Poor Trynese Sate

The completed dish, "pretty" version
Today's version included turkey bits

The completed dish (aka, my lunch)

Explanation for the name.  I'm not Chinese, this dish is not Chinese, but it's based on something you can get from Chinese restaurants, usually called "Cold (or Warm) Sesame Noodles."  It's not always available, if the restaurant doesn't carry the sauce.  This is a poor-student's version of it, based in part off of a posting in a livejournal community called poor-skills.  One suggestion for cheap noodles was using ramen, but without the season packet.  So, name and ingredients explained.   Enjoy.
There are only approximate quantities listed as I usually use this as guidelines and will vary precise amounts depending upon mood and what's in the 'fridge.

ingredients

Poor Trynese Sate

ingredients:
1 "serving" noodles (a package of ramen noodles, short narrow egg noodles, nest of oriental narrow or lo mein noodles)
1tsp commercial sate sauce (supermarkets are starting to carry this)
1 tbs peanut butter
2-3 drops sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
(optional for warm version)
1/4 cup leftover meat
(optional)
1 tbs to 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

If you're using ramen or other long noodles, break them, and cook them according to the directions, if your noodles came with a spice packet, don't include it.  There are 2 reasons for that:
1) the packaged spices are going to interfere with the soy, sate and sesame
2) you get enough sodium already (soy sauce!).

Drain the noodles and put them aside.

If you are making the cold version, mix the peanut butter and soy sauce in the eating bowl until they emulsify, then add the sate sauce, and a drop or two of sesame oil.  Add the noodles, the optional chopped peanuts, mix, garnish with the chopped peanuts and enjoy.

If you are making the warm version, cut up the leftover meat (you can substitute the peanuts) and cook it with the soy sauce, then add the sate sauce, peanut butter and a drop or two of the sesame oil.  Mix and heat until the sauce emulsifies and begins to bubble.  Pull off the heat and add to the noodles, mix, garnish with chopped peanuts if desired, and enjoy.

It's not pretty, but it is edible, and if you pick your ingredients well, the meal costs less than $1

fiber prep (#2 of the series) draft

Previous post 

When I was given the lb of shetland fleece by +Petra Cosgrove-Tremblay, I researched how to wash it and posted about it here and there on livejournal.  ("there" has a link to flickr).

My preferred method of fleece washing features a sifting kitty litter pan, dawn dish soap, and the bathtub.  The 4 bags of sheepy stuff having been 4 days frozen, (I didn't have the soap yesterday).  While I was waiting for the fiber to "ripen" or finish killing any bugs, I read a bit on fleece washing.  Several sites recommended an initial soak in cold water with no soap of any kind to loosen the vegetable matter (both pre-and post sheep).

Sheepy stuff - washed and not washed

Soak the first, sheepy stuff and water

First I pulled the 4 gallon bags of fleece from the freezer and assembled everything at the side of the tub.  Cold water in the assembled kitty litter pan and I ran into my first snag, only 2 of the 4 bags fit into the pan.  I put two in the tray to soak and put two aside for the second washing.

My goodness the water came out dirty.  This is the first water, 3/4 of an hour to soak, then the wool (in the straining tray) was taken out and let trip dry.  Well, it got shaken too, I think I want a salad spinner for this step.   After this soaking the water was opaque and the wool is heavy.  Some people use their washing machine to spin the water out, but our washing machine is 2 floors away and I didn't have enough wool to justify using it.  I'm trying to do this by hand, time enough for automating/scaling up if I want to do this more..

Sheepy stuff in wash water the second
Still ooky

Wash water the first, post sheepy
ooky

So,

Next, water as hot as I can make it, a squirt (or ten) of dish soap, smoosh a bit (don't agitate the sheepy stuff, it'll felt), pull the sifting tray out, shake, decide the water is still too ooky to justify rinsing just yet, and besides, the soap is making a little crust of bubbles and suds on the top bit of the fleece,  I also spent some time picking twigs and straws and burrs out of the sheepy stuff.

