Looking back at my own PS projects, it seems that my photography played the largest role.  My favorite subjects to photograph are definitely natural objects, as that is where I find my biggest inspiration.

If you click on the mosaic, it will take you to my Flickr page where you can view each photograph individually.  Each row here represents one of the directions/color schemes – green, yellow/white, red/orange, blues.

Looking back at my photos from PS, I just love the memories of where I was and how things were at the time the photo was taken.  The first snow photo was a late snowstorm for my state, in March, and Kris and I got right out on the trails to photograph the beautiful scapes near our home.  The next one with the evergreen trees was taken on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington when we visited in March.  Others are various excursions near and far – some in my backyard (my garden!) and others a bit further afield).

My craft projects for this round of Project Spectrum were not quite as prolific as years past since I am working on some heavy-duty knitting projects right now (sweaters everywhere!) but I still hope to share a few as I finish them.  The inspiration came from PS, so even if they are finished afterward, they will be Project Spectrum knits to me!

I have not given much thought to the next PS, other than the fact that I would like to start it in a different time of year.  Right now I am thinking that summer would be fun to start PS – something different.  Just initial thoughts.  I am just going to be content and let the inspiration come to me.  I hope you enjoyed this past round of PS as much as I did!

Here’s some of the recent recipes from my kitchen:

Fig-Smushed Anise Almond Cookies

1/4 c soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/4 c demerara sugar (or turbinado)
2/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t anise extract
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
12 dried figs (stems removed and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place ground flaxseed and milk in a bowl and blend until frothy.

Add the sugar and oil to the mixing bowl and beat until emulsified.  Mix in the vanilla and anise extract.

Add about 1 cup of the flour along with the baking powder and salt.  Mix well, Add the remaining flour.  Fold in chopped almonds.  Use a wooden spoon or your hands, as the mixture will be harder to blend.

Roll the dough into golf ball-sized balls, then flatten them on the cookie sheet to about 2-inch diameter.  Smush the fig gently by firmly into the center, cut side down.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  The fig should be soft and the cookies should be golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven and let sit on the sheets for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to cooking rack to cool completely.

Adapted from the amazing Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook~

I used Sucanat in place of demerara sugar, and it was perfect.  I also quartered the figs, as half of the fig seemed too big for the cookie. The anise was so aromatic – like cloves and licorice – and also quite photogenic, aren’t they?

…and they pair so perfectly with…

Homemade Apple Cider

6 cups fresh apple cider
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (more or less, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
6 strips orange peel
6 strips lemon peel

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving, if you like.

Adapted from this online recipe – with some changes.  I used my juicer to make the apple juice directly from the apples, instead of using store bought apple cider.

My dad was in West Virginia for work conference and stopped by an orchard on the way home. He called and asked if I wanted any, and I said sure, and just picked two bushels out of the air. Of course, that was without realizing how many TWO bushels actually is – 4 large brown paper bags filled to the brim – between 150-200 apples, I estimate. So, I had to get creative! The apple cider was just one of the recipes I am trying…

…also pulled down the dehydrator for apple rings - just core and peel,  dip the slices in some lemon juice and cinnamon, and set them out to dry over night.  Great for granola, trail mix, and oatmeal fixings!

Last but not least, I made this delicious apple butter – already preserved and canned for enjoyment later on! I was inspired by the recipe in this great book, Preserving the Harvest.   I used my crockpot – and it made the house smell so good   I am planning to try a few other recipes from the book with the remaining bushel.

Project Spectrum’s last theme is about the west – big blue skies, vast expanses of blue water, the shift towards autumn weather in the northern hemisphere – and one of my favorite ways to exercise my PS creativity continues to be through my camera lens…

The leaves are changing and the oranges, reds, and yellows look particularly striking with such a brilliant blue backdrop, don’t they?

As in the first theme this year, I was trying to capture my WEST:  where I am in space and time at the moment and snapping photos looking westward.  It is an interesting way to orient yourself and to just notice the small subtleties and beauties around us.  Try it!

Stopped at the traffic light – heading west – and in awe of the sky overhead.

Passenger seat photography – heading west in the car and snapping in TV mode.

(For comparison, check out how this looks in AV mode – the magic of the camera!)

