On the weekends I usually make breakfast...its a good break from my regular routine of cold cereal(which I love) and a great chance to practice my culinary skills.
Last year during my unfortunate stint as a graduate student, one of my friends made this for me: Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, with Morningstar Farms vegetarian sausage in place of the real thing. She made it with a white gravy packet and Bisquick, however this morning my gravy packet(I usually have one on hand) was nowhere to be found.
Luckily for me, I found that making the real thing isn't actually much harder than opening a packet. I found this recipe. Replacing the lard with butter (cutting it in half, too) and of course the real sausage with MSF sausage, I whipped up the whole entire breakfast in less than 20 minutes.
How's it taste? Just about the same as the original. A little less greasy, but if you never told anyone about the changes you've made, I doubt anyone could put their finger on exactly what the difference is, though I'm sure some people would claim to be able to.
More about my latest knitting adventures in my next post, I promise!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Winter State, Oppressive Wait
I found out today that I did NOT get the Americorps position I applied for. While I am disappointed, I think there will be plenty more positions to apply for. Now I guess I don't need to worry about moving out early, either.
Filling my spare time with crafts hasn't been all bad. I have been working on various methods to create buttons from craft store polymer clay to use on my own work. They turned out very nice and I am considering perhaps selling them on Etsy or Ebay or something like that. I would appreciate feedback on this.
Filling my spare time with crafts hasn't been all bad. I have been working on various methods to create buttons from craft store polymer clay to use on my own work. They turned out very nice and I am considering perhaps selling them on Etsy or Ebay or something like that. I would appreciate feedback on this.
I have finished with my "Toasty" mits, but I am knitting a pair for a male friend and I am going to wait until they are finished to post about them.
I have also been going to Pittsburgh Center for the Arts during open wheel time. Working on my throwing hasn't been easy, but it has paid off. I hope to continue this in Oregon, perhaps working (veerrry slowly!) on a MFA or BFA in ceramics or fabric arts.
Currently there is a very nice-smelling stew in my crock pot. More about that, including the recipe when its all devoured.
I have also been going to Pittsburgh Center for the Arts during open wheel time. Working on my throwing hasn't been easy, but it has paid off. I hope to continue this in Oregon, perhaps working (veerrry slowly!) on a MFA or BFA in ceramics or fabric arts.
Currently there is a very nice-smelling stew in my crock pot. More about that, including the recipe when its all devoured.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Aldi's: A European shopping Experience?
...Well not quite. Aldi's carries something of a stigma among Americans. Its that weird store where you can buy hilarious generic products. Basically, its for poor people. Zach and I, for the time being, are those people. Weary of Trader Joes and unable to afford neither Giant Eagle nor Whole Foods(which is iroically the cheaper of the two in my opinion), we ventured to our Nearest Aldi's grocery store. 
So what is Aldi's? According to Wikipedia, (which even as a classically trained librarian, I trust a great deal) Aldi's is a discount store based in Germany. Oooh, swank, right? Before you agree, I'm actually sure some people over there make fun of it, too. Its name is short for Albrecht Discount, and according to the same Wikipedia article, 95% of blue collar workers, 88% of white-collar workers, 84% of public servants and 80% of self-employed German people shop there. That's not to say it's the only place they shop, but that is a considerable number. They even have competition! Aldi operates stores in such chic destinations as France, Denmark, Austria, and the UK.
So how about our experience? I'll break it down:
Who shops at Aldi's? Lots of people. Anyone who wants to save money on basics. Now that unemployment is at 10%, and has been for months, it appears that a lot of regular folks shop there. Certainly there were some very nice cars in the lot. In fact, my friend who happens to be an incredibly amazing cook shops there, too.
What do they sell? Aldi's had a lot of my normal foods. Trader Joe's is actually owned by the same company, and they have a lot of the same products...sometimes for cheaper, albeit they are in different boxes. The same box of cereal at T.J. is 1.99, but at Aldi's its 1.49. O-shaped cereal is O-shaped cereal is O-shaped cereal. Above you can see the sportsdrink Zach bought for his Hockey game tonight. It tastes similar to the national brand. They had boxes of pasta, even a whole-wheat variety. Milk, basic cheese, and weirdly enough the same type of bread they had in Albert Heijn, a grocery store in Amsterdam. On the label: product of Holland. Neat.
Lots of stuff I wouldn't eat too: Pringles, snack cakes and corn-flavored chips. Canned meat(a lot of it), cured hams, chocolate bars, and soda.
What don't they sell? I noticed a few things I'm used to buying weren't found here. No fresh herbs. No yeast packets. Nothing local. Don't look for organic products here, they don't have them, and don't be surprised. Its a discount store, and sometimes there's just no room to be a foodie. Sigh and carry on.
