Recent Knitting Projects, part the second

stash project, originally uploaded by All Things Mimi.

So I decided to knit my friend Cheri a baby blanket. I fiddled around, looking for just the right yarn in just the right color, but couldn't find anything that really spoke to me.

After mulling it over a while, I started looking through my yarn stash. I have knitted several scarves out of Lion Brand's Homespun yarn. I like it because it is bulky, soft and machine wash/dry. I had odds and ends from 5 different colors just laying there, staring at me. Suddenly I realized all 5 colors kinda sorta went together. I decided to try knitting a striped blanket, then knitting a hat from whatever color I had the most of left after finishing the blanket. I really like the result, although darning in all the yarn ends was a bit of a job.

I guess this is the kind of happy accident you get when you amass a sizable yarn stash.....

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Carrot Cake!!!!!!

I made my very first ever from scratch homemade cake at 7,500 feet above sea level today. I have made many homemade cakes before, but that was back home in Savannah, which is practically 2 feet below sea level.

After many dismal failures (including box mixes) I have finally made a cake from scratch that turned out decent. No- better than decent. I think this is the best cake I've ever made. No joke.

It all started when my fried Emmy posted on her blog about receiving as a gift from her hubby, a copy of "The Joy of Cooking." By the way, you should go read her blog. She is nauseatingly multi-talented. She cooks and knits beautifully, as well as a bunch of other stuff I learn about every freakin' time I read her blog. So go over to her blog right now.

Anyhoo...she read the high altitude instructions and cranked out a beautiful red velvet cake that made me drool. After reading that, I decided it was time to stop being a wuss about baking at high altitude and try a…

The Best Pizza Dough for Mimi

This picture does not include a picture of my pizza dough. But it was taken at my favorite pizza place in the world- Vinnie Van Go-Go's in Savannah, GA.

I have toiled in vain to make a homemade crust that is in any way similar to Vinnie's.

I'm not going to say I've done it, because I haven't. But what I can say is I think this version is the closest I'll ever get.

For 10 years I have played around with basic pizza dough recipes, trying to find one that yields a thin, crispy crust, with bubbly edges.

I think there are two things that make this possible... very high heat (most home ovens can't get hot enough) and 00 Italian flour (it makes such a soft, pliable dough). To manage the heat problem, I usually cook my pizzas on the grill, and let it heat to at least 600 degrees. Hopefully one day my husband will build the wood fired pizza oven of my dreams. And to manage the flour issue, I order my flour from Amazon.

Here's the basic recipe and process:

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Cucumber Pico de Gallo

Normally, when I make pico de gallo, I use tomato, red onion, and jalapeño. This week, the garden is spewing forth dozens of cucumbers, so I'm throwing those in as well.
There really isn't a recipe for pico... you just throw whatever you want in there. I'll list what I used, but I also won't give amounts. If you don't groove on onion, use less. If you don't like cucumbers, don't use them. Do whatever makes you happy!
Cucumber Pico de Gallo
6 lemon cucumbers, diced (I don't seed mine) 6 roma tomatoes, diced (I squish out the jelly stuff so the mixture doesn't get too soupy) 1 small red onion, minced 1 small jalapeño, minced Fresh lime juice Red wine vinegar Olive oil Salt
Mix everything up and let it sit at least 30 minutes before you attack it. If you have the willpower... I never do!

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