Friday, January 29, 2010

Television: Who, Bishop, Winchester

I am totally captivated by three shows at the moment... the new "Dr. Who", courtesy of Netflix's "watch it now" streamed over my TV, "Fringe", and "Supernatural".  I'm trying to avoid obvious spoilers.

Last night's "Supernatural" was a hoot... a teenage magic-dabbler pulled a Freaky Friday on Sam.  It was hilarious and terrible at the same time.

Fringe dipped into the Bishop family past, letting us know a bit about Robert Bishop, Walter's father.  It also gave us insight into just how much Peter's opinion of his father has changed.  Next week appears to be a humdinger of a mythology episode, getting back to events in "the pattern".  Walter trying to match-make Olivia and Peter was cute.  Even mad scientists can get nostalgic at weddings.

The new Dr. Who has been my go-to show for knitting this week.  I started over at the beginning, taking me through Christopher Eccleson into David Tennant, who is my favorite Doctor so far.  I record an entertainment show on BBCA, "The Graham Norton Show"  somewhat like other late-night shows, where they had a Tennant Who special with various other guests as well.  It was hilarious.  If you're an Anglophile at all, like me, I highly recommend it.  They have American guests you'd recognize quite frequently.  I think Robert Downey Jr. was promoting "Sherlock Holmes" a few weeks ago.

I have also recently discovered that I can get all my Revision 3 video podcasts delivered automatically to my TiVo.  The Totally Rad Show, Diggnation, and HD Nation now pop up on my "What's Playing" list and I LOVE it.  I finally don't feel like I'm months behind.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Miscellaneous: Leaving Online Communities

There are many ways to leave an online forum.  You can write one last, long goodbye, detailing the reasons.  You can leave a short, curt message.  You can post a nasty picture, comparing the contents to the site's moderator.  You can combine the above with weeks of "You people suck!" posts, never really leaving until someone boots you.  Or you can leave without a word.

I always waffle between the first and last options.  Leaving without saying a word seems the classier, more adult way of doing things.  But, if you don't tell them what annoyed you into leaving, how are they ever going to learn?

I belong to quite a few groups on Ravelry... fans of certain TV shows, 80's nostalgia groups, writers who knit, etc.  Lately a few groups have been... annoying me.  Mostly due to the lack of maturity in the moderators who monitor the groups.  I mean, it's one thing when a group member uses every single topic thread designated for a specific episode of a show as their personal chat room about boys, ice cream, budget problems, etc.  It's an entirely different thing when the MOD is doing it.

Not much room for complaint there.

So I have decided to leave the problem group without a word, but complain here.  Fun for you, huh?  :D

As the internet, and our presence on it, becomes  more important over the years, it becomes crucial to remember that the way we present ourselves here is just as important as face-to-face contact.  Perhaps even more important, since sites like The Wayback Machine can archive and preserve our glory and stupidity equally well for YEARS to come. 

As a side note, I wonder how they can afford storage for that site.  It seems mind-boggling.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Knitting: Done with Fancypants



I am done with the fancypants mittens, and quite honestly I never want to make another pair.  It was an all-around fussy, frustrating experience, all for a pair of mittens that lets the cold air in through the HUGE cuffs the designer put on every pair.  HUGE.  The ones I made are ONE THIRD the  length of those called for, and they come up to my mid-forearm.  The cuffs are also big enough to smuggle doughnuts in.  I'm seriously considering adding some kind of elastic or drawstring to keep the cold air out.

I have started on the Knit Picks Classic Lines Cardigan.  In fact, I'm done with one sleeve.  This is going to be another one of those "barely there" cardigans, which I knew going in because it's made of two stranded laceweight.  I had to start over at one point too, because I wasn't happy with the contrast of the Sherry shimmer with the Hot Rod Shadow... so I switched the Shimmer color to Galaxy, a sort of purple color.  I guess my Minnesota upbringing thinks a sweater should be a weighty thing, not lingerie-like.  One sleeve took me two days... I'm hoping the whole sweater, knit in the round and steeked for the front opening, will take a week. 

My order from Knit Picks arrives on Thursday, if the tracking information is accurate.  I ordered some more #7 DPNs (I really have to get out of the habit of using them as hair sticks) and a sweater's worth of Cottlin in "Planetarium".  After knitting the Sweetheart Nightie, I'm craving a cotton pullover.  I'm thinking about the "Threepenny Pullover" but that's not set in stone yet.  The yarn is the wrong guage for one thing.

