29+ yards of fabric for the stash!

Apparantly there are Facebook groups where people buy, sell and trade in local areas.  My friend signed me up for one and then noticed a posting for fabric and tagged me.  I'm so grateful!  I met the lady at a nearby grocery store and bought the tote with all the fabric for $50.  After I sorted it out I had about 29 yards of fabric in sizes from .25 - 5.5 yards PLUS a bunch of scrap fabrics.  This is a GREAT way to build the stash.  :)

.25 - 1.5 yard pieces

 

Scrap pieces

 

Hawaiian scraps

 

Specialty scraps

 

3.25 - 5.5 yard pieces

 

I call her Stella

Daryl is so good to me.  He's always been supportive of my hobbies.  When I got into photography, he joined me in taking pictures - even getting into it himself.  I haven't been able to convince him of how much fun sewing is... yet.  He is always on the lookout for cool stuff.  Turns out Daryl and his friend have been trawling Craigslist and thrift shops looking for vintage sewing items and he came across this Free-Westinghouse machine in a cabinet.  She works and is in pretty darn good condition.  The seller thinks she is from the 1940's but there's no way to know for sure.  So, I thought Stella was a good name for that time period.  She even came with what looks like all the feet included originally.

 

Chicken Corn Chowder

There isn't a lot to say about this, except YUM.  It was perfect on a cool fall evening.  I started it at 4:00 and dinner was ready by about 5:30 so it can be done on a weeknight.  I used meat pulled from a Costco rotisserie chicken.  This is going on the regular rotation!

5 slices bacon
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
3-4 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups frozen corn
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
large handful baby red potatoes
1 cup cream
1 cup shredded cheese
2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a porcelain coated dutch oven (or large pot) until crisp, remove to paper towel lined plate and set aside.  Drain fat from pot; add olive oil, butter, carrot and onion and sweat until soft... about 5 minutes.  Add flour, thyme, cayenne and turmeric - cook about 2 minutes.  Add stock, corn, chicken and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Add cream, both cheeses and salt/pepper, cook about 5 minutes over low heat.  Don't cook at too high of a temperature, or for too long, or the cream might 'break'.

This is a slight variation of Cuisine at Home's Cheese and Corn Chowder in the Soups, Stews and Chilies cookbook.

~ Enjoy ~

Dresden Plate Pillow #1

Recently I joined a new forum, Quilting Board, after lurking around it for awhile.  There are so many great ideas from such talented people!  This is where I discovered the magnificent Dresden Plate.  The person made theirs as a table topper, and many people make quilts with Dresden Plates.

My friend's middle daughter recently moved into her own place so I wanted to make her a housewarming gift.  I decided a decorative pillow would be best.  Really nice ones are expensive, and can be hard to find in just the right colors.  I was having trouble deciding on a pattern for the pillow - until I saw the Dresden.  Right away I knew what I'd be doing.  I consulted my friend about what colors Aimee is decorating with, and went to work collecting fabrics.

This is so much fun, and using the Easy Dresden Tool it looks much harder than it is.  I'm now going to make Dresden pillows for myself and maybe even make a matching Dresden pillow with my quilts!  Maybe.

My first attempt at pillows a few years ago didn't go well, so I've been afraid to make them ever since.  The actual construction of the pillow, and closing it, went really well this time.  But ... I still learned a good lesson.  If using black fabric - line it!  The pillow fibers poke through and against the black fabric you can see every one of them.  A lint roller didn't pull them out, neither did duct tape!  I started pulling them out - one by one.  Then, a single piece turned into a few pieces, and as I kept pulling the wad of batting was getting larger, making it harder to pull out until I ended up with a hole. 

I took the Dresden Plate off the pillow and started over, this time lining the black with muslin.  Worked like a charm.  Since I had to piece the backing fabric from 3 strips, I ran a line of decorative stitching along each seam.  I put a thin strip of fusible interfacing behind the seams to give it some rigidity while doing the topstitching of the leaves.  I have a new quilting love/addiction..........

Click to enlarge image

~ Enjoy ~

Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf w/Balsamic Glaze

When I met Daryl, he wouldn't eat meatloaf.  I love meatloaf, but I went without.  I didn't want to make a whole loaf just for me!  We used to get Schwan's food delivery, and one of their frozen products was individual meatloaf portions.  It wasn't the same.  I would get Lean Cuisine meatloaf meals, but again - just not the same as pulling one out of the oven.  We watch Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" show and one of the challenges a few years ago was meatloaf.  Bobby's version looked so good, even Daryl commented on it.  I immediately went out to find the recipe.  Success!  He likes it!!

Tonight my house smells like comfort food.  I made the Bobby Flay Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf w/Balsamic Glaze recipe and paired it with mashed sweet potatoes and corn.  I boiled one potato, chopped, in salted water until soft - about 15 minutes.  I warmed 1/4 cup half and half, and put 1.5 Tbls butter in the mixer bowl.  Using the paddle I mixed the butter and potato until it started to mash, then added the half and half.  After that I added a teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and some fresh ground nutmeg.  Mix it in and serve.

