Qblog: Chris Q’s Web World

After trying a variety of other things, we like the Tofurkey at our house, but this veg version of the turducken is so crazy that it might be worth attempting sometime in the future. [thanks to Bostonist for the link]

This year’s Qfam diabetic vegetarian + carnivores harmonious thanksgiving was pleasant and relatively stress free. While it’s a lot of work, I enjoy the challenge of getting everything ready to come out on the table at the same time. I had lots of help from the Qmom who made the turkey for the omnivores and was a great all around helper/super cleaner-upper, Qdad who did the carrots and mashed the potatoes, my brother-by-marriage who made a kickass mushroom risotto, and Mi Esposo, who did the green beans and kept everyone entertained. Much eating was followed by quality family time spent in Wii bowling, etc.

Each year, the making of the pumpkin pie is the biggest stress for me. I’m just never happy at how they come out, and do not have the patience to make a good quality home made crust. Inpspired by the web, I decided to still give it a go. I opted this year for a pie with a homemade graham cracker crust [thanks to AT’s Kitchen] and used the pie filling recipe that Shelterrific found in People Magazine. It was one of the more successful pumpkin pies I’ve ever made.

Answer me one question though: why do I always end up with enough filling for 1.5 pies, despite following the instructions and using a standard size pie pan? Just wondering.

I worked on some more handwarmer items over the weekend.

another crack at the fleur de lis, this time w/ fall colors. they were inspired by some candles I got at IKEA in the same colors. I’m trying to bust my stash of worsted weight brown sheep.

also, some wrist warmers:

IKEA was fun because Hadas came with me. Otherwise, it was disappointing. they were sold out of the size of frames that I needed, but I loaded up on items under $3 because I had a hard time staying on task when there was so much to consume.

I’ve been following Decor*8 and Design*Sponge’s lead, and purchasing prints from etsy artists to add to our home.

I just received this Knitty Knitty print by AshelyG. I love it! I may put it in the bathroom, which is green, or possibly in my office at work. I also picked up a print from Wondercabinet’s Specimen series, which are printed on pages from old books (I’m still a nerd) and Pressure’s Bunnybush print. The Specimen and Bunnybush prints will likely go into our bedroom, which I hope to paint this winter.

As a result, I may need to brave the wilds of IKEA this weekend to pick up appropriate frames. While I derive endorphin highs while reading the IKEA catalog, and love their sense of design, something always seems to go wrong when we go to the IK. I sometimes feel like I can’t escape the store because of the way they force you to navigate. Even if you check on line first, stuff can still be sold out in the store despite what the interweb says. And I need a swedish meatball like I need a second head.

We also learned a sad lesson last time: while they say that all of the items are “flat packed” to get into your car easily, an armchair (or 2) isn’t going to fit into a 96 VW without using the jaws of life. The home delivery option is expensive. It’s outsourced to another company not affiliated with IKEA, and the delivery outfit is not warm, fuzzy, scandinavian, or cute. They don’t deliver on weekends, nor do they offer you cinnabons or lingonberry soda. Bring a zipcar van instead!

Chris picked up a piece from the Museum School’s Proof of Purchase show a few months ago, too.

All of these lovely pieces are sitting in our built-in cabinet instead of up on the wall, so IKEA time has reached critical mass. I hope it’s successful and not the usual disappointment.

I finished the second set of pomotamus socks. I worked on the first pair during the Luna de Miel, mostly while we were in Sevilla, and a little bit while we were flying between Sevilla, Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid.

The purple and oranges remind me of the orange groves we saw on the train into the Andalusia, and the purple flowering trees all over Sevilla.

For some reason, I thought that I’d do a lot of knitting on our honeymoon, and brought enough yarn to make not one but two pairs of socks. There just wasn’t that much time, and too much living, sightseeing, and eating to do. I carried this purple and orange yarn all over Spain, and didn’t get to using it until this fall. I’ll give these socks to my mom for the holidays. I kept the first pair for myself.

