Leftover Pork Butt

with barley and roasted cauliflower.

Oscar Night Dinner

Every year we have people over for dinner on the night of the Academy Awards. We also collect ballots, and award a small plastic hippo to the person with the most correct votes. The small hippo is just an effigy of the slightly more substantial plastic hippo that stays at our house, adorned with the initials of each year's winner. Why a hippo? The reasons are receding into myth, but a hippo it is and ever shall be. This year we served barbecued pork butt, homemade onion rings, coleslaw, and potato salad. The first two dishes were made by my spouse, and were exemplary in their kinds. I made a carrot cake and decorated it as shown at the last minute, in a fit of inspiration. "Who drew that Thurber-esque hippo?" my mother asks; I did!

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

with sauteed shiitakes, chopped-up parboiled rapini, and parmesan.

Trout

with brown rice and shredded sauteed brussels sprouts.

Purple Cardigan

Everyone around me is bemoaning the continuing cold weather. I am bemoaning the approaching warm weather and the attendant close of wool-knitting season in the south. Once the mercury hits 70 degrees it's nothing but cotton, linen, and hemp until next winter. Thus, I'm blowing through my wool projects as quickly as I can; I just finished this one a couple of days ago. I'm very happy with it, as it shows my advancing knitterly skills (in detailed ways that no non-knitter would even believe could matter to a sane person) and my increasing ability to pick projects I'll actually want to wear when they're done.

Pumpkin Blueberry Cake

Yesterday I made Rose Levy Berenbaum's pumpkin walnut ring (from The Cake Bible). As usual, I treated the recipe as more of a guide, substituting whole wheat flour, leaving out nuts, and using some unidentified squash pulp I'd frozen a few months ago. On a whim I also threw in a cup of blueberries, and it turned out delicious. As you see, I made it yesterday and half of it is gone already.

Lamb Chops

seasoned with salt (a little too much) and rosemary (fresh, with flowers). Also brown rice and fried brussels sprouts. I believe I hav the only five-year-old in the state who exclaimed last night, as she approached the dinner table, "Yay! My favorite kind of brussels sprouts!"

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

with spinach and pesto.

Pasta with Rappini

Or rapinni? My Italian-speaking friends, help me out! Anyway, we had pasta with chopped up parboiled rappini, garlic, and sardines. I didn't tell my spouse about the sardines until after he had tasted the dish and pronounced it excellent. I assured him I only tricked him because sardines are so good for us.

Pork Steak

My favorite spondee! We had it broiled, with brown rice and spinach. Spinach: how I love it. Comes in a bag, washed and ready, takes five minutes in a pan with hot butter, is delicious. You know why you cook it with butter? Because dairy neutralizes spinach's natural oxalic (I believe) acid, which is what makes your teeth feel furry if you cook it in, say, olive oil.

Halibut

with brown rice and spinach.

Superbowl Guacamole

I don't remember learning to make guacamole; I think it's possible that, as a Californian, I simply osmosed it during childhood. I made a big bowl for tonight, which will probably become dinner. I mashed up: 3 ripe avocados, two chopped-up bunches of cilantro, the juice of two lemons [should have stopped at one—ed.], half a red onion (diced), a box of cut-up cherry tomatoes, and a hefty pinch of salt. It will be better after a few hours have passed, but heavens, it was good right at the start, too. A question: why did I use cherry tomatoes? Because they were displayed next to the avocados in the store. It was a silly choice; lots of extra work for little extra flavor.

Chicken Tagine

As Che says of Evita's world tour in Andrew Lloyd Weber's masterpiece "Evita,", this was "a qualified success." On the one hand, I was brave and browned the chicken in my earthenware tagine right on the stovetop; the chicken browned, the tagine didn't crack, so all was well. Then I took the chicken out and briefly sauteed some cut-up potatoes and brussels sprouts, added the chicken back and popped on the tagine top for about half an hour. What resulted had ups and downs. Ups: the chicken was perfect, and where the potatoes and sprouts cooked properly they were delicious. Downs: a lot of the potatoes and sprouts didn't cook properly and were a lot closer to raw than I would have liked. Next time I'll add a cup of water before I put the lid on and see what happens.

