« September 2011 | Main | November 2011 »
We're a bit jet-lagged and bleary-eyed but Paris seems to have it's own energy - walking around the streets we soon forget about the 14 hour flight, 3 hours of sleep and the inedible offerings from United...it was all worth it.
For my first Parisian feast, I opted for, what else, but French Onion Soup...
First stop today, buy bandaids for my dogs...how DO those French women do it?!? High heels on cobblestones! More to come...
| | |
| | |
October and Chowders go hand in hand. Some parts of the country already have snow and here in the Northwest the rains have returned, the leaves are falling and we've switched our furnace button from cool to heat. And chowder is on my mind. Actually France is on my mind, did I mention we're going there? Did I mention that yours truly will be taking an all-day cooking class at Paris Le Cordon Bleu?!?! Go ahead and gasp, I do every time I think about it! The excitement is making me crazy - so to keep calm, and carry on, I made chowder.
Potatoes, lobster, cream...another trifecta. This is the boy's annual birthday request and since it's a bit expensive, we usually only have this on his birthday...but I think we're going to have to add this to our special occasion menus because it would be perfect on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day or perhaps to enjoy on the last night at home before leaving for Paris!
For you Northwesterners...if you've had the Lobster Chowder at Duke's Chowder House then you know just how incredibly good Lobster Chowder can be...and this, my friends, is exactly like Duke's. The secret ingredient in this chowder is Sambuca, an anise-flavored liquor that is velvety-smooth. It's not strong or over-powering so you'll still be able to taste the sweetness of the lobster. You can also use Pernod, also an anise flavored liquor, which is what Duke's uses but it's ten times as many Euros, I mean dollars as Sambuca and since the lobster tails sent the cash register cha-chinging, I opted for Sambuca, the poor-man's Pernod.
Lobster Chowder - Pots and Pins
1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cooked lobster meat (about 4 lobster tails)
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup Sambuca (two mini-bottles)
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cups half-n-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 2 to 4 minutes. Cover with lid and remove from heat. In a separate pot, bring vegetable broth and Sambuca to a boil, add potatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Remove 1 cup of vegetable broth and slowly add to onion/flour mixture, stirring constantly, bringing back to a boil. Once it is boiling and the mixture has thickened, add remaining vegetable broth/potato mixture to the onion mixture, stirring until well combined. Slowly bring back to a boil. Stir in lobster, half-n-half, salt and pepper and chopped dill. Heat through but do not boil. Serves 4 to 6.
| | |
| | |
Making a tote bag is easy and fun, but no where near the fun you can have filling it up with vintage finds! When the mister sees me getting into the car with a tote bag, he groans so loud the Richter Scale moves. But truth be told, he doesn't mind one bit schlepping my bag for me, unless the bag is uber girly...then he protests, lest someone think he is less than manly! I'm going to show you my time-tested pattern so you can make yourself (and all of your friends) a great tote!
For Your Tote Bag, you will need:
2 pieces of fabric, one for the outside of the bag, one for the inside, to measure 22 x 36-inches
1 piece of batting, 22 x 36-inches
1 piece of fabric for binding, 2 1/2 x 36-inches
1 piece of trim, 36-inches, optional
2 yards of cotton webbing for handles
piece of scrap fabric, for inside bottom of bag, approximately 6 x 18-inches
piece of cardboard for inside bottom of bag, approximately 4 x 15-inches
glue gun and glue stick
For my tote bag I chose a Paris themed fabric (did I mention I'm going to France?!?!) and a black and white polka dot fabric for the lining. I folded my Paris fabric in half and realized that it was directional...so if your fabric is directional, too, then you need to cut your fabric in half, flip one side around, and sew it back together so when you hold your tote bag up, both sides of the fabric are going the right way. Capice? You can see the seam I made in the left and middle shot above (that seam will be on the bottom of the bag)...you want your fabric going the right direction!
Once you've taken care of that, it's time to layer the fabrics together, like you would a quilt, with batting in between your fabrics. Put in a few pins to hold in place and machine stipple, or cross-hatch or do whatever machine quilting you'd like. I just did a big random stipple.
Once your fabric is quilted, trim it up so it's all even (my batting was not cut exactly to the measurement I gave you, but even so, you might need a little trim.)
Next, fold your bag in half, with the lining on the inside. Stitch a generous 1/4-inch down both sides of the bag, (the top is open, the bottom is the fold, just in case you're wondering!) Turn the bag inside out, pushing out the corners and sides, and then stitch down the sides, using about a 1/2-inch seam allowance so you can completely cover the first seam you made. There, you have now made a French Seam. No raw edges showing, all finished nicely...French seam...did I mention I'm going to France?!?
