31 while 31 Update

I will not get some of these done, and I am okay with that.

The ones I finished since my last post?
13) Take Michael hiking-Middlesex Fells, see the picture below!  It was a beautiful day and he liked it and a mountain in New Hampshire is in our future.















24) Make cider donuts.

27) Go to 4 concerts.
We went to the Wallflowers a few weeks ago and brought back the 90s...  That made 4!
28) Make sourdough bread from scratch














31) Have a cocktail party...
We had a great group of friends over a few weeks ago and everything was hit.  Good food, good drinks and good friends.

The ones I will get done before October 20th....
4) Knit an entrelac project-will have to finish one I have started.
18) Make Madeleines...
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.

30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
2 down, one to go...

Ones I won't have completed:
6) Make lamb bacon
12) Take Michael camping
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
26) Blog every week.
29) Dye my own yarn
I am really only bummed about two of them-camping and dying yarn.  I will do both next year.  They will go on my list for that.

1) Race a trail 5k-Spring/summer/Fall-DONE2) Knit a colorwork project-DONE
3)Knit an adult sized sweater. Picked out Thermal for this project.-DONE
4) Knit an entrelac project-will have to finish one I have started.
5) Run a relay race-DONE, my team Reached the Beach! (Pic at bottom)
6) Make lamb bacon
7) Make pasta from scratch
8) Take a finishing class for knitting-DONE at the Common Cod's weekend of volunteer taught classes-thanks Alanna!
9)Take a crochet class-DONE, at Gather Here in Cambridge. I made a granny square mostly there and finished it later and then used my crochet skills to do a border on a hat!!!
10) Take a sewing class-DONE, also at Gather Here, where I made an awesome bag I have been using for a bunch of things!!!
11) Take an exercise class I would normally avoid-maybe not trapeze as Sarah suggester, but something similarly out of my comfort zone.-DONE, I went cross country skiing recently in Stowe, taking a beginner class and while I am a very proficient down hill skier, cross country skiing is very different and something I didn't do so well at. It was a good challenge and I will continue to try.
12) Take Michael camping
13) Take Michael hiking
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
15) Make a good soy milk based ice cream-DONE, we made dulce de leche soy ice cream for the latke party my dad and step mom had last weekend.
16) Run another half-marathon-already picked out the Run to Remember!-DONE, I also beat my previous time by 24 minutes this past Sunday! 
17) Make Pizza from scratch-dough and sauce. Cheese will have to buy-Done on September 3, 2012!
18) Make Madeleines...
19) Make buttercream from scratch-DONE, we made a bunch of cakes and cupcakes for a Girls on the Run event and our running club banquet, including buttercream in a number of colors and two flavors, vanilla and chocolate.
20) Raise money for Girls On The Run as a Solemate for the Run to Remember.-DONE, Michael and I raised over $2,000 for Girls on the Run.  You can still donate at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/randmrobertson/team-solemates-2012
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.
23) Knit something for charity.-DONE
24) Make cider donuts.
25) Visit a new city-this will be hard, I've been to most I want to go to. Thinking New Orleans.-DONE, technically done as I drove to Albany, NY for work a few weeks ago and dropped off a few things. Not exactly what I was thinking, but it is technically done.  Visited New Orleans in June!
26) Blog every week. I have completely abandoned it, and will try and do 52 before October 20th, so get ready for a plethora of posting.
27) Go to 4 concerts. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for us, which is sad. 1) Smashing Pumpkins; 2) Saw live Jazz in New Orleans; 3) Kelly Clarkson and the Fray and 4) seeing the Wallflowers soon!
28) Make sourdough bread from scratch
29) Dye my own yarn
30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
31) Have a cocktail party

Cross another one off the 31 while 31 list!

31 while 31 Update!

I made pizza from scratch last night!  Ok, I only made the dough and sauce, but that was what was on my list.  It was easy, if time consuming!  I used this recipe:  http://www.shutterbean.com/2011/knead-pizza-dough/ and it takes very little time of actual work to get it ready.  It does take 2 hours to rise but the actual working time should be about 5-10 minutes total and the crust came out great.

You start with the dry ingredients together and add the water to get the wet dough.

I had to add close to an additional 1/3 cup of water to get a good consistency on my dough.

Then you spread it all out on an oiled baking sheet and add the toppings and bake.  I made my own sauce so it took some additional time for that.

