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Episode 244 was recorded blog style over the course of three days. Please excuse my lack of show notes, as my screentime these days is intense! I wanted to get some content out to listeners who have let me know that the podcast is a source of comfort. Keep up with your creative progress on #powerpantry and let me know how it’s going.
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This week, I added the Scalloway Tam to my collection of knits from Marie Wallin’s SHETLAND. I’ve also been busy with a new sewing project for Spring. This month we’re discussing sheet pan cooking. I give a number of resources in the episode, but I forgot to mention that this topic features in Issue 37: Spark of Taproot magazine. Look for more on that in the next episode, along with your comments and suggestions.
The Back Porch
And Scalloway makes FOUR. This week it was chilly and I actually layered all of my fair isle pieces at once.
#powerpantry
It all started with a roasted and glazed Brussels sprouts recipe. After that, sheet pan cooking has been pretty much a weekly event at Yin Hoo. It’s certainly not a novel idea, but when I learned to cook, stovetop preparations were more common than oven roasting, which was reserved almost exclusively for meats. But roasting is so great for vegetables, as their sugars are enhanced and their texture is preserved. I could not find the recipe I learned for Brussels sprouts, but the one below is pretty close. For the glaze, I like to use equal parts maple syrup, gourmet (not grainy) mustard, and coconut oil.
And Sew Forth
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Thanks to recipe ideas contributed by listeners, I have continued to experiment with fruit in savory dishes this week, and have discovered a dish that will go into regular rotation. It’s the perfect #powerpantry dish, too. I was invited to write an article for the NJFibershed blog, and I’ll be teaching a deep study of wool course at BLUE: The Tatter Textile Library. Also in this episode: a late-entry #homedecmal project and a Hadley top, plus a beautiful example of the sestina from the recent issue of Taproot.
News & Events
Knitting Projects
#powerpantry
The discussion of adding fruit (fresh, dried, preserves) to savory dishes continues on the Ravelry thread. Based on momdiggity’s suggestion, I tried Ina Garten’s recipe for Chicken Marbella and was thrilled with the results! Next up is Peach Chickpea Curry.
Sew Forth
Before and after a long-awaited upholstery session. I’m very pleased with the result, having no experience with this type of sewing. I used a zipper foot to put fabric around some upholstery cord, cut new foam for the seat, and re-purposed the old cover by turning it inside out to lend a little more stability to cover.
Off the Shelf
I was pleased to find a sestina by John Reinhardt in the SPARK issue of Taproot magazine. An unusual example of formal poetry, the sestina makes use of an ever-changing order of six key words at the ends of lines. Reinhardt’s use of enjambment gives the form some subtlety and variety.
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This episode’s cover art features the fiber art of Becky Stevens. Her sashiko-inspired wall hanging, More Stories to be Told, was among my favorite pieces from the Explorations in Felt exhibit at the Hunderdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey.
#powerpantry
This month, I’m thinking about fruit in savory dishes. This is a favorite combination in winter, because I can use pantry ingredients like dried fruits and preserves. Fruits can balance spicy flavors and prevent dishes from drying out. They can also lend a wonderful richness to slow-cooked dishes like tagines.
And Sew Forth
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In this episode I share the details of two finished projects and my recent visit to Vogue Knitting Live in NYC.
Katy of Katrinkles demonstrates a new tool from her shop: a small, finger-held distaff for spinning fine yarn on small spindles.
I was so fortunate to meet two fellow admirers of Marie Wallin’s designs. Admittedly, my selfie game is not too strong. Check out Dawn and Andrea in their beautiful Bressay sweaters on Ravelry. I just love their color selections. These two convinced me that Bressay will be my next garment!
Here is Robin of Birch Hollow Fibers, posing with Mary Jeanne Packer of the Battenkill Fiber Mill. Robin was one of the VKL vendors showcasing hand-dyed yarn that was spun right in the Hudson Valley. Another is Rebecca of Fuse Fiber Studios. Check out her Comfort DK.
One of the Citémômes representatives posing before sections of an epic Impressionist mosaic. Find out more how you can knit a smile by visiting the organization’s website.
Allison and I visited the Shibui booth and gushed over samples of Julie Hoover’s latest designs, including Hahn, which is now in my Ravelry queue.
Completed Washington in Foster Sheep Farm’s Concordea.
Completed Skerries mitts, designed by Marie Wallin, knit primarily in British Breeds yarn from The Woolly Thistle.
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There were so many lovely posts about listener interest in Little Women in the thread for Ep 238. Thank you for sharing. I learned that the style of shawl worn by all five characters at one point or another is called a “sontag.” And I found several articles related to fashion and textiles in Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation. Congratulations to StudioNoodling and Selkhet for winning the pattern prizes for Beth’s Shawl!
The Front Porch
#powerpantry
The theme for January is “you’ll thank yourself later.” As an example of this kitchen mantra, I share my recipe for a single pastry crust, which is just the thing to turn a fridge of unappealing leftovers into a delicious, nutritious savory pie. Here is mine just set to bake in my very dirty oven!
The thing about making a pie crust dough in advance and letting it rest in the fridge is that you don’t have to worry quite so much about your technique. A crust is much more forgiving and easier to roll out if has had several hours to rest.
I walk listeners through my technique at 40:00 in this episode. I recommend using a wire pastry cutter and a metal bowl, which can be chilled in the fridge in warm months.
Single Pie Crust
Roll out the dough and place in 9″ pie plate. Crimp edges. I spread a thick layer of shredded cheese and chopped leftovers on the bottom, then fill with a mixture of 4 beaten eggs and some milk / cream / sour cream / ricotta. Bake in a 350 oven for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set and the crust is nicely browned.
Listeners, I invite you to share your tips for working ahead on the thread for this episode. What is your signature move in the “you’ll thank yourself later” category?
PRIZES!
Thank you to Mary Jeanne Packer of Battenkill Fiber Mill, Jennie (salmonknits), Melinda of the YarnderWoman podcast, and Barb Lynn of Wild Rose Textiles for contributing prizes to our #homedecmal. I look forward to hosting this make-along again in 2020! Here is my finished linen stitch table mat in Mucklemarl yarn, something I have been very unlikely to begin or complete without the momentum provided by my fellow crafters.
