Strawberries!

            This is my first pick of strawberries this year! This morning I picked a handful and in a day or two a good bunch more should be vine ripened and ready to pick. Vine strawberries are really easy to take care of.  About three years ago I planted a bout eight little plants and they have continued to spread and branch out into the surrounding soil. With a little weeding and watering I have managed to make a decent sized strawberry patch. A little netting is also necessary with all the birds and squirrels that come through. It generally keeps them out so I don’t neeed to result on chemical based repellents.

While my strawberries are ripening, we’ve also planted tomatoes and cucumbers, as we do every year. I can hardly wait until we can make tomato and cucumber salad again. Until then, my beautiful strawberries are going to be quite a treat.  I won’t list all the ways you can use strawberries… not today at least. But the best way to enjoy these sweet little guys is on their own or on top of vanilla ice cream!

The Knitting Club Project

The students in the “Knitting Cafe” Club have finally begun to knit rows. Suprisingly, they are dropping a lot less stitches than I was in the beginning. They’ve managed to cast on and start to knit. Their first practice piece is just a simple dish cloth. They have casted on 3o stitched and are continuing to work the yarn. I anticipate that they will have completed their dish clothes by the end of the next class or so.  They can easily see significant progress by the end of each class with this project. That is a huge motivator.

The class project once our practice swatches are completed will be to make headbands. Again, keeping it simple, it will basically be a long rectangle that is stitched together to close it off.  Casting on 7 stitches and knitting until the band is 3/4 of their head width (measuring around from the nape of the neck to the forehead). One stitch at a time.

Paper and Pencil

As much as I love knitting and crafting, this blog is only a glimmer into my love of writing. As much as I love writing this blog, I adore the feel of putting pen to paper. I think this long weekend will the perfect time to slow it down and find a quiet spot to write. I like to write as people pass, jot notes, almost creating a sketch of the world around me in words. It really helps with my writer’s block. A problem which seems to be a disease upon my fiction pieces these days. I can never seem to anticipate what I will be able to accomplish. Often times I surprise myself when I just let myself write.

I’m not a painter of dreams or imaginings… but of what I perceive my reality to be. I write the world as I see it and never as it is, I see the world and live it through my eyes alone. It is the finger print of my soul that lingers between the words of my work which weave it together.

Summer means BBQ!

Summertime at my house simply means it is finally barbeque season! Though we are traditionally charcoal fans, we have picked up a gas barbeque. The flavour of charcoal just can’t be beat, but the convenience of gas is nice. I have no patience for lighting the grill. That was always my dad’s job. But with this gas grill sitting just outside my door, I was tempted to be the boss of the grill this week. 🙂

Charcoal is typically saved for the weekends, when my dad goes all out makin’ ribs and chicken and anything else he finds at the butchers. But on week day evenings when everyone has had a long day, a light barbeque is something of a treat.

I picked up a gorgeous cut of salmon and worked my dinner out from there. I took advantage of some great asparagus and zucchini,  and oranges. It was really quite simple, but delicious!

I prepped my veggies first. I trimmed and blanched my asparagus for 2 minutes. Took them out and shocked ’em with ice water. I only wanted them to start to cook.

The Zucchini was going straight onto the grill, so I sliced it long ways so I’d have easy to flip wide and thin pieces and brushed ’em with olive oil.

The salmon was too beautiful to play with, so I gave it a light bath in olive oil, salt, and pepper. I chopped about 3 sprigs of parsley and 2 cloves of garlic and rubbed it onto the fish, making slits and tucking some of the herbs into the shallow pockets. I halved about 6 cherry tomatoes and topped the fish. Then I put the fish in a foil tent, folding the sides up, but leaving the packet opened.

Everything is prepped, time to grill!

Preheat that grill! I set my grill to medium heat to cook my zucchini, about 1-2 minutes per side until cooked through. Have a bowl with a little olive oil and 4 whole peeled garlic cloves at the bottom to put the grilled zucchini in. (My Nonna also puts a splash of red wine vinegar)

On high heat, grill the par-cooked asparagus until charred and heated through. Toss the asparagus lightly with butter, a little salt and pepper.

Finally the salmon. On medium/ low heat, place the tented fish on the grill and close the lid! Do not play or poke that fish. The grill is an oven! Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes. Just until no longer pink.

