Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Let me eat cake!

Thank you all so much for your comments and emails, I'm still working on returning them!
In order to not spend too much time knitting, I've spent more time baking. I've always loved baking because it lets me create something from scratch in a relatively short amount of time which others get to enjoy as well (I am a bit selfish when it comes to sharing other crafty output, bf socks excluded). I tend to stick to my favorite cakes from my childhood, but with all the wonderful recipes available on the internet, I've been trying to expand the repetoire (and hopefully not the waistline, tehee. How I love a bad pun.). Here are some old stand-by's, and a new recipe that's so good, I've made it twice already:
Rhubarb Crumble Cake
hmm, rhubarb crumble cake from my favourite food blog, delicious days. I love Nicky and Oliver's blog so much, they always post recipes I've been craving (lots of them good old Bavarian fare) and can never seem to find. It's getting a bit strange actually, I'll be intently thinking about something and visit their blog and they'll have posted about it! If you think German food is all about heavy, stomach cramps inducing dishes, you should go and take a look through their archive, if just for the amazing photography! Anyway, this recipe is just perfect. Tart, moist rhubarb and sweet crumbles are a match made in heaven. It's become bf's favorite. You can find it here.
Next, my grammy's sunken apple cake, or in German "versunkener Apfelkuchen", because the apples sink into the dough as it bakes. This is a very easy recipe that requires the apples to be coated in lemon juice. The result is a very light and fresh tasting cake that I can't get enough of.
Sunken Apple Cake
The grooves are made by running a fork down the back of the quartered apples. It looks pretty and soaks up the lemon juice well.
When I get the craving for a little bit of chocolate, I make this recipe from an old roommate's cooking light cookbook (which I'd lost, then found again on their website). Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread:
Chocolate Banana Bread
Don't let that picture fool you, I usually mix the cocoa powder in the whole dough, so that there's chocolatey goodness everywhere, instead of it looking 'marbled'. What I love about this recipe is that it uses just half a stick of butter instead of oil. Most 'breads' you get in stores or coffee shops are too greasy for my taste, this version is not greasy at all, and may seem a bit dry to some palates. Just add a little bit of milk to the dough, or get a big cup of coffee or tea with your slice. I've made a few changes to their recipe: Instead of egg substitute, I use one real egg, instead of chocolate chips I use organic cocoa powder, plus a bit of milk to keep the dough moist enough. I mix my dough really well instead of "just combining it", because I don't like to bite down on bits and pieces of banana.
Ok, now back to knitting..or maybe I should go the gym...

Monday, May 14, 2007

Look who's back!

Wow, it's mid May, I can't believe how fast time went by. I had to take a break from crafting and blogging for awhile as I was sick through most of March and then had to recover from some whiplash I got in a small car accident. It all turned out to be a blessing in disguise though; at the beginning of the year I had felt a bit uninspired and uncreative, butI'm now pretty excited again about knitting and sewing, and rested enough to have the energy for it. To ease my body gently back into slouch position, I've finished a pair of socks in the loveliest yarn:
Snicket4
Sundara Yarn sock yarn in 'charcoal over rose'. The colors are so beautiful, and I wanted a simple but interesting pattern to show it off.
Snicket3
Specs:
Yarn: Sundara Yarn sock yarn in 'charcoal over rose'
Pattern: Snicket Socks from MagKnits
Needles: Us 1
Mods: I used the short row heel I always knit, instead of the one in the pattern. I also knit these socks a little shorter than all my other socks, as they will stretch out a bit over time from washing and wearing.

I'll have another pair of socks to show you very soon!
During the last few months my computer time has been limited as well, so I would like to apologize to everyone who has commented or asked me for a pattern or anything else without getting a response. Since it's not possible for me right now to wade through all the past emails, if there's anything you still need answered, please email me and I will get back to you as promptly as possible.
It's good to be back :-)