Only a few more weeks in this round of Project Spectrum – this year has flown right by!  It isn’t too late to play around with the last theme, so feel free to join us!

~~

So, it seems that all I have to do to get a few hundred comments is put up a contest post   You know, you can comment without a contest too!  Thanks for all the Socktoberfest updates – it seems like we have quite an exciting month ahead, and I look forward to keeping up with you all through your blogs, the Ravelry group, and the Flickr photo page.  Show off those socks!

…and the winner of the lovely blue/green ShiBui sock yarn is…

Hannah of 8Ball Knits!

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/10/04/blue-skies-ahead/feed 21 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/09/08/taking-pause http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/09/08/taking-pause#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:23:54 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=2253 It’s those pauses in between when “life” happens… the pause between this activity and that one. The pause between the inhale and the exhale. The pause between placing one foot down and picking up the other.

Taking the pauses as they come – realizing them for the true gifts that they are. Not rushing to end the pause. It is in these pauses when calmness and clarity come. In a world where “multitasking” is revered, and countless hours are spent doing too many things at once, it is all the more meaningful to take the time to really explore the stillness.

Even the most menial tasks can be enjoyed when you simply think about what you are doing at the present moment. One of my favorite tasks for “living in the moment” is washing the dishes. The simple act of turning on the faucet, wetting my hands and a cloth, preparing the soap. I think about the science of it and I think about the art of it. I think about how I am grateful for indoor plumbing and for even having a pot to wash. With these thoughts in mind, you can wash a dozen dishes and also invite the stillness into your mind. It’s a lovely exercise – try it!

Mindfulness is so simple, yet so few people in our society do it. I am doing some research right now on mindfulness in yoga practice for my final project for Teacher Training. I hope to have more to share soon – my mindfulness project goes beyond the physical practice of yoga, and into every day life yoga – on and off the mat. My research paper is due next month, so you will probably hear more about it

Walking and hiking is definitely one of the most enjoyable activities, and a very good way to introduce a mindfulness practice into your life.  I especially like to take the hikes during the little pauses in between seasons – those sort of subtle days when there is a fuzzy line between the two… This weekend provided such an opportunity to explore a new trail in one of our favorite areas.  We took the dogs, and we took our time.

Project Spectrum has been a practice of mindfulness from the very beginning – just noticing the things around you.  Even if you feel that you don’t have the time to actually “craft” something in the specific colors this time around, you can still participate in the way of thinking about it.  Thinking about the ripples on the water, thinking about the blue of the sky, thinking about the shifting seasons…  and finally, taking the pause and just relishing in it.

Our yard and our climate seem particularly suited for tomatoes and peppers, and we have had continued success with these plants over the years.  Squash seems to do well for awhile before being attacked by the beetles, and we also have had a decent crop of okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and lots of herbs.  Fortunately, we escaped the tomato blight that caused so much damage… funny thing is that it affected some of our neighbors down the street, but our tomatoes are healthy and abundant (so far).  We plant a number of varieties of tomatoes with pretty much one thing in mind:  making Kris’s amazing salsa recipe.  This year, we had two varieties of heirloom tomatoes, as well as several crops of romas to rely on for the first batch of the salsa.

We spent last weekend in the kitchen, canning three batches of veggies:  the aforementioned salsa, spicy dill pickles (and regular ones too), and some pickled peppers (Habaneros and jalapenos).  As you can see, we like the spicy foods and use these canned goods throughout the winter for all sorts of our favorite recipes like jambalaya, curries, various soups, black bean burgers, etc.  No wasting the veggies here!

Three Christmases ago, I saw an ad in some magazine at the doctor’s office about “Great Gifts for the Man in Your Life” (Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living, I think…)  The #1 gift intrigued me, and I thought that it would be something interesting and unique for the man in my life who likes to spend (nearly) the same amount of time in the kitchen that I do… so, I bought Kris the Cameron Cookware Stainless Steel Stovetop Smoker.  Little did I know, at the time, that this would be one of the best purchases for our culinary exploits!  I also picked up the indoor smoker cookbook, Smokin’, which has a total of TWO vegetable recipes, but it does have a lot of good ideas… The smoker is traditionally thought of for meats, but we have enjoyed so many smoked vegetables over the years. Who said vegans can’t be smokin’ too?