Wash water the third, post sheepy
it doesn'l look less ooky, but it is

Three times loading the tray with hot water and soap, dousing the fleece, shaking it free of the worst of the soap and water, and pouring the water off.  the difference doesn't appear apparent, but the water did get less laden with ook as the washes happened.  After the third washing, (I also turned the sheepy stuff over in the tray, so that different bits would be on the bottom), I decided the soap and hot water had done as much as it could, and I started working on getting the soap out with just hot water.

That took 4 pans full, more picking out vegetable matter, more swooshing of sheepy stuff and finally pulling it out, rolling it into a towel to start drying.

To be bought yet, a package of cheese cloth.  Someone described building a "cheesecloth hammock" for fiber drying.   I have an attic that's relatively climate controlled, I can build one up there, and toss the damp fiber in to dry in a more climate controlled environment.

Future washes (the 2nd pair of bags is up doing its cold soak as I type), may need to use smaller batches of fiber.  The litter pan has almost 1.4 lbs of pre-washed sheepy stuff when I put both bags in, and the sifting tray is almost packed full of fleece, and it may not have enough water flowing through to let enough dirt get loose.

fiber prep (#1 of the series) draft

This will be edited and have pictures eventually, but I didn't think to take any while I was doing it.

I took the partial bag and dumped it out last Sunday, gallon ziplock bags at the ready, and stuffed the bags full.  The partial bag was one fleece by itself, leaving me hopes that the full bag is 2 fleeces.  It took 12 bag to empty out the bag, though I confess I tossed a bit of "post sheep vegetable matter and some fleecy bits.

4 bags went into the freezer Sunday evening, 8 stayed in the garage.  72 hours of freezing to make sure that anything that's living in it doesn't get lively,

I bought another box of gallon ziplock bags, hopefully 24 or 25 of them will hold the other bag of fleece/fleeces.

next post

I was recently offered a free Dorset fleece from a woman who saw me carding some shetland wool (good timing, I'd almost run out of fleece). She owns some sheep of that breed, and the alternative to giving the fleece away is throwing it out, or giving it to someone to use for insulation. She'd like to think it's being used productively, I think. Naturally, I accept.

All that is left of the Shetland

I have enjoyed taking the Shetland from a bag full of “stuff off the sheep, complete with pre- and post-sheep vegetable matter” to “so much fluffy stuff!!!” It has gone up in volume, but I have enjoyed every bit, since it came home from Rhinebeck.

Having agreed and given her my email address, I returned to playing with cards, shetland, and talking with the public about how much effort went into making the clothes on their back (cue the 1:10 ratio lecture going from the cloth to the sheep) in the pre-Industrial Age, and how an important portion of yearly wages could be the clothes on your back.

Here begins a month long story that went eventually to low farce. It took her a couple of weeks to locate the fleece. Then she had to put them in her truck. The email address I'd given her is not one I check as often as I should. We exchanged phone numbers, but I didn't notice when she called. Thank heavens for voicemail.

Thursday I actually left work on time, but she had headed home early because of bad weather. We talked, and I gave her my address with the assurance that if the weather was good, she could leave the fleece on the porch, and my husband could bring in. I went to work as normal, got out at “normal for me” getting home to no fleece on the porch, and none in the house (other than what is already there). It looked like she hadn't dropped it off on her way to South Jersey as I had thought she would, based on the phone call. Another missed connection, and I chalked it up to such, checking email for a chunk of the evening.

Then the phone rang. I looked down, recognized the number and tried to pick up before it went to voicemail. I didn't, but went down to turn on the outside light and stick my head out. A strange truck was outside. It turns out she had found the road, but the house numbers weren't visible. It turns out she's a biologist, which at least explains why her workday was cut short by bad weather.

full bag in back

She explained that the fleece was in the garbage bags in the back of her truck and went to get them.

