A Gathering of Saffron

"An orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, nard with saffron...with all choice spices - a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon." - Solomon 4:13-15 ESV

Crocus Sativus, the Saffron Crocus

About four years ago, when I traveled through Greece on a summer study abroad trip, I bought a small box of Greek red saffron, which I fully intended to use once back home. Four years later, I've used my little stash maybe once since acquiring it. So, I've started looking up saffron recipes to try this year. Here are a few which I hope to make soon:

• Lemon Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes. 
• Lancaster Chicken Corn Soup
• Saffron Rice
• Creamy Saffron Farfalle with Crab and Shrimp

Saffron is the stigma of the Crocus Sativus that is gathered, dried, crushed and used in everything from meals to dyes to medicine. Real Saffron gives off a taste like honey. If you can get your hands on the real thing without busting the bank, it's well worth the price.

Enjoy!

Love and Chocolate

"Nobody minds having what is too good for them." - Jane Austen

"The wings of the Ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? For she leaves her eggs to the earth...forgetting that a foot may crush them." - Job 39:13-15 ESV

Valentine's Day seems to have become an occasion for intense joy and intense grief - rarely does anyone view it simply as a "happy" holiday. Those who are in love revel in their mad joy, and those who are not in love hate it because they are alone.
Personally, I am all in favor of celebrating love, regardless of my relationship status - and when I say love, I mean self-sacrificial, enduring love. The kind known by mothers for their children, friends for their dear friends, an old married couple for each other, and especially God for his people.

So, that being said, what better way to celebrate love than with chocolate?

Here are several delicious chocolate recipes to choose from:

• Tuxedo chocolate-dipped strawberries; You can always choose to make regular chocolate-dipped strawberries, but these are just too adorable to miss.
  
• Chocolate-dipped candied orange peel; who doesn't love orange and chocolate together?
• Chocolate Nougat; only attempt this if you have experience in candy cooking, as well as enough time and patience. Otherwise, this could end up being a sticky mess. But if you are brave enough to attempt it, it's one of those recipes that is sure to be memorable.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Knitting progress: Paris, Wine and Roses

"I love Paris every moment, every moment of the year. I love Paris; why, oh why do I love Paris? Because my love is near." - Cole Porter

A brief update on two beautiful, tricky knitting projects I've been working on lately.

First, my version of these Paris mittens. So far I've finished the right-hand, and need to make the left-hand. Due to the stranding, this mitten came out a bit tight, but still wearable.

I'm convinced that taking photos of your right hand while holding the camera steady with your left hand should qualify you for the military or something...

The other project is my "Wine and Roses" shawl, which is coming along nicely:

Both of which to be continued...

Green Tea and Persuasion

"Remember the tea kettle - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings." - Anon.
 

I've finished my third and final knitted tea cozy, which I've christened my "Green Tea" cozy, since it is made in Kelly and Pine greens. 

Whether the tea in your pot is green, black, white or gold, this cozy does not discriminate :-)


I've also started work on the "Frederick and Anne" scarf from the Jane Austen Knits magazine. This scarf has a lot of lace work, and as long as one follows the chart accurately, it comes out beautifully. The middle panel is a wave, which represents Frederick, and on either side is a delicate leaf motif, which represents Anne. I'm making this with a yarn that is in a subdued electric blue (yes, I realize that's a bit contradictory) and has silver wisps woven in. I like the added romantic touch the blue and silver give this piece, as well as being an appropriate color for the wave.

As I haven't gotten very far yet, the wave and leaf motifs cannot be seen in the photo above, but the pointed edge came out nicely.

More to come later.

Purple Elephants and Scotch Eggs

"Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie/ O, what panic's in thy breastie!" - "To A Mouse," Robert Burns

On the knitting front, things have slowed down a bit. I made my Christmas deadlines for two projects last month, and have been taking a break from the needles n' yarn of late. However, I did find time to make a stuffed animal for a friend's baby while sitting in a hospital all day:

There's nothing like knitting a stuffed purple elephant while sitting in a hospital to make people smile or to start a conversation.

As for cooking, my family recently discovered Scotch Eggs. There's a reason Scotland is the heart attack capital of the world, and these eggs are part of it. But they're incredibly tasty for lunch in winter. They go very well with strong mustard.

The recipe can be found here.

Enjoy!

New Year's Eve Party

"Ring out the old, ring in the new/ ring, happy bells, across the snow/ the year is going, let him go/ Ring out the false, ring in the true." - Alfred Lord Tennyson

New Year's Eve and Day are upon us, and my menus for both are simple yet elegant this year.

For New Year's Eve, my family likes to have a spread of appetizers on hand to nibble while waiting for the ball to drop. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Spanakopita wheels
• Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Serve with little pieces of toast or chips on the side.
• Cheddar Chives Cayenne Biscuits. Serve these with lemon curd on the side as a spread.
• Caramelized Ham Spirals
• Baklava. This has been a New Year's Eve favorite with my family for years. Either make your own, or look for it in the frozen foods section of the super market.

Being part German, my family always makes pork tenderloin with sauerkraut for New Year's Day, and we burn a Bayberry candle or two (burning it down to the nub is supposed to bring good luck for the new year). Because of health concerns among family members this year, we've decided to change the menu a bit.

• Boiled Lobster Tails. I would only recommend this to people who live in areas where decently fresh lobster is available (and no, it is NOT supposed to smell fishy! if it does smell fishy, don't eat it!), or where frozen lobster can be obtained. Serve with melted butter or cocktail sauce.
• Hawaiian Meatballs. We've been substituting ground turkey instead of beef in ours lately, and they're really tasty.     

As far as drinks go, I recommend Andre or Korbel for champagne, and Martinelli's for Sparkling Cider.

Happy New Year's!

Knitting and Fleece Blankets

"I could remember she'd take her knitting with her to the movies. She could knit in the dark." - Edith Johnson

On the rare occasions that I go see a movie in the theatre, I take my knitting to work on while the commercials/previews are running. It's more useful than watching what trash is coming to theatres next.
Anyway, my knitting to-do list is humming along as usual. Currently on needles are:

• Paris mittens. I'm really excited about these, and am making them in two contrasting shades of grey, which give them a distinctly French look. The wrist section is not too difficult, but switching to the mitten section is proving a bit tricky. 

the wrist of the Paris mitten

• Simple, striped leg-warmers. I'm making these with 100% wool worsted-weight yarn, in earth-tone colors. Leg warmers are basically knitted tubes, and there is a broad range of variations possible.
• Elijah the Elephant. I've always wanted to knit a stuffed animal, and this looks pretty straight-forward.
• The second Placemat in a set of eight. This is going to be a looong project, but very pretty.
• Another knitted tea cozy for myself, except that this one is just plain stripes with no writing, and the colors are Spruce and Kelly greens. I call it my Green Tea cozy
• My "Wine and Roses" lace shawl. This is my own variation on another pattern, and there are no pictures of it yet, but they will be forthcoming. 

I visited a Jo-Ann's Fabric store today, and was dismayed to see that, two days after Christmas, they already have St. Patrick's Day paraphernalia out. I like gettin' my shamrocks on as much as the next lass, but this seems a bit extravagant, even for Irish folks. However, it didn't keep me from getting materials to make a new fleece-tie blanket:

 Slainte, and have a cozy winter!