I'm so excited guys!!!!

I recently read Rima's post about Miracle Noodles. This is what the Miracle Noodle site says...

Why Is The Miracle Noodle So Healthy?

The answer to this questions lies in understanding the role of fiber in our diets. Our noodle is made mainly of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber acts to slow digestion. By doing this, it allows for the slower absorption of glucose and is the reason behind its beneficial effects in diabetes.

The soluble fiber found in the Miracle Noodle slows digestion and prolongs the sensation of fullness and is an essential part of any weight loss program. You also absorb more nutrients in the foods you eat with The Miracle Noodle due to the slowing of digestion.

I'll admit, I was VERY skeptical. But, I had some money in my PayPal account and figured, what the heck, I'll try them...

I warn you now, there are lots of !!!!! in this post :)

Well, Mommy, you can eat noodles again!!! They were delicious! Looky...
I made Thai Coconut Soup with chicken, brocolli and red peppers. I'll give you the recipe in a minute, but first I wanna tell you about these noodles. They're made completely of plant fiber so they have NO calories, NO fat, and NO carbs! I guess that's why they're called Miracle Noodles :) Click Here and it'll take you to their site. You can buy them there and they ship them to your home (I got mine in about a week). The texture isn't anything like what I was expecting. They're kinda chewy, in a good way... like al dente pasta. And really substantial, you feel like you're really eating pasta! I was expecting something like cellophane noodles, but I was wrong!

Anyways, here's the recipe I used tonight...
2 packages of angel hair miracle noodles
1 can coconut cream, halved (or coconut milk)
2 cups of water
1 tsp red curry paste
1 package Tom Ko paste (I bought it at the local Asian Market)
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 red peppers, sliced
2 small heads brocolli, cut into small florets
1 tsp fish sauce
Pinch of Splenda
1 lime

***I did an extra step. this afternoon, I rinsed the noodles really well under hot water for like 5 minutes in a collander. Then, after reading some advice about these guys tasting a little fishy (and they SMELLED fishy when I first opened them) I soaked them in cold water with the juice of 1 lime and some rice vinager until I was ready to make dinner. Probably 2 hours. I don't know if this is the reason that they didn't taste like they smelled or not, but there wasn't even a trace of yuckiness!***

Combine half of the coconut cream, Tom Ko paste, water and curry paste and bring to a boil in a pressure cooker. Add the chicken, bring up to low pressure with the lid on and cook for 15 minutes. While that's cooking, drain the noodles and dry them REALLY well. I dumped them onto a kitchen towel and patted them down well with the other side of the towel. The reason is, the more dry they are, they more they'll soak up whatever sauce you put them in. Ok, so after 15 minutes, release the pressure, fork the chicken to break it up into pieces. Add the veggies, noodles, fish sauce, splenda and the rest of the coconut cream. Simmer it for a few minutes, and then eat it! Oh yeah, and you can squeeze some lime juice on top if you want.

So, I gave us both a bowl (and I cooked some lumpia in a frying pan with Pam instead of frying them). I'm a slow eater, so by the time I had slurped up 1/2 the bowl I was ABSOLUTELY STUFFED! I'm not kidding guys, totally, tummy grabbing full. Hubby ate his bowl (he's a quick eater) and I told him to wait 10 minutes to see if he was still hungry by then, and he didn't want anymore either! So this recipe makes 4 REALLY big servings. I didn't even finish mine :)

I can't wait to buy the other kinds. Can you say rice pudding with the orzo size??? Mmmm!!!

A New Bag... Done!!!

I'm so happy with this thing I can hardly stand it! Why does wool take so long to dry??? I wanna use it now!!!

Before...

And, after...

And, her pretty shot :)

This pattern is so fun... It's Inga's Haekelbeutel, and if you click on the link it'll take you to the pattern. I've made one before, but took a short-cut and it didn't really work. This time I decided to make the pattern with all 16 squares and felt it because it was so darn big last time. This time it didn't turn out as large, but I wanted to felt it anyways. It's the perfect size for a run to the gym, or a fast trip to the store. I was always a little confused on how the bottom of the bag looked flat. It's actually not flat at all... see???

It's got lots of shape to it, which means it can hold more than a flat bag! Yep, I'm totally in love :) I also took some advice and made modified handles according to Paula on Ravelry. Hers seemed much more sturdy, and since I'm planning on really using this bag, I thought they were a great idea!

Oh yeah, and I got that thing in the mail that I was telling you guys about... I'll have a post about it soon!

A New Bag

I started this before we left for Anaheim and am trying to stay focused enough to finish it. Just have to finish up 5 rounds on 3 separate squares and then seam it up, felt it and add some handles (haven't decided if I'm crocheting them or getting pre-fab ones). Here's some in progress pics... Can you tell what it's gonna be?

