Pork Piccata

This was just the right dinner for a dark, rainy evening. It's a recipe I clipped from Cooking Light magazine in 2001, but it is online here!

I tend to double the sauce since I love shallots, etc, and like to toss the pasta and veggies in the sauce too (though I hadn't put any on the green beans yet for the picture).

Country Captain Chicken

Here's a classic dish I prepared last night following Rachael Ray's recipe and thought was a winner! I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and about 2 cups of broth and skipped the wine. I simmered it quite a bit longer too, but I was using thigh portions of chicken.

I served it with couscous and some scallions and skipped the almonds as I didn't happen to have any.

I think of this as a rather retro dish, probably more common in the 1970's or before? But that may just be a false perception that I have formed as a New Englander. It is a dish associated with Georgia, I believe. It's really good though, so it should be enjoyed anywhere, anytime!

Proof

Proof of a little knitting going on, and more importantly at the moment, a bit of seaming! It's falling off the hanger, but this is a preview of my modified version of Florian by Louisa Harding. It just needs the neckline picked up and finished and some ends woven in.

I worked from a couple of different sizes and did some shaping and changed it to a v neckline when I realized that I didn't want the dramatic A-line shape of the original and decided to go with my usual collar style for comfort. I think it's going to be very wearable!

Dog Videos

We watched a lot of the Olympics and Saffy and Silas really loved the Olympic theme music. Saffy squeaked her toys along with it as shown in this video:

Silas likes to 'sing' along with a lot of different music. I don't have video of him singing with the Olympic music, but here is a video from a couple years ago to give you an idea. He especially loves horns and strings...music like the British Antiques Roadshow theme! I think the end credits from one of the Bridget Jones movies was playing in this case:

Knitting Update and Recipe Suggestions

Knitting things are mostly in progress and I haven't taken any new pics lately. But for an update: Maythorn is partly seamed. I still struggle with seaming and really don't know how to properly tackle all that trim... I may end up 'bugging' someone at a shop ;) I have also worked on the Thalia top which just needs the sleeves finished, neck finished off and seaming. I deviated from the pattern a bit, so it will be interesting to see how it comes out! I quickly knit up a garter stitch hot water bottle cozy from the RYC Winter Gifts book. I ran out of yarn at the last few rows, but had a little in another color that I used to finish it. It doesn't really show as it was the edge of the button band that goes underneath.

Today, I tried a couple of new and excellent recipes from Everyday Food magazine and I noticed they are posted online so I can provide the links too! I made Honey Teriyaki Chicken and Asian Cabbage Slaw. DH and I loved this meal!

Another new to me recipe I've tried in the past couple of weeks, I found on the Trainer Momma blog. It is called Chicken Orzo Skillet. It is quick to make and very filling. I changed it a little from the Trainer Momma blog. I used an onion and minced garlic (no powders). I just added in some oregano instead of the Italian seasoning.

Both of these meals are getting added to my list of staple recipes.

Trim and Weekend Things

Over the weekend, I got started on the trim for Maythorn. I'm working the sleeves and waist trim in parallel and fortunately the pattern is pretty easy to keep track of.

I'd probably have made more progress, but I kept stopping my work while watching Return to Cranford as it is hard to look away from that quality of filming and acting!

Pretty soon, I have to seam the body pieces so I know how long to make the trim. I'll have to do the front trim later on, it is a narrower version of the ones I'm doing now.

Shortly after my bout of felting awhile back, my washing machine broke. Well, it still washed, but had a tendency to flood without someone there to nudge the button ahead from the fill cycle to the swishy cycle. I don't know if the felting broke it or if it was a coincidence, but it made me feel a little paranoid. Since it has been through a couple of motors already and developed a sound like a load of rocks dumping onto pavement between cycles, we ordered a new washer over the weekend! It's Energy Star, but still top loading so if I dare to try the felting again I'll be able to stand over the washer and monitor the progress. I am so looking forward to not having to babysit the washing machine!

I prefer to spend my domestic time doing things like cooking! Over the weekend, I tried a new soup recipe. It's so simple, especially with the new immersion blender the in-laws got me for xmas. The recipe was in a recent Williams Sonoma catalog and is also available free on their website: White Bean Soup. I neglected to take a pic, but mine looked about the same as the one on the recipe page. I may have blended a tad more...the blender is my new favorite kitchen gadget. It's this one, in case you are wondering! I made a place for it in a drawer, but am using it so much it's hardly worth putting it away!!

Maythorn Progress

I thought I should show a little evidence of knitting going on. I'm mostly working on Maythorn at the moment which is a Louisa Harding pattern from Little Cake. The main body is done, but there is still a lot of trim work to do for the sleeves, waist and around the front.

The yarn, called Thistle, is very light and soft to work with.