I could go with the "Delphine" from French Girl Knits, but that's a little too summery right now.  I may just save the yarn for later, which pains me, since I've been doing so good with my "knit-from-stash-or-right-when-you-get-the-yarn" resolution.  Maybe I'll just knit a second pair of the Spot Check socks with the gazillion skeins of sock yarn I have lying around.  We'll see.


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Gaming: Virtual Buffet

This week I have been taking sips and slurps from several different games... mostly because my knitting has become my obsession again.

Star Trek Online had a patch last week, and it changed some things for the better.  They opened up some PvP arenas which helped a lot, mostly because you can choose between ship battles and ground battles, AND choose between co-operative PvP and combative.  It's still not the ratio I'd like, but I suppose it's their beta test, we're just playing in it.

I've been struggling to re-do all the levels in Farm Frenzy 3: American Pie at Gold status.  I swear these people build a few levels that simply cannot be completed in time just to tick me off.

Other than that, I've mostly been trying out a few of the games I got on Steam at bargain prices over the holidays.  I'm sad that it took me this long to try Prototype, as it's really a neat game.  I think I would have enjoyed it more on the 360, but you can't beat getting it at less than $10.  I think Steam went insane, it's the only explaination.  Prototype is similar in some ways to Darkness, a game that I blazed through on the 360 and even started to play a second time through, which is rare for me.  I'm not liking Prototype's controls on the PC though.  I think a controller would be helpful.

I'm also expecting delivery of my new video card today.  My old ATI HD3650 died (its processor fan suddenly stopped working) so I am hobbling along on an Nvidia card hubby had laying around.  I was amazed that Star Trek online (STO) would even work on it.  Prototype gave me a huge, pink blur the first time around.  It pained me to have to install new drivers for a card that is going to be removed in a few days.

We are also preparing for the move to Windows 7.  My daughter is not keen on the idea, but I'm looking forward to having a feature that will limit her computer time to a time of day of my choosing.  It might make bedtime less... argumentative?

Back on topic, STO finishes Beta today at 6pm, and the servers will be down until the "Head Start" event begins on Friday.  It will go live shortly after.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Food: Odds and Ends

This weekend, my husband and I both had cravings for a decent chef's salad.  In my opinion, there are a few key ingredients necessary for a decent chef's salad.  They are:

1.  Hard boiled eggs
2.  French or Russian salad dressing (the red kind, not the creamy kind)
3.  Cheese
4.  And of course, tomatoes and decent greens.

The day before yesterday, I would have said that you also needed ham or chicken, but I've found that as long as you put tomatoes in it and crumble up a slice of bacon on top, you don't miss them.  Or it could have been this amazing homemade french dressing I made to put on top.  I was out, and Ranch wasn't going to make the grade.  So I improvised.  I'm writing it down here in case I ever want to make it again.

1/4 C white vinegar
1/2 C light oil (I used a canola blend.  Don't use one that solidifies in the fridge)
1/2 C Ketchup
2 Tbs. Sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper


Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, or place in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake the heck out of it.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Refrigerate. 

This should keep at least one month in the fridge, and possibly longer with the sugar and salt in it, as those are hygroscopic ingredients that bacteria seem to dislike.  The high-acid content should help also.

I have this cute little cruet with a built-in whisk in the lid that I use for my salad dressings.  I bought it three years ago, and I've used it so much I've worn the dressing recipes off the sides.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Television: Recycling X-Files Scripts... go GREEN!

TV is back on again!  If you're like me, the hiatus over the holidays makes for some serious boredom.  Fortunately, we've made it through another year, and the shows are starting to trickle back in through the office building doors, dragging their feet back to the cubicles.  Much like we (okay, you guys) did.

Fantastic things this week, I don't know where to begin!

First, the premiere of a mid-season replacement series... Human Target.  Since you all are not the rabid Rick Springfield fans that I am, you are not aware that they tried to create this show several years ago with Rick in the leading role.  Now they have some Daniel Craig wannabe.  Once I got past that, I enjoyed this show.  Nice action, interesting characters, and enough mystery to keep me shouting at the TV (The bartender has a gun!  DUCK!!).  As long as the blonde cylon chick isn't a recurring character, I'll be happy.

