The Quilted Cat

This will be Phillips the Cat’s second winter here. No longer a shy cat reclaimed from a Brooklyn street, he’s claimed our couch, two chairs, the bath tub, and the foot of our bed... and he’s also brazenly claimed my bulky raglan sweater. I think it’s time to make him a cat quilt to ease up on his apartment expeditions.

The yarn is a gift from my friends Dan and Caroline from their trip to Morocco. It’s has a very rustic character — twigs, straw, and all. I love the natural color of the wool with flecks of gray and brown. This yarn is quite durable, it’s spun for the rug making trade.

This fractal-based knit is inspired by Nora Gaughan’s book, “Knitting Nature.” Much like an actual quilt, it’s made with modular units that are picked up from adjacent edges. It’s an excellent use of left-over yarns of the same weight.

Ms. Gaughan might cast a raised eyebrow on this sort of feline finery, but I need my sweater back. Winter is fast on it’s way. So far Phillip seems to appreciate woolen fractals.

Time Falls Back in Cold Spring

Janice and Adam went without power for a few days after another storm pelted the north east last week, but all is getting back to normal. Yet some of our friends are still in the dark. Unusual weather has become the usual in 2011. It’s autumn in Cold Spring and the clock is set back to give us one more hour of daylight. That extra hour is exactly what we needed this weekend — the porch is finally finished.

Janice told me that the boys asked why they didn’t get their Tony hats last year. I just thought they outgrew the home-spun gifts. So this weekend I made Jesse a ski cap, and Ellis, a ribbed watchman’s cap. After unraveling and joining all the swatches and scraps from Troy’s cowl there was even enough SWTC Saphira to make a small pompom for Jesse’s cap. To my surprise the boys were very excited. Don’t these little gentlemen look so handsome in their warm winter gear?

Janice and Adam are ready for winter too. The porch looks almost brand new after sanding, two coats of outdoor enamel, and replacing a few planks. I can’t say enough about the wonders of Bondo and a good quality paint — so shiny and clean. I’ll be back in the Spring to work on the front steps.

Every post has been capped and every rail primed and painted. Jesse made a winter-inspired Lego snowman that looks at home on this post.

We had excellent weather and some hearty family meals over the weekend. Janice made a Peruvian pulled pork served with mango salsa and stuffed acorn squash. I made a hand-rolled gnocchi dinner with garden fresh sage butter and lemon zest for Sunday dinner. For dessert we ate most of the Halloween candy — oops, sorry kids.

The mums are out but so are the hungry deer — may the twain never meet. The autumn leaves are now turning red and gold as the sun sets lower on this Hudson River town’s horizon. It casts a peach-colored glow that pushes long shadows down cold streets. I swept away the spider webs which hung with pearls of dew strung between the ivory rails and admired our handiwork. I said goodbye to the porch, packed up my tools, and headed back to Brooklyn.

Feline Finery — A Cat V-neck Vest

Here’s a versatile investment for any cat’s wardrobe: a red cabled V-neck vest. It gives any house cat a smart, clean look for the Holidays. It also hides his cat gut. I wonder where Phillip put his glasses. The collar is set higher into the back. This compensates for the position of his front legs.

The construction of this vest might seem odd to anyone other than a cat. It’s looks more like a backwards A-line shirt. The chest area is shorter than the back, off-setting the neck line farther into the back. The V-neck helps define the front. The armholes are set directly below the chest as opposed to left and right placement to the body. Otherwise the ribbed facings are picked up and knit just as any sweater.

With larger armholes the vest allows Phillip more freedom of movement. He can easily go from destroying the couch to destroying the bed quilt with such ease. 

But how can one keep a cat vest fur-free? I have a feeling one has to accept the improbability.

Cat Mock Turtle

A woman asked me if I'd make her dog a sweater. I replied no... but... who said I wouldn't make our cat a hand-knit sweater? This jaunty mock turtle suits Phillip the cat just fine. This acrylic cat-casual is based on a raglan construction with the sleeves centered down in the front... or is it the bottom?

When I design a garment I keep body type of the wearer in mind. For Phillip’s sweater, the chest and the elbows are turned for a better fit. It’s made for lounging around on a lazy day, which is what Phillip does on most days. But upon closer observation the waste might be a bit tight or too short, it rides up when he walks. I see a cardigan with pockets in Phillips future.

Kimchi Jigae on a Gloomy Day

Kimchi Jigae, or kimchi soup, is one of my favorite Korean winter dishes. As our weather quickly moves towards fall, I find myself battling a sinus infection. This soup just might be the cure... or least a delicious home-made kitchen remedy on a clammy overcast day. It’s spicy enough to knock out an on coming cold.

I first had this stew in Flushing, Queens. Thinly sliced kimchi, vegetables, and aromatic spices stewed in a home-made stock — the key to this dish is slow, low cooking. I like mine topped with lots of sweet corn, but the traditional garnish is green onion. For this savory Korean Kimchi Soup recipe go to GardenFork.tv.