The only way I've changed Bobby's recipe is that I use whatever vegetables I have.  I try to make sure it's about the same amount.  Typically what I have on hand is carrot, onion, garlic and red bell pepper. 

~ Enjoy ~

Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage

It's Soup Sunday!  In years past, I always made soups that Daryl would eat... which meant there were a lot of recipes I didn't get to try.  I've decided to change that.  Now and again I am going to start making something I want, even if he won't eat it.  I started today. 

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home's Soups, Stews, and Chilies cookbook.  I followed the recipe exact, except I substituted one seasoning.  It was terrific!  But .... I want to change it.  I'm going to post the recipe as I will make it next time:

1 pkg thin sliced pancetta
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1.5 pounds)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup diced bell pepper (and/or diced carrot)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. brandy
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh ground nutmeg

Cook pancetta in a cast iron dutch oven (or heavy bottomed pot) with 1 Tbsp. olive oil until crispy.  Remove to paper towel lined plate, set aside.  Sweat onion in leftover grease with the other Tbsp olive oil, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic 1/2 way through.  Increase heat, add squash and pepper flakes, saute 5 minutes.  Stir in broth and water, bring to a boil and simmer until squash is very soft, about 10 minutes.  Puree soup with an immersion blender (or standard blender, in batches), then add bell pepper and/or carrot, cream, thyme and sugar.  Simmer until bell pepper and/or carrot are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in brandy and simmer about 2 minutes more.  Season with salt and pepper
Top with crumbled pancetta and fresh nutmeg.

The original recipe calls for italian sausage (instead of pancetta), sage (instead of thyme), and adding spinach at the end.  The spinach didn't do a lot for me - so I wouldn't buy it special for this recipe.  The original doesn't suggest nutmeg at the end, but I don't know why not -- it's fabulous!

I made this soup for lunch today, and liked it so much I had another serving for dinner with a grilled cheese (made with homemade crusty bread).  Now that's a good Sunday Supper!

~ Enjoy ~

Hiking or Sewing?

After a few days of rain, we had a nice break in the weather with dry conditions and mild temps.  After I got off work today we left to hike the Iron Goat Trail near Stevens Pass.  This area is rich in history.  It once thrived as a rail line from Everett, WA to Minneapolis, MN.  The winters are very harsh here causing snow blockages across the tracks and avalanches.  I'll let you read the link above for more information. 

Anyway - there's an upper and lower section to this trail, with a big climb on switchbacks between them.  I'd forgotten how steep and long that climb was.  Honestly, I thought it was miserable.  Finally we crested and it was all downhill from there back to the car.  Phew.  It was during this part of the hike I thought, "why am I here?  I should be home sewing.  I want to be sewing!"  Is it bad that instead of being out in nature, getting some exercise and spending quality time with my family, I was wishing I could be at home in my sewing room?

Fortunately, once I was past that hard part - I truly enjoyed every minute of the rest of the hike and I'm glad I went.  Though - I still would have enjoyed working on some projects.  Oh well, that's what football Sunday is for.  :)

Ropa Vieja Stew w/Mashed Sweet Potato

"Cuisine at Home" is my favorite cooking magazine.  I've tried many others but they just don't measure up.  Cuisine also has some great cookbooks, and I just received "Soups, Stews, and Chilies".  Tonight for dinner I tried my first recipe; as expected, it was awesome!

4 strips thick-sliced bacon
1.5 pounds flank steak (or london broil), cut into 3 pieces and seasoned w/salt, pepper
1 medium-large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano chili, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/3 cup masa harina
1 bottle beer
2 cups beef broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup sliced green olives w/pimiento
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt to taste

** This is a very slight variation on the original ingredients due to what I had on hand. 
** London Broil is currently half the price of flank steak, so that's what I used

Preheat oven to 375.  Cook bacon in a large ovenproof pot (I use a porcelain enameled cast iron dutch oven) over medium high heat until crisp; transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.  Brown steak in drippings, about 5 minutes per side; remove and set aside.  Add onion, chiles and bell pepper; saute until beginning to brown, 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, then stir in masa harina and cook 1 minute.  Deglaze pot with beer; simmer until nearly evaporated, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot.  Add broth, bring to a boil, then return steak to the pot; cover and braise in the oven until fork-tender, about 1 hour (mine took 1.5 hours).  Remove steak from the pot, shred with 2 forks, then add back to the pot with reserved (chopped) bacon, beans, olives, oregano, and cumin.  Simmer 5 minutes, season with salt.  Serve with mashed sweet potato.

Mashed sweet potato
2 lb. sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 Tbls unsalted butter
1 Tbls brown sugar
4 Tbls half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper to add a bit of spice, if desired

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, 10 - 15 minutes.  Drain and place in bowl of mixer with butter and brown sugar.  Mix until potatoes start to mash.  Add half and half and seasoning.  Continue mixing until creamy.

