Day 208 and Wolf

Red riding hood was a helpless little girl, but the wolf was an ambitious go-getter. Can anyone really fault him for going after his goals? After all, hunger was in his nature.

Hungry for a new kind of project, I started thinking sideways. What are some other things that go around the neck besides scarves and cowls and lariats? Well hoods for one. They go over the head when being worn, but they hang around the neck and shoulders when pulled back. When you think about it, hoods are just cowls that reach a little further. A hood is also among the easiest things to make and require almost no measuring.

Get yourself a tape measure and drape it over your head. Pull it tightly so the ends meet at about the center of your sternum (chest bone). This gives you enough ease, drape and freedom to move comfortably when it's ready to wear. Pick a yarn and a set of needles and make a swatch. Count the number of stitches per inch in your swatch, multiply by the number of inches you measured over your head and cast that many onto a circular needle. I made the first and last 5 stitches garter for a nice flat edge around the face and worked in stockinette for the rest for a laid back and relaxed look. After about 5 inches of knitting, fold the cast on edge in half and sew it together. With the fabric still on the needles try it on. If it seems perfect on the needles, you need at least 1 more inch of stitching (the cable of the needle gives the fabric more stability than it would have on its own which is what the extra inch of stitching is for). In the end I needed about 10 inches of fabric before I was happy with the depth and cast off. For a closure, this is a great place for a pin or a shawl stick or a frog closure. A Cardigan pin clip would be perfect for this project! If you want to add a button flap, cast off except for the last 3 inches and knit a few rows, add your buttonhole in the center and stitch another few rows. Place your button and be on your way.

Use this recipe as a base for other projects too. The hood could easily be added to a cardigan in place of the collar to make your own hoodie as well as to a full sized scarf or a capelet.

I hope to write a more detailed pattern and add it to ravelry's databases in the future.

8 Questions Game

I've been tagged! Spinndiva of Rambling Designs poses 8 simple questions which will help readers know more about me! I owe her one because I now have a real reason to get myself on this blog and typing! Thank you for the nudge!

And to really get the most out of it, I'm going to give each question its own post, why not?

1) What's your staple meal? (What do you cook most often when you aren't feeling adventurous?)

Kevin and I (Amanda) recently purchased America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking for the Nintendo DS. Ever since then, I'm not sure we still HAVE a staple meal! Step by step instructions and encouragement read in a soothing voice for classic American staples have made us more willing to put some extra time into our meals.

We used to default to a frozen pizza, but the pizza crust recipe is so easy and quicker than one would expect that we now are quite happy to make pizza from scratch!

Our favorite toppings? Mushrooms, pepperoni, deli turkey and cayenne pepper.
I like anchovies, but I know when I buy them they are for me and me alone.

Wondering what we eat when we aren't following video game instructions? Pasta. Easy, fast and fun to embellish. Our toppings of choice? Chorizo and corn.

For those that don't know, chorizo is a delicious sausage available both refrigerated or smoked and is flavored with Mexican spices such as cumin, cayenne, and many different peppers. I prefer refrigerated because it cooks so quickly and there's no need to chop it up. Be warned though, it is NOT a lean meat! If you're on a strict diet, be prepared to sacrifice dessert!

Spicy Chorizo Chili Mac (for 2)
6 oz Spaghetti (macaroni, rigatoni, and shells also work well)
8 oz refrigerated picante chorizo
1/2 of a small onion, diced (vidalia is my choice!)
1 15 oz can of sweet corn
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
parsley for garnish opt.
cilantro for garnish opt.
salt for boiling water

Put salted water on to boil. Cook your choice of pasta according to package directions and drain. In a separate pan, place the uncased chorizo in a cold pan set to medium high heat. Brown the meat. Add the diced onion and saute with the chorizo for about 5 minutes. Add the drained can of corn to the pan just until heated through. Plate the spaghetti, pour the chorizo, onion and corn mixture on top. Top with cheese as well as parsley or cilantro. Enjoy and have water on hand to cool the burn!

Peanut Butter Balls

I loved it back in the late eighties and early nineties when kids shows would occasionally have "very special shows" to teach kids about nutrition, exercise, school subjects, etc.

I happened to come across a cooking for kids episode recently and decided I ought to try making one of the easy kid-friendly recipes. I brought the treats into work and I have never had to write down a recipe so many times in such a short span of time. I repeat it once more thusly:

Peanut Butter Balls
1 cup granola (or granola cereal)
1 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder (Yes they really still sell it, check the baking aisle on a lower shelf.
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix these four ingredients thoroughly (best utensil? clean hands) before adding...

2 cups peanut butter (if you use crunchy you might need a little extra)

Mix this in until the whole batch sticks together in one big blob. Using either your hands (beware it's very sticky!) or a pair of spoons, roll the mixture into approximately one inch balls. Roll each of the balls in a tasty coating. Try some of the following or use anything you might want to try:

Sesame seeds
Toasted coconut
Extra granola
Crushed nuts of any sort
Banana chips crushed up
Pretzel bits
Coat in chocolate

Chill for about 4 hours before serving for best texture and store in the fridge. They'll keep for about 2 weeks, but they're sure to be gone LONG before that.