Premier Mystery Box Unboxing

Show and Tell #7 plus Story Time

Missing Knitcrate Video

The Barnhardt's Thanksgiving Favorite- Drunken Sweet Potatoes

Hey guys!  So it has been a crazy month.  I just wrapped up a Show and Tell video over on my Youtube channel and I wanted to come by here and knock off the cobwebs.  I about died laughing when I realized I had forgotten to post my two other videos over here...  Ooops!  That just goes to show you what kind of month October really was!  I really wish I could say that November and December will be better for blogging...  but...  Yeah...

I did want to share with you guys one of my family's favorite recipes though.  In the spirit of getting ready for the holidays and being a crafting AND homemaking blog...  I should share something other than crafts with you guys!

No one in my family growing up really liked "Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole", so my mother spent years testing out different things until she found this one.  We call it "Drunken Sweet Potato Casserole" but I think if you want to take it some where else, I would call it...

 "Praline Sweet Potatoes"

• 5 pounds sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup Irish cream liqueur, orange liqueur, praline liqueur, or 'Orchata Rum (what I use)
• 1/8 cup heavy cream (more if needed)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter

Prepping Potatoes:

• ·         Roasting-Wash and pierce with a fork, Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1-1/4 hours or until tender.  Cool until you can handle for peeling.
• ·         Steaming-Wash, peel and cube potatoes.  Place in steamer basket and steam until fork tender not mushy. 

 Making the Mashed Potatoes: 

• ·         Melt butter and add booze and cream to it.
• ·         Mash potatoes by hand until smoothish, I do recommend mashing by hand.  
• ·         Using masher, mash in liquids as needed for texture, the 2 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  
• ·         Mix until fluffy.  
• ·         Spread mixture in a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.  At this point you can stop and put casserole into the freezer or refrigerator if you are making ahead of time.  If you freeze I would recommend thawing before the next steps.
• ·         Just before baking, sprinkle with praline pecans.  Bake uncovered, for 30 minutes or until heated through.  

Making Pralines:

• ·         Cook and stir pecans, granulated sugar, and the 1 tablespoon butter in a small heavy skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until sugar melts and turns golden brown.
• ·          Remove from stove and spread mixture on a silpat or parchment lined sheet pan.  Separate into clusters, not one whole slap of candy. 
• ·          Cool completely and chop into small pieces with a knife; set aside.

Some Notes from Carrie:

• I have purchased my pralines or candied pecans from Publix and Fresh Market in years past.  I am not a good candy maker.  This turns out just fine using store bought.
• I have never frozen my potatoes, but I make the mash on Wednesday and refrigerate over night; top with pralines right before it goes into the oven.
• I don't use pie spice anymore, I really love cinnamon and nutmeg with a bare touch of clove.  I do almost all of my cooking by smell and taste, so if you are like me, just add until you like it.
• I recomend finding some kind of Horchata Rum (I use Chila 'Orchata) and using that.  It really made a huge difference, but Irish Cream is a close second.

I really hope that you take a chance on these.  I haven't taken them to a party where they weren't well received.  Let me know if you try them and what you think!

Until next time!  

Darn Good Yarn Unboxing Month One

Here is a super quick post.  I did want to share my unboxing video and a picture of the box after I started to work with the yarn and needles.  I will have a review when month two arrives.  I am almost done with the first project and the second shouldn't take me overly long.

Super slow week!

So, as my previous post said, my grandmother's passing really took up a lot of the last week.  I have been working on things, but at a much slower rate than usual.  After last Friday, I really only worked on the blue blanket I showed in Vlog #5.  

So, one with the show!  First off, I did finish my varigated, knit Christmas stocking.  I used Bernat Happy Holidays in Merrier.  I really enjoyed the pattern with the exception of how the heel turned out.  I use the pattern, Waiting Up for Santa Stocking by Sour Krot Designs.  I think it must have been me that messed up, not the pattern, but my heel is so pointy.  I just don't like the way that it looks.  I love the way it was constructed, but I just don't like how it turned out for me.

I do however really love the toe decreases that she chose.  This is done round like a hat vs being done like the toe of a real sock.  For some reason that rounded toe looks so much nicer hanging down.  Many moons ago I knit a stocking that used a standard toe decrease and it looked nice laying flat but kind of looked funny while hanging on the mantle.

The next stocking I worked on was Christmas Stocking by Sonya.  This one turned out very lovely!  I really like the finished style.  I don't think it would be as good as my knit one for using as a stocking, but it looks so great hanging up.  My picture doesn't really do it justice.

This pattern was a bit wonky to understand.  Well, it was wonky at the heel and restarting for the leg.  If you have knit or crocheted socks before, you will perfectly understand what is going on in the pattern.  If you haven't ever made socks before, be very careful at reading and working this pattern.  It isn't intuitive.

The last finished object of the week is another donation hat.  This one just uses a basic recipe idea of the crown measures x, the total length is y.   There are many people out there who have created graphic charts to show you the recipe.  I don't want to get dinged for copy write, so I will just tell you to Google that one.

This hat is made from Lion Brand Wool Ease and Caron One Pound scraps that were in my scrap box after finishing the rainbow blankets.  I really like the texture these worked up together.  The Wool Ease is so light compared to the Caron it made a really nice fabric together.

I wanted to share with you all this label I found on one of the balls of yarn from the rainbow blankets.  Not a color that you would see much of anymore.  I am not sure when Caron Sayelle was discontinued, but this ball is at least 20 years old.  I love finds like that!

Here is this week's Vlog Show and Tell.  I hope that you guys enjoy.  I did forget to mention in the Vlog that my yarn weight usage is up to 63.65 ounces out of 400.  So, we keep creeping up there!

Take care everyone and I will see you all next week.  XOXO

Wow, I really dropped that ball!

Hey guys, sorry for the delay in getting any kind of update up for you guys.  It has been a long week!  My grandmother sadly passed away and I was going back and forth with my family getting updates and traveling to North Carolina for the funeral.  Her passing was very sudden.  Taking care of that took up most of my time.

Sorry, but for last week's update, we will just have to go with my Vlog post.  I wish that I had time to write everything up, but I don't want to miss a chance to get this up before this week's video goes live and the new post gets put up.

As to the "pattern" for the cowl:
CO 66
Work in the same moss stitch for 8 rows
Knit for 25 rows
Moss stitch for 8 rows

Remember to bind off in a very stretchy bind off.

I do have this up on Ravelry not as a pattern, but the pattern is written in my description box.  Cowl to Match Lomond Hat.

I should have more up either later today or first thing tomorrow!