Pots and Pins

Carrot-Coconut Soup...

For years I have walked 4 miles in an hour's time, almost every morning, rain or shine. And then a few months back my walking buddies suggested we try Zumba and Jazzercise.  I gave them every reason why we shouldn't torture ourselves, jumping around in public is not for sissies and as you know, Sissy is my middle name.  But they were insistent and before I knew it I had purchased two 10-class punch cards, one for Zumba and one for Jazzercise.

 

Walking took one hour each morning - the classes take two hours - because of driving time over and back.  Two hours out of my day!  Little by little it became harder and harder to go to class - those two hours were needed for other things, like LIFE!!  I had to work, leave town, be places at the crack of dawn and before long I realized I hadn't done a thing, exercise-wise, for ONE MONTH!  Egads! 

 

 

 

 

 

After 30 days of lolly-ing about, I was faced with a daunting decision...either go back to exercising so I could eat what I wanted or stop eating everything I make and eat lettuce for every meal, with a side of kale.

Lettuce and kale, me, funny, no?  As if.  I made my decision and forced myself out the door...4 miles, 6,000 steps...now I can feel good about eating this delicious soup one more day.  This soup made it easy to decide to jump/slink back onto the exercise wagon, and not because it is so calorie laden I had to walk it off...au contraire...it only has 360 calories in a bowl so in my book that's diet food!  No, the reason I hauled my arse over hill and dale is because I cannot visualize a world where I can't eat this whenever I want - I love it that much - and in order to eat this and everything else I want, I have to exercise.  And that, my friends, is the purest definition of the phrase, it sucks!  

It sucks: preposition/verb:  1) suction, as in sucking;  2) having to exercise in order to eat what one wants. 

Now you know.  Feel free to quote me.  The sweetness of carrots with coconut milk - mmmmm...farmer meets the hula...and then there's just a bit of bite from chili sauce - but not so much that the mister minded, he's my "bite barometer", so I kept it on the mild side but you could ramp it up as much as you like.  Make this one kids, you won't be sorry!  Plus it's SO easy!  I'm going to put my book club and quilt group on notice right now, the next time you come to my house you will be served this soup!  It's definitely something to look forward to! 

Carrot-Coconut Soup - Adapted From Bon Appetit Magazine

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 1/2 cups carrots, peeled, chopped

1 medium sweet onion, like a Walla Walla or Vidalia, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth

1 (14 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (lite or regular but do not use cream of coconut)

2 tablespoons chili sauce plus more for serving, if desired

(I used Sweetened Chili Sauce, that's what it says on the bottle, available in Asian markets and most grocery stores.  On the label it also says for Spring Rolls.  This sauce has just a little bit of heat, but not so much that you won't want to suck it up with a straw!  So good!)

Fresh cilantro or basil leaves for serving, optional

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add carrots and onion, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Stir in broth, coconut milk, and 2 tablespoons of chili sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and liquid is slightly reduced, 40 to 45 minutes.

If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup to your desired consistency (I left a few larger pieces of carrots.)  If you don't have an immersion blender, puree the soup in batches in a regular blender, being careful not to overfill.  Divide soup between bowls and serve.  Drizzle with more chili sauce and garnish with cilantro/basil, if desired.  Serves 4.  This soup is great reheated; it will be a bit more thick the next day so thin, if desired, with water or chicken broth. 

 

Quilt Group Friday...

When you are in a small quilt group, 12 members, it's not the same when everyone isn't there.  This month we had 3 missing in action...one in England, one in Disneyland and one in Australia!  Even so, we had a lot of quilts to see!

It's Helen's turn to receive blocks from us - she gave us some fabric and asked us to make half-square triangles and this is what she got...she is not going to use them like they are pictured - but I'm showing you this so I can do a before and after - because knowing Helen these blocks will be almost unrecognizable when she's done with them!

Helen's Life is a Beach quilt is back from the quilter and Terry did such a nice job quilting it!  You've seen this one before but it's worth a second look.  This was a group project - we each made Helen a strip - wish I could remember which one I made but it's been too long.

