Pots and Pins

Apple Dumplings...

If there's one thing the mister loves, aside from working, it's dessert....but only "white dessert."  What's a white dessert, you ask?  Anything that isn't chocolate.  I try to have dessert for him every night - June Cleaver would be so proud, if only I wore pearls....tonight the mister is getting Apple Dumplings - a super fast and easy dessert that tastes just the opposite.  I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Ree has a great website - she takes wonderful pictures - not the least bit blurry (how does she do that?!?!) and her instructions are top notch.  I'm not going to give you the recipe here - I want you to go to her site and get it - just to see her pictures!  I will tell you that Mountain Dew is the surprise ingredient and that these apple dumplings are melt-in-your-mouth-good!   

I could have eaten the entire pan - and I don't even like apple dumplings!  Ree's recipe makes 16, I cut the recipe in half and just made 8....and I was sorry I did. 

Slow-Cooked Cuban Pork Chops ...

I knew I wasn't going to have a lot of time today to put dinner on the table, (the mister hates it when he doesn't get his dinner!) because I went with some friends to the big sewing/quilting show - Sew Expo - in Puyallup (pronounced pew-al-up.)  This is a once a year extravaganza and it was great fun - hundreds of vendors and "famous sewers/quilters" all around.  When someone in our party heard that the "Queen of Heirloom" was there, she gasped!  No lie - this was a big deal.  And an all-day deal.    Which brings me back to my point...lack of time to cook...so before I left I threw 4 thick-cut pork chops into the Crock-Pot with a few other ingredients; 6 hours later they were cooked to perfection.  The best thing about these pork chops, aside from the ease of preparation, is the subtle hint of orange that comes in every bite. Back to Sew Expo....as I said, a lot of vendors - I took a lot of pictures - slyly of course.  I did imbibe a bit, but just with 2 1/4 yards of fabric and a few little patterns....I definitely was NOT the big spender - always my goal!  The BEST part of Sew Expo was afterwards...we made a pit stop at 7-11...yes, 7-11 !  I haven't been in a 7-11 in years and it's filled with great things...here, have a look:

How long has it been since YOU'VE had a Slurpee?!?  They have new flavors....tangerine-Orange and Banana and Wild Cherry and Fresh Lemonade Slurpees...one sip and it was 1975 again....I was driving my little Black Beetle while trying to steer, shift and sip my Slurpee at the same time...ahhh...so good...and then they had this case filled with FRESH DONUTS!  The smell was heavenly - I passed on the donuts, only because I was trying to calculate the sugar in the Slurpee - I didn't want to pass out from a diabetic coma while driving home!  Up by the register they had the hot dog, pepperoni stick, taquito machine...a work of art!  Truly, I loved every second of 7-11...much more than Sew Expo!

This recipe came about from several trips to a local Cuban sandwich shop - I have tried, unsuccessfully, to duplicate their pork.  My first two attempts were close, and yet...not.  But I loved how my third attempt turned out - the slow-cooking, in orange juice, makes the meat very tender....and I think you'll like it too....so I give you:

Slow-Cooked Cuban Pork Chops

4 thick (1 1/2 inches) boneless pork chops (you could use a 3 to 4 lb. pork roast as well)

1 cup orange juice

juice from 1/2 of a lime

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 white onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh cilanto, chopped, as garnish, optional

Put all ingredients in Crock Pot, except for pork chops.  Stir with wooden spoon to combine.  Set pork chops in Crock Pot and spoon some of the mixture on top of them.  Set temperature to high and cook for 6 hours without lifting lid.  To serve, spoon some of the juices and onions on top of pork chop and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.  

Minky and The Three Bears...

I finally finshed this sweet little blankie for Cash - yes, they are back to naming my grandson Cash - at least that's what they say today.  They had reconsidered, after I told them that the poor little child would be called nickel, quarter, dime, dollar, ATM, etc., etc., his entire life...and told me they were going to name him Jackson Cash....which I love...but now Jackson has gone by the wayside because they apparently met a Jackson they didn't like.   Que sera sera....it really doesn't matter because as I've said before, I plan on calling him Max - and he will look adorable and be soft and comfy and warm wrapped up in his new blue and brown minky blankie with brown satin trim...

The Three Bears love the new blankie...brown swirly minky on one side, blue silky minky on the other....what's not to love?  The Bears were rescued from an evil woman who put these little innocents up for sale in her garage....she told me her mother made them, her poor old, arthritis-stricken mother...and she was selling them about five minutes after her mom went into a "home"...I promised to take good care of them and the evil one said, "I don't care what you do with them!"  In FRONT of the bears!!!  Rest assured they have a good home now.   