Now we're going to make the bottom of the bag, with the bag still wrong side out, fold the corners flat, well, as flat as you can get them. Using a ruler, measure two inches from the point and draw a line with a pencil. This line is your stitching line.
Once you've stitched both corners, turn bag right side out and notice how perfectly flat it sits! We're almost done!
Binding the top of the bag is our next step. Fold your strip of binding in half lengthwise and press. Pin binding to top of bag, to the lining side and using a generous 1/4-inch seam, stitch into place. Turn right side out, fold binding over and stitch binding into place. Now, at this point you can add some decorative trim if you want, or leave the bag as is - your choice. I decided to add some trim:
If you're going to add trim, you can sew it on when you stitch down the binding, or sew it on after you sew down the binding, either way is fine. (On the bag above I used a shear black loop trim, on the bag pictured above and below, I used a pink gathered ribbon trim - there are SO many adorable trims to choose from that it's mind-boggling!) After the trim is sewn on, or just the binding if that's what you're doing, then you fold the bag over so 1 1/2-inches or so of the lining shows on the top of the bag.
Now come the straps/handles. Cut your straps to the length you want, I cut mine 18 inches long, but I had you purchase two yards of webbing so you could make them longer is you want. 18-inches is a good length - long enough to sling over your shoulder but still short enough to not drag the bag on the ground. Pin the handles where you want them, I prefer to have them 5-inches in from the sides of the bag. Stitch them down by sewing down each side, across top and bottom and then sewing a "X" in the center, click on the pic on the right above to see a larger version. Repeat with the other 3 pieces.
All three of the pics above might look the same, but look closely and you'll see I was "auditioning" different things on the straps...I didn't like the plain look, so I thought I would add buttons...or bows...I ended up with RED buttons - which I thought was so cute! You'll see below...but my point is, you can add whatever you like, something a little more fun and flashy or you can call it good and leave it plain.
The LAST step is to make the bottom the bag more sturdy. I cut a piece of cardboard, from a shoebox or a moving box, whatever I have on hand. Lay the cardboard on top of the scrap piece of fabric and pull the fabric up and over the cardboard and using a hot glue gun, glue into place. Only one side of the cardboard needs to be covered. Turn the cardboard wrong side up, add a few dots of glue to the edges and carefully put the covered cardboard in the bag and press into place along the bottom.
Your bag is now complete...oh, unless you want to sew some pretty ribbon to the top of your bag in the middle, between the handles, to you can tie it closed. I don't always do this, as I usually just like to have it open but these bags just screamed ribbon...so there you have it!
These tote bags were gifts for my dear friends on their birthdays...I wanted them to have something that would remind them of me...in FRANCE...eating macarons, bon-bons, croissants, eclairs and everything else...so I made them French totes and even put a little surprise inside for them:
Aren't these fabulous?!? Clear glass Eiffel Tower Salt and Pepper Shakers! I do hope they like them! The mister informed me that he is NOT toting my purchases all around France, no matter what the tote bag looks like, so when I found these Eiffle Tower salt and pepper shakers in Seattle I bought several sets - and I didn't have to tote them across the pond!
| | |
| | |
We're getting ready...the suitcases have been pulled from the dark recesses of the cave (the closet under the stairs) and our passports have been removed from the safe (a plastic box with a lock and Hello Kitty on the front.) The mister even purchased new shoes for the trip and because he doesn't want them to be tarnished before we leave, the minute he gets home from work he changes into his trip shoes and then walks around the house in them at night - in his pajamas - singing Frere Jacques...
I should have warned you, that song tends to stick in ones head! But you can hum or whistle it while you make this incredible salad!
After cooking the bacon, reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings for the dressing...that's right, bacon drippings are in the dressing...which means you're going to love it! The dressing recipe is from Alton Brown, and you know he would not serve up anything less than wonderful! Serving the salad vertically makes a very impressive statement...and using an apple works just as well and tastes just as good...try this one - you'll get your fruit and veggies all at once!
Vertical Pear Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette - Adapted from Alton Brown and Better Homes and Gardens (The vertical salad idea came from Better Homes and Gardens)
For the Salad:
6 cups greens or Romaine hearts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked till crisp then crumbled
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 pears (or apples)
2 tablespoons lemon juice for keeping fruit from turning brown
Bacon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Make Vinaigrette: In a blender, combine all ingredients, or you can make this in a small glass bowl and whisk ingredients together. It's easier to form emulsion in a blender, however. If whisking by hand, add oil very slowly as you whisk. Reserve at room temperature.
