Pots and Pins

Thank You Quilt...

If you're a quilt maker then you make quilts for fun, for family, for friends, for baby's and as "thank you's," and for many other reasons as well...one can never make enough quilts!  As great as it is to make and give a quilt as a gift, I can tell you it's equally as great to receive one.  (The quilts I've been given over the years are more treasured than anything I could ever make.)  And I'm hoping the recipient of this quilt will love it, even if it doesn't quite measure up as a thank you.  I know this won't even begin to thank my friend for all she has done for me and all she's given me, but it's the only thing I could think of to do for her.

This quilt was started five years ago!!!  I had something else in mind when I began this quilt, (I wrote about this in a recent post on Stash Manicure/Sew We Quilt) and it just didn't feel right, so I allowed the RED and cream triangles to "age" just a bit...

And while they were aging  I discovered my friend liked BLUE!  So I started collecting blue fabrics, which, as you know, takes time...one cannot just dash into a quilt shop, grab a bolt of blue and be out under and hour...or two!  And when one is making a scrappy quilt and has hardly any blue fabrics in her stash, several trips to the quilt shops are required!

Two years pass and then my friend learns to quilt...and she is not an ordinary quilter, she is extraordinary (some, okay me, would say freakish!) because her very first quilt outshined everything I've made in eons of quilting!  Points matched, corners lined up, seams were straight...I'm telling you, it was a thing of beauty and it was her FIRST QUILT!  Then with her second quilt she "lapped me"...and I began to have serious doubts about the quilt I was making for her...how could I give her something that was far inferior to her work?!?!  (I bleed insecurities)  So another year passed.  Then another.

There comes a time, as each quilter knows, when that quilt just has to be finished or trashed.  Pieces had been cut.  Blocks had been sewn.  Strips had been pieced...it was time.  So five years after thinking, "I need to make my friend a quilt to thank her for all she's done..." I finished her quilt.  And while it's not perfect...and she's into Modern/Contempory and not Country...I can honestly tell you it was quilted with love...love for her and her family.  I really hope she likes it!

Thank you, from the bottom of my blue stash.  For everything.

 

Five Pepper Cola Pork...

When it's too hot to turn on the oven, or slave over the stove, it's time to get out the Crock Pot...not that I would know about it being too hot this time of year as summer doesn't arrive in the Northwest until July 5th.  I do love my Crock Pot though - I love plugging it in early in the morning before I leave for the day and coming home to the sweet smell of dinner!  And let me tell you, you will smell this dinner as you pull into the garage!  While still in your car with the windows rolled up!

 

 

 

Five peppers...red, green, orange bell peppers, Anaheim and Pasilla peppers, too...and if you want to get crazy, make SIX Pepper Cola Pork and toss in a jalapeno!  It all gets thrown into the Crock Pot, along with a pork roast (I like the shoulder blade cut) with a bit of seasoning and then a 12 ounce can of Coca Cola is poured over top.  That's it...set the dial to HIGH and let it cook for 4 1/2 to 5 hours...the aroma will make you drool...keep a bib handy.

It cooks down quite a bit and is bursting with flavor!  Here's the good part, you can eat the roast as is, sliced or shredded on sandwiches with the peppers or onions as toppings...or...for a flavor explosion, you can do what I do...remove those pepers and onions and put them into the food processor with some sour cream...it will make the most wonderful sauce/dressing you've ever tasted and then you can use it on your sandwiches, or over your Five Pepper Cola Pork Salad!

Five Pepper Cola Pork - Pots and Pins

3 1/2 to 4 lb. pork roast (shoulder blade or Boston butt work great)

1 large onion, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and sliced (this is a very mild pepper with very little heat)

1 Pasilla pepper, seeded and sliced (this has just a bit more heat than an Anaheim, but not as much as a jalapeno so still pretty mild)

1 jalapeno - seeded and sliced, optional

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sugar

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 can (12 oz.) Cola, not diet

Put all ingredients in Crock Pot, turn setting to high, and cook for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  Remove roast to a plate, cover with foil and let sit for 15 minutes.  (At this point you can either slice the roast or shred, whatever your preference.)  Using a slotted spoon, remove all of the onions and peppers.  Put in food processor, add 1 cup sour cream and process until smooth.  Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Serve sauce with pork roast over rice, noodles, pinto beans or on sandwiches.  Sauce is good warm or cold.  Serves 6. 

