Starting the Blankets (Blanket 2)

 This post may look familiar! This is the same post that we shared on Tuesday, except today we are dealing with layout number 2. As we said Tuesday, four graphs are being released this month (on Freebie Friday). Again, like Blanket 1, we have three options to make it grow.

(NOTE: This example is 10 x 15, but the graphs you will use are 20 x 40, or if you care only making one blanket you can use the 20 x 35 graphs also.)

Layout #2:

These first three graphs are somewhat "basic" we are just going to use the four graphs and then do a simple stitch around them. Now you can use any stitch you want to help grow these blankets. We are going to do three different examples, you can choose the one that you enjoy best or do one of each.

Option 1: Granny Stitch - Now there are many different granny stitches you can do. For this option we are sticking with a more tighter one, simply so we can show the example we have stitched. Any granny square type will work well. So like the example below, all the way around the rectangle we have created with the graphs, until you have reached the size you like or want for this blanket. (If you are crocheting a baby blanket it may be the perfect size without the added border.)

Option 2: This one is also a granny stitch but this one is going to work up much quicker and it will have more holes in it. So something like below, but again with the graphs at the center of the blanket.

Option 3 - This one is plain and simple, using any stitch you want around the graphs and then finishing with a border of your choosing (and even that is optional). For this purpose we are going to do half double crochets around, and then end with a ribbon border but that is totally up to you.

Don't worry if you don't know yet how to do these options we will be sharing tutorials all month long to help out!

Review Wednesday - HelloFresh Week 16

 This week we had Lemon Turkey Scallopine, Beef Steak with Pan Gravy, and Cajun-spiced Chicken Burger. We ordered this the week of February 18th, which was a holiday Monday so it came late that week. (Keep that in mind when ordering they will not deliver on a holiday Monday.)

First, we made the Lemon Turkey Scallopine with Mushroom-Caper Linguine. It was okay, the recipe was basically a poor man's Turkey Alfredo. The sauce was okay, but they added way too much water so it really had no flavour. One of the best tips I can give is to never follow a recipe specifically when it tells you to add the reserved pasta water. You should always do this to your taste, the amount you need will change every time you make pasta and with every different sauce. So please never assume that you need a specific amount. Add a little at a time and see how the sauce goes.

(NOTE: This was two servings of pasta and one serving of chicken)

Next was the Beef Steak with Pan Gravy with Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes and Shallot Green Beans. The gravy turned out great with this one which was surprising (tip: always add flour to the liquid and not the other way around or you will get clumps!). One little change I made was I didn't peel the potatoes. I washed them well and just chopped them off, there is nothing wrong with leaving the skins on your potatoes (I also added a little milk to mine even though the recipe didn't call for it).

One change I made that is more a personal thing than anything else is how I cooked the beans. They wanted you to roast them with the shallots and garlic in the oven. I hate doing this with beans. I find they burn and or don't cook well. So I boiled them until they were fork-tender, and then I fried the shallots and garlic in butter and added the beans to that. I like that method a lot better and they were delicious.

And finally, we have the Cajun-spiced Chicken Burger with DIY Dill Mayo. This one we had before and we liked it. I was worried about the spice last time so I didn't use all the mix they sent and I should have. This time I did and it was a lot better. This came with a salad, this time there wasn't enough tomato for the salad which was disappointing, they didn't have anything really, I had to add my own cucumber to it. I also made some spicy cauliflower. I boiled it and toasted some breadcrumbs and I added that. This week they send some spicy mayo samples so I added that to the mixture and it was amazing.