Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Scallops and Socks

Scallops


Our dinner tonight will be this Citrus Scallop recipe:

Ingredients
· 1 lemon
· 1 lime
· 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
· 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground black pepper
· 1 1/4 pound(s) sea scallops, rinsed
· 3 teaspoon(s) olive oil
· 1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped shallot
· 1 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
· 1 bag(s) (5- to 6-ounce) baby greens
· 1/4 cup(s) fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Directions

1. From lemon, grate 1/4 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. From lime, grate 1/4 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. Set juices aside. In small bowl, combine peels, salt, and pepper.

2. Place scallops on paper-towel-lined plate; pat dry. Sprinkle with citrus-peel mixture.

3. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil on medium 1 minute. Add scallops; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until opaque throughout, turning once. Remove from pan; cover.

4. To skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil and shallot; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in Dijon mustard and citrus juices, scraping up browned bits; cook 1 minute.

Toss sauce with greens; place on plates. Top with scallops and chopped parsley, and serve with whole wheat couscous (to make couscous, follow package directions).


Socks


Here is one of the twins:


Friday, April 24, 2009

Fraternal Jaywalkers?

I just started what I hope will be fraternal Jaywalkers.


The pattern is Grumperina's found here.

Well, sort of - you can download it from Ravelry or email her to get it.

The yarn is from that new sampler I just got - KP Felici and the color is Schooner.

The needles are KP Harmony #1 DPNs and I am knitting the smallest size.


The cardi is still in the works - the sleeves are pinned in and ready for attaching. My past few weeks have been too busy for me to sit during the day (with good light) and stitch them up.
I really hope I will have time next week.


My DH and I were getting tired of the old decor in our bedroom, so we made a change:

to this:


We are looking for a new comforter to join in the lightened and
freshened up look.


I am headed up to Wichita Falls today for symphony and the guest artist is
Ricky Scaggs.
Should be fun :-)
My only hope is that the hotel is better than last time.
The housekeeping and maintenance staff were unbelievably negligent - I had to change rooms do to the shower running - it literally would not turn off.
And then in the morning, I pulled back the coverlet to find a disgustingly soiled comforter.
It was really repulsive.
They gave me my money back, but it makes me question the rest of the cleanliness of the room.
This time, I am taking the Lysol wipes and wipe everything I can before touching it.
And I will check the linens as well.
I would not stay there again if it wasn't "the" hotel the symphony puts us in.
Oh well, this is the last concert of the season for this group.
Maybe the accomodations will be improved next year.

Friday, April 17, 2009

FO: Dragonfly Socks


These were a really fast knit.

The pattern is Dragonfly Socks free from Cavyshops and the yarn is Premier Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight. This yarn is very soft but thinner than KP Essentials. I knit with #1 (2.25mm) DPNS in hopes the fabric would be substantial enough.

The socks came out very soft but quite thin. They feel wonderful but I don't know how well they will wear. I was going to keep these for myself but decided to send them to Mom instead.

Thanks for your comments on the last posting. The green yarn is heading to it's new home since the color is not at all me. I know the recipient will enjoy it more than I would have.

Our weekend is full as usual - I am driving up to Apple Leef Farm this morning to pick up the rods for the built-in lazy kate on the Scholar. It is almost an hour each way.....

I have a double for Symphony on Saturday then students and a Messiah Sunday. I am looking forward to the Messiah because a former student (who graduated from Eastman and is now working on his Masters at SMU) will be playing second. It should be fun.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend, my friends :-)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Yarn and stuff

After an exhausting but exhilarating week of Easter music, things are back to the norm - teaching, making reeds, practicing and knitting. I ordered one of the sock yarn samplers from KnitPicks (hah - like any of us really need more sock yarn!!!) and it arrived last week. The color palette is beach.

I like most of it... not a big fan of the green in the back but some sock recipient will be :)


I also stained the spinning stool my DH gave me for Xmas thinking if I get it finished I may actually use it.


Then I emailed Leef to see if she could help me get the missing rods for the lazy kate on my refurbished Scholar.




She has them at the farm now so I hope to take a ride up and get them this week. We (and Ashford) think they are the same ones that are on the current models of the Traveler and Joy. Cross your fingers that they will fit, please.


Someone had a Scholar for sale on Ravelry; she was asking $300 for it. Obviously she did not do her research because you can find them for around $150. No wonder there was no response.

There was some knitting on the Dragonflies this week :

I love it after the heel is turned and the gusset is decreased because we are in the home stretch now :-)

Enjoy your week my friends~

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Bluebonnets and Dragonflies

It is Bluebonnet season in North Texas. So on the way home from the University, I pulled over and took a few shots. We don't have the proliferation of some years, but they are still pretty. Or in Texan: purty.



Although the Sirdar Juicy Cardi is still waiting to be seamed, I did CO DragonFly Socks. I bought some inexpensive Serenity Sock Weight at Joanns. The color is "Chili" - the color of the skein in the front. It seems okay, similar to KP Essentials. No, it isn't Lornas Laces but I think it will be just fine.

We have been thankfully busy with Easter music though some of our colleagues are sitting at home. We do feel the economic crunch though so far not so bad. There has been a drop in my DH wedding work and neither of us have Maundy Thursday services this year. Hopefully we can continue to do what we do best - make beautiful music.

I hope your celebrations of Easter and Passover are joyous.