What is Different? To use the carts it will cost you a quarter. Indeed they are all chained together. Putting in a quarter unlocks the cart. You get your quarter back when you return your cart. The checkout is extremely fast, and you must bring your own bags or purchase ones there. This is not unlike grocery stores in Europe, in the Netherlands, I do think I remember that they cost something like 15 "euro cents". At Aldi's you must bag your own groceries, which is the case at other stores I've been to (Trader Joe's certainly appreciates your bagging skills, however they provide paper bags for free and will do it themselves if you don't want to). Aldi's also doesn't take credit cards, so like us, you won't be racking up skymiles here.
Do I recommend Aldi's? Yes. If you want to save money, there's no better place (except maybe Big Lots which I also love, but they do not carry produce or have nearly the same selection) Do use the same cautious behaviour you would use at any grocery: read labels, reject ingredients with allergens, products you adamantly avoid, and foods that are generally terrible for you. Bring your debit card, or cash and re-usable grocery bags, and one quarter. Our bill came out to 20 dollars less than usual, and that was enough to make me smile. Our first meal: Strawberries, spinach, and lettuce all came from Aldi's.
So what is Aldi's? According to Wikipedia, (which even as a classically trained librarian, I trust a great deal) Aldi's is a discount store based in Germany. Oooh, swank, right? Before you agree, I'm actually sure some people over there make fun of it, too. Its name is short for Albrecht Discount, and according to the same Wikipedia article, 95% of blue collar workers, 88% of white-collar workers, 84% of public servants and 80% of self-employed German people shop there. That's not to say it's the only place they shop, but that is a considerable number. They even have competition! Aldi operates stores in such chic destinations as France, Denmark, Austria, and the UK.
So how about our experience? I'll break it down:
Who shops at Aldi's? Lots of people. Anyone who wants to save money on basics. Now that unemployment is at 10%, and has been for months, it appears that a lot of regular folks shop there. Certainly there were some very nice cars in the lot. In fact, my friend who happens to be an incredibly amazing cook shops there, too.
What do they sell? Aldi's had a lot of my normal foods. Trader Joe's is actually owned by the same company, and they have a lot of the same products...sometimes for cheaper, albeit they are in different boxes. The same box of cereal at T.J. is 1.99, but at Aldi's its 1.49. O-shaped cereal is O-shaped cereal is O-shaped cereal. Above you can see the sportsdrink Zach bought for his Hockey game tonight. It tastes similar to the national brand. They had boxes of pasta, even a whole-wheat variety. Milk, basic cheese, and weirdly enough the same type of bread they had in Albert Heijn, a grocery store in Amsterdam. On the label: product of Holland. Neat.
Lots of stuff I wouldn't eat too: Pringles, snack cakes and corn-flavored chips. Canned meat(a lot of it), cured hams, chocolate bars, and soda.
What don't they sell? I noticed a few things I'm used to buying weren't found here. No fresh herbs. No yeast packets. Nothing local. Don't look for organic products here, they don't have them, and don't be surprised. Its a discount store, and sometimes there's just no room to be a foodie. Sigh and carry on.
What is Different? To use the carts it will cost you a quarter. Indeed they are all chained together. Putting in a quarter unlocks the cart. You get your quarter back when you return your cart. The checkout is extremely fast, and you must bring your own bags or purchase ones there. This is not unlike grocery stores in Europe, in the Netherlands, I do think I remember that they cost something like 15 "euro cents". At Aldi's you must bag your own groceries, which is the case at other stores I've been to (Trader Joe's certainly appreciates your bagging skills, however they provide paper bags for free and will do it themselves if you don't want to). Aldi's also doesn't take credit cards, so like us, you won't be racking up skymiles here.
Do I recommend Aldi's? Yes. If you want to save money, there's no better place (except maybe Big Lots which I also love, but they do not carry produce or have nearly the same selection) Do use the same cautious behaviour you would use at any grocery: read labels, reject ingredients with allergens, products you adamantly avoid, and foods that are generally terrible for you. Bring your debit card, or cash and re-usable grocery bags, and one quarter. Our bill came out to 20 dollars less than usual, and that was enough to make me smile. Our first meal: Strawberries, spinach, and lettuce all came from Aldi's.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
New Sweater!
I finished the Garter Yoke Cardigan! I'm very pleased with the fit and the style of it. Here it is on Ravelry.
I'm actually very happy with the evenness of the stockinette portion, as I knit continental style and sometimes there are tension issues. However I think my knitting has progressed to the point where its not as terribly obvious as it used to be(that means i knit really tightly, hah).
