Pots and Pins

Road Trip With The Boy...

Riding shot-gun, navigating, sight-seeing, doing hand-work, munching on junk food...how could that NOT be fun?!?  Well-ell-hell...do things ever go as planned?!?  We left sunny Seattle for Bandon, Oregon...The Boy and Map Quest said it would be a six hour drive...they both lied. 

Bandon, Oregon is the home of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort...which is where The Boy has dreamed of playing...I talked my way into riding along because I pictured a scenic drive down the coast with stops at antique and quilt shops, farmers markets and visiting little seaside towns...yes, I was delusional. 

Traffic was a nightmare - but once we got past the Tacoma Dome we started to make good time...did you know Tacoma smells?  Some days it's not as bad as others, it's the paper mills in the city, you would think trees/paper wouldn't stink but as we drove through the city it was gaggingly awful!  The Boy informed me that the Tacoma Dome is the world's largest wooden dome...I have no idea if that's true or not...and I didn't want to look it up either because the city smells, so they might as well lay claim to the world's largest dome...I can give them that!

Our first stop was Portland's Stepping Stone Cafe so The Boy could finish off a plate of 12-inch diameter pancakes...the "short stack."  He heard about this place on Man vs. Food...and the food was great (I had their grilled cheese with a cup of tomato-gorgonzola soup...very tasty) but I felt very out of place without any tattoos or body piercings.  Maybe next time I'll go prepared with a rub-on tattoo.  As The Boy said, the only thing  wrong with Portland is they don't spay and/or neuter their hippies.  My apologies to any hippies lacking a sense of humor.

We also stopped at the block-long-world-famous-Powell Books...I could have spent all day in that fabulous book store!  But having The Boy with me was like having a chihuahua nipping at my heels...I was only allowed about 20 minutes! 

Portland is a beautiful city - it's known as the City of Roses and as we walked around we saw roses everywhere - and they smelled heavenly...so much better than Tacoma!  I love Portland's Pearl District - wonderful shopping and restaurants and no trip to Portland is complete without a stop at VooDoo Donuts or Fabric Depot!! 

After killing more time than we had planned in Portland, The Boy was hell-bent on getting to Bandon without stopping again...so much for doing antique and quilt shops!  As the hours rolled on...we realized that there was NO way we'd make it to our destination in six hours...we left the house at 9:30 am and arrived in Bandon at 8:45 pm...11 hours!!!  And there was no scenic beach driving either...I-5 South to Eugene...then we headed West to the Coast only Highway 101 doesn't really follow the coast - it's inland about 2 miles so we were driving on windy, two-lane roads where the speed limit was about 30 mph and we were often stuck behind logging trucks, semis, trailers...at times we could have walked faster! 

Once we made it to Bandon, which is not the end of the earth but you can see if from here...we checked into the Sunset Motel...which is really quite lovely!  We have beach access as we are on a cliff over looking the beach...and the scenery is amazing!  Huge boulders dot the coast - the tide was out when we arrived so we were able to walk the beach and enjoy the sunset. 

The Boy will golf, I will write/paint/sew and catch up on email...and walk the beach hoping to find a few treasures along the way...I'm somewhat of a shell/driftwood freak...we all have our crosses to bear!

Update:  We woke this morning to rain...cold, drizzly, windy...The Boy left to play golf and I went for a walk... I returned soaking wet and freezing only to discover I had locked myself out of the room...thankfully the maid took pity on me...and then things went downhill from there...I realized I had left my cell and laptop chargers at home and will  be off the grid in less than two hours!   I also burned my thumb quite badly and scorched my shirt because I cannot wear a wrinkly shirt in a motel while I do nothing...and I left my camera at home but I brought the charger for that!  These pics are with my cell phone...which is now dead...things are going great! 

Christmas Quilt...At Long Last!

