That means a couple of things to me: gardening, barbequing, more greens in meals, summer sewing and planning for Fall knitwear.

I’m starting lots of different lettuces, tomatoes(big,medium, small, pink, red, yellow, slicers and paste), basil for pesto and 2 more types, mini bell peppers, cilantro and probably more. My celery, kale, carrots, leeks, onions, chives and parsley survived the winter so that’s good.

Barbequing! We got propane today so I’m planning on making grass-fed beef hamburgers with sweet potato and green bean fries.

See above about gardening. I’m planning on having TONS of greens this summer!

I’m working on a prom dress for a friend and then I want to whip out a pair of shorts, capris, a skirt and a top for me. This should be interesting since I’ve never made pants or shorts besides PJ’s.

This will be a surprise and it will be awesome! Want to be the first to hear what I’m up to? Join the newsletter.

Oh and by the way I got a giant, I really do mean huge(108 ounce) can of S&W crushed tomatoes in rich puree from Costco for about $3 + $1 worth of organic onions + less than $.50 of spices and sugar = the equivalent of over 7 jars of spaghetti sauce for less than $5!

All I did was dumped the can of tomatoes into my largest crockpot, added 2 diced onions and turned it on high for 3 hours. Then I added 4 tablespoons of minced garlic, 5 tablespoons of dried basil and how ever much was left of my dried oregano(what can I say, I’m sooo scientific about the process. If you need more directions come over here) Around 2 hours later I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar to cut the acidity.

I froze the sauce in 2 cup blocks, after they were frozen solid I popped them in ziplock bags for quick meals.

For the most part I’ll brown veggies or meat in olive oil, add the thawed sauce and heat to a simmer. Sometimes I’ve added cream cheese to the sauce as well.

The above unbaked pizza was made with all of the non-optional ingredients listed. I also used the seasoned olive oil that the olives came in for brushing the crust with.

{Basic Dough Recipe}

A tender, fairly light and flavorful dough that tastes delicious despite being mostly comprised of  whole grains. I use organic hard white whole wheat flour(unifine) from Azure Farms. You may have to sub more white flour if you use a coarser whole wheat flour.

This makes a ton of dough! At least enough for 6 medium pizzas. Also a good dough for cinnamon rolls and loaf bread.  You can freeze grapefruit sized portions wrapped in plastic wrap for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

2 Tablespoons of raw sugar
1/2 cup of warm water
2 Tablespoons of yeast

2/3 cup of olive oil
2/3 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons of sea salt
3 cups of hot, not boiling water
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups white flour
6-8 cups of hard whole wheat flour

1. Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a bowl that holds at least 4 cups. Let yeast proof for 5-10 mins, if it gets too bubbly stir it down.
2. Add the olive oil, honey, salt and hot water to your stand mixer. Using a dough hook mix for about 2 minutes, add the oatmeal, white flour and 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix until the flour is moistened.
3. Add the proofed yeast and enough whole wheat flour until the dough is barely sticky. Mix on a low speed for 6-8 minutes until smooth.
4. Lightly grease top of dough with olive oil, cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Punch dough down and let rise again for 30 minutes.

{Delicious and healthy pizza}

Consider making 2 or more pizzas at a time and freezing the leftover slices. Choose your toppings wisely as you don’t want to overload your pizza. Spinach and kale cook down so much they are barely noticeable in taste but the nutrition is there. Substitute your favorite veggies or sprinkle some herbs on the crust.

Grapefruit-sized piece of basic dough

2/3 cup of pasta sauce(turkey is optional)

1/6 of an onion, thinly sliced

1 cup of organic fresh spinach or kale

1 1/2 – 2 cups of shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese

1/2 Roma tomato, diced

1/4 green bell pepper, diced

2 mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 olives, chopped

1/2 cup of cooked chicken, optional

Cornmeal or whole wheat flour, for the pan

Pizza stone or cookie tray

Olive oil for brushing, optional

Garlic powder or dried basil for sprinkling, optional

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (232 degrees Celsius)
2. Place 2 Tablespoons of cornmeal on pizza stone. Spread dough until it’s roughly half what you want the finished thickness to be. Brush olive oil 1-2″ from edge.
3. Spread sauce over dough, add onions, then kale, cheese and remaining toppings.
4. Bake for 8-12 minutes until cheese is melted, pizza crust is lightly browned and is no longer doughy.

Each pizza serves 2.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday! Yesterday I made some red velvet cupcakes that turned out delicious and today I whipped up my favorite cream cheese frosting to top them. I followed this recipe for the cupcakes over at AllRecipes.com For the frosting I blended 8 ounces of cream cheese, 4 ounces of butter, 1 tsp of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of milk together until everything is nice and creamy. I added enough powder sugar until it was frosting consistency. It was yummy and I hope you are hungry now.

{Happy Baking}

• Homemade quick gnocchi with slow cooker pasta sauce and peas, organic green salad.{Sunday night}
• Teriyaki chicken kabobs w/ organic bell pepper, onion and pineapple. Veggies sushi rolls.
• Lentil rice casserole in tortillas with cheese, Greek yogurt, salsa and lettuce.
• Spaghetti & turkey meatballs in slow cooker pasta sauce, green beans
• Clam chowder, home baked bread and organic green salad.
• Honey mustard chicken, brown rice & broccoli.
• Turkey meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes and green beans.

Introducing Lazy Lace Bandana, a cowl that has the look of a shawl wrapped around your neck but it won’t slide off! It’s a quick(about 4 hours to make) 1 skein knit pattern that looks great tucked under a coat in winter or with an open cardigan in the spring.