Supernatural had a new episode last night, but I'm saving it to watch later today when I can cackle with glee.  Apparently Dean drops his pants.  *snicker*

Fringe was also back, with what looks like a recycled X-files script that never made it to production.  How a 75-million year old virus fits in with "the Pattern" is beyond me.  Are they even touting "the Pattern" as a plot point anymore?  You know, I was hoping that Fringe would keep the mythology episodes to a minimum, but now this is getting ridiculous.  I take it back, okay?

LOST is still premiering on February 2nd, despite a brief scare that the State of the Union address would conflict.  Now there are nutballs in some LOST forums I frequent claiming that the president must be a fan, or that public pressure made him reschedule.  Puh-lease.  I hope they're joking.  It would be nice if he'd schedule that during the holiday hiatus... like say, a week ago?  I'd bet more people would watch.

Now, if only V would come back.  I miss it terribly.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Knitting: Go Speed Racer

Holy guacamole, I actually started and finished a pair of knee-high socks since last week... I guess the title of world's slowest sock knitter needs to move on, eh? I even made them longer than usual.





I've also just cast on a pair of mittens from the book "Magnificent Mittens and Socks" I love this book and hate this book at the same time. One the one hand, it's full of interesting-looking mittens and socks. On the other hand, it has that annoying habit of saying "For this mitten, work the steps as for Mitten Y" and then when you get to the generic instructions for Mitten Y, the first step reads "Do this mitten as you would for mitten Z" I mean, is it a flip book, or a pattern book? Here's an idea... put the directions on every freakin' pattern. Would it kill you to put an inset box in the corner of that full-page color photo of the finished product?

Actually, the instructions aren't that complex.  HOWEVER, had I known that what I was reading at the front of the book was never to be repeated again, I would have paid attention more.  The patterns are cute, and once you actually try to put together a mitten, the instructions are easyish to follow.  The problem is the flipping to three different pages to find out the steps.  Fortunately it seems like you only need to do it once, and it's easy to remember how for the second and subsequent mittens, and all you need is the chart.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Gaming: Not So Much

Well, I'm not as thrilled with "Star Trek Online" as I wanted to be. It's not that it doesn't capture the flavor of Trek... it does, and quite accurately. The problem is that it is 99% a flight sim with lasers and photon torpedos.

Have I mentioned I hate flight sims?

I would be much happier if it was even %50 flight sim and %50 away team missions, but so far beaming down to the planet is very, very rare. And it sucks.

I guess that my problem with flight sims and dogfighting games is that I have to put the majority of my concentration into flying my plane, ship, or whathaveyou. So much effort, just to keep the enemy in the crosshairs. Then I keep having to remember which button fires the weapon, how to route more power to the shields, all this while turning loop-de-loops. I'm sure the guy fans just LOVE this.

Me, I'd rather be running diplomatic missions.

Maybe as I level my ship won't feel like a sluggish drunkard to steer, but right now I'm hate hate HATING it. And no, a joystick controller won't help, assuming they're enabled. I tried that with Star Wars Galaxies and it just made my flying a different kind of complex.

Sigh. Well, at least I won't have to figure out where to come up with $240 for a lifetime subscription.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Food: Taking a Sick Day

Well, to be honest, a whole week. I thought we had these colds licked, but it turns out they were just hiding so they could regroup. My sinuses hate me at the moment.

It's an opportunity to dig out some of the more spicy items I have stashed in the freezer though. I have one dinner of a really spicy chicken curry that shall be making an appearance this week, with some of my white rice purchased on sale as a side.

I am just now noticing that I still have a crap-ton of cake mixes from the sale extravaganza last fall... the 10 for $10 deals? Fortunately we are fans of the sweets, but honestly... that's a lot of cake. Even baking one a month (and that's pushing it, because the cake pan takes up a lot of space in the fridge) I'm set for the next year. And no, I refuse to eat it all myself. My hips and I thank you for the thought, though.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Knitting Supplemental: Irritated Again

If there is one thing Knit Picks does that irritates the heck out of me, it is that they are constantly discontinuing yarn colors. I can't knit fast enough to get to every colorway I want to try, and usually by the time I get to something, *POOF* they've discontinued it.