All that to say, that the smoker is an integral part of the salsa preparation.

All varieties of tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden – loaded into the smoker with hickory wood chips.  It takes about twenty or thirty minutes to get the right flavor.  This step is SO worth it.

For years, we used store-bought chipotles, but once we got the smoker, we made our own!

… Cilantro + Onions + Garlic + mix of spices and vinegar …

I would share a recipe if I had one, but this is all living in Kris’s head.  He has perfected this over the years. We do a whole little taste test each year and discuss whether it needs more or less of certain ingredients.  Perhaps I can get him to write it out one day soon.  This year’s batch seems to be one of the best so far – the tomatoes were not too watery and they had a delicious flavor.

Long winter with summery fresh food!

5 pints of salsa
4 pints pickled peppers
3 qt dill pickles

It was quite a productive and rewarding day.  …and there are already more tomatoes ripening on the vine.  A second batch (maybe even a third) is quite possible.

With fall right around the corner, I am already thinking about more harvesting and more preserves… apple butter?  some more peach jam?  … gosh, I love this season…

And a new theme for Project Spectrum!

Looking WEST
Color: Blue
Material: Glass
Season: Autumn
Element: Water

This theme is really interesting to me – very unconventional, I think it is the West/Blue/Autumn mix. I am hoping that this is a theme that will bring a new wave of creativity to those of you participating in Project Spectrum Cardinal Directions (oh my, it is the last direction! how does it always sneak up on me like that?) and you will welcome the challenge.

My interest in this theme piqued a few weeks ago, as I started working on my mother’s Sienna.  That lovely shade of periwinkle blue really got me excited about the possibilities with this new theme.

… Luckily, one of my other big unfinished projects fits in pretty well with this theme too …

Navy on natural stranded colorwork for Kris’s Olympics pullover.  What a wonderful feeling to make it through 15.5 inches of stockinette on size 2.5 needles and then introduce this lovely navy blue for the colorwork… First is the little “lice” pattern (or as I call it “the tick pattern” because that seems more fitting for me…) and then the intricate snowflakes.  I reached the point in the colorwork chart where I set aside the body and start the sleeves, only to yoke it all up later for the rest of the chest and the neckline colorwork.  Putting the body of the sweater on waste yarn, I asked Kris to try it on.

The funny thing about Kris is that he can be quite photogenic… but when he doesn’t want his photo taken, he can turn in to an 11-year old kid (think:  sticking tongue out, hand gestures, bad posture…) but this photo fills the intended purpose of showing you the progress and the fit – and also a little bit of Kris’s modesty   To his credit, the stockinette portion was rolling down, and I wanted to show the colorwork!

The fit isn’t too bad, but it will benefit from a good blocking to make it a little more cozy around the middle.

This colorwork chart is a lot of fun and requires a good amount of concentration.  I am always amazed when it comes out looking like it is supposed to!  I especially love the way the stranding looks along the back:

As you may recall, this Dale of Norway sweater (the Liberec pattern) is my big project for our trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  If all goes as planned, I will have enough time to make myself a Nordic stranded pullover too… and I just recently figured out which pattern I am going to do!

I initially thought that I wanted to go with this lovely Dale pattern (and I still want to make it!).  On a trip to my LYS, I started talking with the owner (another Dale of Norway fan) and she said she was planning to do a fall class for the official Olympic sweaters.   Naturally, I was very interested.  Participants in the class can choose from the 5 commemorative Canadian patterns, or  from the official Vancouver Olympics sweater.  After a lot of contemplation (I was *almost* sold on Le Massif, and still hope to make it some day!) I decided to do the Vancouver sweater.  I am planning to modify it a little – I don’t really like the deep v-neck, but would rather have a zipper neck (like the men’s sweater, on the left); however, I like the shaping of the women’s sweater… so I am planning to combine the two elements into one sweater.  My rationale for choosing “Vancouver” was that the simpler look would be more wearable and would (hopefully) be easier to knit between now and February 14th (the first day of the Olympics).  So, with that part down all I needed to do was sign up for the class at the LYS and figure out my color palette.

