Gingerbread Banana Muffins

In honor of our Texas snow day, here is a recipe for melt in your mouth Christmas muffins.

Gingerbread Banana Muffins

Makes 12-16

3 ripe banana - mashed
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar - or sweetener of choice
1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 cups flour - I blend unbleached, teff, and brown rice flours
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients and sugars. Top with dry ingredients and spices and stir until blended. Fill lined muffin pan and bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy! ~ Stephanie

Garden Blackberry Pie

First of all, let me confess. I am using premade pie crust. *gasp* No excuses, don't judge.



Now that that is out in the open, what is a knitter to do when she has more blackberries than the children and wildlife can sneak from the bushes when her back is turned? You add tons of sugar and you make pie. Blackberry ooey gooey pie. I followed the recipe found here.




First I added the heaping scoop of sugar, some lemon zest, cornstarch, and a healthy squeeze of lemon to the berries. I really enjoy lemon with my berries - gives them a nice zing!




The children helped me pinch the pie crust. Honestly, I could not have done better.




When the berries were nice and juicy from their sugar bath they went straight into the crust and covered with some swanky lattice work. Pretty!



Brush with a little egg wash, into the oven, and wait, and PIE. Yum.

Episode 2: What We Grow

Thank you for watching!!

Watch Now 

Episode 2: Part 1, What We're Making and Part 2, What We Grow on You Tube

Howdy

What we are wearing:

- Joy: Western Sky Knits Starshower cowl
- Stephanie: Noro Taiyo Sock Hitchhiker shawl

News:

- Check out the Fiber & Dice Podcast, and vote for Sushi Go! in the Fat Cat Knits spin along!

Fiber Talk

What we are knitting/spinning:

- Joy:
Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief out of handspun (by Stephanie) Two If By Hand polwarth/silk blend in "Roommate Agreement" (above)
Shibui Baby Hat and Socks out of Miss Babs Kilimanjaro in "Celebration"



- Stephanie:
Two If By Hand grab bag handspun (above)
Handspun Fish Lips Kish Heel Socks
Miss Babs Soul Food Astonish Top by Katy Banks from Golden Morning

What we acquired:

- Joy:
Madelinetosh Dandelion in "Tart"

- Stephanie:
Malabrigo Nube in Plomo and Natural

What is next:

- Joy:
Strand Hill Cardigan by Keya Kuhn out of Madtosh Dandelion

-Stephanie:
Limepop Sweater by Terri Kruse out of Knit Picks Swish

What We Grow

Resources:

Aggie Horticulture Website from Texas A&M
Includes lots of pdf guides to growing all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and nuts

Month-By-Month Gardening in Texas



The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!

Mother's Day Musing: Finding Fulfillment in Life through Making

Sounds philosophical and cerebral, doesn't it?  But it really isn't.  Please humor me for a few minutes. 

I'm pretty new to knitting, but I'm going to guess that finding fulfillment in knitting--or any hobby, for that matter--is why most of us keep doing it.  Okay, that and squooshing soft, beautiful yarn.  And then buying and hoarding it. 

But I digress.

Knitting brings joy to the knitter AND the recipient of the knitted goody.  (At least, we hope!)  For me, making something with my hands for someone else is the only genuine way of showing someone how much I care. 

I admit that my sentiments aren't shared by everyone; they're a by-product of my upbringing.  My mom has always been a maker.  She bakes cookies, cakes, and quick breads and sews.  She gives her goodies away to people who are in need, having a bad day, or celebrating something great.  Maybe that's why I feel it's more genuine to make something than to buy something. 

My mommy and me

Whatever the reason, a lot of you out there feel the same way. 

So what's the point of my rambling?  Simply to encourage you to keep making for others.  Make for your family, your friends, and for strangers.  Not just because it makes you feel good, but also because it's a sincere form of showing love and caring to others. 

I've recently started knitting baby hats and socks for a mission outreach at my church that's aimed toward moms who are unexpectedly expecting or who have hit hard times.  I don't think you have to be a religious person to understand the necessity and value of showing love and caring to total strangers.  It's what separates us from the beasts in the wild.

Shibui baby hat and socks from Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders

So, please keep making.  Make for your family, your friends, your coworkers, your neighbors, and total strangers.  And please share your making with me in the comments below!

Happy Mother's Day, makers!

