Lake George in the Off Season

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Yesterday we took the boys to Albany ComicCon — a smaller, much more manageable comic book show than the big one in the city. Laura came too, and was a real trooper, braving the crowd all in the hopes of seeing Spider-Man (which she did!). Afterwards, we surprised the kids with a little sidetrack before going home, though. We figured since there is no school today in honor of Veteran’s Day, we’d spend a little extra time together as a family.

We usually go to Lake George at the end of the season (on Labor Day), but this time of year it is really the off-season. It was so weird seeing all the stores emptied and locked with “See you in the Spring!” signs hanging in doors and windows. Even the McDonald’s in town was closed! But some stuff was open, and really all I wanted to do was walk around the lake so I didn’t care much about the shops. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be up in the Adirondacks. Mid 60s in early November? Why yes! I’ll take it! It was such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

A co-worker told me about The Mystery Spot, something that was in her kids’ book Weird New York. We’ve been to Lake George so many times — I can’t believe I’d never heard of this, even though I have walked over this spot on every trip! (Though Drew tells me we discovered it on our first vacation there when we were still dating — but I can’t remember!) If you stand in the middle of this circle and talk or even whisper, there is this weird reverberation.

“Local Indian legend says that it was the spot that an ancient god called Katchalototail had appeared at a long time ago and since then his wisdom still echoes around the lake.”

It’s not exactly an echo, but definitely some bizarre sonic anomaly. We all got a kick out of it! Definitely try it if you’re up there.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes with Country Crock

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Carol — No Comments ↓

I say it every year: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What could possibly be wrong with a special day focused on food, family, and gratitude? A few years ago, our family became the host for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a challenge that I found very exciting, but I was also worried about combining traditions for two different families (and hopefully addiing our own to the mix). How would I manage? (And do it all with three kids running around?)

One obvious solution was to ask for help. So every year I delegate certain dishes to the people who cook them the best. That leaves me with the turkey and just a few sides.

Thanksgiving dishes don’t have to be heavy and fattening. It’s easy to lighten up your sides with Country Crock, a spread that has less fat and fewer calories than butter. I’ve given two of my Thanksgiving dishes a “make over” and I”m sharing them with you today. You’ll notice that they’re not fancy, they’re not involved, and they’re pretty traditional. They’re also pretty delicious, if I do say so myself!

First is my recipe for sweet potatoes. I didn’t grow up eating them at Thanksgiving (or ever), but my husband did, so I like to incorporate them into our meal. Instead of loading up the potatoes with marshmallows, I rely on maple syrup to add a little extra sweetness.

Maple Baked Sweet Potatoes

2 sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. Country Crock spread
2 tsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Bake for 1 hour or until soft. Remove potatoes from oven and carefully cut each potato in half. Scoop out the flesh and combine in a bowl with the Country Crock, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Using a fork, whip until the mixture is creamy. Stuff the whipped potatoes back into the skins and arrange on a serving platter. (You can transfer the whipped potatoes directly into a serving dish, if you’d rather skip stuffing the potato skins.)

This recipe can easily be scaled up, adding an addition 1 Tbsp. Country Crock, 1 tsp. maple syrup, and 1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice for each additional sweet potato. You can also make this ahead and simply reheat in your oven as the turkey finishes cooking.

On to my second “must have” dish at Thanksgiving. Both of our families enjoy green beans, and they are a quick side dish that also adds a nice burst of color to your dinner spread. Adding lemon gives the beans a fresh, light flavor that provides a bit of contrast to all the heavy dishes.

Green Beans with Lemon

1 lb. trimmed, cut green beans (you can also use frozen beans)
salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. Country Crock
1 lemon

Zest the lemon and squeeze out 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Set aside. Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling, salted water until they are tender (about 10 minutes). Drain the beans and return them to the pot. (Do not put it back on the heat.) Add the Country Crock and lemon juice. Toss until the Country Crock has melted. Transfer the beans to a serving dish and sprinkle with lemon zest.

Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

First Snow of the Season

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Thankfully it wasn’t enough to even cause a school delay this morning, but yes we got our first snowfall of the season! It looked so pretty as it came down late yesterday afternoon. Laura couldn’t wait to get outside, so we bundled up for a few minutes and I (of course) couldn’t help but snap a few shots.

It’s still quite windy, though. I can’t lie — I was pretty happy when she finally agreed to go inside to warm up!

{Tutorial} Country Christmas Crochet Garland

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Carol — 24 Comments ↓

It’s Election Day! I’ll be voting this evening, as my polling location is adjacent to the library and I’m working there for a couple hours tonight. Every year we have an election day raffle to help support our little library, so the hours are extended to correspond with voting hours. This year I decided to whip up this sweet country Christmas garland for the raffle. It’s such a fun project (not to mention instant gratification), that I just had to share it with you!

For the garland, you’ll need:

about 50″ of jute twine
homespun fabric
worsted weight yarn (I used acrylic)
“H” hook
darning needle, scissors

There are a few patterns out there for these granny-style crochet Christmas trees. I tinkered around to come up with a shape I liked, but by all means use your favorite!

Crochet Christmas Tree Motif

Abbreviations:

Ch = chain
SC = single crochet
DC = double crochet
Sl St = slip stitch

Start with a magic circle.

Round 1: Ch 3 (the Ch 3 always counts as the first DC stitch), 3 DC, ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2. Slip stitch to the top of the beginning ch 3 st. (Three clusters of 4 DC and three ch 2 spaces.)

Round 2: Sl st over to the first ch 2 space of the previous round. Ch 3. 3 DC, ch 2, 4 DC in this space. *Ch 2, 4 DC, ch 2, 4 DC in next ch 2 space. Repeat from * in the last ch 2 space. Ch 2. Sl st to the top of the beginning ch 3 stitch. (Six clusters of 4 DC and six ch 2 spaces.)

Round 3: Sl st over to the first ch 2 space. Ch 3, 3 DC, ch 3, 4 DC in the space. *Skip three DC of the previous row. SC in the next (fourth) DC (this will be the DC immediately before the ch 2 space). 4 DC in the next space. Skip three DC of the previous row. SC in the next DC. 4 DC, ch 3, 4 DC in the next space. Repeat from * along the second side of the tree. Ch 1. 4 DC in the next ch 2 space. Ch 1. Sl st to the top of beginning ch 3.

Tree Trunk: Turn work. Sl st into first DC. Ch 3. DC in the next 3 DC stitches. Turn so that the front of the tree is facing you. Ch 2 (counts as the first SC). SC in the next three DC stitches of the previous row and top loop of starting ch. Finish off and weave the yarn end into the back of the tree.

If you don’t want to use a magic circle, you can certainly start with a Ch5, and connect the beginning and end with a slip stitch and then work out of the center of that loop you create. I just think the magic circle makes neater work.

After you accumulate your little stack of trees, it’s time to assemble the garland. You’ll need 9 trees (you could also use 11 if you want them closer — that’s up to you). You’ll need 9 (or 11) 7ish-inches x 1/2 inch pieces of homespun fabric. And you’ll need your jute.

Take a piece of fabric and form a loop. Stick the bottom of the loop through the topmost hole in your tree (1). Lay the jute over the two fabric ends (2). Pull the ends through that loop (3). Then just tighten up the knot until your tree is securely attached to the jute (4).

Repeat this for every tree you’ve crocheted. Then slide the trees around until you have the spacing you want and voila! You have a quick and easy Christmas garland to hang across your mantle, the front of your entertainment center, across a mirror, wherever!

If you make this project, be sure to post a link in the comments. I’d love to see your creations!

Linking up with:

Month: November 2012

Lake George in the Off Season

Thanksgiving Side Dishes with Country Crock

First Snow of the Season

{Tutorial} Country Christmas Crochet Garland

Crochet Christmas Tree Motif

carol.banc