Party I: KB’s intergalactic bowling extravaganza

I went to two very fun bachelorette parties within the past month. I thought I’d pass on what we did in case anyone else is trying to figure this out. The Brits call such things “Hen Parties,”which is quite charming.

I was responsible for organizing KB’s hen party, which was at the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes in JP. You can reserve private party areas in the lounge, or just get a large table for dinner in the lounge and order from the regular menu. The pizzas and other food at the Milky Way are delicious, and they offer many unique and original pizza combinations, like the Diedre Deluxe, a white pizza with sweetened cranberries, gorgonzola, caramelized onions. They have a large cocktail menu and full bar.

In addition to great food, they also have 8 candlepin bowling alleys. We ate, drank, and then turned to bowling. They have desserts on the menu, but they will allow you to bring in outside cakes (add $10). Our dinner was topped off by Red Velvet Cupcakes from Lulu’s. I feel strongly that Lulu’s may make the best cupcakes in Boston. The red velvet cupcakes were incredibly moist and flavorful, and the frosting was smooth yet appropriately tart. Pizzas cost around $17, which can be split, drinks vary, and bowling is $25/lane per hour + shoes for $2/person.

The service at the Milky Way was great. Our server was a sweetheart, she took lots of photos for us, and even took part in wearing temporary tattoos. I was crunched for time in prepping for the party, and they were able to accommodate us with only about 3 weeks of notice.

In unrelated bowling news, there was a fracas at another local bowling alley which resulted in people going to the hospital. Fortunately, KB’s fete was band-aid free. [link via Bostonist] Note: Mr. Xls and I were actually accused of stealing bowling from Lanes ‘N Games about 2 years ago. It’s too bad that people were hurt, but I can’t say I’m surprised that something bad happened there.

Party II: Pot Luck at Nina’s followed by Karaoke at Do Re Mi

Alicia’s party started with snacks and cosmos at Nina’s shiny new apartment, with silly gift giving to follow. Nina was the host with the most, and Alicia was a great sport in wearing about 4 layers of bridal bling, including blinking tiara, blinking sash, sexy little bride inscribed tank top, and feather bowa.

We then trekked over to Do Re Mi for enjoyment in our private karaoke room. The room was completely private, filled with plush pleather sofas, and binders of thousands of songs. I’ve never sung private karaoke before, only having belted out tunes in crowded dive bars like the Courtside or Razzy’s. Private-style was super fun, and I didn’t have to listen to Aqualung. With a group of 12, karaoke was $15 each for 2 hours of singing.

You can also bring your own snacks, and discreet beverages. My songs to Alicia were: Carly Simon-Nobody Does it Better, Hall & Oates-Sarah Smile, and Tina Turner- Better Be Good to Me. Theresa did a kickass version of Bust A Move, and other highlights were Son of a Preacherman and Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror.

Blinkies are key! people will do anything when there are fun blinking lights.

Somedays, I wish I lived in New York. going to this learn to make your own coral class at Purl is yet another reason. It makes me so happy when craft and science collide, and love love love natural patterns in coral, cells, and microscopy.

Too bad that Knitting Nature book was so disappointing. It really could have been so much better, like Gooseflesh’s work.

I’ve added the Purl class to my list of reasons why Boston is an inferior city, but most of them revolve around lack of quality shoppes, vegetarian restaurants, and the loser complex of it’s residents, where people still need to chant “Yankess Suck” in the middle of the second world series *Victory* celebration. ‘nuf said.

I won’t go on about why I gave up blogging for a while. It had something to do with a flurry of activity surrounding getting married, post-vacation/luna de miel depression, general frustration with the Administration, and feeling like I needed some time away from the computer. However, I had fun at the ASIST conference two weeks ago, and met some fun knitters , and it’s brought me back. Plus, I got into Ravelry, so the blogging just seems so much easier. Besides, if Lucian the cutie infant can keep a blog going, I can do better than I have in the past.

