This and that

This blog is usually a quiet little corner of the internet. Blogger doesn't allow me to answer comments directly, and so I usually wait a few days between spurts of answering. I logged into Haloscan today, and was amazed at how many comments there were. Thanks, especially for the stash sympathy!

I said the other day that I didn't really have any New Year's resolutions for my knitting. Well, I lied. I do have one. I have this horrible habit of lurking on blogs. I'm quiet in person, and I'm quiet on the internet. The only problem is that, on the internet, being quiet makes you invisible. (That's somewhat true in real life, too, but being made of matter does help with the issue.) So, I am trying to comment more. There are lots of blogs that I've read consistently for well over a year and only commented on once or twice. It's not that they're not interesting. It's not that I feel unwelcome, or as if I have nothing to say. I just somehow never get past clicking on the silly "leave a comment" link. But I like getting comments, and I know others do, too. So I'm going to try to be better about that.

I haven't been doing much knitting this week, I'm afraid. Instead, I've been focusing on this:



I had to go back to the Weaving Works and pick up another 3 oz today, because I'm almost out. 5 ounces left, and I'll have spun a sweater! At first, I couldn't believe how long it took to get 200 yards. And now, all of a sudden, I have a sweater's worth. It's like a time warp or something.

While I was in the spinning section (I love a LYS with a whole spinning section), I might just have picked up some of this:



(That would be 8 oz of white top for dyeing, if you hadn't guessed.)

I didn't get around to dyeing it today, mainly because my house really needed to be cleaned and I really needed some time to dither about colors. I'm thinking it will make a good reward for getting to the end of the first week of classes.

I may also have picked up a few other things...



But there will be more on those later.

For now, I think I will leave you with a recipe. The quarter beginning means that Sundays are once again cooking days, and it's snowing outside (again...are we still in Seattle??). It's just the night for something cozy. I baked bread for the week, and a soup seemed a fitting accompaniment. We have recently discovered that Branden has a talent for making perfectly carmelized onions, so we started there:

Squash and Apple soup



1 onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
2 large apples, cubed
1 large winter squash (butternut and delicata are my favorites)
2 16 oz cans chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp sage
1/2 tsp ginger
red chili flakes to taste
salt to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Saute slowly to carmelize (until it turns light brown and starts to stick to the bottom of the pan). Add apple, cubed squash and about a cup of chicken broth. Cover, and steam until squash is tender, adding extra liquid if needed. (I had the oven on already, so I roast the squash instead; it gives it extra flavor.) Add the spices and the rest of the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Let cool slightly, and blend.

Mix 1-2 Tbsp of brown sugar with cinnamon. (I have a cinnamon-walnut-hazelnut spread from the farmers' market that is excellent for this!). Swirl a small amount into the top of each bowl, as a garnish.

Sour cream or goat yogurt make for a good tang, if you're not into the sweet stuff in your soup. Cheddar grated on top is also good.

Or, try cilantro and green onions. Really. It's good. Very Thai.

If you like the asian curry flavor, you could also substitute a can of coconut milk instead of chicken broth. Or milk, if you like it creamy.

As you can see, this soup has many variations that give very different flavors. Makes for great leftovers.