I demonstrated to myself today that a day without actually spinning is a bad idea. Yesterday I plied yarn instead of spinning, and today I paid the price. I completely lost the rhythm of the process, and today it took pretty much the whole session to get it back. *sigh *
Next time I’ll know better. Even though the plying is important and deserves its own time, I have to spin some too.
Day 4 skein
Today I plied the skeins from day 1 and day 2 together. This process uses the spinning wheel differently than spinning the wool in the first place, and has its own lessons. Especially in the close up, you can see the uneven texture of the yarn. That’s what I’m working to improve. Practice makes better, if not perfect.
Today I spun another ounce after I got home from work. I’m getting faster, which is great. I also did a better job of keeping the size consistent. Here’s a picture.
Until tomorrow.
I took today off from work as I was out of town last weekend, and I just wanted that extra day to get settled back and ready for my week. So today I did all the main cooking for my lunches and for our dinners for the week. No pictures this time. Here’s what I made:
Sweet Potatoes au Gratin
Sauteed Corn, Peppers, Onion, and fresh Black-eyed Peas (with tarragon – yum!)
Braised Leeks and Mustard Greens
Broiled Eggplant
I also roasted garlic and made Black Bean Hummus, which I use for snacks that I take to work. Here’s the recipe (the lime juice REALLY makes this!):
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ Tablespoon chopped garlic (or several cloves roasted garlic)
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp paprika
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon tahini
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Put everything together in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Those of you who know me probably think this is going to be about exercise.
But no, I am learning a new skill – using a spinning wheel, turning fiber into yarn. Like pretty much everything in life, practice is required. So I am committing to practice spinning as close to every day as I can manage, and posting here about that as I go. Public commitment.
I took a class on spinning last Friday at SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair) and was immediately hooked. I had previously tried to learn to use a drop spindle, and just couldn’t get it. As I’d hoped, the wheel is a whole different story. I bought one like the one we used in our class – a Lendrum double treadle. I also bought 4.5 lbs of “practice” roving (inexpensive wool ready-to-spin) and at least 3 lbs of gorgeous roving to incent me to keep practicing. At an ounce a day, those 72 ounces of practice roving will keep me going for a while. And I can always get more if I need to before I start the gorgeous stuff.
Yesterday’s practice was frustrating. I think I actually did worse than I did in the class Friday. Although in fairness, I added a new element – NOT predrafting, but drafting as I go. That’s harder. So I was really pleased today that it was much smoother. The process – the rhythm of the movement – felt better, and my yarn looks better.
Until tomorrow.
Sometimes, like today, it just seems like too much. We were out late both Friday and Saturday nights, and even with a nap on Saturday afternoon I slept in until almost 10:00 this morning. I was moving slow all day.
But you know, those lunches won’t make themselves, and the alternative is unacceptable. So here’s my menu for the week:
Lunches:
Zoodles sautéed with garlic
Red potatoes roasted with Rosemary
Butternut Squash roasted with Ginger
Roasted Chicken Thighs
Dinners:
Eggplant Casserole
Extra potatoes, zoodles, & squash
Pumpkin Pie
Yes, I made pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins, first of the year. It is so delicious that it made up for the extra effort on a lo-o-o-ong day. And better yet, I have extra pumpkin ready now for two more next week!
First Fall Pinckney’s box
Finally.
A variety of fresh, fabulous veggies delivered once again by my local CSA. No more roaming around the produce aisles at the grocery store! Instead, I get to roam around my cookbooks and the Internet to find old favorites and new adventures to liven up my week.
Today’s kitchen endeavors included
My lunches this week are gonna ROCK!
The Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin recipe came from this website.
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/sweet-potato-gratin-recipe/
The prep work was a bit of a pain, mostly because I had to slice the sweet potatoes by hand, BUT it came out amazing. Worth the effort, and it is now in my Recipe Hall of Fame.
Learn from my experience: if you make this, keep an eye on the cream as it’s heating. It boils over quite suddenly if you are not paying attention.
Rapini with Butternut Squash
I do so love long weekends. The best part of this one? Having an extra day that let me cook just for the love of it yesterday, leaving the prep for the upcoming week to today. Yesterday I made Tortilla Soup – SO yummy, but I’ll share that recipe when the weather gets cooler. Today my star dish is Rapini with Butternut Squash.
Rapini is a very interesting vegetable. It’s also known as Broccoli Rabe, because it looks a little like broccoli. But in fact it’s a member of the Mustard family, and you can taste that. This is a vegetable that needs to be blanched (plunged into boiling water for a few minutes) before you eat it, to counter bitterness and bring out its delicious flavor. I found a great article on the Huffington Post about it: Don’t Be So Bitter! How to Make Perfect Rapini. This article tells you all about rapini and describes in detail how to blanch it as preparation for use in other recipes.
Based on the description of what it goes well with, I thought I’d try combining rapini with butternut squash, which is easy to prepare and has a delicious sweetness. My intuition was right on the money! This recipe is more informal than most, because I just threw it together, so if you are unsure about what I mean or have any questions, just post a comment below. If you try it / like it / tweak it, I’d love to know that too!
Happy cooking.
Rapini with Butternut Squash
1 bunch rapini, washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1 butternut squash, seeded, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
Blanch the chopped rapini by putting it into 3-4 quarts of boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Saute the chopped squash in coconut or grapeseed oil (more about that later in another post) until it starts to brown a little, then add the onion and cook until the onion is transparent and the squash is tender. Stir in the blanched rapini and heat through. Salt & pepper to taste & serve hot.
Who would have thought that in less than a year I would have fallen so
Organic NC turnips from Whole Foods
deeply in love with that huge variety of delicious veggies?
We are in the gap now between the first and second season – I think deliveries start again next month and I can’t wait. I’ve been on my own since early July. And I have to tell you, I really let myself get into a rut. Sauteed greens and roasted butternut squash make for marvelous lunches, but after 3 weeks in a row, well, it’s time for something different.
This week I made mashed turnips with bacon and chives. The turnips are in the picture with this post – aren’t they gorgeous? And I wish I could include their amazing spicy smell with this for you. The recipe could not be easier. Peel & chop the turnips, boil them until tender, drain, mash, and add chives, crumbled bacon, and some parmesan. For creaminess you can add milk, butter, or plain yogurt as you prefer. Salt & pepper to taste.
I also lightly sauteed some onion, zucchini, and chopped Early Girl tomatoes, seasoned with salt and oregano. Delicious.
Soon, I won’t have wander the produce section trying to decide what and how much I need. Each week for 12 weeks Pinckney’s Produce will deliver a big box of delicious freshness to my workplace and I just have to take them home and have fun. If you live in SC and haven’t tried this, I encourage you to consider it. You can find them at
https://www.facebook.com/PinckneysProduceCSA or
http://www.pinckneysproduce.com/
Spaghetti Squash with Veggies and Feta
This weekend in the kitchen was relatively low-key.
Saturday, I made blueberry-peach cobbler with this recipe. Today, I roasted brussels sprouts, sauteed bok choy and red kale together with a little soy sauce, and made this spaghetti squash dish in the picture. This is a delicious recipe that is also a great way to use up any extra veggies you might have sitting around. Here’s the recipe:
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Other veggies as desired
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Place spaghetti squash with cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30-45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion & optional veggies in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are warmed through.
Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the vegetables, feta cheese, and basil. Serve warm.
