Strawberry, Kiwi, and Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
-1 3/4 teaspoons raspberry jam
-1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
-2 cups spinach, rinsed and torn into bite size pieces
-2 strawberries, quartered
-1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

Directions:
-Mix together raspberry vinegar, raspberry jam, and olive oil in a small container.
-Combine spinach, strawberries and kiwi in a salad bowl. Toss with raspberry dressing.

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
-1 lb pork tenderloin
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1 stalk celery, chopped
-1 cup red wine
-1/2 packet dry brown gravy mix

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Place pork in a baking dish and sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Top with onion and celery and pour wine over all.
-Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
-When done baking, remove meat from baking dish and place on a serving platter. Pour gravy mix into baking dish with wine and cooking juices and stir until thickened. Slice meat and cover with the gravy.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
-1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
-1/4 cup milk
-1 small container cream cheese
-1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, cook until tender. Drain and place in bowl.
-Add Parmesan cheese, chives, cream cheese, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Use hand mixer to mash until smooth and serve.
-Use gravy from pork to cover mashed potatoes.

Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto
Ingredients:
-1/2 bunch of fresh asparagus
-sliced Prosciutto, 1 for each asparagus spear
-olive oil

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with olive oil.
-Wrap one slice of Prosciutto around each asparagus spear starting at the bottom and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet.
-Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender and Proscuitto is crisp. Serve immediately.
**I recommend eating the asparagus by itself without the Proscuitto. Together it is good, but strong. Pulling the asparagus out is delicious, just the right amount of saltiness and flavor.

Italian Breaded Pork Chops
Ingredients:
-1 egg, lightly beaten
-1 tablespoon milk
-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 tablespoon dried parsley
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-2 pork chops

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
-In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crubs, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
-Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet and brown about 5 minutes on each side.
-Place the pork chops into a baking dish in the preheated oven and cook 25 minutes or to an internal temperature of 100 degrees F.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil
Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon butter
-1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon uncooked orzo pasta
-1/2 of a 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
-Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
-Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

He loved it. We're both stuffed like pigs. I love homemade food. Why can't restaurants serve something different every night? I guess it's better that way so we don't always eat out.

So... I'm a fan. I love it. AND I'm pretty excited because I just saw tonight on a dinner foraging expedition that there is a new place going in right here in the Northwest aptly named "Love Sushi". I hope it is good. It is so close to my house. I am excited. No more travels across town to get my favorites. It will be right around the corner now. It is going in where Wine Me Up, China Bistro, El Pollo Loco, etc. are in that new shopping center on Coffee Road. Yay!

My sister-in-law and her husband are in Taiwan right now picking up the baby girl they are adopting.

Yesterday they were at a park in Taipei when a swarm of Asian tourists became fascinated by my two year old niece who is also with them.

It was quite the paparazzi moment as she posed for all the cameras.

I FINALLY finished this little lovely today while waiting at the doctor's office. I like that it can be a wrap, a shawl, a scarf and a throw piece all by itself. Today it is a throw on the corner of my favorite chair.

I used Paton's Lacette in Touch of Black for Airy Wrap from Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits.

The good news is that I probably don't have a sinus infection. It's just my allergies. It doesn't make my face hurt any less though! I took some Zyrtec today and that stuff makes you feel loopy!

Unfortunately my photographic skills are obviously not improving much... This photo does not, in my opinion, accurately reflect the shade of red this sweater actually is.

That said, I'm giving this little bundle of softness to my new niece, Ruby Mei (beautiful) Hsiao (early morning) Chi (beautiful jade) Barone.

My sister-in-law and her husband are adopting her from Taiwan and it looks like she'll get to come home at the end of March! I'm so excited about it. Saturday night they are having a Chinese New Year dinner to celebrate.

The project was quick and really simple. The best part about it was that there wasn't any seaming! It was knit in the round for the whole thing.

I used ggh Big Easy in #005 (red) for Child's Placket Neck Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I know red might seem like a bit much for a baby, but red symbolizes happiness and good fortune in Chinese/Taiwanese culture.

This cotton yarn is a little chunkier than what the pattern called for so I sized down the needles to US #6 instead of the recommended US #7. I also shifted the placket neck slightly because I thought it gave the sweater more of an Asian flair.

I'm looking forward to another restful and knitting filled weekend. A couple of our guys (mine included) have to take some certification tests Saturday afternoon. So, us girls are going to go check out Knit Cafe in Hollywood.

Oh and so much for troubles melting like lemon drops... The rainbow scarf I was working on before is ugly so I'm going to pull it out. The ends of the scarf don't match, one is nice and scalloped and the other isn't. It made me very frustrated so I put it away for now. I'm thinking about making it up in the round and using the reverse side of the stocking stitch. We'll see...

I hope I get over this awful sinus infection too. All day and last night I've felt like my face was going to explode from the pressure! I don't think my cheeks and have ever hurt so much in my life. My usual trusty partners Sudafed, Claritin and Benedryl have all failed me. :(