Many thanks to Mary Ann at Two Strands – she made this part much easier!  She charted the pattern on her computer and played with the Dale yarn colorways to figure out a palette for her own Vancouver sweater.  One of her choices (well, several, actually) inspired me.  I narrowed it down to #10 and #11 – and #11 won in the end.  So, my main color will be indigo – with natural and turquoise for the OXO colorwork.  Not too shabby, eh?  I am pretty excited!  And the planned colors should really go well with the PS theme for blues!

My class starts in 3 weeks, so I am using this time to really make progress on my unfinished knits – both Kris’s pullover and my sister’s cardigan.  September will have a finished sweater… I am making my mind up for that right now! 

This particular Saturday morning was no exception… and it was wonderful.

Before 9am, I had made 32 oz. of peach freezer jam, read four chapters of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (re-read in anticipation of the movie’s release this Wednesday!) and had planned a knitting project and wound up the lovely handspun yarn that I bought at MDSW a few weeks back. Ahh, early bird gets the… jam

I am committed to several large knitting projects right now – all gift knits for others. This is my year of knitting for others, and so far, I am behind schedule. I have my mother’s lovely cardigan on the needles, but her birthday and Mother’s Day have long-since passed. Luckily, she understands and says “well, it is summer, I wouldn’t be wearing a sweater anyway…” Thanks for understanding, Mom! I am also making a cardigan for my sister, Mimi. She just moved to the central coast of California and is enjoying the mild summer temps. I think a cardigan will be an all-year round staple for her. We sure are excited to get out there and visit later this year when the baby is born! The other big gift knit is Kris’s Olympic sweater. The progress on this one is surprising, and I will write a whole post about it very soon.

The jam was a simple “recipe” from the back of the jar can.  This used “freezer” pectin, so no cooking was necessary.  I  had eight peaches that I bought on Thursday at the farmers’ market and picked up the cute little short and stout jars last night.  The cute factor was definitely the reason I made the purchase!  I used regular sugar, but cut down the amounts – it called for 1 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2/3 c was plenty for a nice “gel”.  Crushed peaches, sugar, and pectin, and then put them in the little jars and stuck them in the freezer.  So easy and immediately usable too.  And aren’t they great for the Project Spectrum theme?  summertime orange peaches and metal lids!  I am thinking about more canning – I have loads of berries from our outings to the farm – mixed berry jam or strawberry preserves sound quite delectable!

This early bird truly lucked out this morning with the delicious fresh jam on toast:

Each year, people have described Project Spectrum as another knitalong, and I always like to remind people that it can be so much more than that ~ for me, Project Spectrum is often a way to experiment with some new techniques or a new creation all together.  I hope it can be this way for you too – whether that includes yarn and needles or some other medium entirely.  This month has started with a steady stream of two other hobbies that I totally enjoy and that fit into the theme of PS South very nicely:  baking and photography.

Behold!  the vegan cupcake experiment!  Armed with my new cookbook (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule) and the ingredients, I delved head-on into the cupcake recipes.  This book has been out for awhile and has received accolades from everyone (vegans and non-vegans alike!) but I was a tad skeptical… the high sugar content in the cupcakes held me back for awhile, but I just decided that it was okay to have them every once in awhile…

This is the vanilla agave cupcake with “buttercream” frosting and freshly-picked berries on top.  According to some of my Flickr peeps, the frosting recipe is a little off as printed in the book – I should have used less soy milk to make it fluffier… so, I guess I will have to try another batch!  I did use less than half of the sugar called for in the frosting, and it was delicious.  The major difference that I noticed about the vegan cupcakes versus the regular cake batter variety was the absolute moistness.  The texture was slightly different – not in a bad way at all! – but perfectly suited for a yummy dessert.  With 74 other recipes in the book to try, I have plenty of ideas! 

I enjoyed pulling out the aluminum METAL muffin tin, baking in a FIERY oven, and putting a RED berry right on top on a warm SUMMER day!  If that isn’t PS South perfect, I don’t know what is!

On the drive home from my parents’ house after Independence Day celebrations, I was hoping to capture some firework photos in the night sky… unfortunately no such luck.  So, I decided to experiment with some photographic techniques I saw on Flickr:  light photography in the dark night.  On my DSLR, I slowed the shutter speed considerably and focused my lens on the lights around me – traffic lights, vehicle tail lights, and street lamps.  I loved the results – they look like a laser show.  So, in the absence of fireworks, I made my own!

