Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

  • Two-Tone Fingerless Mitts — Good Way to Leftover Yarn!

    Every winter I tell myself I am going to make myself a new pair of mittens, and I usually don’t do it OR I make the mittens only to lose one of them which leaves me effectively mittenless for the rest of winter.  This winter was no exception — I didn’t make any mittens until March, ironically while in Chicago for spring break.

    I discovered that this is a fantastic way to use leftover yarn — I used a small amount of the grey Plymouth skein I used for my mother’s sweater and the leftover light green yarn from Nick’s hat.   

    And the best part — this pattern works for both average size women and men’s hands.   The pattern follows the picture below.

    Madhu_two_tone_fingerless_mitts_sid   

    Measurements: 

    • 7.5 inches long
    • 4 inches wide at the widest point — the thumb area; 2.5 inches wide at the bottom cuff and the top cuff is 3 inches wide.

    Yarn (Any worsted weight will work): 

    • Plymouth Encore Worsted Yarn in Charcoal Grey (the color may be slightly different from what I used because I bought this yarn 7 years ago, so the colors may have slightly changed)
    • Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in Sage

    Needles:  4 size 5 dpns

    Gauge:  5.5 stitches per inch

    Pattern:

    • Cast on 36 stitches, divide evenly on 3 dpns.  Connect the last cast on stitch and the first stitch of the new row to create a round.
    • Rows 1-14:  k2p2
    • Rows 15-18: k straight (stockinette)
    • Row 19:  k18, m2, k18
    • Rows 20-22:  k straight (stockinette)
    • Row 23:  k18, m1, k2, m1, k18
    • Row 24:  k straight
    • Row 25: k19, m1, k2, m1, k19
    • Rows 26-28: k straight (stockinette)
    • Row 29: k19, bo4, k19
    • Row 30: k19, turn work, cast on 4 using knitted cast on*, turn work, k19
    • Row 31: k straight
    • Row 32: k18, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k18
    • Row 33: k straight
    • Row 34: k17, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k17
    • Row 35: k straight
    • Row 36: k16, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k16
    • Rows 37-46: k straight (stockinette)
    • Rows 47-50: k2p2
    • Row 51:  Bind off in pattern

    *See Nancie Wiseman’s The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques for details if confused.

  • Lightweight, Stylish and Simple Winter Hats — Knit in the Round

    Andy and I went to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in October 2006, and one of the two yarns that I bought was a fantastic light brown baby alpaca from the very nice men from A Craftsman’s Touch Alpaca Co./Red Maple Sportswear Co.   They usually don’t sell yarn, just finished products, but for the Festival, they brought down an expanded range of products.   I feel very lucky that Andy pointed out this fiber and wanted me to use it to make his hat.

    After making Andy’s hat, I ended up making another hat for myself because Andy’s was so soft, lightweight and stylish.   I will probably make another hat for myself because my original hat was stolen only a week after I finished it.   So there are two variations of the pattern you will find below — one for men and one for women.   The woman’s hat details are in the ( ). 

    AND, using this pattern is a great way to learn how crochet — I used books and the internet to teach myself how to crochet to make the border of the hat.

    Men’s Hat:

    Andys_baby_alpaca_hat

    Women’s Hat:

    Madhus_stolen_baby_alpaca_hat

    The men’s finished measurements after blocking are:  9.75 inches wide by 8.75 inches tall

    The women’s finished measurements after blocking are: 9 inches wide by 7.5 inches tall

    Needles:  5 size 5 dpns, 1 size D-3 crochet hook

    Yarn:  DK Weight Alpaca, unfortunately yards needed is unknown.

    Gauge:  5.5 inches/stitch

    Pattern:

    • Cast on 107 (100) stitches using a contrast yarn and provisional cast-on
    • Divide stitches on 4 dpns, and connect the first and last stitches to create a round
    • Knit 5.5 (4) inches in stockinette stitch (which would be all knit rows because this hat is knit in the round).
    • Start top shaping by k2tog every 10 stitches.
    • Knit the next row straight with no decreases.
    • Then k2t0g every 9 stitches followed by a straight row. 
    • Continue this pattern repeat until every stitch in the row is a k2tog.
    • Then cut yarn with 4 inches remaining, pull the yarn through the remaining stitches, and sew the end in.
    • Then go back to the bottom of the hat to work the hat border.
    • Remove the provisional cast on, and put the stitches back onto the 4 dpns.
    • From there, work a single crochet across each of the stitches for 4 (5) rows or until the hat edge lays flat or until you have your desired border.

