Knitting.

I didn’t do any knitting for a while now so yesterday I decided to start on some wash cloths since spring cleaning is around the corner.

Resting.

The craft show went great, I had a wonderful time meeting new people. Now its time to rest a little before going back to the daily routines. 

 

Ginger.

I wanted to grow some ginger so I got a package of organic roots and stuck them into dirt. I learned that ginger needs moist and not so much light, it also needs lots of time; it’s one of the slow growers. While cooking I had a beet and a parsnip that was starting to grow the greens so I cut of the tops and put it into the dirt with ginger; the root will most likely not grow but I don’t mind the parsley and beet leaves.

Today is my move in day for a five day craft show so my week will be really busy and this will be my only post this week. I would like to wish everyone Happy Easter.

Crepes.

Crepes are favorite snack around here, I make them often because they are great snack on the go but yesterday they were part of a dinner. 

You will need:

Milk,

1 egg

Vanilla sugar

Flour

Butter for frying 

I learned to make this without any measurements, the dough has to be like pancake butter but not so thick. You have to be able to move the butter easily on the pan.

Make sure your pan is really hot and work fast; they don’t need long time on the heat and I open all my windows and the door to my balcony because the melting butter will make lots of smoke. 

The first time I made them it was a disaster I end up with 2 good crepes and about 20 destroyed ones but it was a learning experience. Now I can make about 30 crepes in 10 minutes using two pans at the same time.

For the filling I use jams and sometimes cottage cheese mixed with little bit of vanilla sugar, cinnamon and sour cream. I buy moist cheese so it’s easy to mix it and it tasted better.

There is also another filling that I love in crepes but for that you have to wait until after Easter.

Growing.

Spring is in the air but it's still too early to plant anything on my balcony so for now here is my little jungle on the windows.
Celery is growing nicely:

Lemon:

Living room window:

In the bedroom:

 

Stew.

This recipe is really old, I don’t even remember where it came from but I think my husband found it somewhere, way before we met. It calls for beef but I used pork and chicken before. I buy bigger amount of meat and ( depending on time I have) either make a big batch of the stew and freeze portions for future dinners or freeze the meat for days when I have time to cook.

This amount lasts us for two days:

1 pound beef, pork or chicken cut into cubes,

2 tbsp flour

2 tsp oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced ( here is where my minced garlic in a jar comes handy)

2 tsp tomato paste

2 cups broth, (I use homemade broth but you can use whatever you have)

4 cups chopped carrots

2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup 1-inch green bean pieces (I use green and yellow)

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp cold water

¼ cup chopped fresh or frozen parsley

Coat your meat with flour, in large nonstick pot heat oil over medium-high heat; add meat and sauté until browned. Place on a plate. Add onion, mushrooms to pot and sauté for about 6 minutes, add garlic: sauté stirring for 1 minute. Return meat to the pot, stir in tomato paste, then broth. Add enough water to just cover, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer until meat is tender about 1 hour, skim off any foam. Add carrots, potatoes and green beans, cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl mix cornstarch and cold water, stir into the stew. Boil uncovered for about 1 minute, sprinkle with parsley.

I usually serve it with rice but it is also good with pasta or gnocchi. 

Treasure.

Spring is still a little bit away but I already did some spring cleaning. I usually go thru closets and toys first and anything that we don’t need goes to thrift store. I don’t drive so I have to carry everything which sometimes results in many trips to the store. I usually don’t bring anything back no matter how tempting it is unless I find a treasure like last time. I found 3 books that I will definitely read with Ella and they were only $2 each.