Happy Anniversary To My Boot...

Today marks my 3 month anniversary with my boot...THREE STINKIN' MONTHS IN THIS THING!  And no, saving the treads on all of the right shoes in my closet does not make up for it!  I slipped off of a flip-flop...a 1/2-inch high flip-flop...and that was the end of my right foot.  My tendon has been irreversibly stretched, or so the last quack I saw told me...One ER doc, one Family Practitioner and one Podiatrist...three months and thousands of dollars...okay hundreds....and still I wear the boot....do I sound bitter?  No, really, I'm not, I like wearing a TEN POUND WEIGHT around my leg!  Okay, so it's not 10 lbs...it's close - at least 4 - but because it's a lighter shade of gray it looks bigger!  This boot has about a 4-inch rise to it...so if I don't wear a 4-inch heel on my left foot then my "gait" gets all messed up and I hobble!  I sounds like some crazed monster is walking with me....step, thud, step, thud....and people look at me and  and give me their "pity stare" and I give them my "it's okay" shrug and they scurry off on their two good feet and I, well, I step, thud, step, thud....if I wear a heel on my good foot, then I've noticed people looking at me like I'm crazy...."She's got a bad leg and she's wearing heels, what an ejit!"  I KNOW that's what they're thinking - heck, it's what I would think!

There is no end in sight for this unsightly boot...I fear that one day I will look down and it will have attached itself to my leg permanently!  So tonight I'm going to mark my 3 month boot anniversary by watching Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot.  And next week I'm going to see yet another doctor...this one claims to be a "specialist"....we'll see... 

Hooter Hiders....

I can't take credit for the name - not sure I would want to - but that's what these are called.  It's a "cape" of sorts - for nursing mothers.  This afternoon, Michelle Williams and I made Hooter Hiders....for our nursing daughters - or soon to be nursing daughters.  They are the latest rage - but then, those of you in the leche world already know this...You can buy them in baby boutiques and on-line for a pretty penny - but they are super easy and inexpensive to make - so easy that you don't even need a pattern!  These are so much better than throwing a blanket over the mom and the baby...especially if it's hot out!  They are made from light-weight cotton fabric that is machine washable, with boning inserted around the neck so the neck edge sticks out, allowing the mom to see her baby....genius!  There are two terry-cloth pockets on the backs of each corner - so the mom can wipe up any spillage - that's the right terminology, no? 

The lovely Michelle is modeling one of her Booby Traps....Hooter Hiders....  

Thanks for the idea Michelle - it was great fun! 

Tagg....You're IT...

My friend, Mari-the-Fashionista, became a grandma earlier this month - before me - which is wonderful...she is bravely blazing the trail!  Her grandson Tagg is just adorable - and seeing Mari hold him is a very sweet thing.  He truly is a beautiful baby.  I had forgotten how small newborns are...although my kids were never as small as baby Tagg....my daughter weighed 9 lbs. 7 oz. and was 23 inches long - she was a VIKING BABY!  My son came in (or is that out?) just over 9 lbs. but was only 19 inches long...(he now towers over me - and sometimes when I see him I'm shocked at how big he is!  When did this happen?  How is it he got older and I didn't?!) 

I am helping give Whitney, Tagg's wonderful mom, a baby shower and I spent the better part of this afternoon working on a little something for the shower...so Whitney, if you're reading this, please act surprised when you see the finished product - which I hope will have more "pizzazz" than it does now!

Baby Quilt #3...

When I saw this pattern I knew I had to make this quilt for my grandbaby....It's from the book Peek-a-Boo by Amy Bradley Designs...isn't it just the cutest baby quilt you've ever seen?!?  I bought the pattern months ago and had been procrastinating starting it because there were just so many pieces!  But it wasn't too bad!  I cut out the pieces/blocks last night and sewed the blocks this morning - raw-edge applique - couldn't have been easier.  I didn't use Wonder Under or any other fusible - just pins.

The splotchiness on the fabric is actually water - I wet it to wash away the blue placement lines...now I just have to quilt it.  I'm starting to feel the "pressure"....5 weeks till my grandbaby arrives...so many things to finish for him!   I took the picture below so you could see my latest baby bootie creation...that's one of my daughter's dolls holding them - and they are so soft, I loved the yarn I used - threw away the label or I'd tell you what it was.  The doll is sitting in front of a painting I did about 12 years ago - that's Tiffy on the left and Budgie on the right - my little Shihtzu's, now in Canine Heaven, are immortalized on the Imaginary Baby's room wall...the Imaginary Baby is a story for another day...

