Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Silly Tale of Three Mittens

I love to knit mittens and each pairs gets a bit better than the last. My mother admired the mittens that I made around Christmas time and so I decided that she would get the next pair. I thought she would want red and white gnome mittens, but after purusing all of the options on Raverly, she picked a lovely pattern, one I would not have even considered for her.

She opted for the Rainbow Mitts by DROPS. I carefully choose yarn that was warm, but easy to care for and durable. I picked a nice variegated yarn that had just a small touch of sparkle. I set about happily knitting a nice mitten. I was pleased to watch the design growth from my needle.My favorite part of the design is the three lines that run the entire side of the mitten and thumb.

I quickly finished the first mitten and cast on the next one. Once I was about 3/4 of the way through that mitten I went to try them both on to compare how the lines of colors between the mittens. That is when I realized that I had blindly followed the pattern and had knitted two right hand mittens. Silly me. I was a little amazed that I had been so automatic about it and had not even considered that I was simply making a second mitten exactly like the first. I thought about whether I should tear it apart and start a new left handed mitten. In the end I realized that I had enough yarn to make another mitten. The third mitten seemed to go a bit more slowly, but I am pleased with the result. They will look even nicer once I block them. My mother will be happy to have them for the next storm which happens to be rolling into town tomorrow evening.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight. It was pretty quick and very popular.

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce BBQ Shrimp
via: MyMansBelly.com

Serves: 2-4

¼ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
⅓ Cup Tangerine Juice
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons Palm Sugar
2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
1½ Teaspoons Tangerine Zest
1½ Pounds Raw Shrimp (head on or at least shell on)
2 Tangerines (sliced thin)
Lime Juice
Kosher Salt
Chopped Green Onions

Add first 7 ingredients to large pan and heat over medium high heat.
Heat, and stir, until the sugar has melted and it begins to boil.
Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes so that the liquid thickens a bit.
Add the shrimp to the hot pan.
Cook, and stir, until shrimp are pink and curled.
Continue to cook until liquid thickens up (about 2-3 more minutes).
Toss in 5 or 6 of the tangerine slices and stir them around so that their juices get added to the pan.
Give a good squirt of lime juice over top of the shrimp and stir to combine.
Taste the sauce add salt, if desired.
Garnish plate with remaining tangerine slices and chopped green onions.
Serve.

Notes: When you add the shrimp, you may think the pan looks a little dry. Don’t panic, the shrimp will add some of their liquid back into the pan. If you really don’t think it’s enough liquid, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan.

---------

Orange Julius Smoothie
via: Sweet Treats and More blog

1/2 cup low-fat or skim milk
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbs sugar or sugar substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 ice cubes
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (I cut a 12 oz can of frozen orange juice in half and save the other half for your next smoothie)
**add one egg white (optional-helps make it frothier!)
Instructions
Place everything in a blender and blend for several minutes until smooth and frothy.

No comments: