Mom’s Goulash

 Mom’s goulash is simple, and so good. The recipe does not call for extra spices, so each person can make it their own. The leftovers are good heated up with melted cheese over it as well!

Ingredients:

16 oz elbow macaroni (I like the Meijer brand.)

1 pound ground beef

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped (add as much or as little as you like.)

1 can whole tomatoes (28 ounces)

1 can stewed tomatoes (14.5 ounces)

First, put water in a large pot and turn on high to bring to a boil.

Second, while water is heating, clean and chop green pepper. Rinse the outside of the pepper before cutting. Cut in quarters. 

Then clean out the inside seeds and chop:

Peel and chop the onion as well. Remember, this is your goulash so you can add as much onion and green pepper as you like. 

NOTE: The water should be boiling. Dump the box of macaroni in the water, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick in a clump. Return to boil and cook until done. While the noodles are cooking:

Brown the hamburger with the green pepper and onions.

Break the hamburger up as you cook it.

When it is browned, put the lid on and drain the grease off into a bowl.

When the noodles are cooked, pour into strainer in the sink. Leave the noodles for now. Wipe the top of the cans of tomatoes, and open them. Pour the stewed tomatoes into the pot. Before you add the whole tomatoes, using your hands, make sure all the skins are off the tomatoes. Sometimes the canning companies miss some of the skins. So make sure all the skins are pulled out before you dump the whole tomatoes in the pot. Add the cooked burger/onion/green pepper and noodles to the pot. 

Now that all the ingredients are in the pot, turn the heat on medium-low and stir everything together. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Enjoy!!

Cluster Rib Scarf

I am all about patterns that are easy to memorize so I can knit while watching television and hockey. Here is a scarf that works up quickly!

2 cakes of Lion Brand Ferris Wheel (color in this scarf is Morning Java)
Size 9 Knitting Needles

Gauge isn’t that important, mine came out to about 8” by 62”. I had more yarn and could have gone a few more inches but I didn’t want it too long. There is a definite “right” and “wrong” side to the scarf  but the stitch pattern is gorgeous, very rich.

CO 37 (Stitch pattern is a multiple of 3 + 1)
Row 1: P1, *K2, P1, rept from * to end.
Row 2: K1, *YO, K2, slip YO over the 2 knit sts, K1, rept from * to end.

Repeat these 2 rows for hours of pleasant stitching. When scarf is long enough to suit you, bind off and weave in ends.

Good Luck Baby Afghan

I have completed the baby afghan I have been working on, using a stitch pattern I found in an old needlework book that was on my shelf. I wanted something that was a simple repeat, had texture, and one that did not require working an edging once it was done. I love this stitch. I will be using it in the future, I can see new projects dancing in my head as I write this. The Pattern stitch is called The Urchin Stitch. Enjoy!

Good Luck Baby Afghan

Materials:

Worsted Weight Yarn, approximately 24 ounces. I used Lion Brand Pound of Love, “Cherry,” 2 skeins. I have a lot leftover!

Size I (5.5 mm) crochet hook

Yarn needle and scissors for finishing off ends

Gauge: 6 pattern repeats equals 4” (ch 19 for gauge swatch)

Baby afghan, finished size 36” by 36”

Ch 119.

Pattern Stitch: 

Row 1: *Sk 1 stitch, in next st 1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc. Rept from * to end of row. Ch 1, turn.

Row 2: *In ch-2 space, work 1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc. Rept from * across. Ch 1, turn. Work Row 2 until afghan is square, finish off and weave in ends.

I did do this same stitch pattern using sport weight yarn. I used 2 skeins of Bernat Baby Sport (9.8 ounces each,) and a size G hook. My starting ch was 140, finished size was 34” by 34”.

It has been awhile!!

Where does life go? Wow the years have flown by since I last wrote on here. I have been busy. Work, Jim, writing. Although not writing for a bit. I finished my first novel and then started submitting to agents. I had one request the next ten pages, then the next 100, and then the rest of the novel! Then she said no to the project. She made a lot of good suggestions, and now I am faced with the decision to change my novel to reflect her suggestions, or keep it as is and muster on. It is a decision I have been weighing in my mind, the pros and cons. In the meantime I knit. I work on jigsaw puzzles. I go to work.

I need to just write!

Knitting

Working on a baby bunting this evening. We returned from Dayton on Friday, after having a wonderful time with family. Lots of laughter and good food, plenty of book shopping. We spent the weekend putting up the tree and going to a hockey game. Hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. There isn't any snow on the ground yet, which is very odd considering last year at this time we had been shoveling for weeks already.

Handspun on the line!

Yards and yards of glorious, soft, handspun yarn. I have been waiting to soak it and hang it to dry and today was the day. It is very hot out, so I am thinking it will not take long for it to dry. Now I have to decide what to make with it!

Done and done

Two pair of socks finished. The first pair are for my friend and co-worker Michelle. She was excited, this is her first pair of handknit socks. She is learning to knit herself, so she will be able to make her own soon. The second pair are shortie socks for me. They worked up very quickly, only 5 rounds of K2P2, one plain round and right into the heel flap. I used 2 balls of the 25 gram Regia, it is a line put out to make baby things actually called "My First Regia." I used almost all off the 2 balls but now I know I can get a pair of shortie socks for myself out of 50 grams of sock yarn. Now to knit the 2 pair of mittens for American Girl dolls that I promised a special young lady I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of weekends ago. Then I really need to finish up some other projects I have started!