Snow Day Pork Stew

Since I was home yesterday I decided to throw together some hearty stew to keep us warm after shoveling snow.

I started with:
– 2 frozen cubed pork steaks
– 2 cups baby carrots
– about a cup of caramelized onions leftover from another day
– I can cream of chicken soup
– 1 can progresso meal starters, creamy mushroom flavor
– 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
– 1 package of red pepper flake from pizza delivery
– salt and pepper to taste

I mixed all the ingredients except the pork, salt, and pepper together in my crock pot until well combined. I them added the pork and covered with sauce mixture. I cooked on low for 7 hours or until pork is fork tender.

Pull out the pork and cut into hearty sized chunks:

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Stir remaining sauce mixture and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste:

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Combine all ingredients back together!

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We served over some whole grain rice steamed with half water and half chicken stock. The soup is very hearty and rustic with the large chunks of pork and whole baby carrots. It would have been better with potatoes, but I am trying to use more whole grain sources and less starchy vegetables.

The creaminess of the soup and starter play well against the spiciness of the red pepper flake. The carrots were fork tender and the caramelized onions added a much richer texture than just adding raw uncooked onions. This recipe was very very filling and just what a snow day needed!

All in all not a bad made up on the fly recipe.

It Is Upon Us

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The storm is upon us! I got up and tried to get to work (being one of the few businesses still open) I had the road to myself. Problem was visibility…I couldn’t see anything in front of me! I called my boss and asked permission to work from home.

Now I have a cup of coffee at my husbands desk reading morning reports. I hope to finish these soon so I get get some good snow storm knitting done!

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It’s snowing sideways at 2 inches per hour. But my pantry is stocked and (fingers crossed) we still have electricity. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thursday!

A Present for Mere

A very dear friend recently asked for a soft lightweight cowl in red. So I pursued Ravelry and just didn’t find anything worthy of Mere. She has gorgeous pale skin with dark cocoa colored hair.

Mere and I share a love of wine, so I pulled two skeins of Lion Brand Natures Choice Organic Cotton in variegated reds and browns. The reds remind me of the different colors of red wine and the browns will pop against her hair.

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And away I went! I cast on about 210 sts and I plan on working back and forth between lace sections and stockinette sections. If this design works out I hope to launch this as a free design here on my blog and on Ravelry.

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This is my purse/public knitting project, so I hope it will go quickly! I can’t wait to see Mere wearing it. She is gorgeous in anything but I love that she adores my hand knits!

Happy Knitting!

Stashbustin’ #10

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I’m crazy….I have WIP-itis! I was so in love with my finished Zig Zag Baby Blanket and the beautiful chevrons I had to cast on another. This time I’m opting for chevrons more like the ones from my Waves N Ripples Blanket. I like the solid fabric feel, not that the lace detail isn’t lovely. I think solid fabric is just more suitable for a blanket. (Just my opinion…don’t shoot the blogger)

I’m improvising the design using soft pink and bright white cottons. This blanket is definitely destined for a baby girl. I have so many WIPs that I’m not sure where it falls in the queue, lol. But for now it’s in my “couch” knitting spot!

Happy Knitting!

Status Update: Chevron Blanket

Progress on Stashbustin’ #7

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Five and a half stripes down on my Chevron Baby Blanket! I plugged some serious time into this project. I had a migraine most of Saturday. It was wicked, I got so dizzy I almost passed out when I stood up. As a lifelong allergy sufferer, unfortunately these hit me a couple times a year. Usually at wild weather swing. My husband basically ordered me to the couch so I wouldn’t fall or hurt myself. Upside, I had several hours of uninterrupted (quiet) movie watching while knitting.

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This is usually my bed time knitting but I needed a familiar and soothing project this weekend. Not sure when I’ll be done with this one, and I don’t care. It’s a warm and soft project they I’m thoroughly enjoying.

I get the day off from my big kid job for Presidents Day. I was hopeful for some knitting time but I have a doctors appointment and a meeting with an insurance agent. Exciting stuff right?

I wish everyone a happy Monday!

Time To Knit

Being under thirty with a very busy schedule, I get two questions ALL the time:
1- You knit!?
2- How do you have time for it?

Knitting is a very big part of my life and I don’t have a problem KIP (knitting in public). I usually just smile and tell people that its easy to knit all the time. I have projects in my purse, in my desk at work, and almost every room in the house. And a yarn stash to back it all up, lol!

Just today I knit:
– on the couch having my morning coffee before I went to the gym
– in line at the post office to ship an order
– in line at grocery store waiting to check out
– waiting for sushi guy to make my lunch to go order
– on my couch again while catching up on this weeks DVR shows
And it’s not even 2pm!

