appetizers, Cooking, side dishes, snacks, South Beach

Low-carb Chicken Nuggets

March 10, 2015 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

I love junk food. LOVE IT. But there are lots of reasons why I shouldn’t eat it on the regular.

I’m not a big fan of diet recipes that try to emulate the real deal. Usually they lack in flavor or texture. But I’m willing to try them once in a while.

Here’s a recipe that satisfies my fast food desire: homemade chicken nuggets. Not only are they kid friendly (my son gobbled them up), but they are great for those on low-carb or gluten-free diets.

This is a great weeknight dish since they only take about 40 minutes from start to finish. Serve them with cheesy broccoli quinoa and you’ve got yourself a tasty junk-like meal.

Low Carb Chicken Nuggets

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken tenders (chicken breast would be fine)

1 tsp. baking soda (optional)

3/4 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

Low-carb Chicken Nuggets | A healthy, homemade recipe from Alaska Knit Nat Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Cut your chicken into two-inch pieces. Place them in a bowl with two tablespoons of cold water and the baking soda. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. (This step is optional, but I find it makes a more tender nugget as per America’s Test Kitchen’s advice).

Whisk together the eggs in a pie pan. Combine the dry ingredients in another pie pan.

Toss the chicken pieces in the egg then gently dredge them in the almond flour mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, flip them and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a couple of minutes before serving.

Crochet, Knit & Crochet, Patterns

Northern Lights Memory Blanket — A free crochet pattern

March 8, 2015 alaskaknitnat 56 Comments

Hello Pinterest and AllFreeCrochet.com fans!

Thanks for checking out my Northern Lights Memory Blanket pattern. I have a little note for you. I wrote this pattern when I was a much less experienced crocheter. I don’t have a lot of experience writing crochet patterns and I have had a few people contact me about how the set-up rows are written in a confusing manner.

Unfortunately, as I’m a full-time working mom I don’t have the ability to recreate this pattern to check for errors. I based this pattern on the Granny Stripe Scarf from PurlSoho.com, so if you have difficulty following my pattern I recommend you read their instructions. Once the first few rows are set up it crochets very easily – just like a granny square. Instead of working in the round, though, you crochet back and forth.

Back to my original post:

A few weeks ago I tidied up my yarn collection and realized I have a whole lotta yarn. Too much yarn. I have a loose rule that I can’t buy more yarn until I use the last yarn I purchased. That doesn’t always work out, apparently.

I decided to work on a lap blanket to curl up on the couch with. I knew crochet was the way to go. It not only goes by more quickly than knitting but it also uses up yarn faster, which is just what I wanted. Instead of following a striped pattern, I opted to go with the flow. I started with some tripled up DK weight red wool I had used to knit a teeny tiny baby sweater. As soon as I reached the end of a skein I brought in a different skein.

As I crocheted along I was reminded of each project I had bought the yarn for. It was becoming a memory blanket. After I got through purple, the blanket was starting to remind me of the Aurora Borealis. I’ve not had the opportunity to see more than green and white with my own eyes, but the northern lights can be all colors of the spectrum.

I’m overjoyed with the end product. It’s every color I love and perfectly cozy.

Continue reading Northern Lights Memory Blanket — A free crochet pattern →

Knit & Crochet, Knitting

Malabrigo Cable Cowl

February 28, 2015 alaskaknitnat 7 Comments

My local yarn shop started carrying Malabrigo yarn. I have never knitted with Malabrigo before, but I know some knitters who are total snobs about this yarn. They refuse to knit with anything else. I now understand why. The Malabrigo worsted merino is like knitting with clouds. It’s so soft and light between my fingers – an absolute joy to work with. It’s also reasonably priced for the quality. At around $12 per hank, it has so much potential for small projects without breaking the bank.

I really wanted to show of the lustre and quality of the yarn. I decided on a cabled cowl. I don’t have much experience with cables except that they aren’t really difficult; they just take concentration and the ability to keep track of rows.

I wanted to try something beyond a simple cable, but nothing too complicated. I settled on a lovely Ravelry pattern from Auriga’s Knits called the Spikelets Cowl. I recommend this pattern to those who have a little experience with cables but are ready to go to the next level. It was fun to knit, and even more luxurious to wear.

