i like lemons

These giant olives were inspired by the knit olives at the blog Mary Jane, Midge & Mink. While Mary Jane’s olives are to scale (and adorable!) and I continue to knit them for The Olive Plan 2008, I needed to do some stash busting, hence the gigantor size of these olives.Giant Olive

Do not reproduce this pattern elsewhere. This pattern is for personal use only. In other words, don’t try to make money off of it.

Materials
Size US 10.5 set of double pointed needles
Size US 10.5 straight needles
Lion Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in color Grass
Caron Simply Soft in color Autumn Red
Stitch marker
Material for stuffing (yarn scraps, batting, plastic grocery bags, etc.)
Yarn needle, for weaving in ends

Olive Pattern
Cast on 6 stitches

Round 1: knit as for I-cord. Equally divide stitches among 3 dpns to begin knitting in the round. Place marker at beginning of round
Round 2: *k1, kfb to increase; repeat from * (9sts)
Round 3: knit
Round 4: *k1, kfb to increase, k1; repeat from * (12sts)
Round 5: knit
Round 6: *k1, kfb to increase, k2; repeat from * (15sts)
Round 7: knit
Round 8: *k2, kfb to increase, k2; repeat from * (18sts)
Round 9: knit
Round 10: *k2, kfb to increase, k3; repeat from * (21sts)
Round 11: knit
Round 12: *k3, kfb to increase, k3; repeat from * (24sts)
Round 13: knit
Round 14: *k2, kfb to increase, k2, kfb to increase, k2; repeat from * (30sts)
Rounds 15-23: knit
Round 24: *k4, k2tog, k4; repeat from * (27sts)
Round 25: knit
Round 26: *k2, k2tog, k1, k2tog, k2; repeat from * (21sts)
Round 27: bind off

Cut yarn leaving a 6-inch tail. Weave in ends, just enough to secure (leave excess ends – they can become part of the stuffing). Stuff olive with yarn scraps, batting, plastic grocery bags or whatever you like. Push, prod and mold stuffing to create an olive-y shape.

Pimento Pattern
Using straight needles, cast on 20 sts. Knit in flat stockinette for four inches; bind off. Tuck the flat swatch into the opening of the olive so that it covers the stuffing. Mold and shape olive again. Have a martini and admire your handiwork.

*****Giant Olive measures approximately 5.5-inches long and 12-inches in circumference at its widest part.One skein of the Thick & Quick (170grams/108 yards) should yield five olives. You don’t need much of the red yarn for the pimento, just enough to make a 4×4-inch swatch for each olive.

Pattern now available for download as a pdf file.

Ah comfort food! There is something about a big bowl of beef stew on a cold, rainy night that just seems like perfection. I use champagne, or other dry white wine, because it gives a slightly sweet and bright flavor. It also keeps the color of the stew from turning that purpley grey color you can sometimes get with red wine. You can certainly substitute red wine, beer or more broth, if you prefer though.

Serve this stew in a big cappuccino mug with a thick slice (or two!) of homemade bread on the side. Pop a movie in the dvd player, get comfy and prepare for a cozy night in.

Beef Stew

2 1/2 pounds pot/chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
~4 tablespoons oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups champagne
4 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
~1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered or sliced
2 cups frozen green peas
additional salt and pepper to taste

Mix 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper together in a plastic bag. Add cubed beef and shake until pieces are coated with flour. In large stock pot, over medium high heat, brown the cubed beef in batches using a tablespoon of oil at a time (meat does not need to be cooked through). Remove browned meat to a separate bowl as you finish browning the rest of the beef.

In same pot, over medium heat, saute onion in 1 tablespoon of oil, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Once the onions have softened and begun to turn translucent, add 1/4 cup flour and cook onions and flour together for a couple of minutes. Pour champagne and beef broth slowly into pot, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the browned beef (and any juices that may have rendered out), bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After simmering for 1 1/2 hours, add carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 5 minutes before serving, add frozen peas, cooking just until peas are heated through.

Makes 10 servings

*****As with any recipe, feel free to add or omit any herbs and vegetables that you choose.

1 large onion is equal to about 2 cups.

Save time and buy “baby” carrots and cut them in half.

I like to use red or dutch yellow potatoes, cut in quarters. Leave the skins on.

Another shortcut is to buy a 10 oz. package of pre-sliced mushrooms.

This stew tastes even better the next day. It freezes well too.

More pictures at Flickr

I have fond memories of making bread with my mother when I was a little girl. She would place a step-up stool next to the counter so I could reach the big, wooden baking board and let me sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. I would exclaim that it smelled stinky!

I suspect that I caused more trouble than good, getting flour everywhere and slowing down the whole baking process. Mom would let me punch at the dough like a prize-fighter since my little hands couldn’t properly knead the dough. No electric mixers or bread machines for us! White bread in loaf pans, brown bread in coffee cans, go down for a nap and wake up to the bread miraculously done, ready to be eaten.

This recipe makes a very dense, hearty bread. Pair it with stew or think “slather” when considering topping it with any spreads.

Hearty Homemade Bread

Sponge:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110F)
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough:
1 cup warm water (110F)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
~3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil

To make sponge:
In large glass bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over sugar water and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until yeast is foamy. Stir in flour until a smooth, stiff batter forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 6-8 hours at room temperature (70F) or place in refrigerator for 12-14 hours.

To make dough:
Add water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to sponge and stir until the flour has been absorbed. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead for 15 minutes, adding additional flour only if dough is too sticky. The dough will want to stick to your hand but it should pull away towards itself instead.

Grease clean bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat surface with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 hours.

Turn risen dough out onto floured surface and knead for about a minute. Divide dough in half and form each half into a round loaf. Place loaves on an ungreased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F. Remove plastic wrap/towel and make a few slashes with a knife on the tops of the loaves. Bake loaves for 30-40 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and make a hollow sound when gently tapped on the bottom. Remove to wire racks and allow to cool before slicing.

Makes 2 ~8-inch diameter loaves.

*****

If you want a darker crust, brush the loaves with milk or an egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water, milk or cream) before baking.

You may freeze one of the loaves if you like. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil. To thaw the loaf, unwrap and allow to thaw on the counter. Or wrap loaf in aluminum foil and heat in a 325F oven for 15 minutes, remove foil and leave in oven for 5 more minutes.

Feel free to add herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives, etc.), olives, carmelized onions, pancetta, etc. If using dried herbs, add them at the same time as the oil and salt. Other add-ins can be incorporated after the 2-hour rise and before forming the loaves.

More pictures at Flickr

I am really rather tired after a good bit of baking and cooking on Saturday, but I can’t fall asleep.

I’ve written the recipes and prepped the photos for the two recipes to be posted on Sunday (today, actually) *and* I went through the archived pictures on my old Mac to find pictures that I never uploaded to Flickr. Quite a few pictures from 5-6 years ago. I even found some of the originals of some that were uploaded at smaller sizes. Of course I could find none of the ones I really wanted.

I’ve been working on a pattern for knit cherries. It’s coming along and I just need to knit it a couple more times to make sure there aren’t any glaring mistakes. I am knitting a variety of citrus fruits too, but using existing patterns for those.

Ugh, I’ve been awake for 20 hours now. I should be sleepy and content. I had comfort food for dinner! Might as well go lay down and see if sleep will overtake me.

Number of olives knit this week: 2 (1 black, 1 green)
Total for the year to date: 13