Asters in my garden. Say goodbye to summer.

My family loves scalloped potatoes and I’ll bet yours does, too. I don’t make them very often but when I posted about finding my mom’s recipes a few weeks ago my college buddy Chrissie left a comment about how much she loved my mom’s scalloped potatoes. I had been craving them ever since so I made them last Monday night.

I know all about making traditional scalloped potatoes with a white sauce. And on holidays or special occasions, that’s what I do. But my mom’s version, and now my version I suppose, is much simpler and easier for week nights. Here’s my non-recipe for scalloped potatoes.

Potatoes, about 2 per person depending on how big they are
Onion, usually only 1 unless you’re making a huge amount
Butter
Milk
Flour
Salt & Pepper
Kellogg’s Corn Flake Crumbs

Peel and slice the potatoes and the onion. Now, get out a casserole dish. You can spray it with Pam or something if you’d like to help prevent sticking. Place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish and top with all of the sliced onion. Now sprinkle with flour. I’m not sure how much, just put some on a spoon and shake it all over the potatoes and onions. Add salt and pepper and a few thin pats of butter. Top with another layer of potatoes (no onions this time), flour, salt, pepper and butter. End with the final layer of potatoes and then sprinkle Kellogg’s Corn Flake crumbs all over the top. This makes them nice and crunchy on top. Now, pour some milk in. I do this over on the side so as not to wash off the corn flake crumbs. I’m not sure how much milk. Enough so you start to see it come up the sides about 1/4 – 1/2 inch or so. Put it in a 350 oven and bake for an hour or more until the potatoes are soft when you stick a knife in them.

That’s it. The flour and milk and butter make a sauce that cooks up between the layers and it’s just delicious. Sometimes I add some grated cheddar cheese between the potato layers, too, but mostly we love them just plain. And my mom always made them with pork chops on top. Mmmmm.

Thanks for reminding me that I love these, Chrissie. I not only had them with roast pork on Monday night but I also had them for breakfast on both Tuesday and Wednesday morning because they re-heat great.

Let me know if you try them!

The birthday trip of ‘06 was an overnight to West Springfield to attend The Big E. Dale went once many years ago (in fact, he saw his first reenactment there back in 1961) and I had never been so we decided a visit was overdue.

We spent Friday night lounging around the hotel room with beer, wine and room service. Not a bad evening at all. Saturday morning we headed out for our adventures at the fair. It took 90 long minutes to drive 2 miles. And don’t even get me started on the idiots who don’t merge when they are supposed to and then expect you to let them in the line in front of you. Grrrr.

Anyway.

When people say this is the Big E the emphasis really should be on BIG. As in huge. Because everything about the Big E is B-I-G.

Look at the horns on this sheep. Big.

And the size of these harnesses for the Budweiser Clydesdales. Big.

The pumpkin? Big.

The entertainment? Big. As in Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge. Okay, maybe not terribly big now but once upon a time? Big.

Cows? Big as sofas.

We managed to eat our way from one end of this big fair to the other, feasting on corn dogs and Italian sausages and pierogies and lobster rolls. And maybe a couple of big beers, too. There was a Mardi Gras parade complete with bands and floats and the throwing of beads. I’m guessing Amanda would laugh at a New England version of this event but it was a hoot. A big hoot.

And just in case you think that I didn’t think of you guys, take a look at this.

Yup. Me in a pink cowboy hat standing by a stand of even more pink cowboy hats. I resisted the urge to replace the one I had on my trip to Estes Park in 1981. Yee Haw.

Sandy emailed me last night and asked me how the Knit Out was. Kathy (who I met in person for the first time at last year’s Knit Out) emailed first thing yesterday morning with the same question. So I’ll tell you guys what I told them. The Knit Out was fun. But the Hanging Out was better.

I went in with Blogless Sharon and her daughter, Heather, so you know the traveling part was fun. We got to the Common a little after Noon and there were lots of knitters although maybe not as many as I remember being there last year. I’m sure the dreaded weather forecast kept many away. Truly, though, the weather was fine. There were a couple of brief showers and that was about it. The sun even broke through for a time. Sadly, it was too warm for the wearing of knitted items! That didn’t stop me from dragging Moth along with me, though. I was even persuaded to show it to a handful of people.

Sharon and Heather and I did form a little knitting circle to watch the “Show and Tell” portion of the Fashion Show. In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you that I may have been coerced into bringing out the Moth again. Why do I always feel like I’m showing off when I’m asked to show my handknits? It’s hard to be humble with a shawl as gorgeous as this one but all I did was knit it. It’s the design that’s the brilliant part.

Anyway. We decided we were hungry so we headed in search of food. We bumped into other blogging buddies along the way and wound up all together at Fajitas and Ritas. There was beer and pulled pork and a lot of laughs with some old friends as well as some new ones.

After being fed and watered we went shopping. Of course. At Windsor Button. Of course. But guess what? I didn’t buy a thing. Nope. I admired the Sea Silk and some Mistis Alpaca laceweight. I perused a book or two and may have even gotten a bit catty with Adrian (pass the meow mix, please) but I didn’t make a purchase. Proud of me, aren’t ya?