Hash

Of leftover ribs, spinach, and brown rice. Extremely good.

Cooking for One

I've almost forgotten how to do this, despite having done nothing but for most of my adult life. But circumstances in the last weeks led to a number of for-myself-only meals, and I remembered the freedom of cooking without reference to anyone else's taste (or tolerance for sheer weirdness). Not that I do anything all that weird. Last night was an impromptu frittata of spinach, with a large sardine mashed up in the egg. Mmm mmm good.

Sort-of Snickeroodles

Friends, I have invented the perfect cookie for me. Let's observe:

I/2 C butter
1/2 C coconut oil
1 C sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1/t nutmeg
Zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
2t baking powder
2C whole wheat flour
3/4 C kamut flour

You just put them together the way you would any other cookies, then bake for eight minutes at 400 degrees. Seriously, every pleasure-center in my brain registered a direct hit with these babies; I may never make another cookie again.

Lamb Chops

with spinach and quinoa.

Sunny Hat

Here's what I did with the remaining skein of yellow yarn. The stitch pattern is from a book by Barbara Walker, who basically invented modern knitting.

Sunshine Scarf

Fresh off the needles. The thing about knitted lace is that the magic happens in the blocking. "Blocking" refers to soaking a piece of knitting and then drying it flat pinned in the shape you want it to assume. It's important to any knitting, but crucial in lace. When lace comes off the needles it looks like a big blob of yarn; after blocking, it is open and drapey and beautiful. One of these days I'll remember to take pre-blocking pictures for comparison and I'll show you what I mean. The pictured scarf is a wool/silk blend I got in LA.

Chicken with Preserved Lemon

Wow. This had all the earmarks of disaster: missing ingredients, timing off, quantities dicey, but was, in the end, a triumph of triumphs. It's from Authentic Moroccan Recipes by Fatema Hal, and features a chicken browned in oil with salt, pepper, ground ginger, and caraway (should have been something called "nigella seed,"), then simmered in water with saffron (I didn't have any) and a preserved lemon (I had some). As I sat there reducing the sauce at the end, I thought, no way is this ever going to be good. Then I started eating it (over brown rice) and simply couldn't stop. I would never have been able to pick out the ingredients in it if I hadn't made it; together they became a flavor all their own.

Cod

with blood orange sauce! I was just sauteeing the fish in butter, when I got inspired and threw the juice and zest of a blood orange into the pan (after taking the fish out) and reducing it until syrupy. Majorly good. We had it with brown rice and broccoli rappini (the latter of which showed up in a subsequent dinner, with red cabbage, over pasta).

Frittata

The frittata rule seems to be this: the more days' worth of leftovers you throw into it, the better it will be. Last night's had multiple evenings' worth of chicken, cabbage, apples, spinach, and some fresh parsley for good measure, and was delish. We had it with brown rice.

Fried Chicken

with brown rice and spinach. There was *nothing* wrong with that meal.

Sauteed Flounder

with quinoa and a "salad" of sauteed bacon, cabbage, apples, and goat cheese. That last is an imitation of the salad we had over the weekend at our favorite restaurant, Chez Fonfon.

Meatballs!

How I love them. These were made according to my Moroccan cookbook, with cilantro, paprika, and onion, though I did substitute buffalo for beef. I am, apparently, the sort of person who has buffalo on hand.

Lamb with Chestnuts and Cinnamon

What a success. My mother got a tagine (Moroccan, conical-topped, earthenware cooking dish) and a number of Moroccan cookbooks for Christmas. I was so taken with them that I ordered the books and a tagine of my own. The tagine is not here yet, but the books are, so last night I took Authentic Recipes From Morocco, by Fatema Hal, for a test run with the above-named dish. Lordy, was it ever delicious; spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric (because I didn't have saffron), and orange zest (because I didn't have orange blossom water), it was rich and deep and mellow and I couldn't get enough. In general I have been convinced for a long time that I have much to learn from the school of spices-in-savory dishes school of cuisine; this recipe suggests I'm right. For those who don't like chestnuts (hi Mom!) it would have been just as delicious without them.