Roasted Salsa...

We had some friends over for dinner this past weekend...and you know what that means, cleaning, cooking, baking and the mister fretting over bald spots in his lawn (not so worried about the one on his head!)  You see, there are only a few things that the mister has true ownership over...his comb, his golf clubs, the old metal file cabinets in his office and the front lawn.  Everything else falls under my domain...yes, I realize it's not fair but since when is life fair?!  The mister takes pride in his possessions and his grass-growing abilities...but this year, where the grass should have been there was more moss and weeds than grass (we do live in a rain forest)...so he purchased enough chemicals to neutralize a landfill and set about destroying the weeds.  In the process he created a few dead zones where it now appears nothing will ever grow again...So back to the dinner party, everything went swimmingly, we had a great meal, the weather was perfect and as our guests were leaving, heading out the front walk, one of them said, "What's with the spots?  Are you trying make crop circles?  Trying to attract a few UFO's?"  And just like that we went from having dead zones to crop circles to UFO landing spots...the mister was not amused and started to explain what had happened, but no one listened, they were too busy laughing at the thought of him trying to communicate with something out there!

 

 

 

You won't believe the difference roasting makes!  It's fantastic!  This is my new favorite salsa - I've made it about a half dozen times in the last two weeks - it's addictive!  **You can roast your veggies in the oven (more about that in the recipe below) but this time I roasted my veggies on our grill, until the outside of the peppers were charred and the onions were nicely browned.  Once all the veggies are roasted to perfection, they are seeded, stems removed and everything (except the corn) is put into the food processor with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of olive oil...I'm telling you, this will knock your sombrero off!

The corn is removed from the cob and added to the pureed veggies...then it's time to dig, I mean dip, in!  We are big salsa eaters...in fact, I come from a long line of salsa eaters, not to be confused with salsa dancers, however, eating this salsa will probably make you want to dance the salsa...it's that good!

Roasted Salsa - Pots and Pins

1 large while onion, sliced

1 large red pepper

1 large green pepper

1 clove elephant garlic (sweeter and more mild than regular garlic and the cloves are huge!)

4 tomatoes

2 corn on the cobs

1 Anaheim or Pasilla pepper

1 small jalapeno pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for brushing on veggies

1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed

juice of 1 lime

Heat grill until hot, place all veggies on grill and lightly brush with olive oil.  Place corn off to the side or on a higher rack so it is not directly over the heat, it needs to cook for about 15 minutes, rotated every 5 minutes, until it is done.  Close the grill lid and allow peppers, tomato and onion to cook for about 5 minutes, then rotate and repeat.  You want to char the veggies, blister the skin, on all sides.  The onions will brown fast, so remove them when they are done to a plate to cool.  When the peppers, chilies and tomatoes are done, remove to a plate to cool slightly. 

Set corn aside.  When veggies are cool enough to handle, remove stems, seed and roughly chop.  You can also remove some of the charred peels but I like to leave a little on as it adds flavor.  Place all veggies into bowl of food processor or blender, add cilantro, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil (add another if you want it to be a bit creamier) and the juice of 1 lime.  Process until fairly smooth, with no large pieces.  Remove corn from cob, using a sharp knife (if you stick the cob into the hole of a Bundt pan and slice downward, the corn will fall into the pan instead of flying around the kitchen.)  Stir corn into the salsa.  Add more salt and pepper, if needed.  Salsa can be eaten immediately, although it will be warm or you can refrigerate it and eat it cold.  Makes about 3 cups.

 This is dang good, 5 dangs on the ol' meter...and really, it's healthy and good for you and practically diet food, if you don't eat too many chips! This is a very adaptable recipe, if you want more heat in your salsa, add another jalapeno, if you want less heat, just use half of the jalapeno or omit it altogether.

**To roast your veggies in the oven, remove tops, stems, seeds and slice into 1-inch slices and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil over all.  (I did not roast the corn in the oven but cooked it in the microwave, husks left on, cooked on full power for 2 1/2 minutes, then turned over and cooked for additional 2 1/2 minutes.  Let corn sit in husks until cool enough to handle, this also helps to steam them a bit, then remove husks and set aside.) Put in 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the veggies are soft and starting to brown/char.  Remove and follow recipe above for seeding, chopping and putting into food processor.