    I have to also put out a big thank you to Nancie Wiseman and her book The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques because without it, I would not have had the idea to use a single crochet border to get the stockinette edging to lay flat.  And in general, if you don’t have this book, you must pick it up — it’s save you a lot of time on your knitting projects!

  • Don’t like Okra? You will after trying this dish: Bendakaya (Indian Style Okra)

    This is one of my favorite Indian dishes — and I have to admit, the person who makes it the best is my mother.  I haven't tried the recipe yet (can't find Okra yet) but I can't wait.   The recipe follows the picture:

    Bendakaya

    Ingredients:

    • 3 cups fresh Okra
    • 3 tbps. vegetable oil
    • 2 dried red chili peppers (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 3/4 tsp. whole mustard seeds
    • 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp. uridahl/white dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 1/2 tsp. channa dahl/yellow dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
    • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
    • Salt
    • 1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
    • Cilantro to garnish (optional)

    1.  Wash the okra, either towel dry or leave out to air dry for a few hours before cooking.  It is important that the okra is drier when you start, so it gets crisp and not mushy when you cook it.

    2.  Cut the okra into 1/3 inch segments, discard the ends.

    3.  Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan

    4.  When vegetable oil becomes hot, break the two red chili peppers and throw them into the pan.  Also add the mustard seeds.

    5.  When the mustard seeds start popping, add the cumin, uridahl and channa dahl.  Let it simmer  for a minute or two.

    6.  Add garlic, and saute for two minutes — make sure the garlic doesn't brown.

    7.  Add okra, and stir while raising heat to a higher medium level.  Cook the okra uncovered, and stir every two minutes. 

    8.  After ten minutes or when the okra starts to get cooked enough that the okra pieces are not sticking to each other, add salt to taste (perhaps 3/4 of a tsp. to start).   Note:  Make sure you do not add the salt too early in the cooking process, it will make the okra gummy.

    9.  Saute another 5 minutes or so until the okra is a bit crisp.  Add chili powder if desired and more salt to taste.

    10.  Serve with rice or any Indian breads.

  • Simple Cableknit Scarf for My Sister

    I bought some clearance super-soft English cotton at School Products in New York City a few years ago with the determination to make my vegan sister some socks for her to wear about the house.  As the years past though, I ended up deciding this past fall to instead make a scarf for my sister, especially given how many vegan sock yarns are available on the market now.

    I ended up designing a very simple cableknit scarf to help keep my sister warm in the Michigan winters.  This would be a great project for a first-time cableknit project.  The pattern for this scarf follows the picture below:

    Mallikas_cableknit_scarf

    Here’s how you can make this scarf using a heavier worsted weight yarn of your choice:

    I made this scarf 6 inches wide and maybe 3.5 feet long (I usually keep knitting until I find the scarf length "look goods").

    Cast on 29 stitches

    Row 1:  K2, P4, K6, P5, K6, P4, K2

    Row 2: P2, K4, P6, K5, P6, K4, P2

    Row 3:  Repeat Row 1

    Row 4: Repeat Row 2

    Row 5: K2, P4, C3B, P5, C3F, P4, K2

    Row 6:  Repeat Row 2

    Repeat these six rows to create this very basic cableknit pattern.

  • Alternative to Spaghetti and Jarred Tomato Sauce: Multigrain Spaghetti with Diced Tomatoes and Asparagus

    Sick of having spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner when you are tight on cash?  Try this tastier alternative that is just as cheap and gets you a green vegetable:

    Pasta_with_asparagus_and_tomatoes

    4 servings cooked multigrain spaghetti

    1 28-oz. can of seasoned diced tomatoes

    2 cups of coarsely chopped asparagus (partially cooked — you can use frozen asparagus cuts as well)