And Serve! You can serve with a fresh crusty Italian bread and lemon wedges for the fish.

Chocolate Orange

Try this desert! Take a large orange and slice off the top and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Add a teaspoon of butter to the bottom, chopped dark chocolate, a splash of vanilla (or instead of vanilla, for the grown ups, try orange liquor) and another pat of butter to top it off. Place it on the grill’s warming rack, or in a place with indirect heat and warm it just until the chocolate is melted and give it a gentle stir to combine. Serve with fruits for dipping or drizzle this thick sauce on your favourite ice cream! That’s how I finish off my barbeques. 😉

Starting a New Row

It turns out that knitting is like riding a bicycle. I have not picked up a pair of needles in a long time, but the opportunity presented itself this spring and I am back in the flow of things.

School has been a full-time occupation this past year. Life moves far to swiftly and I have completed my 4th year of university. On top of my undergraduate courses, I am enrolled in the concurrent education program and had my first school placement this year. It has been one of the best challenges I have had! I adore teaching despite or perhaps because of the challenges presented in the course of the year. I can only imagine those challenges will only continue to be magnified as I delve further into the pursuits of this career path. I can hardly wait. I so love working in the classroom.

In the meantime I am enjoying every tidbit of experience gained. Through my placement and the incredible support of my mentor teacher and other staff, we were able to start a knitting club at the elementary school. It was a first for everyone involved and quite exciting.

There was an incredible amount of research and preparation to get the club off the ground. But let me tell you, it was well worth it, with over 90 junior students signing up for the “Knitting Cafe.” 🙂

Planning the Club

I will skim over the administrative channels needed (approval of the principal, etc). We advertised the club with posters and sent a note home to parents. We established a club admission of $10 to cover the cost of a pair of needles and 2 skeins of yarn for each student.

For beginners, 6.5mm  short length needles, a worsted weight (medium 4) yarn in bright and solid colours are best, so stitches can be more easily seen.  Some of the resources we used and a sample pair of needles are linked.

With the initial intention of working in small groups our plans changed drastically with such an enthusiastic response. We divided the group into 2 large clubs of 40-50 students and now meet twice a week (once per group).

We used an instructional video from YouTube and demonstrated the techniques in class. Essential to this sort of program with complete beginners it to have a lot of volunteers. This is where additional teachers and senior students who could knit became a great asset.

It took us about two classes to teach the students to cast on properly. Finally we began a practice swatch and are ultimately aiming for students to make a simple scarf.

 

Packing…

I’m getting ready for our Youth Group’s retreat in Steubenville and I can hardly wait. Tomorrow night we’ll be headed out. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for several months. We have been planning for this trip and making necessary material and spiritual preparations.

Tonight, I am preoccupied with the physical needs for the trip. Packing is always been a daunting task for me. There is still plenty to do… and that constant worry of forgetting something. Making a list and checking things off has helped, but despite my shopping trips there are a few last-minute things that need to be picked up.

I hope to have lots to share after I come back. I think the coming together of so many young Catholics is a remarkable opportunity. Keeping that in mind, I will definitely need to set aside some serious prayer time tonight so I can calm down and focus on this spiritual adventure. I’ve already decided that I will go with an open mind and heart. I do not expect to be radically transformed or changed. I just simply hope to be able to embrace whatever the Lord has in store for me. A good attitude I think, not only for this trip but for all life.

So, please pray for all the youth going on this retreat in Ohio and for all people on their spiritual retreats and adventures, that they embrace whole heartedly the Holy Spirit and what God has in store for them. AMEN!

Canada Day Weekend Fun

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Canada weekend at home was actually pretty great. We celebrated the day with BBQ and beautiful sunny weather. On top of that we made a special treat, funnel cakes! Yum! We made ’em from scratch, but I cheated, I used a squeeze bottle instead of a funnel. 😮 But they sure turned out great. We topped them off with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream and fresh blueberries! And for the grownups, we even had a brandied cherry topping. Talk about mouth-watering!

So here’s our recipe:

1, 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of sugar
—
one egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp of vanilla extract

1) in a large bowl, combine dry ingredients
2) add the wet to dry ingredients and beat to a smooth batter.
3) fill a skillet with 1″ of vegetable oil and heat to 375F (approximately medium heat on stove)
4) fill a squeeze bottle with batter and quickly make several rings to make funnel cake. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes a side, or until golden brown.
ENJOY!