She wasn't kidding about the garbage bags. One, full to almost to overflowing, the second half full. I thanked her profusely, and she headed for home after getting directions back to the main highway. I took my loot and put it away.

It's currently on the enclosed porch, subject to being stored in the garage to freeze any kind of critters that might have hitched a ride

This morning I started researching Dorset sheep and came to the following conclusions:

1. Dorset sheep produce about 5-7 lbs of wool a year. This has got to be the wool off of more than one sheep. I think this has got to be at least the product of at least 5-10 sheep. It's a very light gray/just off white color, but that might be because it hasn't been washed yet.  Full bag seems to have 15-20 lbs, not full bag seems to have about 10 lbs in it
2. I should wash “the stuff off the sheep” in 1-2 lb lots. In a sifting kitty litter pan. This is more than one lot of sheep stuff, and I have to scrub down the pan before I use it. A lot.   Either that, or I need to go looking for a local wool processing mill.  (Done.  I cannot afford that, even if I drive the stuff to the mill myself.)
3. It feels very nice, and smells like sheep. I'm looking forward to processing it.

4. 

   The fluffy mass of Shetland

   I need to check what I did and what I used when I washed the Shetland fleece.  (Done, it's over on Livejournal, here and there.  There are also pictures.)
5. I need to spread out the Shetland and take pictures of it. The last time I tied, the battery on the phone was almost dead.  (Accomplished, see right)
6. I need to buy more shampoo/ivory soap/dawn dish soap. I'm sure I don't have enough.
7. I'm not jealous of anyone who got to go or plans to go to Rhinebeck.  I have enough fiber to keep me busy for the next couple of years.

Anyone want some smelly sheep stuff?

A Project Holder (part 1 through 4)

follow up to this posting with pictures of the process this time, and a prototype.

The first attempt,  I think I got ... 4 rows done

I have gotten tired of losing the needles out of a particular sock project (JM Jones socks ... I am fighting cast on #4 until I have gotten something to hold it all together.  I keep grabbing one needle to pull it out of the bag, and it's always a "live needle".

With fine wool and really small needles, pulling the needle out means "rip it out and start again you idiot."  After the last time, (in July/August) I put it aside until I had something to protect it.  I didn't need the frustration.

I knew what I wanted, something like what a friend had to hold double pointed knitting needles.  She used cigar tubes, but when a camp-mate got me one, it was about ... 4" too short to hold the needles.  I did try cutting the slot, but the plastic was too flimsy and the tube, meant to hold a cigarillo, was laughably too small to hold even the size 1 needles I was using.

Cue a run to Home Depot, and the purchase of a 2' length of 3/4" PVC pipe.  It might not be the most graceful of material, but I knew it would be sturdy enough.

I cut it to 8" lengths, after checking that it would be longer than the needles I have, and so I'd have 3 chances to get it right.  I couldn't get much longer than that, as my saw/miter setup won't cut anything much wider than that.  If I need to make anything 12" long, I'm horked, or need to figure out something else.

Making the first cut

Next up, 2 cuts down the length of the pipe (this was the reason for the 8" length.  After thinking about it for a while, I came up with some bracing to hold the pipe for the first cut.  It is sturdy pipe, which n this instance meant for a long time cutting.  It also meant for some careful cutting as I reached the end of the cut, I didn't want to cut the pipe entirely in half, I wanted a slot.

Making the second cut.

Once the first cut was made, I re-jiggered the bracing and put a spare saw blade into the cut, so I could hold it steady while I made the second cut.  This was also a lengthy cut, made longer by the need to not have the cuts turn into spirals, or to jump all over the pipe.

I did get the pipe cut, and went in search at the local hardware store for something like caps to hold the ends in, and some kind of slider so that the project won't fall out once I've got it in.