I used one hank of Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Purple Mystery.

alaska, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet — A Free Knitting Pattern

February 23, 2015 alaskaknitnat 9 Comments

Boy, sending mail to Belgium takes a while! I’m so thrilled to finally be posting this pattern. I had to wait for it to arrive in my friend’s mailbox before I could publish it. Enjoy!

Last summer an old friend of mine got married on the Greek island of Paros, which is known for its brilliantly white buildings contrasted against the blue Aegean Sea. I wanted to send her a handmade wedding gift that represented the beautiful location of her wedding. Since I have limited artistic talent (I am not a brilliant illustrator as she is), I decided to knit her an ombre scarf. Ombre might still be considered trendy, but I know I’m a little past the height of ombre hype.

I had a difficult time finding yarn that was the right color, so I settled with a “Frozen”-esque ice blue. Elsa wasn’t whom I had in mind when I made this scarf, but I do love the colors anyway.

I wanted to try an unusual stitch pattern instead of doing my basic ribbing or garter stitch. I don’t have a great attention span for stitch patterns that take 14 rows to complete, so I found a lovely pattern that is repeated every 4 rows. This way I can set it down anytime and be certain where I left off. I went with St. John’s Wort Stitch.

St. John’s wort is a flowering plant that is used medicinally as a sort of cureall. It’s supposedly good for treating anxiety, depression and cuts. I made this scarf so my friend can feel cozy and safe, so it’s fitting it is named for a healing, cheer-you-up herb.

I hope my friend is able to think of this scarf as a warm hug from her past. We haven’t seen each other in more than 10 years, so I wanted her to have a little reminder of home and of her happy day in Santorini.

Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet

1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5630 (or any sport weight yarn in ice blue that is more than 200 yards). I’ll call this color B

1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5682 (white). I’ll call this color A.

1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 0010 (or 100 yards of any mohair brand in white). I’ll call this color 1.

1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 6815 (blue). I’ll call this color 2.

US 10 needles

Continue reading Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet — A Free Knitting Pattern →

Crochet, Knit & Crochet, Patterns

Tapered Flower Headband — A Free Crochet Pattern

February 22, 2015 alaskaknitnat 14 Comments

I’ve been trying to polish up my site and I realized one of my most popular patterns was full of dead photo links. I also realized it wasn’t even a pattern but just some nice photos of my wearing a bunch of my headbands — pretty much useless to all of you! Instead of just updating the post, which was from three years ago, I figured I’d just start anew and reintroduce it.

This simple crocheted headband is my best-selling product. I sell out of it at Bella Boutique every holiday season. You can’t go wrong — it’s colorful and has a huge flower on it. I also love embellishing the back of the headband with a vintage button.

The pattern is inspired by Knitty.com’s Calorimetry Headband, which I like, but is really too wide for my head. I also get bored by the ribbing pattern. I wanted something that I could create quickly for my short attention span. I relied on this pattern for the base and then added a simple trim and my own flower pattern, instructions for which can be found here.

Many thanks to my old friend Laura for taking (and recovering) these shots. She was just starting out her photography business when these were taken and they are lovely!

Tapered flower headband | A free crochet pattern from Alaska Knit Nat — © Laura Stennett Photography

I originally made two versions of this pattern, one with worsted yarn and the other while crocheting two strands of worsted at the same time. I prefer the double stranded version because it’s fuller looking. You can do a single strand but you may have to extend the ends by a couple of rows.

Continue reading Tapered Flower Headband — A Free Crochet Pattern →

Crochet, Knit & Crochet, Patterns

Quick, Chunky Crochet Hat — A Free Pattern

February 8, 2015 alaskaknitnat 10 Comments

I knit a lot of gifts this last holiday season. With the completion of a belated scarf last week, I’m just about knitted out. I needed a new project that would satisfy my short attention span and was something different.

I found a simple crochet hat pattern on TangledHappy.com that used the herringbone half double crochet stitch. I’d never heard of it, but after a couple of video tutorials, it looked easy enough.

I didn’t have the hook size the pattern called for, but I had something close, so I used what I think was an N size hook (it’s unmarked for some ridiculous reason). This made the gauge off for the original pattern so I had to wing it, which is why I’m posting a pattern on my blog. I also added contrasting trim and pompom.

These are incredibly quick to complete. I made two yesterday and one this morning. They are a great way to use up excess yarn, especially if you double up worsted weight and crochet two strands at once, which I did with the blue hat shown in this pattern.