Coconut Macaroons...

   

 

These have to be one of the easiest cookies to make...and my recipe for Coconut Macaroons is a bonafide tried and true recipe - it has never failed me...until today.  But I'm not going to blame the recipe...or, heaven forbid, moi....that would be wrong...instead I'm going to blame my new oven....it's not brand-spankin' new but in "oven time" it qualifies as new.  My oven is 16 months old....and while it's been used practically every day, sometimes twice a day, it should still be working like a dream!  I've had it repaired twice in the last year....TWICE!!!  So today, I'm going to OUT my oven because if you're in the market for a new oven/stove combo, I want you to know that I think mine sucks! 

When we redid our kitchen I wanted a Viking or a Wolf range/oven combo...and I had the mister on board...he was prepared to open his hermetically sealed wallet and everything...we went to look at appliances and there it was - the stove of my dreams...and it was $4,500.00.

Now, there are two things you need to know: 

1.  The mister promised me when we got married that I could have everything I needed....not everything I wanted...unfortunately all I heard was the first part!

2.  I am great at spending little amounts of money....$50 here, $100 there, but never more than about $200 at a time...anything over that and I get a little queasy....so to spend that HUGE amount of money on something that I wanted was, well, it was very scary for me.   So I told the mister that I needed to think about it.  We left the appliance store and went to Home Depot to buy a lawn mower...he apparently has his needs, too! 

As we walked in the door there sat this Jenn-Aire range/oven....only it didn't just have ONE OVEN...it HAD TWO!!!  I was thrilled!  My kitchen is rather small and I really wanted two ovens but didn't have room for them...so this was my answer!  I happily gave up my silly notion of buying a dependable, reliable, albeit expensive range and purchased the Jenn-Aire....to the tune of $1,800....an enormous savings in comparison.....but now I'm crying WOLF....WOLF....I should have bought the WOLF!        

The first batch of macaroons were burned - the coconut ending up hard and brittle.  The second batch, pictured on the far right was a little overdone but edible and the third batch, pictured above on the left was just right...but only because I kept opening the door to look at the thermometer and then had to adjust the settings....exasperating!  They should have baked in 15 minutes but instead took 30!!!  I'll wait to call the repairman when I'm calmed down...but SOMEONE is going to GIVE ME SOME SATISFACTION!  Oh yeah...it's no longer under warranty.

Coconut Macaroons - Pots and Pins

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg white

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoons almond extract

5 1/2 cups flaked coconut (about 2 1/2 of the 7 oz. packages)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheets with foil and grease and flour foil or use Silpat sheets.  Set aside.  In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla and almond extracts.  Stir in coconut.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets; with back of spoon, slightly flatten each mound.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden.  Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.  Makes about 40 cookies.

Oscar Gumbo...And The Oscar Goes To...???

I mentioned in an earlier post that "Southern" started to seep into our family when my brother married his Southern Belle...while that's true for my family, it's not true for me...oh no...I began to get my indoctrination the minute I said "I DO" to the mister - who was raised on a tobacco farm in North Carolina and then spent his formative years in Maryland - living the first third of his life below the Mason-Dixon line.  When we got married before a Justice of the Peace in Memphis, Tennessee, little did I know, being oh so young and stupid - (so young it was almost criminal!!) that eating Southern would become a BIG part of my life - starting with grits every Sunday morning...yes, EVERY Sunday morning!  When we lived in the South, I began to realize that I was a Southern gal at heart - even though I have an aversion to the word Ma'am. We usually have some sort of annual Gumbo-Fest - it's great fun to make a big batch of gumbo and invite over the neighbors - because it ain't really Southern food unless it's shared... but today, being Oscar Sunday and all....with the "pre-game" festivities starting at 3:30... we decided not to invite anyone over - we don't like any distractions when watching the Oscars...nope, it's just the mister and me in our PJ's - with gumbo from 3:30 on...

 

 

 

I had two gumbo recipes  and over the years I ended up combining them into one very tasty gumbo...of course, this gumbo has okra in it because the mister grew up eating okra in his gumbo - (all gumbo's are not created equal and not all have okra - but adding okra, which is somewhat "slimey" really adds to the finished gumbo)...fresh okra is hard to find around here so I use frozen.  If there is a secret to gumbo, it's the roux....it's got to be cooked until it's a deep chocolate color or it just won't have the depth of flavor that you need....