New Year's Eve Calamari

fried, with roasted brussels sprouts and a glass of Lillet Blanc. We went to bed at ten, but the meal was a little celebration all by itself.

African Groundnut Stew Pt. III

Did you forget the link to this wonderful recipe? Here it is again:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/african-groundnut-stew-recipe.html

For the vegan in your life, or for anyone else (who doesn't have peanut allergies) it can't be beat. I made a big pot last night, with the following modifications: I left out the chilis and added half a cup of coconut pulp and a bag of kale.

Herringbone Rib Socks

Another knitting project done. Yay! But, I'm still on vacation and now have no active project. Ack!

Christmas Lentils

Here in LA, ho ho ho. A number of people needed to be fed today, including a vegetarian sister, so this is what I put together:

1 bag lentils
1 onion
2 carrots
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 ribs celery
1 C barley
2 cloves garlic
A whole buncha water
Adequate salt

No points for originality, I know, but it can't be beat for deliciousness.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

A stellar soup, born of the desire to use up our last CSA delivery. It (the soup) contained:

2 onions
1 garlic clove
1 butternut squash (in little cubes)
1 bag of greens, chard and kale
1 can of Great Northern beans
2 C chicken stock from a squishy yellow box
2 C water
1 C coconut puree
1 whopping hit of curry powder

That coconut puree is something I buy from the same place I buy my coconut oil (tropicaltraditions.com). It's essentially what's left after they press the oil from the coconut flesh, and is a terrific thing (in my opinion) to add to a soup or stew or ice cream or cookies etc.

The spouse gave the soup five stars.

Junya Watanabe, Spring 08 RTW

Oh man. Junya, messenger your stuff right over and I swear I'll wear it every day, everywhere. Ok, maybe not the head dresses, but seriously, anything else you want.

Aerogarden Pesto

On whole-wheat pasta, with salad. I tend to use a lot of parsley in my pesto these days, because it grows abundantly in the Aerogarden, and because I once heard that it cancels out garlic breath.

Cashmere Baby Blanket

This is a baby blanket for my imminent second grandchild (ok, my husband's second grandchild). The pattern is called "Hemlock Ring" and is actually a doily pattern; instead of knitting it with slender cotton on tiny needles one knits it with fluffy wool on big needles: behold, the magic of scale. Knitting is so weird. This pattern is actually incredibly easy, but looks complex, whereas I have labored for hours and mastered tricky new skills in finishing the ribbing on a cuff in a way that no one will ever notice.

Flounder

breaded in cornmeal and fried; unbelievably delicious spinach, and quinoa. The fish was a disappointment, because I managed to overcook it while still leaving the cornmeal kind of floury-tasting. I don't know why the spinach was so delicious; I just sauteed it in a little butter and for some reason it exploded into a layered flavor bouquet in the mouth.

Catch up

Yikes! What a busy week. But last night: fried chicken, brown rice, roasted cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli. But much more importantly, I made cookies! I haven't done it in ages. Here is my number one recipe:

Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat the oven: 325 degrees

Cream:

1 C coconut oil
1 C brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
2 t vanilla

Beat in:

1 egg

Stir in:

1 C whole wheat flour
3 C oatmeal

Optional:

chopped nuts
raisins

Scoop the dough into nice big scoops (with a cookie scoop, if you have one) and flatten slightly on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Chicken Sausage

with quinoa and salad.

Pork Chops

with brown rice and roasted cauliflower and broccoli. The vegetables were from our CSA, and so good i ate a whole head of each.

Clapotis

You wouldn't know it from the infrequency of my posts, but I am in fact knitting like a fiend. The problem is that I have so many projects going at once that I rarely finish one. But I finished this one! It's called "Clapotis" and over 7,000 people world-wide have made it so far. I can see why; it's lovely.

Pork Chops with Gremolata

with quinoa and sauteed chinese cabbage. Gremolata: diced parsley, garlic, and lemon zest, except that I didn't have a lemon so used grapefruit instead. Pretty good!

