Jammin'

Spinnity generously gave me a basket of organic strawberries. Mmmmm, strawberries.

This morning I bought White Peaches at the Farmers Market and made jam.


Strawberry-White Peach Jam
Recipe

Next time I'll make it with a tad less sugar 'cause it's a little on the sweet side. But still. Mmmmmm, jammmmm.

Thanks Spinnity & Bill! (Would you like a jar?)

When life gives you lemons...

make marmalade.


1-1/2 lbs Meyer Lemons


Lemons in water


Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Recipe on Epicurious.com

Like knitting socks, canning sounds daunting when you read the instructions but isn't difficult when you do it. The recipe was supposed to yield 6 cups, but I only ended up with 4-1/2 cups. Not sure if I reduced it too much or cooked it too long, but next time I'll make a double batch. It'll take longer to cook, but I think twice as much will work better for my equipment--the pot that I'm using is so wide, the level was a bit low for the thermometer. Yeah, more would be better.

4 cups of sugar in ~4 cups of marmalade. It's a little scary to think there's a cup of sugar in each of those jars, but it tastes really good.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing Crayola socks.


Jawoll Broadripple socks
Project details on Ravelry

Organic dining

Tigelleria Organic Restaurant

I found this restaurant through Open Table. It sounded like it had the potential to be delicious, fresh, and different.

The restaurant is small and cozy--reservations are a good idea. The special drink menu had a concoction featuring 209 gin (a huge plus) but unfortunately they were out of 209. Darn. We opted for Cucumber Martinis. It sounded strange yet intriguing and I wasn't sure what to expect. The drink was slightly sweet, but the sweetness didn't linger in the mouth. I couldn't figure it out, but I liked it. Floating on top was a slice of cucumber marinated in gin--if you want to taste it, take a very small bite. IMHO it's not meant to be eaten.

The restaurant is named after Tigelle (tee-jell-ay), the little rounds of bread that they bring to the table. The Tigelle is made to order and served piping hot with little dishes of hummus, tapenade, and a sun-dried tomato spread. Although all 3 were nice, I'd be happy with an extra tapenade in place of the hummus, or maybe just all tapenade. I like my Tigelle with olives.

We started the meal sharing a Mango-Feta salad with baby Arugula, walnuts, and a lovely balsamic, olive oil, honey dressing. It was fresh, fresh, fresh, and the perfect size to get things going.

R had the Polpettone Farcito (Stuffed Meatloaf) which looked impressive. It was good, he enjoyed the different flavors, but it didn't knock his socks off. I wonder how they serve it so each helping has exactly 1 egg? Maybe the pan is marked so they know where to place the eggs and where to cut the portions.


Polpettone Farcito

I had the Spezzatino (Italian Beef Stew). The polenta was smooth and had a really nice flavor, and the stew was exactly what I wanted--hearty, savory, and delicious. I would order this again.


Spezzatino

For dessert, I fought the urge to order Tiramisu and opted for something different, Pesche Melba. It was light on the peaches, but overall it was delicious and just the right size for 2 after the filling meal. Good choice.


Pesche Melba

Coffee accompanied dessert. Funny, I first positioned the espresso in front, but the perspective made the cups look the same size.


Caffè Espresso and Caffè Lungo

Overall we really enjoyed the Tigelleria experience--the food was fresh and delicious and the service was quite good. I agree with the other Open Table diners who consider this a Neighborhood Gem. We'll be back.

Tigelleria Organic Restaurant
76 East Campbell Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 884-3808

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Zigzag Lace socks
Project details on Ravelry

Music, icons, and angels

A couple of weeks ago, a last minute email came in asking if we wanted to go to KFOG KaBoom. Sure! We were going to SF that evening anyway, so we just went up a little earlier. Our friend was nice enough to buff us out with passes which meant we didn't have to hang out in the huge crowd. (I'm so spoiled.)


KFOG Kaboom 2009

We saw and really enjoyed


Chuck Prophet

and


Susan Tedeschi (who sounds just like Bonnie Raitt)

We had to leave early for dinner and the next event so we didn't get to see Los Lonely Boys or the fireworks.

Dinner was at The Stinking Rose.


Silence of the Lamb Shank with Chianti glaze and fava beans, Swiss chard, and garlic mashed Yukon Gold potatoes--it was so good!

The garlic content wasn't too high as long as I stayed away from the whole cloves that were hidden in the potatoes and among the fava beans. Hmmm... I don't *think* I smelled like a stinking rose after that meal... but that's difficult to judge isn't it?

From there we went to the opening of Iconic Interpretations with works from over 30 artists including Prairie Prince, Pete the Painter, Amandalynn, and Robin Grass.


Eyecon, Prairie Prince


Jesus just left Chicago, Prairie Prince


Mary Magdalene, St. Lucifer and the Man of Sorrows, Prairie Prince


Our Lady Margareeta Chiquita, Amandalynn


21st Century Madonna, Robin Grass

Harpist Brittany graced the crowd with beautiful music.


Cherubs

Music, icons, and angels. And garlic.

ETA Robin Grass' work.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

It's warming up in the Bay Area so I'm wearing bamboo/cotton socks.


Early Spring
Project details on Ravelry

iPhone tip: the camera button

How do you like the iPhone camera? Are your photos blurry or have you noticed an annoying delay from the time you touch the button to when the photo is taken? Here's a iPhone tip that you may find useful.

The Apple web site says, "The iPhone camera snaps shots with a tap." Well, not exactly.

The iPhone camera takes a photo when your finger comes off the button, not when you touch the button. So hold your finger on the iPhone camera button, steady the camera, then carefully lift your finger to take a photo.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Almost Baroque
Project details on Ravelry

I'm not sure what happened

Kathy E tweeted something about the WEBS Anniversary Sale, I replied, and the next thing I knew I won a contest.


Winnings from WEBS

She picked out beautiful yarn for me, 10 balls of Rowan 4 Ply Soft. Is this an opportunity for me to design my first sweater?

Thank you Kathy and thank you WEBS!!

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Pomatomus socks
Project details on Ravelry

Yay May!