Knitter in the Kitchen

Yarn: Yarntini Self-Striping Sock yarn, 1 skein
Pattern: My generic 56 stitch top-down sock with 30-row slip stitch heel
Needles: US #1 + #2 / 32 inch circular

I go through phases with my cooking and baking. Sometimes I’m enthusiastic about trying new recipes, and other times I’m content to stick with the tried and true favorites. Lately, I’ve been in an experimental mood and actually made two new dishes in one day (which has got to be a record for me). One was a Tuna Noodle Casserole from the January/February 2010 issue of Cooking Light.

I had never eaten tuna casserole before, and was hoping this might be a simple, hearty meal. I incorporated a few mods as suggested in the recipe reviews, and they worked well, but unfortunately this is not repeatable dish. Hubby and I learned that we don’t like tuna casserole — it’s just too heavy.

I also made the Chipotle Bean Burritos from the same issue of Cooking Light, and these turned out quite well!

We used pico de gallo instead of salsa, bagged lettuce instead of the chopped tomatoes and lettuce, and cilantro instead of green onions. The cilantro made a huge difference - it really brightened up the flavors! This recipe is definitely a keeper. On a side note, the magazine recommended organic beans because they are lower in sodium. I did a quick comparison at the supermarket, and was surprised to find that it was indeed true.

Over the holidays, I was in the mood to knit a pair of mittens. I had purchased a Chevron Love Mitten Kit and was super excited about working on them! However, after ripping and re-starting a mitten four times, I gave up. As much as I love colorwork, it just isn’t my strength because of my weak Continental knitting. It messes up my gauge and looks sloppy, so I need to commit time to improving my skills before I try colorwork again. I ended up giving away the kit. I was disappointed, because I really like the mittens.

I searched on Ravelry for other mitten patterns, and came across the Very Cabley Mittens. They appeared simple, and I had enough leftover yarn from the Evangeline mitts. So I cast on and finished them about a week later.

Pattern: Very Cabley Mittens (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Grey Tabby, less than 1 skein
Needles: US #5 for cuff, US #6 for body
Mods: I went down a needle size for the cuff based on project notes I found on Rav. I did not check gauge, but I know I knit tightly. Normally, I have to go up one needle size to reach gauge. However, since I have small hands I stuck with the #6s suggested in the pattern. It worked out fine for me.

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but I have yet to find the perfect cookie recipe that incorporates both ingredients. Awhile back I tried the one from Smitten Kitchen (found here), but sadly they didn’t work out for me. They came out extremely flat and were way too sweet for my taste.

A couple of weeks ago, I baked a batch of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies using an Everyday Food recipe. I thought they turned out pretty decent. I used 8 oz of chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups) because that was all I had on hand. I also used a mixture of reduced fat creamy and reduced fat super chunky peanut butter. The peanut butter flavor came out quite good — I could taste it, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The only thing I didn’t like? The cookies became very hard and crispy after they cooled. I prefer a much softer cookie, so I ended up microwaving my cookies before I ate them.

I’m planning to try this recipe again, with the following mods in the hopes that I will achieve the texture I am striving for:
(1) use a cookie scoop to get more of a “mound” shape
(2) mix full fat with reduced fat peanut butter
(3) reduce baking time from 14 minutes to 13 minutes

Do any of you have suggestions that might work or a favorite PB chocolate chip recipe to share?