Pink Moment of the Week

Backpacks packed and a new traveling buddy/buggy for Carolina.

This is still a Knitting Blog!

Yes, it is. Sometimes. Between all the kids fun, gardening, raw food cutting, blending, juicing, eating, yoga, reading, family life and SLEEPING, there are still those knitting moments. Not as much as they used to be (hey, it's summer), but also not as much needed (as in a very, very urgent and lifesaving way).

Started in February, my magical pink 2-at-once-socks came off the needles recently.

 What I have learned:
- knitting two socks at the same time (obviously) on two circular needles does prevent second sock syndrome, but doesn't necessarily turn out a pair in a shorter time
- to get started I used this video tutorial here by VeryPink Knits (love the name!)
- further on I followed the yarnharlot's basic sock recipe from her book Knitting Rules!

- for the heel I also used the yarnharlot's directions, using the Eye of partridge heel for the flap to make it sturdier (and for fun, as I have never knitted it before)

- one more interesting thing about turning the heel in, I would say, the "North American way": a new method for me as well, but very common in the US and Canadian pattern I found out - in Germany it is called "Herzchenferse" meaning "Little Heart Heel"...

see why?

- I did some research on heels and found this page here, just to see that the standard heel people knit in Germany is called Dutch Heel in the US, while the there is also a German Strap Heel I have never seen...

My Ravelry notes here

What's next? Knitting two socks on ONE long circular needle, of course.

Pink Moment of the Week

Hey, is the Pink Moment of the Week actually red this time?

No.

After the poppies had lost their red petals I used their pods for printing (I fell in love with plant printing last year, remember?), it is another beautiful way to bring the garden inside the house, apart from eating it.

Pink poppy seed pod stars on linen.

From the Garden

Hubby came in with these two bowls from his garden today. Arugula and pink chard. You can't get them fresher or more organic, I guess. I would prefer those greens over flowers anytime. Some of them went into my jogger's juice and most of it into the Big Dinner Salad. Even Clara devoured it and she usually doesn't even look at the salad. Feels so good!

Garden Man

Hubby has just said: "I am going in the garden and make some place for the new plants." That fits today's blog topic perfectly.

Hubby's vegetable garden - his new pride and joy. 

This year Hubby started out on his gardening adventure, he dug up patches (and removed the remains of my last year's attempt at gardening), put bricks around them and bought seeds and plants for potatoes, chard, zucchini, lettuce, kohlrabi and arugula. And his garden is doing fine. More often than not I hear him disappearing at night to "water his garden" or talking about how the potatoes are doing.

Word has spread about his garden, I guess. So at our birthday party we were gifted with those:

Flowers, lavender, hokkaido and zucchini plants, a pear tree and a blackcurrant bush. They really need some garden space of their own. Personally, I am still waiting for my thumb to turn green, but I suspect that I am more of an organic vegetable lover/cook/eater. But, you know, in a marriage there must be balance, one in the garden, one in the kitchen.

So I am very proud of my garden man who also deserves a break now and then (under the roses that he cut back so well).

Hubby's Cake

Hubby got his raw vegan birthday cake too.

 Chocolate Blueberry Tart

It sure was a crowd pleaser! I didn't mention the fact that the cake was raw vegan, I just let it stand there on the table along with the other cakes, and only after some guests started commenting on how delicious it was, mousse-au-chocolatey and just a perfect symphony of taste and texture I came out with the truth. They nearly couldn't believe it - no dairy?

And like my own birthday cake (blogged here) based on cashews, it was very rich. One regular piece leaves you really full and happy. Just one happy guy managed to eat two.

As the recipe is the combination of four different ones I found in books and online and some people asked for it (and I can remember it for later), here is my version:

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup soft pitted dates
3 tsp cacao powder (or more to taste)
pinch of salt

Filling:
4 cups cashews, soaked for 6-8 hours
1 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt1 cup cacao powder
400-500g blueberries (frozen and completely thawed or fresh, or a combination of both)

Crust:
Process the walnuts until crumbly. Add dates, cacao and salt and process until well combined. Transfer to springform pan and press till firm.

Filling:
In a food processor or blender combine all the ingredients except cacao powder and blueberries until smooth and creamy. Add cacao powder and process/blend until well combined. Add blueberries carefully by hand to the mixture (leaving some fresh ones for the garnish on top). Transfer to springform pan and distribute evenly over the crust.

Freeze for at least 4 hours (better overnight) until firm all way through. When you are ready to serve, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until soft. You can also defrost it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Before serving sprinkle fresh blueberries on top. Leftovers (which leftovers?) can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!

Pink Moment of the Week

Where there were a couple of roses last year on our terrace, this year there a dozens (cutting them back has really worked botanical magic, we are still figuring out this garden thing...).

It smells soo sweet stepping out of the house. 

Inspired by this post here, I decided to save some of the organic edible flowery goodness for later by drying.

I am still looking for a great recipe for those dried petals.

Pink Moment of the Week

... at the Flea Market on Saturday. Great sunshine weather, great location at the Oldenburg Castle, nice people and a great opportunity to let go of old stuff (the money made is a nice by-product of the process).
Extra info: this was actually only the second flea market of my life.
What sold best: my CD collection and books.

Sweets to the Sweet

After my yummy birthday cake, I decided to give my yoga students a treat this week.

Raw vegan brownies!

I wouldn't go so far to say that they will change your life (as the recipe link suggests here), but they are really good - moist, chocolatey and chewy and everybody in my family loves them (I made them a couple of times during the last month - has my life already changed then?).

My yoga students wouldn't say no to the brownies either (just one girl with a nut allergy) and asked for the recipe. I think this post should provide you with the information to get started. Enjoy!

Raw Cake Eater

And that's 36-years-old-birthday-me being proud of my cake.

Pink Moment of the Week

 It was my birthday this week and for this special occasion I made a wonderful raw vegan raspberry cheesecake.

None of my guests guessed the main ingredient (no tofu, mascarpone or cream cheese) - it was cashews!

The recipe was inspired by this one here.

(better double or triple the batch)