Fiber Fool

I generally consider myself pretty well versed in the consumption of veggies. I’m not a picky eater and haven’t really found many vegetables I won’t eat as long as they are prepared properly. Growing up I occasionally had pickled beets, but I do not recall ever eating them in any other form and definitely do not think my mom ever cooked with beets. So, when beets arrived in our CSA share it was off to Google I went in search of something other than pickling to do with them.

Naturally many of the recipes I saw involved roasting the beets. I figured that was pretty much a given. The post-roasting process almost universally called for some form of Dijon or mustard vinaigrette. They were also almost always served along side some meat. DH dislikes mustard. Really dislikes it. Hate might not even be going too far. So that dressing was not an option. Add to it vegetarian cooking and I was a tad stymied. I’ve always struggled with serving sides as part of a vegetarian meal. My mid-western farm upbringing just has my brain thinking in meat and potatoes mode and I can’t wrap my head around serving vegetables with vegetables. That is one my biggest stumbling blocks of cooking vegetarian. It seems like something needs to be the “main dish” and aside from uninspired grilled portobello mushrooms I was stuck on what to serve along side the beets.

I let these recipes I had found but couldn’t make swirl around in my head for a few days. Fortunately beets keep quite well, especially when still attached to their greens. Eventually inspiration struck and I got to use an additional week’s worth of CSA beets to make it (plus set aside a little of the roasted goodness to use in another fashion). While I found this to be a perfectly satisfying meal by itself, Drew would prefer it in the future as a side. It was a bit too much beet for him but he has already said I need to make it again, so that is still high praise. Given that warm reception I thought I’d share it as I’m sure we are not the last ones to get beets either from a CSA or your own garden.

Ingredients:

• ~1-1.5 lbs Beets with Greens, roots quartered and greens washed and dried
• 1 Lg Yellow Onion, cut into large wedges to match beets
• 4 Tbls Olive Oil, divided
• Salt & Black Pepper to Taste
• 2-3 Lg Cloves Garlic, lightly smashed
• 1 C Split Green Lentils with Skin (Masoor Dal)
• 3 C Water
• 4 oz Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
• 4 oz Walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped if desired

For Dressing:

• 1/4 C Olive Oil
• 1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 T Honey
• 2 Scallions, sliced thin
• 2 lg Cloves Garlic, minced
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Toss quartered beets and wedged onion together with 2 T of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a baking dish, cover and roast at 400 deg F for 45 minutes or until a fork easily passes through largest beet.

2. Meanwhile, sort through lentils looking for rocks or foreign matter. I put 1/4 cup at a time on a white dinner plate and run my hands over the top. It is often easier to feel the tiny stones than see them. Then rinse the lentils 2-4 times, until drained water runs nearly clear. Add the 3 cups of water to the rinsed lentils in a medium sauce and bring to a boil uncovered over medium heat. Once the lentils are boiling, skim off any foam, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. I find at our altitude I generally need to cook them 20 minutes. When done, turn off heat and leave covered until needed.

3. Peel and lightly smash 2-3 cloves of garlic. Place in a cold saute pan with 2 T olive oil and turn burner onto medium low heat. Let the garlic slowly infuse the oil and gently caramelize slightly.

4. Wash the beet greens by swishing them gently in a sink full of cool water, then let them float for several minutes allowing any sand or dirt particles to fall to the bottom of the sink. Disturbing the water as little as possible, remove the greens. Repeat until little dirt remains at the bottom of the sink and spin dry. Remove stems and rough chop leaves.

5. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.

6. When done roasting, cut up the beets and onions into bite size pieces.

7. Remove garlic from the saute pan and chop slightly. Then saute the washed and dried beet greens in the garlic infused olive oil 3-5 minutes or until wilted.

8. Add lentils, roasted beets and onions, cooked garlic and sauteed beet greens to the balsamic dressing and toss to coat well.

9. Top each serving with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts.

I also found the leftovers are quite satisfying cold, served atop some fresh greens and again topped with Gorgonzola and walnuts plus a pinch of fresh cracked pepper and some kosher salt. Also, if your beets no longer have the greens attached you can use spinach or kale in their place.

This week’s Ten on Tuesday is part easy and part difficult. I am one of those people who really likes having background noise. And, since I’m home alone the vast majority of the time sometimes I want people noise, not music. That means the TV is on in our house a fair amount. Though in the summer I try to stay out of the basement until evening to keep it cooler down there and more of a place to escape the heat and that is where the TV is so summer is a time of much less TV watching.

