Strawberry Salad Recipe

The strawberry salad I made was delish! I (sort of) followed this recipe from a website.

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 cups baby arugula or torn arugula leaves
2 cups sliced strawberries (about 10 ounces)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved and crumbled into small pieces (1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar (see Ingredient note)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl; let cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add arugula, strawberries, Parmesan, pepper and salt. Sprinkle vinegar and oil over the salad; toss gently and serve at once.

My modifications:
I used both arugula and spinach.
I don't like salads drenched in dressing, so I sprinkled about a teaspoon of the balsamic and oil mix into the salad.

Strawberry Festival

Hubster and I had a strawberry festival for dinner last night!

Steak with strawberry salad.



And for dessert? Strawberries, served from my Grandmother's strawberry bowl, of course!



This time of year, I eat strawberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner! And, thanks to the Strawberry Trick, I prepare them quickly and without any waste.

Pocket Park Knitting

It's been raining 40 days and 40 nights here. And just when I thought I should be building an ark, we had sunny day!

A good day to run around and complete chores. For a few minutes, however, I was able to set aside my to-do list and put down the shopping bags.

Tucked behind a movie theater and some shops, I saw a waterfall!



NYC has these pocket parks throughout the city. In the middle of block, suddenly there's greenery and seating. A place to rest and block out the city noises.

Or a place to quietly sit and knit.

Monogamy Part 2

It isn't about the sharp points, smooth join or strong cable.



Another view: (That's a 24" Addi circling the sock.)



It's the size.

I've knit socks on dpns, two circulars and magic loop. Never really felt totally comfortable with any of them. Knitting with dpns is like wrestling with a porcupine. Two circs--hated the dangly ends. Magic loop--I never was one for Mickey Mouse ears.

That's a size 1/9" Hiya Hiya needle. Cast on 68 stitches--on that one needle-- and away we go! Not having to shift and adjust needles, the knitting is so fast.

And that teeny, tiny needle is just so darn cute!

So far, so good. Surprisingly, my hands aren't cramping. And I feel like such a speed-demon!

Monogamy

I'm sorry. I tried to be monogamous to my Summer Lake Shawl. It lasted for a while. And it was good.

But then Gail at Knitty City whispered about something I might be interested in. Something fun and different.

To quiet my thoughts, I brought something new to my relationship with the Summer Lake Shawl.

That worked for a few days. But every time I greeted a friend or answered the phone, I'd hear the name of my infatuation.

Friday afternoon, Knitty City suddenly appeared in front of me and I was weak.

By Friday evening, my new love and I were in a full-blown relationship.

31 Days

IF I want to wear the Summer Lake Shawl at the summer lake,


I have 31 days to finish it.

I know you're thinking, "Piece of cake. What's the problem?"

The problem is


Since the Kindle entered my life, all I want to do is read, read, read. There's so many wonderful books out there and all it takes is a click.

I get obsessed when I read. I can't just read a few pages and set the book aside--or in this case, flick the switch off. And since I'm unable to walk and talk at the same time, I certainly can't read and knit at the same time.

The solution--


I'm back to audiobooks. Light reading for the next month. (Is listening to audiobooks considered reading?)

This is the only way I can stay focused when I knit. Even TV watching causes too many distractions for me. Listening to music makes me sleepy. And sitting in the quiet and knitting? You've got to be kidding! Knitters Review, Ravelry and blog-reading beckon and I should vacuum, the cat needs brushing and just look at my raggedy nails!

31 days. As soon as I finish that skein seen in the photo, I'll be at the half-way point. Next up will be the scary Math of Finishing.

A NY Moment

NYC isn't always about glitz and glamour.

New York is the people. An ethnic broth of people.

Saturday evening, we went to dinner in the Village. Ate at Rocco. It's been in business since 1922. (Click on photos to make larger.)


And as I was inhaling the best chicken scarpariello ever, we heard the bells of a nearby church ringing. And ringing. And ringing.

