Sock Update and Other Fun Things

Sock Update: I finished one of the Java Socks!

I love it so much! It's so soft and comfortable! The yarn is amazing, possibly my favorite ever. I will eventually make some for myself, but now I'm forging ahead on other Christmas gifts.

I thought I'd share some other cool things, too. First is what I've been using to transport my sock projects:

A Chinese-takeout box.  

 

It's great for a couple reasons. It easily contains my project and the accessories like a measuring tape and pattern. Also, as an advantage over a plastic or canvas bag, its rigidity prevents the tiny needles from snapping. I recently accidentally sat on and destroyed a couple of size 2 DPNs and was pretty devastated over it, which is why I searched for a reasonable alternative containment system. I think certain tupperware would work too, the trick is finding one that's long enough for needles. But it's always good to think creatively to repurpose something that is often thrown away.

Lastly, I was Christmas shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond and I saw this:

It's a sandwich cutter to make your sandwiches in the same of dinosaurs. It was too cute, I had to get it.

Fun fun fun!

Fall Food

Ah, fall. Something about fall foods that seems like the entirety of summer was simply working towards the deliciousness of squash and apples. I was at the Dane County Farmers' Market this weekend, which happened to be the last outdoor farmers' market of the season, and I got some fantastic deals, including a grocery bag full of acorn squash for a couple bucks. Amazing! I shared some of my steals with some neighbors and started cooking some for myself immediately! Acorn squash is easy: just cut them in half, take out the "guts" and cook them face-down on a baking sheet until they're done. I set my oven to 375 and it took them about 30 minutes, but if you're going to try this you should probably consult some other source, because my oven frequently lies to me. It's a small, robust, antique-y looking thing. What I really need is an oven thermometer...

So what to do with the seeds? I usually just compost them with the rest of the squash insides. This time, I tried roasting them. After I scooped them out of the squash, I pulled the extra stuff off the seeds and rinsed them. This can be tricky! They are slippery little tiny tricksters. Then I dried them off with some paper towels.

Here they are sans gooey stuff and rinsed.

Then I added some olive oil, just enough to coat (a few tablespoons) and some salt, garlic powder, and some paprika. I spred them out on some parchment paper on a baking sheet and set the oven to 300.

I took them out after 15 minutes and tossed them, then put them back in for another 15. You could probably leave them in longer and make them crispier if you wanted to.

Yum! When I'm home alone doing homework, these go fast! They almost taste like sunflower seeds.

On another food-related note, I got one of these fancy coffee makers for my birthday:

Hellooooo caffeine addiction.

These things are just amazing. I've already had two of these today (too much, Anna?) and it is pretty tasty. Flavored coffee is really not my thing, but from the variety-pack I tried a vanilla flavored coffee, and when it is hot and fresh this stuff is good. Highly recommended to people who are busy, lazy, or both (like me). 

Food and You

I like food. I like making food, eating food at restaurants, and trying new things. I love going to Taste Spotting and making huge lists of dishes I want to make.

I like good food. Sometimes I like bad food, but rarely. I like things made out of quality ingredients. Real food. Food that comes from the ground, not a factory. I like giving my money to hard working farmers, not big corporations.

I stopped eating meat about 7 years ago after discovering how most meat is produced. It took a lot of will power to give up bacon, but now I don't even think about it anymore. I started contemplating incorporating meat into my diet again, as long as it was locally, and responsibly produced. I tried a buffalo burger last summer, but after 7 or so years of not eating meat, my stomach just couldn't take it. I've been cooking a lot of fish lately, because my stomach can handle fish, and because my favorite guy is a meat-eater and I have sympathy for him for all of the meat-free food I make. Unfortunately, eating a lot of fish from the midwest is NOT recommended because of how gross these lakes are.

I usually don't like talking about it, though, because I can very easily sound very preachy. So I'll leave it at that, and show you something I made super quick the other day:

Whitefish in a white wine sauce with sautéed mushrooms and broccoli and some cheese & baguette. It's super quick, here's how:
Cover the whitefish fillets in olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap them up in tin foil, and put them in the oven (375 F) for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the fillets. Meanwhile, measure a cup of cream (half & half works too) a cup of white wine, a tablespoon of flour and some parsley flakes into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until the fish is done.

I was doing this, then I was planning on roasting the mushrooms and broccoli, but I was running out of time so I decided to sauté them. Just some oil, salt, pepper, a little bit of garlic, and the veggies on a frying pan for a few minutes.

The cheese we had with this is my favorite. Goat cheese from the farmers' market.

Then, of course, there's the rest of the bottle of the white wine. I'm no wine snob (I kind of wish I was sometimes, though) so I usually just get what's on sale at the store.

What's the perfect activity for after eating a delicious meal like this? Watching Ancient Aliens, of course.