From the very beginner to the most advanced, all crocheters are well versed in the nightmare that is crocheting into the beginning crochet chain. That first row is the bane of my existence, and I’m guessing I’m not alone. I’d like to expand my crochet skillz, and start crafting some full fledged garments. I love the ease of shaping in crochet, the freedom to create textured or openwork stitches, the rapidity with which fabric seems to fly past my fingers.

Unfortunately, most garment patterns begin something like “chain 208. single crochet in second ch from hook and each ch around.”

The mere thought of wedging my hook into 100 or 200+ chain stitches makes me shudder in horror.

Cue the FOUNDATION CROCHET STITCH!!! It’s amazing! A miracle! Foundation crochet essentially combines a chained edge with your first row of single, double, or half double crochet.

Rather than use my clumsy layman’s terms to explain, I am providing a link to a straightforward set of instructions and diagrams. Click the links below and rejoice.

Foundation Single Crochet Instructions

Foundation Double Crochet Instructions

Foundation Half Double Crochet Instructions

Without any more hooplah, I’d like to share the two things that I’m most excited about adding to my craft stash.

Preface: I have not yet fully explored the world of sock yarn, and there are oodles of tasty merino/nylon blends. But I REALLY like the colorways available from Lorna’s Laces. I couldn’t resist picking up a skein of the classic Shepherd Sock in Unicorn Parade. I mean, duh. The color is called Unicorn Parade. I’m a total sucker for names.

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Unicorn Parade, courtesy of EatSleepKnit.com

Turns out, the color is quite a bit more flamboyant than I imagined. I’m thinking it may be better suited to a baby garment than the cabled socks I originally planned. This yarn is handpainted, so I’m not sure if my personal skein is the norm. I purchased online (EatSleepKnit.com has a nice selection) and only have a tiny sample. If I remember, I’ll try to get a good shot of my swatch to show the color.

Secondly, these macaroon stitch markers. On my last, and very brief, trip to Paris, I went on a Special Expedition to track down the best macaroons in Paris. I went several Metro stops out of my way, got lost in a very posh neighborhood, asked several people (some surprisingly helpful, some confused by my Okie-twangin’ français) for directions, and elbowed my way through an out-the-door line, all to order half a dozen of these babies.

I really like macaroons. And now I can ponder their tastiness while I knit.

Macaroon Stitch Markers from Etsy seller Bead Passion

Unfortunately, these ship from the Philippines, so I don’t yet have them in my hot little hands. They are 1.3 cm wide, and profess to fit up to size U.S. 10/6 mm needles. This seller also has stitch markers and jewelry shaped like sushi, cupcakes, donuts, mushrooms, etc. Yum.

Kawaii!

Until next time,

Love!

The recipe below is pretty vague… that’s kind of the point. Pasta salads are very forgiving, and you can use pretty much anything.

I made one this morning with my favorite stinky foods. Stinky is a harsh word… let’s call them “pungent.” I mixed some penne noodles with tuna, feta cheese, tomato, celery, dill, and a big splash of caesar dressing. Very tasty, but keep some mints on hand!

So, here’s a basic guideline for creating your own salad.

You Need:

8 oz (half of an average-sized box) small pasta (think rotini, penne, macaroni, farfalle, wagon wheels…)

1/2 to 1 cup chopped protein (I used one can of tuna, drained. Try leftover chicken, cubed tofu, cooked shrimp, canned beans, whatever.)

something sweet or salty (Here’s where you can go nuts. Cold pasta salads are a fast way to experiment with different flavors. Throw in a bit of crumbled feta or blue cheese, a can of mandarin orange slices or water chestnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, baby corn, frozen edamame, leftover cooked veggies, whatever you have kicking around in your fridge or cupboard.)

2 celery ribs, minced OR one cucumber, diced

1 fresh tomato, diced

optional: spices. Curry, garlic, or onion powder, fresh basil, Italian seasoning, soy sauce, etc.

dressing: For a homestyle classic, use mayonnaise. For the health conscious, try a high quality olive oil. My personal favorite is bottled salad dressing. I think it’s a happy medium.

Cook pasta in boiling water until tender. Rinse under cold running water to remove excess starch and cut down on chilling time. Fun Fact: You should NEVER rinse pasta being served with a hot sauce. The leftover starch from cooking helps sauces and cheese stick. Pour rinsed pasta into a mixing bowl, or throw it right into some Tupperware.

Add in your meat, cheese, fruits, veggies, and spices. Give it a good toss. Now, stir in dressing to your taste: a spoonful of mayonnaise, a splash of salad dressing, or a drizzle of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. If using bottled dressing and/or salty cheeses, you won’t need much salt. If using mayonnaise, you can afford to go a little heavier with your spices. Mayo and curry play surprisingly well together!

Chill. Give it another good toss immediately before serving.

Some Combos to Try:

Leftover chicken with mandarin oranges and a dash of curry powder

Canned tuna with feta cheese and a generous sprinkle of dill (pictured!)

Canned black beans, rinsed and drained, with lots of fresh basil

Sliced peperoni/sausage with fresh mozzarella and oregano (I don’t eat pork, but this one’s a crowd pleaser.)

