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Back of the Package Buttermilk Biscuits

I've become a lazy blogger.  I never have a camera around to take photos, I don't post half the things I make anymore, and I simply spend so much time reading other blogs, that I don't have time left to write my own posts. 

So, in keeping with the time of year, I'm resolving to be a better blogger. 

Last night I ran upstairs upon throwing a batch of buttermilk biscuits in the oven so that I could take a photo for the blog.  And I have to say, the photos I took were all pretty lousy,  but at least I did it, and here I am writing about it.  Not a bad start.

The biscuits were made with the leftover buttermilk I had bought for making cinnamon rolls for Christmas, and I simply pulled out some self-rising flour I bought ages ago to make some other recipe -- then shoved in the back of the cupboard.  I mean, almost no recipes call for self-rising flour anymore and it was nearing the end of it's life, so this recipe used up two things that would have otherwise ended up in the trash.  The thrifty woman in me loves this.

I used the recipe right off the back of the bag of flour.  It was simple and used very basic ingredients -- flour (maybe about 2 1/2 c.), butter (or shortening -- 1/2 c. or 1 stick), baking soda (1/2 tsp, I believe), a bit of sugar (2 tsp, perhaps) and buttermilk (about 1 c. -- enough to form a nice workable dough).  I also loved it because it gave me a reason to use an old biscuit cutter I purchased at an estate sale this past year. 

These rose up like nobodies business and got nice and brown on the top (except for the ones I brushed with buttermilk -- which apparently does not brown up in the oven like cream).  Not to mention that everyone liked them quite well  -- and they are delicious spread with lingonberry jam. 

2010 Project -- A Room A Month

I've been wanting to do this for a while now, but our house was at a point where a room a year was more feasible. After over 5 years of work, I'm at a point where most of the major things are done (except for the kitchen) and I'm ready to attempt a year long project that has been in the back of my mind...

A Room A Month

(Note to self -- create pretty graphic.)

So here's where I'm coming from. . . Do you have little projects in each room that need attention?  Chipped paint on the trim, prints that need to be hung, door handles that need to be tightened, small repairs, cosmetic changes?  You know you do -- doesn't everyone?  So what I'm proposing is not that you make a huge list of the hundreds of little projects, but rather tackle them one room at a time. 

Are you in?  If so, my challenge for you today is to make a list of rooms.  Now, there are 12 months in a year, so I'm suggesting that you choose 12 rooms.  Don't have 12 rooms?  What about the front porch, back patio, garage, basement, hallway -- or split up a big room. 

Here's my list:

1. Office
2. Master Bedroom
3. Maddie's Room
4. Den
5. Bathroom
6. Dining Room
7. Kitchen
8. Living/Family Room
9. Sun Room
10. Little Eating Room
11. Powder Room
12. Front Hall

Rather than choosing the order right now, I think I'll decided which room is up next as I go. 

On the 1st, I'll be back with before photos of the room for January, along with a list of projects.  I'm hyped right now, but fear the excitement will ebb.  Perhaps some of you will join in and we can encourage each other!

Books I've read but not reviewed (and probably will not review)

I think I may have mentioned that I use the blog as my personal book log because I am so bad about writing down what I have read. Usually I am prompt in, at the very least, listing what I've read on the blog, but lately things have gotten away from me and now here we are. Therefore, in no particular order, here are some of the book I recall reading recently:

Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire (the guy who wrote Wicked ).

Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson -- I think this is the fourth or fifth book I read by him this year. In other words, I've taken a liking to his writing. Good old sci-fi.

Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun

Love and Summer by William Trevor, who wrote The Story of Lucy Gault which is now on my "to read" list.

And right now I'm reading:

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe -- but I've stalled out on it, so I started:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien which I've already read probably half a dozen times, but there you have it.

I've been lax this year, so I'm sure my final count won't be accurate, but after the first of the year I'll be back with the (somewhat accurate) final count and a word or two about my favorite reads of the 2009.

Reversible Knitting

Recently I had the good fortune to receive a review copy of Reversible Knitting by Lynne Barr, a fascinating new knitting book that explores a whole branch of knitting I know almost nothing about. The book is composed of swatches and instructions for 50 stitch patterns and 20 designs which use the reversible knitting concept. I asked Lynne to talk about one of her designs in the book and she wrote this about the Double Knit Vest:

Once I’d decided I was going to design a vest using double knitting, I approached the design with several factors in mind. First, because double knitting takes about twice as long as some other techniques to knit a row, I knew I was going to limit its use in the vest. And secondly, since Veronik Avery had already incorporated increases and decreases in her absolutely gorgeous double knit jacket, I wanted to keep my project on a more introductory level with the technique. Therefore, only the yoke of the vest is worked in double-knit, and that yoke is just a simple rectangular piece without shaping.

Since Veronik also used the double knitting style where the two sides are the inverse of each other, I decided to use a pattern that was a completely different design on each side. If anyone would like to try designing their own different sided double knit, you can print the special graph paper free from http://sweaterscapes.com/images/dkpaper.pdf.

I also wanted another opportunity in the book to reference the Kitchener stitch, which I’d included in the technique section. I think Kitchener stitch has an undeserved bad reputation. It just takes a few easily understandable rules, and those few rules will allow knitters to graft together ANYTHING without having to reference some written directions. It took me about ten minutes to explain grafting to some knitters at a local yarn shop, and they all understood it quickly and easily.

For knitters who aren’t particularly interested in double knitting, but who may still like the shape of this vest, you can always substitute another stitch of your choice for the yoke. Simply knit a rectangular piece with the new stitch, matching the measurements shown in Sue McCain’s schematic for the front yoke/collar. To insure that the weight of the yoke is equivalent to the rib for the body, I suggest you first work a swatch of the body stitch to use for a comparison.

Thank you Julie, for giving me a chance to talk about this project with you and your readers.

Where have I been?

I've been getting new glasses for myself, Pete and Maddie.  Maddie's first pair!

Eating fancy looking chocolates from J. Truffles which I'll be reviewing over at the Chocolate Blog later this week.

I've been drinking mochas using Caribou Coffee's new drinking chocolate -- so yummy!

And I've been reading, shopping for yarn, knitting, shopping for holiday presents and generally keeping busy.  I'm hoping to get back to posting on a regular basis and will be talking about Lynne Barr's new book -- Reversible Knitting -- here tomorrow!