Season for Soup

Steve and I planted a few plants this year. You can see two of the many butternut squash. Steve found a great recipe to use up one of the squash. We made Curried Squash Soup. The recipe is yummy. Very delicious! You'll have to try it.

The recipe came from allrecipes.com. It is a cool website. You can post pictures of the recipe after you make it. You can also comment on what you thought about the recipe.

Also here is an update on my bindings. I have all the binding sewn on all six quilts. Now I just need hand stitch them to the back of the quilts. Look for pictures of the quilts as I finish the hand stitching.

Blast from the Past

I just have to say that I love my sister-in-law, Julie.

You need to see her blog, Our Flock Rocks. I think you will see from the blog she is such an amazing person and raising a wonderful family.

Putting the link to her blog is a bit selfish. Her latest blog entry, The Quilts of N.E.C. Part 2, is about a quilt I made for her. It was fun to make and it is wonderful to see the quilt still being enjoyed and being taken care of. It is in such great shape even after 6 years. Thanks Julie for the blog dedication! You are wonderful!

Borscht and Bindings

I am really buried in bindings. At the beginning of the week I had six quilts that needed bindings and all the ingredients for borscht.

Does anyone hate as binding as much as me? It is definitely the least favorite part of making a quilts. I've been quilting for about six and a half years and my first binding was this year. A few tutorials later, now I know how to do binding, but I still don't like doing them. I started doing binding and now I have three bindings sewn on the front of three quilts and three left to cut. That leaves all the hand sewing as well. The first picture is of the first three quilts with the binding attached. The second picture is of the three quilts waiting for bindings.

Like I said I had ingredients for borscht, the infamous Russian beet soup. Let me be the first to tell you it is delicious.

Here is my attempt at writing out a recipe for something I just make from memory.

Ingredients:

1 package of stew meat (about 1 pound)

2 Bay leaves

2 large potatoes, cubed

1 medium head of cabbage, shredded

2 medium beets, grated

2 large carrots, grated

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

fresh parsley and dill

Directions:

Brown the stew meat in olive oil in a large pot. Once the meat is browned, add 6-8 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Salt the broth to taste, maybe even a little salty. Add the bay leaves. Boil for 15 min. Add the potatoes. Cook for an additional 10 min, until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the cabbage and return to a boil.

While the meat and potatoes are cooking, in a frying pan saute the beets, carrots, onions and garlic. You may find it worth your while to find a sucker to grate the beets for you, to save you from red hands for the day. (Thanks, Steve!) Cook until onions are clear. Add tomato sauce and simmer until cabbage has been added and the water has returned to a boil. Add the tomatoes and vegetables to the pot. Also add fresh the fresh chopped herbs, about a tablespoon of each. Simmer for 5 min. Remove from heat. Borscht is better the next day, so better to prepare ahead of time. It is served warm. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Celebrating the harvest

Today was at work was a lunch celebrating the fall season and the harvest. We were asked to bring a treat to share that used apples or pumpkins. I decided to make Apple-Almond Cheesecake. If you follow the link, you will notice that my cheesecake doesn't look quite as good as the professionals. So here is the recipe.

Apple-Almond Cheesecake
Bon Appétit October 2003 Apples sautéed with brown sugar and cinnamon top this almond-flavored cheesecake. Bake it at least one day in advance. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.
Makes 12 servings.

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 1/2 7-ounce packages almond paste, crumbled
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
Apples:
4 large Jonagold apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into
1/3-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan.Wrap bottom with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend, crumbling almonds slightly. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
For filling: Combine almond paste, cream cheese, and sugar in processor; blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.Mix in eggs until just blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake until center is set and top appears dry, about 45 minutes longer. Cool. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
For apples: Toss apple slices with lemon juice in large bowl.Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add apples and sauté until golden and tender, stirring frequently, about 9 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until coated and glazed. Cool slightly.
Run small sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake.Release pan sides. Arrange apples (warm or room temperature) in concentric circles atop cheesecake. Brush apples with any juices left in skillet. Cut into wedges and serve. Wrap bottom with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend, crumbling almonds slightly. Press mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
For filling: Combine almond paste, cream cheese, and sugar in processor; blend until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.Mix in eggs until just blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake until center is set and top appears dry, about 45 minutes longer. Cool. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
For apples: Toss apple slices with lemon juice in large bowl.Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add apples and sauté until golden and tender, stirring frequently, about 9 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until coated and glazed. Cool slightly.
Run small sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake.Release pan sides. Arrange apples (warm or room temperature) in concentric circles atop cheesecake. Brush apples with any juices left in skillet. Cut into wedges and serve.

