Friday, April 18, 2008

Some Bunny Loves Me

I have never knit anything for a baby before. So when friends of ours had a grandchild I didn't know what to make. Do I knit a hat, blanket, booties, bib, sweater? There are just so many choices. But once I saw this picture of him I knew instantly what I would knit. I have some Schaefer yarn in my stash that is an exact color match to the outfit he's wearing! It was a sign, no?

I bought this Schaefer yarn to knit a bunny toy. Below is a picture of the bunny from the pattern cover. It's manly enough for a boy baby I think. The pattern is #308, Lola Bunny Love, and it is now available for free as a pdf download on Ravelry (Ravelry link: here). Yarn: Schaefer Lola 100% merino wool superwash.

Now that that's decided......

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

Here at Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog we focus mainly on tea treats. Lest you think we never eat anything else I'm starting a new category of recipes with the heading "What's For Dinner." These recipes will focus on simple and flavorful meals that are easy to make. Spring is a wonderful time of year as all the fresh spring vegetables and herbs are newly arriving and one herb I look forward to in particular is basil. One of the ways I enjoy using basil is in a pesto and here is how I make it:



Pesto Recipe:

Fresh basil
garlic
lemon juice
olive oil (Greek preferred)
walnuts (or pine nuts)
salt

Steps:

This is a very forgiving recipe. All of the ingredients are just to your personal taste. Combine all of the ingredients in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Add olive oil and/or lemon juice until the mixture is a soft spreadable consistency. Refrigerate and use within 1 or 2 days.

I love pesto and use it to garnish sauteed portobello mushrooms, grilled chicken sandwiches, broiled swordfish, hamburger patties and lots more. Last night I made burgers which I topped with pesto. This burger recipe comes from my mother.

Burger Recipe:

Approximately 1 lb. ground turkey meat (I don't use the extra lean that's a bit too dry for me)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 chopped green onions (white part only)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Tamari preferred)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (to taste)

Steps: Combine all ingredients and form burger patties. Place on foil lined baking pan. Broil approximately 10 minutes on each side. Serve with a dollop of fresh pesto or steamed spinach.



Lastly, where is Flo you ask? Well, my week did not play out as I had planned. But I'm feeling happier today because I've reached a decision. I'm not seaming Flo. I am not. I'm going to treat myself to having it professionally seamed. Mr Puffy and I discussed it and decided that was the only reasonable course to follow. He and I were a little giddy after the difficult week we have had and while playing with some of the pieces of Flo, he suggested that I just take it in and have someone else seam it for me. What a great idea! Tomorrow I'm dropping it off.

What would I do without him?

15 comments:

Bridget said...

OK, I got a little freaked out when I saw the first picture, until I realized that the ball of yarn was in front of a *picture* of the baby ...

Now I'm hungry. And I don't even eat meat!!

Mr Puffy is the best. That he is also quite wise is just the icing on the cake.

Anonymous said...

The bunny will make a perfect gift, plus it will be fun to knit. You know, watching it evolve from yarn to a bunny with personality.

Mr. Puffy is so very wise in the advice he gives you. He knows how hard you work and thinks that you should do what you enjoy. So knit away while Flo is being seamed.

The dinner picture and recipe are both very appealing!

amanda said...

That bunny is just adorable!!

Thanks for the recipes. We grew basil in our garden last year and hope to again this year. The pesto on the burger looks delish!

Windyridge said...

Well Mr Puffy is a very smart dog!
I like the idea of adding soy sauce in the burger. I will have to try that.

knittingdragonflies said...

Love the bunny, so cute, I think he will be loved for a long time.
Good choice of colors, it was definetly fate.
And I am constantly amazed at how wize Mr. Puffy is...Good decision.
Vicki

sittin and knittin said...

Enjoy every day you have with Mr. Puffy...those little doggies are special...I just lost my Theo, my best friend (what a saying, he was such a big part of my life)...how true though. He loved everything I knit!!! :-) I miss him.
xoxoxox to you and Mr. Puffy.

Monika said...

The baby and the Lola bunny are seriously cute. The burger recipe sound, and looks delicious. I like pesto too, and I like that you use walnuts. Sometimes it's very liberating to reach a decission, and act on it. I think Mr. Puffy had a great idea! You are lucky to have him. :o)

Anonymous said...

Baby and mom are going to love the bunny- that's a great gift. I think Mr. P was right on about the seaming. That would definitely brighten up my week!
The burger and pesto look fabulous. I'm hungry too.

Denise said...

What a cute bunny, and a cute baby :-)
I love pesto, I just don't have it often as no one else likes it (that meaning my hubby and daughter!). It looks super yummy on the burger.
I will look forward to seeing your 'Flo' all sewn up. Glad Mr Puffy could help you come to a decision ;)

Anonymous said...

Mr Puffy is a prince among dogs. What a darling, patient pup! Oh, and of course, the bunny and baby are dear too...

Thanks for the pesto recipe. I've been looking for just the right one, and I think that's it! Maybe Sissy and I'll try it tonight. Mugsy is more of an Alfredo guy.

Anonymous said...

I think the bunny will make a darling gift for a baby boy!

I love Mr. Puffy's halo. With such fine advice, he needs a halo. Sometimes it has taken me weeks to seam up a sweater. Best to just have somebody else do it. Then, you can wear all the sooner.

Thanks for the pesto recipe. I love to put it on pasta too.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Puffy is always such a darling boy. This probably sounds silly, but I just love his feet in his latest photo. They have the look and shape of Roscoe's and he also seems to have the same type of little freckles of color that show up in the white areas just like Roscoe does. Give him a hug from us. And tell him not to stay out so late at night. Do I detect a touch of doggie hangover, or did you just interrupt his nap?

The rabbit looks like a good choice. I'm almost finished with a goofy little crocheted sheep -- my first animal project -- but your bunny is a more accurate animal than my sheep pattern. It will be a great gift when you finish it.

Love basil but I'm sorry to say that my efforts run more towards shaking the dried herb onto lots of things. Your pesto recipe sounds delicious, though.

Anonymous said...

Cute bunny! What an adorable gift.

Firefly Nights said...

Sorry to be using you as my guinea pig, but I'm trying out a sign-in with a Blogger account that will lead back to my WordPress account. Today, as on several occasions, WordPress and Blogger weren't getting along well and when I tried to leave a comment on a Blogger blog, it failed to accept my WordPress Open ID that it usually has no problem with. If what I've left here works out, it will also allow me to have an avatar with my comments on Blogger blogs. As it is now, when I sign in from WordPress the avatar doesn't go along with it.

Anonymous said...

Oh I love your bunny! I'd never thought of knitting toys with variegated yarns but it's so effective!