Have fun experimenting!

This experiment started the other day after work, when I picked up a party-sized bottle of Alice White Pinot Grigio. No offense to Australia, but this wine is terrible. So, I decided today would be a good time to try my hand at white sangria. We’ve all (probably) had the red variety. Sangria is essentially wine punch, and is traditionally made by adding fruit, sparkling water, and a touch of brandy or liqueur to a light red wine. A restaurant in Boulder serves a white sangria that has all the sweetness of the original, but adds a refreshing kick of champagne and uses lighter flavors like peach instead of the usual oranges and red apples. This stuff is delicious, and I highly recommend the Med’s cocktails to anyone who’s not up to making their own.

This recipe is easy, frugal, impressive, and deceptively potent in the alcohol department. Many sangrias have a lower alcohol content because of the added seltzer. This one… doesn’t. Plan accordingly! Enjoy poolside or at your next BBQ.

You Need:

1.5 liter bottle fruity white wine I used Alice White Pinot Grigio

1 200 mL bottle of gin (lime gin would be tasty, but I couldn’t find it in a small bottle)

2 cups sparkling water

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup tap/non-sparkling water

2 peaches or nectarines, cut to 1/2 inch dice

1 pink (gala, honeycrisp, or pink lady) apple, cut to 1/2 inch dice

1 fresh lime

1 fresh lemon

a large pitcher or punchbowl

ice, for serving I found an adorable fruit shaped silicone ice cube tray at Joann’s

Slice off the ends of the lemon and lime. Place ends in a small saucepan and set aside. Slice the remaining fruit in half for juicing.

Place the diced apple and peach/nectarine in the bottom of your pitcher. Add all of the wine, all of the gin, and the sparkling water. Squeeze in all of the juice from the lemon and lime. Set pitcher aside in the fridge to chill.

Meanwhile, add the sugar and 1 cup of plain water to the small saucepan holding the citrus ends. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once boiled, remove from heat immediately and let cool completely.

When syrup is cool, remove the cooked citrus pieces. Add the syrup to the chilled wine mix. Stir and serve over ice! Add a lime wedge if you’re feeling fancy. Try topping each glass off with some champagne if you really want to sparkle.

white sangria in my sweet tea jug

The whole process takes maybe 15 minutes, plus time to chill.

So, after weeks of hard work, you hand your man a masterpiece. You picture delight, gratitude, and awe for your knitting prowess. “Aw, shucks,” he’ll say, as his friends ooh and ahh over his new oversized alpaca hoodie. After weeks of tireless knitting, how could you expect any less?

Here’s the thing; non-knitters will never appreciate the amount of love and anguish in every stitch. More importantly, few things are worse for the knitter than shelling out big bucks and lots of time on a project for a guy that rejects them.

So, here are my suggestions for gift-knitting for men without the heartbreak.

The Guy Friend: Scarves are the perfect gift for friendly guys of all non-romantic varieties, from your next door neighbor to the barista slinging lattes for your weekly Stitch and Bitch. While they’re super easy, scarves tend to take FOREVER, and are best saved for someone who’s going to be around awhile.

The Hey-I-Might-Like-You Guy: You’re fresh in the throes of love. He’s everything you dreamed, he treats you like a queen… but you’ve only been dating three weeks. Do yourself a favor, and stick with a Simple Hat for this one. A nice crocheted beanie will show your affection and skillz without scaring him off. Avoid fancy patterns and pompoms, and show the depth of your feeling with the caliber of yarn you choose. Try an inexpensive cotton for your summer fling, or spring for a sumptuous cashmere blend for a real keeper.

The Serious Boyfriend: He knows all your friends’ names, he waters your plants, he uses the words We and Our. This one gets an Afghan. An afghan you say? Isn’t that the most committed project ever? Well, yes and no. Yes, afghans are gigantic. BUT, with a simple pattern and large needles, toiling away on a collection of squares or strips will ultimately cost you far less pain and heartache than weeks of sweater shaping. Besides, if he’s around long enough for you to finish a blanket, he probably deserves it. I like Granny Square Afghans for the endless variety.

The Husband: He shelled out for the ring. He’s danced with grandma. You share dental bills. This dynamo deserves a Fisherman Sweater. Now that he’s stuck with you through thick and thin, knit him something that will keep him warm in all kinds of weather and last for decades.

All pattern ideas are clickable links to free patterns. Knitting With Balls is another great resource, as are vintage patterns. Choose your own adventure!

Fried mashed potatoes are one of those things that Momma makes that make any day a little more delicious. They are also made out of leftovers, and when one lives alone one generally does not make the kind of family-style fare that ends up as leftovers. So I only get them when I go home to Momma. And because I am in the library working on a final that is due in a few hours, I obviously have time to type out the recipe real quick.

You Need:

leftover mashed potatoes

1 egg, beaten (optional)

vegetable oil of some kind, for frying

salt and pepper

optional: grated cheese, preferably cheddar

Grab your bowl of mashed potatoes and check out the consistency. If they’re fresh and/or contain lots of butter, you can probably form them into patties without adding anything. If they are crumbly, stir in a beaten egg. Season with some extra salt/pepper/grated cheese if you’re feeling fancy, and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick.