It's funny, because I started this before I got the new issue of Crochet Today and there's a hexagon bag in there that are exactly the same colors... Weird, I must've been feeling the hot color mojo :)

Oh yeah, and I ♥ Cascade 220 Wool!!!

My Valentine's Weekend

Orange County Yarn Shops!!! Hubby had a conference in Anaheim this past weekend and I decided that I would brave LA traffic and go yarn hunting... Boy did I have FUN!!!

I started at a local arts and crafts store called Tall Mouse in Yorba Linda. I decided to go there because I heard that they sold Cascade 220 wool for only $7 a skein. Here's my loot from that stop...
3 skeins of Cascade 220 in a great hot pink color (at $6.99 a skein!!!), a yard of some pretty flannel that I plan on making into a receiving blanket for the best friend's SIL (more on that later, I have something very, very cool to show you when I get it in the mail), 4 skeins of each color, green and gold, of Vanna's Choice which was on sale for $2 a skein and a half yard of some fabric that I plan on lining this version of a Fat Bottom Bag with in the near future.

Next stop, Velona Needlecraft which I was quite excited about. Imagine this times, oh, about 100!
That's just one aisle of about 20. This place is amazing guys. Like a humongo fiber orgy (excuse my crudeness, but that's the only way I can think to explain it!!!). Floor to ceiling bins just stuffed with yarn. Try to pull something out and something else usually falls from on top of it. I, frankly, really enjoyed myself. The owner of the shop was very friendly and helpful, even though some others have had a different experience. Next time I'm in the area, I'll definitely make another trip! Here's my loot from this shop (the 3 skeins on the left)...

My first Noro purchase. Ooo, I can't wait to make myself a GORGEOUS scarf!!! The black is a single ply worsted by Lamb's Pride. I think I became overwhelmed as this is all I left Velona's with!

The other 3 skeins were purchased at The Sheared Sheep in Costa Mesa, and truthfully, I went here specifically because the Malabrigo site said that they carried their yarns. The shop was small, quaint, and cute... but the yarn selection was pretty small, and they didn't have any malabrigo :( The lady working at the counter was very nice and there were a bunch of ladies in there knitting, tho. I think if I lived close by, I'd probably love to shop there, but there wasn't much to browse. There were a few ladies that were picking up special orders, so I'm sure the owner is great about ordering something if she doesn't carry it. I'm going to make a baby cardigan out of those 3 skeins for Hubby's friend's sister's little one.

Ok, last, but definitely not least... My favorite... LisCat in Long Beach!!! This shop was fantastic!!! I really enjoyed the layout, their stock of yarns, the cool projects they had hanging about the shop... everything really. Here's the last bunch of loot.

More Cascade 220 in a turquoise colorway and a Cascade wool that I'd never heard of called Nikki, it's quite like Malabrigo, but with GIGANTOR color changes, I mean jeez... the first 1/4 of the skein was almost completely orange! I bought that to make a scarflette for my Mom-In-Law's birthday. I also got some small samples of this stuff called Soak to give away with hand-wash only items that I make as gifts (it's this awesome stuff that is basically a rinse free detergent that not only cleans your yarny goodness but makes it smell heavenly, too). They had the cool bookmarker sized instructions for free, so I took 3 of those, also. Here's what that Nikki has already turned into...

GORGEOUS, if I do say so myself (sorry the pics look so washed out, it's rainy here today). The colors of the skein of yarn are much more true than these two finished object pics are. It's nice and bright and fun, just like my MIL. I'll have a pattern for this up soon! Might need to buy some Malabrigo to make more of these!!!

And, just for fun, a pic of Hubby and me waiting for a table at Cheesecake Factory for our V-Day date...

Hope you all had a great weekend!!!

And the winner is...

Congrats!!! The pattern is on the way... I hope you enjoy it!!!

Bottoms and More Pictures

I don't feel like my pictures from yesterday's post do this adorable cardigan justice. I think I just got so excited to show you guys that I took them at night on my blackish coffee table. Now I'm excited again, but was smart and went into my kitchen where there's lots of light to take the new pictures... See the bottoms I added to the set today?!?!?

I think they're so cute! I might make a new set in the opposite colors... I'm not sure yet. Anyways, here's their closeups...

The bottoms are from the pattern here... I'm not sure if I did it correctly, but it worked out pretty cute!

So STINKING cute!!!

Holy cow you guys! I'm soooo in love with this new pattern.

It's Rima's first written pattern, and I think it's fantabulous. You can click here to find it on Ravelry or on the link at the top of this post to go to her blog where she has the pattern up, also.

Now, to make some bottoms to match!