow square.

It was fun, Princess loved it and is begging me to do it again next week.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Hi from sunny/not sunny Florida!!

For our 10 year anniversary back in October, my MIL offered us her time share for a week.

She picked a place in Ft Lauderdale and we arrived Friday the 08th for a week in the sun/not sun.
Apparently Florida is having record breaking cold temperatures.
Don't laugh-- I know there is not snow here like back home, but there has been snow in Florida, orange crops are freezing and iguanas are falling out of trees (They are cold blooded ad when there is a cold snap they fall right out of the trees).

Monday morning it was colder in Miami in the morning than Juneau Alaksa--no joke!

So, the first full day here it was cold and rainy. We managed to get to town to buy groceries right before the rains hit.

Andrew looked at maps and travel guides and figured out if we took the trolley--we could get to the grocery store easily, and for 50cents.


We had a nice big walk before finally hailing a trolley--took some pictures on the way.

A pink house for Brenna:



(these signs make me laugh)


The grocery store:


(We took this picture for the kids too--they LOVE the movie "Because of Winn Dixie"

We had a great lunch at a seafood place (Clam Chowder and Clam Fritters for me, burger for hubby)...and came back.

We got to do a video chat via skype with the kids and family who were visiting with Hubby's brother and wife in Toronto.

We also had our first hotel/microwave cooked meal:

Not bad!

Friday, January 01, 2010

Butter Chicken

This is my Sister In Law, Lindsay's recipe (Hi Lindsay!)

We tried it out tonight and it was awesome!!!

(The highlighted sections are the ingredients she omitted when making it.)

I also tried to make Roti, recipe from here.

(I think I need more practice with that one)


Butter Chicken

* 4 chicken breast

* 2 tbsp butter

* 1 1/2 cups chopped onions

* 1 tbsp minced garlic

* 1 1/2 tbsp grated gingerroot

* 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

* 3/4 tsp ground turmeric

* 3/4 tsp ground coriander

* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp ground cumin

* 1 can (28 oz/798 mL) diced tomatoes, drained

* 1 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

* 1 tbsp brown sugar

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

* 1/3 cup light sour cream (not fat-free)

* 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

* 1 tbsp cashew/almond butter

* Hot cooked basmati rice (optional)

Directions

1. While chicken is baking, make sauce. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin. Cook 1 more minute. Add drained tomatoes, broth, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

2. Transfer the sauce to a blender and purée until smooth. Return puréed sauce to pot and heat. Stir in sour cream, cilantro and cashew/almond butter. Add cut-up chicken and mix well. Cook just until chicken is hot. Serve over hot basmati rice, if desired.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

If there is anyone reading this blog still (almost 3 months with no blog post...ick)

Happy New Year to you!

I know a lot of people have had a rough 2009--ours has been somewhat stressfull with some things going on with Aidan..but we are happy and settled with life right now..things could always be worse.

I'm not usually one to make resolutions...I aim to improve my life whenever I see the need... but this is a good spot to post some Knitting/Spinning goals.
(pictures to be added later)

This year saw me attending my first Knitting retreat--it wont' be my last!

I dyed yarn for another Sock Club and would welcome any opportunity to do so again.

I started a Wool/Fibre Club and that has been resurrected , starting in January for 2010.
(I have been asked to start a yarn club also..that is a big possibility!)

I aquired a floor loom and hope to get some time to use it very soon (tomorrow too soon??)

Goals:

Knitting: Knit more from my handspun--that's the point of having handspun right? I always seem to have little bits..either not enough for a project, or too chunky for what I want..which leads me to my next goal

Spin: with intention for projects. Plan out my spinning and do my very best.
Learn some new techniques and practice them (ie; woolen long draw) bu at the same time have fun with my spinning--fun yarns, artistic yarns!

Process and spin my first sweater from a fleece (I have several fleeces sitting, waiting to be worked on--some a very generous donation from a friend, as well as one that I purchased with a specific sweater in mind)

Yarn in general: Dye in more volume and with inspiration. I see colours everywhere and get ideas for things that I don't jump on right away. I need to strike when the iron is hot and motivate myself to do better.

:)

Learning: I want to do more in the garden, want to learn to weave and make some things, sew with patterns and make things that I will use!

What are your crafty goals??

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Blog, I have a blog?

Wow, 2 months...okay.
Let's just dive right back in.


There has been some Knitting--but I"m in Christmas Knit mode now, so no pictures.

There has been a lot of dyeing.
I got a new Merino/Cashmere/Nylon blend that is dreamy..
Here's what I did on the first day:


and I tried some Masham wool--different..
Haven't spun this up yet, but I intend to!


