2022 Here I Come

 The year is off to an interesting start. Yesterday a 36 hour tummy bug hit.  I am feeling much better right now.  Just don’t ask about last night. However the new year is not done with me yet, tonight I lost a crown.  So off to the dentist for me.  I hope that this is not how 2022 is going to go.  I could really use a good year after 3 dismissal years.  I am not counting my daughter and her husband’s visits as part of the dismissal times.

My new pattern is going well. This is how I want my year to go.   I am on the last major section.  I think I have figured out how to type up the pattern without typing over 250 rows of the pattern.   It will should be out by the end of the month.  This one should be easy to knit while watching television or listening to an audio book once you have the pattern set.  For me this would be a knitting while walking pattern, if my family would trust me to walk and knit.

Then it will be a baby blanket for someone here in Tucson.  I have the yarn pulled.  I just need the pattern to pop into my head.  I hope this happens soon.  It’s going to be a modern nursery.  So nothing old fashioned.  

Baked Blueberry French Toast

 This is the special NewYears Day breakfast treat that I made for breakfast today.   If you have seen this recipe in a past blog I have changed a few things. There is no added sugar.  My thinking is that there are enough carbs between the bread, blueberries and milk so that no empty sugar calories are needed.  The blueberries provide enough sweetness.  I used duck eggs because of an allergy to chicken eggs, you may use the egg of your own choosing.  I used whole wheat bread, you many use gluten free bread or any other bread of choice. Egg bread is always a good choice.   I used vanilla soy milk, you may use any milk of choice except chocolate milk.  Look I do have to draw the line somewhere.  Plus I am not sure if it will taste good if made with chocolate milk.  I also did not add any additional salt because I feel we get enough sodium in our diets   Also there is sodium in the bread and milk   Trust me you will not miss it   

Pre heat the oven to 350f

Supplies Needed

1 8 x 8 inch baking pan sprayed with a non stick spray

1 2 quart mixing bowl 

1 fork 

8 slices of bread diced

1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed and dried 

1 cup of milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla 

Preparing 

Place the diced bread and blueberries in the baking pan. Gently toss them together making sure that the blueberries are evenly distributed   

In a 2 quart bowl place the eggs, milk and vanilla.   Mix well making sure that the eggs are well blended. Pour over the bread and blueberries making sure that the bread is evenly coated with the egg mixture. 

Carefully place the baking pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 use a knife to test for doneness.  If not done just put it back in for a few more minutes. Servers 4 to 8  

For 1/8th of the pan you will count 1 slice of bread, 1/2 egg, 1/8 cup milk and blueberries 

For 1/4th of the pan you will count 2 slices of bread, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk and blueberries 

Happy New Years

 First off I like seeing 2021 in the rear view mirror.  Year 2 of the pandemic was not easy for me.  I am tired of the isolation.  

Next I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022.  I pray that we can put COVID19 behind us this year.  Maybe this year we can venture out into the world. I really don’t care if I have to wear a mask.  

We had a lovely New Year’s Eve dinner of homemade soup and store bought rolls.  The company was very nice.   If you would like the soup recipe, I posted the recipe in my December 29, 2021 blog post.  

Because it rained last night we were able to dig out some roots of the cottonwood infestation in the front yard.  I even managed to get some in the trash can before the trash pick up.  The trick is following the roots.  The roots go from plant to plant.  They can be really thick roots.  I went for the smaller plants and John went for the bigger ones.  We stopped when it started raining again.  Maybe we will be able to get a couple more out tomorrow.  

I am also working on a new knitting pattern. I managed to to write and knit 14 more rows. I am also past the halfway point in the design.  Yes there is a lot of math involved.  I am not sure if I won’t do a major revision before I publish it.  I will have to see once it is blocked. I am sure you will be happy that I am doing all the math and all you will have to do is knit.  