Make Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine salad greens, red onion, crumbled bacon, dried cherries, pecans and Parmesan cheese; toss well. Prepare pears/apples by cutting fruit into three or four slices leaving the stem on the top piece. Using a corer, (or a very small cookie cutter, which is what I used) remove the core - the fruit should look like the letter "O." If needed, take a very small slice from the bottom of the pear so it will sit up straight on a plate. If you're not going to assemble the fruit/salad right away, put fruit slices into a bowl with 1/4 cup cold water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to keep from turning brown.
Assemble salad by setting base of fruit onto plate. Push salad into the center hole and in between slices as you re-assemble the fruit, topping off the salad with the top of pear. Then, add more salad around the plate. Drizzle salad dressing over pear and around salad on the plate. Serves 4.
| | |
| | |
Think of this as a Public Service Announcement...or...permission to stop hating your dishwasher. Because if you're dishwasher is like mine, then you've probably wondered why it wasn't cleaning as well as it should...that maybe it was time for a new dishwasher? That's what I thought. But my dishwasher was working just fine...it was the detergent that wasn't. Last year, 17 states adopted a Phosphate Free policy for dishwasher detergents...because some tree-hugging-spotted-owl-loving-Berkinstock-wearing-chai-soy-latte-sippping environmentalist said phosphates make algae grow in ponds, and apparently that's worse than clean dishes. You can read more about this, on many sites, like NPR or Appliance.net or USA Today
Phosphates can easily be put back into your dishwasher detergent - just pick up a box of TSP at Lowe's or Home Depot, it's in the paint department and a 4-lb. box will set you back about $10.00. I was told the ratio, for powdered detergent, is two parts detergent to one part TSP. So I mixed my detergent and TSP together in a separate container, now I just scoop out the amount I need for each wash. If you use a liquid detergent or those new little balls, just toss in a teaspoon of TSP when you put in your detergent.
Thanks to the Fashionista and her soil-scientist-father-in-law who told me about this...my dishwasher is no longer the recipient of my wrath.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Update: My new BFF Eric left me a comment on this post, he called me "Freaken lazy...narrow minded and short sided..." I took exception with being called lazy...the other names I'll freely admit to! He said I wanted to destroy the environment to keep from having a few spots on my glasses...rather extreme I thought! Eric encouraged me to read about phosphates, what they are and what they do...and I am going to do just that. I will fill my vacuous head, (as Eric said, the ornament on top of my shoulders) with all the information I can find about phosphates and then I will probably continue to use phosphates in my detergent because clean dishes matter to me. But Eric raised a good point...we should educate ourselves about the chemicals in our lives...and then, with whatever brain power we have, make our OWN decisions. Thank you Eric, for your comments and for prompting me to "see the bigger picture." I'll try to do that, but it will be so much easier to see it through clear glass.
| | |
| | |
While I was at my mom's a few weeks ago, we managed to do a bit of canning...
We put up peaches and pickles...as you can see, some of the pickles were "colorized"...mom put green food coloring into some, the others were left au naturale! And in between the canning we managed to spend a good bit of time with Max...we even went to his little school to see him in action. There are 4 kids in the class, all with autism, and 3 adults. two aides and a special ed teacher, it's a wonderful place for him to be. Below is a pic of Max walking to the bus with one of the aides. I asked the girl why she would buy him such a HUGE backpack! And she said, "I didn't buy it - YOU sent it to him!" If I only had a brain.
Max loves Mahter and anything Cars...so now you know what I spend my money on! Okay, let's make some Crock-pot Apple Butter - it could not be easier! Mom and I made a huge batch in her Crock-pot while I was there, and she sent me home with a suitcase of apples so I could make some for myself!
The hard part of making apple butter is peeling and coring the apples, after that it's a cinch! If you have an apple corer/slicer, it will go much faster, but mine broke so I just used a paring knife. The apples go into the Crock-pot with some spices, vinegar and juice and then the lid is put on and you walk away for about 6 or 8 hours! Your house will smell amazing! When the apple butter is done, use an immersion blender to puree the apples, or you can use a regular blender, pureeing in small batches so you don't get burned. Fill sterilized jars and once cooled, you can keep them in the refrigerator or you can process them in a hot-water bath so they'll keep indefinitely, which is what I did.
