Quotes from Kate Jacobs

The Friday Night Knitting Club

A great measure of a man is how he reacts to a midnight awakening when there's no fire or burglar in sight.

knit and purl These stitches are the fundamentals of knitting and are the basis of every garment. The knit stitch is a series of flat, vertical loops that produces a knitted fabric face and the purl stitch is its reverse. One side is smooth, the other bumpy. Knit is what you show the world; purl is the soft, nubbly underside you keep close to the skin.

you are the kind of person that sears into the soul. I have never been able to get you out of my mind.

But it's better to loosen up as you go or you risk turning brittle.

but there was something so significant about being able to make a gorgeous item of clothing from almost raw materials. It gave her a feeling of her own power, to make something practical and beautiful just by using her own skill and creativity. It inspired her.

Sé tu propia seguridad y garantía

la vida es lo que tú hagas de ella.

You are made who you are by the bad stuff, the little things, as much as the great triumphs and big decisions.

But her relationship with food was all about being Carmen of Seville. It was her truth, her statement to the world. And she didn't care if she had to use her beauty queen smarts to get people too take a bite- because once they had a taste of her flavors, of the garlic and olive oil and pinches of smoked paprika, pimentón ,they would know. Carmen Vega wasn't just another pretty face. She was an artist.

They'd agreed no more surprise ingredients, either, though Gus wasn't entirely reassured, and settled on a menu of pancakes with fruit compote and fresh whipped cream, Spanish omelet, and a wonderful blood-orange mimosa.

Not to mention the endless Saturday afternoon lunches with the entire family, savoring calamares , gazpacho, pescaito frito , flounder seviche, solomillo al queso , a fillet in blue cheese sauce, and arroz con leche .

And there's always a better time than right now and there always will be. But right now is what we've got.

We don't always get what we deserve," she replied, patting James over his heart. "Sometimes we get more; sometimes we get less. At least we get something.

Life is just a process to figure out who we are.

And without even trying, she fell in love. Not with some guy who sent her an e-mail or posted a profile. No, she'd found someone else. Someone who'd always been around but to whom she'd never really given a second thought. Herself.

The secret to delicious scrambled eggs was to cook them in a saucepan with bubbling butter and stir them constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep the heat medium-low. Resist the temptation to turn up the gas and cook the damn thing in two seconds. Only patience would allow the eggs to come together soft and fluffy and very, very light

Four hours later, Gus, Carmen, and Oliver shared a celebratory bottle to toast the best meal they had ever cooked on the fly: plates of paella-inspired risotto with clams, salt-crusted trout with fennel, thinly sliced Wagyu beef with thyme butter, and a trio of cream puffs flavored with ginger, green tea, and chocolate-chili, among other dishes.

It had been illuminating to watch Carmen really dig in and cook without commercial interruption, without cameras. Her pout was gone, replaced by a look of studious concentration, and she had chopped and minced and blended spices to create amazing bursts of flavor. The sofrito she had made, saucing together onion, tomato, and garlic in olive oil, had elevated the toasted chicken into a fragrant and unforgettable dish.

Sometimes the good moments hurt much more than the bad.

The food in his life was the one thing that remained consistently exciting- from the most expensive black truffle to the freshest apple pie at the bakery around the corner, the scent of cinnamon wafting through the pastry lattice.

And then he flew home and cooked his mother and brothers a resplendent turkey dinner, with sausage stuffing, maple-glazed sweet potatoes, and a chutney made with peaches, pears, pineapple, and a dash of curry.

Once the danger of frost had passed she could plant her herb garden: creeping thyme, dill, sweet basil, hyssop, French tarragon, and bronze fennel. All wonderful flavors and scents added to her dishes.

It gave her a feeling of her own power, to make something practical and beautiful just by using her own skill and creativity. It inspired her.