Stoneview

Yesterday we had our second annual Memorial Day BBQ. We did have a couple of friends join us this year which was very pleasant since Chris usually rabbits off to see his girlfriend as soon as possible and Daniel prefers to stay holed up in the basement with his playstation as much as possible. We grilled ribs and sausages with a recipe by Chris Schlesinger from his cookbook Thrill of the Grill. Jason made some coleslaw from that same cookbook that turned out really nicely and we grill some corn on the cob as well. For dessert I made some marshmallows to use to make s’mores, yum! If you’ve never had a homemade marshmallow then look out, these are absolutely addictive. I’ve found if you haven’t got some nice coals handy then the stove top burner (the gas kind, of course) works beautifully.

Marshmallows

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
cooking spray

Coat a 9 x 12-inch baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray. Combine gelatin and 1/3 cup water in the bowl of a mixer and let soften at least 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil undisturbed for about 5 minutes, until the temperature registers 238 F on a candy thermometer.

Slowly stream the syrup into the gelatin mixture with the mixer running on low until all of the syrup has been transferred. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat for about 12 minutes or until the mixture triples in volume and becomes white and quite fluffy. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until well incorporated. With a spatula sprayed with cooking spray, spread the mixture onto the surfaced of the coated parchment paper and cool for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Cut marshmallow into shapes with cookie or biscuit cutters as desired by coating them with cooking spray and cutting out. Toss marshmallows in a bit of confectioners sugar to prevent them sticking. After every 4 or 5 shapes you will most probably need to clean and recoat the cutters.

Take Back the Knit 3# is well on it’s way to being published. I’ve contributed my needleroll pattern after sending one to Jae as a RAOK which upon receiving she then asked for the pattern as a contribution. I was really flattered and have been meaning to write it up anyway. Now if I can just get the circular needle pattern into similar shape I’ll be doing well.

We actually had a bit of sun yesterday morning and it was quite warm. The garden has been blooming away in all the rain and chill. The bleeding heart seems quite happy in it’s new home and here’s one of the new columbine flowers that opened up just yesterday.

I woke up rather early yesterday so I worked a bit on the market bag and finished about half of the fifth tier. I think I am about halfway through the bag though it’s hard to tell. There’s one more full sized tier after this and then I will begin to scale them down, making the diamonds one stitch smaller along each edge on each successive tier.

Yesterday I managed to get the wheel going. It took me several tries to get the brake tension adjusted but then I was able to start spinning a bit. It’s fairly uneven but it’s definitely a start. It’ll keep me busy for quite awhile filling up bobbins to ply with.

Even though it’s been an extremely wet and chilly week we’ve had plenty of activity at the feeder. Many of the visitors are looking rather bedraggled and damp. This is one of the little male downy woodpeckers who frequents our yard. Last year I saw at least two of them at the feeder at once and there are two females as well.

Daniel and I were a little late getting home from the last long day at tutoring so Jason cooked what I’d set out for dinner.

Pork with Balsamic Peaches

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 peaches, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
crushed red pepper to taste

Season pork with chili powder, salt and pepper. Brown on all sides over high heat and set aside on a serving platter, keep warm. Cook onions until nearly translucent, add peaches and remaining ingredients and cook until heated through. Pour fruit mixture over meat.

A good part of yesterday morning I worked some more on the kitchen reorganization. I filled the spice jars that live on the shelf and reorganized all the rest and moved those to their new home. Hopefully it’ll be easier to find things now. My allergies have already been bothering me but filling the crushed pepper really set them off again. After doing this I’m beginning to wonder if Penzey’s should have it’s own line in the budget!

With some new cabinet space open I was able to unpack and put away Grandma’s glass. There are ten sandwich plates with teacups. Originally she had twenty and Heather split them with me. There’s also a little serving dish and a few bells. Grandma had quite the bell collection and Heather has most of those. My favorites were some little brass apples in two sizes.

Yesterday afternoon I worked out the problem I was having with the market bag. I’d just forgotten to p2tog with the last picked up stitch. Once I realized that I set to work and finished the first tier of diamonds. At home I did a couple diamonds of the second tier as well. This project was hugely poplular with the girls coming in for their tutoring yesterday afternoon.

Orange and Bacon salad with Vanilla nuts

2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
1/4 pound bacon, fried crisp and diced
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
8 cups mixed greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup vanilla nuts

Toss the greens with olive oil and squeeze over any orange juice from what remains after the segments are cut out. Season with salt and pepper. Layer on the orange segments, goat cheese, bacon, and nuts.

Vanilla Nuts

3 cups whole raw almonds
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Heat sugar and creme fraiche to 240 F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and nuts and mix thoroughly. Spread nuts on waxed paper and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

We had a terrific weekend visiting my sister, Heather, and her family in New Jersey. We left earlier than usual but we still had a rather long drive down. Without traffic it should take about 4 1/2 hours but even if we make it unscathed through Connecticut we still hit New York traffic by the time we get to the Tappanzee bridge and generally it’s pretty slow from there until we make it to Heather’s house. Emma love to do crafty things. She and I made these flowers and butterflies from pipe cleaners. Later Heather found a little flower pot to put them in.

Max had a ball game on Saturday so while Chris and Mike drove around looking at job sites and talked about Chris interning the rest of us went to the ball game. The teams had a little practice first and while that was going on Emma and Daniel had a foot race. Here’s Max in his ball-player pose.

During the game Emma worked on her knitting. She took good care of the needles and yarn I brought her on my last visit and decided she wanted to make a headband rather than a scarf. I cast off for her at the end of the visit so she and Heather only need to seam the ends together. Daniel and Jason borrowed a baseball and played a little catch. Chris and Mike made it in time to see some of the game as well.

After a little lunch we headed back out to the Shad Fest in a nearby town.

A full gallery of pictures from the weekend is here: New Jersey May 05.

This morning I am making some Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

1 3/4 cups warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
                                            1/4 cup garlic and rosemary infused olive oil
                                            1 tablespoon salt, extra for garnish

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Mix the water and sugar in a large non-reactive bowl and allow to stand ten minutes or until foamy. Add oil and three cups of the flour and blend with a wooden spoon. Add salt and as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a smooth soft dough, knead until smooth directly in the bowl. Cover bowl tightly with saran wrap and allow to stand for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Sprinkle two rimless cookie sheets generously with cornmeal. Punch the dough down and cut in half. On a floured surface press out each half, one  at a time into  an oval about 3/8 to 1/2-inch thick. Allow to rise 15 to 20 minutes. Dent the surface deeply all over with the tips of your fingers. Brush the surface generously with infused olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt. Bake at 475 F for 12- 15 minutes or until dark golden brown.

To infuse the olive oil, bring 1 cup oil to a simmer. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves and several stems of rosemary. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes then turn off heat and let stand for an hour. Strain and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  The strained rosemary can be used to top the bread.