too many hobbies

Fettuccine with Prosciutto, Cream, and Nutmeg

Recently I found myself, just before bed, fantasizing about Fettuccine Alfredo.  I wanted the very simple version, more creamy than cheesy, that I used to get as takeout in college.  Unfortunately, it was too late to make my own and I no longer live anywhere near enough to that restaurant for takeout, but the next day I was able to make that fantasy a reality.

Since the sauce itself is very simple, I thought it would be fun to make my own pasta as well, and it was.  I have a pasta roller/cutter thing, which I like using a bit more than rolling and cutting it by hand because the kids always beg me to let them help out turning the crank.  The recipe for the pasta dough, if you can call it that, was simply one and a half cups flour mixed with three large eggs.

And the results were even better than my dreams.  I've made all kinds of Alfredos, and I usually enjoy them (butter, cream and cheese?  what's not to like?), but in this recipe the prosciutto and nutmeg definitely give sort of a form to all that fat, and the cream is reduced and full of flavor, and the homemade pasta just sucks up all the sauce...  I'll be in my kitchen.

Off the Rails

Just in time for sweater weather to be over, I've finished the sweater for my son (that I started in February).  Fortunately, it was cold and rainy this past weekend, and I suppose there's a thin chance he won't grow out of it before October.

Of course, I totally ran out of yarn and had to run out and buy another skein and still managed to run out of that before I could entirely finish the collar, but it turned out all right in the end.  The pattern is from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for Older Kids, by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs, and it worked out okay, although I again had to totally rework the sleeves because theirs were way too short and wide.  This was the first time I'd done set in sleeves, and they were a bit more work than the drop sleeves, but not too bad.

I've also finished a bag I've been working on for a very long time, but I'm not showing it off because I again ran out of yarn and so the handles are very short, and while it'll work for its intended purpose (holding knitting stuff), it's extremely homely.

Recently Downloaded List: 5

1. Middle Eastern Swan Song by Deejay Om
2. Tandoori is a Snap by Deejay Om
3. So Often by Kidd Jordan Trio
4. Jolie Banane by Kraak & Smaak
5. Jazzhole by Free the Robots
6. Birdflu Guns Up Buraka by M.I.A.
7. Red Sea Black Sea by Shearwater
8. Sing! Captain by Handsome Furs
9. Speak to me Bones by Land of Talk
10. I Better Run by The Rosebuds
11. Arcadia by Apparat
12. The Songs That We Sing by Charlotte Gainsbourg
13. Four Color Love Story by The Metasciences
14. Cuckoo by Santa Maria
15. In My Head by The Ballet
16. Roll On (Feat. Jenny Lewis) by Dntel
17. Wild is the Wind by The Second Band
18. Love and Nostalgia by Friday Bridge
19. Broken Arm by Winterpills
20. Goodnight by Standfast
21. Release Me by Oh Laura

And, recently purchased by me: Someone to Drive Me Home by the Long Blondes, 23 by Blonde Redhead, Cassadega by Bright Eyes and Nux Vomica by The Veils.

Next Week: Bjork!!