Here is the one with homemade roasted tomato sauce, from this recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Tomato-Sauce-352110, cheddar and capers:

Just a note on this sauce:  Michael made it with the plum tomatoes it calls for and it was amazing.  So amazing I hope we have time to make it every time we want tomato sauce.  However, the tomatoes have to roast for an hour so it takes some time.  I am thinking of making large batches and canning it.  This time I did not have plum tomatoes so I just used regular, but good quality, tomatoes and it was still delicious.  Roast the tomatoes for the full hour-it's worth it.

Here is the one with goat cheese spread, caramelized onions and aged balsamic drizzle:

Both pizzas were a success, though I only baked them for 15 minutes in the 500 degree oven-which was enough to get the crust crispy and brown on the outside and deliciously soft and chewy inside.  I will definitely use this recipe again soon for dough!

The total list:

1) Race a trail 5k-Spring/summer/Fall-DONE2) Knit a colorwork project-DONE
3)Knit an adult sized sweater. Picked out Thermal for this project.-DONE
4) Knit an entrelac project-will have to finish one I have started.
5) Run a relay race-DONE, my team Reached the Beach! (Pic at bottom)
6) Make lamb bacon
7) Make pasta from scratch
8) Take a finishing class for knitting-DONE at the Common Cod's weekend of volunteer taught classes-thanks Alanna!
9)Take a crochet class-DONE, at Gather Here in Cambridge. I made a granny square mostly there and finished it later and then used my crochet skills to do a border on a hat!!!
10) Take a sewing class-DONE, also at Gather Here, where I made an awesome bag I have been using for a bunch of things!!!
11) Take an exercise class I would normally avoid-maybe not trapeze as Sarah suggester, but something similarly out of my comfort zone.-DONE, I went cross country skiing recently in Stowe, taking a beginner class and while I am a very proficient down hill skier, cross country skiing is very different and something I didn't do so well at. It was a good challenge and I will continue to try.
12) Take Michael camping
3) Take Michael hiking
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
15) Make a good soy milk based ice cream-DONE, we made dulce de leche soy ice cream for the latke party my dad and step mom had last weekend.
16) Run another half-marathon-already picked out the Run to Remember!-DONE, I also beat my previous time by 24 minutes this past Sunday! 
17) Make Pizza from scratch-dough and sauce. Cheese will have to buy-Done on September 3, 2012!
18) Make Madeleines...
19) Make buttercream from scratch-DONE, we made a bunch of cakes and cupcakes for a Girls on the Run event and our running club banquet, including buttercream in a number of colors and two flavors, vanilla and chocolate.
20) Raise money for Girls On The Run as a Solemate for the Run to Remember.-DONE, Michael and I raised over $2,000 for Girls on the Run.  You can still donate at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/randmrobertson/team-solemates-2012
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.
23) Knit something for charity.-DONE
24) Make cider donuts.
25) Visit a new city-this will be hard, I've been to most I want to go to. Thinking New Orleans.-DONE, technically done as I drove to Albany, NY for work a few weeks ago and dropped off a few things. Not exactly what I was thinking, but it is technically done.  Visited New Orleans in June!
26) Blog every week. I have completely abandoned it, and will try and do 52 before October 20th, so get ready for a plethora of posting.
27) Go to 4 concerts. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for us, which is sad. 1) Smashing Pumpkins; 2) Saw live Jazz in New Orleans; 3) Kelly Clarkson and the Fray and 4) seeing the Wallflowers soon!
28) Make sourdough bread from scratch
29) Dye my own yarn
30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
31) Have a cocktail party

What is left and my plans for them:   

6) Make lamb bacon-I just have to figure out how to do this.
12) Take Michael camping-Maybe not doable
13) Take Michael hiking-Doable
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
18) Make Madeleines...check to see if I have the pan, if not, order
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.
24) Make cider donuts.
27) Go to 4 concerts. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for us, which is sad. 1) Smashing Pumpkins; 2) Saw live Jazz in New Orleans; 3) Kelly Clarkson and the Fray and 4) seeing the Wallflowers soon!
28) Make sourdough bread from scratch-order the starter from King Arthur Flour29) Dye my own yarn-I have a bunch of yarn to dye blue30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
31) Have a cocktail party-in a couple weekends, evite already sent and planning commenced with a good head start!

26 is blog every week-getting to 52 will likely not happen, oh well!
 
 
 

Homemade Pasta!!!

I crossed another thing off of my 31 while 31 list!  I made homemade pasta.

