rhymes with smile

MK's birthday quilt

2012-01-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

I have a friend named MK. She's fabulous, and she's one of the big reasons why I love the community and town I live in. We first met three years ago, and our first friend date involved me dragging her around from store to store in search of the perfect black dress (note: we both hate to shop. and it was raining.). I'm happy to say it's all be uphill since then: no more shopping, and lots of blueberry and raspberry picking.

She's a gem - really, absolutely, awesomely so. I'm thankful for this gal in my life!

So, as the world's smallest token of friendship and birthday love, I made her a birthday quilt! I'm excited at the final product, though I did run into some snags along the way. (this quilt was inspired by Elissa's first-ever quilt!)

This was my first time trying quilting lines so close together over a whole quilt as well as making my own label for the quilt.

MK's birthday quilt - front (swaying in the wind a little bit)

back of quilt - detail

first time ever labeling a quilt like this ... so much easier than I thought

The quilt measures about 48"x48" and uses fabrics from all my previous projects (I will award you seven points if you can cross-reference at least three of the fabrics you see). I used a blue-and-white striped sheet on the back, cut to size. For the label, I used a little scrap of double-sided iron-on interfacing (I used Wonder-Under) on a scrap of white fabric. I wrote the label with a permanent marker and ironed it to set the ink. I ironed the label onto the quilt and secured it with a blanket stitch for looks. So much easier than I thought it would be!

I'm excited to celebrate my sweet friend today!

In Defense of the Casserole

2012-01-05T14:36:00.000-05:00

The ugly "C" word ... you cringe when you hear it in relation to dinner, and you feel like a piece of you dies when you give in to making it again? That's right ... the Casserole. Poor thing. It's just so ... plain. And unassuming. No wonder casseroles get overlooked and badmouthed.

But in defense of lowly Casseroles, they are some of the easiest and heartiest meals out there. They can be a delicious cacophany of all kinds of ingredients, or simple with three or four ingredients. And there's just one or two dishes to clean up afterwards - how delightful is that?

I am somewhat hesitant about making my own casseroles (mostly because of a few mishaps with mushy vegetables and a noticeable lack of salt), but I like to make things that are easy and versatile so I find myself coming back. If you're in a similar boat, I have a few suggestions of ways to revisit the Casserole. Or, if you're not sure you want to commit to a full revisitation, at least think about putting the Casserole back on your Christmas card list.

Add cooked sausage or cooked bacon - Name one main dish that isn't better with one of those two ingredients (ok smartypants, if you just thought of ice cream, then I want to come have supper at your house.) But seriously. Mild sausage, spicy sausage, maple-flavored bacon, hardwood smoked bacon ... excuse me, I need to clean up the drool pooling in my lap. Paula Deen's lasagna, anyone?

Be creative with toppings - store-bought breadcrumbs stirred into melted butter are the standby that most of my cookbooks call for. But what about crushed potato chips, fritos, or Doritos? Or homemade breadcrumbs from yesterday's sourdough bread, pulverized in a blender with fresh rosemary and thyme? Try a couple of corn muffins, some shredded cheddar cheese, and generous amounts of butter (don't worry, I won't tell how much). Sprinkle paprika on top for a pretty visual zing.

Make your own sauses - cans are nice, and convenient. And I like convenient. But I LOVE homemade. Making your own brown gravy, white sauce, or cheese sauce is not only rewarding, but so much better tasting that it's worth the extra 8 minutes it takes to do it. My favorite white sauce (cream of something soup) recipe is here.

Try something a little different - Not so sure if you're ready to wing it with casseroles yet? Then just try this: when the recipe nonchalantly calls for something plain (say, a can of diced tomatoes), substitute it with the ingredient's older, glitzier city cousin (like a can of fire roasted tomatoes). There are tons of cheeses out there - use gorgonzola instead of cheddar, swiss in place of mozzarella, and manchego for parmesan. Same with breads. Ditch the white bread for some hearty rye crumbs. You might be surprised.

Find your go-to casserole - A casserole deserves to be liked. If you try one and don't want to give the follow-up call, try something else. But a good casserole is just that ... good. Everyone should know one.

Big Day!

2012-01-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Chocolate cake: check

Birthday banner: check

Conehead hat: check

Blower-thingies: check

One-year-old: CHECK

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Joie de Vivre

2011-12-31T19:43:00.005-05:00

Sweet snickerdoodles! How is it possible that 2011 is over?

It LITERALLY started with this:

Baby Rhymeswithsmile - 1/1/2011, 7:43 AM

What started as an 8.5 pounds bundle of ~~tears~~ ~~screaming~~ joy became this before too long:

February 2011

She didn't want to miss out on any fun. So we hit the road. First stop: Mountains of North Carolina.

March 2011 - Baby RWS meets Mommy's hometown buddies

Soon, it was this:

April 2011 - The Three E Cousins at 5 months, 4 months, and 3 months old

May 2011 - Family Graduation, Greensboro NC

May 2011 - Little Girl visits Mater Alma Mater, Greenville SC

Summer came along so quickly ... and Baby Rhymeswithsmile worked on with emotional responsiveness, mobility, and a keen interest in riding in the Blue Baby Chariot:

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011 - Dayton, OH

We tried this:

September 2011 - Relative Disaster because Car Camping
means Closeby Neighbors. Whoops.

October 2011 - Again - disaster. But this time we were in the woods,
so there weren't as many people to hear and be woken up
by the midnight screams of our sweet precious (she typed ironically).

Fall. Amazing. Time with those we love (and are named after):

November 2011 - UNC-CH with Aunt Becky

And a Merry Christmas:

End of the year, already? How did that happen?

Revisitation: Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-20T08:58:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Bread - My most favorite recipe in the whole world

(originally posted in December 2008)

Makes 3 loaves

1 c. vegetable oil

3 c. sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 large can pumpkin

1 c. chopped pecans and/or 1 c. chocolate chips

3 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. ginger

1 t. cloves

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and pumpkin in large bowl.

Combine dry ingredients and pecans/chocolate chips in separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stir until mixed.

Fill half-full either 3 well-greased 1-pound coffee tins or 3 well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Sometimes I find it helpful to revisit the past. Recipes help with that, because I associate certain memories with particular food. This recipe for pumpkin bread is particularly momentous. You see, I baked a batch of this when my sister-in-law had her first child in November 2008. Yesterday, we celebrated this:

Look at this guy! He's amazing. Fun, smiley, and energetic - perhaps the best nephew I've ever had. Happy Birthday To You, Sweet Boy!

I got to make him a birthday banner for this big year - and years to come! I didn't get a picture of the one that I gave him (ok, well, gave his mama), but here's a second one I made that is going in my etsy shop:

Man, I'm pleased with how it turned out! Upcycled: check. Reusable: check. Awesome: check (she said humbly). Birthdays are so much fun, and it's exceptionally special to celebrate with those we love, knowing that we'll get to keep them close for years and years to come.

A little more birthday love goes out to this gal, who's holding my little gal:

What a hoot and a half she is! Cousin Becky: inspiring in so many ways, and one of the first people I want to call when something ridiculous happens because I know she'll share a hearty laugh with me. Precious family, precious friend!

One more picture ...

Who knew 10.5 months could go so fast?

A New Roasted Vegetable

2011-10-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

Old friends are awesome. Old friends are special, and rare, and sweet. Old friends take you to big-town grocery stores, where you can find things like this:

What a dear, sweet vegetable (not as dear and sweet as long-lasting friendships, but special nonetheless). Why in the world has this little green gem gotten such a bad name for decades? I think it's because of a deep cultural inability to do more than boil it into tasteless mush. So sad.

I haven't yet told you what it is. I'm going to hold out a little longer. It's just so cool-looking and tasty, I don't want to negativize the relationship you're forming with the little guys just yet with any of your preconceived notions.

Here's what Longest-lasting Friend and I did with the grocery store find:

1. Remove the little sprouts from the stem by snapping them off. Cut off any tough parts of the stem that stayed on the sprout, and remove any small, yellow leaves. Wash thoroughly.

2. Give Little Girl a kitchen cabinet full of tupperware to occupy her, and thank Longest-lasting Friend's Mom for having a child-friendly kitchen.

3. In a bowl, combine vegetable, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter, 1 tsp. coarse kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/2-3/4 tsp. dried rosemary. Stir with a rubber spatula until fully coated and delicious looking. Spread onto a baking sheet or roasting pan. Have you figured it out yet?

4. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until browned on the outside and soft (but not mushy) on the inside, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

5. Enjoy the New Kind of Roasted Vegetable. See, Little Girl likes them too.

Are you ready? Brussels Sprouts. There, I said it. But they are delicous! Give them a chance.

Pink Path Baby Quilt

2011-10-08T17:52:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this custom order for the past few weeks, and it's finished ... just in time for a baby shower to welcome a sweet baby!

I'm so pleased with how it turned out, especially since I was working from a mental picture rather than a pattern. Here's the back that I pieced from the leftover fabrics:

I used 1/2 yard of four different fabrics (the blocks on the front) and about 1 yard of yellow (I used two different yellows which may or may not show up in the picture). The front blocks are 4.5"x8.5", the sashing in between is 1.5" wide, and the border is 2.5" wide. I used standard 2.5" strips for the binding, piecing together all the different fabrics to get enough. Now ... you can make your own!

I had just enough fabric left over to make a my favorite little bird toy to go with this Pink Path baby quilt. And of course, not wanting to waste anything, I stuffed it with the fabric bits leftover from the quilt!

You could say I'm tickled pink.

True Southern Spirit

2011-10-04T21:14:00.000-04:00

Fried Green Tomatoes

Take 4 or 5 medium green tomatoes. Cut them into 1/2 inch slices.

Beat an egg in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix some cornmeal (maybe half a cup), some salt (a teaspoon?) and whatever other spices catch your eye (I used crushed red pepper and Cajun seasoning).

Dip the tomato slices in the egg, then in the cornmeal.

Now the fun part - fry them in about 1/4 inch of hot oil until golden on one side. Turn them and fry until golden, then remove to a paper towel to drain. Um, delicious.

I'm not 100% sure that I fall in the category of "all things southern" in the way that my friends and family members do ... but I think I've planted myself a little deeper in southernness with these green tomato gems. They were surprisingly citrusy - and really, really good.

In the spirit of Loving the South, I'd like to direct you to my favorite girl cousin's blog, Local Townie. She moved to Kentucky over the summer, and has found herself the recipient of some beautiful southern hospitality. I love, love, love this gal! You've got to read her story here.

Make A Pie Crust

2011-10-02T14:29:00.000-04:00

Basic Pastry Dough for pies, tarts, and quiches
(makes 2 11-inch pie crusts)

Note: This does require a food processor. I didn't have one for the longest time - but now I do, and it's glorious. If you don't have one, it's still possible to make your own pie crusts but the methodology is a little different - I found some tips by doing a google search for "make a pie crust without a food processor" :)

2 2/3 c. all purpose flour
2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. ice water

Insert the metal blade and put the flour, butter, and salt in the food processor work bowl. Process for 8-10 seconds, or until the mixture is like coarse meal. While the processor is running, pour the ice water through the feed tube in a steady stream. Stop processing as soon as the dough begins to form a ball (OK - better said "as soon as the dough begins to stick together"). Do not overprocess. Divide the dough and any little scraps on the bottom of the bowl into two equal parts and put each into a plastic bag. Work through each bag to press the dough together into a ball, then into a disc.

Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight, or freeze it.

Roll each disc of dough on a lightly floured surface to a cirle about 1/8 inch thick. Press them into place in two greased pie pan. Use kitchen shears to trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overlap beyond the pan. Fold the overlap inside to form a double thickness on the sides. Press the dough firmly into place, pushing the crust up a little bit above the edge of the pan to allow for shrinkage during baking. Pinch the crust to form a decorative edge. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and fill it with uncooked beans or rice. Bake it for 12 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans/rice, prick the shell again and bake it for 6 minutes longer, or until it is lightly browned.

Use for sweet pies or savory tarts and quiches.

So, I don't know about you, but pie crusts have been one of those things that I've just assumed you buy in the frozen food section of the grocery store. I always thought that making it myself would be too much work (after all, who can really commit to rolling something to 1/8th of an inch thickness? I don't have the time for that.) But recently, I found myself in need of a pie crust, and it wasn't exactly a good day for grocery shopping (I could blame this on the baby, but really ... it was my lack of planning that made it not happen). So, I pulled out the instruction manual to the trusty food processor, and found this recipe in the back. I tried it. And it wasn't hard. In fact, it was surprisingly quick, my fingers didn't ache from trying to cut butter into flour, and I even got a break of a couple of hours in between preparing the dough and rolling it.

And yes, I got it to 1/8 inch thickness - WAAAYY easier than I thought it was going to be.

I haven't been too adventurous with this until today when I ran out of white flour. So half of the flour is whole wheat. And I threw some garlic powder in the food processor bowl just for kicks.

I'm in the middle of that 2-hour-chilling-of-dough-discs right now, so I can't tell you how it's going to turn out. But I'm excited, and I think it will be the perfect homemade crust as the basis of this quiche that's our dinner tonight.

What are you going to use a pastry crust for this week?

Quilting Bee Winner

2011-09-12T07:29:00.000-04:00

and the winner is ...

Susan M (referred to as "Mother of Rebekah S." in the last post)! I believe the squares in the top left and bottom left are her creations. Lovely additions to the quilt, Susan! Thanks for playing along!

So exciting!