TEN years in the making!!  And it's finally finished!!!  This calls for a celebration of the highest order...a threesome with Ben and Jerry!!  I shall wrap myself in this Christmas quilt, eat ice cream and try to remember who made all the blocks!  This was a group block exchange...but not everyone signed their names to their blocks...

This quilt would still be unfinished - and probably sitting for at least another year - because I decided last year, when I finally sewed the blocks together, that I would hand-quilt it.  Crazy is as Crazy does.  And once I went down that road there was no turning back (or so I thought!)...hand quilting just takes time!!  Last week, I had finished quilting all of the blocks and had the four borders left to do...that was just overwhelming to me...four borders that really needed some kind of decorative hand-quilting and me without any psychotropic drugs!  So I made an executive decision and machine stippled the borders!  It was SO freeing!!  An hour later the quilt was quilted...the binding was sewn on and I was nearing the finish line...I could hear Gloria Estefan singing, Coming Out of the Dark in my head...and then, after ten long, long years, I put this beauty into the washing machine and the dryer...and this morning I birthed my quilt!

Thanks to Mari, Susan, Helen, Deborah and Jane - they signed their blocks so I know which ones are theirs!  But I can only guess at the others...IF you made me one of these blocks - let me know!  I made quite a few myself and I do remember using some of the blocks I got for this exchange in another quilt...and while all the blocks are wonderful...my very favorite thing about this quilt are the pieced sections that Deborah made for me...those little "strips" of fabric that separate the blocks - Deborah pieced all of those scraps together!!  Don't you just love crazy people!?! 

 

This is backed with a red and white checked flannel - it's super soft and cuddly...sure to keep me warm while I'm watching those Hallmark holiday movies starting in November! 

This makes an even dozen Christmas quilts for me...one for each of my real and imaginary children - the imaginary kids never gave me a minute of worry - bless their hearts!

On this gray, cold, rainy June Day, things are just a bit more cherry now that this quilt is done...and good thing too because there are only 196 days till Christmas!!

Cow Pies...Really, Really Good Cookies...

The final read of the year for book club was Doc by Mary Doria Russell.  A book about the infamous John "Doc" Holliday...who I had no interest in whatsoever so I decided not to read the book.  And then...a phone interview was scheduled with the author and I did not want to be sitting around a table with a dunce cap on, yet again, so I read the book...and I'm SO glad I did!  Not only was this a fascinating read, but it was entertaining...Russell is a great story-teller, weaving history of the Wild West, Dodge City, Wyatt Earp and a cast of other real people,  with an intriguing fictional back-story...I can only say, using the author's own words, it put a shit-eating grin on my face.

 

 

 

And so did these cookies...they are not your average chocolate cookie...so don't waste them on the kids...these cookies are for serious chocolate lovers...chocoholics/chocotics/chocopologists...you could even call them a gateway drug - they are that good.  Let's start with the toasted pecans...fragrant and lightly browned in the oven...then there's the pound of melted semi-sweet chocolate...yes, you read that right, ONE POUND of chocolate is mixed with sugar and eggs that have been beaten for five full minutes...until slow ribbons fall back into the bowl when the beaters are lifted.  Heaven awaits!  There is only 1/2 cup of flour in this recipe...which is why these cookies look like cow pies...they are ever so slightly crisp on the outside with a crackled and bumpy surface but inside...oh inside(!)...they are fudgy soft with an intense chocolate flavor...but hold your horses because these cookies also have semi-sweet "dark" chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, too!

Doesn't that pic almost bring you to your knees?  These cookies will put the giddy back in your giddy-up - or put you in a coma - oh wait, that's just me.  Which is why I had to share these cookies...I took my Cow Pies to my Literary Group...Doc Holliday himself would have appreciated these cookies as he was a cultured and schooled man, who was used to the finer things of life...classical music, good books, the best whiskey and the occasional whore...hey, it was the Wild, Wild West after all!

 

 

Make these cookies - you won't be sorry - you might be up a few pounds the next day but who isn't?!  They are worth the time/money/trouble...which isn't all that much...if you love chocolate, then these cookie will be your new best friend.  Amen.