I now notice that their Kettle Dyed Stroll sock yarns are all on sale. This fills me with a profound feeling of dread, not only because my beloved "Eggplant" has "Last Chance" next to it, but because I am the WORLD'S SLOWEST SOCK KNITTER.

I'm about to give up. I could live with "Petunia" being discontinued. I was irritated with the hot pink cottlin being discontinued, but I had used *some* so I wasn't despondent. But what has Knit Picks got against PURPLE? Seems like every line of yarns I like, the purples are limited, muddy, or being discontinued.

Knit Picks needs to learn that the entire world does NOT have the same color-palette taste that they do. If they're doing these things from a numbers/sales standpoint, then hey, I guess I can understand... although keeping a limited amount of low-selling colors on hand doesn't really cost them anything. It's a web store, not brick and mortar. But my impression is that they're making their decisions based on what the people around the office like, and that's the kind of thing that just bothers me.

The KP gals may not be able to think of a good use for the bright color "Caution" so they strip it from the line. Unfortunately, it's one of the perfect colors for a Harry Potter scarf in Gryffendor house colors.

Here's the thing. If I knit myself a pair of socks this year, and in two years time they wear out and I want to re-knit them, or repair them, I want to be able to do so. Unfortunately, the Knit Picks color lines seem flighty and unstable.

I was just knitting the great "Spot Check Socks" from the book "Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn". I was knitting them with Essential Kettle Dyed for the solid, and Stroll Handpainted for the multi-colored, and I was struck how nice and snuggly a sweater this would make. (The sock is knitted cuff-down, so it looks like the beginning of a sleeve). Unfortunately, while I would wear gold socks, I would never wear a gold sweater, so I was browsing the KP site to look for a better color combination. That's when I discovered the dreaded "Last Chance" tag.

Now I don't dare order enough for a sweater, because what if I don't order enough, get to near-completion, and find out it's been discontinued? UGH.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Television: Previously on...

The Dharma dye people keep sending me promotional emails when they put their non-dyed items on sale, which, considering I'm currently up to the fourth season of LOST on my re-watch rotation, I'm finding it both creepy and amusing. Since I always seem to inexplicably miss the last two or three episodes of LOST every season, last night I got to finally see the season closer for S3. Some things make more sense, some are just baffling, and some things I KNEW were coming.

Hello, Christian and Claire. Yes Jack, Aaron is your Nephew. Now grow a pair and kick the pill habit.

And someone explain to me why the Oceanic six need to lie about the island to protect the people who are still on it, when it has been proven time and again that if anyone actively goes looking for the island, they are unable to find it? And, hey, plus it's MOVED?

Also, this time around I finally noticed that the guy on the training videos has used a different name for himself in each one. I also want to go googling to see if anyone has compiled a list of the books on the show. I've got "Carrie" "The Shining" and "Watership Down" covered, and possibly some of the Philip K. Dick, but some of the more esoteric ones (was the Russian book "Catch-22"?) might stick me.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Dyeing and Store Stuff: Come on, it's the teens now.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the prototype for the "Sweetheart Nightie" is finished. Now, if only the Joann Fabrics website people would get off their heinies and MAIL my package that contains not only the zipper for my daughter's sweater (knitting of which was completed late last night) and the lingerie strap parts I need for the slip-dress/nightie, then I'd feel like I could move forward.

We're in the teens people... as in twenty-teens. 2010. We're supposed to have maniacal computers in space-stations ruining our lives. Apparently as a race we can't seem to give up doing that for ourselves. :P My point is though that what should have been two-day priority mail shipping has taken TWO WEEKS, and it doesn't even look like it left their warehouse yet. WTF?

Get with it people. It's well into the computer age, get with the program. My Grandmother handles technological change better than you.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Knitting: I'm late, you're late, everybody's LATE

Well it is Wednesday and I'm not done with my daughter's Jill Cardigan, which is just as well because I only received shipping notice on the zipper Monday and the USPS tracking number STILL is not in the system. Which means it's still sitting at the warehouse before some lazy-butt drops it at the post office.

The release of the Star Trek Online open beta yesterday didn't help on my end, that's for sure.