Pan-Fried Orange Roughy

with brown rice and salad. My new dressing of choice, after a decade of lemon juice and olive oil, is rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Kale-Beet Slaw

I have the gamest husband in the world. Last night I put before him a dinner of roasted butternut squash, quinoa, and a dark (almost black) melange of kale, beets, and ginger, dressed with sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Did he flinch? Yes. But he bravely sampled it and declared it delicious, backing that claim up by eating heartily. Bless.

Lamb Chops

with fried potatoes and salad. It's hard to beat the basics.

Sorry About That

A busy week. But last night we had: a frittata made with leftover roasted vegetables (cauliflower, shiitakes, and garlic), swiss chard sauteed with onions and ginger, and garlic-herb toast. It was all delicious, though in retrospect I might not have combined three dishes packing such distinct and powerful flavor-wallops.

And for extra credit...

A hat to match! Finished with mere hours to spare! The color in this picture is true.

Frittata

de leftovers: pork butt, roasted squash, okra, and turnips. With salad mix; an unlikely triumph.

Sauteed Trout

with roasted butternut squash and sauteed shiitakes.

Fuschia Sweater

IMG_0070
Originally uploaded by tinyloop.

Behold, fresh off the needles. The color is much (much) more vivid fuschia in real life, though obviously nowhere near as vivid as the model.

Leftover Chicken Sausage

with sauteed mei quing cabbage and purple roasted potatoes with roasted garlic. Nummers.

Pork Butt

which despite its name is actually part of the shoulder, I think, and doesn't that mean it's high on the hog? Where ever it is, that's where we ate Saturday night. The spouse grilled everything in sight: pork butt, red peppers, apples, and tomatoes. And then he made onion rings! A great dinner.

Misc

Just two quick notes: Rei, please don't show all black clothes on a black runway. Christian: I am still available to be dressed exclusively by you, or even adopted, if you prefer.

Viktor and Rolf

Ack! Aaagh! OMG! Viktor and Rolf, always up for something new, showed their Spring line in an online show, created digitally, using only one model (Shalom Harlow, who has been huge since the nineties, bless her long-lived limbs). It's always worth seeing V+R clothes, which are wild and beautiful, but let me tell you, the digital show is something else. Mainly because it gives a pleb like me a chance to watch the clothes in action: how they move on the body, look from different angles, etc. Also, it's a little lesson in why the right model matters—Harlow does not appear to have a stiff joint in her body. She's walking on what have to be five inch heels, heels I literally could not stand up in, and she's like a tree being lightly tossed by wind. Amazing. Anyway, do check it out: http://www.viktor-rolf.com/index.htm.

Burn After Reading

How can it be that the Coens have been making movies as long as they have and never have made a bad one? The spouse and I laughed until we wept, though if you've seen it you'll know how much discomfort was involved. The only problem is, I really can't watch Brad Pitt any more. I like him, and he's very funny in the movie, and he gives it his all, but I just can't forget the public life long enough to believe the character. Weirdly, I am able to suspend all of that when I look at George Clooney. (George, my crush on you is over, but I actually feel closer to you now that I no longer carry a torch. I see myself as the Tilda Swinton in your life.)

Nina Ricci

which really means Olivier Theyskens. Theyskens dressed Madonna in a full-length ball gown made of yellow leather for some event, and then a black leather gown for the Oscars, and while she didn't exactly get lots of praise for the outfits, they did put him on the map. Then (as I understand it) he got hired to revitalize the old French label Rochas, which had been piddling along (as many of them do) on scarves and fragrances. He was a huge hit with fashion editors, and the dresses were wonderful; high-necked, long sleeved, fitted to a T gowns in greens and eggplants. The only thing is, they cost a fortune and the society ladies who buy such things don't want to look like skinny Victorian governesses, so his sales were not stellar. He eventually started making some wearable clothes (pants, even!) but his bosses at Proctor and Gamble (who own Rochas, such is the weirdness of the fashion world) pulled the plug and went back to concentrating on the lucrative perfume business. Theyskens is the special pet of Anna Wintour (Ed in C of American Vogue) so although there was a general wail along the lines of "Olivier is a genius his corporate masters could never understand oh where will he go oh what will he do!" he himself never manifested (publicly, anyway) much worry. As it turns out, he was picked to helm another old house in need of a boost: Nina Ricci (you know it because it makes "L'Air du Temps," a perfume sold in drug stores in a bottle with a bird on it and advertised on TV relentlessly in the seventies).

