Pocket Pause

April 9, 2012

Mashed Potatoes, a Lighter Alternative

All this week, i’ll be re-posting some of my favorite recipes from An Austin Homestead. First off, one of my all time favorite side dishes, mashed “potatoes!”

I love mashed potatoes, but don’t love the heavy calories with dinner, SO i mix it up by integrating calorie light cauliflower and probiotic yogurt:

Mashed Caulitoes (or Potaflowers?)

To serve 2, double for a larger family side dish.

2-3 smallish/medium potatoes, preferably “purple majesty”
1/2 head of cauliflower
Water to boil
1 egg (optional)
Several spoonfulls yogurt
Optional butter/ oil/
crushed garlic
optional herbs – i love rosemary

Place the cauliflower in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil/steam until tender, about 10-15 mintues. Pour out the water, add one egg, the garlic and some salt (plus optional rosemary) and whip with a hand mixer, stand mixer, or mash with a potato masher. Add a few spoonfuls of yogurt and the optional pat of butter/oil until the potatoes feel creamy, but not wet. As decadent as mashed potatoes, with fewer carbs due to the cauliflower. The purple is just fun, don’t you think?

This is my “famous side dish” for Thanksgiving type get togethers, and it’s really easy. Do you have a “famous” dish you’re known for?

1 Comment

Filed under Cooking, Easy, probiotic

Tagged as cauliflower, mash, mashed potatoes, side dish

April 6, 2012

Fiber Fridays: The Sock Results

I learned to knit this past Summer, and now look at me go: SOCKS!

The completion of my first sock was a moment of joy and amazement… and the progress of my second sock was just as great… until i realized the two would certainly be: not the same. In the future, i’d love to practice the “two at a time” approach to socks, to help create a more matched pair, but for now – i have some uneven socks. It was the first sock that held the first problem: too many rows in the heel flap, resulting in a slightly baggy/saggy first sock. I got the heel JUST right in my second sock…. but sadly started the toe decrease a little too early, resulting in an ‘a little too short and snug’ second sock.

The second socks seems a little shorter too, even though i could swear i actually counted the rows…..

Despite their “quirkiness” they both stay on my feet (mostly), they fit (mostly), they’re definitely warm and they’re my favorite colors to match my stars! Heck, it was my first pair, so just the fact that i started and finished them at all is pretty swell!

And as promised: here is this week’s featured fiber friend, another little pocket corgi. This one is a micro-feltie, standing at attention, ready to stare out your window or go along for a ride in your purse. You can get him or her over at my Etsy store for just $15.

Yay, fiber! All the great things you can do with the coat off a sheep’s back is pretty great, isn’t it? Yep.

Have you ever knit socks? Did you succeed, fail, or come up with something a little “quirky?”

3 Comments

Filed under Dogs/ Corgis, Felting, Fibers, Knitting

Tagged as corgi, felt, felted corgi, knit socks, knitting, knitting socks, sock yarn, tiny corgi

April 3, 2012

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Light Switch Covers

Get out your scissors, grab the paint brushes, and dig out the old magazines: we’re going to beautify your light switch covers! Fancy light switch covers are really expensive, and limited to what stores can carry. Why not totally customize them to suit your whimsy, mood, season or room? No reason why not: this tutorial sets the stage for you home’s transformation from bla to shabang! Just imagine, heads of lettuce or heirloom tomatoes adorning the garbage disposal switch plate, old dress patterns in your sewing room, flower blooms in the garage or coloring pages in your kiddos’ room. Sounds like fun, right? Let’s do it!

Materials needed:

The sticky: Elmer’s glue OR Mod Podge OR acrylic gel medium. I highly recommend Mod Podge or Gel Medium, as the Elmer’s just wasn’t cutting the mustard
Old magazines, sewing patterns, book pages, etc. Look for colorful or interesting images on lightweight paper NOT cover weight.
A paint brush
Scissors
Newspaper for protecting your work surface
Screw driver
Creativity!

Thanks to my folks for providing the switch plate and the laundry room for this tutorial. Mama #2 wanted something lovely and Dad wanted something ‘tye dye.’ We ended up finding a neat photograph of butterflies from Sunset magazine. The photo was a bit small: you want to find an image that extends at least 1 inch around the edges of your switch plate. Once you find that perfect image (or images – try a collage!), grab your pen and scissors.

Start by marking the corners of your switch plate.

Cut the paper out for easy working, then snip from the corners in a bit, to create tabs. Cut like this illustration, not the way Dad did it.

Paint a thin coat of sticky onto the face plate, and on the back of the image.

Lay the faceplate face down on your image and center it, carefully smoothing the tabs along the back of the switch plate. Flip it over and smooth out the bubbles and paint another coat of sticky directly onto the image (it’s a good idea to test the water solubleness of your image first).

Poke through the screw holes and slice from the inner corners of the switch hole and smooth the paper back around to the back of the switch plate.

Voila!

So, i must admit: i was rushed, ready to eat dinner, and lacking some really good sticky to use. I highly recommend using gel medium or Mod Podge, and choose glossy if you want it shiny and washable, or matte if you want it more subtle. Be careful to smooth the lumps out as it dries, and paint a few more coats over the top to ensure good washability.

What would you like to decorate your kitchen light and outlet switches with? Veggies? Old cookbook pages?

2 Comments

Filed under DIY, Home, Tutorial

Tagged as craft, DIY, DIY Home, light switch, switch plate

April 2, 2012

Olive/Garlic Bread

It’s always nice to spend your Sunday afternoon baking bread, and even nicer when you get to share that delicious bread with some wonderful dinner hosts in thanks for their kindness and effort. I posted the recipe for this bread a few months ago, but thought it prudent to re-post, as it’s so easy and delicious. The recipe comes from a gorgeous book that is packed away, but can also be downloaded from the author’s website for free. A Download never tasted so good, especially when you add some fresh garlic tucked into the crannies.

I think there’s about half a slice left, it was so good. This is definitely my “blue ribbon” potluck recipe. I didn’t write it, but i’m not afraid to use it. And as my mama #2 says, “I love olive bread, but it never has enough olives in it. This one does.”

Halibut, salad, local blue cheese, and olive bread= one heck of a dinner party!