Needle Tart

If I'm not knitting or sewing something, I must be cooking something!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Mmmmm, Baklava!

Every year for Valentine's Day I try to make The Husband something a little special for dinner. Last year was the Red Pepper soup (with sour cream hearts floating in it) and the year before was Spinich/Mushroom Strata. They were such big hits that we had them this year. But wait! Valentine's Day? Sweets for my sweetie? Hmmmm, he's not allowed sugar so every year I look for a low-sugar (he refuses to use Splenda, sacharrin et al) yummy. There was the apple juice sweetened cake, the mago puree cheese cake, and the low-sugar chocolate cake. All at least edible but no real wonders. If he sort of liked it, I hated it. If I liked it, he didn't. This year, friends, this year, I listened. Every time we go to the local Greek restaurant, The Husband sighs and says, "Baklava! I miss baklava!" So as I was going through the cookbook looking for something to bake for the Rabbi (we are her hosts this weekend, and it's in the notes that she must gain weight when she comes) and I found a low-sugar, mostly fruit sweetened baklava in the Moosewood Desserts (scroll down). It is truly a labor of love, but soooo yummy!
First you layer a gazillion sheets of filo pastry (a quarter pound) with melted butter and finely chopped, toasted almonds. Next you put in apricot puree made by cooking apricots in apple juice and then pureeing them with two eggs in the food processor. Finally you layer another quarter pound of filo leaves with butter and almonds. Bake for a while and then heat a quater cup of honey with some lemon juice and water and pour over your creation. Chill and serve in little pieces. Note that I am not giving you the full recipe, buy the book, there are lots of great recipes in there. The Husband had one for dessert and the next morning his sugar levels were perfectly normal. Not only that, but I liked it, too! Usually I am a sugar hog, but this is so nice and sweet without being cloying. For sure it's a keeper, though I may try rose water in place of the lemon juice.

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

Welcome

If you just turned to the February 8, 2008 page in you Stitch-n-Bitch calendar and decided to visit, welcome. Amy seemed to be really impressed that the Valentine Socks are mine and that I hadn't mentioned selling the pattern. That's either because I was waiting until the sale was for sure or I was being modest. Your choice.
On the needles right now are:
1. Smokin' from Son of S-n-B. Well, it's not exactly on the needles. I am knitting it for Younger Son and I need to find buttons that go and sew down the second pocket. It was an easy knit, but I would have made it one size larger for anyone else. YS likes his sweaters to hug him.
2. Target Wave Mittens from Knitting from Nature. They should be on the needles, but I am working madly away on:
3. The Brooklyn Bridge scarf from Son of S-n-B. It is double knitting with a pattern. I think the last time I tried double knitting was a baby blanket for Oldest Niece who now has two children of her own. This time I am using two colors and practicing holding one color in each hand. Maybe for the next Olympics I can get that fair-isle sweater done. (I have a few years to perfect the method, right?)
4. Remember the Strikke-along? Me neither.
It just occured to me that I started this whole blog thing because Stephanie told me to, and that was during the last Olympics. Aren't they in February? That means a blogiversary must be coming (I just checked and I didn't know how to start so the first dated post is February 10, 2006. Wow! 2006!!) I know I missed it last year. Maybe this year I'll even post.

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Finally, Someone to Vote For!

Yes, I know it's been a while since I've posted. There are lots of reasons, but most of them add up to "I'm in pain and I just want to whine". Since I won't subject you to that.....I've been gone a while.
Today, though, there is just too much good news out there to ignore. Finally, the American people have a candidate that we can vote for. As opposed to Dear G-d! Not him/her!!!!!!!!!
Yes, if you are looking for the perfect candidate, check out the news over at Panopticon. Think we can't do it? Ask Stephanie how much she wanted to raise for Medicine Sans Frontier, and then how much she got. Yup, we'll have a fiber-friendly president before you know it.

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