Thursday, November 16, 2006

Soups, Stews, and Chocolate Croissants...oh, and some fiber, too!

Despite the fact that it's predicted to be in the '80's today, it is still Fall (I think), and I've been cooking accordingly. A couple months ago, I implemented a Sunday tradition of cooking up a big ol' pot of soup or stew of some kind. I love soups and stews. I love making a big pot on Sunday afternoon and then having leftovers for lunches and dinners during the week. On the other hand, B is not a big soup guy (come to think of it, are there any guys that are?), but that's fine- more for me! So far, I've made vegetable barley soup, pasta fagioli, tofu chili, and lentil stew, among others. I'd like to try as many new recipes as possible, so if you have a good one, let me know! :)

Okay, enough of that. On to the fiber! I've been meaning to share my small, but delightful haul from the Fiber Fest a couple weeks ago. So without further delay, I give you this yumminess:

Don't you just want to squish it?

2 ounces of Alpaca from Cheltenham Cottage:

8 ounces of Merino from Custom Handweaving:

1 pound (!) of 3-ply Peruvian Tweed Alpaca from Village Spinning & Weaving:

As yummy as a chocolate croissant!

I can't wait to try the fibers, and this yarn! No photo, no amount of perfect lighting, would do this yarn justice- you'd have to see and feel it in person. The colors are gorgeous, and it feels amazing! Soooo soft! MJ and Mary-Heather can attest to this. I don't recall (really, I don't) exactly how many times we went back to this vendor to fondle these yarns (they had vats of it), but as many times as I needed to, to be convinced to buy some! I'm calling this my chocolate croissant yarn, named after the unbelievably gooey and delish chocolate croissant MJ and I picked up that afternoon from a cute French bakery by the beach. Sadly, I don't know the name of the place, but I think my nose could point me back in the right direction. Now...what to make??

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I want me some of that Peruvian Tweed Alpacaaaahh. It's so fricking gorgeous. I'm glad you got it.

It's Cafe Bonaparte! Take your boyfriend down there and hang out for a bit. They also have some gelato...

- MJ

Anonymous said...

Yum...I love the Peruvian Tweed Alpaca.

jillian said...

We went back to fondle that Peruvian Tweed too! Yummy!

Anonymous said...

I have a recipe for a Curry Chicken Soup. It's REALLY good... if you e-maile me it will remind me to type it up and send it. miriam AT mimknits DOT com

Disentangled said...

I have lamb stew in the crock pot as we speak...and the best part is, it only took us about 10 minutes to get ready!

Disentangled said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Nasus said...

Associating yummy yarn with yummy foods is definitely a dangerous thing... :)

Marnie said...

I am lucky. Leo likes soup. I only have one recipe, but I love it. If I can, I'll make a batch of it at Julia's before our next crafty get together. I soup good party food?

Great haul, though, I hope I get a chance to see it in person.

dee said...

oooh the tofu chili one sounds good! I have a good vietnamese soup if you want the recipe its super easy - w's fave, and he's by no means a soup guy either.

Jennifer said...

Ooooo.... That's some nice fiber you picked up.

The Stitchin' Sheep said...

My favorite Chicken-Soup-For-The-Soul...

chop up as much as you feel like of the following veggies (I'm not too much into measuring):

carrots
onion (one will do)
turnips
celery
(and a parsnip could be good, but I don't usually use them)

Sautee the veggies in a large pot with some olive oil. Add one whole chicken (organic always tastes better, if you ask me, but I've heard Kosher is excellent, because they do a brine thing with them) and a ham hock. Throw in some salt, pepper and a bay leaf or two. Pour in about 1/2 a cup of dry white wine. Bring to boil and simmer until meat falls of chicken bones. Bring to boil and add vermicelli noodles or homemade dumplings. Cook the pasta or dumplings then serve with a bit of lemon juice.

I always crave this when I'm sick.

mle said...

mmmm! those colors are so warm and cuddly looking!

Anonymous said...

Oooh, yummy fiber. I've been trying to start a soup tradition like that, but haven't quite managed to do so yet.

Anonymous said...

mmmm, the yarn does look like a chocolate croissant! I'm hungry now, must find chocolate...

Anonymous said...

gorgeous delicious pics ~ that merino.. i just want to dive into it. finally did some spinning the other day, ppphhhhheww, how nice was that. glad to see you've fallen completely into the spinning world. it's a dizzying place, no?
so.. when ya gonna rent a wheel?

;)

Theresa said...

I try to do that, too. Made a big pot of chili just this week. Some to eat, some to freeze. Perfect!