Third Time’s the Charm

After yesterday’s blog post was published, I decided there was nothing to lose by throwing the monster socks back into the washer for another round of felting. If they came out too small, they’d fit someone else. If they didn’t shrink any further, I’d lost nothing and I would have used them to make insoles (or outer soles) for my felted clogs, the ones with hole-y soles.

Well, they came out smaller than when they’d gone in to the washer and the fit is MUCH better.

If I were to make these again, I think I would: a) Use a different yarn, like Lopi or two strands of Patons Classic Wool and/or: b) Cast on fewer stitches. I would have liked them a little narrower all the way around but now, at least, they are wearable and my ankles are comfy. They’re definitely warm!

Now, on to food! Glorious food! I’ve been finding some amazing recipes these past few weeks. Let me share a few images with you…

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From the left… Roasted Brussel Sprouts with grapes and pecans, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Let me tell you, it was like a painting on a plate, colourful, and very tasty. The roasted grapes and the balsamic gave a pop of sweetness and the brussel sprouts, which can be bitter, were done to perfection!

Then, there’s the Pull-Apart bread, stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, shallots, garlic and cheddar cheese. I ran out of the mushroom mix so some of the pieces were filled with salsa and cheddar. The bread dough is cut and rolled into circles and each circle is stuffed with whatever you want to stuff it with. It all makes for a unique-looking loaf that’s fun and tasty. We had company when it came out of the oven and everyone was impressed.

Then there’s the Savoury Brie en Croute (or Brie baked in puff pastry). In this case, I used a small wheel of St. Andre cheese, a triple cream Brie-like cheese, very rich. It is stuffed with a mushroom and onion filling before being wrapped in the puff pastry. It, too, was really yummy. We had it with crackers and, later in the evening, some sparkling wine. Talk about decadent!

If you’re interested in checking out the recipes, here are the links:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Grapes and Pecans

Pull Apart Cheesy Herb Bread

Mushroom Stuffed Brie en Croute

Just a note on the Brussels Sprouts link – this isn’t the recipe I followed, but it is very similar. The one I used had no garlic and added 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar at the very end. The link to the recipe I used doesn’t seem to be working, so perhaps I’ll post the recipe to my food blog (link in the sidebar).