I used Mario Batali's recipe and for me, the ratios were a little off and I had to add some extra water in the form of moisture to get it to come together.  However, it was really sticky.  Next time I will maybe try Lidia Bastianich's recipe.

First I made a well in my flour on my wooden board.  Thanks Joe Bastiniach for that tip from watching Master Chef.

Then I put my eggs in the middle of the well.

Then I mixed in the flour on the sides into my eggs with a fork, keeping the well formed as long as I could.

 Then I kneaded the dough for 6 minutes!

It looked like this after all that kneading.  It was a lot like kneading the dough for challah, use your palms and keep turning it.

Then you wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest.  This allows the glutens to relax, I think, but don't quote me on that.

 Then I put little pieces into this tiny pasta machine.  The only shape I was familiar with that it makes?  Bucatini!

 After a good while of hand=cranking I ended up with this:

 I cooked it for five minutes(after the water returned to a boil after adding the pasta) in water well salted and oiled.

Here it is draining!

This was dinner last night!  Yum!

Thanks to Michael for stepping in on the sauce while I was busy cranking away!

I have some knitting to show you soon-it just needs to be blocked!

Heirlooms for Babies

Lately it has seemed like almost everyone a year ahead of us from law school who is married is having kids. 

I have been knitting a lot of baby stuff due to that situation.

The latest?  A baby blanket that came out wonderfully but was down to the wire, as usual with baby knits.

Presenting Heirloom:

Unblocked. with right side and wrong side showing.

Unblocked with right side showing:

 Blocked with right side showing.

I didn't get any better pictures because of the aforementioned down to the wire status.  It dried overnight before the shower the next day.

It was all worth it because it was very well received, people were very complimentary and recognized the work a hand knit gift requires.  Mom to be likes it and was glad to find out that it can be machine washed, but not dried.  The shower was a good one and very well planned.  I was impressed with the hostess and the coordination and planning of everything that went into it.

I would definitely use the Madeline Tosh Sport yarn I used for this again for another project.  It has great stitch definition and comes in a variety of great colors.  It isn't cheap but has a fair bit of yardage per skein.  I'm glad I have a bit of a break right now from baby items however.  Next thing I show you will probably be crochet!!  I've been taking classes at Gather Here in Cambridge to pick up some basic crochet and sewing skills.  They have all taught me something new. 

Happy knitting and crocheting!

Trail Race

One more thing down on the 31 while 31 list!

This was a tough race and I fell during it but it was fun and there was great beer after.  I was working hard up this hill and you can see the sweat to prove it.

1) Race a trail 5k-Spring/summer/Fall-DONE
2) Knit a colorwork project-DONE
3)Knit an adult sized sweater. Picked out Thermal for this project.-DONE (Pic at bottom)
4) Knit an entrelac project-will have to finish one I have started.
5) Run a relay race-DONE, my team Reached the Beach! (Pic at bottom)
6) Make lamb bacon
7) Make pasta from scratch
8) Take a finishing class for knitting-DONE at the Common Cod's weekend of volunteer taught classes-thanks Alanna!
9)Take a crochet class-DONE, at Gather Here in Cambridge. I made a granny square mostly there and finished it later and then used my crochet skills to do a border on a hat!!!
10) Take a sewing class-DONE, also at Gather Here, where I made an awesome bag I have been using for a bunch of things!!!
11) Take an exercise class I would normally avoid-maybe not trapeze as Sarah suggester, but something similarly out of my comfort zone.-DONE, I went cross country skiing recently in Stowe, taking a beginner class and while I am a very proficient down hill skier, cross country skiing is very different and something I didn't do so well at. It was a good challenge and I will continue to try.
12) Take Michael camping
3) Take Michael hiking
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
15) Make a good soy milk based ice cream-DONE, we made dulce de leche soy ice cream for the latke party my dad and step mom had last weekend.
16) Run another half-marathon-already picked out the Run to Remember!-DONE, I also beat my previous time by 24 minutes this past Sunday!17) Make Pizza from scratch-dough and sauce. Cheese will have to buy18) Make Madeleines...
19) Make buttercream from scratch-DONE, we made a bunch of cakes and cupcakes for a Girls on the Run event and our running club banquet, including buttercream in a number of colors and two flavors, vanilla and chocolate.
20) Raise money for Girls On The Run as a Solemate for the Run to Remember.-DONE, Michael and I raised over $2,000 for Girls on the Run.  You can still donate at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/randmrobertson/team-solemates-2012
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.
23) Knit something for charity.-DONE
24) Make cider donuts.
25) Visit a new city-this will be hard, I've been to most I want to go to. Thinking New Orleans.-DONE, technically done as I drove to Albany, NY for work a few weeks ago and dropped off a few things. Not exactly what I was thinking, but it is technically done.
26) Blog every week. I have completely abandoned it, and will try and do 52 before October 20th, so get ready for a plethora of posting.
27) Go to 4 concerts. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for us, which is sad. 1) Smashing Pumpkins, I have the second picked out for New Orleans this weekend and one scheduled for later this summer. 28) Make sourdough bread from scratch
29) Dye my own yarn
30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
31) Have a cocktail party