Now, that in itself is interesting because at the time that he must have been negotiating to take it over Nina Ricci had a young, hip designer in charge: Lars Nilsson. Nilsson is an incredibly talented Swede, who makes gorgeous clothes, and who cannot seem to keep a job to save his life. He was hired to take over Bill Blass, made wonderful things, was fired. Hired by Nina Ricci, made wonderful things, fired. Later he went to Gianfranco Ferre, a really plum job, and was fired before he even showed his first collection. What is going on there? I have no idea. But, as I say, out he went, and in went Olivier Theyskens, and there Olivier remains. And the things he is doing there! He just showed a collection made almost entirely of dresses with hemlines raised in front and trailing in back. For a little variety he threw in some satin short-shorts and pants with fins, but basically, if you want to wear Theyskens it's flamenco dresses for you. Can this possibly end well?

Not that I'm complaining, because let me tell you, the dresses are breathtaking. Given that I don't give a hoot about Nina Ricci's bottom line I say, bring on season after season of dresses this fantastic. (For the sake of keeping things fun we're just going to ignore the size of the model's thigh. 'Kay?)

Did I mention that Theyskens is 29?

Fried Chicken

with quinoa and salad.

Roasted Vegetables

Turnips, potatoes, and okra; improbably good. Also scrambled eggs with chives and sweet potato. The spouse couldn't get over the last, raved about it, gobbled it up, and wondered how I was so smart as to think of it. Here's how: I was planning on eggs for dinner because I hadn't planned anything else in advance; as I was on my way to scramble them I passed our toaster oven and realized I had left a whole baked sweet potato in it from the night before. I thought "that looks like dinner-bulk to me!" and tossed it (potato not toaster) in.

Roast Pork Rib-end

with sweet potatoes and salad. What is there in the world better and easier than roasted meat? Here's what I did: I took the meat out of its package, put it in a dish, stuck it in a 350 degree oven for an hour and a half, and took it out. And it was scrumptious! Sweet and golden and juicy! Heat + meat = miracle.

Peanut Stew

with quinoa. I assume it was delicious, but due to a recent cold I can't taste anything but salt.

Pretty Doll

I recently bought a doll from a Southern folk art center; both I and my daughter are fascinated by it. So we made one ourselves! Here she is, made from sewing-room scraps, stitched by me, design directed by my daughter.

Fried Chicken

with corn on the cob and pan-roasted okra. That latter was my spouse's idea, following a meal he had in a restaurant. You just toss whole okra (no topping and tailing! Let alone slicing up!) into a hot grill pan that has been lightly oiled and cook until the pods are wilted and charred. I'm sure it was delicious, but I have a cold that prevents me from tasting anything.

Aerogarden Pesto

on whole-wheat tri-color elbow macaroni; with salad. The Areogarden is a gift to pesto-making; one harvest equals one meal's worth, and you don't even have to go outside! Threw in some parsley too, and whether for that reason or not, the pesto stayed bright green. I dislike an oxidized pesto, but am usually helpless to prevent it.

Chicken Sausage

with steamed crook-neck squash and baked sweet potatoes.

Bacon and Eggs

Delicious Miss Sue's eggs, and scrummy bacon-of-the-month club bacon. A Big Girls Only dinner.

Marc Jacobs

OMG I love Marc Jacobs and I can't help it. I don't want to because he's so mega-huge and liking him does not make me look smart or interesting or distinctive but o. m g. I love him. The spring 2209 rtw collection is so awesome.

Peanut Stew, Re-Vamped

I swapped the pumpkin/butternut for spaghetti squash, took out the cumin and cinnamon and added lemongrass and lemon juice, and tossed in a whopping dollop of concentrated coconut. Came out a treat.

