Food Blog! Spatchcock!

I have been remiss in my postings about the August of Fewer Boxes, but I have been doing my best to have home made stuff that tastes good.

Tonight I spatchcocked a chicken on the grill and it was delicious.

I rubbed it with some olive oil, a couple of crushed cloves of garlic and Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, and then off to the grill. 

I cooked it over indirect heat, skin down, for 30 minutes, and then I flipped it over and cooked it another 20.

I turned it back over cooked it another 5 minutes over heat to give it come color. I cooked it under a skillet (which according to this I should have filled up with rocks or something to make it heavier) to squish it while it cooked. One recipe I read said that I should have cooked it over heat first to really char the skin, I didn't want charred, but I could have used a little more crispiness.

Next time, I think I will do the direct heat first.
This is a blurry representation of the entire meal which screams summer to me. Roasted corn, homemade coleslaw and the spatchcocked bird.

It was delicious.
And now it's all gone.
What's on your menu today?

Up a Creek

The weather broke today, and it is a glorious 79 degrees out there. 

We spent a little time this afternoon at Minnehaha Creek. 

The Younger was quite amused that The Youngest was walking towards him through the hip-deep (for her) water.
My favorite way to spend the day with two of my favorite people.

The Soundtrack of Our Week

We've finally gotten a little reprieve today from the intense heat, though I fear it's still going to be quite muggy.
I am nearing the end of my Grettir.
I have the turtleneck collar on the needles as we speak.
This sweater is a really fun knit. There are all sorts of fun tricks and techniques: tubular cast on and bind off, short row shaping, Kitchener stitch under the arms and colorwork.
Also, it's gonna look sharp.
Now careful readers will notice that this Grettir looks different than the photo I posted earlier in the week. I had to rip down and reknit the top half of the yoke because I had mixed up the colors on the black and white xerox I had of the pattern.
I am glad I did because I am much happier with the look.

As for Mickey Mouse, that's been The Younger's favorite new thing.
He has mastered the art of choosing his favorite track which is a disco version of Chim Chim Cheree.
He's also a fan of Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah.
I have a feeling it's going to be an integral part of his memories of his childhood, and that makes me smile.
What's on your playlist today?

Crafting On

The weather here is furnace hot outside, 98 degrees with 75% humidity, and it's going to stay that way for a few days. 

The upside of this is that as we've been hiding in front of the air conditioner it's the perfect weather for knitting in my living room.

All that remains is a few more rows of yoke and the turtleneck collar and I am finished with my Grettir.

I've been knitting this in Shelter, which is what the pattern calls for, and it's been a dream. 

It's so fluffy!

This is destined to be a model for my class on this pattern, and then to hang up in the store. I can't wait until it comes down and I get to wear it.

Joining Nicole for KCCO.

Weekly Stills

Emily in Australia has a feature called Weekly Stills and I have been meaning to be a part of it, I even did it once, so here are some favorite shots of the week.

 .

1. Shooting the curl at The Fair.

2 and 3. The little farmer.

4. The instant that she gets a face full of water on the splash pad at the zoo.

5. The Younger and his new record player.

6. Backyard blanket fun.

7. Silly selfie on the river cruise.

8. Reading in the kitchen.

Head to Emily's Beetle Shack to see more weekly stills.

34/52

Top: at the zoo
Next three at the Fair.
What a fun week!
Joining Jodi for 52 portraits.

Records

 Yesterday, before our boating adventure, we found a surprise waiting for us at the playground.

This 4-in-1 radio record/cd/tape player was just sitting on the ground.

While we were there the maintenance crews tried to throw it away twice, so I felt no qualms about bringing it home.

This morning The Younger and I did a little fiddling and got it working.

Now, The Younger is a record-playing expert, and we've been enjoying my records that have been languishing in the basement for years.

 These are a few of my children's records, some from my own record-loving youth.

I can't wait to sit back and enjoy my Django Reinhardt again.
I am quite sure that I bought this record for the cover alone, I don't know if I have ever listened to it, but today it's on my list.

Such an exciting find!