Pear-Apple Sauce

My friend Eric gave us a bag of pears and apples from his yard, I made sauce from the ones that were bruised. Apple sauce is super easy to make and pears give it a nice texture.

Pear Apple Sauce
Peel and core the apples and pears, and get rid of the bruised portions. Cut them into 1" pieces then soak them in a large pot of cold water of with juice from half a lemon. Soak for 20 minutes and drain.

You’ll need: 
- 8 cups of apple and pear, cut and cleaned
- half cup water
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/2 a lemon for soaking and for zest
- a large sauce pan with a lid
- wooden spoon

In a sauce pan bring water to a boil and dissolve sugar, then add apple and pear pieces. Lower temperature to medium and cover for 10 minutes. Now add lemon zest, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Mash the apples and pears with a wooden spoon, stir and return cover. Mash and stir about every 10 minutes so that it doesn’t caramelize. In about 45 minutes or so you’ll have a sweet, tangy rustic sauce.

I like the lumps, they go well with oatmeal. But if you want a very smooth texture run the sauce through a ricer, a food mill, or blender. Store it jarred in the fridge to prevent you from eating the whole batch. For Eric’s video on making apple sauce go to GardenFork.tv.

Zucchini and Corn Fritters

The weather is quickly changing, it's much cooler and the sun is setting earlier. Time to make some dinner. This end-of-summer meal, Zucchini and Corn Fritters, is fresh from my Eric’s garden. I got the last harvest. I think of this type of recipe as typhoon food. We made a lot of fritters during that summer-long blackout of Typhoon Pamela (1976). This recipe combines dried and fresh ingredients.

This dish is typically made with young green squash, but just use a zucchini. You can also use a young pumpkin, the color is pretty. Use fresh or frozen corn, either works fine.

The spices lend an island flavor: cumin, oregano, chili and garlic. The version of this recipe is vegetarian (not vegan) but if you wanted a more authentic flavor, add minced dried shrimp to the batter and fry a piece of dried chili in the cooking oil. For this Zucchini and Corn Fritter recipe and tips on frying crisp, golden fritters, visit Gardenfork.tv.

Last BBQ of the Season at Freddy’s Bar — September 5, 2011

A mountain of food magically reappears— this is round three.

The Memorial Day BBQ is the last one of the season — a toast to the official end of summer. Pat O'Shea and I grilled afternoon into evening at Freddy’s Bar. As the days grow short and the leaves fall, may we all recall the good times and the wonderful flavors of summer: Ellen’s wasabi potato salad, Josh’s potato and bacon salad, Diane’s famous fudge, Clara’s deviled eggs, Anna’s BBQ chili chicken, Rick James’ jerk chicken patties... corn on the cob, grilled pineapple, fresh anchovies, veggie dogs and patties, German bratwurst, Polish Kielbasa, kimchi relish... great weather, grilled food, old and new friends, good times.

The grill calls and a crowd assembles.

It’s not a dive bar unless you have a decent-size backyard shark.

I can caramelize a pineapple with EVO but what can one make from "UVU?"

People wait patiently for a burger as Clara shares her delicious deviled eggs.

Jer, Freddy’s partner Matty Kuhn, and Tom are at the front of the line.. again.

Dogs, bratts, burgers, kielbasa, BBQ chicken....

Of course we had a few vegetarians...

Will spiced things up with freshly brined anchovies and Polish mustard.

This little sneaky fella is waiting for something to stray from a plate.

After Irene

After tropical storm Irene, Monday morning is slowly coming together in Brooklyn — shutters and boards have come down, streets are mostly swept, trains and buses are returning. While things are not so bad here, our social network reported that Irene left some of our friends without power or water. Many east coast towns are now coping with the loss of property, and for some the loss of lives. My sister Tes reminded me that as catastrophic and severe as the typhoons on Guam were, there was always good that came with the bad — so look at the good. As the rain subsided we went out for a neighborhood walk.

Not much damage to speak of here in Prospect Heights. A downed tree drew helpful neighbors on the corner of St. John and Underhill. Some cars we actually spared by the low brick fence.

The streets were virtually empty except a few cars and people with dogs who were cooped up all Saturday, most were heading to the park. Without the usual crowds and traffic one gets a full appreciation of how grand Grand Army Plaza is. I often walk through the arch as a short cut to the weekend green market.

This overpass in Prospect Park takes on a surreal and even more charming appeal with its own pond. There were surprisingly only a few trees that sustained wind damage in the park — mostly sheered tops of trees and fallen branches but nothing completely uprooted. The story was quire different in other neighborhoods with many older trees toppled into streets.

New temporary lakes sprung up in the park’s Long Meadow. Once the grazing area for sheep herders, it’s now a hub of entertainment for people and their dogs. A few people flew kites. But as the wind picked again and the sky darkened, police and rangers reminded us to evacuate as they closed the park to the public.

Time to get home for dinner, tend to the cat, and to see what’s on the news. I made enough chili to last us through the storm, and more than enough to give to our friends Matt and Adrianne (chips and all). Sometimes you have to stop and be thankful for loved ones, good friends, a funny little pet, and a hot home-cooked meal.