bellevett

blueberry dumplings.

These dumplings are obsessively good. 

 

I dont have any pictures of them cooked.   and no, i didn't eat them before they were cooked, although I was tempted.  When they got out of the oven, we started eating them immediately.  which was obviously not smart and we just now recovered from the second degree burns on the roof of our mouths.  

I adapted this recipe from design sponge.  

It comes with a recipe for sauce, but i opted not to use the sauce.  After I made the sauce, I could tell that it was going to caramelize into a candy stage and turn into a hard candy once it cooled.  

miniature sweater. for a baby.

Tiny sweater, for my new niece/nephew.  So cute.  

I improvised this pattern from either a Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern, or something i have seen on the internet I am sure.  I basically looked a the amount of stitches cast on and then improvised for a 6-9 month baby.  

tutorial coming for all of you knitters.

 
 I love these buttons.

ps. i have never done so much stockinette.

   

knitting set.

i often have a tiny dilemma.  which can be known as too-many-works-in-progress-so-much-yarn.  I made these quick zipper bags so that i can keep separate knitting projects in separate bags.  When I leave the house in the morning, I grab one of these bags with my knitting project in it.  It also keeps my projects from having 2 tons of dog hair attached to it.

 

And of course i had to have a needle case and a pocket for my scissors and needles and stitch markers. 

see below.  (just now realized how wrinkled it is.  too late now, laziness taking over, and it has already been filled with about 2 hundred needles.)
  

I used elastic to keep it together.
 

i love this button.

 

in action.

a tiny baby sweater.  (up next)

I have good news.  I have a tutorial for this.  so your welcome.  perfect gift for a knitter, or yourself.

(if i can figure out how to get inkscape to do what i say.) 

cheese

i made some farmer's cheese a few weeks back.  

 

I used this recipe.  make sure and add extra salt.  she isn't kidding about the salt draining off!

normally I am a mozzarella girl.  here is an old old old post about making cheese that is on my old blog and it includes the recipe.....  pre kitchen renovation style. and pre- typepad style.  it seems i am like goldilocks with the blogs.  I just couldn't seem to find one that felt right.  until now.

i might just retype this mozzarella recipe and do new pictures, since i have these new nice countertops and all.

the weekly reader highlights.

 above: my sad little avacado tree.  (this is the 9 month old one, avett ate the 5 year old one.)

do you have google reader or bloglines???  if you are shaking your head no, then stop reading this immediately and go sign up.  it keeps all of your favorite blogs and websites at the touch of a button, and they are all neat and organized.  

I have the reader currently, but i am contemplating the switch to bloglines.  seems better, but i dont know yet.

without further ado, i give you the highlights of my google reader subscriptions:

• a free ice cream cone, what?  and from ben and jerrys no less.
• the new york public library digital gallery.  I am never amazed by what i find.  and can get printed for me.  amen. others love it too.
• i am making these boxes to organize my notions in my studio. 
• i am adding this to my collection of household concoction recipes.
• and more potions here.
• after seeing alice in wonderland, and loving every second of it, (i am a long time lover of alice in wonderland.) i stumbled upon this fabric. love.

i have lots to share this week.  but you will have to wait until i can get a second to come up for air once i am not trapped under this mountain of projects and vegetable planting that HAS TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW!

some bibs and some bubbas

for the not-yet-born-cutest-niece or nephew ever to grace the planet, i made these bibs.  

since no one knows if it will be a niece or nephew until the birth-day,  i felt it necessary to do a reversible bib.  and i really like these.  its like a surprise party all in one bib.  

i thought i would make a tutorial for these because well, SOMEONE will want to make these. I feel sure of it.

 

these next pictures are titled: what are you doing behind my back.

 

 

   i have always wondered what they were doing behind me.  turns out, they are just walking.  who would have known?

just in case you were wondering, it turns out that i do not have some unknown incurable bladder disease as once suspected. (by me, of course.)