Leftover Chicken Sausage

with brown rice and a fantastic salad mix salad made with herbs from our Aerogarden (see the Aerogarden post under "My Favorite Things").

A Swatch with Stature

This swatch is exciting to me for kintterly reasons that won't make sense to non-knitters, so let's just say this one thing: I learned to knit backwards on it!

Strawberry Hill

IMG_1976
Originally uploaded by tinyloop.

The latest sweater, and boy, was this one taxing. Not because it was difficult (it was easy as pie) but because halfway through I realized that knitting with yarn in a color even close to a neutral is Not My Thing. So I lost steam and had to push myself to the finish line. But here it is, and I'm not unhappy with it; it might even not drain all the life from my skin if I wear it with some other color next to my face.

On an unrelated note: my quasi Olympic metaphor above reminds me that if you haven't yet read the Onion article entitled "Michael Phelps Returns to his Tank at Sea World" you've got a real treat in store.

Pork Chops

broiled, with okra and corn on the cob.

Leftover Peanut Stew

with brown rice and a sublime salad mix salad.

Coho Salmon

with quinoa and roasted cauliflower. Hard to beat.

African Groundnut Stew, Round II

Just as good as the first time, maybe a little better: this time I threw in an ear's worth of fresh corn.

Rodarte

Speaking of knits, we have to talk Rodarte. Do you know who they are? They are sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, born, raised, and still residing in Pasadena, California, in their parents' house, no less. Let me reiterate: they are sisters in their mid-twenties, living at home, and they are already more or less legends in the fashion world, with show after show that simply flattens people with their imagination and craftsmanship. I am a raving fan. This is the second season in which they have shown lots of knits, and I'm of two minds. On the one hand, I think the photo here is pretty rad, and I get where they're going with the concept. On the other, and I say this having examined the goods up close on my last trip to LA, they are a knitter's nightmare. Gigantic gauge! Synthetic novelty fibers! The knitter in me dies a little every time I look at it.

Alexander McQeen

I had a dream about Alexander McQueen last night. I was at his house, and he was demonstrating that he was as ingenious and skilled a cook as he is a designer; I was also focused on the fact that (the fashion magazines tell me) all his friends call him Lee. Anyway, it was a moody, strange, pleasant dream, so today I looked up his fall show on Style.com. As it turns out, the subtitle of his show could well have been "Knitter's Paradise," so full of marvelous knits (many of them lace, oh heaven) is it. I could have picked any number of pictures, but for sheer volume of stitches, this one wins.

Skirt Steak

with roasted cauliflower and shiitakes, and the best conr on the cob the campus farmer's market has to offer--outrageously good.

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

with pesto and sauteed summer vegetables, heavy on the eggplant. The pesto was made with homegrown basil, which brings me to a long-belated post. Behold, the AeroGarden! Perhaps you've seen one in SkyMall? I'm pretty sure that was where I first saw it, and the thought of it marinated in my brain for a long time before I thought to give it to my spouse for his birthday. I would say it's my second most successful present ever (right after the family albums I made for Christmas). The herbs grow as beautifully as advertised, and the basil in particular was towering and lush before I harvested it.

Chicken

with okra and brown rice. It's hard to focus on dinner, however, when lunch was the remaining African stew. How I miss it already!

Sweet Potatoes

Baked, with chicken sausage and arugula salad. There's nothing quite like the look of sweet potatoes and dark greens on the dinner plate. Also nothing like the spicy, complex, sweet flavor of baked sweet potatoes.

African Groundnut Stew

Omigah. Sometimes making dinner is like playing a seven-letter word in Scrabble. The spouse came home from the farmer's market today with fresh peanuts and black-eyed peas, and we harvested the little pumpkin from our backyard. What does that spell? It came to me in a flash: African groundnut stew. One trip to the internet for a recipe later (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/african-groundnut-stew-recipe.html) and I had my plan; it came to thumpingly delicious fruition at dinner time. I ate two bowls (over brown rice) and only stopped because I couldn't hold any more. Score!