So, as the host of my favorite tv show say, Pardon the Interruption. This post is 100% OVER!

The more people I know who start to have babies, the more I realize how little I know about babies. I’m thinking of knitting a few items from Natural Knits for Moms and Babies in BSA’s dyed cotton.

I’ll be making a blue & green striped pullover for baby Shulamith (who is known to be a male). For the baby of unkown gender, I’d like to knit the cabled pullover. The graphite, toffee, and fern colors are my favorites.

Will a dark sweater early in life pre-destine the baby to a life of listening to the Cure and wearing black? I love the Cure, but I don’t want to unduly influence anyone, and am not trying to turn a friends’ baby into myself. These colors make me feel comfortable and warm when it’s cold, and I don’t find them depressing at all–but I’m not your average bear.

Some additional context–this person isn’t going to be born until early July. The person may not need a sweater until fall. If someone gave you some baby clothing in these colors, would you feel annoyed/revolted/confused, or be excited?

Babies, I know them not.

This weekend, I went to a variety of bakeries in the area to scout out cupcakes for the big party. It was fun, although I’ll need to make up some extra minutes at the gym in the couse of the next week.

The bakeries that I went to were Lyndell’s (near Sound Bites in Ball Sq), Petsi Pies, and Rosie’s Bakery in Inman Sq. I used this post from Cupcakes All the Time was my treasure map.

Here’s the booty– Starting at 12:00, we have some Coconut and Whoopie Pie cupcakes from Petsi Pies, a variety set from Lyndell’s, and lastly 4 from Rosie’s.

The rundown:

Petsi Pies- It was nice to visit the PP shop on Beacon Street. You could smell delicious foods baking within, even before entering the building. They are known more for their savory and sweet pies, all of which looked phenomenal, but I had seen and heard good reviews of their cupcakes.

The coconut cupcake was extraordinary. The cake was dense, like a poundcake, but with a bit more texture. The top and edges of the cakes were delightfully crunchy. The frosting, which was a tangy cream cheese with coconut shavings on top was delicious, and a perfect pairing to the firm and crunchy crumb of the cake. Mr. Xls does not like sweets, but he asked to split one of these with me, and he said it was excellent. I’ve never had a cupcake that was this good before.

The whoopie pie variety was also delicious. The cake has an almost-brownie like texture, very flavorful, and moist. Cutting into the cupcake reveals the hidden gem– a tasty whip cream within. The frosting was a delectable chocolate ganache, with the appropriate amount of chocolate bitterness. The cream was mildly tart, and a lovely complement to the cake. Some frostings and fillings can have a lardy texture, but the whoopie pie cupcake was a delight, and far better than any whoopie pie i’ve ever been privy to.

The coconut cupcake may be the winner. The Petsi Pie cupcakes are quite large–the size of a hefty muffin. you get your full $2 for each one. I’m not sure if these cupcakes would fit in one of those cupcake trees for display, or if they’d be too much for people to eat at a wedding. At the same time, do I care if the cupcakes are large and aren’t fully eaten? Not sure. Xls pointed out that we could serve them cut in half, with berries or sorbet, if this were the case.

Lyndell’s

Lyndell’s is a family-owned bakery, in operation for many eyars. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the shop was the sugar and vanilla smell. It was quite busy in there, and I bumped into a coworker who had cupcakes from Lyndell’s for her own wedding, with great results, who was buying a cake for another event.

The Lyndell’s cupcakes are closer to a normal cupcake size. They offer chocolate and vanilla cakes as a base, with a combination of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pinapple frostings, with possibilities for customized options. The strawberry and pineapple frostings are white frosting with fruit folded in. The vanilla frosting base was surprisingly light, and not too sugary. The strawberry frosting had a very natural flavor. The vanilla cake was very moist and light, with a slight almond flavor. It’s likely you’d see these cupcakes in an encyclopedia, next to the definition of the work cupcake. Delightful and unpretentious.