My mom's Crock-pot was larger than mine and it must have cooked at a higher temperature, the apple butter we made there was done in 6 hours - it was thick and delicious. My apple butter took 7 1/2 hours until it was thick enough to bottle - but maybe that's because I lifted the lid after 6 hours to check, and then again after 6 1/2 hours...and every time you lift the lid on a Crock-pot you need to add about 20 more minutes of cooking time!
Crock-Pot Apple Butter - Pots and Pins
10 lbs. of apples, I used Granny Smith apples
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup apple cider, or apple juice or water
Wash apples. Peel, core and slice into 1/4-inch slices. I put my slices into a large bowl with a 1/4 cup of water and a 1/4 cup of lemon juice so the apples wouldn't turn brown. This isn't necessary but I took my time peeling the apples so I wanted to keep them fresh. If you do this, be sure to drain off the water/juice and rinse apples before putting them into the Crock-Pot.
Fill Crock-pot with apples. Add spices, sugars, vinegar, lemon juice and apple cider. Put on lid, turn to high and let cook, undisturbed, for 6 hours. After 6 hours remove lid and using an immersion blender, puree the apples. If you don't have an immersion blender (get one!) transfer, in batches to a blender and puree until done. If the apple mixture is thick enough, then you can pour it into sterilized jars. If it not as thick as you would like, put the lid back on and allow to cook for another hour or two, checking every hour to see if it's ready. If you are going to process the apple butter in a hot-water bath, do so for 20 minutes, then allow jars to sit on the counter top until completely cooled. If you don't process the jars, keep in refrigerator, should last about a week. I was able to can eight half pints of apple butter...just enough to last me through the chilly Autumn weeks ahead.
| | |
| | |
After a long morning of flying around the house (working for the mister, running errands, cleaning the castle) I happily settled into a chair at Kareena's house for our Quilt Group meeting. Our entire group was there, including Nancy, a former member who defected and moved to Arizona, and she even brought quilts! (It started to rain during our meeting and Nancy admitted she MISSED the rain! Words I never thought I'd hear from her!) We had a great time and saw some great quilts that I'm going to share - so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
Above are Janet's red pinwheel blocks. We each made her four blocks, and as you can see, it's going to make a beautiful quilt! I have a red pinwheel quilt, it's one of my favorites, and I should have taken it to our meeting for Janet to see, but I forgot, so here's my pinwheel below:
Scrap-happy reds, creams and whites with a flying geese border...I was SO happy to be done with triangles when I finished that one! Stephanie brought in an old quilt she found at a thrift shop, so Janet could get another idea of how to piece her blocks together:
This quilt top has a bit of damage but it's still wonderful! Stephanie used to use it as a Christmas tree skirt, bundled up at the base of her tree, but Steph, it's too pretty for that! You need to repair it and get it quilted...in all of your spare time!
This is one of Kareena's first quilts, she made this sock money quilt for her daughter. A few weeks ago some of us from our group took our quilts and went to a Nursing Home where we showed our quilts to the people who live there - it was fun for us and for them. Anyway, Kareena held up this darling little quilt and I told her I loved it and had never seen it before...she laughed and told me that I had quilted it for her!
Nancy brought this darling halloween quilt she made for her daughter - and she even pieced the back! The fabric with the little skeletons is glow-in-the-dark fabric so her grandkids really like it!
Nancy also brought three doll quilts that she made for her granddaughters - and she pieced them all without paper-piecing! In the pic in the middle there is a pen in the top left corner so you can get an idea of just how small those pieces really are! Adorable little quilts!
Helen wowed us with this whole-cloth quilt - and since Helen usually always pieces her quilts, we all thought those circles/flowers were appliqued on! This is a great way to showcase pretty fabric or to make a quilt in a hurry for a wedding or baby gift. This quilt is super soft because Helen used Hobbs Heirloom batting, 80/20, you just can't beat it!
It's just too cute...all different presents - different sizes and shapes - and with the perfect backing, this is such a fun quilt! Nice work Helen! I'm still working on my Christmas blocks and I have a tutorial for them that will be up soon!!
This is Ardith's Valentine quilt - all finished. It has kind of a vintage look and I love how busy it is, plus the backing fabric is adorable. I, for one, would love to wrap up in this on February 14th with a box of chocolates...hint, hint!
This pretty butter yellow, red and green quilt is Claudia's - I loved it. My camera doesn't do the colors justice - the colors are a bit more vibrant. Claudia also brought in a box of pre-wound bobbins that didn't fit in her machine, but they fit in mine...SCORE! I detest winding the bobbin...when my bobbin runs out I take that as a sign to quit sewing - that's how much I hate winding the bobbin! Now I'll just pop in a pre-wound bobbin and keep on going! (You'd think I buy them for myself but they are dang expensive, and doing so would only be admitting just how lazy I truly am, so this is a real treat!)
