Joyful Abode

This scarf should crochet up in no time at all, to get you through these last days of winter (or the first days of Fall, depending on your hemisphere of residence). It can be any length you want!

You will need:

• Two different colours (referred to as A and B) of Lion Brand Homespun Yarn, 1 skein each. (You could really use any kind of yarn, but I used Homespun and it’s incredibly soft.)
• 1 pretty large hook (I used a P/10mm hook)

Note: You can leave the “tails” from your colour changes dangling until the end, when you can easily and painlessly crochet over them with the border.

To start:

Make a really long chain out of Colour A. Mine was about 10 feet long.

Row 1: 1 hdc in second chain from hook
1 hdc in each chain until the end
Ch-2 and turn

Row 2: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Ch - 2 and turn

Row 3: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Change to Colour B
Ch-2 and turn

Row 4: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Change to Colour A
Ch-2 and Turn

Row 5: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Ch - 2 and Turn

Row 6: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Change to Colour B
Ch-2 and Turn

Row 7: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Ch - 2 and Turn

Row 8: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Change to Colour A
Ch-2 and Turn

Row 9: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Change to Colour B
Ch-2 and Turn

Row 10: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Ch - 2 and Turn

Row 11: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Ch - 2 and Turn

Row 12: 1 hdc in each hdc from previous row
Where you would normally change colours, pull in Colour A, but don’t drop Colour B.

Now, working with two strands of yarn (one of each colour), work in sc around the perimeter of the scarf, crocheting over the “tails” from your colour changes.

In each corner “hole”, you’ll need to either do 3 sc OR 1 sc, ch 1, 1 sc. This will help your yarn ease around the corner. (I’m a fan of the 3 sc in each corner.)

When you get to the beginning of your border again, join with a slip stitch, fasten off, cut leaving tails about 6 inches long, and weave in the ends.

Click here for my other patterns.

Since finding this recipe, the man has cooked these ribs…oh…maybe 8 times. They’re that good. And just by changing out the barbeque sauce (which we buy lots of when it’s on sale), you can totally change the flavor… or should I say …flava’ of the dish.

Here’s how the man does it.

• A package of country-style pork ribs (6-8 ribs)
• 2 Tablespoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 1 bottle of barbeque sauce

First, boil the ribs in a large pot with the garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Boil them for half an hour or so.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the ribs are finished boiling, put them in a baking dish with about a cup of the water they were boiled in, and pour sauce over them. Bake, covered, for 2 hours. Try not to go crazy from the yummy smells floating out of the kitchen.

For the creamed spinach, just cook some frozen spinach. Then stir in a lump of cream cheese and some mozzarella. Salt and pepper to your liking, and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

This is a difficult meal to carry on a conversation through, because of all the “mmm”-y noises you’ll both be making.

I like my roast beef rare and flavorful… I found a super-simple recipe and altered it so that it achieves both of those goals flawlessly AND sets up a great gravy base in the process. (In case you’re wondering about that fantastic bakd potato, I rubbed it with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt before baking it. The skin was extra-crispy and flavorful.)

The recipe is basically a rub which you smear all over the meat. Then you put it in a roasting pan (the kind that has the rack so the juices can drip down) and bake it until it’s ready to eat. I used the drippings to make a simple gravy… just put the pan on the stovetop while the meat is resting, add a couple of cups of water, and a cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. The gravy is so flavorful you’ll want to drink it on its own.

Oh, you say you want the recipe? Of course you do. I guess I’ll share it with you.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons Frank’s red hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (3 pound-ish) sirloin tip roast

Mix everything together (except for the roast of course) and let it sit for about 20 minutes for all of the flavors to meld together.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Smear your roast on all sides with the rub and place it on the rack in your roasting pan.

Dump about a cup of water in the bottom of the pan so that the drippings don’t burn.

Take the meat out when it has an internal temperature of about 140 degrees Fahrenheit (about an hour or so), or however you like it. Rare is better though.

There’s a fantastic giveaway going on at The Apronista!

Deanna and Eren will each send the winner one of their own vintage aprons, and the winner will also receive an autographed copy of “The Apron Book.” Now, I already have that book, but I would trade it out for an autographed copy in a second.

In case you’re not familiar with the book, in the words of …Barnes and Noble? (well, from their site anyway)

Vintage aprons and modern designs are turning up in movies, magazine spreads, upscale shops, and hip retail venues like Anthropologie, whose trendy line of aprons is selling as fast as they can stock them. The Apron Book is an infectiously enthusiastic guide to aprons, old and new, that are suddenly everywhere.

Aprons take us back to our favorite place, hearth and home. Vintage aprons help us remember home and family the way they used to be, while bright and sassy contemporary aprons confirm that nesting is all the rage. Actress and trendsetter Julia Roberts has a closetful of vintage aprons. Celebrity custom-made apron auctions have become an annual event for several popular charities in the past few years.