Cow Pies - Pots and Pins

1 cup pecans, chopped (you could use walnuts)

1/2 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder (if you use instant coffee, make sure you crush the granules so it turns into a powder)

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (the better quality of chocolate, the better the taste!)

1/4 cup butter, cut into small chunks

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (Nestle makes these and they are goooo-ood!)

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant.  Be careful not to burn.  Remove and let nuts cool, then chop coarsely.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and espresso powder or instant coffee.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. 

In the bowl of electric mixer beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow and thick, 5 full minutes.  (Do not rush this, five full minutes are needed.  When you raise the beater the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.)  Beat in the cooled melted chocolate and the vanilla.  Mix in the dry ingredients but only until just incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter just until firm, about 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.  Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing evenly.  With moist fingers, press batter to form 3 to 3 1/2-inch rounds.  (I made my cookies larger, I was envisioning a larger cow(!) so mine were about 5 inches round, you can make them any size you want, just as long as they are about 1/2-inch thick.)  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set.  The tops will be cracked and shiny.  Do not over-bake or the cookies will be dry...good but dry!

Remove from oven and place baking pan on a wire rack to cool.  DO NOT remove cookies from baking pan for at least 10 minutes, they need to "set".  When cookies are firm, remove from baking pan and let cool completely on rack.  These cookies are best the day they are made but can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days.  Makes about 20 large cookies.

"If I should step in soft cow manure I would not even clean my feet on that bastard!"  ~ Attributed to Lottie Deno of Ft. Griffen, Texas, in 1877, who was referring to Doc Holliday.

Just so you know, these cow pies are meant to be eaten...not stepped in.

Korean Beef Skewers...Bulgogi...

Like Van Cleef needs Arpel and Funk needs Wagnall...I need my daily morning blog read.  I love checking in to see what Deb's whipped up or how Karon is doing (her mom is in the end stage of life) or what magnificent quilty things  Lori, Nanette/Freda and Stephanie have made...they all put a smile on my face...and then there is Chris of Nibble Me This who usually makes me laugh out loud followed by a drool or two.  When I saw his post for Bulgogi I went out that day and bought the ingredients...knowing it would be good...and it was.  The mister and boy ate every piece and then requested I make it again.  And that never happens!

 

 

 

Bulgogi is not a word I had heard before...if you said, "And then she bulgogied all over the place," I would know what you meant...or if you said, "That Bulgogi cut me off a mile back and I almost ran off the road!"  I would get your drift...and even if you went so far as to say, " Why don't you go Bulgogi yourself!"  Well, I would understand...but to find out Bulgogi is a food - and a very delicious food, well, that took me by surprise!  

Thanks Wikipedia:  "Bulgogi (Korean pronunciation: [pulɡoɡi]) or neobiani^[1] is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, chicken or pork. It is listed at number 23 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011...The word Bulgogi (불고기) literally means "fire meat" in Korean..."

 Chris' recipe sounded great, and I suppose I should have just sent you to his post, which if you haven't visited you really should, but since I made a few changes I thought I'd tell you about them.  And I only made changes because I live in an area where I can purchase thinly sliced Bulgogi meat (Uwajimayas) and instead of using ribeye, which he suggested, I used Beef ShortFlake - which I had never heard of either!  And it was SO DANG GOOD!  Oh the things I'm learning!! And I opted to use Sweet Soy Sauce instead of regular soy...it's thick, slightly sweet and not as salty tasting.  As you can see, this made a lot of skewers...but each skewer only has the equivalent of maybe two bites of meat so they will fly off the plate.  If there are any left over, they are just as good the next day...make sure you seal them in a Zip-lock style bag so the entire contents of your refrigerator don't smell and taste like garlic!