Shortly after that, I look up and see a Franciscan priest walk by in his brown robes. OK, this is NYC - nothing suprises me. Then we hear music in the street and see this going by--

St. Anthony being hauled down the street.


See the Franciscans?


The people wearing the Italian flag hats were playing the music.


June 13th is the feast of St. Anthony and the Church of St. Anthony celebrates their saint in a big way. They've been doing this since 1866.

It's tempting to say that for a moment, it didn't feel like NYC anymore. But I would be wrong. This was probably one of the most New York moments I've ever experienced.

Guilty by Lace

Saw a very good movie the other night--The Letter starring Bette Davis.

What made this movie over-the-top excellent for me was that lace was featured prominently in it. Lace was not only a plot point and a metaphor--but, it also seemed to be a character itself.

The Bette Davis character is a hooker. . . uh, that is a crocheter.



Look at that--Bette needs magnifying glasses.

When Bette is asked why she shot a man, she answers that he made advances towards her while she was working on her lace.
Sounds like a good reason to shoot somebody to me.

Later, Bette's lawyer asks why she does lace and Bette says she has nothing else to do and that it soothes her. Her lawyer, doubting Bette's motivation as to why she really shot the man, responds in a sinister manner that it also helps her to forget things.

Well that lawyer obviously never worked lace! I don't know about you, but when I'm knitting lace, my mind tends to wander away from the K2togs and yarn overs and I start thinking about what that Noreen said to me in third grade after lunch on the Thursday when we had the telling-time arithmetic test and it snowed that day.

But maybe it's different for hookers. . . uh, crocheters.

Anyways here's Bette's lace project:



Cue the dramatic music and the meaningful "yeah, right" exchange of looks. Bette claims it's going to be a spread for the bed she and her husband share.

Not only is crocheted lace featured, but Bette wears some beautiful lace accessories. She wrapped herself in this gorgeous huge shawl while on a tense, mysterious mission.
Sonja, you'll have to tell us what kind of lace it is:


And later. Poor Bette! Will there be blood on this jabot?


I think I have to see this movie again. Next time, I'll take more pictures of the lace pay more attention to the story.

She's Not an Imaginary Friend!

When I began to blog, I did so to keep track of my knitting progress. I didn't think anybody would actually read this thing.

However, thru this blog, I've virtually met some very lovely, talented and supportive people.

But, today, I met in real-life one of my blog buddies!

Hi, Jeannie!



Jeannie, aka minipurl, took a day-trip to NYC and we met up at the best yarn store in town, Knitty City.

Hop on over to Jeannie's blog to cheer her along as she makes the February Lady Sweater.

YAY Jeannie! You can do it!

At Knitty City, Jeannie bought some buttons and sock yarn.

And me? How could I resist this?

I is for

IRONWORK

This exercise in participating in the Ravelry ABC-Along with my emphasis on NYS / NYC has made me to look closer at my city.

"I" really had me stumped. Until I walked down the street one day and noticed all the ironwork. Not just simple bars of steel--decorative ironwork.

Take a walk with me:

Setting the Table

One thing I used to collect was vintage tablecloths. Those printed cloths that were made from the 1930s to 1960s. They were printed with florals or fruits. Some had geometric shapes. Others were whimsical with drawings of kitchen utensils. There were also cloths that pictured scenery and people.

Saying I collect them isn't quite right. I didn't buy the tablecloths and safely store them. I used them. And that's why I only have a few left. (There's several more somewhere. Probably in the laundry.)



And saying I used to collect them isn't quite right either. I still keep my eye out for these beautiful old tablecloths. There aren't as many out there anymore and the prices have gotten sky-high. So I've gotten a lot fussier about the condition of the tablecloth in order to justify the cost.

But when I use these tablecloths, I think of the other women who set their tables with them. Did they like to place the dishes just-so to best show the motifs? Did they use them to bring some color to the table? Did anybody else bring out the strawberry tablecloth on the gloomiest, coldest winter day?

Do I set my table with their memories? Is our present and future served up along with other times, other people?