The Apron Book provides full-color photos of new and vintage aprons from the author’s collection, patterns for four basic apron styles and myriad variations, recipes, tips on collecting and preserving vintage aprons, and heart-tugging stories from the author’s traveling apron exhibit. The book also explores the heyday of aprons and looks at the various roles aprons still play when worn in the kitchen, around the house, by the backyard grill, on the job, and for special occasions.

Warm and inviting (but like an apron quite practical!) this book is a celebration of a great American icon and reminds us of what we loved about the people who wore them.

Anyway, it’s a fantastic book… and could be yours (or mine) along with 2 vintage aprons, just by commenting on the Contest post at Apronista.

Excuse my bread machine cord and the fact that the machine is sitting on a stool… this is what happens in a kitchen with no counter space.

Anyway, I just clipped some of my favorite aprons up using clothespins. I’ll rotate some of my not-so-favorites with more-favorite aprons as I find them. You know how it is with vintage aprons… a treasure hunt!

I don’t generally wear half-aprons so this is a fantastic way to display them, and also answers the question of kitchen window treatments.

Now, I DO wear full aprons every time I cook, so I chose to display them in a more utilitarian way… the people who lived in this house before we did evidently loved SCREWS. They are in every room, randomly placed in almost every wall.

I’ve come to appreciate them in an odd way, using them for various things (You’ll see another use in my craft room once I post pictures of that). In the kitchen, there are two random screws that make great apron-hooks. If I owned this house, I’d probably replace them with proper hooks, but for a temporary abode, the screws do just fine!

What do you do with your apron collection? I’d love to see it!

(Bella dia uses her half-aprons as chair skirts. How clever!)

PS You can’t have the aprons in my personal collection, of course, but I have found lots you can have. Want to see?

Technorati Tags: aprons, decor, curtains, kitchen, display, vintage, kitchen window treatments

Step 1: Get some fruit. Wash it and make sure it’s dry. In my case, the fruit was cherries.

Step 2: Dump some chocolate chips in a bowl. More than you think you’ll need. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir. Repeat until the chips are melted.

Step 3: Stir in a couple tablespoons of shortening, for smoothness.

Step 4: Dip fruit in chocolate and place on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet or tray. If you followed my directions and melted more than you needed, find something else to dip. Cookies, pretzels, or in my case, Clementine wedges.

Step 5: Put the tray in the fridge, but not for too long because condensation will discolor your chocolate.

Step 6: Do not open the fridge and have the fruit fall all over the floor (or in my case, do this). If this happens, salvage the fruit that did not touch the floor.

Step 7: Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: chocolate, cherries, clementines, fruit, cooking, chocolate-covered, dipped, recipe, gourmet

Check this site out if you don’t want to go shopping and need some recipes. Check off what you have, and then it’ll give you ideas.

Don’t worry if the first page looks like a joke (One recipe is actually “An apple on its own”). See the vertical list of numbers on the left, and click down through the pages… you’ll find some good-sounding things!

Then hop over here to learn how to make roses from maple leaves.  I haven’t tried it, but it looks simple and really lovely. Wonder if I could FIND any maple leaves around here…

Here is a fabulous list of kitchen myths. From baking soda in the fridge and avocado pits in guacamole to thickening agents and screaming lobsters, this little page has a treasure trove of information.

Street installations, along with (on some) videos of people’s reactions to them. Very awesome.

My dear darling little sister offered to take pictures of my dozens of aprons, in order to build her photography portfolio. So I carted all of my apron inventory to Columbia, SC and she generously and patiently took pictures for two days, some on a clothesline, and some on models. I have to say, my cousins and my friend Brandi made fantastic models, hamming it up domestic-style, and my sister’s pictures are fantastic.

Check some of them out!

Click the pictures to see the listings in Joyful Abode @ Etsy

There are more in my shop that I didn’t add to this post.

I’ll stop… for now. But trust me, there are many, many more to come.

Technorati Tags: vintage aprons, vintage apron, vintage, apron, aprons, shopping, kitchen, baking, cooking, shop, buy, etsy, hostess gifts, hostess, housewarming gifts, housewarming, home, housewares, linens

This bruschetta-ish recipe is one I made up about a year ago, and it’s so easy and delicious.

You will need:

A can of tomatoes, diced

A can of black olives, sliced

Balsamic Vinegar

Italian herbs

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Italian or french bread, sliced

Cheese - Mozzarella or whatever you have (I used some sort of mix of cheeses for this one)

Brush the bread slices with olive oil and let them get toasty in the oven (370ish degrees Fahrenheit). While that’s happening, drain the tomatoes and mix them with the olives. Drizzle them with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with Italian herbs. Everything is “to taste” so be sure to taste it!

When the toast is toasty, spoon on the tomato topping and sprinkle liberally with cheese. Pop it all back into the oven until the cheese is melted and everything is warm and gooey. Eat it warm. Or cold. With spaghetti. Or lasagna, or soup, or salad, or by itself as a meal… you know. However you like it.

And you WILL like it.