1. Obviously one of my favorite non-TV watching activities is reading. It offers many of the same components of entertainment without being so passive.
2. I will admit that sometimes one requires passive entertainment. Perhaps it is because you have a task that progresses faster (or at least appears to) if you can multitask with something a bit more enjoyable or you are not physically up to some of the other non-TV watching tasks. If that is the case I highly suggest audiobooks. I listen to them mostly when I’m knitting, but lately I’ve gotten wrapped up in a few enough to keep them playing while working in the kitchen.
3. Knit. Sometimes knitting goes more smoothly if you aren’t multitasking. Also, even easy knitting can become nicely meditative if the TV isn’t on in the background.
4. Go on a photowalk. You get a little exercise this way, but not too strenuous because you get to stop every once in a while and take a picture. This can be a great way to improve your photography too. If you don’t have many different options for a route from your your departure location try set a theme for each walk - choose a specific color, a particular f-stop, macro, type of object and see what new things you notice that you haven’t before.
5. Go to a local theater production or concert. I know in many places around the country there are Shakespeare productions being put on, often outside and usually at very reasonable prices. Also summer community bands and orchestras can often be found performing in parks and the like, again often free or for a small donation.
6. Cook or bake from scratch. Another one I’m sure you all would have never guessed I would suggest ;-) It really can take a fair amount of time to make quality food from scratch and it can also be a family activity. Drew and I spent the better part of Saturday grilling and cooking, some to eat that day and some as prep to make meals later in the week in less time. Plus, there is something extra special about a meal made together. It tastes even better than a meal made by one.
7. Garden! It is much more active than watching TV (or reading or knitting) and can help improve flexibility. Food grown by your own hands that you are proud of tastes sweeter too.
8. Play a board, card or lawn game. This is another great activity for the whole family or friends. It often promotes laughter, little healthy competition and keeps your brain engaged.
9. Visit a museum or art gallery.
10. Go to a local festival - Renaissance, cultural or on a special interest.

Don’t forget, I’m appearing over on Donna Druchunas’ blog today!

Donna Druchunas’ latest book, Successful Lace Knitting: Celebrating the Work of Dorothy Reade has a sock pattern of mine in it, Mendocino Socks. She has interviewed me for her blog and will we posting that interview tomorrow, July 27th so don’t miss it!

Crafty:

• Create your own one of a kind bottle stoppers - I think I need to make some of these to close the bottles of my homemade beauty products! But a great idea for the next time we give away bottles of homemade liqueur too.
• While we’re on the subject of homemade gifts, why not make your own gift bags too? I did this in high school a bunch. But I formed mine by wrapping around a box that had the same footprint I wanted my bag to have. I made bags from wallpaper sample books, clearance wallpaper rolls, contact paper, and stenciled or rubberstamped kraft paper.
• This is a really cute One Hour Bag pattern that I’m sure would take me more than an hour, but I might just have to take the time this week as I dust off my sewing machine for something work related this week. (via Craft)
• If you are new to handspinning or ready to learn more, Amelia at Ask the Bellwether has a great breakdown of many of the titles and what area(s) of spinning they cover. I definitely agree on her categorization!
• FossilGirl recently finished a great looking 2nd pair of Herringbone Rib socks!

Food & Drink:

• Tea & Cookies has a great post on salad dressings and salads in general which is helpful in the heat of summer.
• NPR shares 4 recipes for shredded salads (think slaw, some with a twist).
• How about a raw kale salad? I stumbled upon this while looking for ideas for some of the CSA produce we’ve gotten recently. I’m not certain if I’m brave enough for raw kale… Maybe…
• The same week I posted about grilling pizza, Cook’s Illustrated’s weekly newsletter did as well. We gave their crust for grilled pizza a try last night (with some really unusual toppings) and it was quite good.
• As real donut lovers, I’m not certain if muffins that taste like donuts is a good thing for our household or not… it might be too easy to justify “one more” if they are a muffin rather than a donut.
• The Scandinavian coffee lover in me (and the designer) loves this limited edition poster print of a graphical definition of 20 different coffee-based drinks from Plaid Creative.

Photography:

• Ed Verosky, author of the 100% Reliable Flash Photography e-book appears at DPS with 8 On-Camera Flash Tips.
• Diane Gilleland is back at Craft sharing some Cheap and Simple Tools for Better Blog Photography, mostly covering some DIY lighting solutions and backdrop tips.
• I know you knitters will understand - there is no “perfect” bag so you just have to keep buying and trying because surely the next one will be an improvement right? It is the same with camera bags. I’m in lust with both the Shootsac and the Kelly Moore Bag and the Epiphanie line is still a bit intriguing too.
• In a bit more affordable category are these extra long and wider camera straps from VMJESS made to allow you to wear your camera diagonally across your body more comfortably. My sister got me one for my birthday back in April and I’m loving it! It really takes the strain off of your neck.

