Writer's Block

I want a teddy for christmas!

ravenra — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:28:39 +0000

This post is a bit overdue, but I wanted to share the pattern for a teddy bear that I knitted for my niece at Christmas. It was my first time knitting anything, so its a fun project for a beginner! Took a few weeks to do. I knitted off and on, procrastinating while studying for exams.

Now I’ve been told it’s my job to knit bears for all my nieces and nephews. At least I’ll have a head start for next Christmas!

Winter Veggie Chowder

ravenra — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:08:49 +0000

A great recipe to warm up on a cold day! Make sure you have some good bread too!

Milk:

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and set a side while you prepare the veggies.

2 C milk
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 onion, sliced
10 peppercorns, crushed (I did this between 2 spoons)

Soup:

2 tbs butter
2 LG leeks, white parts
4 C chopped carrots, celery, other veggies ( I added corn)
3 boiling potatoes, diced (whatever those are. I could only get Yukon Gold at my store)
2 small bay leaves
S&P
2 tbs flour

After making milk, melt butter in a large pot. Add leeks and saute untill soft. Add the rest of veggies and potatoes with the bay leaves and 1 + 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour and add 5 C water, bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are soft– about 25 minutes.

Pour the milk through a strainer into the soup and bring back to a boil. Add S&P and eat!

Recipe based on Deborah Madison’s book, “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.”

Mom’s chocolate chip cookies

ravenra — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:50:29 +0000

Nothings better than cookies baked with love <3

1 C sugar (half white, half brown
8 tbsp butter
one egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 + 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1C to 1 + 1/2 C Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cream together 1 C sugar (half white, half brown) with 8 tbsp butter. Then mix in one egg and 1 tsp vanilla.

Mix in 1 + 1/4 C flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt.

When mixed, add 1C to 1 + 1/2 C Chocolate chips (depending on how much you love chocolate!)

Bake 18-20 minutes and pour yourself a big glass of milk!

Ottawa’s deep freeze is officially over

ravenra — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:06:36 +0000

After two full weeks of walking to school in bone-chilling, arctic temperatures, I was overjoyed to see next week’s forecast. Although it’s not spectacular –next Sunday’s low of -34 degrees is a horrible reminder of the past week’s struggles– it looks like a more typical January in Ottawa.

And the slightly warmer is just in time, because I was starting to worry about the condition of my long underwear and dying to put away my Sorels. I have a nasty blister that just won’t go away.

Best-ever banana muffins

ravenra — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:49:41 +0000

In typical fashion, I decided to bake muffins in order to procrastinate writing a story. Luckily for my boyfriend, he got a warm, chocolaty good morning. Thought I would share the recipe.

Wet:

3-4 bananas, mashed
1 egg
1/3 C butter

Dry:

3/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 + 1/2 C flour, mix of white and whole wheat
Handful of chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients, then wet, and fold together.Add in chocolate chips if you want a sweet treat! Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, makes 12 big, delicious muffins.