Fun with textiles

I love making scarves, hats and things to give as gifts, but nothing beats Amigurumi in terms of being SO much fun and super rewarding... they're so darn cute! Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures.*
















I made a little piggie for our goddaughter, Sammie, for Christmas this year. Last year I made her a little yellow duck, so the farm animal theme is cute. The duck was a real success, given my novice crochet skills a year ago... and the fact that the pattern was for a fuzzy baby penguin! Basically, I figured that I could make it into any bird I wanted and then used a much smaller crochet hook than the pattern called for... it turned out well despite being completely 'wrong.' I still LOL about it.

Patterns are easy to find on the internet and many are free.** Instructables.com and crochetville.org are the sources for the two I've used and google finds all sorts of tutorials. The pig only took an evening in front of the tv to make! There are also patterns to buy on etsy and, if you're not the crafty type, there are shops like this one.



















*from Wikipedia
**to make for yourself or to give them as gifts, of course.

So that was a bummer...

Yesterday, I mean. To make up for it, I'll share my favorite comfort food recipe!

The recent and extended cold streak we had here in Raleigh was a perfect excuse to make a batch of Potato Soup. More accurately, this is the (in?)famous "Gutter Runner's Potato Soup" of Pirate4x4.com fame. You can google it, if you like. I modify the recipe, although only slightly, because the original calls for celery and I prefer to use chopped greens instead. I am a good Southern girl, after all!

I usually halve the amounts of the original recipe, because it still makes way more than we can eat without giving away or freezing some. So my recipe is for a 'half' batch, which is still 8-12 servings, depending on the audience. Feel free to double the amounts and go back to celery, if you prefer. I think the amount called for is "5 stalks". Oh, I also add a little thyme, along with the basil... maybe a 1/2 teaspoon or so.

1/2 lb of bacon, chopped
3 lbs potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 cup of chopped carrots
3 cups chopped kale
30 oz. chicken broth (or a 15 oz can of broth and then an equal amount of water)
2 tsp salt*
1 tsp pepper*
1 T minced garlic*
2 tsp basil*
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes*
2-3 tsp hot sauce* (Frank's, Tabasco, Texas Pete... whatever you like)
1/2 stick of salted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

*or season to your taste

Saute chopped bacon in a large stock pot until crispy. Remove to paper towels.
Pour out most of grease, leaving drippings in the pan, but save the grease for later use.**
Add chopped onion to pan, saute until clear.
Add potatoes, carrots, broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Add chopped kale and allow to wilt on top before stirring them in.
Allow to simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting liquid, if needed. This allows the soup to thicken without the aid of flour or cornstarch.

Return bacon to the pot and add butter and heavy whipping cream, simmer an additional 30 minutes.

**In case you do not know to do this, already... you can keep it in the refrigerator and use it to cook eggs, cornbread, fried things, etc., for excellent flavor.

Sometimes you just need to throw things

A recent post by Dana at Mamalogues has been on my mind... and I'm using her example of the Trebuchet to get something off my chest, so to speak.

This week marks one year since DH was laid off and, despite several extensions, the end of his unemployment benefits looms in our minds. As far as we can figure, anyway, we need to make it work strictly on my salary... and for a while.

These frustrations and limitations include the fact that we had to put DH on my insurance policy... which was inexpensive enough to do. Due to some past health problems other folks have had, the only way my firm can afford to offer benefits is to offer a catastrophic policy and we contribute to our own HSAs. Our current financial situation means I can't contribute very much and, since adding DH, the deductible for a 'family' is much higher than for an individual. So we can't really afford to use it except for basic stuff because we can't afford the total deductible. Which means we have to put off things we want to do and maybe, potentially, preventative care we need to do. I read as much of the House health care reform bill as I could stand and I'm not optimistic that even a combined version or whatever the Senate has proposed will make the situation any better. Without addressing the true problems of the pricing games the insurance companies and hospitals play, nothing is free and we'll all pay more in the end. If the mandatory basic coverage has to increase and the company can't afford it without us paying more or my salary going down... well that dog won't hunt.

So, now back to Dana's Trebuchet. Pile up the problems that make me want to scream and fling them far away. My 'fling' list is short... after making a longer list, I realized all the things that bug me come down to one simple problem. Then, count my blessings, the things not to fling.

To fling:

A lack of empathy. I don't want to be in the middle of other people's drama or problems unnecessarily, but I (hopefully) have the heart and patience to listen if someone really has something to say. Even if it doesn't apply to my life, I try to feel for what other people are dealing with on a daily basis. Basically I don't feel like I have many people to turn to when I'm having a particularly rough one. Then again, many of those closest to me have it as bad or worse... who am I to complain. Ugh.

Not to fling:



Snuggle-y dogs on a very cold night. We've had lots of cold nights lately and, although there are only the two of them, I'm certain the very-bad-dogs snuggle enough for at least three dogs.










A laugh shared with a friend. My best friend, DH, in particular, but any friend or even the person in front of me in line at Harris Teeter. Laughing with children is extra credit.