Summer Berry Cake

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June is a busy month for my family. From my dad’s birthday and father’s day rolled into one this year, to the end of school and start of summer planning, there has hardly been time to breathe. Not to mention my other commitments to the church and youth group as well as preparations for the upcoming retreat in Ohio in July.

In the midst of all my ‘busy-ness’ I managed to whip up two beautiful cakes and a fabulous father’s day breakfast.

Father’s day breakfast was decadent. We had crepes with vanilla bean ice cream and fresh summer berries. The strawberries, right from my own yard! Make crepes with any basic recipe and add a splash of vanilla for extra flavour. Then if you have any little ones they can stuff and decorate them. It’s a perfect way to have the kids do a hands on breakfast for dad. Just top it with whipped cream and chocolate sauce!

Dad’s birthday cake just consisted of a rich chocolate cake iced with homemade butter cream. The best tip for the cake and cream is to have everything at room temperature. Bake the cake in the morning and let it cool. Or even better, bake it the night before, allow it to firm up so that it doesn’t crumble when you frost it. And don’t forget to do a crumb coat, especially if your cake is carved!

And my favourite cake this June, has to be my parent’s anniversary cake! It’s my parents’ favourite as well. It is just a vanilla sponge covered in whipped cream and berries. I made a heart shape by baking a 8″ square and a 8″ circle. I cut the circle cake in half and lined it up with two adjacent edges of the square, making a heart shape. The cake is as light as air and not too sweet. Really refreshing for summer.

Krafting for Kids

Crochet and knitting are great for keeping little fingers busy. I found knitting and crochet a big hit with kids, along with needle point and other yarn crafts. It isn’t about perfect stitches and detailed work, but simple and beautiful looking projects that they can be proud of.

The best way to get kids to knit is to make it a part of their natural environment. Don’t ask them to try… you might frighten the timid creatures off! Don’t spook ’em.  I find that picking up needle yourself and letting them wander closer and closer to watch is really the trick to it. Leave yarn and hooks around for them to pick up and try out… and soon enough you hear… “can you show me…” “can you teach me…” Yes! I call this the “naturally bred knitter ” sort of child. I was one, my aunt was one and my sister is kind of one too.

The very best tip for a starting project is to use bulky weight yarns (5 or 6) and large hooks. Make a super quick scarf or even blanket. Lighter weight yarn and smaller needles (worsted weight 3 or 4) and a 5mm crochet hook  is sometime easier to hold and learn stitches with. Just choose a simple fiber, fluffy and sparkly yarns make stitches difficult to see.

Again, pick a quick project. It can be a pot holder or scarf. If crochet in rounds isn’t a problem, hats and hacky-sacks are so much fun to make! For all these projects and more tips on yarn fibers and weights as well as how to crochet, one of my absolute favourite books is Kids Crochet, by Kelli Ronchi.
Kids Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages (See all Crafts for Children Books)

My absolute favourite beginner project was the hacky sack and hat. The doll and teddy bear projects are great too. It is really about having fun making something and enjoying the end product itself. It is important that a book have clear instructions and good illustrations. It makes everything easier!

Cupcakes!!!!

My youth group has given me an excuse to bake cupcakes today! I love making cupcakes and I think they are pretty easy to make but they can be fickle! When they bake, you don’t want them to crack so it is important to take care of your ingredients! Especially because as much as you want them too taste good, they need to be visually appealing!

So how do you stop your cupcakes from cracking and puffing?

Take accurate measurements of all the ingredients. We aren’t cooking… baking is a science.

My second and final tip to stop mountain top cupcakes is to use room temperature ingredients. Ice cold water/ milk and eggs will just create additional steam action in the oven and crack you little cakes. 😦

As for decorating, well today I took the short cut and used canned frosting. But homemade buttercream is definitely the way to go. And then you can get creative, that’s always my favourite part. Practice with a piping bag. It’s good practice. And if you’re not happy with the results (like I often was in my first attempts), you can always smooth it over and add some assortment of sprinkles or candy. 😉

Either way, it’s a pretty sweet treat. 😀