You can go with a more elegant look with a smooth solid color or zany and fun with a handdyed singles.

Available for purchase through Ravelry.com & Paypal.com(you don’t need an account for either, just a credit card for Paypal)

$5    

{Me trying to look cute while taking my own photo}

I drafted this shell loosely following a Simplicity cardigan back, cut a 6″ band for the bottom, 5″ band for the neck and 2.5″ bands for the armholes against the grain. I thought it was a 2-way stretch(ha!) but it worked out since it added more stability. This will be great in the summer with it’s loose fit and bright, lightweight fabric.

{My attempt to show the whole tank without looking like I have belly full of lunch, fail}

I only paid $2 for this top. Yay for clearance bin at JoAnn’s! I was there buying fabric for a friend’s baby shower which I will do a post on soon.

Sew 12 garments for me!

I love shopping. Online shopping. Fabric shopping. Online fabric shopping. So I scored some incredible deals shopping at fabric.com This is pretty ambitious especially since I’m a month behind

All stash fabric are listed in between the “~” symbols.

1. 3/4 sleeve tunic length top  ~black & white checkered rayon knit~
2. Short sleeve top ~shiny gray, red & silver diagonal stripe poly knit~
3. Tank top with Side Ties ~turquoise posh poly knit with diagonal stripes~
4. Cocktail dress ~green rayon-blend knit with gold metallic threads or pink taffeta with black lace overlay~
5. Summer wrap dress ~pink & orange hibiscus print poly/lycra~
6. Cowl necked sweater dress ~purple 3×1 rib knit poly~
7. Paper bag skirt or this skirt
   
8. Pleated & full party skirt ~pink taffeta or satin I can’t remember~
9. Tweed skirt or sweater cardigan ~purple 3×1 rib knit poly for the sweater~
10. Everyday skirt with pockets
11. Swimsuit ~neon green and black swim fabric~
12. Lightweight coat ~black rib for edging~

I also want to sew

• Mesh produce bags
• Headbands
• Scarves
• A purse
• Armwarmers
• Baby shower gifts(I already made a little kimono top)

What are your sewing goals for 2012?

Curious about the menu?

~Apps~

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Goat Cheese w/Honey & Cracked Black Pepper

Fresh Cut Veggies

Lots of Fancy Crackers

French Bread

~Main and Side Dishes~

A 22# Herbed Turkey (I use the same technique as for my roast chicken but using a turkey size bag and upping the seasonings and veggies.)

Apple & Cranberry stuffing(I think it’s technically dressing when it’s cooked outside the turkey?)

Hubby’s Garlic Yukon/Russet Mashed Potatoes

Whole Berry Corn-free Cranberry Sauce

My Mom’s Delicious Gravy

Dad’s Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Grandma D’s Famous Dinner Rolls

Grandma D’s Chopped Salad

~Sweets~

Mom’s Pumpkin Pie

Mom’s Pumpkin Cupcakes

Cousin K’s Kuken (Pie crust with custard type filling, sometime with toppings)

MIL brought a Chocolate Fruit Tart

If I made you hungry I did my job well. Now I must get back to stealth spinning for a long awaited Christmas present that must be done this year.

Happy belated Thanksgiving and happy snacking.

Ivy Tangle Mitts- Third Installment in Ivy Tangle Collection

Ravelry.com page

You remember the hat and cowl from this Spring?

I couldn’t resist putting the lace pattern into these simple mitts!

Happy knitting

Roasting a whole chicken shouldn’t be intimidating, but too many people psych themselves out before they even start. Cooking a whole chicken isn’t scary and is great for a dinner party. Once the chicken is in the oven you’ll have time to do last minute party prep. Whole chickens are very economical(sometimes a 1/4 cost of cut pieces and you can make a fantastic broth from the bones and clinging bits of meat.), look impressive and have more flavor than boneless chicken. My recipe uses an oven bag so clean up is a breeze, no added fat and it still gets a nicely brown skin.

Ingredients and supplies:

• 1 large plate covered with 3-5 paper towels

• 1 3-4 pound whole chicken

• 1 onion cut into 1/8ths
• 2 carrots halved and cut into 2″ pieces
• Handful of celery leaves
• 1 tsp. of rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 oven bag
• 4 T. of flour
• 1 tsp. of onion powder
• A baking dish that has at least 2″ sides.

Note: the USDA answers many FAQs about poultry handling. From their website: “The USDA recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured using a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.”

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash chicken inside and out. Remove any giblets, place on paper towel lined plate and pat dry.
3. Stuff half of the onion and all of the celery leaves inside the cavity. Rub the salt and pepper all over the chicken.
4. Place flour and onion powder in oven bag. Close bag and shake to coat. Set bag in baking dish.
5. Place half of the onion and all the carrots in the oven bag. Set chicken on top of the carrots and onions.
6. Close bag with included tie, cut 6 half inch slits on top of bag.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 70 minutes or until chicken is cooked to a minimum of 165 degrees.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes. Remove from bag and serve.

For the chicken stock concentrate:

• The leftover chicken carcass with bits of meat attached, skin, carrots and onion.
• 4 whole peppercorns or use ground black pepper.
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 T. of apple cider vinegar
• Water to cover all

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 12 hours.
3. Using a colander strain meat, skin & bones from broth into a glass bowl.
4. Refrigerate until fat is solid, remove fat.
5. Freeze broth in desired portions.

To use: dilute with water to desired strength. Great to use as a base for homemade soups, cooking rice or anytime a recipe calls for broth.