Quick Knits for Holiday Gifting

This year I decided to make some knit gifts for friends and family that were a little different from the usual pair of mittens, hat, or cowl that are commonly thought of. Below are some of the unique gifts I made this year. I found these patterns for free at Knitpicks.com.

A Very Danger Christmas Collection by Rebecca Danger

Penguin Ornament by Emily Kintigh

Daisy Lace Dishcloth by Jenny Williams

Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs

This year I planted my first herb garden. It has been wonderful to just walk outside and grab whatever herbs I'd like to use in the dish I'm preparing. In the past, I have tried to purchase fresh herbs from the grocery store (when I have planned meals far enough in advance to do this), but it's not the same as using fresh herbs from your own garden.

Recently I made a batch of spaghetti sauce. I used all of the Italian herbs I'm growing - parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano. It was the best spaghetti sauce I have ever made!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 lb of cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 - 28 oz cans of Hunts Pasta Sauce: Traditional
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh rosemary, chopped
• Fresh thyme, chopped
• Fresh basil, chopped
• Fresh oregano, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb of spaghetti, cooked al dente

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a dutch oven over medium. Add chopped onion, and cook until translucent. Add sliced mushrooms, pasta sauce, herbs, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the spaghetti noodles according to the directions on the box. Drain the noodles and plate them. Spoon spaghetti sauce over the noodles. Garnish with more parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

© Kaylan Dykema. All rights reserved.