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I am now taking the pre-pre-op eyedrops (started the 12th, will continue on through the pre-op doctor’s visit, which is the 19th) and on schedule for the cataract surgery a few days later. Came home from A-Kon to the usual ton of work, which I still haven’t worked through because of a) the eye doctor visit–left me with blurry vision for hours afterward, b) storms that interfered with internet usage for some hours, and c) congenital laziness, AKA the desire to finish another pair of socks. (For pictures of the now-finished “desert canyon” short socks, inside and out, see my LiveJournal post from yesterday. )
And here they are on my feet, taken outside on a cloudy day.
Next in line are the “tropical lagoon” socks, still in progress:
I’m still learning how to use the new Paint Shop Pro, and though I got the turquoise to look turquoise (rather than just light blue) I messed up the resizing and sharpening thing a little. Still–they’re very watery looking compared to the desert sunset canyon socks. (I hope I can remember how I got the turquoise to look turquoise–adjusting color in the new PSP is a lot more complicated than in the older one I had on the old box. But that turquoise yarn nearly always looks light blue when photographed, no matter the light source.
Meanwhile on the book front, I am weaning myself away from the grimdark story, because writing it is just not fun. Is it a sterling idea? Yes. Would it be a possible major award winner, done right? Yes, indeedy. I’ve made a solid start on it…20+ pages. But do I really, truly want to write it myself at the intensity it would take (most of the intensity being unpleasant?) Um. No. Even yanking First Protagonist around to find out a redeeming characteristic or two…I’m just not that into him. But I’m also not settling into another story and maybe it’s the eye operation in my immediate future that’s responsible…that or the piles of other work.
However, several characters are begging for their chance to run with it and others are in line, though not yet making their pitch.
Comment by Nadine Barter Bowlus — June 15, 2014 @ 10:52 am
Like the socks!
Comment by Tuppenny — June 15, 2014 @ 1:56 pm
Good luck with the eyes.
I have just made a batch of what I used to call Hobbits Soup_ but a friend kept asking me if any Hobbits were harmed in the process!
So it is now Soup Palladine! (Perhaps one of Kieri’s cooks came up with something of the sort.)
One pound of baby Bella mushrooms -sliced with a blob of butter -cooked in the double boiler (lid on) for about 15 -20 minutes. Meanwhile soak an ounce of dried Porcini Mushrooms. Combine with some strong chicken stock, simmer for about 15 minutes, add cream, and the thickener of your choice – a roux, or cornstarch, or perhaps beat an egg yolk into the cream and stir in slowly until it gets to the consistency of very thin custard sauce. Spices to taste.
Comment by Fred — June 15, 2014 @ 3:38 pm
Elizabeth,
Those socks just ooze comfort – if I had the time, I might try to learn to knit.
Tuppenny,
Your soup sounds yummy and rich – it might even hold a hobbit from lunch to early-afternoon-snack!
“Spices to taste” – what do _you_ use when making it? (If I cook anything, after the first time I modify anyway…some dishes are “never the same twice”.
Comment by penny — June 15, 2014 @ 7:03 pm
sending good eye thoughts. congrats on the socks. they’re lovely!
Comment by Tuppenny — June 16, 2014 @ 7:14 am
Re the soup -of course the usual pepper -my stock usually has enough salt from roasting the chicken that morphed into the carcass – if in the mood some species of dried chili in moderation -or a tabasco dash, thyme in moderation or cumin (which I am becoming addicted to)…or a pinch of clove
The trick is to be very moderate in the initial experiments and to double check the flavor after the soup has sat in the fridge for a day to mellow the flavors.
The pressure cooker is a godsend for producing good stocks. A good one has many safety features that the old ones -and the cheap ones still don’t.
Also good for cooking beans to liberate one from the canned ones. Most beans after the requisite soaking only take 15 minutes at pressure to cook, instead of a couple of hours the old way.
Comment by elizabeth — June 16, 2014 @ 7:34 am
For me, long cooking times are a feature, not a bug: if cooking time is only 15 minutes (or less) I don’t dare leave the kitchen to do something else, certainly not writing. But something that can simmer away for hours frees me to do multiple other things. I realize many (most) people do not have that much time, however. There were years when I didn’t either. But since I do now…making stocks and soups can be a leisurely process and I let it go on while I finish a day’s work.
Which reminds me that I need to make more chicken stock. AFTER I find a source for better chickens.
I don’t have a pressure cooker, lacking space for any more equipment (also why I don’t have a food processor or blender.) I look at catalogs of kitchen stuff and the pictures almost always show vast kitchens (or kitchens with big walk-in pantries) and shelving enough to hold most of what the catalog is selling. We squeezed in a waffle iron last winter, because there’s one that will stand up on end and thus slide between the roasting pan and a pot (and the roasting pan *holds* a pot, when neither is in use.)
I don’t put spice (do put herbs) other than black peppercorns in the stock, and the spice for soup comes when I’m making the soup itself. Along with the same seasonings that went into the stock, there’s always added heat, often from the canned tomatoes & green chilis easily available here, plus more if needed. But again–what works for any cook is what works for that cook, and my equipment & methods aren’t being held up as “how you have to do it.”
Comment by Tuppenny — June 16, 2014 @ 11:04 am
Yes – seasoning goes into the soup -not the stock. The stock has to be multipurpose.
It is amazing shat just sitting does to the blend of flavors. I made a coronation chicken salad with the bits I picked off the carcass-post stock making. ON the initial tasting I was disapointed … the next day it was in another universe of taste!
Comment by Joyce — June 16, 2014 @ 11:35 am
What is a coronation chicken salad, please?
Also, my most favorite herb to use with roasted or even stewed chicken is tarragon. Imparts a delicious taste,IMHO.
Comment by Tuppenny — June 23, 2014 @ 7:39 am
Coronqtion Chicken is a
that was published when Queen Elizabeth was crowned (hence the name) -It is a mild curried chicken-with finely chopped apricots (I add dried montmorency cherries)
The BBC food section has several recipes.
When I make it the chicken meat is picked off after soup making so it is moist and saturated with the soup stock.
Comment by elizabeth — June 23, 2014 @ 12:59 pm
Tuppenny: Sounds interesting. I’ve never put fruit in with chicken, curried or not; so many fruits disagree with my innards. I do take the chicken boiled when making stock and use it for other dishes…mostly what I call “concoctions”–the “whatever’s in the fridge that might work with this” kind of dish, so it’s never exactly the same twice.
Nancy Whiting: Hurray for finding it. I have a copy somewhere–re-found it a couple of years ago, and now it’s vanished again into the mass of cookbooks. But when I re-read it, it held up well.
Comment by Tuppenny — June 23, 2014 @ 9:09 pm
It is a very mild curry flavor. The contrast with the sweet of the dried fruit and the hint of sweetness from the cooked down onions is what makes the dish special IMO