***I love roasting tomatoes in the oven, they add so much flavor to salads, especially pasta salads and will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.   

Pots and Pins Have Gone Their Separate Ways!

That's right...from now on, my Home Page will feature only food (and whatever else I feel like putting here)  but all of the Quilts, Quilt Group Friday, Sewing Projects and related posts will be found under my NEW Link above!  Just click on Quilts-Pins and you'll be whisked away to my quilts! 

Thanks so much to a devoted reader who fixed my blog problems for me!  He's smarter than a 5th grader and didn't charge me a dime...I will repay him by doing the flowers AND food at his next wedding!

Quilt Group Friday...

I've been behind the thimble lately (quilt speak for running late) and am practically bald from pulling my hair out over issues with my blog/brain and the lack of shared information between the two!  But that's another story, which would involve too much time and not enough drugs, so let's move on to Quilts! 

It was Marsha's month to receive blocks from the group...she is an Aunt Gracie kind of gal and she's going to make a sampler quilt...notice anything about those blocks?  Say the difference in size?  We can't do math...we try...we really do.

 

 

 

 

While math may be a problem for our group, there is no lack of creativity abilities...especially when it comes to Stephanie.  She brought in something she is working on with her art students...Woven CD's!  Won't this make an interesting/unique/fabulous wall hanging? 

Stephanie also came prepared with a tutorial for our group - one that is going to revolutionize  my quilting life!

 

 

 

 

 

She demonstrated how to make FOUR half-square triangles with two squares of fabric - genius!

1.  Two squares of fabric, RST, stitched around all 4 sides.

2.  Cut in half on the diagonal, both ways.

That's it.  Two steps and you end up with FOUR half-square triangles!  I was overjoyed, however, the experts in our group pointed out one teensy little thing...bias edges.  Well, bias, a true four-letter word if there ever was one, is not in my vocabularly...not when you can replace it with the word EASY!!  Thanks Stephanie!!

Helen showed us her latest circle quilt - I love how there is very little room between the circles.  And she brought in her newest baby boy quilt - isn't the quilting great on that?

Another quilt from Helen - her Tree quilt and it appears she DID do the math because look how great everything lines up!  I love this quilt - would be so nice in my family room! 

This is one of Claudia's quilt...it's a Kaffe design.  My younger sister, who looks older than me, came with me to our meeting, she loved this quilt and begged me to make one just like it for her...and I will...as soon as I can get the image of the last quilt I made for her that was used as a DOG bed in her GARAGE out of my mind!  Nice work Claudia!

Two more of Claudia's masterpieces...beautifully pieced with yummy fabrics.  Claudia does her own long-arm quilting - I wish you could see her work on the quilt pictured on the left - amazing!

This adorable quilt was made by Terry for her granddaughter Amaya's first birthday -  it's an Amy Bradley pattern and Terry did such a great job with it - it's almost as cute as Amaya herself!

Our hostess this month, Ardith, showed us her latest creation, her Valentine Quilt - and it's huge - my picture cut off half the quilt!  Nicely done Ardith!

This last quilt is Barbara's nine patch, made with blocks from a group exchange we did years ago.  She took our ugly blocks (that's what we all called them) and turned them into a beautiful quilt!!  She is quite the quilting magician, if you ask me!

Well, that's it - another great meeting - another great quilt show!  Our group always inspires and motivates me to get going on my projects - and I have been doing just that - more quilts to show coming up!

 

Lost Socks Quilt...

I started this quilt in 2008...it was a group project, click here to read what I posted after the top was finished, I actually said, "I'm anxious to get it done!"  In "Quilt Speak" the word anxious means 3 to 4 years, give or take a year.  So anxious was I that in only three years I was able to finish this one - aged, quilted and now "birthed."