Quilting Bee Quilt

2011-09-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

Put on your remembering caps. Pull out a little blog post from June (eek - three months ago!) and recall that I hosted a quilting bee that involved 12" quilt squares in blue and a reveal date of early August.

Well, it's ready - finally!

I trust that you'll forgive me that it took a whole extra month. You are, after all, very sweet and kind. And let's face it. You probably knew that there was no way I'd get it finished so quickly. So, I appreciate your realistic view of quilting, and will strive to be better accomplished in realism in the future.

Here are some pictures of the little beauty. It measures about 36" square - a nice little quilt to drape over a chair, to tuck your feet under on the couch, or to brighten up a room as a wall hanging!

I ended up collecting five squares that were predominately blue, and four that I like to call Blue Plus. It made it really fun to place the squares together - I get a more traditional feel from the squares in the first picture, and I love the fun and funky attitude from the squares of the Blue Plus side.

I quilted it in an all-over meandering pattern. I used a light blue-and-white stripe for the binding: very good choice, in my opinion.

I love it!

The best part of this is that the quilt goes to one of the lucky contributers! I will post the winner SOON ... like, before 5 PM tomorrow! Who will it be - Sarah E, Rebekah S, Mother of Rebekah S, Becky W, Daughter of Becky W, or Daughter of Paige M? Stay tuned!

Etsy giveaway winner

2011-08-30T07:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement, for checking out the rhymeswithsmile etsy store, and for being a part of something really fun! I'm excited to announce the WINNER of the iPhone sleeve and iTunes gift card is Stephanie over at Thrifty Hippo!

Keep the store in mind if you're looking for something that looks good and saves the world, too! Haha ... ok, maybe that's enough shameless promoting for right now. But seriously ... keep spreading the word!

Can you think of anything you'd like to see in the shop?

Pickled Jalapenos

2011-08-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

Have you had a chance yet to enter my rhymeswithsmile etsy giveaway? No? Well, you've got one more day ... so jump on that bandwagon and win yourself an iThing and a gift card!

It's that time of year when we have more peppers than we know what to do with. I've decided to try my hand at pickling ... yes, pickled peppers really DO exist, and not just in the peck that Peter Piper picks. I'm going to use this lovely recipe from my friend SB - well, really it's her sister Cat that guestposted about them. I can't resist. I've known this family for decades (yes, decades ... plural) and they all have fabulous taste in food. So, yes. Pickled Peppers for us this week, courtesy of Market 2 Meal and Cat.

Did you notice the Chinese translation of jalapeno? Love it.

announcement and giveaway

2011-08-22T07:14:00.000-04:00

You've been faithfully and patiently waiting for me to make my big announcement. Well, here it is: the Rhymes With Smile Etsy shop is now open for business! I'm sticking with "Rhymes With Smile" because saying it makes me smile (and I hope it makes potential customers do the same!). You can access the shop by clicking on the above link or by going to http://www.etsy.com/shop/rhymeswithsmile.

With hundreds of thousands of items for sale on Etsy, I bet you're wondering how the RWS shop is any different from the next one. Some things are the same - like, my items are handmade (with love!) and the majority are for house and baby. But what makes Rhymes With Smile different is the twist - most of my items are upcycled. The standard definition of upcycling involves taking items bound for the landfill and repurposing them to keep them in use. Think recycling + creativity + oomph = upcycling. What it means in my shop is that most of the items contain fabrics that used to be sheets, pillowcases, clothes - including skirts, jeans, shirts, headbands, ties, dresses, and sweaters - blankets, curtains, and decorative items. When they no longer served their original purpose, they were UPCYCLED into the items I now have for sale.

Take this iPod/iPhone cover, for example:

In its former life, it lived happily as a gray wool sweater and a green flowered skirt (the lining you can barely see). But then, the sweater got a snag and a shrink in the dryer, and the green flowered skirt ended up out of season and unloved in a thrift store. I came to the rescue, did a little snipping and sewing, attached some velcro, and shazam - an upcycled iPhone cover!

Well, thanks for sharing in my excitement - many of you provided the encouragement that helped me make it this far. But the fun isn't over! As a thanks to all of you, I'm hosting a giveaway of the little wool sweater that could - also known as the Upcycled iPod/iPhone Cover pictured above - along with a $10 iTunes gift card! You have up to three ways to enter:

(1) Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect and leave me a comment saying so (if you're already a follower, leave a comment letting me know that);

(2) Browse through the shop and leave a comment saying which item you like;

(3) Share the news about the Rhymes With Smile Etsy shop on your blog, and leave a comment with the link.

The giveaway ends on Monday, August 29th at 5 PM - and the winner (hopefully that's YOU!) will be announced Tuesday morning.

BIG news ... coming on Monday!

2011-08-17T11:35:00.000-04:00

The big news is coming. On Monday. Stay tuned!

The Clock Story

2011-08-13T11:02:00.000-04:00

So, here's the Clock Story.

I got this clock from my neighbor. It was in her yard sale pile, and she is a nice woman, so she just gave it to me. And, no, it wasn't 1:16 when I took this picture. The clock had stopped.

I disassembled it (I told her that's what I was going to do, in case you're wondering). I decided to paint the frame with some leftover paint from another project:

And I found an old papersource calendar that my college roomate had given me for my birthday, so I cut up one of the pages and fit it onto the clock face. Then I found the wrench in the tool box, and made sure that it showed up in the picture so that you'd think I was really hardcore about my re-doing of household items:

Finally, I sanded off some of the paint from the clock frame and reassembled it, hung it on the wall, and tried to remember how to tell time when there aren't big numbers to help:

That, my friends, is the Clock Story.

Tuna Cakes with Cajun Mayo

2011-08-13T10:45:00.000-04:00

Tuna Cakes with Cajun Mayonnaise
makes 6 cakes

Cajun Mayo:

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2 tsp. cajun seasoning

Tuna Cakes:
3 (5-oz) cans tuna
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
2 beaten eggs
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Other:
6 slices of bread, toasted
6 lettuce leaves
6 slices of tomato

Stir together ingredients for cajun mayonnaise and let sit for a few minutes while you prepare the tuna cakes.

Stir together all ingredients for the tuna cakes until well combined. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, scoop 1/6th of the mixture into the pan, and pat it down with a spatula to about 3/4" thickness. Repeat two or three more times (however many cakes can fit in your frying pan) and let cook for 4-6 minutes or until crispy and brown on one side. Flip the cakes and let them brown on the other side. When crispy on both sides, remove cakes to a paper towel and keep warm. Do the same for the second batch (if you had a second batch).

To serve, spread each piece of toast with 1-2 tablespoons of cajun mayo (don't skimp. You need this). Top with lettuce leaf, tuna cake, and the tomato. Serve immediately.

I don't think it's every little girl's dream to grow up and find creative ways to use canned tuna. But, I find myself in possession of lots of canned tuna these days, so I'm constantly trying to come up with delicious creations that don't scream "CANNED TUNA!" during the meal. Yes, it's been a challenge. But not too long ago Southern Living featured something similar to these tuna cakes - so we tried them, and loved them. (Yes, I said "loved" in the same sentence as "canned tuna.") I misplaced the magazine but figured it wouldn't be hard to recall, so we whipped these up last night. The tuna cakes were about the same as I remembered before, but I think we must've accidentally quadrupled the amount of cajun seasoning that the original recipe called for (we remembered the mayo still looking rather white the first time we tried it ... this time, it was definitely red because of the amount of spices). All that to say, though - it was perfect. The Mr. and I agreed that it was just the right amount of dressing to add moisture and a kick to the sandwich, but it wasn't too spicy or overwhelming. We liked the nice balance of flavors.

I can't believe it. I found a tuna recipe - nay, a CANNED tuna recipe - that I liked.

Dutch Baby Pancakes

2011-08-03T07:55:00.002-04:00

Dutch Baby Pancakes with Lemon and Sugar

from A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg (have I mentioned that I'm loving this book? L.O.V.I.N.G. it!)

Pancakes

2 Tbsp. butter

4 large eggs

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. half-and-half

1/4 tsp. salt

Topping

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 425.

Put the butter in an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place over low heat. As the butter melts, use a pastry brush to coax it up the sides of the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a blender, mix together the eggs, flour, half-and-half, and salt until well blended.

Pour the egg mixture into the warmed skillet. Slide into the oven, and bake for 18-25 minutes. The mixture will rise and puff around the edges, like a bowl-shaped souffle. The Dutch baby is ready when the center looks set and the edges are nicely risen and golden brown.

Remove from the oven. Drizzle - or splash, really; abundance is good here - with lemon juice and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

A few updates:

Have I mentioned recently that I'm enjoying this book? Especially after that seven-month long drought that sucked all literary life out of me (I've talked to a number of people who read that same book that took me seven months to read - and none of them liked it. I wonder why it was so popular?), I'm savoring the relaxed read, the short chapters, and the invigorating style. I'm a Wizenberg fan. How did I not know about her and her blog, Orangette, until recently?

I'm working on the QUILTING BEE project - it's coming along nicely but it's not together yet. I've got the top and the back pieced ... mostly. Progress is being made - but August 1 came and went, and the quilt wasn't finished. Sorry to those of you who have been sitting on the edges of your seats in eager anticipation (yeah, right - like would happen!)

Baby Rhymeswithsmile is scooting around. She hasn't mastered forward motion, but she can go backwards like it's her job. Well, I guess it is her job. So she's doing great. As I type this she's at my feet, on all fours, rocking back and forth and searching for little bits of dog hair on the carpet to put in her mouth. This is fun.

And last but not least, the secret surprise announcement I've been teasing you all with for a while is coming. Soon. I'm working on it - as much as possible - and you'll know about it soon. Cross my heart.

More anticipation

2011-07-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

A friend told me that the anticipation had died down since I didn't immediately say what my big news was. Well, that might be the case. That's OK. I'm still excited.

And I'm still not going to say. But I'll give you a few hints - and if you guess correctly, then you can be excited with me!

Hint Number One: There is a giveaway associated with this Big News.

Hint Number Two: Some of you already know what this Big News is.

Hint Number Three: I've talked about this before. Now it's finally time.

If you automatically jump to "Hooray, there's produce in her garden!" - you are a dear friend, and yes, I will give you some cayenne peppers that have just turned red. But that's not THE big news.

Keep those drum rolls rolling ...

Food Books

2011-07-23T22:07:00.000-04:00

I got burned out on a book this spring. I read, and read, and read, and it STILL took me six months to finish what I thought was going to be an easy read. I just wasn't really into it, but I felt so committed that I couldn't give up. Thankfully, I have a friend who helped to redeem me from the pit by suggesting two awesome books that she had enjoyed. I highly recommend them if you need something lighter and maybe a little different.

The first is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It's narrated in letters back and forth between all of the main characters. I laughed out loud a couple of times, and cried too, and then cheered. Good vacation reading, indeed.

I just started the second one but I can already tell I'm going to like it. It is A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. I'm way inspired by this one. Each chapter is about people or things she loves, and ends with a recipe that ties it all together. I'm inspired, and I'm only three chapters in.

If you're looking for something to try out - and if you need something light and easily digestible - try these out!

Revisiting Oldies - Southwest Pork in Black Bean Sauce

2011-07-22T14:06:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling a little nostalgic - family vacation in a location that has seen bits and pieces of my family for about 30 years will do that to me. We've fit in everything from breakfast in bed to ukulele songs, and it's been a fun new twist on nostalgia.

Everyone's taken a different night to prepare dinner for the rest of the group - so I pulled out a favorite that I posted when I first started blogging, that I still love to make when I need food for a crowd. Southwest Pork in Black Bean Sauce is tasty, easy, and makes enough for leftovers (very important when you're considering the company).

I've made this with chicken or steak instead of pork, and I've adjusted the amounts of corn, tomatoes, and black beans depending on what I have on hand. It's a very forgiving, flexible recipe.

So, here goes - SWPiBBS (or, Southwest Pork in Black Bean Sauce)
1 to 1 1/2 lb boneless pork loin chops
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground chili pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. paprika
2 (10-oz) cans mild diced tomatoes with green chilies (I use Rotel or store brand equivalent)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8-oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 Tbsp. oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cups cooked rice
Garnish: grated cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, chopped avocado or guacamole, flour tortillas

Cut pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Combine cumin, chili pepper, garlic salt, and paprika in a large ziploc bag or bowl with lid. Remove 2 tsp. cumin mixture and reserve. Add pork to bag or blow, seal, and shake to coat. Set meat aside.
Stir together reserved cumin mixture, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and red onion, and saute 6-8 minutes or until pork is browned. Stir in tomato mixture, bring to a boil, and stir in the cooked rice. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and cilantro before serving OR spoon mixture into flour tortillas and have each person garnish as desired.

big news

2011-07-21T19:06:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not pregnant.

No, we're not moving.

The Mr. didn't get a new job, I didn't get a job, and we don't have another pet.

But there's a big announcement coming, and I wanted to drum up some excitement.

So ... BIG NEWS IS ON ITS WAY!

Quilting Bee - now the fun begins!

2011-07-03T14:14:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a little update about the quilting bee - I have an awesome, perfect set of nine squares to work with! Oddly enough, I only got one locally (thanks, Rebekah!) and the rest came from out of state. Rebekah roped her mom into making two squares (hurrah!), my mom (sweet, dear woman) made two, a teaching buddy made one, and the remaining three are from a mother-daughter-daughter's friend trio I got to catch up with this week. I am so excited to start putting them together.