A Trip Down the River, and 1000

Yesterday we took to the river in a paddle boat.

At the beginning of the summer (when I was, I realize now, just coming out of postpartum/my husband has cancer depression during which I had been functioning pretty well, but the little things had been slipping through the cracks for some time.) I bought a season pass to the Jonathon Padleford Packet Co. cruises. 

Then, I couldn't find the confirmation that I printed out or the email that I had used.

So all summer I have been wanting to take this trip and annoyed that I had lost the tickets.

Anyway, I found the pass (pretty much in plain sight where I had left it) the other day, and yesterday was our maiden voyage.

There was a narration on the trip and we learned some fun-facts about the area, like they used to make bleu cheese in the caves along the river, and what the signs on the sides mean, and the numbers on the bridge pilings.

We knew that we'd be passing our favorite spot to visit with the world's best climbing tree, and it was cool to see how different it looked from the water.

The whole trip took about 90 minutes, and I hope to go many more times before the season ends in October.

That's the fifth lamp down up there above the right-most bridge support.

Speaking of the fifth lamp down, this is my 1000th post. So much has changed in the almost 6 years since I started chatting with you all, and I have enjoyed (almost) every moment. Thanks for helping to make my little corner of the internet such a comforting and supportive place to be.

Yarn Along

Wednesday morning means Yarn Along.

I have been knitting here and there on the body of Grettir, and I have about 2 rows left until I can attach the sleeves and get going on the patterned yoke.

This is an exciting development, since a stockinette body always feels a little interminable to me.

I haven't had time, strike that, I haven't made time to read this past week, but this 100 year old copy of The Arabian Nights called to me from the bookshelf.

It's illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, and if you don't know his work, then I encourage you to follow that link. 

He's one of my favorite artists. Every picture he made is full of lush colors and beautiful skies. Each one is like a window into a fairy tale (this is, of course, a book of fairy tales, but his other stuff is just as wonderful)

What's inspiring you today?

Please visit Ginny for more yarn-y goodness.

Food Blog!

That title is for my dad.
I borrowed this fancy gadget yesterday

because I was at the grocery store and saw lots of cherries and had a sudden craving for cherry pie.

I have been informed that sweet cherries don't make very good pies, but I am going ahead with it anyway, because sugar, fat and fruit have never done me wrong in the past. Now I am not particularly known for my prowess at pie-making, but I am going to give it my best shot.

I used the Test Kitchen pie crust recipe, and to a whole bag (2 pounds maybe) of cherries I added a couple of Granny Smith apples, the juice of one lemon and 1tsp vanilla. Then mix together 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch and a pinch of salt, add to the cherry/apple mixture, pour everything into the unbaked pie crust and then add lattice top.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then rotate, turn down the oven to 375 degrees and bake a further 35 minutes or so.

It smells pretty good so far.

It's in the oven right now, and I have about an hour before it'll be ready.
Then we're going to be good people and wait until Dada comes home to eat it.
Enjoy your day, all you friends out there in blogland.

Update: Baked
               

KCCO

The sweater for The Youngest is almost finished, I am not quite sure whether it'll get sleeves, or if I keep it a vest.
The armholes are a little narrow, so I may have to go with sleeves, if I don't want to rip out the top and re-do it.
We shall see, it'll be 80+ degrees today, so it's really not an emergency that I finish this one.

What's on your needles today?

Saturday Morning

It's a glorious day outside today, and we have been making the most of it.

 A couple of weeks ago I broke the grill (as I have previously stated, I was attempting to clean it when everything went horribly awry) and today The Hubby went out and got us a new one. Hot dogs tonight!

 The Elder has been displaying her vast skills at assembly all morning, which means that I have been spending a lot of time with this sweet lady so she doesn't feel the need to help.

The Hubby and I just got new phones too, and I took these shots to try out the new camera.

 New strawberries in August? It's a strange new world.

 Our first (and only) jalepeno.

Tiny pumpkins, which I planted across the yard but must have been 'planted' here by a friendly squirrel or bird.

 Chamomile in bloom. The Elder can't wait to have a tea party.

Anything fun happening for you all out there?