Testing the concept

a finer project is also held securely

A 3/4" gasket served the second purpose, but I couldn't find caps that fit on the outside of the pipe, only inside.  I only bought one gasket, so I made use of a hair tie for the second, and tested the concept that the gasket or some kind of rubber band could hold a project in place.  The first  test was with a very sturdy project (my third attempt at colorwork, a pair of socks for a co-worker's 9 year old daughter.)  I want to look into using some kind of slide along the length of the holder, but I was still at the "proof of concept" stage.

Tips are still vulnerable.  Need caps

I don't need the holder for this type of project so much.  When a needle comes out of this, the stitches are sturdy enough to pick back up with the needle.  I'm sorry to say that I've had to test that far too often.

It also held a finer project, but I still needed to get caps to hold the non-working needle in.  Although the craft stores would be happy to sell me as many sets of needles as I could afford, I'd rather not have to buy them.  I did find caps that would fit inside the pipe.

I finished the other two sections of pipe, and this time went to Home Depot, which did have pvc caps to fit over the outside of the ends of the pipe, although they don't stay on.  Either need to use tape to increase the size of the pipe just a little, or pvc glue/cement to hold it on.  Will try the tape first.

A project holder (part 0)

The backstory:

I have a knitting project (a rather complex sock in almost laceweight yarn with size 1 needles) that I've cast on 4 times, and am about to start for a 5th time.

The first time, I didn't have the number of stitches correct, so when I began the pattern, it didn't work, so I tore it out.  Luckily, this happened at row 5, so no big deal.

The second time, a needle came out about ... 2 rows into the pattern, and even if I could get the needle back in , the markers had gone "poof" so I couldn't tell where they went.  Tear it out and cast on again.

Third time, I reached into the bag I was keeping my active projects in, grabbed one to show off, and out came one of the active needles, about ... 5 rows into the pattern.  This time I cut off the yarn, because it was getting a bit worn, and I cast on again.

Then I went camping, and wanted to show a friend what I'd gotten done ... you see where this is going.  This time the needle stayed in the bag.

Something had to be done, the yarn is too fine to hold the needles in, or the steel was too slippery to stay in place.  I needed a holder of some kind.

Something like this, a tube to hold the needles secure and still allow the knitted fabric to hang so I could tell where I was in the project, or to show it off (which I probably shouldn't do given what's happened in the past.  (This one looks good to, but probably not as versatile.  A friend shows me a needle holder she'd made out of a cigar tube , and I determined to make something like the first link or the cigar holder.

So I got my hands on a cigar tube ... all of 5 inches long and about a half inch in diameter.  Also about as fragile as a politician's promise.   I needed something sturdier, and a bit larger.  To the hardware store and/or Home Depot, because that's where I pick up sewing notions, doesn't everyone?

Achievement unlocked - basic woodworking

Butt testing the new cat seat

The cats have a new place to sit!

Over all I'm rather satisfied with this, it went together with relatively little drama, (an hour yesterday, 4 or so hours today) it's sturdy, it went together "quickly" and I didn't put an eye out making it.

Things I did right:

• The original plans called for making a narrower 3 shelf bookshelf (from 2x4 Furniture), I was able to modify the plans to make something that would fit the space (under a window)
• The original plans were seriously over-engineered, and I needed nowhere near as much hardware.
• I only had to make one trip to the local Home Despot.
• I have a little leftover wood from the shelves, and a serious chunk of leftover backing board.
• I have leftover hardware too, and glue.  I shouldn't need to buy them for my next project.
• Successful use of power tools.