I really want to show pictures now.

But I will wait. You'll get a surprise. I think August 1 will be the unveiling date. Does that sound reasonable?

Four Squares!

2011-06-25T14:49:00.001-04:00

I have four squares in my possession for my first ever quilting bee! It's not too late to join in - read about it here: http://rhymeswithsmile.blogspot.com/2011/06/official-quilting-bee-post.html

I can't decide whether or not to post pictures of the squares I have, or just do one big surprise finale once they're all assembled and quilted. What do you think?

Decided

2011-06-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking for a while now that there are things I'd like to blog about that don't have a recipe to go with them. Or, I want to post something about sewing AND cooking and don't want to bother with two posts. SO ... ba da da dum ... I'm not going to do rhymeswithquilt anymore. Just rhymeswithsmile - simple is best these days!

In other news, someone asked me recently where "Rhymes With Smile" came from ... my last name is surprisingly easy to spell, but surprisingly difficult for some people to pronounce. So if someone asks I tell them it rhymes with smile ...

Summer Popsicles!

2011-06-16T18:12:00.000-04:00

My friend Sherri over at Life of a Wife is doing this awesome giveaway of popsicle molds and a popsicle recipe book. I desperately want to win. Just once, I want to win something in an online giveaway.

So I'm upping my chances by destroying my chances. I'm blogging about her giveaway to put my name in the hat twice, but the catch-22 is that you'll go sign up now and that's the end of my hope. But how about this - if you win because you saw the giveaway on my blog, I will let you supply me popsicles all summer long. OK?

Salmon with Cilantro Pesto

2011-06-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Salmon with Cilantro Pesto

Sprinkle 4 4-oz salmon fillets with salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for 2-24 hours.

Drizzle olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, process 1/3 c. chopped cilantro + 2 Tbsp. olive oil + juice of one lime in a small food processor until smooth to make the cilantro-lime pesto. Add salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.

Place salmon fillets in skillet and cook on the first side for 6-8 minutes. Turn each one and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until salmon flakes with a fork. Spoon one heaping spoonful of cilantro-lime pesto onto each fillet and serve over rice with roasted vegetables on the side.

If you know me, you know I don't do seafood. But recently, I've been culinarily challenged to try more fish, and have been somewhat surprised that I actually like it! Don't get me wrong - I'm not eating fish every day - but every once in a while, it's actually refreshing. I made this dish as a welcome home dinner for the Mister upon his return from the month-long Swiss adventure. Fish is one of those things that he orders in restaurants because he never gets to eat it at home ... so, it was really a big deal that I made this.

It. was. delicious.

I will be making it again. I'm growing cilantro for this purpose ...

Yum.

The Official Quilting Bee Post

2011-06-03T21:44:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I've decided ... time for the quilting bee raffle to happen.

Here are your details. Leave a comment if you have any questions!

(1) if you want to participate, you need to make one, two, or a bajillion quilt squares. However many you make, that's how many entries you get into the raffle ...

(2) each quilt square needs to be blue and white. Any blues, any whites. I'll say MOSTLY blue ... if you plan on using a blue that has other colors in it, that's fine - as long as a stranger would look at the fabric and say "Yes, that's blue."

(3) you can use any pattern you want.

(4) the quilt squares need to be 12.5"x12.5" - a little bigger than you've probably made before, but just roll with it.

(5) the quilt squares need to be in my possession by Friday, July 1. That's four weeks! You can mail them to me (let me know if you need my address), drop them by my house, or send them via courier pigeon. I might throw in your name twice into the raffle if your quilt square is accompanied by chocolate.

Once I have the squares, you can bet that I'll work diligently to get them into a quilt ... but it still might be a few weeks after receiving them before the raffle drawing.

Hooray!

Quilting Bee - again

2011-05-21T21:46:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about this quilting bee idea. What if we raffled off the quilt ... if you make a square, that's one entry into the raffle. If you make ten squares, that's ten entries ...
So someone who makes a block will end up with a cool quilt.

You like?

PS. Thanks to Caitlin for being my lone participant so far! Haha ... unless someone else joins in, Caitlin will most likely win a two-square quilt :)

Blessings

2011-05-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Thank God for dirty dishes,

they've got a tale to tell;

While other folks go hungry,

we're eating mighty well.

With Home and Health and Happiness

We shouldn't want to fuss,

For by this stack of evidence

God's very good to us.

This little poem is in a tiny frame in my parents' kitchen, right next to the sink. I believe my grandmother clipped it out of a newspaper a long time ago and framed it. I love this gentle reminder!

I've been thinking a lot recently about the blessings in my life ... like these:

A cousin who graduates from Duke yet proudly sports her Tar Heel button

A sweet baby girl who brings so many people so much joy

This guy who galavants across the Swiss Alps yet still calls to say he can't wait to come home

And some more things ...

... skype visits with my brother across the world

... homecooked meals by Mom

... projects like wallpapering a bathroom in maps, sewing baby girl dresses, and working on photo albums

... sweet time with family

... sweet time with friends

... friends who have babies (hooray for Hudson!)

... peppers, tomatoes, and herbs for the garden, and a friend who will help till the soil up!

... and last but not least ... YOU!

I know ... I'm getting all sappy and sentimental. I can't help it. I just feel thankful and blessed!

Quilting Bee

2011-05-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

Would you join me if I had a quilting bee project? I've seen other bloggers do it, and I'm inspired. Or maybe I'm just needing another project to keep me ~~overwhelmed~~ on my toes.

In my mind, it seems like it'd be simple: we'd decide on fabrics, a pattern, and a block size. You could make one square or forty squares, send them to me, and I'd put them together with the others that get sent to me. Then just a little basting and sewing action later and presto - a quilt. Not sure what we'd DO with the quilt, but we could decide that in the process. Give it away? Auction it off?

Let me know.

OK. Goodnight, friends.

PS. I'm thinking that this could be a summer project with a *hopeful* finish date of August 2011. Thoughts?

Potluck Prep

2011-05-13T15:20:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about the warm summer weather is getting together with friends over food! I can't tell you how much I look forward to our potlucks all year long ... nothing like the hope of outdoor eating and fellowship to get me through the gray skies of February! We'll be starting up our weekly potlucks in just a few weeks, and I've started to think about what potluck themes we want to recycle or try this summer!

Breakfast for dinner? Mexican? Garden fresh? Birthday (this one is absolutely going to happen again, just so you know) ...

Red foods? Secret family recipes? Foods I've always wanted to try? Mongolian Delights? Country Cookin'? The Letter 'S'?

Give me your thoughts!

PS. One new one we're going to try is Dessert Night. Eat your regular dinner at home (or don't), and come hang out for desserts and coffee on the lawn!

Cammy's Quilt

2011-05-02T20:58:00.000-04:00

Have I told you about Friday Morning Coffee? For almost three years now, I've been getting together with a group of girls every week at someone's house for coffee, a bite of breakfast, and fellowship. What started out as six girls has blossomed into probably fifteen - and we've added new friends, dogs, and babies to the group along the way.

I am excited about the recent baby explosion that has hit the group - we've got five new babies due in August and September! This weekend we had a shower for Cammy, who's due at the end of August. She's getting ready to move soon, so our "Friday Coffee" girls decided that we needed to make her a little something to remember us by! So take a look at Cammy's quilt:

There were nine ladies who each did one block ... starting at the top left, the patterns are as follows:

1. Whirlygiggle by Valerie

2. Strips by Mary

3. Four Corners by Elissa

4. Strips by Cindi

5. Four Blocks by Katie

6. House by Andrea

7. Wonky Maverick Star by me

8. Log Cabin by Meredith

9. Strips by Amber

I am SO excited by how this quilt really came together! It was such a fun project, and I loved the puzzle of laying out the blocks and finally finding the perfect layout! Katie helped me decide on the pink border (which was TOTALLY the right call), and Cindi provided the fabric for the back (sorry, no picture of that).

We hope that Cammy's sweet little baby girl knows that she has a lot of aunts who love her so much!

Alright ... and now a little picture of my block:

True confession: this is the first block I've ever made that uses triangles. I conquered my triangulophobia, and I'm so glad I did! I'm itching to do whole quilt of these little beauties!

We love you, Cammy!

shoutout to sherri

2011-04-21T12:58:00.000-04:00

I'm going to make these White Chocolate Cranberry Scones for breakfast tomorrow. And I can't wait. I'm so glad I found that half-bag of white chocolate chips in my freezer.

The recipe is on my friend Sherri's blog. She has such a great blog and posts yummy recipes, tips, and fun adventures that she and her new husband have. AND, extra bonus - she blogs like one should blog - you know, like every day.

Check it out: Life of a Wife!

Oh My - Headbands!

2011-04-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

Alright, I would like to apologise for the (ehem) ~~short~~ 6 month hiatus I took from this blog. Unintentional. I'm embarrassed. I'll use the excuse that I was pregnant, then I gave birth, then I recovered from the birth, then I had a newborn to learn about, then I fell in love with said newborn, then my husband had the computer every day at work, then I was too tired at night to blog.

Lame-o excuses, right? There are women out there who blog way more than I do, and have way more going on that I do. I'm no rocket surgeon, people. But I do what I can.

Alright. I hope you're thinking, "Wow. It's been 6 months. She better have something great to show us since it's been so long." And, well, here it is: headbands. Using THIS tutorial. That's right - six months of hiding out, and I produce a few baby headbands. But whatevs.

Baby steps. I'll get back into this blogging thing. Now, pictures of what I do ... I think you'll be waiting another 6 months for that.

But again, I do what I can. And right now, that means headbands.

The "It's About Time You Posted Something, rhymeswithsmile" Cream of Something Soup

2011-04-16T13:16:00.000-04:00

Cream of Something Soup - makes about 3 cups (about 3 cans)

6 T. butter
1/2 c. diced onion, chopped celery, chopped cooked chicken, or chopped mushrooms
6 T. flour
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
3 c. milk

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the onion (or celery, or chicken, or mushrooms) and saute for 3-5 minutes or until soft (for the vegetables. If you added chicken, just stir for a few minutes). Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Gradally stir in the milk and continue stirring until the white sauce is smooth and thick, and comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Yes. You can, indeed, make your own cream of mushroom soup. It's so easy! Just don't leave out the salt (like I accidentally did ~~on purpose~~ as a challenge to the mister's salt habit ... we ended up adding salt to our final dish, so it was a wash).

Think of all the possibilities! Casseroles, meats, and potato soup just got so much more homemade. Yippee skippee.

And now that I've told you how easy it is to make Cream of Something Soup, you can tell me how easy it is to (ehem) blog more regularly. I'm trying, I promise. I've just got other things going on, like this:

I mean, if you had to deal with such preciousness all day, how could YOU find the time to blog with any kind of frequency?

Roof With A View

2011-04-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

I was going to post about how to make cream of something soup today, but instead, I found something more exciting to write about (if you're thinking, "What can be more exciting that cream of chicken soup?" then you are a dear friend).

I have been featured as a guest blogger on Roof With A View, a blog focused on encouraging women in their God-given roles as mothers and wives! Before you start to think highly of me, keep in mind that I blogged about the cookie-brownie recipe that makes me drool on sight.

My first ever guest post ... and it has me drooling.
I can only hope to contain my spittle the next time something this exciting happens ...

Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies

2011-04-01T14:22:00.001-04:00

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. pecan halves, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. pure maple extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sugar for sprinkling

Into a medium bowl, sift flours and salt. Whisk in 1/2 c. chopped pecans and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about one minute. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a two-inch round cookie cutter (or smaller); place one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle centers with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Sprinkle the entire surface with sugar.
Bake cookies until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes (if cookies get too brown rotate the pan halfway through). Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

I just got to host my first baby shower - a "Nesting Shower" - last weekend for my friend Chantry, and we had a blast! We all had a lot of fun showering our sweet friend with food for the pantry, freezer meals, and diapers for the baby! My mom came to help me (what you should actually read is this: my mom showed me how it's done!) and she made these shortbread cookies as favors. She doubled the recipe and used a small (maybe 1.5") cookie cutter and ended up making 82 cookies :) Definitely plenty of cookies for favors and a few left over to nibble on after the shower!

Nesting Cupcakes - I have to admit that the idea was not my own, but they turned out so cute! Mom provided the cupcake trees, my new friend Sherri helped me make 3 doz. cupcakes, and Easter conveniently provided peeps and candy eggs!

um, yeah.

friends and family! We love you, Chantry!

The Rhymes With Smile Gastronomic Philosophy

2011-03-18T15:32:00.000-04:00

Santa Fe Enchilada Bake (adapted from a kraftfoods.com recipe)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 c. salsa
1 (10-oz) package frozen corn
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook and stir chicken, onions, and peppers in large skillet over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Stir in salsa and corn*.
Cut tortillas into quarters. Layer half the tortilla pieces on the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Spread half the chicken mixture on top. Spoon half the sour cream and half the cheese over the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of tortillas, chicken mixture, sour cream, and cheese, and cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

*I have now made this twice. The first time, I stirred in the corn like the recipe said. Then I found about 1/2 c. of seasoned rice in my fridge, so I threw that in too. I believe there were some black beans as well that made it in. The second time, I used seasoned ground beef instead of chicken, and I had the ingenious idea to puree some cooked carrots and a little bit of leftover sweet potato. I used that in place of some of the salsa. I also found myself without sufficient quantities of sour cream, so I stirred in 4 oz. (half a package) of cream cheese and cooked the meat mixture over low heat until the cheese was melted. What I'm trying to tell you is this: throw in what you have, substitute what you don't have, and just go with it.

