bellevett

some knits. and gifts.

 

a few simple gifts for christmas.

the pear and hat were knitted by me.

pear was knitted from itty bitty toys book, and i added some bells inside so that it would be appealing to such a rattle lover.  the hat was made from this aviatrix pattern. 

a wooden knob puzzle and a book from us.

abc blocks from a family friend.

a few small wooden trains from a cousin.

a wooden xylophone and a tambourine for this music maker lover boy was perhaps his favorite gift.

another favorite? this walker wagon from nova naturals. which he is crawling with.  this boy is such a fast crawler, why would he have any reason to actually walk? 

we intend on keeping holidays small, always, just a few simple gifts and lots of merry making.  this season was perfectly that.

 

bark

 

first and formost: peppermint bark.

the most addictive most rediculous item in the land.

here is how i make mine:

6 oz. semi sweet chocolate

6 oz. milk chocolate (i mix the two together.)

12 oz. real white chocolate (callebaut if you can find it. but if not, just anyone that has cocoa butter as the main ingredient.)

1/8 teaspoon peppermint OIL (this is important.  if you buy peppermint extract, you are going to need about a teaspoon or a little more.  the peppermint oil is an extreme concentration.  i use loranns.)

1 box of crushed up candy canes.  i put mine in the food processor, because i am not into the chunks.

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melt your semi sweet and milk chocolate in a double boiler, stirring.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

after chocolate is melted, spread it in a thin layer on the parchment paper.  this works best with an actual spoon.  offset spatula for me was a bust.

put this in the freezer.

melt your white chocolate in a double boiler. 

when melted add your peppermint oil.  taste it and see if it is pepperminty enough for you.  add a bit more if necessary.

take chocolate tray out of freezer, add the white chocolate on top, quickly.  then add your crushed candy canes on top.

put in fridge until solid.

break into pieces and eat massive amounts for breakfast lunch and dinner  package in nice jars and give to all the people you love the very most.

 

 

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so, the whole candied grapefruit dipped in white chocolate was rather.... meeehh.

so, i went another route. 

as i had seen a recipe in ina garten's book back to basics, or maybe barefoot contessa at home... not sure.... with a nut and fruit bark, so i gave it my best shot with the candied grapefruit.

(truth be told, i really like candied orange peels better, but the selection of oranges at my co-op has not come into a good season just yet.  january will be epic.  blood oranges galore, i just know it.)

 

to make you need:

12 oz mixture of good chocolate, i like to mix semi sweet and milk.

1/2 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of salted cashews

1/4 cup of candied grapefruit peels, crystalized ginger, or really any dried fruits you can find.  really.

coconut would be good.

ok, so melt chocolate in a double boiler.

when melted, spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

add cashews.

add raisins. 

put in fridge and chill.  break into pieces and give to your best buds.

 

hooray for holiday foods!!!

among other things....

lots of joy making around here.

lots of crazy around here.

lots of trying to fight the crazy around here.

............................

i finished a sweater for crosby at the beginning of december.

we had our pictures taken that weekend by a very talented photographer, in which crosby wore said sweater.

the pictures are awesome. yes. will show soon.

 

in the meantime, here is the sweater unworn.

and unblocked.

it is the perfect winter pullover.

i raveled it here with details.

.................

i will be back with more soon, but for now, i need to get back to the 2 pounds of peppermint bark.

it needs to be consumed.

 

on december 7th.

yesterday it did this:

i began to believe my dreams were finally coming true of an early december snow.

but, alas, it stopped.

inside i was finishing up this:

now i am officially casting on for a few confidential christmas gifts.

also, i finished letting these dry:

 

they are all packed up in a tin, waiting to be dipped into some white chocolate.  which will happen this weekend. if they last that long.

 

december 5

 

i do want to find ways to bring some heart and soul back into the holidays.

(although it could just be my recent visit to the mall that has been tempting me lose faith in what the season should be about and the way our nation celebrates.... ahem.)

so, yesterday on st. nicholas day's eve, i made some delicious and treatlike buttery parmesan thyme crackers that we can have today. 

the recipe is out of the back to basics cookbook by Ina Garden. 

i own all of her cookbooks, and they are used weekly at the least.

we didnt put any shoes out last night for special treats to be delivered in.

but, we will be celebrating to the fullest today complete with white chocolate covered candied grapefruit peels and some sort of dinner containing cranberries for good measure.

