The weekend's stuff

* I made the salmon loaf. Oh my gosh, guys, it was delicious. And I say this as someone who's not a huge fan of canned salmon. Here's more or less what I did:

1, 6-ounce can of salmon (the kind I had boasted it was "wild caught Alaskan" which probably made a difference)
2/3 cup potato flakes (not reconstituted; the kind I had were "buttery flavored" but not high in salt)

Mix the salmon and the potato flakes (don't drain the salmon first), flake the salmon into the potatoes with a fork. (There was no skin in my can of salmon, you might want to remove the skin if yours has it)

Then add:
3 chopped scallions (or more if you really like onions)
a chopped-up hard-boiled egg
about a tablespoon of dried parsley (fresh would be even better but neither of the local groceries had any)
a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika
about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.

Mix it well. Then add:

about 3/4 cup of milk that has a tablespoon of butter melted in it
One beaten egg.

Put the whole mixture into a greased loaf pan. You can put breadcrumbs on top if you want, I didn't. I did sprinkle more paprika on top for color. (Smoked paprika has kind of become my go-to seasoning since I can't use salt much any more).

Bake it for about 30 minutes (The only thing "raw" in it is the egg, so it's not a big concern, but you want it to be set up) at 350 degrees.

If you wanted to be more fancy, you could make a hollandaise sauce to go on top.

* I've got a couple loaves of oatmeal bread rising before going into the oven. One of them is just plain (for sandwiches and such), the other, before I formed it, I massaged in more butter and another tablespoon or so of brown sugar and some of Penzey's "cake spice." And about a half cup or so of the fruitcake mix (this is dried fruit - not the candied fruit you most often see, though the candied fruit would work also). That's going to be a dessert bread or for toast.


* I did clean the house yesterday (and had to redo part of the kitchen floor, after kneading the bread. Making bread is kind of messy). So now I have a nice clean (well, the public rooms at least) house.  It's remarkable how much better it feels to have recently-scrubbed floors in the kitchen and bathroom. (And yes, I scrubbed them "for real" - not just using a Swiffer wet cloth).

* And I finished the first gift mitt. I'm really happy with how this turned out, both the color choice of the yarn and the pattern:



I started the second one and I'm considering, if I have time, doing a pair of these for the AAUW gift exchange this year. (Fingerless gloves are fairly quick if you just sit down and do them).

I also figured out a gift for my brother, so that means all the immediate family gifts are accounted for. (I just have to knit like the wind to get everything done....)

* And guess what?



Changeling butt.

(I actually got the tail finished and on earlier this week but didn't get it photographed earlier. I'm slowly working away on the mane when I trade out from making the mitts.)

* New headcanon: Arthur Weasley wanted to learn more about Muggles so he went abroad among them disguised as a mystery-solving priest named Father Brown.

(The same actor who played Arthur Weasley plays Father Brown in the new BBC series. I've been enjoying them despite the fact that there's considerable "updating" beyond what I think Chesterton would have cared for.

I just like having some kind of light BBC type fare in the early evening Sundays; it feels like  a nice respite before the week starts. Years and years ago "Murder, She Wrote" kind of played that same role...familiar, likeable characters, not too taxing plots, set somewhere that wasn't here....)