 

This is the back of Helen's quilt - I love her choice of fabric - crazy and wild!  And I especially love how she pieced the row of houses - Helen is nothing if not creative!

You've seen this one before, too, it's also Helen's, and now it's quilted and ready to bind.  Every month we tell Helen she needs to make patterns of her quilts and every month she tells us she's not interested - she does what she does!  We all love this quilt - and her use of the black and white stripe which really sets it apart!  Nice one Helen!

Stephanie brought this quilt top - I love it - but I failed to get a picture of my favorite part of this top, it's the upper left corner, and under her hand so you can't see the little strip of green fabric she had to sew into the border to make it work!  Now that's my kind of quilting!

This is Terry, our amazing machine-quilting-artist, and she is explaining how she made her Easter quilt.  It's all machine appliqued BUT the edges are all turned under.  No raw edge applique for her!  The corners of her quilt have baskets in them, which I failed to capture.  Terry is a wonderful long-arm quilter and if you need someone to quilt your quilts, contact me for her information.  You can mail her your quilts and she'll post them back and I guarantee they will be absolutely perfect!

Jenny made this fun, framed Halloween picture.  It's from a kit that included the background, she put it together and had it framed - so cute!

 

Jenny also embroidered these handkerchiefs for some of her relatives.  I think this is such a nice idea, to use an antique hankie and embroider on someone's initial, like for a bride or the mother of the bride, who can always use a hankie!

Last month I showed you Marsha's group project - she had sewn the blocks together and then UNsewn them and asked for our advice...well she got it and then some!  This month she is still working on her blocks, only now she has added large sashing, which helps to disguise the different sizes of the blocks.  She once again asked for our opinions and we gave them to her...not sure how much we helped!

 

Helen brought in the blessing gown her granddaughters have used - she has embroidered their names on it.  Her daughter-in-law said she is going to keep this family heirloom and when those granddaughters grow up and have babies of their own, they too will wear this gown and their names will be added to the dress.  I love this idea!! 

Another of Helen's creations - don't you just love how happy this is!?  Helen loved the polka-dot fabric so much she bought the entire bolt!  Helen asked for advice on how to quilt this - of course we were happy to oblige.  We are an opinionated group - which is why it's nothing short of miraculous that we're still together!  I do love these women, they inspire and motivate me and I hope they do you as well!

Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog...

It's pretty quiet around here - our beloved little Caesar Beezer went to Heaven a few weeks ago - we're trying to get used to him being gone. He ruled the house and our lives - I didn't realize how much of my day was spent at his bark and call and talking to him! We loved him dearly and he loved us - we'll miss him so.

April 1, 2000 - April 9, 2014

           

Fastest Way To Make A Quilt...

I have a sure fire way of making a quilt in the shortest amount of time possible...but first...let me just say how HAPPY I am that I can get back into my blog!  Typepad, who hosts my blog, has had some kind of  defugalty...an attack...I don't exactly know what happened, because, you know, I only know what I know and they aren't exactly saying...but I've been locked out, along with everyone else for several days and I've missed this!  I've really missed it!  I am told they are feverishly working on the problem and will get things right before too long but now I am fearful that my blog might disappear permanently and then what would I do?!?  I might have to get a real job or clean the house!  Godfrey!  Shivers are rocketing up and down my spine at the thought!  Enough...let's talk fast quilts...

The fastest way to make a quilt is to BUY the top!  Cheating?  I think not.  Not when you stumble upon a pile of scrappy and vintage quilt blocks that are in desperate need of a home.  And the price tag says $15.00.  Done! 

 

 

This quirky top is going to be loved when it's quilted...scrappy quilts are always the ones that are grabbed first around here and I think my Max will like looking for all the funny fabrics that are hidden in this top - kind of like an "I Spy" quilt - but quirkier!

Every quilter I know needs at least one more Christmas quilt - even me!  I found these blocks languishing in a heap at a quilt show - all of them set me back $7 - I added on some vintage fabric for borders (that I found at a garage sale about 10 years ago) and it's sort of taken on a life of it's own, no?  I love how this one turned out...will be great once it's quilted!

