Friday, January 25, 2008

The Knitting Continues...

And the cold continues. There is talk of a 'warm up' this weekend, with temperatures actually rising above the freezing mark. (The forecast is for the high to be 33 degrees Sunday. Above freezing, but not by much!!) So I keep knitting and waiting for Spring! I finished the Lucy bag and will felt it this weekend. It's a strange design. The longer strap will go through the shorter strap and cinch the bag shut and become the shoulder strap. I think it will be a fun bag to carry.









I've also turned the heel on my Monkey sock. It's actually quite a bit further along than even this picture. I hope to finish it today. Then I start the process of going through my patterns and my yarn stash and trying to decide which socks to cast on next. Decisions. Decisions.












I cast on a hat with my white handspun, but it just wasn't the right pattern for the yarn. (I do plan on making the pattern soon though, because I love it!) I decided to do a simple scarf. I am doing a knit-purl pattern for row one (ending with a knit) and then straight knit for row two. I really like how it is coming along. I think I will add some fun fringe to the ends as well.




Now to Sumo. I have a confession as far as he goes. I have turned him into a beggar, which I think is about the most undesirable trait a dog can have. But it's really not MY fault! You see, when our dog Nikko was in her last days, one of the few joys she had was eating. We had rarely given our dogs people food, but I started giving her little treats whenever I was in the kitchen because it made her happy. And, of course, I couldn't NOT give Sumo a little something something. Now Sumo wants a little something something every time he knows that we are eating. And being so darn cute, how can one resist????



Continuing with Sumo, he does love the snow. He loves to bury his face in the snow. Every time we let him in after he's been out his whole muzzle is covered with snow and he looks so happy.
The other thing he loves to do when he's outside is bark in our neighbors' direction. They have 2 labs, and Sumo loves to try and communicate with them. I think he wants to know that he's not alone. I'm starting to seriously think that we may need to get him a puppy. Has anyone introduced a puppy to a 12 year old male Lab? I just don't know how he would do. He does seem to miss Nikko an awful lot!







Now on to some cooking. I realize I haven't shared a recipe in some time. This is a recipe I got from my good friend Renae. It is a family favorite and also one we make at all of our Scrapbook (knitting) Get-Away Weekends!

Garlic Chicken Pizza


4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 cup sliced green onion
4 cloves minced garlic
4 Tbsp. rice or white vinegar
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. olive or cooking oil
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (or less)
2 - 15 oz. (12”) Boboli breads
2 Tbsp. oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella and/or Monterey Jack
4 Tbsp. sliced almonds


1. Cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces. In large bowl combine 1/2 of onion, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oil, red and black peppers. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

2. Drain and reserve marinade. Heat oil in pan, add chicken and stir about 3 minutes.

3. Heat marinade in separate pan. Add cornstarch. Stir until heated through. Add to chicken and stir until thick and bubbly.

4. Spoon onto bread shell, top with cheese. Bake at 400 degree for 12 minutes. Add remaining onion and nuts on top and bake additional 2 minutes.


Enjoy!

Until Next Time.....

11 comments:

Jknits said...

Get a puppy! In my experience, there is nothing so healing as a new little life to take your time and attention. You may end up curing me because puppies are so gosh darn destructive and sleep depriving. But they are also so cute and endearing. It will probably be good for Sumo too. btw - the password to leave this message is wknit! How ironic is that

Anonymous said...

My sister got a puppy when her chocolate lab died. They had a 10 year old female lab who was just too lonely when her "big sister" died a couple of years ago so they got another puppy a few months later. THat might also help to break Sumo of the begging habit. Our 3 year old cockapoo has started begging lately...and he's never been fed people food. I'm not sure why he started, but you're right, it's an unattractive habit.

Angela said...

We had 2 Yorkies and had to put one to sleep last year. The surviving one was an 8 year old male. After a few months, we got a female Maltipoo. She was very energetic and constantly tried to engage him in play. He initially growled at her and tried to get away from her, but she was persistent and eventually won him over. Now after a year together, they are good buddies. My advice: get a puppy. It'll be good for everybody.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad someone else has my problem. I rescued/adopted a border collie 2 years ago. She was 7. For about the first year she would just go off and lay by herself when we ate, but then I started giving her a little something - I kept saying because she had such a bad life previously. We have taught her to have some manners about it though. My husband does get a little upset when she gets her own scoop of ice cream! Get a puppy, will cure that empty nest syndrome to.

Anonymous said...

My daughter used to be a dog groomer. One of her "customers" was a Ridgeback getting up in years. The ridgebacks owner told my daughter the Vet had actually advised her to get a puppy, he said it can give an older dog a new lease on life. She got a Ridgeback puppy and soon the older dog was also acting like a puppy! I love reading your blog and can't wait to meet you at Spring Fling!!

hakucho said...

Looking forward to seeing your lucy bag felted :) Your monkey socks look great...I really love that pattern. It must be so satisfying knitting with your own hand spun yarn..yay :)

Hope it does warm up for you :)

Robin said...

Gizmo begs a little. She doesn't have to beg much since we have a two year old son that gladly shares especially when it is something he doesn't want to eat. I think the bag looks great and I love the Monkeys. Get a puppy but you might want to wait until after tax season when you aren't so busy.

Anonymous said...

hmmm... i can only tell you that it took a year for my mom's 12 year old dog to warm up to my (crazy) puppy, but now he does seem to like the occasional visit. i think he's secretly happy to be an only child.

do you know anyone who has a puppy that could serve as a trial run to see what he thinks?

AR said...

Isn't it sad when 33 seems warm? That's how it's been here, too. Good thing we have knitting to keep us warm (and sane)
:)

zippiknits...sometimes said...

Absolutely, get a puppy! Our tiny pud is nearly 12 and I can see the heartbreak coming.

In my case, I'm glad our little guy never ate dog food because of what eventually happened with so many brands, and the fact that tiny dogs were the most affected. He's always been sickly and that would have finished him off.

We have a begging dog because we taught him to sit up and beg for his own dinner of chicken and rice, cooked by moi. That was so cute that when he did it at the table, he stands a foot tall, we couldn't resist. He now eats his chicken or beef with a tiny bit of what the big dogs are having - the rice or vegetables. Sumo is very cute. Who could resist those eyes?

I love that sock yarn you are using for you new socks. Delicious!

Allison said...

Check my blog later tonight for your award!