Incidentally, do you know what fresh peanuts look like? Imagine a gargantuan bunch of dark green sage from the bottom of which dangle little peanuts.

The Fruit of our Endeavors

The Mighty Mystery Squash Vine has died, leaving behind a single heir (pictured). One way to look at it is: all that vine for one little pumpkin? Another is: where in the world did this perfect little pumpkin come from, and why are we so lucky that it appeared right in our backyard? Guess which is the view to which I incline.

Snake Gourd

The farmer's market was especially triumphant this morning, and the crowning glory was definitely the pictured "snake gourd." Even better in real life; the scale of the picture is wonky.

Potato Frittata

with roasted brussels sprouts. Highly delish.

My First Scarf

How is it that I never before knit a scarf? It is the classic learning-to-knit project, but I skipped it somehow (mainly by diving right into sweaters, I think, with unaesthetic but nonetheless educational results). At any rate, it seemed like it was time, and here is the result. The pattern is called "Lace Ribbon" and spread like wildfire on the internet: there are 2,000 finished scraves at present, with many more underway. Who am I to resist that kind of popularity?

Check out the way the bright green part of the yarn forms its own zig-zag pattern perpendicular to that of the lace; that's the kind of happy chance that using hand-painted yarn allows. (As always, the color in the pictures is not true.)

Sockeye Salmon

with quinoa and fried okra. Plus an ice cream sandwich for dessert. What devil brought ice cream sandwiches into my house?

Chicken Sausage

with brown rice and roasted cauliflower. This meal is my version of beans and franks, clearly: easy and requiring no thought. We did some major eating in LA, the pinnacle of which was a meal at Lucques. Words fail me when it comes to the food, so I'll simply say this: Seth Rogen's name was right above ours on the reservations list. That was it for celebrity sightings in LA, but I think it's a pretty good one.

Gone to Disneyland!

And also Los Angeles. Back in two weeks with fresh enthusiasm.

Turbot

grilled, with brown rice and roasted cauliflower and shiitakes.

Sockeye Salmon

grilled, with quinoa and a melange of summer vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, onion, pepper, tomatoes. Should have taken a picture.

Potato Frittata

with roasted brussels sprouts. By the way, for those keeping score at home, I am within shouting distance of my old self, weight-wise. However, it's a loud shout, so I have re-joined Weight Watchers. One day in, here's what I am remembering from the last time I did it: you have to eat less. Gack!

Field Peas

or, fresh black-eyed peas. I simmered these in vegetable stock with bacon and onions, and we had them with roasted cauliflower. Delicious as they were, I expect them to be even better this afternoon when I have them with brown rice for lunch.

Frittata

of bacon, shiitakes, and brown rice, with corn on the cob.

Roast Chicken

with brown rice and heirloom tomatoes (red ones, and green striped ones).

Leftover Sausage

with salad of arugula, cantaloupe, and parmesan; herb butter toast (with garlic, chives, tarragon, lemon thyme, and parmesan). The bread for the toast is wild yeast sourdough from a bakery about an hour away and would be worth it at twice the gas prices.

Chicken, Red Quinoa, Roasted Cauliflower

Farmer's Market Flowers

Aren't they beautiful? I'm especially fond of the deep maroon sunflowers.

Merry Independence Day!

Check out my spouse's handiwork: ribs that are not ashamed to stand tall among the legendary ribs that surround us in this town. I ate like a woman possessed, which I was. Not pictured are the sublime onion rings he also made; I don't even like onion rings, but scarfed these down with joy.

Red Quinoa

with skirt steak and salad of yellow tomato and cucumber. The red quinoa tasted just like the regular kind, but was much chewier in texture; I don't know if that means it has different water requirements or cooking time, but it was delicious al dente in any case.

Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt

Boy, has this project ever been hanging around for a while. I finally got it done, and if I may say, I'm pleased. It's made of linen which gives one's hands a real workout in the knitting, but creates a lovely and machine-washable fabric that's hard to beat.

Salmon

grilled; also whole wheat angel hair with pesto and orange cherry tomatoes.

Omelette

with oyster mushrooms and gruyere; roasted potatoes.