Reading Update:

Well, last week I finished both my e-book and audiobook that were in progress, but I found little time for print (and even e-book) reading last week. The heat kept me up pretty late most nights and I’m working furiously on a few different deadline projects which frequently cuts into reading.

On the e-book front, I finished Unravel Me by Christie Ridgway. This was one I made time to read, it sucked me in that much. Plus it was on my iPhone so I could easily grab a few minutes here and a few minutes there which really ultimately adds up. I really enjoyed it and it made for the perfect summer reading. I almost wanted to turn around and buy the next one right away, but I keep reminding myself that I’ll enjoy the next one even more if I read at least a few other books in between.

This was also my first book read in the new iBook app that is standard with iOS4. I liked the app, they took a few clues from Stanza, my preferred e-book app, that Amazon still needs to take such as info about how far you are to the end of a chapter. It does not have as many controls for the display though so I think whenever possible I will continue to stick with Stanza as my primary e-book book reader on my phone. In this case, the book was a few dollars cheaper through Apple than Amazon or Barnes & Noble and it was unavailable from the other e-book retailers I frequent from time to time. So, it was a perfect excuse to give it a spin.

On the audio front I finished A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris. This was the second in the Aurora Teagarden series and downloaded via NetLibrary. I think I enjoyed the first book a bit more than this one. But I didn’t read as many books in between as I like to. I find if I take a bit of break I not only pace myself so I don’t run out of books too soon, but I also get a chance to forget an author’s habits and common plot devices and such which allow me to enjoy the books better. I’m not 100% sold on the idea that more time would have caused me to enjoy it more. It was still a fine read and kept me and my knitting good company. I’ll definitely be checking out the next in the series.

Currently Being Read
- E-book - Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank, was free for Kindle a while back
- Audio - Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke, downloaded via NetLibrary
- Print - still on The Memory Collector by Meg Gardiner, sluggish progress on this is not likely the fault of the writing, but when I’m in a heavy knitting phase holding hardcover books doesn’t help me recover from the knitting so I opt instead for the e-book because the phone is so small and light

Despite our semi-arid climate, I feel very fortunate to live in an area where agriculture and all natural and organic food production is valued. At the height of the growing season there are FOUR farmer’s markets and THREE days each week that one can purchase locally grown produce and other prepared products. I definitely prefer the Saturday morning market in Old Town Fort Collins. It is held in the civic center parking lot at the corner of Oak Street and Howes on the west edge of Old Town.

This is a large market with the widest variety of products to choose from in my experience. In addition to the obvious seasonal produce there are often a booth or three offering locally raised and processed meats. Frequently a local coffee roaster or two can be found. There are also the orchards with their jams, butters and dried fruit in addition to whatever fruit is currently juicy and ripe for savoring.

A handful of gardeners have herb and vegetable starts as well as gorgeously put together container gardens of herbs, flowering plants or succulents. There is even a Bonsai vendor. Gorgeous cut flower can be found at a number of booths too.

Even with all the variety I think my favorite booths are those filled with produce.

The one booth we stop at religiously is the Hazel Dell Mushroom booth. We almost always pick up a half pound mixed bag. It makes for a relatively quick mid-week dinner when I saute them up in a little butter and olive oil with some herbs from the garden and have them on pasta. We often will throw some in with scrambled eggs for weekend brunch too.

This last week, in addition to the mushrooms, I picked up some garlic scapes to round out the couple we got in the CSA and I made a pesto with those plus a little bit of parsley and basil that was delish! We also got apricots to make liqueur and probably the last of the Rainier cherries. I’m looking forward to ripe tomatoes, sweetcorn, eggplant and peaches to make their appearances soon! If you go to a farmer’s market what are your favorite things to pick up?

If you are in the area, you’ll find another market on Saturdays that runs an hour or two later into the day on Drake Road between Shields and College at Drake Center. On Sunday there is one from 11am-2pm on Harmony Road near Ace Hardware, Lee’s Cyclery and Reader’s Cove Bookstore. In that same location on Wednesday around mid-day you can find a market run by the same group. In my experience that one is much smaller than on Sunday. The Harmony markets are kind of nice in that you can go to a central booth and use a debit or credit card to purchase $5 tokens so you don’t have to stop at the ATM to get cash before going. This year I also noticed that several booths can accept food stamps.