All in all it was a very fun day. I got to knit and hang with my peeps. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

You all came here today for photos of the finished Wing of the Moth Shawl, right? Well. Never let it be said that I disappoint my readers.

Oh. That’s not what you had in mind. So sorry. Truly, I submit that photo as proof that the shawl was worn to dinner on my birthday. It’s also proof that Sam Adams Oktoberfest 2006 has arrived. Woot! Sadly, there are no other modeled shots, for various reasons including photographer availability, weather, and general laziness. You’ll have to be satisfied with these.

Here’s the specs because I know someone will ask.
Pattern: Anne’s Wing of the Moth Shawl
Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool Silk in Charcoal
Needles: Addi Size 3
Started August 25, 2006 and finished September 20, 2006. Before Cheryl. Just saying.

The Twin Leaf pattern is my favorite part.

Then again, I love this Corona Edging.

Honestly, though. This one is my favorite photo of the bunch.

Happy now?

I’ll bet you thought there would be Moth pictures, didn’t you? Sorry, you’ll have to wait until Monday. Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes. You guys made me really really happy!

Have a great weekend!

Hello to all you knitters, spinners, bloggers and other interested parties. Carole’s husband Dale here. I get to be her guest blogger today because it’s her birthday and she should get the day off.

Carole and I, September 1996. We were both thinner. And we both had more hair. Ahem.

This is the 10th time that I’ve gotten to celebrate this day with Carole. That’s right. A decade of birthdays. I will not post her age (a guy can get in trouble for things like that) but I will remind you that last year she celebrated the big four-oh. You can probably figure out her age on your own, you’re a pretty smart bunch, I hear.

Carole and I both believe that birthdays are a great time to celebrate with a night out, or a party, or even a weekend get-away. We’ve even been known to do all three of those things for just one birthday. And honestly, some of our nicest mini-vacations have been when we’ve gone away to celebrate a birthday. For instance, we met Norma on Carole’s birthday get-away last year when we went to Vermont. And I’m sure Carole will be blogging about this year’s birthday trip. I hear she’s even planning a photo shoot with her new Moth shawl.

There I go, digressing again.

What I really want to do is reflect on birthdays in general and Carole’s in particular. I think a birthday should be a time to look back over the past year. Truly, it’s what you’ve done with those 365 days that’s important and a birthday celebration should be two-fold. It should celebrate what you’ve done, who you’ve spent your time with, and where you’ve gone during the past year. And it should also be a time to look forward to the beginning of a new year in your life. A time to anticipate what you’ll do, who you’ll do it with, and where you’ll go. It’s kind of like your own personal Happy New Year!

I know that this last year Carole has had a ball and a very big part of that is because of all of you out there that are reading this. It has been a fabulous year for friends, new and old, and trips and fiber and spinning wheels and so on and so on. You’ve all been there for my Carole. You’ve cheered her on, you’ve offered advice, you’ve consoled her and supported her and you’ve been her friends. No one knows what next year will bring. But I do know, for Carole, that it will include all of you.

Thanks for tuning in and wishing Carole a happy birthday. Oh, and one last thing.

Carole? You’re just as cute now as you were when this picture was taken almost 41 years ago. I love ya!

Dale

Wing of the Moth was finished at lunch.

Look, Ma! No needles!

All this knitting has sure interfered with my blogging. Here we are and it’s a new day and again I got nothing. I had planned on having a finished Moth to show you. But, well, not yet.

I am thisclose to finishing. Come back later, okay?

Thoughts for a Tuesday when I have no knitting pictures with which to entertain you:

1. Cranberry harvesting has begun. I love seeing the pickers for the dry harvesting and the machines for the wet harvesting.

2. Sunday and Monday were warm enough to drive the Jeep with the doors off and the top down. I even listened to Led Zeppelin just for Margene.

3. I had no idea that a post about American Chop Suey would elicit so many comments. And I just need to say, American Chop Suey is not the same as Goulash. No matter what Norma says.

4. Speaking of Norma, the Red Scarf Project is really taking off. And Gale made a fantastic poster for you to download and bring to your local yarn shop.

5. There are only 2 contestants left in the Wing of the Moth race. Me and the one who started the whole mess.

6. Hannah is taking Spanish this year. Yeah, finally, a foreign language. Don’t get me started on our school system. Anyway, I was helping her with some flash cards and one of them said, “¿Cómo te llamas?” I got really excited because I thought they were studying llamas in Spanish. Hey, don’t blame me. I took French.

7. I am absolutely in love with Zephyr Wool Silk. Words cannot describe my new devotion to this yarn. It’s soft and silky and incredibly strong. It comes in tons of gorgeous colors. I may never knit a shawl out of anything else. Shhh. Don’t tell this to my stash of laceweight yarn.

8. Today is Primary Day in Massachusetts and Washington. Get out there and vote!