What I'm Crafting

I am not a pro at knitting -- but I do enjoy sitting down with a nice skein of yarn and trying to make something out of nothing.  Right now I am making a dishcloth out of a cute variegated cotton yarn I bought a couple of weeks ago with my mom.  She gave me some directions for this checkered cloth and we got started together on the new project.
Mom has probably completed 2 of these things by now, but I am not that fast.  I am about 1/3 done with my first one.  My stitches are often uneven -- but hey, it is only a dishcloth.  What a forgiving project for a beginner to start with.  I'm happy to give out the instructions if you comment on this post with your e-mail address.

What I'm reading

The Feast Nearby has been a pleasure to read this winter.  I'm almost done with it and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in eating local foods, putting food by, and simple living.  Robin Mather writes about the year after she lost her job in Chicago and her marriage.  She moves to West Michigan (near and dear to my heart) with her dog and bird to heal and regroup.  The book is more a collection of essays grouped by season -- talking about how she sources local foods while sticking to a strict budget.  At the end of each chapter, she includes a half dozen recipes/techniques to use and preserve the various ingredients she highlighted.  I'm excited to try some of them this year!

Next on the list to read is this book:

Folks, this ain't normal looks like it is going to be one that really makes me think.  I've read the first chapter (I had to take a peak) called "Children, Chores, Humility and Health".  Joel Salatin (you may have seen him in the film, Food, Inc.) jumps right in discussing what he thinks is wrong with our society today - how removed we are from how life has been for centuries.  We no longer raise our own food (some of us are trying to learn though), chop our own firewood, etc.  I'm curious to see where he takes this book.

I'm always open to suggestions for good books.  Please share if you have read anything interesting lately.

Going Dutch

I got these tulips the other day and had to photograph them before they faded.  They are live tulips (not cut flowers) and they were on clearance at the grocery store.  I knew they only had about two days left to look pretty, but it didn't bother me -- I have other plans for them.  I am going to plant the bulbs this Spring and enjoy them next year when they grow again.  These flowers were less expensive than buying the bulbs alone.
My Dutch (frugal) heritage is showing -- not only was it a great buy, but the flowers are from the Netherlands as well.  I am 3/4 Dutch and come from an area that is packed full of Dutch people.  Ever heard of Holland, Michigan?  Holland is just down the road from Grand Rapids.  They have a tulip-time festival every Spring.  So many gorgeous flowers!
Anyway, I definitely crave Spring right now.  We've been pretty lucky with a mild winter, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty in the garden again.  I'm dreaming up my plans for this year's garden right now -- what I want to grow, what did and didn't work last year, etc.  What do you plan to grow this year?  Leave a comment if you are a gardener as I'd love to know your plans.

Snowy weather

Such unusual weather this year.  Michigan has been unseasonably warm and free of snow -- until this week.  Well, I guess we had one snowy day in December... but that is about it.  Finally in mid-January we got a nice load of the fluffy stuff and some cold temperatures.  I saw a forecast of 40 degrees and rain showers for tomorrow so I guess it will be going away again.  

Don't get me wrong -- I don't like cold winters and this warmer weather suits me just fine.  I'm the type that likes snow in December (gotta have a white Christmas) then by January 1st I want it gone.  So, I guess I've been fortunate so far.  It makes one wonder if this odd weather is part of a natural cycle or if Al Gore was right... 

Anyway, after feeding the chickens and breaking the ice out of their waterer, I snapped a few photos off the other day.  You can click on the photos to make them larger if you want (especially the first one -- you can see individual snow flakes!).

Homemade Kahlua and Irish Cream

These two delicious liquors are easier to make than you would think.  Much easier than the limoncello I made last year.  I made a couple of batches of each and gave several bottles away at Christmas.
So, here are the recipes I used:

Homemade Kahlua

4 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tbsp instant coffee

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups vodka

Blend the water, sugar and instant coffee together in a saucepan.  Just as it boils, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for a couple of hours -- stirring occasionally.  Let the resulting syrup cool completely then add the vanilla and the vodka.  Enjoy!  

Homemade Irish Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey

1 tsp instant coffee

2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract (I skipped this ingredient)

Put everything in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.  Store, refrigerated, in a tightly sealed container.  Shake well before serving.  Use within a couple of months.

Both recipes are awesome and oh-so-easy to make!  They are so much less expensive than the store-bought versions too.

My Favorite Things - A Nice Hot Corn Bag

Just a quick post today -- about one of my new favorite things.  Mom made me two "Corn Bags" for Christmas and I have been enjoying them every night since then.  It is pretty self explanatory -- it is a fabric bag or pouch filled with field corn.  You can throw it in the microwave then take it to bed with you.  I have a large one that I keep on my feet, and a smaller one that I move around to where ever I feel cold.
We keep our heat around 60-63 degrees in the winter to help reduce the amount of money we spend on fuel oil.  Before Christmas, I would freeze when I got into bed.  Now I look forward to a nice warm cozy experience.  I fall asleep twice as fast too.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday week this past week!  This Christmas was very pleasant for me -- one of my favorites.  I had today off for the New Year holiday, but I head back to work tomorrow.
I'm not making a bunch of New Year's resolutions this year -- because it usually ends up being the same stuff anyway.  I am, however, going to make a list of (fun) things I'd like to do this year.  I am off to do that now...
May you have a prosperous and peaceful year!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Here it is, Christmas Eve again.  Charlie and I are enjoying a slow paced day together, listening to Christmas music on the radio, baking cookies, wrapping a few gifts, and preparing for my family to arrive tomorrow morning.  What a nice way to spend a day!

I just finished making some Peanut Butter Cookies that are moist and chewy -- and just happen to be gluten free as well.  I thought I'd share the recipe because it is so simple and tasty.  A friend from work brought these cookies to a potluck and they were a smash!  She makes them in her toaster oven and it works out just fine.  I've doubled her recipe and baked them in a 350 degree oven.  

Mix together:

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Stir the ingredients together well.  Form the dough into walnut sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Use a fork to press down on the ball a little and give the cookie that signature peanut butter cookie look.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  They will still look a bit moist when you take them out.  Let them cool for a few minutes then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  The cookies are very fragile until they are done cooling -- despite my friend's warnings, I broke the first one I took off the baking sheet.
I also added chocolate kisses to some of the cookies after they came out of the oven.  Who can complain about chocolate on top of their peanut butter?!?

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or "Festivus for the Rest-of-Us".  Whatever you celebrate -- do it well!  Live it up!  Love one another -- spread Peace and Goodwill -- all of the good stuff that we need more of on this earth.  Stay safe if you are traveling.  Oh, and don't eat too many cookies.  :)