This recipe was on the back of the Kraft Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese blend bag that I found myself in possession of not too long ago. I used to overlook the recipes on the packaging but this time I decided to make these layered enchiladas. They were pretty good, and it made a giant dish of food that I got to share with these ladies at our reBoonion (get it? rhymes with reunion ... unfortunately, it's not original. Thanks to my brother for that one):

We had this awesome, wonderful, amazing semi-surprise reunion with B (in the front middle) who's home from gallavanting the world for a few weeks. Loads of fun.

What does this have to do with my Gastronomic Philosophy, you ask? Well, nothing, except that the recipe made me think about some food mottos I've been adopting. I'm ready when you are.

(a) If a manufacturer is willing to put a recipe on their packaging, it's probably pretty good. Think about it: that manufacturer is staking their entire sales pitch to you on a recipe that can fit in a 3x3" square. So you've got to believe they're doing some research and putting some thought into it. It must be worth trying. This is a new lesson I'm learning (I've made banana bread from the flour bag and salmon burgers from the can of salmon, too. I have yet to be disappointed by this mantra)

(b) Along those same lines, when a restaurant names an entree after themselves, it's worth ordering. My favorite breakfast at the local hippie vegetarian eatery? The Gillie's Special. Think about how Gillie's is putting not only their name, but everything their name stands for, behind their breakfast special. Potatoes? Check. Eggs? Check. Salsa and cheese? Checkity check. Throw the buttery biscuit on the side, and I'm a believer in the fact that a sans-meat breakfast served by a hipster waiter can be awesome, tasty, and overwhelmingly filling.

(c) In choosing a restaurant - especially in a college town where good eateries are somewhat lacking - this is the best advice I've heard: look for the places that attract both old people and young people. Old people don't put up with bad food. Young people like cheap food. So when you see both, you know you'll be getting good quality without paying ridiculous prices for it.

(d) When all else fails, make Mexican.

Hawaiian Haystacks, Part 2

2011-02-23T09:06:00.000-05:00

Youngest Brother-themed Hawaiian party ...

... can you guess what my youngest brother looks like?

Hawaiian Haystacks, or "17 Ways to Use a Coconut"

2011-02-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

Hawaiian Haystacks
Serves 2-3 (easily adjustable for large groups)

1 c. cooked rice
1 c. cooked and shredded chicken + 1 can cream of chicken soup. Heat over medium heat until soupy.
Toppings:
-chopped celery
-diced tomatoes
-sliced green onions
-crushed pineapple (drained)
-shredded coconut
-shredded cheddar cheese
-chow mien noodles

Start with a spoonful of rice on a plate. Scoop the chicken/soup mixture onto rice. Add choice of toppings and enjoy!

I took Baby rhymeswithsmile on a road trip this weekend - first out-of-town trip for me since Thanksgiving, and ever for the babe. I could write entire blog post about the adventure of changing a diaper in a compact car or breastfeeding in a small-town gas station parking lot, but I will save that for later. This post is about Hawaii, and coconuts, and sibling love.

You see, my youngest brother is in the army, and suffers through his tropical assignment of Hawaii (insert jealous glare here). He is getting married in a week, and our parents will be joining him and his fiancee on the island for their beach ceremony, but the rest of us (me and two other brothers) won't be able to be there. However, the two brothers and I were all at my parents' house this weekend, and Mom decided that we needed to have a Hawaiian-themed dinner in Youngest Brother's honor. I suggested Hawaiian Haystacks. I think it's such a fun meal, and it's great for a crowd because each person can build his or her own plate to taste. There ended up being 16 people for dinner (my parents tend to collect house guests, you see) so we ended up supplementing the haystacks with a pan of lasagna ... but I digress. Haystacks. Hawaii. Coconut and pineapple on rice. Youngest-Brother-themed dinner and wonderful time with family and friends.

Youngest Brother's handsome face attached to popsicle sticks

Mom, wearing her "Hospitality Queen" crown bestowed on her by house guests

(I'm pretending that the H is for Hawaii)

The meal was really tasty! You should try it (and be creative with your toppings and the decor, of course)

I think that this might be overkill, but I'll do it anyway ... 16 more ways to use a coconut (this list comes from none other than Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader, 21st ed.)
2. Make candy from the sap
3. Buff floors with dried coconut half-shells
4. Make small canoes out of the hollowed-out trunks of the palm tree
5. Make mouthwash
6. Make a short-term intravenous hydration fluid out of coconut water (really!)
7. Simulate a horse's hoof-beats by banging two coconut halves together
8. Make a bomb out of coconut shells filled with gunpowder
9. Carve shirt buttons from the shells
10. Drink the water to relieve fever, headache, upset stomach, diarrhea, and dysentery (watch out pepto! you've got competition!)
11. Create cooking skewers out of the ribs of the palm leaves
12. Feed the husk fiber to livestock
13. Use the fibrous husk to make an aquarium filter
14. Prevent fogging on snorkeling goggles by rubbing a fresh, inner coconut husk on the lens
15. Use coconut oil to treat snakebites
16. Fray a piece of the root and use it as a toothbrush
17. Make a hamster bed out of a hollowed-out shell (in case you were wondering how in the world you were going to ever get that hamster to sleep in its own bed)

sibling love!

Winter Greens Pie for a Springish Winter

2011-02-17T08:01:00.000-05:00

Recipe comes from here, with slight adaptations.

*This is from yet another meal that I was fortunate enough to receive from a friend a few weeks back. So, I haven't actually made it myself yet. But she made it, and it was awesome, and I WILL be making it soon. As soon as I can coordinate myself enough to make it to the grocery store with an actual list in hand ... *

Place 6 eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil. As soon as water comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel shells and set aside.

1 1/2 lb. kale, rough stems removed

2 c. fresh spinach

2 T. olive oil

2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. grated parmesan cheese

3 scallions, finely chopped

2 T. fresh oregano, freshly chopped, or 2 tsp dried oregano

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 package puff pastry

2-3 T. melted butter

Coarsely chop leaves of greens, steam for 6 to 8 minutes or until wilted, transfer to a colander to cool, then squeeze to remove excess water (according to the original post, it's really important to squeeze hard!).

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add leek and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes or until very soft. Transfer to a food processor, add greens, and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, then add cheeses, scallions, and oregano. Mix well and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place an 8-inch springform or other deep cake pan on a cookie sheet, brush the inside of the pan with butter, line with puff pastry, allowing excess to overhang. Brush with butter.

Spoon 2/3 of ricotta mixture into the pastry-lined pan, smooth surface, then create 6 wells for the eggs around edges, using a spoon. Place eggs in wells, then spoon over remaining ricotta mixture, smoothing top. Place another sheet of puff pastry on top and pleat edges or seal with a fork. Brush top with butter and bake for 40 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

REALLY good. That's all I really have to say.

And now I'm going to include a picture that has nothing to do with my recipe, because it's my blog and I can do what I want, right?!?

Food Baby

2011-02-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin

Peanut

Sweet Pea

Cheerio

Baby Girl!

Secret Recipe Brownie Cookie Bars

2011-02-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

Back Story: Cousin Becky came to visit and help out with the baby a couple of weeks ago. A friend brought us dinner and included the most amazing dessert we had ever eaten - this pan of dessert bars with a brownie base and cookie dough on top. I mean, seriously - it was delicious. Why had we never thought about baking these two together? What could be more logical than brownie and cookie? Bacon and eggs ... peanut butter and jelly ... brownie and cookie. It made sense.
We raved about it. We dreamed about it, talked about it, laughed at our reaction, and sat down to eat more of it. We ate it for snack, appetizer, dessert, second-dessert, and to finish off the meal. It lasted all of 36 hours in the house - well, I think we should subtract the 14 hours that were spent outside of the house or sleeping. So, 22 hours of this awesome brownie-cookie bar later, we began lamenting the fact that it was over - OVER! - until the next time we should be lucky enough to receive such a delightful dessert from my thoughtful friend.
Almost weeping at the fact that the brownie-cookie bars were gone, I sent a message to my friend asking for her recipe. Two days later, she saw me at church and slipped me this in between Amazing Grace and the Doxology:

Praise God from Whom all blessing flow!
Shhhhhh. Don't give away the secret recipe, now that I've shared it with you, OK? Or, if you do spread the love, make sure that you give me a cut (literally. I require 50% of the pan).

Thanksgiving Dinner Casserole

2011-01-29T13:55:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Dinner Casserole (so named because as we were eating it my cousin said, "It tastes like Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite!" This is a dish that I have not personally cooked, but we received it from a kind mom-of-six in our church. I emailed her right after eating it to ask for the recipe ...)

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 small diced onion (about 1/4 cup)
olive oil
1/4 c. flour
Cream or milk (not sure on the amount - she didn't say! I'd guess about 1 1/2 to 2 cups.)
salt and pepper
1 package of stuffing mix

Cut up chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onion and chicken together until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour. When meat is coated, start adding the cream or milk a little at a time, stirring it all as it thickens into as much white sauce as desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put this mixture in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.
Prepare stuffing according to the package in the quantity you want for the size of the casserole (I'd guess about 1/2 box? Not sure, since I've not actually made it ...) Spread stuffing on top.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I can't say enough what a blessing it has been for us to receive meals from friends during this adjustment to life with a baby! Sure, she's a (relatively) easy baby, but I can't imagine what a mess I'd be (not to mention the kitchen) if I had to juggle food prep and newborn care. I can see it now ... accidentally giving the kiddo an onion to suck on while I dice the pacifier. Thankfully, our friends and family have come to the rescue, and have made us some amazing meals with enough leftovers for lunches or second-dinners! We are so thankful!

Really. Incredible. Quiche.

2011-01-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

Spinach and Bacon Quiche, courtesy of P. Deen

6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. heavy cream (we used milk instead)
salt and pepper
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 c. shredded swiss cheese
1 9-inch pie crust in a pie plate (either buy one already in the tin or fit one into your own pie plate)

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Layer spinach, bacon, and cheese in the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges and serve hot or cold.

Well, it happened: Baby Girl RhymesWithSmile made it into the world on 1.1.11 after approximately 28 hours of labor, 4 "this might be my last meal" meals, 13 games of bananagrams, 1 walk around the neighborhood, and a ridiculous overnight contractionfest. But she's here! And she's awesome. And, I feel like I am FINALLY eating for two ... I had no idea that I would be so ravenously hungry while nursing the little peanut!

My mom spent a week with us and did an amazing job of cooking, cleaning, taking early-morning baby-shifts, and doting on Baby Girl. She made this quiche for us and I immediately decided that I had a new favorite meal (OK. Honestly ... whatever I'm eating at the time is my new favorite meal, but this was truly stellar). It's super easy too! When she went back home, she made it again for my dad (who can't eat a lot of spinach) by substituting shredded zucchini and chopped peppers for the spinach. She said it was a hit! I don't know ... maybe it's the cup and a half of cheese, but I feel like I could substitute most any vegetable in there and come out with a winner.

Alright. Motherhood calls. More later.

A Winter Soup

2010-12-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hunter's Minestrone
(recipe from the Food Network ... but as you'll see, I adapted a bit)
about 6 servings

2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
1 head garlic, halved
1/2 lb. small rigatoni (pretty sure I used whatever pasta I had on hand, but rigatoni would be fine too)
Extra virgin olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves (I didn't have this. No biggie.)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme (I used 1 tsp. dry thyme)
3/4 lb. loose sweet Italian pork sausage (I used hot sausage, because that's what I had)
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped (Omitted. Can't think of the last time I had celery in my house)
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 (28-oz) can crushed plum tomatoes (plum? seriously? Just dump in a big can of whatever tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
2 (28-oz) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced

Combine the stock and halved garlic in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice garlicky taste, then strain out the garlic. Keep warm. (If you're me, you chop up some of the garlic you just strained out and throw it back in. But that's just me. We rhymeswithsmilers like garlic.)

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.

Pour 1/4 c. olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sage, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3-4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage until well browned. Chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. Add to the saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

To the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leave, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into the simmering soup. Add the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs (if you used herb sprigs). Serve hot.

It's cold. Perfect weather for soup.

It's also snowy. Again, perfect soup weather.

We are waiting on Baby RhymesWithSmile ... it will be here sometime in the next 17 days. Until then, I am using the pregnancy as the perfect excuse to do all of the following soup-related activities:
(a) make gallons of soup
(b) eat gallons of soup
(c) freeze gallons of soup
(d) nap after making, eating, or freezing soup
(e) eat donuts (sure, this is soup-related. One needs dessert, right? And appetizers? Of course.)

Whew. It's been over a month since I last posted. It'll probably be more than a month until my next post, unless the baby comes on Day 17. If that happens, you'll be hearing a lot from me.

The Mr, myself, and Baby RWS at 38 weeks

Nashville's Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-11-18T10:33:00.000-05:00

Chicken Tortilla Soup a la Nashville College Friends Who Let Me Spend The Night As I Was Passing Through

INGREDIENTS:

Part 1 -
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 cups baby carrots, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Part 2 -
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or red pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled

Part 3 -
3 cans great northern beans, drained and divided in half
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk

Part 4 -
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all Part 1 ingredients except for chicken in a large soup pot and saute on medium heat for 8 minutes. Add chicken and continue sauteing for 2-3 more minutes; carrots should be soft.
Add Part 2 ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add 1/2 of the drained beans to the pot and the other 1/2 to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mash the beans in the bowl and then mix in the milk and flour until blended. Add this mixture to the pot and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened.
Add fresh cilantro and stir.

