For a spicy 3-day weekend....

May I suggest black beans? We came across this recipe in a diet book we have been using and are now addicts.
Here is my version of it:
Smoked Black Bean Dip
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup of chives
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups fresh cooked black beans(recipe to follow)
1/3 cup water
the juice of one whole lime
1 whole chipoltle chile pepper in adobo sauce(with a few spoonfuls of the sauce added if you want an extra kick)
1/4 Teaspoon of kosher salt

• Throw all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If intended as a spread use less water.
• Enjoy on chicken or fish tacos with crunch cabbage or tortilla chips

I was taught the Brazilian way to make black beans years ago by watching someone else do it. I never had a recipe but have always been pleased with how they come out.

Black Beans
1 bag of black beans
a lot of water
a head of garlic
kosher salt to taste

• Soak black beans overnight in pot
• Add water until it reaches 1/2 and inch above beans and bring to a boil.
  
• Turn to simmer and keep adding water as it depletes for 1 hour
  
• Peel and crush garlic into beans
• Once beans are easily crushed add salt and serve

In which I finish something...almost.

This little lady has been a work in progress since October. She has been a labor of love. At first she was to be a Christmas gift for one of my girls but they saw her eyes and decided she was "weird" so that being out she is destined for the shop. Im not sure about her hair and Im planning to sew a dress or two as well but she is much closer to being done after some deck knitting today.

Hopefully she will be done....soonish?

In which I come up with yet another new project

Someone grew so another inch was needed to be added to a sweater from Christmas


I got a bit creative with the new cuff


Knitting those few rows got me thinking about this.....


An over the head cardigan design? Possibly......

My bestest heels

I LOVE these babies. Seriously. Not only are they totally my style but the comfort is unbelievable. Perfect Mommy heels. I love them so.
If you wish to get your very own you can here.
Now if only Berne Mev would come out with a new line of them that are just slightly different so I could alternate a bit.

A Moebius for Mom.

For Mother's Day I knit an Elizabeth Zimmerman Moebius for my Mom. This is my first completed EZ project and I am smitten. The patter is absolute genius! Knitting the applied I-cord is just amazing. I can't wait to knit more "EZ" patterns.

Pattern: Knitted Moebius from the book Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in purple

1.5 skeins = 216.0 yards (197.5m)
Needles: size 10 straight needles
Time took to knit: about 4 days

In my room........

I finally found a place to put the throw I knit ages ago with the fancy yarn my Mom gave me for Christmas. The poor throw looked great at the end of our bed but would inevitably end up balled on the floor withing hours of it being placed there.


There is something comfortable about the big basic rows of garter stitch. Not sure what or why but thats how it makes me feel.


Now Im daydreaming about knitting the screen door from Alterknits in cotton yarn so I can watch it blow in the breeze.