That's Mrs. Santa Claus on the border fabric...I'm beginning to look just like her, which is fine by me, if only the mister would turn into a Jolly Old Elf, think of the fun we could have!

This is definitely a keeper - and worth every penny of those seven dollars!  Blocks to top in under an hour!

This top was all sewn together, I just added on the outside border.  When I found this top I immediately thought of a friend of mine who is turning 90 this June - I think it will make a great birthday present!  It's got all of her colors in it but it seemed a bit bright so I dyed it with coffee.

This is the top before I added on the border - the white fabric in the center is truly white - it just seemed too stark to me.  I headed for the kitchen to dye it so it would be a bit softer.  I decided to use coffee because it always give the fabric a brown hue - tea, depending on the type, can give the fabric anything from a pink to a black tone - I just wanted a soft tan so coffee was the way to go.  Just so you know, it doesn't matter if you use regular or decaf, expensive or cheap, any coffee works but I'd stay away from flavored coffee!  Oh - skip the cream and sugar, too!  The kitchen sink works great, some people use their bathtub or even their washer but for a small top the sink was perfect.  I used very hot water, added in very hot and very strong coffee, gave it a stir then tossed in the quilt top.  I had to put in a few pans to keep the quilt submerged.  I let the quilt top sit for about an hour, then rinsed it in cold water, wrung it out and tossed it into the dryer to "set."

 

 

 

When I rinsed the top in cold water, I didn't rinse it well, just enough to remove some of the coffee.  By the time I got upstairs to my dryer, the smell of coffee was almost over-powering but I didn't want to rinse it all out, I needed it to "stain" and "set" first.  After I took the top from the dryer, I pressed it, sealing in the coffee one more time.  The top had a very faint coffee smell - not bad though.  I always wash my quilts after they are quilted and bound so by the time my friend opens it the smell will be gone.

The dye-job might not look like much but it's definitely softer and for me it helps those weird colored blocks go together better.  This quilt top set me back $12 - a steal of a deal!  There you have it - the fastest way to make a quilt...and the fastest way to get them all quilted is to send them off to a machine quilter but I can't justify that so it's time to fire up the Pfaff and get busy!

Minted Fruit with Sparkling Cider Syrup...

My mom told me I need to post simple recipes, "Who makes all that gourmet crap you make?"  and "Who buys $45 worth of stuff to make one recipe?"  Ahem...mea culpa.  I wouldn't say I make gourmet food...maybe occasionally, but really, everything I make is pretty simple, really, it's not gourmet!  It's not!  It's really not!  Me protesteth too much?!?  Well, this Minted Fruit is simple...sliced fruit is a no-brainer...anyone can slice fruit, put it on a platter and call it good.  But...adding fresh mint sprinkled over the top with a drizzle of sparkling cider syrup...now you're talking special, as in Easter Brunch special - and by golly, if we don't make things special for Easter then when can we?!?  So mom, this is simple AND special!

 

 

 

 

You can use any fruit you'd like - strawberries, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pineapple, bananas, pears...whatever is available. Wash it, dry it, slice it up and arrange it on a pretty platter. 

Sparkling cider is combined with sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  It's cooked until it's reduced a bit and syrupy...and then a drop of vanilla is added...sweet, fragrant and just what the fruit needs to make it into a bonafide speical holiday brunch dish!

Minted Fruit with Sparkling Cider Syrup - Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 navel oranges

2 blood oranges

1 ruby red grapefruit

1 banana

1 pear

1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc., or a combination of berries)

1 cup sparkling cider

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

8 to 10 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced or minced

Wash and dry all fruit.  Cut away the entire peel of the oranges and grapefruit, making sure to remove all white pith.  Peel banana and slice.  Slice pear, removing core.  Slice berries, if desired.  Arrange fruit on a pretty platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the syrup.

To make the syrup:  In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sparkling cider, sugar and salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and syrupy.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Allow to cool. 

When ready to serve, scatter mint over fruit platter and then drizzle sparkling cider syrup over the top, to taste.  Or you can serve the syrup alongside the platter and let your guests serve themselves.  Makes about 6 servings. 

 

 

Lemon Meringue Nests...