Serve with tortilla strips, lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc.
NOTE: If soup seems too thick or chunky, adding 1-2 cups of water will help thin it out without compromising the flavor.

Can't believe this ...
Six weeks ago was the last time I posted a recipe. Yikes!
Six weeks from now, the baby is due. Double yikes!

Short list of things that have been going on in the past six weeks (and you'll maybe understand why new recipes haven't been top on the priority list ...)
-attend 3 baby showers given by sweet friends
-organize baby stuff
-help plan baby shower for friend
-spend one weekend with my brother visiting from Kentucky, one weekend camping, three weekends on the road (including a four-day road trip to Memphis for a friend's wedding), and one weekend at home
-balance water aerobics, "Prepared Childbirth" classes at our hospital, and dog-walking (all three activities make me very out of breath, for different reasons ...)
-work 32-35 hours a week
-sleep whenever possible
-eat whenever possible
-relax whenever possible

Short list of the things that need to be done before Baby RhymesWithSmile gets here:
-toss clutter in living room (mostly magazines)
-organize fabric stash
-make three baby quilts
-purchase cloth diapers
-celebrate Thanksgiving with awesome family
-throw/co-throw the 4th Annual Christmas Morning Party
-finish working (probably around Dec 13 or 14)
-figure out baby insurance (what?!? of all the nerve, for a baby to need insurance)
-plan and make approximately 23 Christmas gifts (on a good note though, my side of the family chose the theme "Cheesy and Cheap" and the Mr's side is going with "Under $10" so it will prove to be a fun time)
-make some meals to go in the freezer

I think I need to lower my expectations of myself. I need a nap just from looking at my to-do list :)

Scrapspiration

2010-10-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

I got this box of scraps from my awesome friend Chantry ... (who also just threw me the loveliest baby shower ever!). Cute, fun, bold, sweet fabrics!

I am feeling inspired. And, I found this - it WILL make its way into whatever comes out of the scraps:

Inspiration is a beautiful thing.
And now, maybe this will inspire you to do something silly:

Mom, me, Cousin Becky, and Sheri - woohoo!

Take-It-To-A-Friend Potato Soup

2010-10-01T11:26:00.000-04:00

Excellent Potato Soup
from my friend Chantry's friend Meg, both of whom have excellent blogs that are worth checking out ...

6-7 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 c. onion, diced
8 oz. cream cheese, cut into chunks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 can mushroom or cheese soup
1 can celery soup
6 Tbsp. butter (3/4 stick)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese

Cook potatoes and onions together in just enough water to cover. Once tender, remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients except for garnish. Heat again until combined and hot. Serve with cheese and bacon bits on top.

Um. Yes. This is now my #1 favorite potato soup recipe. It really is excellent (why else would that be the name of the recipe?). My friend Chantry called me earlier this week and said she had doubled a soup recipe and had more soup than she knew what to do with, and would I like some? Since I'm not one to turn down food of any kind (especially soup), I answered with a resounding YES and received a giant container of this excellent Excellent Potato Soup! (I know I just used the word "excellent" twice. I just want you to understand how excellent it really is. I hope you get the point soon, because "excellent" is a little challenging to keep typing over and over ...) Thanks so much, Chantry! I am honored to be the recipient of such a thoughtful meal (maybe I forgot to mention the other goodies she included ... fresh rosemary bread and nutter-butter balls, which I would have taken a picture of because they're so cute, only ... well, they're not around anymore).

Next time I take soup to someone, you'd better believe it'll be this recipe. No promise about any accompanying nutter-butter balls, though. I'm pretty sure that if I were to make anything like that, I'd eat them all before they made it off my counter.

coming up ...

2010-09-29T20:16:00.000-04:00

I'm coming up on 100 posts soon.
What should I do to celebrate?

Cast your vote now:
(a) treat myself to an extra long nap
(b) treat myself to ice cream and an extra long nap
(c) treat myself to ice cream, an extra long nap, and ask my husband to make dinner
(d) other (please give detailed explanation - and it better be convincing. I love my naps almost as much as I love ice cream and the Mr. making dinner.)

Whoops

2010-09-29T20:08:00.000-04:00

Where have I been for the last three months, you ask? Well, for one, I've been growing a baby (if this part of it is so exhaustingly hard, I REALLY have a lot in store for once it comes). I also started tending to the garden a little more (errr ... well ... weeded once, watered a few times, and put up some deer fence). Along with that came produce. And more produce. We've got tomatoes out our ears and are hoping to eek out some peppers before the first frost. Then work started back in full force and I could no longer continue my blissful experience of sewing for 30 hours a week at work. My machine got serviced in North Carolina at the end of July, and then it was visiting my mom. I've got it back now, but still have yet to bust out anything incredible.

But also, I've been working on finishing up commissioned quilts. I ended up doing SIX commissions this summer - yes, six. One baby quilt, two large rectangular lap quilts, one wall hanging, one large square lap quilt, and a twin.

Pictures, you say? OK, fine. I guess it's the least I can do, since I've left you hanging for months now.

Here is the large square lap quilt - I think it ended up being somewhere around 50"x50". I made it for my college friend Lauren F. and was able to give it to her in person, when we had a girls' reunion at Lauren's family's lake house in Tennessee. She did all the hard work in picking out the fabrics, and I had the fun job of putting them together.

I opted for a modified "rail fence" pattern - modified because the strips in each block are different widths. The most challenging part of the whole thing was placing the blocks in such a way that the patterns in each block did not touch the same pattern in any other block.

And the back - I really love it ...

(feel free to ignore the fold/crease lines. Whoops.)

And kindly, Lauren sent me a picture of the quilt in its real, live home (which sounds awesome and tempts me to visit):

I have to confess, I am WAY more interested in this inviting rug than I am in the quilt, but that's just me.

I. Will. Post. Again. Before. The. Next. 3. Months. Have. Passed. I promise.

Appropriate Cake

2010-09-14T11:14:00.000-04:00

Sock It To Me Cake - recipe from here

Streusel topping:
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)
Combine and set aside.

Glaze:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth and set aside.

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
Preheat oven to 375. Combine cake ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour half of batter into a greased and floured bundt or pound cake pan. Sprinkle streusel filling on top and swirl through batter. Spoon remaining batter evenly over filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 25 minutes then invert onto a plate. Cool completely. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Your guess is as good as mine as to why this cake is called a Sock It To Me Cake. I have visions of cake-battered socks being thrown around kitchens by 50s housewives in pearls and heels, but I doubt that's the real origin. I can imagine, though. I feel like it's an appropriate cake to make during a busy time ... you know, when life is just socking it to me and I barely have time to catch my breath before the next thing comes around!

The pace of life has been a little wild for the Mr. and me recently with another semester starting, work routines to settle into, a baby to plan for, and weekends of travel. Oh, and a garden coming in, friends to visit with, a dog to entertain, a new church home group to get to know, and a water aerobics class to attend. Oh, and did I mention the 5 meals I have to stop and eat per day, and the 9+ hours of sleep I need a night? Life gets busy, people. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Just to show that I am still eating enough for both myself and Baby rhymeswithsmile, here's a recent photo of us at 23 weeks:

Warning: if this busy-ness continues, the next picture you see of me will probably show me sprawled out on the couch, asleep.

taking bets

2010-08-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

We're starting to take bets now ...

boy or girl?

You have until December 30th to place your bet

(and contribute to the child's college fund, incidentally).

Only two things that money can't buy ...

2010-08-18T18:40:00.000-04:00

Listen to the whole thing. The refrain is my favorite ...

And now, drumroll please ..............
................
................
................

World, I present to you the first home grown tomato of our garden! In my fit of excitement I forgot to wait for the Mr. to come home to pick it with me, so I feel really bad and am very very VERY penitent. Can't you see the guilt and remorse on my face?

Freezer Salsa

2010-08-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

This picture doesn't QUITE do the overgrown garden justice, but we'll try.

You can see sweet Mr. rhymeswithsmile hard at work pulling weeds.

As previously mentioned, some of those weeds were 4 feet tall and required some quite vigorous pulling (thankfully, the rain loosened the soil). The most fun part of the three-day adventure was searching for the purposeful plants under all those crazy wild ones - and actually finding them.

The Mr. took the weedeater and rescued about 30 tomato plants and 15 pepper plants. We also uncovered 3 watermelons, and in the past week have seen 4 more come out.

And just think ... we believed the garden was a goner ...

But, back to tomatoes and peppers ... I ended up buying (eek!) the produce to make my first batch of freezer salsa because I wanted to make salsa so badly I couldn't wait for our own tomatoes to ripen. I found a nice old man with a truck on the side of the road (he was the one who provided the gigantic Tomatolator I got so excited about last posting), and for a whopping $25 ended up with all the ingredients I needed for the salsa.

So, if you find yourself either (a) buying 20 pounds of tomatoes at a time or (b) overwhelmed by your own garden produce, try this recipe for freezer salsa. It made about 15 pints of salsa (which means, if we ration well, we get one jar of homemade salsa every 3.5 weeks until next summer!)

Diner's Freezer Salsa

from www.food.com - recipe #12275

20 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 cups fresh cilantro

2 large onions

10 garlic cloves

10 medium jalapeno peppers (if you're OK with a little kick in your salsa)

6 habanero peppers (to taste - I actually used a different kind of hot pepper and am satisfied with the results, so feel free to adjust depending on what you like and what you have access to)

2 cups chopped green peppers

2 tablespoons cumin

1/4 cup sea salt

1/4 cup white vinegar

juice of 6 large limes

Chop tomatoes in food processor - do not puree. Leave some chunks. (the original recipe says to peel the tomatoes first. I don't feel that it's necessary or worthwhile to do it ... but whatevs. Call me lazy, but I don't bother with it. You can peel if you want before processing the tomatoes). Pour into a large - very large - stock pot.

Chop cilantro, onion, and garlic coarsely in food processor, and add to tomatoes.

Chop peppers - jalapenos with seeds, habaneros and green peppers without seeds - and add to tomatoes.

Stir cumin, salt, vinegar, and lime juice into tomato mixture. Combine thoroughly.

Bring to a boil. Lower temperature and maintain at a low boil for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom. You want the salsa to reduce by about half as the tomato water boils off.

Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse. I use glass pint jars and metal lids and bands, but the original recipe writer says she used 3-cup plastic freezer containers. Just keep in mind that you want usable container sizes - so don't pour your salsa into gallon ziploc bags unless you plan on defrosting and eating a gallon of salsa at a time.

Fill jars with salsa, leaving about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch space at the top for expansion during freezing. Let jars completely cool before putting on lids - this way you avoid condensation and ice on top of your salsa. Keep in freezer and thaw before eating.

I get a little smile when I open up our freezer and see an entire shelf of salsa. And, I confess that I will probably end up hiding half the jars from the Mr. because he loves this salsa so much, he'd eat a jar a day. So, some of the jars are visible. The rest are nicely tucked away under potato soup, blueberries, and frozen corn, to be pulled out in mid-February when I need a little boost ...

Tomatolator

2010-08-04T07:55:00.000-04:00

(no, it's not from my garden. Are you kidding me? This gigantic beauty is from a nice old man with a produce truck on the side of the road. He charged me a whopping $0.95/lb for this German Pink. The Mr. said it looked like an old lady without any teeth. I said it looked like it would taste really good. It was absolutely incredible. You should go find one.)

garden update

2010-07-31T18:06:00.000-04:00

The garden was so bad ...

... that we had to sort through 4-foot weeds to find the metal tomato cages

... we followed the hose to find the sprinkler and pulled weeds around it so the water could shoot up

... we had all but given up hope of getting any produce from the dry, weedy, deer-eaten plot

... my lazy (albeit pregnant) self could not muster the motivation to do anything out there. Gnats + heat + gnats + dry dirt + gnats + millions of weeds = recipe for sitting inside.

But there's good news: Mr. rhymeswithsmile has a weedeater. And it's RAINED for the first time in a very long time. And it's below 75 degrees. All of this means that we are in the process of hacking through a 40'x40' weedfest to find our precious, sweet, incredible tomato and pepper plants. We've discovered watermelons too. I picked a squash and have one more on the horizon (it's ripening for another day or two). Joy!

Weeding - under the right conditions - is encouraging work. It's satisfying in a way that I don't know how to explain.

We have food in our garden!

just squash it

2010-07-29T14:53:00.000-04:00

Curried Squash Soup (adapted from a recipe that I found last night but can't find now. I'll give real props when I can properly locate the source)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 hot chili pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. curry powder (depending on your taste)
4 6- to 8-inch yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 c. chicken broth

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and pepper and saute 3-5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Sprinkle curry powder over onion and garlic, and stir to coat. Throw in the squash and stir in the broth. Bring to a boil, cover pot, and reduce heat. Simmer soup for 20-25 minutes or until squash is soft.

Let soup cool and then puree in blender or food processor. This is a light summer soup that could be served hot or cold, with sour cream or yogurt stirred in.

I would've taken a picture of this, but if you have ever cooked with curry you know that it can ... well ... turn foods funny colors. It didn't look very appetizing, though it tasted amazing. I sound like I'm trying to talk you out of making this soup, but really I'm not. Just try it. And wear dark sunglasses if you're highly sensitive to the way your dinner looks before you ingest it.

