Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Pancakes
from: The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen note: This is an update of the original Moosewood Cookbook from 1977 so the same or similar recipe may be in that edition as well

4 cups (packed) coarsely grated sweet potatoes (recipe says 1 large or 2 medium - I had 1 large and only got 3 cups so...) done with the largest grate on my box grater
1/2 cup grated onion I used vidalia. I grate onion with the small grate on my flat hand grater to get it very fine
3 to 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
4 beaten eggs (yolks optional) I used the whole eggs since I didn't have another use for the yolks
1/3 cup flour
optional: 1/3 cup minced parsley I used a random small handful

oil for frying
toppings: sour cream or yogurt
applesauce

1) Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2) Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet until it is very hot. (A fleck of batter should sizzle on contact.)
3) Use a non-slotted spoon to form thin pancakes, patting the batter down. Fry on both sides until brown, adding small amounts of additional oil, if/as needed.
4) serve hot, with toppings.

This is basically the same as a regular potato pancake recipe but I never thought of using sweet potatoes. It is a really good idea! They come out nicely colored orange and taste great.
Oh, the recipe says 4 to 6 servings but I don't see that happening. Maybe as breakfast with a bunch of other stuff. I adapted the recipe the go along with my 3 cups of sweet potato and the two of us ate almost all of them for dinner with a soysage/polish sausage each on the side.

Making Pancakes like... Hotcakes

This has unintentionally turned out to be the summer of the pancake in my house. When we realized how many pancake varieties we've already tried we decided to make it official and keep it up with the pancakes. Pancakes make a good quick Friday night supper. And so, I blog them to spread the pancake wealth. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of any we've made so far - some of them looked pretty good. I'll blog each recipe separately - so far we've had Sweet Potato Pancakes, Banana Pancakes (these were a breakfast), and Cottage Cheese Apple Pancakes. Up to bat next is Zucchini Feta Pancakes. Then, who knows.... the search for other crazy pancakes begins.

Damn you, George!

"George" sock #1 is done, finally. Well, I shouldn't be blaming George - he's just the yarn color. ;-) It isn't his fault that I tried a different pattern with more stitches and it took too long for no-patience-me. But, it didn't quite turn out as I planned. The pattern was only supposed to be at a tighter gauge than the other Fixation sock I made. It did come out at a much tighter gauge but the result was that it was pretty thick (definitely a winter sock) and a little bit too big. For my foot that is. Then I got the idea to see if it would fit my husband's giant foot by any chance. And it did! He proclaimed it a perfect fit, "very comfortable" and said he wanted them. So I guess he will be getting socks sooner than I planned. Luckily I made this in a man friendly color so it all worked out.

Cascade Fixation 9891 "George" Pattern: Two-Toed Sock (without the color changes)

In other knitting news, I have started a Ballband Dishcloth - made famous by Mason-Dixon Knitting but also available inside the band of Peaches & Cream cotton and on their website. I really like the way it is turning out so far although it seems a little big for a dishcloth. (I have gauge but it is still bigger than the pattern says it should be. huh.)

Annnnnd, one more thing. My great-grandmother's darning egg! My mom had it and passed it on to me when I started making socks. I had seen it around the house (in an antique wooden bowl with some yarn bobbins) but I never knew what it was for until my sock class. My mom knows my great-grandmother (her father's mother) knitted but she's not sure if she made socks or if she used this for darning store bought socks. I used it today for weaving up George!

Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing that I like most!

Title courtesy of Frances, of course. ;-) Just a post of the jams I have made this summer so I can keep track to know how much to make next year.

Strawberry: 13 jelly jars (2 batches certo & 1 smaller batch?)

Cherry: 15 jelly jars (2 Sour Cherry, 3 Sour Cherry Almond, 2 Sweet Cherry Vanilla, 3 Sweet Cherry, 5 Sweet & Sour Cherry) (3 batches)

Black Raspberry: 11 jelly jars (2 batches)

Update: Blueberry: 7 jelly jars (1 batch) (not local berries)

Gooseberry: 1 batch (farmer's market berries)
Red Currant: 1 batch (farmer's market berries)
Peach: 2 or 3 batches (fresh picked)

notes: the certo set up better than the surejell; don't make cherry vanilla again, Sour cherry almond is the favorite cherry

updating 2007 just in time for 2008 ;-)

Tiny sock!

I have turned the heel on the first of the "George" colored pair, but then I felt like something a little different. Like a tiny sock! I am in love with it and am thinking about starting another one. I'm thinking of making a tiny pair for my sister who keeps trying to get me to make her socks. ;-) And Christmas presents... Oh and somebody suggested giving one as an "IOU" for a sock gift - that way the recipient can pick the color and you can check their size. Anyway, here's my first tiny sock! Made from leftover Fixation in "Koi": Pattern here
updated to add the sock measurements: almost 2 1/2" high from cuff to heel, leg is 1" across, foot is 2"
Oh, and I had my first Sock Club meeting the other night. It was great! Everybody is nice, the leader/shop owner is great. She showed me how to fix the dropped stitch at the way top of my George sock that I didn't notice until the heel (eye roll) and next week she will be demo-ing different heel methods to the group.

