End of January.

So January is almost over........the first month of the year gone and I am a bit behind my "New Years Resolutions".....well, at least the most important things are covered: trying to stay optimistic and healthy. The rest can wait!

So to celebrate the first month of 2010 (keeping optimistic!) I ran to take advantage of the great sales of the season and decided to get some new kitchen appliances: a new mixer, ice-cream maker and meat grinder all from Kitchen Aid. Yes! I am so happy and can't wait to start using them.
I say, are ice creams expensive where you live? This is the reason why I decided to get myself one: I don't like to be ripped off just because I enjoy having ice cream from time to time. One of my favourites has always been Pistaccio ice cream, and here in Mexico a one scoop of such flavor is half the worth of 500grams of ham. Is this right? I don't think so. So I already went to the market and got my pistaccios to make some ice cream.
Have you ever tried making ice cream by hand? I have, a chocolate flavor, but I nearly ruined my hands.....well at least it turned out fine. My second attempt was after trying a flan recipe from a friend: she told me to mix milk, two eggs and an excessive amount of mango to make up a flan, of course it was a mess and so I added some more cream and eggs and ended up enjoying mango ice cream for more than a week.......but that was it: I needed the ice cream maker, so I will wait until the sun decides to shine out again........my Kitchen Aid mixer's color? (you guessed right Zia) citron. :)

So now about my other passion besides cooking: knitting. I am almost about to finish a pullover that started many months ago, I think by April. Shame on me! but I have many reasons why it has taken me so long to finish it: I moved to Canada, then there was something about this pullover that I did not like: the "gatherings" at the front which in my knitting ended up being holes. I am a few rounds away from finishing this "Gathered Pullover" from Interweave Knits (hurrah!) and hope that when I try it on for the first time those holes won't bother me. Anyway.....it has been so cold in Mexico City that I could use another sweater!

Happy Knitting to you all!

2010.

I wish you the very best for this New Year!
It is funny, there is always so much to do during the holidays and suddenly everything is over and we are now at mid-january. Time flies!

So, unless you are living in the southern hemisphere, I hope the winter has not been to bad for you. I am currently in Mexico but have to say that the low temperatures of 5oC or lower during the early hours of the day are horrible to take especially when it is rare to have heating in houses in my country. After having a very cold weekend last week I was happy to enjoy a bit of sunshine today and actually see a butterfly (picture above) in the garden. There's been lots of rain, combined with low temperatures. These past days though no rain but a lot of wind.......february is around the corner!

So after a busy season and cleaning my house out of any 'Xmas decorations, I decided to pick up again a project that has been waiting its turn for a while. Everything was going smooth until a horrible mistake showed up:

so now I am unraveling each stitch down to almost 20 rows.........so before I end up being frustrated and keeping it for another year (yes, I should be ashamed), in the meantime I started knitting the sleeves of the "Gathered Pullover" from Interweave magazine that is also waiting to be finished:
so far it is enjoyable.........I am still not that used to knitting with double pointed needles.

Since my last post it has been a bit of a rollercoaster period for me. Don't you hate it when something that was going well suddenly changes and you are then left with the frustrating sensation that you lost your time? I am thankful for the lesson but now I am just sad because I got a bit hurt. C'est la vie!

Well, even if knitting gets a bit frustrating it never hurts! :)

A big embrace to you all!

Felicidades! Auguri! Congratulations!

I wish you all the very best for 2010. Let's hope that this new year brings all of you, my friends and readers, a lot more sense of hope in these times of turbulence and uncertainty. May God and/or Life, gives you time to appreciate all the goodness that surrounds you.
Yesterday I received a letter from a good friend, in it he wrote something that I would love to share with you: "make the most of the time we have been given, by taking time for those we love......think about life's blessings. Take a short breath before plunging back into a hectic life. Then try to make this a habit. While at a red light, while stuck in the longest line at the grocery store....."

2009 was a very good year for me, I think it ended in the most unexpected and wonderful way as I have too many blessings to thank for. Among the greatest blessings are that I am alive, healthy and surrounded by the love of my family and friends. Another one has to do with Canada and its open doors for me; next, that the experiences I had in Toronto taught me great lessons about who I am and what I want in my life (the best experience any human being deserves to have!); then realize that I love my country, Mexico, and my city, Mexico DF, more than ever; and last but not least, that life keeps on surprising me with wonderful things and a gift that has to do with love and Italy suddenly appeared at my door.

Here is one of my favourite pictures of 2009: my wonderful brother with my darling nephew and me taken on Christmas Day.

I loved Christmas and did two things I love: knit and cook. Yes!
I think Christmas is the best time to do both things, especially since I like knitting gifts and treating family and friends with all I can cook........This last Christmas I almost finished a cardigan that I started in Canada (soon to be posted about here) and regarding cooking there were "French Fingers" cookies (mom loves them), Pandoro and chocolate truffles. For the Christmas lunch (Pranzo di Natale) my mom and I prepared a pumpkin soup, gamberi al burro with tarta salata di 5 formaggi (shrimp and cheese pie), cooked ham with roasted apple pudding and sweet potato pudding, together with artichoke salad, and for a nice finish, a New York style cheesecake with blueberry sauce.........thank God everything came out nice, tasty and healthy.
Anyone wanting the recipes, feel free to say so!

The last picture is a cute one. Being pigs special in our family because of what my grandfather built with them, an important pig's ranch, I found these little ceramic ones at my grandad's homeland these past december. The little wooden shed with a corn basket for them was a special addition to our Presepio.


Until next time!
Ciao!