8.19.2012

In Which We Visit the Carolinas

The Dr. and I were in the Carolinas this weekend, for the first of at least four upcoming interviews for the doc. Can't believe he'll be getting his first "real" job next year! In an almost unbelievable twist of fate, it turns out that the CEO of the hospital the Dr. interviewed at was none other than the mother of one of my best knitting friends from when we lived in Kansas City! Truly, it's a small world after all.

We spent the weekend driving from place to place between North and South Carolina (the townspeople where we were interviewing insisted that they weren't in "the middle of nowhere", but "the middle of everywhere"), fishing on one of the nearby lakes, and meeting half the people in town. If you didn't already know it, there are still towns in America where everyone knows everyone else. I found this moderately interesting and more than a little terrifying; I was told by more than one person that if we took the job in question, I would find myself in possession of a high ranking in town due to my affiliation with one of the hopsital's doctors. Let's just say that my private personality isn't quite ready to be greeted by six people when I'm trying to grocery shop.

A tiny antique shop on the town's Main Street revealed these vintage beauties. I paid just $4.50 for all 4 patterns!

Of course I had to check out the shopping around the area. While there are absolutely NO yarn stores in town, there are at least a dozen within an hour and a half. We stopped at Purl's Yarn Emporium and Earth Guild in downtown Asheville, and I picked up a few things from Friends & Fiberworks, too:

Cute sheepy notecards and a copy of the latest Debbie Bliss Magazine.

With all that driving around, I had plenty of time to knit. I've got a new pattern in the works! It'll be out by the end of the month, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek:

Oooh, ahhhh!

We're off to Florida for another interview in a mere 5 days. So much work to do before we leave! In the meantime, I didn't hear from Zabbers within 3 days of my last post, so it's time to draw another winner for Susan Crawford's giveaway! This time, Random.org has pronounced Knittingdancer to be the winner. Congrats Teresa, you've won a copy of Coronation Knits! You have until the end of Wednesday, August 22, to claim your prize or I'll draw another winner. You can email me at SarahATsexyknitterDOTcom or drop me a line on Ravelry. Everyone else, stay tuned! I have another amazing book giveaway coming up shortly!
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8.07.2012

Deliciousness: Peach Cream Cheese Pie

When I was a kid in Texas, my family went to the State Fair every year. It was held in Dallas, so it wasn't that far away from where we lived in Colleyville; sometimes, we'd even go twice. My favorite stop, which will come as no surprise to any of you, was the creative arts building. Jam-packed with more than 100 categories of arts and crafts, this place was a mecca for a girl whose crafting experiences were mostly solitary. Each year, I would stare enviously at the blue, red and yellow ribbons gracing the entries, believing a blue ribbon to be the highest achievement possible in crafting. I fantasized about entering some of my projects into the fray, but somehow, never did.


Fast-forward 15 years, and I now find myself disqualified to enter most of these events, due to my status as a professional knitwear designer. (Although, oddly enough, I think the Texas State Fair may  have a category for professionals, and you do not have to be currently living in Texas to enter. Hmmm....) Anyway, this year I was asked to judge the Missouri State Fair, and I cannot even tell you how excited I was to accept! For me, this honor was something I would not have even been able to imagine as a child in that creative arts building. ME? Judging other folks' entries? Wow.

A pile of lovelies, waiting to be judged

I teamed up with one of my local yarn store owners and made the trip out to Sedalia yesterday to judge the entries. We had 11 categories of knitting to review, and I was surprised to see that more than a few of them had less than 4 entries. Get submitting to your state fairs, people! :)

Does anyone recognize this crescent shawl pattern? I would love to know what this is.
Edit: This is none other than my friend, Corrina Ferguson's, pattern, Daphne Ann!

Overall, I had an amazing time. Everything in the Home Economics Building was being judged on the same day, which meant we shared the space with the judges for quilting, baking, canning, sewing, weaving, and the like. Since we were there all day (it took us about 8 hours to judge all the entries), each judge was asked to bring a dish for a giant potluck lunch. My contribution? This peach & cream cheese pie:


I'm gonna go ahead and say it: this pie is ridiculous. No-bake cheesecake on the bottom, and sweet, juicy peaches on top. I made one of these using fresh peaches from my farmer's market for a small dinner party the Dr. and I hosted a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday's pie was made of store-bought peaches and was every bit as tasty. I like this recipe because it comes together quickly and doesn't require any fancy ingredients or, really, kitchen skills.

I may have eaten the last slice for breakfast...what? It's fruit, that makes it healthy, right?

Here's my recipe, modified from Cooks.com:
  • 9" pie shell, baked
  • 2 T cornstarch 
  • 3/4 cup sugar 
  • 1/2 cup water 
  • 1/2 cup peach puree (I peeled and pitted one large peach and popped it in the Magic Bullet until smooth)
  • 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 t vanilla extract
  • 4 cups peaches, peeled and diced to bite-size pieces
Combine cornstarch, sugar, water, peach puree, and lemon juice in medium pan. Bring to boil, stirring; boil until thickened (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat; cool (I put mine in the refrigerator while I'm preparing the rest of the pie). Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread evenly in pie shell. Combine peaches and cooled puree mixture; pour over cream cheese. Chill 2-3 hours or overnight before serving.

I think this method could be used for a wide variation of fruits; try it with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, or a mixture of your favorite fruits! As the fruit itself doesn't get cooked, I don't think this would be great for apples, but otherwise, the sky's the limit! If you decide to mix it up, do let me know how it goes, won't you?

Ooh, I almost forgot! I'm a bit late for announcing the winner of Susan Crawford's Coronation Knits giveaway, but it's Zabbers! Congrats, Zabbers! You have 3 days to claim your prize by emailing me at sarahATsexyknitter.com with your mailing address, or dropping me a line on Ravelry.

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