Barbara brought her Christmas Gift quilt, made in her other quilt group, and while very different from Helen's, it's equally as wonderful! Perfect little presents all lined up and waiting to be opened! And look at the great border she found to go on her quilt! People Christmas shoppping! Barbara is the maker of perfect quilts - every one is spot on - as a hack quilter it is fascinating to me! In my next life I'm going to be Barbara, the maker of perfect quilts!
Barbara found this quilt top at a thrift store for $30.00!!! It's all hand-pieced and hand-appliqued! Thirty bucks! We all loved this - oohs and aahs all the way around - uttered to cover up our jealousy!
I saved MY favorite for last...this is Barbara's quilt top. Each member of our group made one of the blocks for her, the block is made up of 16 half-square triangles. I think Barbara decided not to add borders - as it's pretty big. I just love this top - when it's my turn to receive blocks from the group I'm going to have them make me the same thing...probably the smartest decision I've made all year!
Well that's it...short and ever so sweet! It was a great meeting followed by an even better lunch! Kareena served us Tomato-Basil Soup, Salad and Grilled Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce! We all left well fed...in every way!
| | |
| | |
I'm a lucky girl...my new BFF's at Cholula sent me this nice little 4-pack of their fabulous hot sauces, and I do mean fabulous! But before you run screaming for a glass of milk, these sauces are not all that hot - there is some heat but not enough to curdle your tongue. And the flavor they impart just can't be beat...let's put it this way, I'm a fan and a big believer that if you add Cholula you've got a party.
So my new BFF's asked me to create a recipe using their sauce - and, in my humble opinion, I came up with a dang good one, although I'm not sure your cardiologists would approve, so let's go with don't ask, don't tell.
I love the color of avocados - in/on everything except appliances! After you remove the avocado from the peel and remove the pit, you slice them, dredge in seasoned flour, dip in egg, roll in Panko bread crumbs...and then you deep fry them, in Canola oil, because, as you know, it's a healthier choice!
Seriously good. Now, if I was dining with foodies, I would have added the Cholula Sauce to the egg dip, but since I live with a caveman who's idea of spice is a sprinkle of salt, I didn't. That way he could eat his fried avocado plain, unadorned, without any fan-fare or zippity-do-dah.
About the sauce...which one to choose?!? I love the original, it's no non-sense, you'll get a nice little kick and while that's great, to use the Chili Lime sauce is like adding a Mariachi Band! The hint of lime will be like a finishing touch - it will brighten up whatever you put it on and on Fried Avocado, it was my first choice. However, having said that, I can tell you my favorite was the Chili Garlic Sauce...garlicky goodness...I could eat this with a spoon - and I did! The Chipotle Sauce is a bit stronger, not heat-wise, but with that deep smokiness Chipotle peppers give. It was also dang good with the Fried Avocado - with every bite you'll have the crunch of the coating, the creaminess of the avocado and a little zip and from the sauce...Let's do the math: crunch + creamy + zip = The Holy Trinity of Treats!
As long as I was going down the Fried Road...I thought a little sour cream and cheese might come along for the ride! It was a glorious trip!
Fried Avocados With Chili-Lime Cholula Sauce - Pots and Pins
2 to 3 avocadoes, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten with a fork/whisk
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Canola Oil for frying
Cholula Hot Sauce, Original, Chili Lime, Garlic or Chipotle - whatever lights your rocket launcher
Optional toppings: sour cream, grated cheese, salsa
In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2-inches of oil to 375 degrees. Put flour, egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Add the salt and pepper to the flour bowl, whisk to combine. If you want more "kick" to your avocado, you can add 1 teaspoon of Cholula Hot Sauce to the beaten eggs, this is optional, but I would recommend it.
Dredge avocado slice in seasoned flour. Dip in egg and roll in Panko bread crumbs. Set on plate until ready to fry. When oil is ready, place about 4 pieces of avocado into pot, cook for about 30 to 40 seconds, turning after about 15 to 20 seconds, or when golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a rack over a cookie sheet to drain and cool slightly. Repeat with remaining avocado pieces. Serve with Cholula Hot Sauce and any other toppings you might want. Makes about 2 dozen pieces, depending on the size of your avocados and if you used 2 or 3. Serve warm.
| | |
| | |
Recent Comments