Stanley's & Sunnyside Cardigan

A couple of weekends ago, we joined some friends at Stanley's Old Maple Lane Farm. They have a sugarbush there (buffet style, with a smallish selection).  The standout for me were the farm animals.

These are just a selection of them:

Did you know that it takes 40 buckets of sap to make one bucket of syrup?  Kind of makes me feel a bit better about the high price we pay for maple syrup.  Well...sorta.

Aside from that, we spent time running after our friends' kids.  Stanley's is a great place to take kids on a nice day.  Get them sugared up with maple syrup and then let them run around.

I'm still wrapping my mind around this idea of having a little one around all of the time.  We've pretty much been limited to 3-4 hour chunks to this point.  I'm not sure that there is a way to truly prepare yourself for that.

So far, our preparations (in general) have been fairly minimal.  Basically, it has consisted of knitting and reading information online (which can be really informative or scary depending on what your search turns up).

This is probably one of my favourite knits.  I actually started it before getting pregnant, with the intention to give it to a friend.  But, now I can't part with it:



This is the Sunnyside pattern.  It's quite popular and versatile.

I promise I won't share every article of clothing that we buy...but this one is really cute.  R bought in while on a recent trip to Boston.  My favourite part is quote on the back.

Adding a Blogger to the Mix

I always work best with a deadline. Give me an infinite amount of time to get one thing done and it may never happen. Give me a deadline to get five things done and then we're in business.

So, I guess you could say I have a deadline. At first it seemed like 9 months would last forever...but with under 4 months to go, I think I'm going to have to kick it into high gear.

(Junior (baby's current name) is quite comfortable facing inward, so the profile shot is taken 
from a distance and kind of blurry. The line over the body is Junior's legs.  )

Here are a few of the items I've made for Junior:

Aviatrix Hat:

Baby Chalice Blanket (pre-blocking):

Owlie Sleep Sack:

I'll have several more projects (currently at various stages) to share in the near future!

Ricotta Semifreddo for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

This month's theme of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is Italian and lots of fine inspiration from the members this month.



I seem to gravitate towards the dessert portions of each menu and this month is no different. I decided to make the Ricotta Semifreddo "Semifreddo" is an Italian term that refers to any number of frozen or chilled desserts. When making a dessert with ricotta cheese, it's really worth getting the best ricotta you can. It makes a huge difference to the flavour of your finished product.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese (such as Calabro)
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
Fresh orange sections (optional)
Fresh currants (optional)

Preparation

1. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, milk, honey, orange rind, vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon salt, cream cheese, and ricotta in a blender; process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Pour cream into a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/4 cup whipped cream into ricotta mixture. Fold in the remaining cream.

2. Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze at least 8 hours or until set. Remove semifreddo from freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Discard top piece of plastic wrap. Invert loaf pan onto a serving platter, and tap to remove semifreddo. Discard the remaining plastic wrap, and slice semifreddo crosswise. Serve with orange sections and currants, if desired.



Check out what the other members of the group are making this month.

Sandi- Pork with Lemon Caper Sauce"

Roz - Risotto with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes and Basil

Jerry- Apple Chicken Panini with Fig Jam

Val - Dreaming of Italy Caprese Toast

Each and every one is gorgeous.