 

 

 

And I must tell you, it was worth the wait.  For a quilter, there is nothing quite as wonderful as "birthing" a quilt...washing it gently, putting it in the dryer, waiting patiently for it to be tumbled into quilted-cuddly-goodness...and then gently pulling it from the dryer, warm and smelling so fresh.  Aaah, it's what we quilters live for!  This quilt is from a pattern called, appropriately enough, Lost Socks, by Teri Christopherson; it's in her book titled, Sunflower Patch (thanks to Marcy for letting me know!)  Several in our group finished their sock quilts long ago, all the same yet different. 

My quilt is backed with flannel so it's warm, soft and has a cuddly quotient of about 98.9%.  Cuddly Quotient is a quilting term, by the way; flannel always ups the cuddly quotient - feel free to quote me.  Can't wait for a cold day to wrap up in this one...oh, like today!  Rainy and 59 degress out...perfect quilt/TV time!

Seriously, how could anyone not want to sit in that chair and cover herself up with that quilt?!   Today, my friends, it's good to be me!

Lemon-Coconut Bars...

Oh sure, everyone makes lemon bars, but not like this.  Not with a coconut crust that is chewy and dense with toasted coconut.  Not with a lemon center so chock full of creamy lemon flavor you'll be tempted to pucker your lips - but don't waste your energy on puckering, save it all for chewing, swallowing, lip-licking and savoring every crumb of these delicious bars.

Before I get to the bars, let me tell you about my recent adventure on eBay.  A few weeks back a friend and I hit the neighborhood garage sales.  We both spied this beautiful sitar...she was thinking of buying it as a "conversation piece" for her office and for $25 she would have gotten a lot of talking for her money.  But she passed on the sitar so I bought it...thinking it would be a great additon to my "eclectic collection" of musical instruments, alongside the accordion and the kazoo.  The lady who sold it to me said she purchased it from an Indian college chum 25 years ago and it needed some strings...that was all she knew about it, aside from the metal tag that said it was made in India.  Well, this beautiful instrument sat in my house for a week and then I decided it didn't quite fit with the accordion and the kazoo...so I listed it on eBay...after 5 minutes worth of research.  I'm not sure why I decided to list it for $200 plus $75 shipping but it seemed fair and I really had no idea of its worth.  Ten days later, after SEVEN inquiries, I had sold the sitar for $275 and I was thrilled...what a tidy little profit I made!   When I went to ship it, I stopped into the music store next to the UPS store...where I was told the sitar was probably worth between $800 and $900...and then more good news...the UPS store informed me shipping would cost $120!  So, while I still made a profit ($155) and was happy, I could have been happier!  On the flip side, the guy who bought the sitar got a GREAT deal!

Moral of the story:  5 minutes of research is not quite enough. 

 

 

 

One of the other great finds I made at the garage sales was a stack of old Bon Appetite magazines.  I love reading about food almost as much as eating it and this recipe went to the top of the "make" list as soon as I saw it.  IF you have summer where you live, these are the perfect accompaniment to any summer fete...IF, like me, you're still waiting for summer (it arrives in the Northwest on July 5th) then this will tide you over until it does, finally, arrive.  5 dangs on the Dang Meter...count one for every bite, as in "dang this is good," and "dang, this is soooo good, " and "dang, this is SO dang good..." you get the idea.

Lemon-Coconut Bars - Bon Appetite, April 2004

Crust: 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, cooled

6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

For Crust:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (To toast coconut, spread evenly on rimmed baking sheet and put in 350 degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't burn.  Remove and let cool.)  Line an 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving overhang.  Butter foil.  Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds.  Add toasted coconut and butter; process until mixture resembles fine meal and begins to clump together.   Gather dough into ball.  Press dough evenly over bottom of prepared pan.  Bake crust until golden at edges, about 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare filling:  Combine 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel, flour, baking powder and salt in processor.  Blend filling until smooth. 

Remove crust from oven.  Pour filling evenly over hot crust.  Return to oven and bake until filling begins to brown at edges and is just set and springy to touch in center, about 30 minutes.  Transfer pan to rack; cool lemon bars completely before removing them from pan.

Using foil as aid, transfer lemon bars to work surface.  Flatten foil edges.  Cut into 16 bars.  Sift powdered sugar over tops.  (Can be made 5 days ahead, store in airtight container in single layer.)

Lemon-Coconut bars make a wonderful gift...who wouldn't want these?!?