31 while 31 Update

1) Race a trail 5k-Spring/summer/Fall
2) Knit a colorwork project-DONE
3)Knit an adult sized sweater. Picked out Thermal for this project.-DONE (Pic at bottom)
4) Knit an entrelac project-will have to finish one I have started.
5) Run a relay race-DONE, my team Reached the Beach! (Pic at bottom)
6) Make lamb bacon
7) Make pasta from scratch
8) Take a finishing class for knitting-DONE at the Common Cod's weekend of volunteer taught classes-thanks Alanna!
9)Take a crochet class-DONE, at Gather Here in Cambridge. I made a granny square mostly there and finished it later and then used my crochet skills to do a border on a hat!!!
10) Take a sewing class-DONE, also at Gather Here, where I made an awesome bag I have been using for a bunch of things!!!
11) Take an exercise class I would normally avoid-maybe not trapeze as Sarah suggester, but something similarly out of my comfort zone.-DONE, I went cross country skiing recently in Stowe, taking a beginner class and while I am a very proficient down hill skier, cross country skiing is very different and something I didn't do so well at. It was a good challenge and I will continue to try.
12) Take Michael camping
3) Take Michael hiking
14) Host/Organize a contest involving pie, maybe eating, maybe making?
15) Make a good soy milk based ice cream-DONE, we made dulce de leche soy ice cream for the latke party my dad and step mom had last weekend.
16) Run another half-marathon-already picked out the Run to Remember!-DONE, I also beat my previous time by 24 minutes this past Sunday!17) Make Pizza from scratch-dough and sauce. Cheese will have to buy18) Make Madeleines...
19) Make buttercream from scratch-DONE, we made a bunch of cakes and cupcakes for a Girls on the Run event and our running club banquet, including buttercream in a number of colors and two flavors, vanilla and chocolate.
20) Raise money for Girls On The Run as a Solemate for the Run to Remember.-DONE, Michael and I raised over $2,000 for Girls on the Run.  You can still donate at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/randmrobertson/team-solemates-2012
21) Learn three guitar chords-I can't promise I will remember them at the end of the year.
22) Learn rudimentary phrases in Spanish.
23) Knit something for charity.-DONE
24) Make cider donuts.
25) Visit a new city-this will be hard, I've been to most I want to go to. Thinking New Orleans.-DONE, technically done as I drove to Albany, NY for work a few weeks ago and dropped off a few things. Not exactly what I was thinking, but it is technically done.
26) Blog every week. I have completely abandoned it, and will try and do 52 before October 20th, so get ready for a plethora of posting.
27) Go to 4 concerts. This may not seem like a lot, but it is for us, which is sad. 1) Smashing Pumpkins, I have the second picked out for New Orleans this weekend and one scheduled for later this summer. 28) Make sourdough bread from scratch
29) Dye my own yarn
30) Watch three foreign language films that are not a romance language
31) Have a cocktail party

Well, I have 5 more things crossed off and I really just need to do the cooking ones, those are my next ones to do, then the learning ones, then the cocktail party one in September.  

Here are those pictures I promised.

  

Happy Knitting, Running, and whatever else you are doing!

Good Knit-Wear Recipieints

They are not lacking in my family, though there has been a lost hat incident and a lost scarf incident which I don't hold against the two people and have knit to replace them.

My brother's girlfriend is a wonderful knit wear recipient who sends extremely grateful thanks and appreciative statements and sends pictures of her wearing what she has received. That is sure-fire get on the knit list for good behavior.

Here's said photo.

I have some FO's to show you, maybe a parade is in order next week?

In other news I have been running a lot and will continue to do so in preparation for an upcoming relay across Massachusetts where I will run 15-20 miles in 24 hours in three legs and a half marathon and the BAA Distance Medley, which consists of a 5K, a 10K, and a half marathon over 6 months.