    4 cloves of garlic, minced

    3 tablespoons of olive oil

    dried red chili flakes to taste

    coarsely chopped parmesan

    1.  Heat pan, throw in olive oil and garlic, saute until warm

    2.  Add partially cooked asparagus and saute for 1-2 minutes

    3.  Add diced tomatoes and warm until the garlic and olive oil flavors get into the mixture

    4.  Add red chili flakes to taste

    5. Toss with the cooked pasta and parmesan.

  • 2006 New York Sheep and Wool Festival Outing

    This past weekend, on October 21, Andy and I went to the 2006 New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  Check out the website for the annual fair at www.sheepandwool.com

    Andy_sheep_and_wool_festival

    For those of you who haven’t been to any Sheep and Wool or Fiber Festivals yet, there is a full range of activities for literally everyone in the family.  There are petting zoos for children, as well as sheep, alpaca, and llama exhibits for those that have been entered into the various animal competitions.  There are also sheep-herding demonstrations — unfortunately I did not have the time to check one out at this Sheep and Wool Festival, but I did when I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in the spring.  And of course, the best part….yarn and fiber vendors from all over the country! 

    [Oh yeah, and if you are meat-inclined (which I am not), there is also generally a lot of fresh-cooked lamb and other meats.]

    I have to admit though that I found the NY festival to be a lot more limited in selection than the MD festival, especially because the NY festival seemed to have a lot of non-knitting related goods including weaving materials and a TON of finished products which aren’t that helpful for one who likes to make their own finished products. 

    But, I did buy two different types of yarn.  The first was a skein of some simple brown baby alpaca wool for making Andy a soft winter hat.  The second was some super-light weight lace yarn (a merino and tencel blend) to make a lace-weight shawl in the classic Orenburg style.  I also bought a book "The Gossamer Webs Design Collection" to assist me in learning this new style of knitting.   For more information about the lace-weight yarn and the Orenburg style of knitting, check out the vendor I bought those products from:  www.skaska.com.

    Hopefully, I’ll start work on both the hat and scarf soon so you’ll be able to check out the full experience of the 2006 NY Sheep and Wool Festival.

    And as Andy remarked at the festival, "These sheep aren’t up to any good!"

    Sheep_upto_no_good

  • Dark Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies

    As the weather has been getting colder, I remembered that there is no better winter snack than shortbread.  I wanted to do something a little bit different though, so I decided to make use of some leftover dark chocolate chips from the dark chocolate cake I recently made to create a batch of delicious dark chocolate dipped shortbread cookies.

    Dark_chocolate_dipped_shortbread_cookies

    To make these cookies, I used this simple recipe from Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shortbread-Supreme/Detail.aspx.  Most shortbread recipes are almost exactly like this, though some use confectioners sugar instead of regular sugar — it just depends on the consistency you want.   Another shortbread tip is that you really want to make sure you are watching them while they are in the oven — it’s really easy to overcook shortbread either by leaving it in the oven for too long or by having the oven too hot.  To that end, try to put your cookie pans (or pie pan, depending on how you want to make it) away from the heat source.   I had many a ruined shortbread attempt when I was growing up because of over-cooking the shortbread.

    After the shortbread had cooled, I melted the leftover Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips in the microwave on 50% heat.  When using the microwave to melt chocolate, you should also use low power and only cook in short bursts.  At first, it’s ok to start with 45 seconds to a minute, but after that, melt in periods of 15-20 seconds until the chocolate is JUST melted.   

    From there, I just dipped a side of the shortbread into the melted chocolate, and used a spoon to wipe away the excess on the bottom of the cookie. 

    Then place the cookies onto cooled cookie pans or cookie wires lined with parchment paper.  Don’t forget the parchment paper or you have a really fun time trying to get the cookies off the pan. 

    Put the pans or wires then in the the fridge until the chocolate has cooled, and you can easily remove the cookies from the pan without any mess (it should be very easy to lift them up, leaving no chocolate behind). 

    Remove the shortbread at that point immediately from the fridge and serve or store.

  • Baked Penne with Broccoli — Wonderful for a Quick Set of Meals

    So I decided to finally make use some leftover shredded cheese and marinara sauce in my fridge to make a few meals for this week in one sitting.   The result:  A flavorful baked penne dish with lots of broccoli and garlic.

