Oy! I'm really here....

Where o' where have I been? Actively hunkering down in the midst of chaos. Things have been unsettled and upset and just wrong lately, and I hate to say, even knitting hasn't given me respite. Nor cooking or baking. I guess you could say, I have been in a funk. Unfortunately, I still am, a bit. But I'm unhunkering (is that a word? Spellcheck says NO) and getting back to myself a little at a time. Baby steps, y'all.

I finished one Christmas present, washed and blocked and photographed, so it's *official*. But, alas, I can't show it yet since the recipient might be reading this. Casted on the next present and have been making ok headway. I made the most headway while watching The Walking Dead: Season 2 on netflix ('bout time!) until I got so caught up, yelling at my TV and all, that I realized......people.....I SET MY KNITTING DOWN and forgot about it. For real! Walking Dead....you are my new drug.

I'm trying to figure out my Christmas season. I think I'm doing homemade cards this year, of a sort. Just not sure what to do. I'm all wonky and out of sorts because I can hardly believe it's October and I can't pinpoint where my year went. I hate that.

Pinterest...I love that. In the act of unhunkering, I made ice cream. I'm sharing the recipes below because they both were divine. I do think that helped unfunk me as well.  Here's to keep on keeping on and getting back into life.

Olive Oil Vanilla Ice Cream

Servings: Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean split
• 2 large eggs plus 2 yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions

Bring milk and vanilla bean to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan. Remove from heat and allow vanilla to steep in milk for 30 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into milk and return to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, place eggs in a medium bowl, and slowly add about 1/3 of the warm milk mixture, stirring constantly. Add remaining milk to eggs, then return entire egg-milk mixture to saucepan. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until custard has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to boil, or eggs will scramble. Remove from heat and pour hot mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Add sweetened condensed milk and blend well. Cool completely; cover and refrigerate until cold, several hours or overnight.

Remove cover. Stir and add to ice cream machine. Process according to manufacturer's instructions. During the final 5 minutes of churning, slowly add olive oil. When finished, ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, freeze for several hours before serving. If desired, serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/food/Olive-Oil-Vanilla-Ice-Cream#ixzz28l6m4O00


Blueberry Nutella Sorbet

http://www.gojee.com/food/recipes/blueberry-nutella-sorbet

Blueberry Nutella Sorbet
This recipe is adapted from Fields of Cake.
Ingredients

• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 1/4 cup vodka

Directions
1. Bring blueberries, water, sugar and salt to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Next add cocoa and mix well.
3. Remove from heat and whisk in nutella and vodka.
4. Strain and refrigerate for a few hours, until completely cool.
5. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.