I've got yellow squash on the brain these days. Somehow, I have the ONLY garden in the state that has produced a million squash flowers without actually producing any fruit (whoops, that's a lie. So far: 1 squash out of 18 plants). So, I've been the recipient of other people unloading squash on me. Last night, I found that I had 12 yellow squash to process, along with 2 pounds of hot peppers, 10 pounds of apples, 8 green peppers (though they were relatively small), and one pint of cherry tomatoes. I made a giant bowl of applesauce. The tomatoes and green peppers aren't a problem. The squash and hot peppers are a different story, so my goal over the next few days is to hide squash in as many recipes as possible (Chocolate Squash Cake, anyone?), and figure out what to do with two pounds of hot peppers.

Besides Chocolate Squash Cake (substituting shredded squash for zucchini in a recipe like this one), I've been thinking of Squash-Potato soup, Apple-Squash bread, and a stir-fry or two. That should take up the 8 squash I have left, right?

Any thoughts on the hot peppers?

And now, for something completely different: a Mr. Rhymeswithsmile-themed potluck picture (to welcome him home from his trip out West) ...

... he showed up 5 minutes late for the picture ...

Olé!

2010-07-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

This is the World Cup final party.

This is the Meredith (wearing a white shirt) that hosted the World Cup final party.

This is the recipe for croquetas that I prepared for the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt) hosted.

This is the rest of the Spanish food that others prepared that loaded up the kitchen table for the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt) hosted.

These are the friends that ate the croquetas that I prepared for the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt) hosted.

Feel the intensity among the friends that cheered on Spain during the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt) hosted.

There's no picture of the husbands who came to the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt) hosted. But they ate the food that we all prepared that loaded up the kitchen table for the World Cup final party that Meredith (and I guess I should mention Danny) hosted.

This is the joyous outcome of the World Cup final party that Meredith (jumping up and down) hosted.

This is a picture completely unrelated to the World Cup final party that Meredith (wearing a white shirt and jumping up and down) hosted. But based on the awesomeness of Spain winning their first-ever World Cup title, maybe now you can understand why we've decided to name the baby Iniesta Torres Villa Fabregas Puyol.

(15 weeks)

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #6 - The Last One!

2010-07-07T13:06:00.000-04:00

Last week you finished your quilting, right?
If you (still) need inspiration about what quilting pattern to use, look at Val's quilt here ... check out those groovy grid lines that form a diamond pattern. I'm so excited about how hers turned out!

Feeling a little more adventurous with quilting? Look what Andrea did:

Talk about groovy! I love the swirls!

Alright, this last binding tutorial is actually going to be a combo my-tutorial/other-blog-site-tutorial. I don't feel the need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to binding tutorials. And Amanda Jean over at Crazy Mom Quilts happens to have an excellent, step-by-step binding how-to. So, check it out by clicking here, then come back to visit me so we can talk through it again. (By the way, while you're there, look at her other quilts and be inspired!)

The binding is the very last thing you do to your quilt. It finishes and hides the edges of fabric and batting that are still exposed, so it's worthwhile to do a quality binding. If you haven't already, read through CMQ's tutorial and then read on:
Step 1: Measure the four sides of your quilt, add it up, and add 12. Cut enough 2.5" wide strips (she does 2.25" but it's your choice - either width, just be consistent for all strips) to add up to that measurement. Sew them together on the short sides so you end up with one long strip.
Step 2: Iron the long strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. You should have a very, very long, very, very skinny strip.
Step 3: Match unfinished edge of quilt with raw edge of binding strip, and sew on around all four sides and corners. (crazymom's tutorial is excellent for this step, especially for the corners. Haven't read it yet? You know what I'm going to tell you to do. So just go do it.)
Step 4: Trim the edges of the quilt even with the binding strip edges. Fold the binding over onto the other side of the quilt around the edge and sew it down with a needle and thread (by hand!)
Step 5: Enjoy this awesome quilt you just finished, and graciously accept compliments from your friends who can't believe how crafty and cool you are.

Alright, well that's it for this 6 part tutorial on how to make a wonky log cabin quilt! Hooray for friends and quilting classes! And thanks to the lovely women who have great taste in fabric and incredible talent - I loved working with you all!

A few more pictures:

Laura's quilt - still in progress

(she was out of town for a couple of weeks without a machine)

Caitlin's quilt (picture from last week)

Caitlin sews on her binding strip

A second wonky log cabin quilt that I'm working on finishing up

(the green border now goes all the way around the quilt)

Name Calling at Thirteen and a Half

2010-06-30T12:03:00.000-04:00

We're considering a couple of names for the babe: either Cherry-Vanilla Ice Cream or Yogurt and Berries. It's now 13.5 weeks old - old enough to learn its name, right?

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #5

2010-06-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

Look at how far we've all come! This is Val's quilt top, ready for basting and quilting:

For the last tutorial, we talked through the basting process, remember? Basting is securing all three layers of the quilt together - the quilt top, the batting, and the backing - prior to quilting. You have basting options - straight pins, curved quilting safety pins, or adhesive basting spray - and your choice just depends on your personal preference and style. I started out using the basting spray, and LOVED it because it kept all the layers very secure while quilting. I started moving away from using it because I couldn't afford it for all the projects I was doing. But, whatevs. It's your preference - try all three and see which you prefer.
Check out Caitlin's quilt, all basted and ready to go (she used basting spray):

Alright. This tutorial is about quilting. You're probably thinking, "Isn't that what we've been doing all along? Doesn't quilting mean 'to make a quilt'?" Well, yes. But it also means to sew through all three layers (top, batting, back) so they stay together. A lot of traditional quilting is done by hand. If you have the patience for that, kudos to you. I do NOT have the ability to do that kind of thing by hand, so I always machine-quilt my pieces. Side note: I typically use a regular 1/4" presser foot for quilting straight lines. I have used a walking foot too, but really I don't see any difference in the quality of the quilting. There's lots of ~~debate~~ research out there about regular vs. walking foot quilting. Just do what you want. It'll be OK.
Basically, you'll take your 3-layer basted quilt, and feed it through the machine, stitching in a pattern of some sort over the entire quilt. There are a variety of pattern options out there. Caitlin chose "stitch in the ditch," which means she sewed straight lines in each of the seams. It doesn't really stand out on the front (because it's in the ditch, silly), but it shows up on the back. I think that is a fun choice for a wonky log cabin quilt, because it adds some wonkiness to the back of the quilt too. Just make sure you backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam - you don't want your masterpiece to unravel.

Others have decided on straight lines in a grid pattern - shows up more on the front and makes the quilt look "quilty" from both sides. I'm a sucker for a soft, awesome quilty-quilt. The more lines you stitch, the more quilty it'll look.
You have tons of options - sewing a line down the middle of each strip, quilting a diamond or triangle grid pattern, only quilting the middle strips or outer strips, quilting 1/4" off the seam lines ... and on and on. If you're not sure what to do, look around at what other people do, find quilts you like in magazines or on blogs, or allow the shape and pattern of the quilt to guide you. It's fun to come up with new patterns, but it's good to know that you can just do a grid too.
Another side note: if you want to branch out beyond straight lines, and if you feel comfortable with your machine, you might want to try free-motion quilting. Free-motion quilting gives you more control over the pattern, and you can do loops, circles, meandering patterns, or words. I won't give you the tutorial on that (because it overwhelms me), but there are lots of good ones on other blogs (like this one or this one). I will say, however, that you need to feel pretty comfortable with sewing and your machine before tackling a big quilt with free-motion. Maybe try it out on a few potholders first.
Quilt the entire quilt - some readjustment may be necessary in the basting as you go along, but that's to be expected.
Come back soon for Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #6 ... the final step!

Gazpacho and the Half-Birthday Chinese Longevity Noodle

2010-06-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a princess wait. I got a little carried away. The title of this post made me think that I needed to make up a children's book or something. Not so. Recipe first, then Half-Birthday Chinese Longevity Noodle.

Gazpacho (Cold Tomato and Cucumber Soup) - from Uncle Marvin of Maine
1 large can (32 oz) whole peeled tomatoes OR 3 1/2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar - still good!)
1 very large cucumber, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon salt
Garnish: 1 chopped green pepper, seeds removed (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Top with chopped green pepper if desired. Serves 6. (note: don't add the green pepper to the blender, as it will turn the soup a muddy brown).
*Add more vinegar and garlic - to good effect (according to Uncle Marvin)
**This was my first ever gazpacho experience. It was highly rewarding.

What does Gazpacho have to do with a Half-Birthday Chinese Longevity noodle, you ask? Well, not much, except that both are eaten out of bowls, and both happened to me in the past week. I was given this recipe for gazpacho last summer, after my parents visited Uncle Marvin of Maine, and was told that I just had to try it. Well, it turned out to be a bad summer for tomatoes so we used them all in salsa instead of soup. However, this year I've already collected a bag of tomatoes from the co-op I'm a part of, and since I had some cucumbers in there too I was inspired to puree. That, and the fact that it was a no-cook, cold option on a 90 degree day. I highly recommend this. Love the vinegar. And next time I'll probably add another garlic clove or two.

The story of the Half-Birthday Chinese Longevity Noodle goes like this: my friends A and T lived in China for a couple of years, and introduced me to the notion of the Longevity Noodle. According to custom, one must eat this special noodle on one's birthday - all in one piece, without breaking the noodle - to ensure continued progress of life without untimely interruption - er, death.

I hope this video works ... here's a pretty valiant effort at eating the Longevity Noodle by one andywangduck found on youtube:

Well, our most recent potluck theme was Birthday, in honor of the half-birthday of yours truly. A and T were kind enough to honor my request for the birthday noodle and produced a tamer Virginia version of the Chinese Longevity Noodle (and no, I didn't make it through without breaking the noodle. Sorry, fate. I promise I'm not trying to tempt you).

A big thanks and shout-out to such great friends, and all the others who made my half-birthday celebration so much fun. And most of all, I hope this post inspires YOU to connect two things that have nothing to do with each other, throw the word "birthday" in there, and write me a children's book.

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #4

2010-06-18T12:37:00.000-04:00

Two of five class members were away this week, so it was somewhat of a catchup/mishmash week as those of us who were left were at very different stages of quiltedness. So, what I'm going to post is what we were scheduled to do this week, which two of the three got to.

Review from last week: finish adding fabric strips to each of the four squares and trim them to exactly 20"x20". Sew them together - 2x2 - and iron seams. This is your quilt top, and it is now complete!

This week: Press your batting. The supply list calls for 1/2 yard of 90"-wide batting - a long, narrow strip. Our trick is to cut the batting in half lengthwise and place the two halves next to each other to form a large 45"x45" square. If the edges you line up are not straight, trim them so they are.

Using a zig-zag stitch set to the widest stitch width you can, stitch the batting together along the middle. Do not overlap the batting, as it will create extra bulk in the finished quilt - just slide the batting pieces up next to each other and feed them through the machine. Also, take care to evenly feed it through the machine - uneven feeding can cause gaps or bubbles. If it does bubble, try steam-ironing the seam after sewing to see if it will press out. And ... tada! You're done with batting.

The next step is basting the quilt, which does NOT mean marinating it in its own juices during the course of cooking. It DOES mean putting the back, batting, and top of the quilt together and securing it with pins or adhesive spray. I've heard this called a "quilt sandwich" ... think of the basting as the toothpick in the sandwich. (wait, can you tell that I'm getting hungry? A giant BLT sandwich on toasted sourdough sounds incredible right now. Toothpick required).

Press the fabric you're going to use for your backing. Depending on the size of your quilt, you may have to sew together some pieces to use for the backing. For this tutorial, you want a square of fabric approximately 45"x45" - bigger than your quilt top by at least 2" on each side. Most fabric on the bolt is 44 or 45" wide, so you should be just fine and not have to piece anything. (As you'll see in the pictures below, I am making my demo quilt bigger than 2x2, so don't be thrown off and think you were supposed to be doing twelve squares when really it's just four.) Because of the size of mine, I had to piece together some green and white fabric for the backing.

Lay this backing fabric right side DOWN on a flat surface (floor or large tables work great). Line your batting up about 1" in from the top right corner of the backing, and spread it out evenly over the backing fabric. Use your hands to spread out any creases or folds or bubbles in the backing or batting.

You may have some extra batting hanging over the edge of your backing - not a big deal. It's good to have extra in case things shift. And you'll always go back at the end and trim things up. So, just leave it.

One more step to make your quilt sandwich - lay your quilt top, right side UP, on top of your batting about 1" in from the batting. Smooth it out with your hands, working from the top right corner. Make sure there are no creases, bubbles, folds, or other funny things going on.

Now to baste the quilt (which I did not get any pictures of, sorry.) You can use straight pins, curved quilting safety pins, or adhesive basting spray (all of which are sold at some Wal-marts and all sewing supply stores). If you're using pins, secure a pin about every 10" in a grid on the quilt. Make sure you're pinning through all three layers. Also, you will probably have to adjust both the backing and the top a couple of times during the process, as you want both to be tight and without any slack (this is why it's good to have a little extra wiggle room with the batting and backing fabric). If you are using the basting spray, follow the manufacturer's directions.

Alright ... see you next week for quilting!

Busy little bee

2010-06-16T16:52:00.000-04:00

I have been sewing and quilting like mad, trying to make it through a bunch of projects that I had put off until summer. There are three different projects below. The first one - Red and White Whirlygiggle - was the very first quilt I saw on crazymomquilts in early 2009, and I've been wanting to make one ever since! I quilted it in a window pane pattern - just about 1/4" from either side of each seam - and I am absolutely in love with it. It measures about 40"x50", so it's not too big but would make a nice picnic blanket for two! I thought about putting it up for sale in the shop, but I can't part with it. I love it too much.