I also put together two grocery bag sized tote bags as door prizes. I think they are so cute. I think I'm addicted.

Brussels sprouts? Who knew?

I grew up only having had one experience eating brussels sprouts, but once was enough to scare me away. So skip forward twenty years, I'm walking through the farmers market. A booth has a two for one special, so it's brussels sprouts and green beans. Green beans are safe, but brussels sprouts are scary.

My favorite website for recipes is Epicurious. You can search for recipes with a particular ingredient and ways to prepare. So Steve found a recipe for Pan-Browned Brussels Spouts. He even prepared them. Needless to say, they were delicious, so I'm sharing the recipe.

Pan-browned brussels sprouts

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Serves 2 or 3 as a side dish.

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Trim Brussels sprouts and halve lengthwise. Cut garlic into very thin slices. In a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably well-seasoned cast iron) melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil over moderate heat and cook garlic, stirring, until pale golden. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to a small bowl. Reduce heat to low and arrange sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle sprouts with pine nuts and salt to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning, until crisp-tender and undersides are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

With tongs transfer sprouts to a plate, browned sides up. Add garlic and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pine nuts are more evenly pale golden, about 1 minute. Spoon mixture over sprouts and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Flutterby Fun

Who knew that four-patches could be so much fun? So this is a great quilt that I just finished using Moda's Flutterby line. The pattern is from Glad Creations and is called Four-Patch Fun. It is a great pattern for showing off your fabric, because it has 5 inch solid blocks alternated with 5 inch four-patches. This lets you use larger prints.

I think the quilt ends up looking very springy and feminine. I love it!


I also got my quilt back from Carol, my quilter. I wanted to post a picture of it so you could see what a great job she did quilting it. I think it is beautiful!

Nathan's World Famous Snickerdoodles

So maybe they aren't world famous, but they are pretty darn good. I was at a work picnic, and needed to bring a dessert. So I really slaved to wip up a batch this morning. I did a little prep work yesterday, to get ready for this morning and help save time. They end up soft and chewy and are already a big hit. I can't believe I'm sharing this recipe. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tubes of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough

1 cup baker's sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Open the tubes of cookie dough. Form one inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated. Bake for 12-14 min.

Enjoy!

This Just In!

Here is the latest on news on my "Twice As Nice" quilt. I got it off in plenty of time to my quilter, Carol Brown. She was following my progress on my blog. I think I was making her a little nervous.

So the good news is that Carol has the quilt locked, loaded and ready to quilt. She was even nice enough to send me a picture of the quilt on the frame for me to post here.

Thanks Carol!

Overachiever?! Me?

Two posts in one day? Overkill you say. No way, not when you make such cute wine totes. I think they are such a great way to dress up a wine bottle and make it a special gift. Well I've got a secret. Promise not to tell? The cowboy tote actually has Grey Goose in it.

I got the pattern from the Teri Atkinson book, "Lets Do Lunch". The pattern is the wine tote pattern and uses two fat quarters and an eighth yard cut for the tie. Here is a link to Atkinson Design. They have such great stuff on the website.

http://www.atkinsondesigns.com/

Happy Birthday Steve!

Happy B-Day Steven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took almost a year but you now have a quilt from me. Lucky you!




Here is the info on the quilt for all you quilters out there. This quilt only uses Jo Morton Fabrics. Almost all of the fabrics come from the Jamestown line. I love the variety of value and pattern found in the fabric line. Sometime when you only use one fabric line you end up with a boring quilt because all the fabrics are to Matchy-matchy. I think I ended up with a quilt that has a lot of visual interest and has a very autumn look.

Here is a link to the swatch list.
http://www.andoverfabrics.com/OurDesigners/SingleGroup.asp?GroupName=JAMESTOWN%20BY%20JO%20MORTON/OurDesigners/SingleGroup.asp?GroupName=JAMESTOWN%20BY%20JO%20MORTON




The pattern is designed by Glad Creations, called Bear Tracks. I made the quilt as part of what they call Mystery Weekend. Here is a little description of the weekend. You get fabric requirements and cutting instructions in the mail, so all you really know is the size of the quilt at this point. When you arrive you get the first clue, which are instructions for a block used in the quilt. Every couple of hours you get a new clue and at the end of the day you see the entire quilt and the layout. The next day is used to continue working on your quilt. It is a log of fun. Glad Creations still has room in the class, so if you hurry and sign up you could get in this fall's session. Here is a link to the pattern, Bear Tracks.

http://www.gladcreationsquilts.com/patterns/beartracks.htm