The roux starts out with oil drippings and flour, so it's fairly light in color.  As the roux cooks, over medium heat and for about 20 to 25 minutes, the color deepens and just when you think it's deep enough, give it another few minutes - it should be the color of dark chocolate.

 

   

 

 

 

This gumbo freezes well and since it makes a big batch I'll freeze what we don't eat today and we'll probably eat this again on another special occasion - uh-huh, the Oscars are a special occasion...like when we're watching the Final Four...actually, the mister watches the Final Four - I watch him.  He's a riot when watching college hoops - he jumps up and down and screams at the TV - it's great entertainment!  His team, his alma mater, Memphis, is currently number 1 in the country - at least until the polls come out tomorrow morning - they lost last night to number 2 Tennesee...another one of "his teams" - so it was a HUGE night around here - he's a little hoarse this morning and my sides ache from laughing at his antics!

 

Oscar Gumbo - Pots and Pins

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 lb. andouille sausage or other smoked sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces

vegetable oil

1 large can (49 oz.) chicken stock or broth

1 cup flour

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

1 (10 oz.) package frozen okra

1 large red pepper, chopped

1/2 large green pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon (or more) Tabasco sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Cooked rice for serving

In a large skillet over medium high heat, season with salt and pepper and brown chicken in 1/4 cup oil for 10 minutes.  Add celery, green onions, red pepper, green pepper, onion and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened.  Remove from skillet into a large bowl.  In same skillet brown sausage, adding a little more oil if needed.  Remove to bowl with chicken and vegetables.  Pour any remaining oil from the skillet into a large Dutch oven or stock pot, adding enough additional oil to measure 1/2 cup.  Stir in flour, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly...and I mean constantly... until roux is chocolate colored - almost a deep reddish-brown color.  Be careful not to burn it - which is easy to do, or you will have to start over...have I said that enough?!?   

When the roux is done, very slowly add in chicken broth, be careful as this will splatter.  Using a whisk, mix the broth with the roux.  Add in the chicken, vegetables and sausage.  Mix to combine.  Stir in the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and adjust salt and pepper.  Stir in frozen okra.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour, partially covered.  Remove gumbo from heat.  Serve over hot, cooked rice. 

Makes 10 servings.       

Sew Day The Sew Whats Way...

If only I could have captured the chaos, the laughter, and the fun....I tired!

Sew days are not easy...first we have to schlep all of our "stuff" to someone's house....sewing machines, ironing boards, gobs of fabric and all the other necessary little items that help us sew "easier"...we all looked like we'd been to several garage sales when we arrived - trunks full of stuff!  We unloaded everything, set up our machines and then set about trading fabrics for our project...and that's when the 10 experts-who-care-about-value-and color-and-design separated themselves from the 1 non-expert....that would be me, who's motto is "if it's close enough, it's good enough."  Feel free to quote me.  They sorted through their fabrics, matching them, tossing the ones they didn't like and adding in new ones, trimming threads, coordinating the pieces, and even ironing!  I set about sewing.  Until it was time to eat - and I swear these women are the BEST COOKS IN THE WORLD!     

  Our menu:  Spice cake with caramel frosting and jam filling; turkey roll-ups; oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies; cheese cake cups with key lime topping; pannini's with proscuitto, fontina and fig jam; chicken salad; Italian chicken lettuce wraps; pasta salad; macaroni and cheese; hamburger-cabbage casserole; goat cheese with caramel and almonds on crackers....serioulsy good food...and a coffee cake that got us all going!

    

After lunch Barbara gave us a little tutorial on how to make perfect circle blocks - from the book Pieced Curves by Dale Fleming.  We are going to make circles using this "new" method when we make blocks later this year for the Play For Pink Cancer quilt ...at least we're going to try!  It started out looking so simple - glueing fabric to a piece of cardstock with a hole in it....and that's where she lost me but with a little help I think I'll be able to do it.  The advantage of doing circle blocks this way is the edge is so precise - unlike the circle blocks with the raw edges pictured above.

After hours of sewing, eating and laughing, we loaded up our stuff and crammed it back into our cars - suffice to say it was a 4 Advil night.  Some of us actually did get quite a few socks done...but the experts, who are known for their beautiful and precise quilts, didn't even plug in their machines! 

This is what the finished quilt will look like - the pattern is from the book Sun Flower Patch by Teri Christopherson and it's called Lost Socks.