Front

Detail of front with window pane quilting

Back

The second quilt is one that my friend Dixie asked me to make for her. She requested "purples" and "masculine" (she's so kind to her husband!) so I hope it delivers! I really like the gray and the dark indigo. The yellow on the back lightens the quilt up a little bit, but isn't too bright or feminine in my opinion. It measures about 45"x45".

Front

Back

Quilt number three is another commissioned one - a baby boy quilt in blues and greens! I was inspired by, of all things, a diaper bag (don't be weirded out, Allison!). From the front, you can't see the quilting but I followed the lines of the center panel. It shows up better on the back, and I am in love with this little softie! Final size is approximately 42"x42".

Front

Back

I'm a busy little bee! I've got three more commissions I'm working on ... one top is completely pieced. The other two are in varying stages of planning. I'll keep you posted!

The Blacksburg Wives

2010-06-11T16:37:00.000-04:00

The Back Story: for Easter 2009 (yes, over a year ago), my group of friends decided to have a special potluck where we would all bring the best holiday dishes we knew. It was a raging success, and the idea of a cookbook was born because, well, we all love food so much, and we all loved each others' food so much too.

Fastforward to November 2010: my friend Katie was deemed the one in charge of collecting the recipes, and she gave us a deadline for submitting them - by the time her daughter was born. She was at least 35 weeks pregnant when she gave us the ultimatum, so we all worked pretty quickly to get at least five recipes apiece emailed to her. The baby came near her due date, but we didn't know that was how it would be, and we didn't want to cross the pregnant lady.

Fastforward again to May 2010: Katie's baby is a bouncy, gurgly, (almost) sitting 5 month old. Katie (and others) have put in hours of work organizing the cookbook and working on design. Mary the graphic designer has contributed some very talented photography for the cover and dividers. Rebecca the writer has composed such a lovely introduction to the cookbook that it makes me tear up. Cindi and Katie plan a beautiful Cookbook Release Party complete with games, namecards, and decorations. And each of the contributing authors has prepared a dish from the cookbook for dinner. So, finally, after a mere 15 months, the Blacksburg Wives Cookbook is revealed:

cover of cookbook

yummy dinner! pretty flowers!

the girliness is so overwhelming, it's like it's hanging from the trees in the yard!

the fantastic party planning committee

All I have to say is, if you decide you want to make a cookbook, collect some pretty amazing friends beforehand. I love all you girls!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #3

2010-06-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

You are reading a blog post by what may be the world's worst blogger. I forgot the camera at class AGAIN. I don't have it with me today either, to take staged "class" photos. I read so many blogs that are just incredible, with all the guest postings, and professional-looking photos, and fancy schmancy things like frequent posts, that it makes me feel inadequate. But really, I don't care too much. Alright, I'm over it now.

For class #3, we continued sewing the fabric strips around the wonky square. Depending on the width of the fabric strips you're working with, you may end up with between four and seven "layers" around the middle square. For this particular project, I worked all the measurements out to (hopefully) end up with a 40" square quilt, which means each block needs to be at least 20"x20". So, for each of the blocks, add a strip to the top, then the right, then the bottom, then the left of the middle square, ironing each piece down before sewing the next one on. When you've completed a full round (four strips around the block), "square off" the block by trimming the uneven edges with a straight ruler and rotary cutter. You can continue to make it very wonky by tilting the ruler when cutting, or not. It's up to you. Play around with the angles you cut and how much you cut off - it's fun to see the block shape up and get more interesting with each layer.

Keep doing that until a block measures a little bigger than 20"x20". Iron well. Repeat for each block.

Trim each block to exactly 20"x20" square, or, if you're wanting to make smaller blocks, whatever size you want. A good rule of thumb is that a baby blanket should be at least 36"x36". This is the time when the phrase "square off the block" actually does mean make it square. I promise I'm not trying to confuse you.

OK, you're done for this week!

Yogurt update

2010-06-08T15:12:00.001-04:00

I have two updates to the yogurt recipe from a few posts ago. First try was super runny - the consistency of olive oil - when I made it. It still tasted good, though, so I tried again. This time, instead of stirring the yogurt starter into 2 c. room temperature water + 2 c. milk powder, I brought 2 c. of whole milk (pasteurized but not homogenized) to room temperature, stirred in the milk powder and yogurt starter (2 Tbsp. of the previous batch), and then added hot water to that. I'm happy to say that I now have thicker yogurt! It rounds up on a spoon a little better, though it is still runnier than commercial yogurt. I'd say this batch is more like ... applesauce, maybe? Or something else that would stay on a spoon but slide off it the spoon is tilted. You get the idea, right?

So I said I had two updates. That was the first. The second is this: we got ultrasound pictures of our baby yesterday, and it turns out that it is looking somewhat humanish! It's got four limbs and a head so far. It's also allowing me to eat more vegetables and meats than it did a few weeks back, for which I am extremely thankful. This means that I'm not consuming a half-gallon of yogurt every two days ...

Joy, joy!

Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial #2

2010-06-04T16:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Class #2 with the 5 ~~guinea pigs~~ friends who are letting me teach this wonky log cabin quilting class. So fun!
Last week we cut wonky center blocks (approx. 2.5"ish by 2.5"ish) and fabric strips (from 1.5" to 3.5" wide). We also discussed the basics of making a Log Cabin block, which means adding strips of fabric around a center square in the order of Top, Right, Bottom, Left.

(the "Top" I'm referring to is actually on the right in this image, so in this picture the order of adding is Right Bottom Left Top. But don't tell my class that it can be any other way than TRBL, because I say it at least every ten minutes that a log cabin quilt should be pieced Top Right Bottom Left.)

This week's agenda: piece log cabin squares and then add some wonkiness!

Start with a center block (the large white one). Lay a strip of fabric on one side of the block and trim it to equal length. Sew right sides together (you don't have to backstitch!). Iron seams to one side (away from the middle block, towards the outer fabric). This is your "Top:"

Choose another strip of fabric, either the same width as your Top strip, or a different width. Lay it on the Right side of the block, and trim to length. With right sides together, sew the fabric strip to the block. Iron seams away from the middle block. This is your "Right:"

Continue to do the same process two more times, on the "Bottom" and "Left" sides of the block, ironing after each seam.

This is the part of the blog where I apologize for my picture quality. Oh well, I'm inside under fluorescent lights. What can I say? If you want stellar photography, look somewhere else.

Alright, back to the block - now one whole round of block-making is completed! The next step is to "square off" the block, which doesn't actually mean making it a square at all. It means hacking off the uneven ends, and making the block a little more wonky - but with straight edges. So, line up your ruler along one side (doesn't matter, as you'll be doing this on all four sides) and tilt it a little, so that it's not running parallel to the middle block. If you look closely, you can see that mine is off by about 1/2 inch. It's a WONKY log cabin square, people. This is how you make it wonky - don't give into your urge to make things match up and be straight. Just tilt and cut with a rotary cutter to make a straight edge!

Trim all four sides.

In class yesterday, we made four of these blocks. Then time ran out ...

Hint/preview of next week: make the blocks bigger by (do you want to guess?) adding more fabric strips to the TOP RIGHT BOTTOM LEFT and then square off!

Minty Fruit Salad with Fresh Lime Syrup

2010-06-01T13:51:00.000-04:00

To make fruit salad:
Chop desired fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, berries, and watermelon were my most recent combination) and stir in 1 Tbsp. minced fresh mint. Refrigerate.

To make lime syrup:
In medium saucepan, whisk together 1/2 c. sugar and 3 Tbsp. water. Stir in the juice of one medium-sized lime and 1/4 tsp. grated lime peel. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and continue to boil for 1 minute. Cool completely.

Combine fruit and syrup and chill for 1-3 hours before serving.

Yes, I'm still on the fruit kick! Over the weekend I ate this salad (the syrup was inspired by one that I had at my friend Chantry's house), watermelon popsicles, fresh watermelon, and a ton of apples. That's about all I've been doing in the kitchen.

I think you could probably make the syrup more lime-y by adding the juice of another lime in there, or maybe some more peel. I liked that the subtlety of this syrup didn't overwhelm the flavors of the fruit, but it could be nice to add a little zing to fruit if you wanted that.

This versus that

2010-05-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

Yellow diamonds?

or blue ones?

Time for Class: A Wonky Log Cabin Tutorial in 6 weeks

2010-05-27T16:10:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of my Wonky Log Cabin class - I am teaching some friends the improvisational techniques used for piecing wonky log cabin squares, and then we're going to go through the process of finishing and binding the quilt! It felt OFFICIAL, in a really cool way ... I even drew illustrations on the chart paper in the room. We all agreed that the Women's Center on campus that is letting us use their conference room is awesome. The room is ideal and the space is perfect! Woohoo, Women's Center!

For just in case you're interested in doing the project with us, I am going to post after each class what we do and hopefully include some pictures.
Here's the supply list:
-2 yards of coordinating fabric (in ¼ yd. or more sections – so, 4-6 different fabrics to make a total of 2 yards.)

-1 ½ yards fabric for backing
-1/3 yard fabric for binding (backing and binding fabric can be the same, in which case you could get 1 yd 28 inches fabric to make the backing and binding. Or, you can piece together fabric for the binding. Depends on if you want a “scrappy” look or a whole, seamless look)
-¾ yd. of the 90” wide Warm & Natural batting (or Warm & White), off the big bolt, or batting scraps that you can piece together.
-coordinating thread (I’d say go for at least 250 yards. I usually get “coats and clark all purpose thread” but you can get whatever you want.)
-sewing machine, bobbin, spare needles, pins, good scissors, rotary cutter, mat, and ruler. Oh, and a good seam ripper.

Today's steps:
-Talk about the basics of making a log cabin block. It's actually really simple, and you do the same step over and over until the block is as big as you want it. You start with a middle square, and then add strips around it in the following order: Top, Right, Bottom, Left. More on this later.

-Iron all fabrics.

-Re-fold fabrics so that they look like they did on the bolt. This means that the selvedge (already finished) ends match up. You may want to fold it again (matching the first fold with the selvedge ends), depending on how big your mat and ruler are.

-Now you want to "square off" the fabric. This means cut off the frayed, uneven edges at a 90-degree angle to the fold, so that your fabric is square.

-Cut the fabric into strips of varying widths - I suggest anywhere from 1.5" to 3.5". Cut straight strips (we'll make them wonky later).

-Repeat for each fabric.

-Come back next week!

Homemade Yogurt

2010-05-27T11:17:00.002-04:00

Yogurt - from my friend SB at Market2Meal

2 c. room temperature water
2 c. milk powder
2 Tbsp. yogurt (I've read a lot that suggests plain Dannon as a good starter - it doesn't have additives in it. Avoid the low-fat or no-fat varities for starter. Or, if you're overseas and don't have plain Dannon, read SB's suggestions for how to get a suitable starter)
2 c. hot boiled water

Whisk together room temperature water, milk powder, and yogurt together in a bowl. Add hot water and whisk lightly. Pour into clean jars, and wrap in dish towels (somehow, this is the only picture I managed to take of the process).

Let set for 4-6 hours in a warm place (warming up then turning off the oven is what I did, and I left it overnight. My friend SB wraps hers in towels and shuts them in the microwave overnight. Whatever - just make sure it's warm). When the time is up, remove the jars of yogurt from the towels and refrigerate.

(8 June 2010 - check out the update with my trick for getting thicker yogurt here)

My diet has been a little off recently, which is why I've been taking a surprise hiatus from the blog. Sorry, folks. Turns out, Mr. rhymeswithsmile and I are expecting in December (!), and it's thrown a little wrench in the whole "eating" and "cooking" thing I used to do. I had no idea that I would develop such food aversions here in the first few months. Just the thought of a spinach salad is enough to send me reeling. However, I have discovered that yogurt is one of the few things that (a) sounds appetizing most times of the day and (b) doesn't make me gag. So, prepare yourselves for a few more bland recipes over the next 4 weeks until this first trimester is over. Then, assuming it really DOES get better like so many people tell me, I'll start posting fun and crazy things that involve ingredients like meat, and vegetables, and spices.

Poor Mr. rhymeswithsmile. He hasn't gotten a decent meal at home in at least three weeks, maybe four. Maybe that's why we've been going out of town a lot recently ... he knows that at least our family and friends will feed him!

Growing things

2010-05-19T18:35:00.000-04:00

First garden produce of the season! They are about the size of marbles, but who cares - these radishes are precious. And pink. And spicy.

Other things growing, too ... we'll be in touch.

Tuesday Giggle

2010-05-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to make one of these ever since I started quilting. I love the name. I love the pattern.

And I love red and white.

Oh, goodness. What a start to summer quilting, huh? I'm in love.

I'm using the tutorial that CrazyMomQuilts posted , only I'm not going with her templates (I think templates are a waste of time when rotary cutting is an option). One of her readers left this comment in response to her tutorial, and I've found that to be most helpful:

"Amy said ... The way I did it, which is SUPER super quick was to cut it all with the rotary cutter... I cut slight rectangles, ie 6" by 6 1/2"... this is from both the coloured fabric and the white fabric... then lay the rectangles down on my cutting mat. I then lined it up to cut my diagonals (which will be cut across the long side)... i just lay my cutting ruler across the block 2 1/2" inches in from either alternative side and sliced across the block (this makes the diagonal shape)... i was able to cut several blocks at a time like this without using a template at all... and because you have added the 1/2" the both blocks they end up a square with no trimming... i think i cut a whole quilt in under an hour! Hope this helps others (I don't have a blog to show you) but hopefully you can understand from my instructions! Cheers, Amy 5:15 PM "

I'll be posting more SOON!