Things I didn't do right:

• I bought enough board feet of wood, but I didn't buy the right configuration, so I had to make the shelves a little narrower and shorter than originally planned. (If I make another one this size, 1-8' board, 1-10' board)
• I had to fight with it to get it square.  I didn't have the clamps the parts list considered "useful" (more like darn near essential).
• I couldn't find my carpenter square (the plans call for a "framer's square" as another "useful" thing).  the house has temporarily eaten it, which means replacing it.  I was sort of able to make do, but I'd rather have the correct tool (it's really a rafter square), as it doubles as a straight edge for the jigsaw.
• I had to re-saw the board ends to get them straight (the jigsaw wasn't quite accurate enough.) which meant a little narrower, and a little shorter).
• I killed my palm sander.  I was trying to sand the edge of the backing board to get it level with the bottom shelf, and bang, the sander makes noise, but it's not sanding,   Replacing this tools is going to run $20-30.  Nuts.

Things left to do:

Let the glue finish drying

Use some wood putty to cover some checks on the boards (I used #2 quality pine boards) and some of the screw heads so they'are not that visible

Pick out a stain or a paint to finish it. (and then do that)

Fill it with books.  That won't be difficult, though I may want to get some 2x4's bit so I can double stack paperbacks.

Probably make a cushion for the cat butts.  I don't think I've got anything quite the right size, though I have enough fabric in the stash to fold up.

Persuading the perverse fuzzy creatures to actually use it may be another matter.  The picture was posed,

J. M. A. socks test knit (2 of quite a few)

My selected yarns

 This one's about checking for gauge.  I've gotten yarn, and dug through my stash and I think I've got enough different yarns to do this.  I also bought size 1 needles, and cast on for a swatch.   I didn't get it done as quickly I thought I would (next swatch, fewer stitches.)

Clearance clown barf yarn.

I went for inexpensive yarns, the idea being that this is a test sock, and although I might wear it, how pretty it looks isn't a first consideration.  Of course, I also wear fuschia with blaze orange, so my taste is probably questionable.  The clown barf is very nice and soft, it's Loops & Threads, Luxury Sock Super Fine, and the color way is properly "Spring Fling" merino and cashmere.

The Finished Swatch.

I had the purple first, and started with that, probably too much, but I am looking for how it handles as well as gauge.  I am looking for 36 stitches X 48 rows = 4 inches, or 9 stitches and 12 rows to the inch.

Sizing tomorrow/later, because the light where I'm trying to measure isn't great, and I've not a flashlight to use.

Edit to add:
purple 9 stitches 12 rows
tan 12 rows 9 stitches
clown barf 12 rows 9 stitches
brown  9 stitches 12 rows

and some asprin-esque for the resulting headache.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, sort of

half price lobster from the ShopRite near work.

It all started on Friday morning when this fine fellow crawled into my basket while I was getting some food for lunch etc.

I asked for ideas for what to do with him and the one suggestion that came in was for lobster mac'n'cheese.  It sounded good, but I needed to hit the supermarket after cleaning the meat from the shell.  I didn't have cheese, macaroni, or enough milk to make it.  That, and it was about time for the weekly grocery run anyway.  We didn't find out we were sans cheese grater/shredder until we got home, but it was possible to make the cheese disassembled with a meat grinder.  Washing that afterwards was enough to put a cheese grater on the shopping list for next time.

almost 3/4 lb lobster = 5 oz lobster meat

Seriously.  I don't like washing that thing, it's got too many parts and is has to be dried in the oven.

I couldn't find a recipe for "Mac'n'Cheese with Lobster" in either of our cookbooks (The Joy of Cooking from 1964 and The Doubleday Cookbook from 1992), and I felt too lazy to go hunting on the web for a recipe, so I decided to see what I could kitbash from "cooked macaroni" and "cheesy stuff" with lobster added for fun.

I had cheese, mainly cheddar, rather grated, and I had butter, milk, flour and spices.  I had a recipe from The Joy of Cooking and made some changes.

Cheese sauce (modified)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
a few grains cayenne
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup or so of mild grated cheese (mine was mainly cheddar, with some american, swiss, and provelone)

gloop gloop

Melt the butter, add the flour until it's blended (that's the roux).  I added the spices to the flour instead of adding them last.  Stir in the milk slowly, and keep stirring until it's smooth and hot.
Take off the heat, stir in the cheese and keep stirring until the cheese is part of the sauce.  I kept it on the heat and stirring from time to time.  It ended up gloopy, but that didn't affect the taste, and I taste tested it a couple of times while cooking the pasta.