Update: This is even better the 2nd day!!

~ Enjoy ~

Spicy Chicken Soup and Cornbread

Fall and winter is soup season in our house.  So, every visit to Costco I get a whole rotisserie chicken.  I pull all the meat off, save some for chicken salad and use the rest in soup/stew.  Tonight for dinner I made Spicy Chicken Soup.  I also made cornbread in a cast iron skillet.  It was sooooooo good!  The soup had a sweet afternote, even though there wasn't any sugar in it.  Daryl said it's probably from the fresh carrots - picked from the garden, washed, cut and into the pot.

I like my soup thick and/or chunky, so if you like a more brothy soup, you'll want to use less vegetables or more stock.  This is a pretty quick soup, so making it during the week is possible. 

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, cut into bite sized chunks
1/2 large onion, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 cup corn
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
16 oz. salsa
14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded or chunked cooked chicken
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons dried parsley

Place oil, carrots, onion and celery in large pot or cast iron dutch oven, season with salt/pepper and cook about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin and cayenne, and cook 1-2 minutes more.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Serve with shredded cheese and/or sour cream garnish and cornbread.

Whole Wheat Cornbread
I love making cornbread in a cast iron skillet.  Since I hadn't found a good recipe, I was following the directions on the package, but it always came out dry and crumbly.  Then I found this recipe (click the link above) in a Food Network magazine and it's delicious.  One of the reviews mentioned adding baking powder, vanilla and cinammon.  That sounds delish - I am going to try it next time.

~ Enjoy ~

Soup recipe adapted from Catherine's Spicy Chicken Soup on Allrecipes.com

Green Bay Packers - Quilt #9

Daryl LOVES the Green Bay Packers.  He grew up in Wisconsin, moved away 15 years ago and still maintains his allegiance to the team.  During football season a glass Packers dish decorates the mantle, and every time the Packers play he wears the same Packers shirt and green/yellow camo pants.  When the Packers went to the Superbowl, our house was decked out in decorations and we served up cheesy food representative of Wisconsin.  Even one of the dogs got dressed up!!  We had an extra TV in the kitchen along with the one in living room so no one would miss a minute of the game. 

This year we agreed not to get each other gifts for our 12 year wedding anniversary.  So, I made him one instead.  I started looking at the internet for ideas on a football themed blanket.  I didn't find any one blanket that really charmed me, so I pulled things I liked from many blankets and created my own pattern.  I was very surprised that there aren't many templates out there for sports related items. There's one out of print book I could find. I scoured both book sections of Joann's hoping to find one, combed through Amazon.com...  so for the applique I used a combination of Google images and I downloaded a free trial version of Adobe Illustrator. 


Normally I agonize over fabric choices when I'm looking to buy for a new project.  This time, I went in Joann and had everything picked out within 30 minutes.  I wasn't crazy about the fabric for the green border and 'field', so I went to Aunt Mary's Quilt Shop in Smokey Point (Arlington, WA) and found ones that were absolutely perfect.  Now I had everything I needed!

I started by washing and starching/pressing my fabrics.  This step takes a lot of time, especially when I have so many different fabrics, and a few were large pieces.  It's worth it to me though, I prefer working with washed/starched fabric.  Then I put the top together, which was pretty quick.  Now it was time for the applique.  I love doing applique - I think it adds so much character to a project.  I wanted to try using a satin stitch around the applique (I usually use an applique, or blanket, stitch), but my machine doesn't have a satin stitch and it wasn't doing the close zig zag really well.  On a small amount of applique, I could have used stabilizer and made it work... but with so much I went back to my normal stitch.  

I did end up using a satin stitch and stabilizer for the threads on the middle football though.  The placement of the football was bugging me, I just didn't like it.  Dionne came over one afternoon while I was working on it and suggested adding the threads on that ball only.  She was soooo right!  Good call Dionne!

Since this was a surprise, I had to work in small pieces at a time whenever Daryl wasn't home.  The design wall was a big help in getting the different pieces put in the right spot.  I started with paper cutouts, pinned them in place to make sure I liked it, and it helped to make sure the size of each piece was right.  Good thing, the original letters I was going to use were too small.  Back to the drawing board....

I was planning to quilt around every piece of applique along with stitch in the ditch around the white field lines and inner border.  The ditch stitching went pretty well.  I then used a metallic gold embroidery thread to stitch just inside the stars.  I was getting so frustrated trying to fit this large of a blanket through my machine's 4" throat, I only ended up doing the larger stars and stopping.  It was that or the machine would have suffered.  Then I would end up suffering with no way to sew.  Got the binding attached and the blanket was ready for our anniversary weekend.

He nap tested the blanket yesterday and it passed.  Today he's keeping it close by as he spends this wonderful fall day watching football.

Happy Anniversary My Love!