Drinks are the recipe this week. Not the type of drinks for those trying to behave. But drinks for those that are celebrating on New Years or those that are “dealing with relatives”. No, these aren’t healthy. We can take a break from that routine for a day here and there. All in the pursuit of fun or trying not to kill that rotten uncle. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean. 90% of the families out there have “that uncle”.

Easy Pina colada

Bacardi Rum
Pineapple and coconut juice
French vanilla stevia - or vanilla extract (1 drop per drink)

I’d tell you how much to put in but really it’s a “to taste” kind of drink. I’m a lightweight so I have 1 cup of juice to one shot of rum. You can serve it with a few cubes of ice or blend it up with ice for the frothy type of umbrella drink you’d get on a beach someplace.

Pomegranate Martini
Orangecello
Good Vodka (don’t get the cheap stuff, you’ll regret it)
Pomegranate juice

1 part vodka, 1.5 parts Orangecello, 3 parts juice
It’s just yummy. It really is. I could drink these until they find me under the table. Relatives? I have Relatives?

Incognito Cocoa
Your favorite hot cocoa or any chocolate that you can find that you can liquify (this is when you know you’re getting desperate)
Add in Some Kahlua (the coffee flavored stuff)
Voila! You have a slightly alcoholic Mocha
If that most annoying relative is really getting on your nerves, add some vodka to it as well. It helps take the edge off and it might actually prevent you from saying those things that everyone wants to say to them but never does only when you say it your Mom gets embarrassed and all upset and you don’t really want to do that. If you’re drinking though, you have the added excuse of, “I”m sorry, I was drinking” and most families will forgive you and you got to say what you wanted to anyway so it’s all good.

My PSA
I’m just teasing about the relatives. I know you and I all have fantastic relatives and none of them ever make us bite our tongues in silence. And drinking is not always a good idea. No underage drinking and certainly no drinking and driving.

KNITTING CONTENT:
I’ve been working at finishing up a few things. I finished one of the Shetland mittens but it’s blocking at the shop so I couldn’t take a photo. I did however finally finish the sample sweater for the Big Ball worsted yarn

I’m wearing it today and maybe I’ll get a decent photo in action.

SHOP NEWS: I’m taking a shipping break and a break from the shop to visit with family and have a real holiday. I’ll be shipping today and then not again until the 31st. Be safe and have a fantastic holiday.

These aren’t hard at all and I’m sure most everyone knows how to make some version. Mine are loaded with Garlic.

Mashed potatoes for supper.
Wash a bunch of potatoes really well, chop, boil. Then I mash them with sour cream and garlic. Instead of sour cream you can use a little lemon and tofu or that Tofuti Sour Cream for Vegetarians stuff. Eat hearty but save some for breakfast. Sure you can make this the same day you’re making the pancakes but it works much better if it’s cold.

Now comes the hard part (which isn’t very hard at all). Form it into a patty (this is why it’s easier when it’s cold). Put into a pan of hot oil. you don’t need a lot of oil, but you need a skim of it so the potato doesn’t stick. I usually saute the onions and mushrooms next to the pancake. I also like it with spinach or chard (I just happen to be out right now). I remove the pancake when it’s done and then add a touch of soy with the veggies that are cooking still. And then put it on top of the potato and eat.

Fibery pursuits.
I finished spinning this for mittens:

2 ounces and about 120 yards of each of four colors in Shetland. I devised a mitten pattern to work with this. As soon as I get it wound I’ll be working on it…. well. I’d like to finish this mitten first:

It’s the Mitones Ivenos mitten in handspun BFL. I have to kitchener the top and finish the thumb. I’m not sure if I’ll do the second one. The loose cuff bugs me. I know it’s designed to go over the sweater or jacket but … I’ll wait and see what I think before I pass judgement. Of course I do have plans to make gloves with January’s fiber of the month colors. Yes, I’m already thinking of January. I finished December’s fiber and knit a hat:

You didn’t think I would really show you the color’s did you? But this is a pretty good hint. Check out the stripes!

I did finish 2 other things:

Quant in a handspun Navajo 3 ply - the colorway is “Fruit Stripe Gum”. I had originally made the yarn to make mittens for the girls but I had to make a Quant so I did. I think Miss 7 going on 20 will like it. I’m hoping she also likes her new vest

I need to still block it, weave ends and put in the zipper. The pattern is from “Soft and Simple Knits for Little Ones”. I altered the pattern a little because I always do and I was using a different yarn. I used Ella Rae which is gorgeous for being mostly acrylic. I really recommend this yarn as far as washable goes. I like it enough that I’m thinking I need a sweater in it.

It’s snowing again.

Glorious isn’t it? I knew it was coming and it just made me really want some chili. I’m sure I blogged a recipe for chili before but it changes every time I make it so I don’t think it’s all that redundant to blog about the one I’m making for today.

Soak 16 ounces of Black beans overnight. Drain and rinse.

