FOOD

I like this meme from Trillian 42's blog.


The Omnivore’s Hundred
Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.
Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding - as a child we ate this every Saturday for lunch with runny yolked fried eggs. SO tasty. Now I know what black pudding is though I'm not sure I can eat it again.
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras - I don't know how to cross out, but, er, no thanks.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - also a no thank you.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float - Root beer? Gross!
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - do I get a half point for the cognac?
37. Clotted cream tea - naturally!
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - surprisingly not!
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - at the Notting Hill Carnival
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - I like curry but phaal, no.
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - not a whisky drinker
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala - favourite curry of all time. And my first dinner whenever I go back home
48. Eel - freak me out, no!
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - big crossing out. Can't bear offal. Double gross.
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst - curry and sausages - of course!
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - No, NEVER
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe - Yes :0)
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I've tried just less than half. Gotta get working on that :0)

FAY

This was Fay on Monday night. Just arriving, blowing the palm trees and raining. A lot. Yesterday, the outer bands of the storm were still here. But maybe there's good news?! We now have a boat mooring....

And when we bought the house, it didn't have a lake view. But now.......

So, property prices in SW Florida may rise yet this year.

We can wish, can't we :0)

Happy weekend

It's a BIG day today

Today was Teddy's first day at Kindergarten. Here's my big boy. The school held a "BooHoo" breakfast for new kindergartner parents. I'd call it more of a yahoo breakfast :0) Not 'cause I don't love the little fella or anything. But he is so totally ready for 'big school' and I'm ready for him to go too.

On the way home after pick up this afternoon, he spontaneously said he liked kindergarten. Yay! Can I have a picture of one cutie, without the other?

Here's baby brother, Matt, bowling for real this weekend. It was our first family trip to the bowling alley. Mucho fun was had by all. I just love his stance :0)

Oh, and what would a weekend be, without mucho calorific intake too. Hop over to Hearthead's blog for the recipe for these babies. Her comment about tupperware, if there are any left, couldn't be truer.

Wish us all luck and say prayers for SW Florida as we are hit by tonight's hurricane/tropical storm. Right now, it's supposed to pass directly over our heads.

Bezzie's Block

As mentioned last week, Bezzie sent me a skein of Kureyon for my blanket. Here it is all knit up. Pretty. Thanks again Bezzie :0) I have been knitting up a storm on the Provincial Waistcoat this week. The left front was finished last night and I should finish the back tonight. I would love to have it finished midweek for blocking, then I can send it off in time for her birthday. I'm really pleased with how the yarn is knitting up, and how little this project is taking. I expect to use only 1 and a little bit of the 2 skeins I purchased. Brooks Farm Mas Acero. Maybe a clapotis for Christmas?

I am starting to think of Christmas gifts already. We only really buy gifts for the children of the family. I would love to make each of them something to wear (from stash, of course) - probably hats, and buy each of them something handmade from Etsy. So, what are your favourite child hat patterns? - I have various ages to knit for, from 1 year to 10 years old.

Happy weekend.

WIPs

While I've been waiting for more Kureyon for my main project, I've been working on a couple of other projects. My mom's birthday is 2nd September, and I wanted to make the Provincial Waistcoat for her. I cast on back in April, knit 5 or 6 rows, then let it languish. I picked it up last week and started working on it again. I think I was afraid of all the different ribs, cables and crossed-stitch patterns in this thing. But once I got into the swing of it, it was actually pretty easy.

Here's a close-up of the cable. You can see how the yarn is a dark purple, with some reddish bits in it too. It's very pretty and I can definitely see her wearing it.

Another project I've been putting off and putting off, is a pair of socks for my DH. I'm using this Socks That Rock millend I picked up at Stitches West this year. It's black, with some tinges of dark blue. I'm using a 2x2 rib on 72 stitches and hoping they fit him.
If not, then we'll call Christmas knitting begun :0)

Have a great day.

Lucky, lucky, lucky

Did everyone notice that the Olympics are in China right now?

A little titbit I heard is that the Chinese consider August 8th a lucky day this year. 08.08.08

Well, it sure was a lucky mail day for disco :0)

First package courtesy of the very generous Bezzie. A contribution to my Kureyon Log Cabin. Along with another random gift - some of her handmade book plates. Thank you so much Bezzie, the yarn is already on my needles and two parts completed.

Next package, from my lovely knitting buddy, Irishgirlie. Her recent trip to BMFA yielded a couple of green skeins of Heavyweight for my next Log Cabin blanket - yes, ANOTHER one :0) Thank you Carrie, you are a doll and I'm so lucky to have you as my friend.

One more package arrived. It was expected and I'm very happy indeed with the contents. How pretty do all these lovely balls of Kureyon look? THAT should keep me busy for the next couple of weeks .
Have a lovely weekend watching the Olympics. USA already has a medal for ladies fencing. Go USA (and UK).

I know what I like and I like what I know

I've been a little while without a new skein of Kureyon for the log cabin, and ruminating on what to knit next.

Look what I found in the stash. A bunch of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, in beautifully co-ordinating shades of green (to my eye, anyway). I only have one ball of the green in the centre of this square, so I see a bit (more) of ravelry yarn trawling in my future, to ensure I have a decent amount of each - I have 4 or 5 of each of the other colours. Bought last year at the PurlSoho sale, for less than $4 each.So another Log Cabin goes on the needles. You see, I know what I like.

It's also true, I like what I know.....

Here are a couple of other tried and true things I like, that have resurfaced in my life this week.

The step was a Mothers Day gift. Just got it out of the box a few days ago. I've done the starter workout three times in the past four days. I lost a bunch of weight in my early twenties, when Step Aerobics first hit the UK. Now I'm remembering how much I loved that workout.

And for his birthday, Teddy received the game, Mousetrap. How much fun have we been having with the 3 and 5 year olds building the 'contraption'? SO much :0)

Happy weekend :0)

Purple Moon Fiber Arts

I received this beautiful Rare Gem in the mail this morning. It is my prize from the Blue Moon blog. It is a VERY dark purple, with blue, plum, pink, green, brown.It's gorgeous. I really ought to knit up some socks soon.

One thing I love about Ravelry is the connections you can make with people. A few months ago I was messaged by JoLakey, saying she'd be visiting the area I live in this month (or last month, as it is now!). We met up a few times this past week and she and her family are absolutely adorable. We even have sons with the same name, born only a few months apart. And Jo generously brought me my favourite tea-bags from England :0) Thanks Jo, and it was great to meet you :0)

So, the connection to "Purple Moon" was that I gave Jo her first skein of Socks That Rock - in Eggplanted; Jo's a purple fan too :0) I'm interested to see what Jo makes with it, and whether she falls as hard as the rest of us for the rockin' yarn :0)