The top is embroidered with a combination of some beautiful thrifted tweed yarn courtesy of Zach and some scraps of Patons Classic Wool Black. I was definitely inspired by the beauty of the winter landscape here in Pennsylvania. I love the way dark branches and dormant stems look against the heavy layers of snow.
What's up next? I'm, at this moment, halfway through these: Toasty
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Cabin Fever
Beginning Friday evening, we got crippling amounts of snow here in Pittsburgh. 21+ inches in some areas, and traffic has been nearly halted since Saturday. No plowing, no salting here in the city. Not being the kind to sit it out inside, Zach and I have been out every single day in the snow....Being out in the cold air is definitely TIRING. Sunday we walked to Point Breeze from our apartment in Shadyside (45 minutes in all this snow) for a Superbowl gathering with friends. I actually think I'm going crazy though. I cleaned up a bunch yesterday, and went through my cabinets. Zach has been playing a lot of video games. I shouldn't complain though...its my last year in this kind of snow!Moving to Portland: We are beginning to pack up. We'll be staying in this apartment until its time to leave rather than moving in with Ben. I'm waiting on the results of my job interview this week. If I get it I'll be leaving a whole month earlier. More than likely, however, I won't and we'll be going in Mid-may. This also determines when and probably where we'll be getting an apartment.
Knitting: I've been working on a sweater since a few days after X-mas, and I'm finally almost done with the sleeve. Its the Garter Yoke Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre. It'll be up on Ravelry soon enough. I plan on putting some embroidery onto it, I'm really looking forward to finishing it so that I can get down to business with that. Pics asap.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
When Unemployed People Knit
I finally finished my master's degree. In August. I have no job, and it might be a while. I've been watching a lot of True Blood (mmm Alexander Skarsgard) I have been trying to knit lots of things with yarn I already have, which isn't that big of a challenge because for a person who lives in a small apartment I own A LOT of yarn.
Most recently is this awesome headband, which stays ON MY HEAD and doesn't give me a headache. With hair like mine, headbands are a must for keeping the crazy in line.
So what is next? I am knitting ALL my Christmas presents this year. Photos to come!
Most recently is this awesome headband, which stays ON MY HEAD and doesn't give me a headache. With hair like mine, headbands are a must for keeping the crazy in line.
So what is next? I am knitting ALL my Christmas presents this year. Photos to come!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
recipe for delicious
A few days ago I was at work starving, when a co-worker (a godly saviour of a young man and perhaps an architect in the making) offered me some granola his mom had made for him. It was unbelievably good, and as I had never realized there was a such thing as "homemade granola" I immediately decided to make my own.
Inspired by several internet recipes and still in waiting for the copy of this young man's mother's recipe, I created my own.
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecans (mine were candied but to be fair I was using up old ingredients)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 cup oil
ground cinnamon
eyeball all of these:
1/6 cup real maple syrup + 1/6 cup brown sugar +1/6 cup honey = 1/2 cup sweetner
dried fruit pieces (mine are a mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries and dried blueberries and dried cherries)
1. Put the oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sliced almonds, pecans and coconut into a bowl. Add the oil, and then measure the sweetner in the same cup you used for the oil. The honey mixture will slide right out of the cup, no scraping. Mix all of these together. Place on a flat cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and sprinkle with cinnamon per your taste.
2. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Stir carefully every 10 minutes or so, especially if you don't want granola baked into your pan I did. The granola will still be slightly sticky and smooshy when you remove it from the oven, but it will harden as it cools.
3. After the mixture is cool, place it in a bowl or in a baggie and mix with about 1 cup of the fruit. You can, of course, add more or less per your taste. Store in one of many airtight ways.
4. Enjoy as it is or add some milk or yogurt. Die happy.
Inspired by several internet recipes and still in waiting for the copy of this young man's mother's recipe, I created my own.
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecans (mine were candied but to be fair I was using up old ingredients)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 cup oil
ground cinnamon
eyeball all of these:
1/6 cup real maple syrup + 1/6 cup brown sugar +1/6 cup honey = 1/2 cup sweetner
dried fruit pieces (mine are a mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries and dried blueberries and dried cherries)
1. Put the oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sliced almonds, pecans and coconut into a bowl. Add the oil, and then measure the sweetner in the same cup you used for the oil. The honey mixture will slide right out of the cup, no scraping. Mix all of these together. Place on a flat cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and sprinkle with cinnamon per your taste.
2. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Stir carefully every 10 minutes or so, especially if you don't want granola baked into your pan I did. The granola will still be slightly sticky and smooshy when you remove it from the oven, but it will harden as it cools.
3. After the mixture is cool, place it in a bowl or in a baggie and mix with about 1 cup of the fruit. You can, of course, add more or less per your taste. Store in one of many airtight ways.
4. Enjoy as it is or add some milk or yogurt. Die happy.
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