I am trying really hard to have a more organized knitting life this year. No more buying yarn because it's on sale if I don't have a project planned for it. No more buying $60 worth of yarn for a sweater when I've got a gazillion skeins in a different color smooshed into a space bag behind the couch. No more buying a pattern just because it's CUTE. And for God's sake, pruning the million and one patterns out of my queue on Ravelry which are only there because they look *interesting*. I have no more room for knitted crap that I will never wear... the Fish Hat being the one exception to the rule.

This is why I am questioning that although I have two space bags full of yarn stash, why I need to buy 18 skeins of Swish in white, when I've got ten skeins of Wool of the Andes in Firecracker heather just because I want my new sweater to be machine washable. Well, A) I look better in pure white than an orangey red, and B) having knit my daughter's sweater in Swish, now I want some. The extra skeins would be for a hat and matching mittens. That freaking bus stop is cold in the mornings. Like, Minnesota when I was in fifth grade cold.

They should call it "Global Changing" instead of "Global Warming". Seriously.

My Ravelry queue has changed. After the Jill sweater is done I plan on knitting the Ulmus Rectangle from the piles of sock yarn I have. If I'm not too crazy after that, a pair of mittens from the new book I bought(another habit I need to pare down... buying knitting books), and then the Knit Picks "Classic Lines Cardigan" which I've had the yarn for for almost a YEAR.

More stash knitting. That's the goal.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Gaming: Beep Beep

Despite the best of intentions, friends and family may not see much of me over the next week or two. Star Trek Online's Open Beta starts today, and my game client is installed and ready to go.

Access begins at 10am Pacific time, so you have about five hours to tell me anything you need to communicate before I move out of communications range. :D

Meanwhile, there is a new Farm Frenzy game available. Sigh.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Food: Shopping Again

The belt-tightening for the Holidays is finally over, and we can grocery shop again! Well, we can start stocking up on good deals again, we never really stopped buying.

This week we got some good deals on beef roasts, whole chickens, and white rice. I also got another 5 lb. chub of ground beef, and two pounds of ground pork so I can make some meatloaves for the freezer.

My meatloaf recipe is mostly in my head, but it's loosely based on the Ann Lander's Real Deal meatloaf. I'm pretty sure if you google it, it's there. It's a nicely firm meatloaf baked freeform (not in a pan but shaped on a cookie sheet) with three strips of bacon on top, and a small can of plain tomato sauce poured over the whole thing. It is quite good.

What I do is line a loaf pan with foil, lay in the bacon, press in the ground beef and pork mixture, then freeze. When it's solid, I pop it out of the pan and bag it. When it's time to cook, I place it on the cookie sheet and bake. Since I'm baking from frozen, I add 20 minutes. If you're unsure about this, just cook until a meat thermometer says it's 180 degrees farenheit in the center of the loaf. I don't add the tomato sauce until the last 20 minutes or so. There's no sugar, so it doesn't burn, but I like the bacon to get a bit crispier.

On the knitting front, my daughter's sweater is going really fast. I expect to have it done before Wednesday, which is good because I don't think the zipper will arrive before then. Joann is slow with shipping, and their website is ridiculous about updating shipping status... I have an order from TWO YEARS AGO that is still marked as "Processing".

Friday, January 8, 2010

Television: Are you LOST again?

So I'm rewatching all my old DVD sets of LOSTto get back into the swing of things for the early February premiere of the sixth and last season of the show. I seem to remember TPTB stating we were only getting five seasons, but what the hey, it's a good show, I won't quibble.

While watching the first seasonand knitting my daughter's new sweater, I have been struck by how many times the affectionate term "brother" has been used on the show. And far ahead of its use by Desmond, I might add. Since it was a key means for Jack to identify Desmond, it seems odd to me that both Hurley and Sawyer have used it. It occurs to me that this is the type of phrase that would be an idiosyncratic character trait, not something in wide usage. I suppose I should take this to mean that the writer himself is in love with it, and shared it with all. It annoys me when anyone other than Desmond uses it now.

Right now I am back up to the point where Locke is trying to break into the mysterious hatch in the middle of nowhere. I think everything will be alright again as soon as he gets in there.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Knitting: Designer Dreams

The Brown Silk Socks for hubby are finished! I was sitting there over the (slightly boring) New Years long weekend, contemplating casting on yet another project to amuse myself, when I smacked myself in the forehead and just picked them up and finished them off. I mean, I'd already turned the heels, I just had the leg and cuff to do, which was mindless stockinette and ribbing until the yarn ran out. So I fired up the Matrix trilogy and finished them off. There's something about the exciting action and the musical soundtrack that makes my knitting speed really, really fast.

