I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

As many of you know, I have a son in college and a daughter who is a senior in high school. My daughter is a bit of a free spirit whose personality differs significantly from that of her parents and her sibling. We like to joke that she was switched at the hospital after she was born.

While she doesn’t share any personality traits, there’s no denying that she most certainly shares physical ones.

Many years ago, she decided she wanted to be a cheerleader. I won’t go into all the reasons why I disagreed with this course of action (not the least of which is that I am a risk-averse lawyer), but she plowed ahead on her own and made the squad.

Since then, I’ve followed her from the front yard:

to the neighborhood football field:

to Provo:

to California:

to Hawaii:

Tonight is bittersweet for me since she’ll be cheering at her last regular season home game. It’ll be cold so I’m breaking out the wool socks. But which pair should I wear:

I think I know:

Have you ever found yourself back in a place from your childhood that you never thought you’d visit again?

Yes, I’ve been gone from the blogsphere a long time. The absence can be explained, in part, by the series of back-to-back trips I’ve taken over the last few months. One more trip and then I’ll stay put for a while. I have been knitting, of course, and here’s the obligatory knitting content to prove it:

Hope you’re all having a nice summer!

I’ve been busy knitting, teaching classes at my LYS, herding cats, and traveling to the far reaches of Idaho and Wyoming.  I’ve also been perfecting my home-made ice cream.  Here’s my latest recipe; my favorite so far.  It’s tart and a bit savory so you won’t like it if you like really sweet ice cream.

Roasted Cherry & Mascarpone Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1/3 cup half & half

1/3 cup sugar (I use the organic sugar cane stuff from Costco)

1/3 cup Mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy cream (I use stuff from a local dairy; buy local if you can find it)

20-25 cherries

balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Directions:

Place cherries in an oven-safe roasting pan and drizzle with just a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Place in 400-425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring half-way through the cooking time.  The juice from the cherries should be bubbling.  Remove cherries from oven and set aside to cool.  When they’re cool to the touch, remove the pits and rough chop them.  Put them back in the roasting pan with the juice and place in the refrigerator.

When the cherry mixture is chilled, it’s time to make the ice cream.  Mix the sugar into the half & half until it’s dissolved.  Add the Mascarpone and blend with a wire wisk until smooth.  This takes a while, but it’s important to make sure there are no lumps.  Stir in the cherry mixture, making sure to scrape all the lovely juice from the sides and bottom of the roasting pan.  Add the cream and stir just to incorporate all the ingredients.

Chill according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.  That’s it.  Yum!

This recipe can be doubled.  I just have a tiny ice cream maker so I can only make a pint at a time.

Mangia!