A slow Day

I did not sleep well last night and made it through the day on caffeine.  I am hoping for rain tonight, but not the kind of storm that sends the barometric pressure all over the place.  Not much got done today.  That’s ok, there is always tomorrow.  

Thank You Brandy

 Brandy was one of our favorite aides for Eric. Yesterday she reached out and asked for a favorite family recipe.   Then John goes it’s cold now, we should have that for dinner tomorrow night.  So I got up early to head to the store as early as possible.  Yes, I wore my Kn95 mask and the store was not crowded.  So here is the minestrone soup recipe.  It’s quick and easy.  

I used to make it more with stew beef when the kids were younger   Now that I am on a very low fat diet I use skinless, boneless, chicken breast meat. I have my butcher cut it up in cubes for me about 1/2 square. Both are tasty options   

Minestrone Soup

1 4.5 quart LeCreuset soup pot 

1 package Manischewitz Minestrone Soup Mix

1.5 pounds of diced chicken breast or stew beef

1 large sweet onion diced

1 bunch of celery cleaned and sliced 

1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced 

5 cups of water

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon of salt and white pepper 

1 pound frozen mixed vegetables 

Sauté meat, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the meat is no longer red or pink.  15 to 20 minutes stirring every few minutes.  Add the onion and continue to sauté until tender and translucent.  Add celery and carrots mix in and cook until softened about 5 minutes.  

Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add the soup mix. Bring to a boil again.  Lower the temperature to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes stirring often.  

About 15 minutes before the basic soup is done remove the frozen vegetables from the freezer.  Add the mixed vegetables to the soup once the 45 minute timer goes off.  Stir in well. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more until the frozen vegetables are cooked.  You may add other vegetables too.  Just don’t over fill your pot. 

Serve with warm dinner rolls.  It is better the second night. This makes about 4 quarts of soup.  Yes you may freeze the leftover soup in individual containers and freeze.  

A Disjointed Kind of Day

 It was one of those days that I could not figure out what to do.  So I started out sorting laundry, that was a bust, not one full load to do. Then I worked on a scarf and got it through the first color change.  Then John and I did something that we would not have done in the pre COVID19 day.  We voluntarily ate lunch out side while it was in the mid 50’s.  Of course we were bundled up, but we had to take our gloves off to eat. While we were out I worked on knitting another hat. I got through the color change on the hat too.  

After lunch it was 18 rows of lace knitting.  Somehow 18 rows of lace knitting is all I can do in one sitting.  Then John raided the fridge and made a lovely dinner.  Then it was time to exercise, so I sat down at my Cubii2 and worked on another scarf.  My knitting bowl was not large enough so 1 skein of yarn kept rolling around on the floor.  It was actually great knitting while I was exercising, it made the time go so much faster. I just love multitasking. While watching television tonight, I went back to the scarf I was working on this morning.  

I just could not figure which knitting project need more knitting time    

Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain all day.  So I will try to get out early to get meat for a soup.  It should be a good day to have a pot of soup on the stove.  

More Changes for 2022

 After many discussions with my family over the past couple of years I am going to change up my knitting style.  I will no longer try to knit more than everyone else. Instead I will do charity projects while John is driving.  I usually work on hats and scarfs while watching television. That will not change.  I will still continue to teach knitting, spinning and weaving as the opportunities present themselves. I will continue to design knitting patterns as the patterns want to be written.  I will cut my knitting goal by 50% to give me time to work on projects for me.  

This is being done because I am not getting any younger.  We also want to preserve my hands and my ability to use them.  Less is going to have to be more.  I will also explore other areas of my creative self.  I will try painting and drawing.  I will do more sewing.  I will do more weaving. I will try not to be singular in my artistic pursuits.  This is also because arthritis really suck’s big time.  After decades of trying to push past the pain, I have nothing let to prove to myself.  I really hate being in pain most of the time. I am hoping that these changes will help in the long run.  

These are just some of the me projects I have lined up.