Kind of like how the theme song from NCIS makes my spinning wheel spin faster, but on a shorter scale.

I have also started my foray into designing knit garments. It's going to be a linen-blend nightie just in time for Valentine's Day, hopefully, if I'm not a complete spaz. If your New Year's resolution is to use up some of your yarn stash, or your budget can stand a $40-$60 yarn purchase, and you'd like to be a test knitter, drop me an email at tilandra(at)gmail(dot)com. Please put "Test Knitter" in the subject line. I'm still working out the details, but I think I can swing a discount for the test knitters I select who want the final, "prettied up" pattern in their Ravelry library. I'm working the prototype in a sport-weight cotton-linen blend from Knit Picks, but I'm sure the Louet linen line would work well, also. Any decent, non-stretchy (don't want it to grow, lol) soft sport-weight with a drapey feel will work too.

It's knit in the round, and there's a long stretch of straight stockinette. I've found it's a perfect project for practicing getting my knitting speed up. I cast it on after I finished the dreaded socks, and I'm about half-way done.

Next up after I finish the prototype is a hoodie sweater for my daughter. She's been wearing a fingering-weight sweater I knit for myself every day to school, and while she looks ultra-adorable in it, it's not nearly warm enough (the light yarn makes for a drapey but not very warm fabric). I've picked the "Jill hooded sweatshirt" pattern from Knit Picks, and the yarn for it should be arriving today, if the USPS has their act together.

Then, the long cabled cardigan from Patons. I was totally crushing on this amazing sweater Helen Shaver wore in an episode of Supernatural. Here's a link to the Ravelry discussion I started in the SPN group, looking for a comparable pattern. There are a few pictures. It was surprisingly difficult to find one that fit all the requirements from the original that I wanted. Mostly I wanted that amazing collar, so that's why I chose the one I did, but the gals had several great suggestions.

That's it for knitting this week. I still haven't touched my Chinook Shawl in the living room, but it's not like I need it to keep warm. :D

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Gaming: Return to Ostagar

Bioware is releasing a new add-on module for "Dragon Age: Origins" today called "Return to Ostagar". Your character can return to the fields where King Calin fell, now covered in hordes of the enemy. The cost is 5$, or 400 Bioware/Microsoft points, depending on your platform.

Let's talk for a minute about this new trend for companies to offer to sell you points good for micro-transactions for game content. First of all, it is a deliberate attempt to obscure from people how much they're spending... who wants to do math to figure out the dollar value? Second, if there's one thing I hate, it's when their points packages that they sell are some odd number that can never be fully used. Unless you buy more points, that is. Electronic Arts, makers of The Sims 3, I'm talking to *you*.

For right now, these schemes seem to be working. Eventually though, the more savvy gamers are going to wake up and rebell. I will not pay $20 for new virtual furniture for my Sims, especially when you used to be able to buy a disk for that price with three or four times the amount of content on it. You cannot tell me maintaining the site is more expensive than pressing, shipping, and marketing disks.

It's an attempt to suck more money out of our pockets, pure and simple. I don't blame Bioware for jumping on Microsoft and EA's bandwagon, but I *am* disappointed. At least Bioware is straight-forward with their points packages and pricing, offering packages just the size of the latest content. I still have forty Microsoft points on my Xbox 360 that have been languishing there since mid-summer. And I don't think I'm getting more any time soon.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Food: Brining the Turkey

Well, since I did NOT make the turkey for New Years, I am making it sometime this week. I managed to get the great bird out of the freezer without avalanching the remaining contents onto my toes (a feat in itself) and it's currently soaking in a sugar/salt brine as it thaws in the fridge. This was one big honking bird... I'll be glad when it's stripped down into its components and the bulk of it is no longer taking up space.

Peanut butter cookies were also made and consumed this week. I cannot bake up all the dough at once. I have to do one dozen every day or they will eat them all in one day. By spreading out the baking, the cookies do last a little longer. One of these days I'm going to triple a batch, get them all baked, then freeze a bunch before they get home.

As you can probably tell, I am fooded out for now... I'd probably be happy with nothing but chinese take-out for the next month or so.