two sicilian chicks

What's old is new again...

So the truth is I was clearly the space in the corner of my bedroom because my directv hangs up after about 1 minute on just the Food Network ..and mind you only on this receiver..and only this channel. So I was clearing out the space while examining the wiring when I found an old knitting bag..and inside it, was my Jo Sharp V-Neck Vest..that you gave me as a birthday present...I think just over a year ago..maybe longer... I love this yarn, Rowan 4-ply soft..it has such great elasticity to it..and LOVE the color. Maybe I can actually wear it too!

I knit the 3 pieces but never joined the seams, we know how I hate that part..and then the next step is to pick up and make the rolled neckline and armholes. So I started sewing seams today!!! Whoo hoo..so it IS possible to finished up a UFO again. There is hope for my other sweater in a different knitting bag...

Happy Holidays to all...

I don't know about you chica but this holiday has been busy.  One sure fire way to break in a new kitchen fast is to host a sit down breakfast and dinner for 10 on Christmas day!   Here are some photos of the breakfast table all ready the night before.  Over the years I've collected single pieces of Tracy Porter's Sweet Tidings collection off of Ebay.  I love this set, it's like having Christmas in Whoville.  Perfect for a casual breakfast after the gift giving, and dishwasher friendly!

I will not lie - there were some scary moments in the new kitchen.  The first water etching on the honed marble island (inevitable and invisible to all but me), my sister-in-laws father showing up with all the ingredients for a side dish and asking when he can squeeze in and saute on the Aga (OMG this man wants to use my baby!!!), and finding out that the disposal is not broken but has a little red button on the bottom of it that was accidentally tripped.  All simple though, and it was all lovely.  Even the guest chef was as neat as can be on the Aga!

It was a simple Christmas of homemade gifts to each other, and it was extremely special.  Grandparents were given the lovely photos you took of us at Mohonk and they were a huge hit.  Dave and I decided our gifts to one another would be said and not purchased, while Santa of course brought Lexie exactly what she wanted and more...  we have a new addition to the family.. a rescue kitten that my daughter has called Tinkerbell.   She's Tink for short and it's a perfect name for her. she thinks my knitting should be undone!  All knitting must be properly secured in the house now!

...and today the last of our guests has left and we have the fire roaring while I made Chestnut Mushroom Soup from the Chocolate and Zucchini book.  I love this book - every recipe in there is a winner I'm convinced.  I did add some half and half to make the soup a tad creamier and a bit more sinful!  Sent my mother home with a container and a loaf of homemade cranberry bread.  I've really been enjoying all the cooking now that we are fully equipped with a kitchen.  Most of the holidays seem to center around our kitchen, and finally the kitchen is worthy of all the time we are in it!  We are really looking forward to your visit Nina - and you are welcome to cook on the Aga.  See how much I love you?

Here are some more pics from the last few weeks and our generally holiday merrymaking...  Our tree, my mother meeting Tink, dinner out with the extended family, and random pics of the kitchen all done.

 

New Sock Yarn

I'm addicted to sock yarn..and just got this from kpixie.com
Two day sale!

Goodbye pretty girl...

As Nina already knows we had to say goodbye to Mysty (misty), our cat of 15 years, last week. She died of lung cancer, of all things, no one in our house smokes.   I don't want to go into all the details of her last week on earth, the vet assures us she felt no real pain just weakness which is good.

She was a great cat and we miss her tons.  She was mostly my cat, as with most cats she picked her one person and that was me.  She slept at my feet, followed me around the house and when I gave birth to my daughter she decided that she would be my helper.  I never needed a baby monitor, if the baby so much as made a peep, Mysty would be on top of me saying 'cmon let's go get the baby!'   She was by no means a 'friendly' cat.  Her mother was domesticated and her father was feral so she had that wild streak that tended to come out whenever someone new entered our home.   She was a hisser!  But to us she was nothing but love.  She survived a NYC apartment break-in,  a walk around an 11th floor ledge and a toddler's enthusiastic ardor.   She never lashed out at a child, just accepted their clumsy sort of love with grace.  Once she hissed at my friend May as she was coming up the stairs in our house - and I'll never forget this because it summed up what kind of cat she was.  There she was all scary and back arched and hissing - and May an experienced and fearless cat person just palmed her head and said 'Silly Kitty!' and Mysty nearly fell over in shock that her act was not fooling this person.  