At $.90/each, the Lyndell’s cupcakes were the least expensive. We could mix and match, and provide a variety of cupcakes for our guests to choose from. These cupcakes would be a pleasant and appropriate choice.

Rosie’s Bakery

There was some confusion at the Rosie’s shop about cake and frosting flavor options, the teens staffing the bakery were a bit confused about the cupcake selection. I was instructed to call the Rosie’s corporate HQ to learn more about options. I guess very little baking happens in the Rosie’s bakery shops.

I picked up chocolate and vanilla cakes with a mix of chocolate and vanilla frostings. The frostings on both were quite hard, and the vanilla buttercream tasted like a stick of butter. I usually don’t like it when I bite into cake and the frosting falls off or is separated. These are those kind of cupcakes.

Given the strength of options from Lyndell’s or Petsi Pies, I don’t think the Rosie’s cupcakes are worth discussing further. The winner has not yet been determined–but it’s a close race between Petsi Pies and Lyndell’s. Some people don’t like coconut, but I’m not sure I care about that. I would want to make sure that there was dental floss on hand in the restrooms, no matter what.

This weekend was a good one for taking are of unfinished business. I finally have some mitts, instead of wearing socks on my hands, the clapotis is officially in the “clap off” stage, and I have a new pair of socks that languished in my knitting store for about 10 months due to not remembering to weave in the ends. Some unfinished objects now join the completed category.

I’ve been trying to stay busy over the past 7 days. I’ve been on the lemonade fast, and am now on my last day of fasting, and can return to drinking juice, which is a big improvement over only consuming a cocktail of lemon/lime juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for the past 6 days. I felt I was in need of a detox, and have never gone more than about 24 hours without eating before, so I wanted to challenge myself, and recalibrate my food portion sizes and relationship to food in general.

It was strange, but not all that bad. I like eating a variety of foods, and look forward to eating as a social activity, and my spirits were a bit dampened during the week. I missed coffee, and it’s really boring. Not having to worry about what I’d make for dinner or get for lunch made me more productive in my outside of work efforts, but I just didn’t have the ability to concentrate on excel sheets for more than a few minutes at a time when I was at my desk. I tried to go for a walk every day at lunch so I wouldn’t have to smell my co-workers bacon sandwiches, and I caught up on laundry, leftover projects, and ***finally purchased a wedding dress.*** this was a huge relief, I had been feeling like captain Ahab in an maniacal quest to hunt down the white whale. It happens to be off-white, but not beige, and was of course the first dress I liked 6 months ago.

This fast was very strange. I haven’t eaten meat in several years, but most of the food cravings I had were for strange things, like bacon, cheeseburgers from Wendy’s, a tuna melt, velveeta cheese dip, and the hot ham & swiss sandwiches that they used to make in the dorm cafeteria. I also had cravings for salad from time to time as well, and artichokes in saffron, but never for chocolate or cookies. Always the salty. I had meant to eat some chocolate before I started the fast, but forgot, and didn’t end up missing it at all. I don’t think I’ll go back to eating meat–it’s gross, and would probably make me really sick at this point. I do want to make sure I’m eating a wider variety of food, and more foods that actually look like food and don’t come out of a box. Check out this article by Michael Pollan in the NYT– he wrote “The Ominvore’s Dilemma” and has many good things to say about food. [link via Ameteur Gourmet]

The MIT SnB group, coached by very organized Katie, knit some scarves up for the Red Scarf Project. This is mine, it’s just a generic lace pattern in Bernat’s light & lofty, which I got as a gift.

Fortunately, I knit this scarf before I was afflicted with the sickness, otherwise it would become a vector for interstate transport of bacteria. Soon I will get out of my Quil haze and rejoin the real world (but not the Bunim Murray produced Real World(TM) where fake people live fake lives in MTV provided housing in hopes of being rejected in the future on American Idol or the Surreal Life Fame Gamez)