What do you see?  Meringue cookies with lemon curd and a few poppy seeds sprinkled on top OR fried eggs with a bit of pepper?  If you're a 6 year old boy you would see something "gross" and you'd run away as fast as you could.  If you're a 2 year old girl you might say, "Dat's yucky" and then ask to watch Sponge Bob.  My grandkids are just right of extremely picky! 

But the girl loved these Easter treats, she loves lemon desserts of all kinds, and so does my mom.  Plus mom pointed out they're gluten free, in case anyone needs that sort of thing.

 

 

 

 

Egg whites are beaten until stiff and glossy with lemon zest for a bright, refreshing flavor...and then they're baked in a very slow oven for 1 1/2 hours before the heat is turned off and they're left in the oven for a few more hours until they are dry and crisp.  

Once they are completely cooled, they're ready to fill with purchased lemon curd and then you can let your bunnies sprinkle on the poppy seeds...these are perfect for an Easter Brunch - they're light, crisp and lemon-y...delicious! 

This recipe makes about 24, depending on how big you make your meringues.  I tried to keep them about the size of a fried egg - that was my guideline.  I only used one jar of lemon curd, but bought a second jar because I'll be making more of these soon!  

Lemon Meringue Nests - Adapted From Martha Stewart Living Magazine, April 2014

6 large egg whites, room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup superfine sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 jar (11.3 oz.) Lemon Curd

poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Zip-lock style plastic bag

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.  Beat egg whites, lemon juice, and vanilla on medium-low until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add sugar.  Increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle cornstarch over bowl and fold into whites with lemon zest.

Spoon meringue mixture into a Zip-lock style plastic bag, snip off a little less than 1/2-inch from the corner.  Gently squeeze out a circle of meringue, about 3 to 4-inches in diameter.  Smooth with the back of a spoon and gently make a small indentation in the center.  Repeat with remaining meringue.  Bake for 1 hour at 200 degrees, then turn off oven and leave meringues in oven for 3 to 4 hours or until they are dried and are firm enough to pull of baking sheet easily.  Let cool completely before filling with lemon curd and sprinkling with poppy seeds.

Orange Ricotta Pancakes...

The clock is ticking down to Easter Brunch.  These pancakes need to be on your buffet...they'll definitely be on ours!  Before we get to the pancakes, I need to show you a few pics of my Max - he turned six yesterday, it's hard for me to believe he's already so old!  Six years have flown by like nuthin'!    Max loved his Sasquatch/Yeti pinata and his Yeti cupcakes and the 15 maps (among other things) I gave him...he's a little obsessive about maps!  Then again, what other six year old can name all 50 states and their capitols and most countries of the world on a globe?!? 

 

 

 

 

Can you remember being six?  I can't but I do remember loving pancakes as a kid and I still do!  I especially love fluffy pancakes, and these Orange Ricotta Pancakes are about the fluffiest pancakes I've ever had - and that's why they will be holding down the center spot on our Easter buffet!  

 

 

 

Orange juice and zest makes these pancakes flavorful but it's the ricotta cheese that makes them so yummy...creamy and light - they are the best tasting pancakes I've ever had!

 

My dad was the cook - he waited until the bubbles appeared then flipped them - pancake magic for sure!  One batch makes about a dozen large pancakes - we served them with raspberry syrup - they were absolutely delicious!

Orange Ricotta Pancakes - Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup orange juice

2 eggs

2 teaspoons orange zest

For serving:  Butter and raspberry syrup (although maple syrup tastes great, too)

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a medium bowl whisk together milk, ricotta, orange juice, eggs and orange zest.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined.  Batter will be thin.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat; brush lightly with butter.  Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter per pancake.  Cook about 2 minutes; turn over when surfaces are bubbly and edges are dry.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until done.  Serve with raspberry (or maple) syrup. 

Spring Pea Spread...

Let's talk Easter Brunch, shall we?  There's so much to discuss...first there's the ham, scalloped potatoes, orange-glazed carrots, deviled eggs and hot-cross-buns...those are the must haves - and then there are those things that just make Easter Brunch more special - like this Spring Pea Spread!  This week I'm going to give you the must haves for your Easter Brunch - dishes that will have your guests licking their lips and asking for recipes, starting with this bright green, fresh and creamy spread!

