Knitter in the Kitchen

On each blogiversary, it is customary for me to reflect on the past year and consider what I hope to accomplish in the coming year. In 2008, I set a number of specific goals for knitting, spinning, and cooking/baking. I have re-written them in italics below, along with a mini-review of how I did.

Knitting:
1. Finish Chevron Scarf (in progress since October 2007)
Done - blogged about it here!
2. Finish Central Park Hoodie (in progress since August 2007)
Done — blogged about it here!
3. Finish Wicked Sweater (in progress since August 2007)
Nope. Frogged it and destashed the yarn. I just wasn’t feeling this one.
4. Knit Juno Regina (gift)
Nope. Never started on it, and destashed the yarn. I am seriously not a lace knitter.
5. Knit another Clapotis (gift)
Done! This one was for my friend Carolyn, and I made one for myself as well.
6. Knit at least one pair of socks (gift)
Yup! I knit two pairs for my sister. I also knit two pairs for myself.

Spinning:
Spin. At least a little. Once in awhile.
No, there was no spinning at all last year. In fact, right before Christmas I sold my Lendrum. I had to admit that I am not a spinner.

Cooking/Baking:
Try at least one new recipe per month.

I was quite successful with this goal! The only month I skipped was October, but in some months I experimented with several new recipes. I will admit that there were times when I only tried something new because I needed to meet my monthly goal, but I don’t think that was necessarily a bad thing. Here are all my posts about the new recipes I tried. My favorites (i.e., the ones I will totally make again and again) are definitely the enchiladas (November), the Pumpkin Bread (also November), and the Mexican Wedding Cookies (April).

January 2008
Sausage, Cheese, and Basil Lasagna
Coco-Nana Bread

February 2008
Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies

March 2008
(Chocolate) Cream Cheese Cookies
Rosemary Beef Skewers
Chicken Marsala

April 2008
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

May 2008
French Dip Sandwich

June 2008
Pork and Veggie Stir-Fry

July 2008
Creamy Lemon Squares

August 2008
Farfalle with Zucchini

September 2008
Sirloin Steaks with Mushroom Sauce

October 2008
none

November 2008
Artichoke Soup
Enchiladas
Rocky Road Brownies
Beef Stroganoff
Pumpkin Bread

December 2008
Baked Ziti with Spinach and Tomatoes
“Real” Oatmeal

What’s next for 2009? I’ve been mulling over this, and the only goal I want to carry over from last year is to continue trying at one new recipe each month. I really liked doing that last year and felt that I pushed myself a bit. Sadly, I don’t have specific goals for my knitting…I am just going with whatever I feel like knitting. Maybe the best goal for me right now is to continue enjoying it?

Recipe from the January/February 2009 issue of Everyday Food (found here).
Mods made for a doubled recipe
:: 2 lbs boneless pork chops instead of pork tenderloin
:: Several hours prior to cooking, seasoned the sliced pork with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
:: 20 oz can of pineapple chunks
:: doubled marinade ingredients
:: 2 fresh broccoli crowns instead of frozen broccoli florets
:: 2 large bell peppers were sufficient even for a doubled recipe
:: green parts of scallions only

While the sweet and sour sauce doesn’t taste like the ones served in restaurants, it is still quite good. I think it is a little off because I can taste a hint of the rice vinegar; Hubby thinks maybe adding sugar would have helped. The rice vinegar taste did go away completely the following day, though. Next time we will probably experiment with the sauce, but we were definitely pleased with this recipe because the flavor was good and it came together relatively quickly. We also liked having our meat and veggies all together in one dish. Yay, a winner!

This was recently gifted to me by Esther, who knit it out of her own handspun! I love the colors and it is a super cozy hat. Thank you so much for the wonderful gift, Esther!