This Month in Stitches 2.26.14

This month I finished this shawl:

Free Ravelry pattern Here.

I've crocheted dozens of dishcloths this month while experimenting with different patterns.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Peanut/Treenut-free Chocolate chip Banana Bread

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 TBSP mayonnaise
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups Gluten-free Bisquick
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (or as many as desired) Enjoy Life allergy-free mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, beating well. Stir in the mayo and bananas.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the Gluten-free Bisquick, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

4. Blend the dry mixture into the banana mixture and stir until evenly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.



5.Pour into greased loaf pan and loosely cover the edges with foil to keep them from getting hard.

6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for another 30-40 minutes (until a toothpick comes out mostly clean). Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

This Week in Stitches

Over the past week I started, and finished, this shawl:

(being blocked)

It was very easy to knit and came together quickly. This "Tea in the Parlor Shawl" pattern is free from Lion Brand: 

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L30133.html

This Week in Stitches 12.10.2013

Last night I finished the socks that I have been working on for the last few weeks.

These were knit using Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Collection Serenity Sock (color: violas).

I used the pattern on the wrapper (Basic Socks) but wouldn't recommend using that pattern if you haven't knit socks before. The pattern isn't written very well, and had I not knit socks before these would not have turned out.

Anyways, I love them and it's nice to have them done.

I've already started my next project - an eyelet shawl for my mother-in-law.

Gluten-free Dairy-free Cream of Chicken Soup

Cream of chicken soup seems to be a pantry staple at our house during the winter months. With cold weather setting in I decided it was time to find a way to make a cream of chicken soup that my whole family - one without gluten or dairy. Here is what worked best for us.

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth + 1/2 cup (divided)

2 cups rice milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

6 TBSP corn starch

**************

1. In a large saucepan bring mix together the first 2 cups chicken broth, rice milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a very low boil.

2. In a separate dish whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and 6 TBSP corn starch.

3. Slowly pour the corn starch mixture into the broth mixture adding only a little at a time and whisking continuously. Watch carefully as it thickens, you may not need all of the corn starch.

4. Continue low boil while frequently whisking until the soup has thickened. It won't take long.

Remove from heat and let cool. 

I froze mine in quart size freezer bags, putting about 2 cups of soup in each bag. Use this for casseroles, roasts, pork chops - anything that would take canned cream of chicken soup.

Dairy-free Biscuits

These biscuits are light and flaky. 

ingredients

·         3cups all-purpose flour

·         1tablespoon baking powder

·         1tablespoon sugar

·         1teaspoon salt

·         3/4teaspoon cream of tartar

·         ¾ cup coconut oil*

·         1 Cup Coconut Silk (Silk brand coconut milk)*

directions

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Stir just until moistened.

2.Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter, or use a pizza cutter to cut into squares.

3.Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm.

4.Makes 12 biscuits.

*You can also use Crisco and rice milk if you have a coconut allergy.

NOTE: It works very well to freeze shaped, uncooked biscuits. Put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze. Once they are frozen transfer to a Ziploc freezer bag. They can be cooked frozen, no need to thaw or adjust cook time. This way you can always have the exact number you need fresh from the oven.

Last Month in Stitches

Last month was a busy month, and I finished some nice projects. I really did mean to share them here earlier :-)

First, I finished the baby blanket marathon. Here are the last two:

These were done using a twisted knit stitch to really make the texture stand out.

I hope to post the pattern as well as a twisted knit stitch tutorial here soon.

I also finished my new favorite shawl:

The eyelet pattern was really fun to do. You can download the pattern HERE.

I've also been replacing my dishcloths, so I've made several of these lately:

I'm currently working on two other shawls, and hope to have some nice wool socks ready for fall too.