Chilly Hats & Hot Popovers...

...and a kind blogger too!
Or I could just title this post "Lots of Links." So here goes:

Yesterday I realized its really that time of year now, when I find myself returning from chilly & blustery, late afternoon walks with a hat on my head that often does not get removed until long after the dinner dishes have been washed. It’s this odd little habit I got into last winter here in our new home in the "arctic." I’m slightly teasing. We’re really only 2 hours further north by car than our previous home, but it does seem to be quite a climate change at times.

This reminds me of the last Anthro catalogue I received a few weeks back. I was more taken with the moss-covered, Icelandic scenery than the apparel. Although I’m quite smitten with this Margeaux Hat too. Hub says I could learn to knit something like it. I think not. I stick to very simple knitting patterns. And I proved my point this past weekend when I attempted to follow a pattern for knitting socks. I got hung up on the whole “knitting in the round” thing. And since I have this beautiful blue merino wool yarn, I really do not want to waste it on a failed project! I think its time for another knitting lesson from my knitting-guru of an Aunt. (By the way, you can find more beautiful yarn like this here on Etsy too.)

Also last weekend, we had my mum & pop over (or “up” rather) for a lovely visit full of food, crafting (just me & mum of course), a little antiquing, & a gorgeous fall hike. I made popovers to go with our dinner on Friday night, and my dad, the ultimate pun-ster, loved the “popover” play on words. While on the phone with my sister the other day, I mentioned to her that I’ve been making popovers left & right lately and she said she’d never made them before and to put them on my blog…so just for you, Sis, here’s the recipe (below) that I’ve been using lately. They’re just about the easiest thing to make and taste just as good with butter alone or jam for a bit of sweetness. The key to their success is a very liberally buttered pan. And technically you’re supposed to use a popover pan, but as I’m often doing in the kitchen, I improvise and use a large muffin pan which I find does the job too. Just be sure to eat them up as soon as you can once you pop them out of the oven before they begin to deflate...although truly they taste just as good deflated too!

Popovers (from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook)
unsalted butter, room temp, for pan
1 ½ cups milk
6 large eggs
1 ½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with a rack in the lower third. Generously butter a 12 cup popover tin. Whisk together milk & eggs. Add the flour, salt, and sugar, and whisk until mixture is the consistency of heavy cream with some small lumps remaining. Do not overmix!

Fill each cup with about 5 tablespoons of batter. Bake until the popovers are very puffed up and extend over the top of the tin by about 3 inches, about 30 minutes. Immediately invert pan to remove popovers, and serve.

(***One little note...I half this recipe since I have just 1 jumbo sized muffin pan.)

And finally, last but certainly not least...OH MY, if I didn’t have the biggest smile on my face this morning when I went to visit one of my favorite blogs, The Constant Gatherer. I’m so often inspired and clued in to new artists through Katie’s insightful blog. Plus, I simply adore her artwork...like this fabulous wreath, one of my favorites...and this recently listed Purdy Bird Yarn wreath is just the sweetest! And I also love to see what new things she’s making. So I was quite the surprised one when I saw she did THE sweetest little write-up on my LillyBonBon shop & blog. Thanks a bunch, Katie! You’re the best! :)