I hate making decisions. Frequently! I think DH thinks I play a game when he asks me what I want for dinner and I tell him “I don’t know.” In reality, by the time we get to dinner I’ve probably already made at the very least a dozen design or marketing decisions and I just cannot make any more. If I’m given a few choices from which to choose rather than given a wide open question I am then usually able to pick. I find the same tactic can be really helpful when designing or even in my photography.

Have you ever been given a large, but vague task and found yourself almost paralyzed by the infinite possibilities that lie in front of you? This can be the case when designing knitting patterns. Especially if something hasn’t directly sparked an idea or you aren’t working towards a specified theme. Just think of the number of questions there are:

• What weight yarn do I want to work with?
• What fiber types do I want? Wool? A Blend?
• Do I want singles yarn? Plied? Tightly spun and plied for a smooshy feel? Worsted spun or woolen?
• What kind of stitch pattern do I want? Cables? Lace? Twisted? Slipped? Brocade?
• What sort of fit do I want? Highly fitted? Loosely fitted? No shaping?
• How much ease do I want? Negative? Zero? Positive? Oversized?
• Do I want to knit it top-down or bottom-up?
• What kind of neckline or cuff do I want?
• Do I want seamless or seamed?
• How many sizes do I want to offer? Over what range of sizes?
• Do I want to appeal to men or women or both?
• Do I want it to be an easy knit? Or a challenge? Or in the middle?
• and the list goes on and on and on…

In reality, once you answer a few of those questions some of the others have answers fall right into place. But I do enjoy designing to a requirement of some sort, be it a theme such as for a sock club, a magazine’s call for submission mood boards, needing to use a specific yarn and/or color and so on. It just helps direct my thought processes. Some of my favorite designs were designed for specific needs.

Siren Socks (shown at top) were requested to be similar to Spearfish. I was given a wool and seacell blend yarn to work with and the club colorway (not what I knit my version with) was sea related. So, I adopted an oceanic theme and ran with it.

Mashup Madness came about because the constraint for the first Sock Madness pattern call was that the name had to include “madness” in the title. I had recently been drawn to the cable pattern that has a hint of lace in it and thought “Who put the lace in my cables?” I then couldn’t help but think of those old Reeses commercials that said “Who put the peanut butter in my chocolate? Who put the chocolate in my peanut butter?” I decided I needed the opposite, “Who put the cables in my lace?” represented in the sock as well to complete the design.

My first Woolgirl sock club pattern was a real challenge because the yarn was super high contrast colors that pooled or flashed at every sock-appropriate gauge I tried. That is hard to design with since pooling and high key colors each tend to drown out any stitch patterns and forget it when they are both present. So, with those constraints I opted to go with an unusual construction technique that showed off the gorgeous yarn rather than try to fight it and Dog Days of Summer was born. This was my first really unique sock pattern and it is still one of my favorites. I haven’t released it outside the club yet because I have been wanting to knit it up in a different, perhaps slightly lower key colorway and include examples of both in the pattern.

The success of that design sparked my proposal for Spread Spectrum (second photo from top) that was published in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns. There are probably at least another half dozen sock pattern ideas in my design notebook that were inspired by these two designs. In fact, once upon a time I entertained the idea of writing a full book working only with high contrast handpainted yarns. Not just for socks either! Perhaps some day.

The constraints that can help me push through the paralysis of too many options isn’t always so obviously a part of the design. I’m finding that designing for the My Sister Knits newsletters to be an enjoyable challenge because I have to use a yarn they carry (obviously) and it has to be a pattern that can be presented on a single page. That forces me to keep things simple which is a valuable exercise for me since I always like to learn something new with everything I knit. That approach tends to make for challenging patterns that not everyone is up for. Often times I try to make the MSK projects with one skein and minimize the left overs whenever possible or offer a way to make use of them afterward. Some of my favorites from the MSK patterns include Collegiate Flare (above), Laridae Mittens (third photo from top) and of course Stellar Facecloths.

If I’m not currently working under any design constraints and finding myself stuck sometimes I’ll revisit a prior theme I’ve worked with before and either re-work it or work with something related. Other times I’ll seek input from family and friends. Or occasionally I’ll employ Oblique Strategies.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I use constraints with photography too. If I’m feeling stuck or uninspired I’ll find a theme to work in. I think that was why the first round of Project Spectrum did so much to further my photography skills several years ago. I had a goal and a purpose to take pictures beyond just sharing my knitting on my blog. I think that was kind of the turning point for me and photography. If your friends and family don’t inspire a theme for your photography, Digital Photography School has a challenge each week that you will likely find educational.

Do you like working with some set limits or specific goals like me or do you prefer to have wide open possibilities?