Knitting: Handspun Fish Lips Kiss Socks

Lately, everyone seems wild about the Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist. I am working on my first pair, and so far find it a wonderful method for knitting handspun socks. The main reason is that you can knit them in your own custom gauge, and don't have to fuss too much about the actual weight of your handspun sock yarn. I have had a little trouble keeping track of my cardboard foot - thanks to my 9 month old who likes to chew on it... and I am pretty sure my lines are a little off, but here's hoping that my socks turn out ok!




















I am almost to the heel portion, and am happy that I can customize it a little for my high arch... at least that is what I am hoping! The patterning is a simple garter rib (Row 1: K3, P2/ Row 2: K) that I will carry up the length of the sock - super mindless sock knitting!

This was also my first time spinning for socks, and my method was very crude: spin as thin and possible and chain ply carefully. I used a mixed breed wool supplied by my dear friend Dawn of Daybreak Dyeworks, and when spinning for socks you really need a coarse hard-wearing wool or a wool blend that includes nylon or other synthetic fiber that will add strength.



I am using the top two hanks in this photo for my socks, the future of the bottom two is still to be determined - maybe more socks. Overall I have really enjoyed the process of knitting socks with my handspun. They are nice and dense and springy, and they feel wonderful when I try them on. I can't wait for them to be finished!

Have you joined the Fish Lips Kiss Heel fan club? Have you knit handspun socks?

Do-It-Yourself Fruit Fly Trap

I have a confession to make: I've got a fruit fly problem.  Yes, the weather is warming up, and I forgot to take the kitchen scrap bucket out to the compost bin, so now I have fruit flies.  Lots and lots of annoying little buggies.

Last spring, I bought a fruit fly trap from the store.  I opened the package, set it up, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Oh, the fruit flies were definitely interested.  But there was a big problem: the buggies were too gigantic to fit into the narrow openings in the trap.  (Is this a Texas problem?)

I decided to take a look at the ingredients list on the packaging, and I discovered that the trap solution would be very simple to make at home with ingredients that almost everyone has in their kitchens.

So I gave it a try, but instead of putting the solution in the trap with the tiny openings, I just poured it in a small custard dish.  Success!  So many drowned buggies, so much happy!

Simple ingredients do some hardcore killing

Supplies needed:

Small bowl
Apple cider vinegar
Dish detergent

Place about 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar in the small bowl.  Add a squirt of dish detergent.  Stir.  Viola, instant fruit fly trap!  The buggies are attracted to the apple cider vinegar, and the dish detergent acts to break the surface tension of the liquid so that fruit flies can't escape once they've landed.  Let the killing commence!

I like to place the trap within the fruit bowl in the kitchen so that the fruit flies can't miss it.

Come on, little guy, hop on into the bowl!

Let me know if you've got a great recipe for a do-it-yourself bug trap! 

Recipe: Spreadable Kefir Cheese

So, here's another idea for something to do with all that milk kefir: make a delicious, soft, spreadable, cheesy snack to top crackers or veggies.  You could even get creative and develop a honey-sweetened version to dip fruit in!

This recipe below--made in savory form--most closely resembles goat cheese in flavor, since I used a strong 48-hour fermented kefir.  Yum!

Herby Spreadable Kefir Cheese

 

Spreadable Kefir Cheese

(recipe credit: culturesforhealth.com)

You will need a batch of finished milk kefir, some cheese muslin or several layers of cheese cloth, a strainer, a bowl to put underneath the strainer to catch the whey, and dried or fresh herbs (salt optional).  For a super tangy version that resembles soft goat cheese spread, use milk kefir that has fermented for 48 hours.  For a less potent taste, try a 12- or 24-hour ferment.

1. Place the cheese cloth in the strainer.  Place the strainer on the bowl.  Pour the milk kefir into the strainer.  Put the whole mess in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
2. Come back to check its progress.  If it's still too runny, leave it for a few more hours.  The consistency of the strained kefir is dependent on how long it sits and strains for.  Save the whey, just in case you want to thin it out a bit. 
3. Otherwise, if it's ready to go, remove the strained kefir to a bowl, and stir in herbs (and a few dashes of salt, if you desire).  Why not try some snipped chives?
4. Eat it up!  It's delicious on crackers and veggies, or even as a spread on sandwiches.

Please tell me what you added to your spreadable kefir cheese!  Have fun experimenting!
--Joy

Soft kefir cheese caressing a slice of homemade bread

P.S.  Curious about how my kefir grains are doing?  Look at this beast!

Kefir grain gone wild