In a large stock pot - saute 1 large onion. Then add the beans and enough water to cover. Boil on medium until they’re soft. At the same time in your crock pot (Or wait if you are using just one pot on the stove) put in 2 quarts of tomatoes. I used the ones that my Mom had canned at the end of the summer. I add in garlic (amounts will vary to your taste, I add in a lot) and let it simmer for the same time as the beans are cooking.

I took out 1.5 cups from each pot to make other things. Beans will be used in tacos or on salads the rest of the week and the tomatoes I’ll use in a small soup for lunch.

Combine the beans and the tomatoes. Add in about 3/4 cup of TVP, Red Pepper flakes, Cilantro and Chili powder
to taste. Crock pot or low simmer for 5-8 hours. Mine will probably be there for 8 hours. Chili can sit there for more time as long as it’s not burning.

Fiber stuff.
Because we all know beans aren’t enough fiber talk for any of us.

I think the weekends are getting shorter. I seem to be accomplishing less “me” stuff. I did a bit of spinning but the rest of the time was spent daydreaming about new designs and working on the vest for Miss 7 going on 20:

If only I hadn’t fallen asleep on the couch while knitting….

I’ve been waiting for this. I can’t wait to go sledding. I’ll have some pictures for you the next time I post. It’s not all winter wonderland white yet.

I do have a recipe for you today. A great breakfast for a snowy day. Pumpkin Pancakes.
Imagine picture here - we ate them ALL before I could remember to take a picture

1.5 cups of brown rice flour
1 flax egg
1/4 cup of crushed walnuts (I grind them up finer than you get them in the package)
1/2 cup pumpkin (cooked and pureed)
cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to taste.

Cook like you would any other pancake. I always make a double batch. We eat one batch and the second batch I partially cook it and then I put them in the freezer or the fridge. The next time we want pancakes and I don’t have the time to make them, I can pull them out and heat them up in the pan. They finish cooking and they don’t get soggy like they do in the micro.

On to knitting.
Finally I have a picture of Baby Boogie’s “Lello” shawl:

It’s the Forest Canopy Shawl using worsted weight superwash. I used 7 repeats instead of the usual. I was afraid of running out of yarn. I would have if I had done another repeat. As it is, it’s just slightly smaller than the original shawl I did in the correct yarn. I’m going to do another one in worsted weight. I figure using Big Ball at 450 yards per skein - I’ll be able to make a pretty good sized and warm shawl.

I also finished my mitts.

And I’ve worn them plenty too. The yarn is a 2ply handspun - the colorway is from Hello Yarn’s fiber club. I didn’t use a pattern, I just made them. But I have some notes that you can see on Ravelry

I think I’ve probably talked about Roasted Veggies before. I don’t think I mentioned adding beets to the mix. It’s good. You don’t need to add much for extra flavor because the beets bring it all for you. And the beets do one more really cool thing. It turns everything PINK!

Choose equal amounts of root vegetables. I chose Carrots, White Maine potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Beets and Turnip. I had about 2 cups of each and then I added in 2 cups of mushrooms, 1 cup of onions, 1 head of garlic (peeled and minced, I don’t need to tell you to peel it though do I?)

I put it in the oven late so I added 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan and covered it so everything would steam first to cook through at 400F and then I uncovered it for 15 minutes to get a little more roasty flavor. If you have yourself “together” then you can just roast at 350 for about 3 hours (depending on the amount you put in of course).

It’s all really easy and you can set it up in the oven and spend the rest of the time knitting….

I finished Baby Boogie’s new winter bonnet:

I used Hello Yarn’s Top Down bonnet pattern and the yarn is handspun from a month of the Hello Yarn club.

And I’m almost done with her Christmas present that I started this past Wednesday:

That’s right, she’s getting a yellow blob. It’s a Forest Canopy done in Worsted Superwash in the Colorway “Walking on the Sun”. Yellow and Pink are the 2 colors she knows well right now. She goes around the house pointing out YELLLLLOOOOO. So it had to be yellow for her. I have one more wrong side row and then I’m binding off. If I hadn’t fallen asleep on the couch at 8:30 last night, I’d have gotten it done. I’ll finish it and then block it at the shop after club is shipped out.

Once that is done I’ll get working on “7 going on 20″s Christmas present. She changed her mind about the sweater, well she still wants it. There just happens to be something she wants more:

Super chunky bedsocks. Yes it’s acrylic. It’s because she leaves her clothes on the floor and then scoops them all up indiscriminately and throws then in the wash. There is often doll clothes or the dolls themselves that end up in the wash. Acrylic it is.

Then I want to make Dad a pair of socks. Not necessarily for the holidays because I don’t like to get too stressed out about holiday knitting. But I came up with a new colorway this past weekend and because of it’s name, my Dad has to have socks in it. I’ll unveil the new colorway on Thursday with the update. It will be December’s color of the month.

And that’s it for the holiday knitting. Both girls could use a new sweater but with other gifts in the box, I’ll be able to knit sweaters without feeling like I have to get it done “in time”. I have other holiday projects up my sleeve but I’ll talk about that another day, it could get long.