bachilismmakes-blog

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Keto Diet Day 1 starts tomorrow! I made Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin from Bon Appétit, along with some Creamed Spinach and Raspberry Cheesecake Fat Bombs from the cookbook Simply Keto. The pork doesn't look super appetizing but it tastes delicious with the garlic, fennel and rosemary rub!

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This blog is slowly moving away from making crafts to making food. But not on purpose! I haven't been making time for crafts lately. I should really fix that. The boy wanted some apple pie, and being the good girlfriend that I am, I took it into my head to learn to make one. I got the pie dough recipe from Serious Eats and made Buzzfeed Tasty's Caramel Rose Apple Pie. The recipe only called for "4 apples", so I picked a combo of Pink Lady and Honeycrisp (I think that's what it was called). I have terrible hands for pie dough making, since they get hot really fast. Next time I think I will work with frozen butter rather than chilled so that my hands won't warm the butter too quickly. Anyway, the pie was surprisingly easy to make, and it turned out very delicious. It is boyfriend approved and my mom liked it too! 9/10 for the recipes, 10/10 would make again.

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I failed at Whole30. I couldn't do it. Perhaps I can try again someday. In the meantime, I'm binging on paleo cookbooks. I saw this awesome Dashi Stock and Tempura recipe by Russ Crandall in his book Paleo Takeout and I couldn't resist making it. Paleo! Japanese food! What more can I want.

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Sad food post:

Almost done with my first week of Whole30. It is tough. I want ramen. I want rice. I want cake. It also didn’t help that I worked a tiring 12 hour shift yesterday. I don’t feel like I have the physical energy or mental capacity to cook. The temptation to veer off the diet is strong.

Having salmon sashimi with wasabi, nori and my own made up dipping sauce (coconut aminos, rice vinegar and fish sauce) for lunch tastes really comforting right now. It makes me feel less deprived.

That wasabi gave me the kick in the teeth that I needed.

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Day 3 of Whole30 and I’ve already had a meltdown because I can’t have ice cream. This is hard! I’m already getting headaches from the sugar withdrawal. I’m popping grapes like crazy to curb the sugar cravings.

Michelle Tam (of Nom Nom Paleo fame) has been a lifesaver. I made her Chicken Duxelles (from her latest book) and it is FABULOUS! Of course, I wish I can have rice and banana ketchup with it, but alas.

Having a successful cook encourages me to think that maybe I can survive the next 30 days. Wish me luck!

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I’m starting Whole30 in two days and I thought I’d give my sous vide cooker a test run. I found a steak recipe and substituted the butter with ghee to make it whole30 compliant. SO YUMMY! The roasted cauliflower was the perfect accompaniment. Great way to dip my toes into my new diet.

Wish me luck!

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Taking a break from crafts and trying out my culinary skills! I made homemade pasta using Anne Burrell’s All Purpose Pasta Dough from her cookbook (with the boyfriend of course).

It was a little frustrating and I’m not sure if I mixed it wrong or if the pasta roller was faulty. Anyway… It was still pretty good!

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Confiscated!

I took my knitting on yet another vacation, but this time I wasn’t so lucky. I guess international flights and security checkpoints from other countries are not as lenient as the TSA when it comes to knitting needles. I was really sad to lose my Addi circulars. Oh well.

Project Socks has been put on hold until I get a replacement. *sniff sniff*

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Short row heel decreases are their own kind of magic. I don't even know how I did it. Picking up the gusset stitches was a little nerve wracking but I'm pretty proud of myself!

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Heel flap: done! Managed to finish it while catching up with Masterchef Australia. Now time to say a prayer for the heel turn! Wish me luck! Follow me at: @bachilismmakes

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I always take my knitting on vacation, even though most of the time I ignore it. But today I had some free time and decided to knit in the desert. 🌵

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Setting up for the heel flap. I had to switch from magic loop back to knitting in the round because I figured it would be easier to set up that way. Wish me luck! #knittersofinstagram #knittersgonnaknit #knittingsocks

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It turns out that working two jobs, being on vacation and catching up on sleep can really set your knitting time way back. But after 65 leg rows (10 inches total with cuff) , I am finally gonna get started on the heel! Since the pattern is based on the three needle method, I may have to do some analyzing on how that translates to the magic loop method. I can do this!

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Airports become more bearable when you're distracted from the fact that your flight is THREE HOURS DELAYED. ✈️✈️✈️

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Go outside, he said. It’s good for you, he said. Sometimes the boy will convince me to spend some time with nature. So knitting on the beach it is then. 🌊🌊🌊

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Working on that 3x1 ribbed cuff

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Crafting Project 1: Socks

I got tired of seeing my boyfriend wear holey socks in his boots whenever he goes to work. There’s really nothing sacred about his worn out socks. (Get it? Holey? Sacred? Never mind.) I decided to cast on for a new pair of socks that he can add to his sock rotation. I mean, I *could* have just bought him a new pair of socks, but… that would have been too easy. The hunt for the perfect pattern was a bit of a challenge, as I had to make sure that it was plain enough to be approved to be worn with his uniform. Pattern: Gentleman's Winter Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush (I used 3.75mm needles to accommodate my boyfriend's bigger size 11 feet) Yarn: Heritage Sock Yarn by Cascade Yarns May the odds be ever in my favor!