Monday, July 11, 2011

6am Wakeup Call

Or perhaps I should call this post "6am Wakeup Screams."

It's just after 7am, and I've been awake for more than an hour, ever since hearing the dulcet wails of Knits Jr. over the intercom. I try not to complain too much about his sleeping habits, considering he's probably the most laid-back baby ever (well, toddler, technically), but 6am is just too much. Mama needs more sleep than that, especially when Mama is working on a sibling for the little monster.

I had so many plans for today - the pool, shopping for a present for a friend's baby shower. Instead, I'm just waiting for naptime. Ugh.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Dyeing Fiber

Yesterday, I decided to experiment with using McCormick dyes and the crock pot for dying. I soaked my 4oz of Cormo wool for about an hour in the crock pot before beginning.

The three colors I used are Sunset Orange, pure yellow, and Dusky Pink, all drawn from the back of the McCormick box. I poured the dye (3x the icing amount listed on the back mixed with 3/4 cup boiling water and 2 tbsps of lemon juice) over sections of the wool in the pot, which was full of water, then put the crock pot on high. I let the dye soak for two hours on high, and it was completely exhausted.

Here's the fiber washing in the sink post-crockpot:

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And drying in the sun on my deck (yes, that baby gate makes a fantastic rack for hanging fiber):

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Saturday, July 2, 2011

Triangle Restaurant Review: Bread and Kabob's Glorious Return

I'm a foodie. There, I said it. And the Triangle area of NC is full of fabulous food options, including some restaurants to rival the "big cities" - and I know, as I've eaten my way through Chicago and Washington, DC. There are certainly blogs out there devoted to food in my area (Carpe Durham is my go-to for new restaurants), but every once in a while, there's a restaurant that deserves special attention.

Bread and Kabob, located inside the 1013 bar on Main St in Durham near Duke, is one of those restaurants.

I should start with the full story. Bread and Kabob used to be its own restaurant, in the same location, when my husband was in high school. He's a native of the area, I am not. When we lived in Chicago and DC, we loved to frequent Persian and Afghan restaurants, and almost every single time we tried a new one, he would compare it to Bread and Kabob.

To his great sorrow, Bread and Kabob closed just before we met, and he never got to introduce me to his favorite college meal. The story goes that the owners went back to Afghanistan to start a business. Their children remained in America and opened the 1013 bar in the former location of Bread and Kabob.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Carpe Durham announced that Bread and Kabob was back. We went immediately, dragging along Knits, Jr., and tried their brand new buffet.

For 7 years, I've listened to the other half extoll the virtues of Bread and Kabob. It lives up to the hype. The buffet had a chicken curry, two rice dishes, and three veggies (spinach, potatoes, and green beans), though the selection is subject to change. The curry was top notch, the beef rice dish was something I'd never had before and was amazing, and the potatoes were so good as to call for multiple visits to the buffet. The buffet also had rice pudding - perfect rice pudding, with the rice still identifiable instead of mush, and bits of almond adding crunch here and there. Also brought to the table was a big basket of delicious, fresh bread.

It was so amazing, in fact, that we went back on Thursday. My husband went for the buffet, again. I decided to order chicken kabobs with rice off the menu. Again, perfection. The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked, the rice generously sprinkled with sumac spice, and two chargrilled tomatoes on the side.

We'll go again, and again, and again. Welcome back, Bread and Kabob.