Sweet and Sour

Since I basically did nothing but knit yesterday, I have spent the second of my two days off enjoying the company of my kitchen. The concoction you see in the photo to the left is the beginning of a fabulous, fabulous Moroccan condiment: preserved lemons. It's just lemons, lemonjuice, and salt. Click on the link to go to a lovely photo tutorial.

These lemons go beautifully with chicken tagine (the dish is named for the pot in which it is prepared), or with fish, on buttered vegetables or in a creamy and delicious risotto.

Be forewarned, though - they take weeks to cure, so you must be patient. (We sell them at the store where I work, so I don't have to be. I just figured I'd get some going at home, while I had the time.)

A simple shake once a day, and in about 30-45 days, the lemons will be ready to use in any of the aforementioned dishes.
Incidentally, if you aren't a regular reader of The Hungry Tiger and are the least bit interested in food, I'd strongly recommend a subscription. Her writing makes me hungry!

Though I'm happy to start this long-term project, in my heart of hearts, I am a sucker for instant gratification, so I decided to make candied lemon peel with the remaining lemons:

I threw in some ginger as well, since the Boy-O loves very few things on earth as well as he loves candied ginger. This is easy: the recipe I followed was essentially this one. Bonus: the leftover simple syrup is flavored with both lemon and ginger, and will make a great base for drinks.

And I actually did make more progress on the goddess tank:

Though the yarn is perfect and the knitting has been quite peaceful, I have to confess that I've struggled with this project.

For various reasons, I want to lose a good chunk of weight, and I've been feeling ambivalent about knitting something to fit me right now. Intellectually I know it's foolish, but emotionally it seemed that I was less than worthy - that I should somehow 'save' this project and this yarn which I so adore for that thinner, more perfect version of myself.

I debated all while I was doing the calculations to make the gauge fit my own, and I kept going back and forth on the subject in my head. In the end, however, the boy won me over with his impeccable logic.

"Make this one to fit you now," he said, "and when you lose the weight we'll go back to San Francisco and I'll buy you more yarn."

Sigh. Is it any wonder I adore that man?