Highly Commended… Again
So I didn’t get the friggin’ blue ribbon. I told the Snook on the way to the Arts Preview tonight that me knitting Na Craga was pretty much the equivalent of Kate Winslet doing a Holocaust movie. I was pandering, and I knew it. If ever I had a shot, this was the year. We arrived and immediately ran into a couple Ravelers. “We won’t spoil it,” they said. “Go look for yourself.” I dragged Snookums through the throng to the knitting cases. And there was my beautiful jumper, completely bunched up and mangled with fishing line… and with a red “Highly Commended” ribbon on it. Again. I know I am a complete and utter ingrate, but I had to strain to be cheerful. Despite my protestations to the contrary over the past couple of weeks, it appears that I really did have a lot vested into the outcome of the contest. I know it’s silly. Still, I couldn’t help but look upon the blue ribbon winner – a cream cardigan with BOBBLES, for god’s sake – with scorn. Don’t they know how hot Snookums looked in it? Grrr. Anyway, I quickly drowned my sorrows at the open bar. (Hey, if they’re going to charge me $25 plus transport to get out there, I’m going to make it worth my while.) There were loads of Ravelers present, and we even managed to get together for a group picture. Congrats to Donna and Ailsa and Sally and Emma and Gemma, and everyone else who exhibited and who I missed in my irritated drunkenness. HOWEVER, I was extremely pleased to see that Gary Gentle has continued his wonderful tradition of naked lady marquetry. His 2009 entry was exceptionally exquisite!

The Locavore’s Dilemma. One woman’s struggle to use up the abundance of vegetables in her CSA that she doesn’t particularly like. I’ll be interested to see what sort of stuff we get in the winter. So far there have only been a few things that have been problematic for us: curly endive, silverbeet, celery, and oranges. (Yes, oranges. They really pile up if you don’t eat them regularly, and juicing by hand is a pain.) Some people get really freaked out when I tell them about our veggie box and that we don’t usually get to choose what’s in it. I guess we tend to think of it as a fun challenge, and it’s a good excuse to try out recipes you might not have otherwise. (Link courtesy of Mary-Helen.)

Fun discovery! One of Michael Stipe’s friends is a knitter, and he regularly models her stuff for her Ravelry notebook.

I think I just saw God in a Snuggie.

Argh! What was I thinking, baking cookies? I should’ve made Yoko’s Cool and Sweet Dessert. There aren’t many recipes that include the line: “Make sure to chant an affirmation that this sweet desert will bring peace and love to the lives of all who eat it.”

Autumn Yumminess
Man, there has been a distinct chill in the air these last couple evenings! Tonight as I was heading out of work in the dark – we finally had Daylight Savings – I found myself thinking of warm, sustaining comfort food. We still had loads of veg from the box on the weekend. I got home and set to work making pumpkin, potato, and leek soup. While that was simmering on the stove, I decided that we needed some sort of treat to go along with it. A quick check of the pantry revealed several partial containers of honey that needed to be used up. Honey nut cookies!

The cookies turned out great. I subbed in walnuts for the cashews since that’s what I had to hand. I was worried at the shininess and wetness of the dough, but they didn’t spread too much in the oven. The soup was hearty and filling, if not exactly complicated in terms of flavour. (It’s basically onion, potato, and pumpkin simmered in milk for 45 minutes, then blended before adding fried leek and boiled white rice.) It’s very cheap though, and we’ve got plenty left over for lunch.

The second photo there is of the Chocolate and Beetroot Cake that the Snook made on Saturday. As Rachel guessed, it was pretty earthy. However, it was still really good. I’m not the hugest fan of beetroot – I tend to think it tastes like dirt – but it was very well masked by the cocoa in the cake. It turned out dense and moist, and if you didn’t know that it had beets in it I doubt you’d guess. Parents – this is a good one to trick your kids into eating vegetables!

Some nice discussion in defense of musicals over at AskMetafilter. I always have to bookmark these things because every few years the Snook declares he hates all musicals, and I have to point out that that’s a silly thing to say.

Happy birthday to my gorgeous niece Indie, who turned 1-year-old over the weekend. My sister has just posted photos of the party. She made an amazing three-tiered birthday cake complete with a fondant Indie and a marzipan Buster.