First Socks!

They are done! Here they are!

Cascade Fixation #9877 "Koi" Pattern = "Cookie's Beginner Socks" by my sock class instructor

I am so impressed with myself. :-) They actually turned out to match pretty good except for the way top of the cuff, despite the way it looked when I was working on the second one. The toes are the same, the heels are almost the same...
And now here is one of them on my feet...

Grungy porch floor we haven't painted yet. Don't ask me why I walked out there instead of asking the photographer to come in where it was clean. sigh. Oh shoot, and the cuff curled when I put it on and I didn't notice. They are actually the same length.

I am in love with the pattern, she chooses the simplest way to do each thing and writes out more of the lines - instead of saying continue in this manner as much as most patterns do. Some of the more advanced knitters learned kitchener for the toe finish but I did not. Maybe next class I take from her, after I am a more advanced knitter.

In other sock news...
a) My sock club has been postponed a week so it won't be starting tomorrow. :-(
b) This is the fixation I bought the other day - #9891 "George" It has light brown, green (doesn't really come through in the photo), and two shades of blue
c) And this is the "baby blues" Panda Cotton I bought the other day. I cast on the fixation first because I don't have the right size needles yet for this and the knit store was out of them...

Sock Report!

Both socks from my first pair are done up to the toe! Tomorrow is my last sock class when we will be learning the toe and misc. other things to do to them like weaving ends. Then we'll be covering other sock info she wants to share with us.

In other sock related news: Yesterday I went to a yarn store I hadn't been to yet - the Spinning Room which was really nice! I got two balls of Cascade Fixation in a color I hadn't been able to find yet (9891), a pair of dpns in a size I needed, and two balls of Panda Cotton - a bamboo blend (in baby blues). (Photo to come!) Plus, they are starting a sock club "Sock it to me" that I signed up for! It sounds like fun and the best part is that it is free with the purchase of sock yarn (which you'd need anyway). Here's the description from the class listing:
Sock It To ME! Sneaker socks, loud socks, wild socks, classy socks. Socks on double-points, socks on 2 circulars... We'll meet every Monday night during the month of July to work on a choice of several socks with different designs...not just your average sock! We'll share tricks that work, as well as what doesn't, and motivate each other to complete TWO socks... that's right, a pair of socks! The pulse of this congenial group will be discussion of favorite books or movies. So bring a pad and pencil, your yarn and needles and let's get knitting socks! Suggested patterns are available and we'll entertain patterns from the group...Members should have made at least one item that looks vaguely like a sock in their recent lifetime....We plan on scheduling this club into August as well. Monday nights in July, 7 pm - 8:30 pm
It starts Monday so I'll have a sock filled weekend!

Socks Part 1

Here I am finally remembering to upload the beginning of my sock. Just in time for class #2 tomorrow. ;-) I actually have two socks at the same point because with two weeks between classes and 16 hours in the car last week I had plenty of time to do both legs.

Yes, the tops are quite different on the two socks, thanks for noticing. Apparently Cascade Fixation cannot be trusted. I couldn't tell for sure how their colors worked, but since the first sock (on the right) came out pretty much stripey (o.k., sometimes diagonal stripes) I thought the other one might too. I even started them both with the same color in case that mattered. Nope. The sock on the left has a giant splotch of color (blue and yellow on this side of the sock and red and orange on the other side) then moves into the stripes. Eh, I don't care, it's not like it's real striping yarn or anything.
update: I just found out this colorway is called "koi". Yeah, I guess it is all the colors of different colored koi all in one sock...

Spiffy purse

This is the felted crochet purse I made my mom for her birthday. At first I wasn't sure about it because it turned out pretty round... then my sister said "it needs a snap." By jove, she was right. Two giant snaps later and the round purse was more of an oval clutch purse kind of shape. Then I decorated it with funky buttons. It is crocheted with two strands of Knit Picks Decadence held together - Chocolate and... shoot. I forget what the dark blue is called. Not tide, that's the lighter blue. They don't have the dark blue right now so I can't look it up. Anyway, dark blue Decadence. The pattern was me messing around with a felted hat pattern and a felted bowl pattern and kind of combining them and adding straps. Unfortunately I didn't exactly write down what I did so I'm not sure if the one I'm working on now will turn out the same or not.

edited to fix an annoying spelling error

No Sheep for You Squeee!

I just got my June package of yarn from my No Sheep for You Secret Swap partner! As you will see below, I got two skeins of gorgeous Cherry Tree Hill North Country Cotton in Gypsy Rose.

It is destined to be one or two pairs of socks! Depending on if I decide to use the fancy pattern I got with it "Butterfly Wings" or go for shorter socks for this. My partner also sent me the pretty stitch markers you see in the photo with the yarn. Thanks so much secret swapper!

Speaking of socks... my sock class is going well! Well, o.k., I had to stay late on Saturday to start over because I'd messed something up. But I've got the hang of it now! Of course, this is just the easy part (the leg) and the next class will tackle the heel. There will probably be a photo of my progress later today or tomorrow as I am almost done with the first leg. (I got two sets of needles so I could start both the socks since the next class doesn't meet for two weeks.)