Cooking and sheep

I have had a long week. First off Mr. Yarn's father ended up in ICU and is really sick. Mr Yarn had to hop on a plane to San Antonio and was there for a week. I had a friend coming into town from the Bay Area and we were on our way to Rhinebeck in upstate New York. We were going to the Wool and Sheep festival. It is a long story involving the "Bates Motel" and a COLD day walking around looking at Fiber related stuff. My favorite part of the day was getting to see sheep and watching them being judged. I especially fell in love with the one that stood up and kept putting its head on my shoulder. My new pal. As you can see I was dressed like the Michelin Tire man for the occasion.

Moving on.




When Val was here to visit she brought me an issue of Gourmet magazine from January 2006. I must say that it is one of the best issues I have ever seen from Gourmet. I stopped being a big fan of theirs when the issues became more about snotty places to visit than food. This issue has 65 years 65recipes. It is from the 40's (when the magazine began) until 2006. I told Val that I would make everything in that magazine and blog about it. I must change that to say I will make most of what is in that magazine and blog it (I just can't bring myself to make Braised Pork Loin and PRUNES). I just can't bring myself to make some of the stuff in there.

So, Rich came home on Saturday night and we started cooking from the magazine last night. My first recipe. It is from 1964 (I am not going in order of date) and it is "Drunkard's Soup with Egg Barley".



Starts with bacon (can't go wrong there).

Continues with onions.



It also involves sauerkraut and Kielbasa. The main ingredient is Barley shaped egg noodles (yeah, manischevitz) which are browned with some paprika and flour.




Ends up in the cooking process looking like this (and I should have known the outcome)



Let cook for 1.5 hours (huh?) and you get this:



All I can say is 1 down and eaten (not my favorite, as a matter of fact LOW on the list).

I would post recipes but it is a copyright infringement to do so. Lets just say you aren't missing anything.

Gearing up for Winter

Trystero sock pattern by Cookie A:



Oh, and I found the downside of the "beautiful" turning colors of the trees in New England




Someone is going to have to rake up the leaves...

Cranberries are good for you!

Because I feel obligated to chronicle the changing of seasons (I don't know why I feel that it is MY job to do this) here is another picture of the trees changing colors. Ok, enough.



Call me weird but I always wanted to see a Cranberry bog. We drove down near the cape (I forget where we were) and I got my chance at the Cranberry Harvest Festival. Mr Yarn made me drive a tractor ride around for 30 minutes (which really was longer than necessary to see what we were seeing).

I love cranberries.



Here is a great recipe for your thanksgiving table:

Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, fans ask NPR's Susan Stamberg for her mother-in-law's recipe for cranberry relish.

"It sounds terrible but tastes terrific," Stamberg says of the Pepto Bismol-pink dish.

Below is the cranberry relish recipe.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed

1 small onion

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white")

Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind -- not a puree.")

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.")

The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It’s also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.")

Makes 1 1/2 pints.

What am I doing today?

Making chicken stock. We have friends coming over for dinner tomorrow and we are making Paella. I decided to make the stock for it.

I then decided to make some Ricotta cheese because I had all the ingredients and the rennet to make it. I need some for a three cheese focaccia that I am making to serve as an appetizer.



That is about it. I think I may be bored and I really need to find a job.

Knitting and the seasons

I don't know what is happening to me but I just don't feel all that creative right now. I don't really feel like knitting and yet I have to be knitting. I have been working on socks for the most part. Problem is that you have to finish 2 of them for them to be useful.



I seem to have a hard time finishing anything lately. I did plant lots and lots and lots of bulbs yesterday. I hear that I won't know if it is Spring unless I see my tulips sprouting. Who am I to argue?

I have also been working on "Moroccan Nights" shawl. I love how it is coming out.


I took some pictures of the trees changing colors in our backyard. Same tree different days:







Oooooh....ahhhhhh. Come on, say it.

Last but not least...
Wood. We got a cord of wood for the winter. This isn't just for looks like it was in California. It is so we don't freeze our asses off.

Fall

I know that I have been whining terribly about New England and being homesick etc. But it is Fall and the trees are changing. It is amazingly beautiful.



I still don't get the concept of coming from other places and taking vacation time to go "Leaf Peeping". I mean it IS beautiful. I see the beauty. I get it. I just don't get going out to find it and taking time off of work to do so. Yes, it IS beautiful and yes, I know I am mean.



Another sign that Fall is here is that we had to "close" the pool. Another new concept to me. It made me sad.

So, my friend Cathy came over and brought me concord grapes from her mothers garden. I proceeded to turn on music. Turn on the fake fire and the real fire.

Here is the fake fire:



The real one burned out and I was too lazy to restart it.

So, I started taking all the skins off the grapes and this is what the outcome was:



Took a long time to finish this process. Do you know what I got out of it? Really, this isn't a joke. I spent 2 hours making jam from all these grapes and this is what I got



One of them goes to Cathy for giving me the grapes. It is ok... I hate grape jam anyhow.

It is Fall and New England is beautiful.