    Baked_penne_with_broccoli

    Here is the recipe I threw together:

    • One 8 x 8 inch square casserole pan
    • 4 servings of multi-grain penne (you can use any pasta like ziti, penne, rigati, etc. for this type of dish)
    • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Italian blend cheese
    • 1 14 oz. jar of standard pasta sauce (I think I used Prego’s "original")
    • 1 medium head of fresh broccoli, chopped
    • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
    • Generous splash of olive oil (maybe 2 tablespoons)
    • Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:

    1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
    2. Boil pasta until al dente
    3. Steam the broccoli until it is partially cooked
    4. Combine the drained, cooked pasta with the pasta sauce, steamed broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes.
    5. Spread mixture into casserole dish, and sprinkle cheese on top.
    6. Cover with foil, and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

    These proportions created about 4 meals, so this recipe is a great way to not only make a quick meal, but also create additional lunches or dinners for the rest of the week.

    Baked_penne_with_broccoli_close_up

  • Dark Chocolate Cake — Easy, Fudgy, and Different.

    I got this recipe from the New York Times, which in turn got it from Loretta Keller of the San Francisco restaurant Coco500.  It’s absolutely delicious, and definitely a nice change of pace from the standard homemade cakes.  I recommend making it for an adult special occasion (not sure if the kids will like it so much, especially given that it doesn’t have frosting and it’s dark chocolate). 

    Dark_chocolate_cake

    Here is where you find the story of the cake:  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/08temp.html?ex=1297054800&en=c37544e81344a9e6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

    Here is where you can get the recipe:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/dining/081trex.html?ex=1160452800&en=9bbb49631c667c6b&ei=5070

    A note of caution:  Although it is SUPER easy to make (you don’t even need a double boiler to melt the chocolate!), and it bakes quickly, you do need to cook and refrigerate it for awhile so make sure you make it about 4 hours before you have to serve it.   It’s also really easy to transport because you make it in a springform pan, so it’s a great way to take a dessert to a friend’s dinner party. 

    A quick recipe note:  For the dark chocolate, I picked up a bag of Ghiradelli’s dark chocolate chips and they worked perfectly in the recipe.

    Dark_chocolate_cake_slice

  • Tortilla Pie — Perhaps the Best Thing…Ever

    When I first start learning how to cook in Nov./Dec. 2005, one of the first recipes I tried was this fabulous tortilla pie recipe from Allrecipes.com

    Tortilla_pie

    You can get the recipe here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Seven-Layer-Tortilla-Pie/Detail.aspx.   I’ve made a lot of changes to the recipe, many inspired by other Allrecipes.com enthusiasts, and I really recommend you use them:

    • Instead of the two cans of pinto beans, substitute ONE can of refried beans.
    • I generally put in 3-4 cloves of garlic to punch up the taste, instead of the 2 called for by the recipe.
    • I also double (at least) the amount of salsa I throw in.
    • The recipe is REALLY bland without some spice, and I would recommend throwing in 2-3 medium jalepenos, minced.  If you want more spice, swap out some of the regular sauce and put in some spicier salsa as well.  Mix the jalepenos in the black bean mixture.
    • You should also put into the oven the tortillas for a few minutes before making the pie itself.  If you don’t get the tortillas a little dried out before you put the pie together, the pie will be too soggy and not as fun to eat.  So, just throw the tortillas directly onto the oven rack for maybe 1-2 minutes to firm up a bit.
    • Even though I use a springform pan now instead of a standard pie pan, you still can’t get more than 5 layers of pie so readjust your proportions so that you use up all of your ingredients in the fewer number of layers.  Trust me, the pie is still delicious with 5 instead of 7 layers.  If you are using a standard pie pan, I would recommend even going down to 3-4 layers because it might be too hard to manage 5 layers of goodness in a regular pie pan.
    • Also be sure to put some vegetable spray on that pan so it doesn’t stick.
    • The last time I made this, I also chopped up 3-4 green onions and added them to the black bean mixture.  If you’re a fan of the onion, I would highly recommend doing this.
    • Another last tip is to make sure you do bake it for the 40 minutes that it recommends.  The goal is not just to melt the cheese, but also to get the inside fully warmed as well.  Trust me, it’s much better when it’s hot rather than just a little warm.  This also goes for when you warm up the leftovers — I would defer to over-warming, rather than under-warming in the microwave.

    Enjoy!

    Tortilla_pie_slice