Today was a gorgeous fall day and after perusing the October Bon Appetit, the mood to make fall foods struck me.
I started with a lentil and roasted squash salad for lunch, I forgot the goat cheese, it was good without it, but it would have been even yummier with that addition.
Then I made an apple spice cake, mine's not that pretty, but it sure is good!
I am also making white beans with garlic & sage along with beef roast with root vegetables for dinner. I guess I was feeling adventurous today. The root vegetables I chose include carrots, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and celery root. Should be interesting, I have no idea what turnips or celery root taste like! The white beans will get good use later this week in soup and in a red sauce with some sweet sausage. Yum!
Now it's a bit late in the day, but I am finally sitting down to knit, I have decided to pick up a shawl I had started and then put down months ago. (spring things) Here is where I last left it.
The first section is straight forward enough, so I'm going to make it my tv knitting for a while. Something has happened to my knitting focus lately. My sweaters have completely stalled - I have NO desire to finish up the sweaters I have in progress. I just want to knit lace. So lace it is! There's no point in fighting that, I knit for fun, so I'll knit whatever strikes my fancy, and right now it's lace.
Moving back in time one day...
Yesterday I took two classes with Jared Flood. I don't have much to show for it though. The first class was colorwork & steeking.
Here he is looking at Craig's work. (Craig owns Loop, our fab LYS)
That's what I accomplished. The class was really helpful, I definitely understand a lot of things better and I hope I've learned those little tricks that make colorwork look right. Handily, this is also my swatch for the knitpicks vest I am planning making. He did also take the swatch he was working and *eeek!* steeked it, watching him do it really helped me have confidence that it really does work.
The second class was about EPS (EZ's percentage system), which I've used a number of times, but there were a few things that I just wasn't really understanding, like the short row shaping to raise the back neck.
Jared was a great instructor and watching him talk about the different aspects of EPS while showing us those bits on his sweaters really helped.
Last night we tried to go to a street fair but quickly realized that we are definitely too old to have fun at those things. Too many people, too much noise, too many lines, too much everything - so we wandered and read menus until we got to a restaurant we had been meaning to try for a while and to my utter delight - they had veal. I know I shouldn't eat veal, I shouldn't WANT to eat veal, I should be against the whole idea of it - but darn it it's SO DARN GOOD. I only have it 2 or 3 times a year and we hadn't found a place in Philly that had veal that was worth it. I cut it with my fork. Heaven.
All in all, this was a fabulous weekend, as dh said, the only way it could have been better is if we'd won the powerball! I hope you all had an equally fabulous weekend!
the cake looks great - however the url is missing... ;o
Posted by: sogalitno | October 04, 2009 at 08:35 PM
What a great weekend you've enjoyed!
I grew up enjoying turnips as a snack. Mom cut them in thin circles, then crisped them in ice water in the frig. Later, I'd eat these circles with a nice sprinkle of salt.
In Louisiana the locals eat turnip greens and throw the "turnip roots". Silly people!
Posted by: Barbara-Kay | October 05, 2009 at 02:34 AM
Ooh, that is truly a fabulous weekend! Mine was good, but I can't compete. Your class sounds wonderful, and I love the colors in that swatch. And those recipes! Just what I needed, more things to want to cook...
Posted by: Jocelyn | October 05, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Well, I just came back from the store with a chicken to roast with carrots, fingerling potatoes, turnips AND celery root and then I read your post! Too Good!
I roast them all tomorrow - HUZZAH!
Also, I am super jealous of the Jared Flood classes!!
Also, again - what would be better jury duty knitting? Buttony Sweater on Denise needles or fingerless gloves on wooden dpns? I don't want to have my knitting accused of being a deadly weapon!
xo
Posted by: Heather | October 05, 2009 at 07:58 PM