Parmesan Thyme Crackers

original recipe from Ina Garden 

1 stick room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated on a microplane

2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 c flour

about 1 tablespoon cold water

 

cream butter with your electric mixer

add freshly grated parmesan cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper

cream together

slowly add flour

it will get very crumbly at this point and dry

add cold water very slowly, mixing with a fork, so as not to add too much water

when your dough gets nice and soft, that you can knead it into a ball, you are ready

make into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in fridge

pull out of fridge after about 20 minutes

oil a baking sheet lightly with olive oil

preheat oven to 350

cut into thin slices about 1/4 inch or less

place on baking sheet and place baking sheet in freezer for 10 minutes

pop into oven for 20 minutes, checking after 10 and rotating pan

let cool on metal baking rack, store in airtight container

 

and yes, i do believe i can bring some heart and soul back into our holiday traditions via food.

december 2

last night we spent some time elfing....

in the form of bottling some homebrewed beers. 

 

as the bottlecapper, i spent some of my time knitting, while beers were being filled. which seems like a way that i would like to spend all of my days: knitting until a full beer comes my way in need of a cap.  i could really spend all day in the kitchen with cody, endlessly making, and brewing, and cooking up new and more awesome consumable goods that bring us even further into the land of self sustainability. 

yes. that sounds like a good plan.

although here is the truth, it is that i was tired, and crosby was finally asleep, and my mind was telling me to finish a few projects around the house and curl up in the bed with a few more things checked off my christmas to do list.   BUT that list is gone my friends, for december is for living.  and i am glad for it.

 

which brings me to my last post, and my resolution "list". 

like i need another list really.

most of it was blank.  i went through and wrote down a few things that were my most memorable holiday traditions and things that i sometimes dont seem to make time for and then i spent a few days thinking.

and living.

and i realized that what i really wanted and what i was really trying to verbalize was that my true resolution was to live in the moment for the last few days of 2011. 

to snuggle and nap.

to read.

to knit.

to slow down.

to enjoy time with family.

to make cookies with my friends.

to stop thinking of things that need to be done.

to bottle beer at night with my husband.

 

and in one week, i will sit and drink one of those bottled beers. 

modeled after the terrapin brewery's wake and bake.

and i will be happy that i bottled these beers with cody late into the night.

 

so, the moral of this story is that i have a blank sheet of paper numbered 1-31. 

and i am filling it in as i go along.

and that feels right.

 

ps. i am so inspired by Heather.  this post and this post were truly heart opening.

 

thankful five- day five: handmade

 

 

 

 

 

 

sewing.

dyeing.

and most importantly handknits.

i will be forever grateful.

stress relief in the form of wool.

 

five days of thankfulness links:

day one

day two

day three

day four

 

thankful five- day 3: indulgent foods

 

 

 

 

top to bottom:

homemade mozzarella.  a truly (incredibly easy and extra cheap) indulgent food item.  now that crosby eats dairy, i make this weekly.  and it never ceases to amaze me how good it is. 

ramps.  the first sign of spring. gathered locally.

pickles.  anything pickled.  most especially zucchini and beets.

chocolate covered candied orange peels.  cant wait to make those this season. best holiday indulgence.

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yes, i am thankful for treats.

 

Thankful five- day 2: fresh foods.

 

 

when we bought this house 5 years ago, we had big gardening plans.

each year, our garden plots have expanded, adding new ones, enlarging old ones.

each year, we plant more and different and we hope and plan and tend as much as we can.

we have lots of failures.

we have lots of successes.

i am so grateful for the fresh quality food we have been able to grow each year.

 

"inch by inch, row by row, were going to make this garden grow."

 

 

five days of thankfulness links:

day 1

tons and tons of yarn.

this post will come to you with very few words.

 

it is the last post in my series of things that have been knit lately but i am just not getting to remember to share.

 

the handsome man in the handsome sweater.

finished BEFORE his birthday, in an unlikely manner....

buttons from the mystic orb store on etsy.

i love this sweater and this pattern. 

it was actually a pretty quick knit. 

so handsome.

one problem: i may have created a situation for myself in that now, cody will know the power of a handknit merino wool sweater....  i fear (hope) that more requests will come soon for another handknit.

raveled.