Korean Beef Skewers - Bulgogi - Adapted From Nibble Me This

1 1/2 lbs. Shortflake steak, thinly sliced or you can use very thinly sliced Rib-eye, strip or flank steak

1/4 cup Sweet Soy Sauce

1/4 cup mirin (similar to rice wine vinegar, which you could use as a substitute, plus 1 teaspoon of sugar)

6 cloves, garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 green onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, loosely packed, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake

16 wooden skewers (you can find them at most grocery stores, soak in water while meat is marinating)

Sweet Chili Sauce for Serving, optional

If you are not using already sliced beef (by your butcher) then freeze your beef for about 30 minutes so it will be easier to slice, across the grain, as thinly as possible.  Place sliced beef on a rimmed baking sheet.  In a blender combine the remaining ingredients until smooth.  Pour over beef and using a fork, or your hands, make sure all of the beef is covered in the marinade.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour.

You can grill this over an open flame, or on a gas grill, which is what we did...in my next life I'll be real grilllllller.  If you want the particulars of grilling over a charcoal fire, click here.  Place skewers on grill and cook for about two minutes, then flip over and cook for additional two minutes.  Since the meat is so very thin, it doesn't take long.  Cook until they are lightly crisped on the outside and browned.  Remove and serve.  Serves 4.  (The meat-man at Uwajimaya's suggested I serve Bulgogi with Sweet Chili Sauce, it's not how Koreans eat it, but it was excellent!) 

We also had Garlic Green Beans - which are incredibly good and easy to make...click here for the recipe.

These would also make excellent appetizers!  Which is why I now have them filed under Parties!

My Latest Quilt...

This one only sat in the "to finish" pile for a year - that's got to be some kind of speed record!  I love this quilt - I had planned to give this quilt to newly weds when I pieced it last year...but after THREE emails asking about colors and size and getting NO response, I took it as a sign that they didn't want a quilt from me...and it's just as well because now that this is finished there's just no way it's leaving...I love it too much!

It was a buggar to make...so don't look too closely as not all those seams line up...in my defense I think I was medicated at the time...or should have been...whatever, I did my usual work...but here's the good news, it's all made with scraps!  So this was a free quilt!

It's a happy quilt, no?  Love the lime green, turquoise and burgundy...I machine quilted this with a big random stipple and it's been washed and dried and is incredibly soft.  I used 100% cotton batting and love how it shrunk around the stitches. 

The rhododendrons are still in bloom!  The Northwest is full of color this time of year - if only the sun would shine!  It's been so rainy and gray I was tempted to leave my quilt hanging over my deck rail just to brighten things up a bit - but the rhodies definitely help!

I'm close to having another quilt finished!!  I haven't been this motivated to get things done in a very long time...I don't know what the reason is but I'm not going to question it...just got to keep on going before this phase passes!

This quilt is 62 x 72-inches...the perfect size to wrap up in while watching the Queen's Jubilee festivities on the telly, sipping tea and eating biscuits...I might visit Downton Abbey this evening or go with Austin Powers for a bit...in the meantime, would you mind passing the sugar? 

Cherry Cola Roulade/Cake...

I was trying so hard to be good...testing every day, all day (glucose) and trying to keep my numbers in an acceptable range - which is terribly hard!  For me, the only way to control my diabetes is to walk every morning (3 to 4 miles, depending on how hard it's raining) and to eat lettuce followed by a chaser of lettuce with lettuce for dessert!  Actually it's not that bad, but some days it seems like it...and then something happens...I'll get a whiff of real food...or I'll see something on TV...or my blood sugar will drop so low that the only thing that will save me is dessert!  So you might say this cake is a life saver...

 

 

 

Sweets are really not my thing, the mister is the one with the sweet tooth in this house.  Me?  I prefer salt and comfort foods...which is why I'm so salty and comforting - you are what you eat!  But this roulade/cake is amazing...and it happened quite by accident!  I was cleaning out some recipes and a couple of old newspaper clippings fell on the floor - one was for red velvet cake and the other for a cherry cola cake - I took it as a sign and combined the two!  Viola!  The chocolaty goodness of red velvet meets cherry cola swirled around a delectable cream cheese and whipped cream filling...nothing short of magical!