The original calls for a cup or less of cheese, and suggested adding dry mustard as part of the spices.  I left that last off, I'm not sure how it'd blend with lobster, and I didn't want to screw that up.  I'm not likely to get the chance to make this again in the near future.  The main part of this treat is rather expensive.

Cavatappi =/= macaroni

Cavatappi isn't Macaroni, but they're both pastas, and the shape of cavatappi is like macaroni on steroids, so it worked as a substitute, and I'm afraid I didn't realize the difference until after I got home.

It cooked up well all the same, though 1-1/2 cups of pasta swelled, and then swelled some more. I had some concerns that I hadn't used a large enough saucepan.  I probably cooked it too long (15 minutes, the package suggested 8), and I didn't rinse it in cold water after I drained it and dumped it into a bowl.

I tore up the lobster, added it to the hot pasta, stirred them together, then added some cheese sauce.

lobster mac-n-cheese soup

Then I added some more.  It ended up being a bit soupy (see the last picture) and the sauce ended up being a bit rough in texture, but as I said, it didn't affect the taste of the food, and the lobster blends well with the cheeses and the spices I used.

The leftovers from this afternoon are going to be dinner, and I have ideas for next time I get lobster.  Looking for mac-n-cheese recipes, I found one for quiche, a cup of lobster can substitute for the bacon in Quiche Lorraine.

Next time.

J. M. A. socks test knit (1 of quite a few)

I am a member of Ravelry, and didn't quite realize it, but I volunteered to test knit a pattern written up by a fellow member of Ravelry.  After getting over the Socrates moment  (see "Real Genius"), and looking over the directions and reviewing my stash of tools and fiber I realized that I normally don't work as fine as the patterned called for, and I certainly don't think I have the colors called for, never mind working in light-fingering weight wool at almost 10 stitches per inch.

Figure 1, the swatch has begun

One trip to the local fabric big box store (actually, the second one, didn't like the selection or the prices at the first) netted me needles and a bag of mill ends in the appropriate weight, even if what I found was purple and gray variegated and the pattern calls for brown, red, and olive, and the original pattern looks like it either ran out of red and switched orange or changed dye batches halfway through the second sock.

Cast on 66 stitches and am starting to swatch,  More to come.  The picture makes the wool look much bluer than it is.  I suspect the red was washed out by the red background.  And the cat hair.  I am making decent project on the swatch, but purling at that scale makes my hands ache a bit.

ravelry pattern is here but might not be public facing.

Chicken Stock 1/4/14

I worked from home yesterday, and had most of the ingredients, so I made chicken stock.  I was bored, and had the leftovers from backing a different chicken leg quarter for dinner Thursday night (sauteed a cut up onion in olive oil and drizzled on the chicken)

This is based mostly on the chicken stock recipe from the Doubleday Cook Book

2 quarts water
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
1 teaspoon beef base
1 chicken leg quarter
1 stalk of celery (broken into quarters)
1 carrot (peeled and broken into quarters)
1 onion (quartered again)
leftover olive oil and chicken fat with onion bits

Put the water and the soup base in the sauce pan and stir until the base is dissolved.  Add the chicken leg quarter, celery, carrot, onion and bring to a boil, add the olive oil, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Come back, turn the heat off, strain the broth and pick the meat off the chicken, tossing the skin and the bones, pull the meat apart and toss it back in with the stock.  Cut up the carrot and the onion and put that back in with the stock, the celery doesn't have much flavor left so either nosh or toss it, nor does the chicken, but the remaining flavor is a bit sweet and the texture is good.

This keeps in the fridge in pint containers, I ended up with 3 pints, one pint was used to make a rice dish that evening.