Sure people stare and look at me like I have two heads, but it doesn’t bother me. When I have time to kill, I knit to pass the time. When I’m relaxing, I knit to enjoy the time. And when it’s all said and done I get a cool FO.

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Today at grocery store, the cashier smiled at me and said “look at you wasting no time!” She made my day. I could tell she was a fellow crafter.

For now I’m off to cast on next week’s projects and make some progress on my current WIPs!

Happy Saturday 🙂

Valentines Day Surprise!

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I love my parents! For as long as I can remember my dad has always made sure to send flowers to ALL his special ladies. He sends gifts to my mother, my sister, his mother, his mother in law, and I. I don’t have a particular desire to celebrate V-day especially as its mostly a commercial holiday. But it melts my heart how sweet my daddy is. He is such a great and honorable man that words cannot express how much I love him. And there is just something about flowers (especially at work on my desk) that just make me smile!

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On the home front the husband and I had a cozy dinner for two at home. T-bone steak for him and salmon fillet for me both with fresh salad and steamed veggies. We shared a mini Sara Lee Cheesecake just because. By alas, the husband had to go to his Int Algebra class so I was left to knit on the couch with a glass of wine in my stretchy pants.

Ain’t married life grand!!

Book Review: A Life In Stitches

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I’ve had Rachel Herron’s A Life In Stitches on my bookshelf for awhile. For some reason I had the urge to pick it up this past week. I read the whole thing in two days

This book was amazing! It was the right book for my life right now. Rachel Herron is awesome. Her essays were heartwarming in one chapter and heart wrenching in the next. This book literally made me cry. Not cute little dab-your-eye tears but actual crocodile-check-your-makeup tears. This book explores the highs and lows of life and how knitting intertwined with it all. And even how knitters can build a community and friendships without ever meeting in person.

EVERY KNITTER NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK! But beware, grab Kleenex and a good glass of wine. No spoilers here, just a wish to share this wonderful book. I stumbled upon it on Amazon mostly because I’ll buy most any book remotely related to knitting, lol. I connected very powerfully to the family stories in this book and its helping me process my Grandmothers passing and even my Mothers current grief.

Won’t you please give it a read?

FO: Zig Zag Baby Blanket

Warning: this post may get a bit mushy!

My Zig Zag Blanket is complete!!!

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It turned out a bit more square than rectangle, but then again so am! The Bernat Cottontots Solid is butter soft but yet washable! The pattern was easy to memorize but yet so complicated looking. I couldn’t put this project down!

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I did a lot of thinking during this blanket. First off, this blanket is made for a fellow knitter and her firstborn. I kept thinking “She’s going to love this! Even better she’s going to truly understand how much energy and time went into each stitch” There is just something so inherently different in knitting for a knitter. Not that I’m saying knitting for the general public isn’t fun! It’s just that I pour so much of myself into my projects I almost hate to part with them. I’m a process knitter, I can look at a piece and know exactly what I was doing and thinking while I was knitting it. The process of making the FO is what’s important to me, the love that woven with each knit and purl. Only a knitter understands this obsession and it feels good to be understood and appreciated!

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This blanket will forever be linked to my memory of my Grandma Leta. She passed while I was working on this project. I couldn’t help but hope the little baby girl who gets this will love her Grandma just as much. This blanket was good therapy as I worked through grief and sadness. Knitting goes a long way to heal any kind of wound. It doesn’t cover it up or erase it as much as it soothes and eases. (See I told you this was going to get sappy!)

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Stitch after stitch, knitting goes on. Just like life. I miss Grandma but I also can’t wait to meet sweet baby Lazo. Sweet and sad at the same time. Knitting is such an integral part of life I’d feel lost without it. Now on to my other WIPs, I’ve got more love to share!!!

Happy Knitting

Best Laid Plans

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Hey! My name is Bella. I see that you are trying to knit. I think that’s really cool. Can I smell it?! Can I sit my butt directly on top of it and wiggle non stop!? Can I climb all over you so that you make sure to love on me?

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Here is my buddy Barley. He would very much like to use your legs as a pillow and take up 75% of the couch. He would also appreciate if you didn’t move around a lot. He weighs 100 lbs so I doubt you will be able to move anyway.

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We are so glad you came to visit!! Can we take a nap now? Oh…wait someone crinkled cellophane in the kitchen. We must investigate!!!!!

(This is pretty much what happened every time I sat on the couch to knit this past weekend. I love my mom’s dogs but needless to say I did not finish my zig zag blanket. No worries I have made progress since then and I have 1 1/2 pattern repeats and the border to complete!)

Ps. I had a wonderful time with the family celebrating Grandma’s 80th back home this past weekend. Food, wine, and fun! I even have the extra 5lbs to prove it….