Those are the pretty pictures for now..more Christmas Knitting pictures to follow after gifts have been given!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Show and Sale

Every year my Spinning Guild hosts a show and sale.
I haven't participated in the sales part the past 2 years (first year I didn't have anything made and last year I wasn't able to attend).

This year I had some things in that sold (yeah!)--I didn't get pictures of them before submission though :(

This guy I made from some Handspun local Shetland..and stuffed him with wool


(it's a Sheep in case you can't tell :) )

These are some little baby mittens I whipped up the night before--Handspun Targhee, from this same yarn.

I also put in a baby had that I had knit last year but it didn't get entered:


The wool is from the Spunky Eclectic Club (last Easter I believe)



I spun on the Sunday afternoon and helped clean up.
It was a good weekend, sales were down only slightly and everyone seemed to have a good time!

Next year, I need to get going early (hear that self: get going) and have a stash of different things.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Mittens

This was the fastest Knit I've done in a long time.

I was playing around with making some mittens out of handspun, but the yarn was not good for the pattern and it was a bit fiddly.
I found a pattern to try, cast on, kept knitting and by the end of the night I had one mitten half finished.
(the colour is truer in the first picture)

Cast on the next one the next night and almost finished it...Knitting in the car while on the way to the Spin In, finished it up last night and today made the thumbs.
Done!

The yarn was spun from this wool

From Lori at "FromtheWoolroom".
It's a Targhee roving, in the "Sangria" colourway

Yummy, soft, squooshy.

Yeah mittens!
:)

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

My People!!!

This morning I piled in a car with some other Spinners/Knitters and went on a road trip to Cambellford for the 20th annual Spin In!

I've never been before, but it was tons of fun.

The Warkworth/Campbellford Spinners GUild has been hosting a Spin In for 20 years--a day to get together for all thigns fibre, buy some things, make some new friends and SPIN.

This is Lori, owner of the Black Lamb in Port Hope.


I saw her as soon as I walked in the door and showed her my sweater :)

We had our names entered in a draw for some awesome prizes/gift baskets at the end of the day, received a cute little lavender sachet and we were off to Spin.

I bought some bumps of roving from Kim at Cornerstone Fibres (I have bought some wonderful Corriedale from her before and loved it).

This is what I spun all day.
I am going to ply it with this (this is me, branching out of my colour scheme)
I'm going to make a very warm wonderful shawl.

I also bought some new black dye since my other stuff is giving me fits.

I saw Alvin Ramer (THE Alvin Ramer of Wool Combs fame) and his lovely wife Barbara Anne

Lots of food....mmmm lamb burgers

lots of people
(This is Muriel with her sister, who doesn't Spin and was gracious enough to give Muriel her wool door prize--for Muriel to Spin and give back!! ;) )

This is a picture with just some of the people there (I couldn't take in the whole room)
There were more than 100 people sitting down at any given time, and more people that came and went throughout the day


lots of fibre everywhere.
(3 Alpaca Farmers, Yarn Store owners, Shepherds with their fleeces, Dyers, makers of things)

and on the way home, we may have stopped at the Worlds Finest Chocolate store... (amazing chocolate that is so inexpensive that you want to buy the whole store...)


*Sigh*
It was a good day

Monday, October 05, 2009

Bloggety blog blog

So, I used to be a really good blogger.
I'd blog every day.
I seemed to have content..pictures, exciting things to report...

Where has that gone??

I am aiming to do better, and am going to try this:


Got the idea from here

We'll see how it goes!
:)

Today's post is all about the fibre-y stuff

I love yarn.
I love fibre
I actually said a few weeks ago: "I have too much wool"
and meant it

I have stopped buying yarn and fibre (and have for a while now), I don't' belong to the Spunky Eclectic Fibre Club anymore (I loved it, but it was getting to be $$ since my Etsy store isn't hopping right now)...and I wasn't taking the time to spin up what I have.

I have purchased a couple of fleeces, been given some fleece, participated in a Sheep to Shawl and brought the leftovers home...
I dye yarn, therefore I have many pounds of sock yarn around....

BUT: I love it all...
It makes me happy.

This is my new love:

My first batt

My friend Karen scored a drum carder and wheel in a super amazing auction sale (actually, someone else found them, but Karen brought them home ;)
She let me borrow the drum carder to try out some stuff


I dyed up some Superwash Merino/Nylon blend and carded them together.
Yummy

It's basically the Goth Punk Princess colourway that I've dyed in yarn and fibre before...
Soft
Yummy

Anyways, more fibrey stuff

Tomorrow is the 20th Anniversary of the Campbellford Spin In and I get to go!
We cancelled our monthly Spinning Guild Meeting since a lot of us are going to the Spin In.

I'm going to be wearing this:


and will show it to Lori of the Black Lamb, since I purchased the Fibre from her store

:)