We're sad but doing okay. Our neighbor bought us the book 'Cat Heaven' so we could read it to Lexie.  She loves it and is healing too - though we still can't get through the whole book without tearing up.   Like most 6 year olds she believes the best way to deal with her grief is to hurry up and replace her with a cat that looks just like her and call her Mysty.  It's hard to explain to her that that surely will not do - but we do intend to open our home to another cat at some point soon.  I want it to be a rescue situation, there are too many homeless cats in this world needing a good family to give them love and attention.

And Nina thank you for taking this picture of Mysty.. it's one of my favorites and I'm so glad I have it of her - and that you are the one who captured it. 

A gift for everybody

I don't know about you..but I'm notorious for hiding things and then forgetting where I hid them..and to top it off, I'm still a paranoid New Yorker so I never like to leave valuables in typical places...so I came across this clever idea somewhere (can't remember..) and thought, hey this could be the gift for that someone that you never know what to get them...

Secretstoragebooks.com

 

Image credit: www.secretstorage.com

Artichoke French

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends again this year. Always enough food for twice the amount of people but hey - I like leftovers!

I've been jones'ing this since Rhinebeck and found a recipe online:

Artichoke French recipe

2 cans artichokes (NOT packed in oil)
Flour
2 to 3 eggs beaten
Butter
White wine
Greating cheese
1/2 fresh lemon

1. Drain the artichokes (I leave them whole, you can cut them in half if you like).

2. Dredge the artichokes in flour.

3. Dip artichokes in beaten eggs.

4. Place oil in frying pan and fry for about 1 minute on each side, just till browned.

5. Drain fried artichokes on paper towles.

6. Place them in a baking dish (you can make them ahead if you like).

7. In a small sauce pan melt 1/2 to 3/4 stick of butter. When melted, add 1 cup of white wine. Let mixture simmer for a few minutes untill the alcohol dissipates. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon into the mixture. Taste.

8. Pour mixture over artichokes that are in your baking dish and sprinkle a little grating cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

ETA: fry garlic in olive oil before adding the artichokes..makes it more garlicy and more like the one I was trying to replicate in the first place.

9. When you serve, garnish with a lemon wedge.

If you like, squeeze a little more lemon juice on the artichokes before serving.

Happy Birthday Chica!

I hope you have a fantastic birthday today... this milestone birthday that I won't mention the year of publicly. :)   Spend it doing something fun even if it's only an hour out of your busy day.

Please check your mailbox for a little something from me.  It should arrive today or tomorrow.

(I don't know if there is anything to numerology but my lucky numbers have always been 1, 0 and 7.  I happen to think your birthdate is pretty cool.  11/11   Is one a lucky number for you?)

All about handmade

Each year I try to give handmade gifts to people. Some are easier than older. For example, dh got a scarf one year, but that's it. What else other than maybe socks could I make him. If I told him, hey honey, I'm making you some clothes I think he'd run the other way.

So for dd she's not really into dolls however, her beloved Truffles pictured below has is her fave. He goes everywhere and most especially to bed with her still. I bought him for her when she was a baby and she's never let go of it since. I've tried making her clothes before but I felt I really needed a pattern to make something special. I bought this pattern from Indygo Junction and it's super cute. It's meant for 15 or 18" dolls but with a modification in the straps it fits Truffles.This pattern was purchased from my favorite LQS Quilters Alley. Another great inspirational store!

So now, what can I make for a 6 year old boy? We exchange every year with our best friends and last year I made their son a draw-string backpack made out of cool Star Wars fabric..but I'm at a loss this year...any ideas?? 

Who Doesn't Love a DEAL?!

Brad's Deals

Guantanamo ain't got nothin on this...

Suppose you really dislike someone... suppose you want the supreme sort of vengeance... if you were feeling that cruel... that abysmally evil - do you know what you could do?

You could surround their kitchen entrance in clear plastic and make them live without a stove, dishwasher, and sink for 5 weeks. 

Yeah we're in week 5.  I am so sick of processed shelf food.  I believe that my insides might be turning into powdered cheese.  I really miss food that doesn't require hot water to the fill line.  We are officially out of the nutritious food that I cooked beforehand and froze.   It's all worth it right?  I mean I hope to god this beautiful kitchen they are building will actually one day be complete and useful.  I also hope that in this current economy we can still afford to buy food to put in it.

Any ideas for this last week or two?  Take out or prepared food is not a real option for us - what with the whole peanut allergy kid and all.