The light trails are so much fun to play with – you can get crazier trails if you move the camera during the long exposure, or more of a flare if you keep the camera fixated on one image (like I did with this red light).  The photos can be a bit “trippy” too – I loved the orange red glow of this one:

Plenty of other Project Spectrum-related materials in mind that I will share soon – in the meantime, I would love to hear about what you are planning for the RED HOT SOUTH theme!

As always, you can check out the wonderful inspirations on the Flickr group or over on the Ravelry PS group!

…and I just might surprise you with a knitting post soon enough

Sun beams and honey and warmth and beauty…
my photo collage for this month is just as flowery as my speech!

As always, there is so much beauty and lots of inspiration on both the Project Spectrum Flickr group, and the Project Spectrum Ravelry group.

~ and now the gold turns into red, and we look towards the SOUTH ~

I am planning more cooking and baking to go along with the *fire* theme, lots of photography, gardening, some writing, and some creative things possibly made with yarn and some needles…

So a trip to the market was in store …and my bags were full of delicious ingredients for amazing recipes in a short matter of time…

: Dinner was served :

I found this recipe in a back issue of Shape magazine, and adapted it for a vegan diet.   It worked pretty well!  The only thing is that it is terribly unphotogenic… no matter what I did, the food just looked like a brown  crispy blob.  But, a delicious brown crispy blob, if only I had had a fresh red tomato for the photo – then it would have looked delicious  …  It is a bulgur wheat and beans with vegetable ans spices formed in to a patty accompanied by tahini slaw. I also stuffed some zucchini flowers from the garden with the same mixture as the patty and lightly fried them in some oil.  They turned out very well, and the photo of them is slightly more photogenic than the others!

Bulgur Vegetable Burgers with Tahini Slaw
(my adaptations in red)

• 1/2 c bulgur wheat
• 1 c boiling water
• 1/2 c canned white beans (navy beans)
• 2 T finely chopped cashews
• 1/2 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 c spinach, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 1/2 t paprika
• 1 t curry powder
• 1 egg  (replaced with 1/3 c ground flaxseed and a dash of flaxseed oil)
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 1 T olive oil
  

Slaw

• 2 c shredded cabbage (red, green, or mix)
• 2 T yogurt (soy)
• 1 T tahini
• 1/4 t cayenne (I used more ~ 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 c green chile peppers

Mix slaw ingredients first and set aside in refrigerator.

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a heatprood bowl.  Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.

In a medium bow, mash white beans into a paste.  Stir in nuts, carrots, spinach, scallions, spices, and the egg (or flaxseed); add breadcrumbs and the bulgur and mix well.  Form into patties with about 4 inches in diameter.

Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat.  Cook the patties for 4 minutes and then flip and cook the opposite for about 3 minutes, or until heated throughout and golden brown.  Serve on a hamburger bun with traditional condiments.

The replacement of the egg in the mixture worked out just fine.  The flaxseed oil did a fine job holding it all together, much like the purpose of the egg.  You could easily sub any green leafy vegetable in place of the spinach – kale, mustard greens, beet greens, collards – as they would *spice* the mix up even more.  I will likely try a different green next time since I have them in my garden.

The slaw could easily work as a topping for the burger or as a side dish.  Try it both ways!  This seems like a nice dish for the summer – especially with upcoming cookouts and summertime holidays…

Oh, but wait!  there was more to the feast!

I picked a whole batch of cherries at the market – some sweet, and some sour.  The sweet ones were eaten pretty quickly, and I planned to find some sort of recipe for the sour.  So glad I found this recipe on Recipezaar!  Vegan, raw, and no refined sugars!

The recipe was easy to follow and has plenty of ways to substitute, both with the nut combinations, as well as the fruit on top.  Strawberries would work quite well too.  I love the cherries!  The tartness of the cherries was really neutralized by the chocolate.  I used agave nectar in place of any sugar, and also sprinkled a tad of sucanat on top for a little crunchiness.  It is a no-bake recipe – perfect for the hot summer days when you don’t want to turn the oven on!

I wish there was a way to have you all over to share some with you!  So yummy!