 

 

 

 

If you haven't made a roulade before - don't worry - it's very easy.  Parchment paper on the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet makes the cake pop right out of the pan.  Once the paper is removed the edges are trimmed...they are considered personal property of the baker and she does not have to share them with anyone!  The cake is then rolled up in a powdered-sugar coated clean dish cloth and left to cool for about two hours...and then the fun part begins!

 

 

 

 

What sets this cake apart from any other chocolate or cherry cake is the cherry-cola reduction that is used to flavor the cake batter and is also brushed onto the cake after it's been baked, cooled and unrolled.  The cherry cola reduction soaks into the cake, giving it that extra burst of cherry flavor...I'm telling you, it's mind-blowing-blasting!  This cake needs to be made the day before you want to serve it because it needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before serving but it's really best if refrigerated overnight.  (It can be made two days so it's the perfect party cake - you can make it ahead of time and have no stress about dessert the day of!)  So plan ahead - I promise you it will be worth it!  Don't worry if your cake cracks like mine did (above), I was a little too hasty and didn't let my cake cool completely.  The cracks are all covered up with the cream cheese-whipped cream frosting that has just a hint of almond flavoring...bada bing!

Just take a minute and enjoy that picture...I'm not saying this is the the best cake you'll ever have...I'm saying Shut-the-Front-Door-Hot-Damn-Jiminy-Cricket-Slap-Your-Grandma-Hold-The-Phone-And-Do-The-Watusi-Amen-Glory-Be-God-Bless-America!  This one is dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good my friends, 5 solid dangs on the ol' Dang Meter. But, don't take my word for it...make it and see for yourself.  And then we'll all be able to say Amen together.

Cherry Cola Roulade/Cake - Pots and Pins

2 cups cherry cola, do not use diet cola

1/2 cup Maraschino cherries, stems removed, drained

1/4 cup Maraschino cherry juice

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon red food coloring (gel food coloring works best)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup powdered sugar plus more for rolling and dusting cake

Maraschino cherries or Bing cherries for serving, optional

Make the cherry reduction sauce first:  Put cherries and cherry juice in a blender and process until there are just little bits of cherry left.  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cherry mixture with cherry cola.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to reduce to 3/4's cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Butter an 11x17-inch rimmed baking sheet.  (If you do not have that exact size pan you can use something similar, like a 12x15, just try to get it close enough.  You want a very thin layer of cake after it's baked, about 1/2 to 3/4's of an inch so it will roll nicely.)  Line with parchment paper and butter the parchment.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make cake:  In a mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk together.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring and extracts.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the cherry reduction, leaving as much of the cherry bits as possible in the pan (the remaining 1/4 cup will be used after the cake is baked and cooled).  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined, scraping down sides of bowl.  Spread cake batter onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the cake springs back slightly when touched in the center.  Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. 

Using a clean dish towel, sprinkle powdered sugar heavily all over it.  Invert the cake onto the dish towel, peel off the parchment paper.  Trim the edges of the cake, just removing the "crispy" edge.  Starting with the short end, roll up the cake with the dish towel.  Set seam side down on a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least two hours.

Make the filling:  Whisk cream cheese, 1/2 cup cream, vanilla and almond extracts together in a large bowl.  Beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream with 1/3 of powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Gradually fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.  Chill until ready to use. 

Assemble cake:  Unroll cooled cake, don't worry if it cracks.  Using a pastry brush, brush the cake with the remaining 1/4 cup of cherry reduction sauce, scooping up the bits of cherry onto the cake.  Spread with filling.  Gently re-roll the cake and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the cake for 4 to 6 hours or overnight before slicing. 

To serve:  Remove cake from plastic wrap, place on serving platter, seam side down.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Slice into 1-inch thick slices, garnish with Maraschino cherries or Bing cherries.  Serves 10.