I have had a terrible case of the diagnosisitis. which happens fairly frequently.  I wont go into the details of my symptoms.  because, no one, not even my dr. (it seems) really thinks that they are worrisome.  and so now i am settling down my google symptom searches and opting for some more time outside, getting some vit. d., which might just be to blame for my diagnosisitis. which seems to appear during long spells of cold and dark weather.

at any rate, i have been very busy as of late.

and here is some evidence that i am ,in-fact, still living my life:

planting

 

WATCHING

 

cooking

 

ADMIRING....   love abounds.

  

coming up this week:

• i made cheese. and you can too!
• i am covered up in baby gifts
• some hikes. yes. please.
• knitting.  and trying to figure out how to knit and clean and beautify simultaneously. 

homemade yogurt

i eat yogurt everyday.  of my life.  

so, why not make it myself. 

and so I found a recipe to make it in that useless piece of kitchenware that is also known as the crockpot.

I despise that crock pot.  If i didn't have a whole shelving system in my attic dedicated to kitchenwares to store such treasures as the elusive crockpot, I would yard sale that baby.

but now, the crockpot might redeem itself with it's delicious yogurt making properties.

from this:

 

to this:

Of course I start with Cruze Dairy Farm Milk!   

HOMEmade Yogurt:

1 gallon of your local dairy farms most minimally pasturized milk. 

4 tbsp. of some plain yogurt from the store to use as a starter.  (I use brown cow cream top plain yogurt.  it is my favorite. you will only need to use store bought the first time and then after that you can use your homemade yogurt as the starter.)

empty your gallon of milk into the crockpot.

turn your crockpot on low.

let it warm for 3 hours with the lid on (i stir it every once in a while just for good measure. and because i am a nervous food stirer this is in no way necessary.)

turn off the crockpot and let it sit with the lid on for 3 hours. (after about 1.5 hours, let the store bought yogurt sit on the counter and become room temp. this just makes it easier to stir in)

after 3 hours, take out 2 cups of the warmed milk and put into a big bowl.

add the 4 tbsp. of store bought yogurt and whisk until completely combined.

add the mixture back into the crockpot and mix very well.  lay a heavy towel on top of the lid of the crockpot.  

after about 12 hours, uncover and taste.  it should be cultured and delicious.

put into glass containers and store in fridge for at least 8 hours before eating. (this makes the texture much thicker.)

and ps. I like to drain all the liquid from the jars after it gets thick. I do not like runny yogurt.

and pps.  i like to add in blueberries with a little agave nectar or sugar or even honey when putting it in the jars.

 
 

pppps. if you decide to use less milk or half this recipe, you need to lessen the time that it warms up on low.  like by about an hour or so.

beeryarnhikingfoodpalooza: part 3

Part 3: Hiking

Bent Creek Research Forest

Nevermind that I woke up on this beautiful Valentines Morning with an insane amount of nausea, aches, and chills.  I was absolutely going for an amazing hike right off the blue ridge parkway.  

Oh, but the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed due to the weather.

So, Bent Creek it is.

 

I name this picture: amber tries to rally and not throw up on herself.

 

 

    

beautiful hike. beautiful day. 

after this i retreated to the hotel to, ahem, inspect the toilet bowl.

beeryarnhikingfoodpalooza: Part 2

Part 2: yarn shops

On our way back from pisgah we spotted a.................  YAAAARNN SHOOPP!

(read with oprah givaway voice.) 

The Black Mountain Yarn Shop

hello.

 

spotted the usual suspects: debbie bliss, malabrigo.  also spotted the new spud and chloe yarn.  Hello love of my life.  but still not quite what i was looking for. 

searching.... searching.......

and then.... spotted several baskets of locally dyed and spun yarn.  (and some of the wool was even local.  umm. yes please.) 

Just what i was looking for....  the all elusive splurge yarn. 

and the next thing i knew, i had several skeins of yarn being wound for me.  and as Cody went to get the car AND as I was paying and about to walk out the door, I couldn't stop myself from JUST. ONE. MORE. SKEIN.

    SOCKS!

If you are near black mountain, N.C., go here immediately!  and I mean now! I heard word of an online shop...... lets hope that comes soon!

stay tuned for part 3.

oh, you didn't read part 1?  its here.  Click it now.