Quick, Chunky Crochet Hat with Pompom — A Free Pattern from Alaska Knit Nat

Materials:

1 skein of chunky yarn such as Lopi or Lion Brand Thick and Quick OR two strands of heavy worsted yarn crocheted together as one strand.

1 skein of contrasting yarn, weight can vary

Size N crochet hook

Darning needle

Two toilet paper tubes (opional)

Sharp scissors

Removable stitch marker

Continue reading Quick, Chunky Crochet Hat — A Free Pattern →

Cooking, recipes, soup

Vegetable Soup with Italian Sausage

January 14, 2015 alaskaknitnat 3 Comments

I haven’t ever been much of a soup fan, but tonight I may have changed my mind. I threw together a minestrone-esque stew that was bursting with flavor and vegetables.

This is a flexible recipe. Use whatever veggies you like; you can’t really go wrong.

Vegetable Soup with Italian Sausage

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 oz. pancetta, or three slices of bacon
1 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1, 14-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. herbes de Provence (optional)
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh green beans, chopped
1 can of white beans, drained
1 can of cannellini beans, drained
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Continue reading Vegetable Soup with Italian Sausage →

alaska, appetizers, Cooking, recipes, salad, seafood, snacks, South Beach

Salmon salad lettuce wraps

January 7, 2015 alaskaknitnat 2 Comments

With a new year comes New Year’s resolutions, and I’ve decided to join the countless others who resolve to eat more healthily. As a contributor to Anchorage Food Mosaic Project, I was recently asked what my Food Year’s Resolution was. Fewer cheeseburgers was the first thing that came to mind, but also to cut down on carbs and to eat more healthily in general.

My husband and I are trying out the South Beach Diet, which is a low sugar and carb regimen. The first phase is pretty strict, but that doesn’t limit my ability to cook delicious food.

Today’s lunch was quick to prepare and pretty dang delicious. I love me some smoked salmon, but that stuff is expensive. I wanted to make a dish that had the flavor of smoked salmon, but was a little easier on the pocketbook.

This salad recipe is chock full of nutrients and with the use of smoked paprika, it fulfilled my craving for smoked salmon. I purchased my canned salmon at Costco, but if you’re lucky to have an Alaska fisherman friend, you could certainly make this with fresh-cooked salmon!

Smokey salmon lettuce wraps — A South Beach Diet phase 1 recipe

Makes about 6 wraps

Continue reading Salmon salad lettuce wraps →

Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Big, Fluffy Brioche Cowl — A Free Knitting Pattern

December 31, 2014 alaskaknitnat 10 Comments

Now that the holidays are over and my handmade gifts have been delivered I can start posting some more patterns.

Earlier this winter I became mildly obsessed with the brioche stitch. I found this lovely tutorial and pattern for a cowl and I came up with a simple headband/turban using the same stitch.

I took it one step further with this fluffy, scrumptious stitch and decided to make an oversized cowl using larger needles and a wider width. Not only is it super cozy, but you can stretch part of it over your head for a makeshift hood. You can wear it looped around your neck twice or have it hang loosely. It’s a versatile piece that happens to be trendy.

Big Fluffy Brioche Cowl

Materials:

250 grams of heavy worsted yarn such as Lamb’s Pride (I used 2.5 skeins of Loops & Threads Wool to Wash)

Size US 13 straight needles

Darning needle

Continue reading Big, Fluffy Brioche Cowl — A Free Knitting Pattern →

Crafts, Paper, Tutorials

DIY mini hang tags

December 23, 2014 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Recently I was commissioned to sew 10 coin purses out of vintage kimono silk remnants. Part of providing the service of craft is the presentation. Sure, I could have delivered the purses in a plastic grocery bag, but the buyer is more impressed when she receives them as though they are a gift. It’s remarkable how much a tiny hang tag on your product gives it a professional finish.

I have yet to order Alaska Knit Nat hang tags. I just don’t feel like ordering large quantities and I worry they might not turn out right and I’d have spent money on something I won’t use.

Here’s a way to create your own hang tags in small quantities that is super inexpensive.

DIY mini hang tags | Give your products a professional finish with affordable homemade hang tags. Tutorial from Alaska Knit Nat

First, log in to Canva.com. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a fantastic, free site where you can create pretty graphic elements from Facebook posts to business cards. It’s like graphic design for dummies.

Continue reading DIY mini hang tags →