Value of 80s

2010-04-27T11:39:00.000-04:00

This was too good NOT to share ... combines my love of the comedic with my brain full of oldies.

In 1989, the government of the United States blasted high-volume music at Panama's president Manuel Noriega in an attempt to force him out of hiding in the Vatican's embassy where he was avoiding capture and criminal charges. The government played such timeless classics as "I Fought the Law and the Law Won" by Bobby Fuller and "Nowhere To Run" by Martha and the Vandellas.

It worked. He was captured by U.S. agents and imprisoned.

So next time you groan at me for loving my "Best of the 80s, 90s, and Today" radio, just remember, it may come in handy someday. I could topple a government with the help of Bruce Springsteen.

See a full list of the government's favorite melodies here. Thanks to NPR's Morning Edition for sharing the story with me.

Kung Pao Chicken (sort of)

2010-04-24T15:31:00.000-04:00

This recipe is from my friend A.H., who spent two years after college in China. When SHE makes this, it tastes authentically Chinese. When I make this, it tastes like a good attempt of a decent cook at coming up with something Chinese (maybe because I substituted three or four things). Try it out anyway, though. It's a nice change from the norm ... (Thanks, A.H.!)

Kung Pao Chicken

Marinating sauce:
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine or sherry (I didn't have this, so I used rice wine VINEGAR instead)
¾ to 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (used a sprinkle or two of dried ginger instead)
1½ tbsp. cornstarch
I added in 1/4 tsp. chili oil to the marinade for a little spice
1 lb. tender chicken breast meat, tendons removed, cut in ½-in. cubes

Seasoning sauce:
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine or sherry (again, substituted an equal amount of rice wine VINEGAR instead)
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame oil (I used vegetable oil, because I didn’t have any canola)
2 tsp. cornstarch

Other ingredients:
½ c. canola or corn oil
½ c. peanuts, roasted and lightly salted (I omitted this)
6 to 8 dried red peppers (how about 1 Tbsp. dried crushed red peppers, anyone?)
2 to 3 green onions, chopped, with 1 tbsp. reserved for garnish

In a shallow dish, stir together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, ginger root and 1½ tablespoons cornstarch. Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the seasoning sauce; set aside.

Place all ingredients and the seasoning sauce within easy reach of the stove. Put the canola oil in a wok or heavy skillet and heat until almost smoking. Add the dried red peppers, the chicken, and the green onions, and stir-fry over high heat until all the pinkness is gone. Add the seasoning sauce. Stir until thickened. Stir in peanuts. Enjoy!

The semester is almost over which means ...
... I get my husband back from the land of academia soon. I'm very much looking forward to it ...
... potlucks start up in just a few weeks (and we're hoping A.H. will bring some authentic Chinese dishes!) ...
... the peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli will go in the ground in mere days ...
... I can stop wearing socks for at least the next few months (ok, well, this has more to do with summer coming than with the semester ending, but the two are identical for me) ...
... more time for experimenting with fun recipes from friends!

One more thing ... last weekend my friend Chantry and I hosted a fun jam-making party at her house, and ended up with more jam than we know what to do with! Check out her blog for a run-down of the events and some cute pictures!

Big deal(s)

2010-04-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

First exciting news of the day: my quiltblog idol and favorite modern quilter, Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts, is coming back to her readers after a 4-month break. I thought she was gone forever, and I seriously grieved a bit when she announced in January that she would no longer be blogging. My modern-quilting inspiration is back though, and I'm so happy!!

Second exciting news of the day: I finally finished a commissioned quilt called "Windowpanes" ... though it probably doesn't look like it, it took me a whole month to finish! There's a lot more piecing in that sucker than you think ...

I experimented with the quilting on this one - don't know if you can see it from the front or not, but the "+" in each block is left without quilting. It shows up on the back a little better ...

Here's a close-up:

I am really pleased with how this turned out. The finished quilt measures 52"x66" - a great lap quilt or picnic blanket size!

Third exciting news of the day: I have ~~forced~~ invited my friends to a quilting class this summer that I'm going to teach ... they are kind enough to let me treat them as my student guinea-pigs, as I learn how to plan and execute a 6-week course in quilt-making! I'm looking forward to spending some summer mornings with sweet friends, and I can't wait to show off their amazing handiwork!

ode to a weeknight dinner

2010-04-15T18:07:00.000-04:00

Patatas Rancheras
4 servings

1 lb. red potatoes, washed and scrubbed (peeled if you want)
salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste
2 Tbsp. butter
4 eggs
1/4 c. salsa
1/4 c. shredded cheese
garnish: lettuce and tomato

Shred potatoes in food processor to make hash browns. Squeeze out excess water and place in a bowl. Add seasonings to taste (I found about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1-2 tsp. of the others was sufficient) and mix thoroughly with the shredded potatoes.
Heat butter in a large skillet until melted. Pour in potatoes and press them down to the edges of the skillet to make a patty. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until they are brown on the bottom. Cut the patty into four sections, and flip each section over to cook on the other side for an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan once the potatoes are soft, translucent, and crispy on both sides.
Using the same skillet (or another one, if you want to multitask), heat a little more butter or oil in the pan. Gently crack the four eggs into the skillet and fry them over medium heat. When the edges start to look a little set, turn them and cook to desired doneness. Turn off heat and remove skillet from stove. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. cheese over each egg and cover skillet for 2-3 minutes.
On a plate, put one quarter-section of potatoes and top with a fried egg. Layer with salsa, lettuce, and tomato.

Oh, weeknight! You leave me such little time
In which to feed this stomach of mine.
I get home from work, and OH! I can't wait
To get something edible onto my plate.
I just have to scramble, with weakening defenses
That say EAT NOW or face consequences.
So potatoes there are, and eggs a-plenty
Throw in some cheese - that's dinner in twenty.
Tomorrow's the same so I'll do what I can
To get food on the table for me and the man.

Life on the Point

2010-04-07T14:10:00.000-04:00

It all started last spring with the innocent plan of saving a bit of money by starting tomatoes, peppers, and herbs from seed. With our initial investment of about $20, some friends and I bought seeds, seedling trays, and dirt. We rejoiced over every little seed that sprouted, and split up the care of the trays between houses so that we wouldn't be over-burdened with the care of such fragile beings.

And, oh, the joy!

Those little plants turned out to be a fruitful (albeit overgrown) garden that we are STILL enjoying the benefits of (yes. I have one bag of corn and one jar of salsa that I just can't bring myself to part with yet. I need to know that I will have a harvest this year before I can say goodbye to last year).

For my birthday last December, my thoughtful husband bought me a fluorescent grow lamp in preparation for our Garden 2K10 (I should have known then that we were approaching the Point of No Return).  The new year began with bitter cold, and, if you remember a blog post from a bleak January night, plans for the summer garden. The mister and I, trying to be a little more intentional about our choices, opted for heirloom seeds from SeedSavers and drooled over them when they arrived. We moved from casual sightseeing at the Point of No Return to considering real estate on the Point.

On March 1, we planted. And ran out of seedling trays. So we got more. More dirt. More seedling trays. We started a rotation of trays under the light, because we didn't have enough space for them all at once. We called on friends to care for the seedlings when we went out of town. We religiously checked them, watered them, petted them, talked to them, screened them from the harsh sun, and talked to each other about them daily:
     "Oh! Look at this little guy! I thought he was done with, but he stood back up!"
     "Check out the peppers. They're setting out their second set of leaves!"
     "I guess I don't have to leave for work just yet. Let me finish watering."
     "Do you think they're OK? I called Rebecca to go check on them. I hope it's good news."

Having learned a lesson from last year, we assumed that roughly 75% of our seeds would either (a) fail to sprout or (b) be killed by us once they had sprouted, so we planted accordingly. So, yeah. Thankfully, we don't have the killer touch we had last year, but surprisingly, we have about 584 sprouts - four varieties of tomatoes, four of peppers, and broccoli. All of those sprouts have to be transferred from the little seedling trays (you know, the little 1"x2" black plastic trays) to bigger peat pots, so that the roots can grow before we set them outside.

Do you know what 584 sprouts in 3" peat pots look like?

We didn't either, until it happened. And we had seedling trays all over the floor and on every table we could find. So we had to buy a 6-foot shelf to put all the trays on. The upside: we can hang the lamp from the wire shelves, so that the seedlings get lots of lamp time. The downside: we're now those people, the ones who buy a 6-foot shelf to put 584 seedlings on.

It's OK. We like the Point. Come visit. You might find that you like it too, and you're welcome to stay.

Greenistrone

2010-04-01T11:52:00.002-04:00

This recipe for Green Minestrone is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe I found here. I tweaked it a bit. So, if you want to go for the original recipe, check it out. If you want to try mine, here goes ...

Time: 30 minutes (it is a Rachel Ray recipe, after all)
Serves: 4-6 (depending on size of serving)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Italian sausage links, cooked and chopped into small pieces (because I didn't have the prosciutto or pancetta that RR called for. I thought about substituting bacon but I didn't have that either.)
1/2 c. minced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 dry bay leaf or 1 tsp. crushed bay leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
6 c. chicken broth
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini (white) beans
8 oz. bowtie pasta
1 c. fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 c. coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Throw in the chopped sausage, onion, and garlic (at this point, if you haven't yet cooked the sausage, hold off on the onion and garlic, cook the sausage, drain the fat, chop the sausage up, then throw in the onion and garlic). Add bay leaf, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onion gets translucent. Add chicken broth and beans. Stir, and bring to a boil. When boiling, add pasta and green beans to the pot and continue boiling for 7-9 minutes or until pasta is just done, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, and cover.
Serve immediately.
(Cook's note: I know Rachel Ray is famous for 30 minute meals, and this one was done, start to finish, in 29 minutes. I may have had a little head start because my sausage was already cooked, my onions were already minced, and I used a bag of frozen green beans, but other than that I was impressed with the 30 minute delivery. Kudos, RR)

In my mind, the time for soup is almost over. Fall and winter deserve soup, spring and summer deserve sandwiches. We may get another cold snap or two, but we are headed towards spring and summer so I must file away my soups until October. I may hang onto this one though, since it uses greens in the soup. We're going to plant our spinach this weekend (a kind neighbor is turning up our garden for us). You know what this means, right? Garden-fresh food out the wazoo and the need for recipes that use early crops in a variety of ways. One can only eat so many salads, right?

This little poem has been on my mind for a few days. I think the brilliant yellow forsythia bush in the backyard, highlighted by the backdrop of green green grass and blue sky, brings it to mind. It's from Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verses 11-12:

For, lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of the singing of the birds is come;

And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Oh, joy!

Neighbors

2010-03-24T14:15:00.000-04:00

Apricot Scones (from C.S., neighbor)

Dry ingredients:
2 1/2 c. all purpose or pastry flour
1/2 c. sugar (granulated cane sugar is nice)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 c. chilled butter, cut into small pieces (you can use up to 1/2 c. if desired)
1/2 c. finely chopped dried apricots and dried cherries (C.S suggests 3/8 c. apricots and 1/8 c. cherries)

Liquid ingredients:
1/2 c. plain, low-fat yogurt
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Stir the dry ingredients together until well mixed. Work in the butter pieces until it is about the consistency of a soft, coarse meal. Add the fruit and stir. Set aside.
Mix the eggs and yogurt, then stir into the flour mixture just enough until it is a "barely together blob" (C.S.'s words were too good to change up).
Dump the blob out onto a clean, lightly-floured workspace. Knead and lightly apply a little more flour as needed, until the blob is mostly together.
Smoosh the blob to an 8-10 inch disk shape. Gently place the disk on a lightly greased baking sheet (C.S. suggests olive oil to grease it). Add the topping by brushing the dough with half-and-half and sprinkling sugar over it.
Cut the dough into 12 wedges, and pull them away from each other on the baking sheet as they will expand during cooking. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Serve warm.

So, I recently went with my husband to the big city for one of his conferences. We stayed in a nice hotel on the river, just at the edge of the commercial downtown, and certainly right in the middle of things. It was spectacular - historical buildings, high rises, architectural feats, enormous bridges, and people. Tons of people. Everywhere. I loved it. Manmade and masterful. In one word: thrilling.

And it confirmed a suspicion of mine that has been growing for the past few years: I am not a city girl.

I like green, and things that are growing, and one- and two-story houses, and neighbors who walk their dogs with you (or walk your dog for you), and wide blue sky and knowing that the tallest thing around is a mountain, or a bird flying over the mountain.

I like my 9.5 minute commute to work, the 4 blocks of downtown (OK, well, I could stand it to be a little bigger honestly), the fact that I have a problem with deer eating my garden vegetables, and that my dog knows the difference between the words "stick" and "squirrel."

I like that my neighbor gave me scones when I dropped in to pick up my dog, and that a few days later the same neighbor came running out of his house, his hands covered in butter and flour, to give me a bag of pumpkin dog treats. I like that all my friends know where the secret house key is, and if they don't, all they need to do is ask in order to find out.

I've decided, I like my not-city life. I'm blessed with friends and neighbors and community. So, I've set a goal for the next few months ... make some of these scones and give them to someone who needs a neighbor.