Thickly coat the bottom of a skillet with vegetable oil. 1/4 inch or less should be plenty. We are not actually deep frying here, just giving those bad boys a crispy coating. I usually test my oil with a drop of water, but I think this is a fire hazard. The proper way is to drop in a little piece of bread and see if it sizzles.

When oil is hot, lay your patties in and fry until the bottom is golden brown. Flip once, and continue cooking until hot and tasty. Serve with ketchup and fried eggs.

Happy Mother’s Day!

My mom and I in Scotland on the banks of Loch Lomond. I am no doubt dreaming of fried mashed potatoes.

After a few slaps on the wrist I’ve made a list of a few tasty posts to come after graduation. Glory be.

So if you’d like to hear my thoughts on knitting for boyfriends, score some free tracks by a new glam rock band, or watch me attempt to make fried avocados without the aid of a deep fryer or burning my kitchen down, by all means stay tuned!

LOVE!

1. Yuck combines nearly every musical style that’s been hot for the past year to make something totally different. You’ll hear vocals ranging from sweet harmonies to jangling, 90′s style, angst. The melodies layer piercing solos and fuzzed out guitars in a way that seems unrehearsed and fresh.

2. Frontman Daniel Blumberg is a redhead.

3. Their self-titled album is a mix of head shaking beats and slowed down tracks. Perfect for every mood.

4. They landed a spot on the BBC Sound of 2011 list, meaning they’ll probably (hopefully) hit it big soon enough. Be cooler than your friends and get the album now!

5. Their music videos are pretty neat, and perfectly capture the whole 90s-but-better vibe. Here’s one for Holing Out.

Get Away ← Click to download my favorite track.

Enjoy!

SOUP! Eureka. Soups are a great way to try new ingredients. The slow cooking gives you loads of time to correct seasonings and mellow out weird textures, and you can always throw in something familiar to offset a funky flavor. Soups are so easy peasy that I decided to be extra adventurous and add a parsnip. Parsnips are ugly white veggies with a mild oniony flavor. They look a bit like the grizzled grandpa of the carrot, but are very very tasty in soups or other slow-cooked dishes. The sweetness of the squash and the bite of the parsnip balance out nicely, and make a super healthy winter time meal.

Don’t fret, the recipe is a lot shorter than my soup-lovin’ ramble. This stuff is BURSTING with vitamins, takes very little effort, and is an unbelievable neon orange color. Happy days.

You Need:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

1 small parsnip, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

1 yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

::Note:: You will be pureeing the soup in a blender. The dice on these vegetables does not need to be perfect at all, just keep the pieces in a somewhat uniform size to ensure an even cooking time.

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

broth/stock/water (You need enough to cover the veggies in a large pot. I used 4 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water because I like thin, sippable soups. If you like it thicker, use just enough to cover. If you use vegetable broth or water this is a completely vegan recipe.)

juice of half an orange

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

red pepper and salt, to taste

Bring the broth, squash, and parsnip to a boil in a large pot. Lower heat to a simmer and set timer for 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, add the onion pieces. After 30 minutes, check for doneness. Squash should pierce easily with a fork and the onions should be transparent. Turn off heat.

Throw the peeled, whole garlic in the blender. Scoop all of the vegetables from the pot and add to the blender with a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid. If you’re brave and have a big blender, feel free to pour the whole mixture in. It doesn’t matter if the broth goes into the blender or not, just do what you gotta do to get a smooth mixture.

Pour the mix back in the pot. Add the curry powder, orange juice, and salt and red pepper to taste. Return to a simmer, stir, and serve.

YUM!

Enjoy!

for the dipping sauce:

1/4 cup prepared Ranch dressing

1/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt

1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion (about one medium)

dash garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This stuff would also be divine on sandwiches.

Tip: Make the dipping sauce first so the flavors have time to develop. Also, these fries beg to be eaten immediately and you won’t want to bother with mixing up some sauce.

for the fries:

1 bunch fresh green beans

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup packaged bread crumbs, seasoned or plain

optional but tasty: 1 heaping tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

Rinse your green beans and trim off the ends. If they’re fresh, you should be able to snap the ends off easily with your fingers. If you forgot about the delicious green beans lurking in your veggie crisper, use a knife. Cut any extra long beans in half. You want them to be fairly uniform in size.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and water. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate. If you are using plain bread crumbs, season generously with salt and pepper. Seasoned/Italian style bread crumbs will already be quite salty. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, the spread generously with olive oil.

Dip the green beans first in the beaten egg, then dredge in bread crumbs. Arrange breaded green beans on the oiled cookie sheet. Make sure none of the green beans touch; they need space for the coating to get crispy. If they don’t fit in one layer, bake them in batches.

Bake in a preheated 450° oven for 10 minutes. Shuffle the fries around with tongs and bake 10 minutes more, or until golden brown.

Serve hot with the spicy ranch.

FYI, these are sooo good. I just ate half a pound of green beans. Enough said.