Friday, January 29, 2010

Let it Snow...let it snow...let it snow...

Can you tell that I'm excited about the big snowstorm that's coming? I really love snow. I've been very disappointed over the past few years to not even get ONE snow. That's all I really want for a winter to be perfect...just ONE snow. And to be getting our 2nd snow this year...well, let's just say I'm excited. Now I don't want the snow to last forever, mind you. Just for a day or two so I can sleep in late one morning, build a fire, enjoy playing with Ariel in the snow, and, of course, knit. I don't really think that's too much to ask, do you?

Those of you on our email list know that I’ve always wondered what one would make with the milk, eggs & bread that we all go to the grocery store to buy when we hear the "S" word. So I’ve come up with some ideas for you to try during this coming snowstorm:
  1. French toast - http://southernfood.about.com/od/frenchtoastrecipes/r/bl30118b.htm (I like to sprinkle a little cinnamon on my French toast.)
  2. Bread pudding http://www.momswhothink.com/easy-recipes/bread-pudding-recipe.html
  3. Scrambled eggs, toast, & milk
  4. Egg Salad sandwich & milk
So the challenge went out in my last email as to what you would make with these 3 ingredients: milk, eggs & bread. The one who would "WOW" me with their recipe would win a prize. I've really enjoyed reading all of your emails about your family recipes. You all sent me a lot of ideas. Here are a few...
  • Fried egg sandwich with milk
  • French toast strata with cider syrup (although you'd have plan ahead for this one in order to have a few extra ingredients)
  • Breakfast cassarole
  • Breakfast strata - adding veggies, cheese & meat (also additional ingredients)

Several people mentioned snow cream...although it doesn't have our 3 ingredients, it's a great idea. Amanda shared with me how she makes it:

You take a very large bowl out to gather snow, because a lot of snow makes a little snow cream. I use a large plastic spoon (like what can be used for sauces and soups), but metal would work fine. Find some clean, undisturbed snow on top of a car or something. Before filling the bowl, gently scrape off a little of the top layer of snow to remove any coal dust or other particles. Once you have a heaping bowl full of snow, go inside and put a decent amount of the snow into a fairly good sized bowl (allows room for mixing). Then add some sugar, evaporated milk, and a little bit of vanilla extract. Mix together and taste. If it's good, then there's nothing left to do but enjoy a bowl full. Otherwise, add a little of whatever is needed to make it right (will most likely be some more snow from bowl #1). Put any leftovers in the freezer (if there are any leftovers). Caution: eating too much snow cream at a time can cause a sore throat, so enjoy in moderation! :)

My momma never would let us make snow cream as kids. She was always too concerned about radiation in the air to let us eat snow. I did some research online to see about the safety of eating snow. I found a website that said you should let it snow 2 hours before using the snow for snow cream to wash out all the pollutants in the air. But they also said not to be too concerned because we breathe that same air every day. That actually makes sense. Plus I doubt any of us will be putting away snow cream in such large amounts that it will hurt us. So go make some and enjoy it!

I did receive two recipes that were new to me...and really sounded yummy. Our first winner is Beth Jinkerson. She said to make "Eggs in a Nest". Here's a website that shows how to make it.

And then our second winner is Debbie Slack for her recipe called "Eggs Goldenrod" (i.e. Creamed eggs on toast). Here's her recipe for 1-2 people. You can multiply it as needed.

1 hard boiled egg
1-2 slices toast
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Make a basic white sauce: melt the butter, stir in the flour until bubbly and smooth, add the milk and cook until thickened. (I stir my sauce with a pancake turner instead of a spoon - it sweeps the bottom of the pot better.) Remove the yolk from the hard boiled egg and set aside. Chop the egg white and add to the white sauce. Add salt & pepper if desired. Tear the toast into bite-size pieces on a plate, ladle the sauce over it, and crumbled the saved egg yolk on top. Serve piping hot.

So Beth and Debbie come by the shop and pick up your skein of Kollage Creamy yarn...it's made of 80% milk! Very appropriate, don't you think. Really, this 80%milk/20% cotton yarn would make a lovely spring scarf. So even if you didn't win, you should check out this yarn.

If you're not on our email newsletter list, just send me an email and let me know you want to be added. We occasionally send out extra emails with additional information...and sometimes a contest.

Enjoy the snow!!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Show and Tell Friday...

Today's a rainy day here in East Tennessee. But that doesn't stop us from being excited over the wonderful projects that folks have been bringing into the shop to share with us.


Kelora made this beautiful shawl out of Cascade Alpaca Lace. The addition of the beads really made it pop.



Kristina brought in two shawls that she has recently completed. The first one is the Icelandic Poppies Shawl by Evelyn Clark.






The second one is the Sand Dollar Shawl out of Knitting Lace Triangles. Both were made with lace weight alpaca.



Jan shared with us her shrug made out of Feza Cyprus Mohair. Lots of people have made this very popular shrug pattern.



And finally, Aggie made skull and crossbone hats for her grandkids.


Good job, everyone. Don't forget to bring in your finished projects so that we can share them with everyone.

Stay safe today if you're driving around town. Blessings!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Show & Tell Friday...

Can you believe that it's a Friday and I remembered to post on the blog!! We've been so busy this past month that I haven't caught up yet from the Christmas rush. But today I have lots to share with you.


Leslie has made a lot of fingerless mitts recently. She used Brown Sheep Wildfoote to make this first pair.


And then she used Crystal Palace Panda Wool. The pattern for these mitts is in the One Skein book.


And finally she made a pair for a Christmas gift...and this pattern was in the December 09 issue of Knit 'N Style. She's been a busy woman!
Jan made a hat for her granddaughter out of Cabin Fever Cotton Tweed.


Daniel made a lacy scarf for Amanda's birthday out of Malabrigo Silky Merino. It was his 1st attempt at adding beads. He's come a long way from a year ago when he learned to knit.


We've gotten in lots of new yarns this past week. I've kept both Melissa and Paula busy labeling and putting this wonderful yarn on the shelves. I can't wait to start working on models for you to see. We got in:
  • Noro Kureyon – 100% wool that is self-striping. A great felting yarn.

  • Noro Cash Iroha – a wonderful solid yarn that complements Noro Silk Garden (a silk/wool/cashmere blend)

  • Knit One, Crochet Too Crock-o-Dye – a sock weight blend of superwash wool/silk/nylon that would make gorgeous scarves as well

  • Knit One, Crochet Too Camelino – a worsted weight merino/camel blend in solid colors

  • Knit One, Crochet Too Ty Dy Dots – 100% cotton that knits up like a summer tweed…coordinates with the Ty Dy yarn

  • Berroco Origami – a summer yarn of acrylic/linen that knits up into a very light fabric

  • Berroco Weekend – an aran weight yarn of acrylic/cotton that is washable and great for lots of different projects

  • Lang Jawoll Magic – new sock yarn that gives a tye-dye effect…great for shawls as well

  • Plus lots of restocks of your favorite yarns
Did you all see the gorgeous sunset we had last evening? It caused me to stop for a minute and pause to thank God for the beautiful world He has given us to live in. Thought I'd share the photo with you...although it doesn't really portray how beautiful it really was. It was another reminder to stop occasionally and take time to be thankful. Blessings to you all!