 

 

 

This takes about 10 minutes to make and it can be made a day ahead!  I like to serve this with slices of toasted and buttered (!) baguette, but you can serve it with plain slices or with crackers or fresh veggies.  It's also great on top of mashed potatoes and tossed with pasta!  I caught the mister slathering some on his bologna sandwich...did that just ruin things for you?  He is not a man of discriminating tastes!

You can use fresh English peas (available at Trader Joe's) or you can mix up your peas, which is what I like to do.  I used English peas, snap peas and sugar peas - altogether they taste like  S P R I N G !!!  The peas are blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, once drained they go into the food processor with the MINT - Hello Taste-buds! - and the Ricotta cheese...man-oh-man-alive, you're going to LOVE this! -

One more thing to note - this is healthy!  Well, it IS Spring/Easter, a time of renewal and all, and if you don't butter your toasts, you could eat a half dozen of these and still feel good about chewing as a form of exercise!

Spring Pea Spread - Adapted from Country Living

2 cups fresh peas (or a combination of fresh peas)

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

1 cup whole milk ricotta (you can use 2% ricotta)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a medium size pan of water to the boil, put in peas and blanch for 2 minutes, until tender and bright green.  Remove, drain and rinse with cold water.  Transfer peas to food processor.  Add mint, ricotta, salt and pepper and pulse until mixture reaches a slightly chunky consistency.  Spread on toasted (and buttered, if desired) baguette slices or serve as a dip with fresh vegetables.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

 

Best Use of Friends Quilt...

Look, if you have quilting friends, what better way for them to show the love than to make you a quilt block or two?  In our last quilt group project, I had my friends make me big, half-square-triangle blocks...I showed you the top when it was done - and while I agonized over "to border or not to border" I ended up sewing on a border with some fabric my friend Helen gave me - she said it would work and she was right.  Well, now it's done...cue the drums...

Isn't it just wonderful?!?!  I love it - love everything about it - even those few "pinkish-white" triangles!  As you know, I do not wash my fabric before sewing - I just have faith that when it comes to washing the quilt the colors won't run...unless I'm washing reds...(Reagan to Gorbachev, Trust but Verify) you just can't trust reds not to run...so I got out the color catchers!

Shout Color Catcher has 24 "color grabbers" in a box...for the first wash I used 8 of them.  You can see just how much they picked up!  So I did a second wash (actually both times I just did a rinse with cold water, and no detergent) and you can see the results from the 2nd batch of 8 color grabbers...still pink but not as dark.  So I did one more rinse...and I forgot to take a picture of the last 8 color grabbers but they were a very, very pale pink.  One more rinse probably would have come out with the color grabbers being white but I was out of them!  The box says to use one or two...but I always use more, especially for a big quilt.

This is the first quilt I've had professionally quilted in a very long time and only because it was too big to fit in my machine.  Ida Flynt did the qui$ting and I th$nk she did a grea$ job even if it wa$ pret$y pr$cey!  Oh well, it's done now and so what if we can't afford to buy food for a few days, it was worth it!

I'm planning on wrapping myself up so tightly in this quilt that I won't feel the hunger pangs!  The backing is a sheet that was given to me (thanks Joni) and it seemed to work perfectly so I used it! 

This is my new favorite quilt - I love that my friends "made it" for me...surely this will become a family heirloom...oh wait, my DIL only likes purple and green quilts, the boy doesn't give a rip, the girl only likes quilts that match everything around her and unless they're made from stainless steel and concrete the SIL doesn't like them either!  Godfrey!  What's a quilter to do?!?!!

Max's Pinata...

I'm the one who told Max about Sasquatch.  I'm also the one who told him about Yeti.  I filled his head with fantastical stories, took him on hunts, made him Sasquatch and Yeti clothes, pictures and food...so it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me when he said he wanted a pinata for his 6th birthday.  One with Yeti on one side and Sasquatch on the other!  Just so you know, you cannot buy a ready-made split-persona pinata.  But you can make one!

The cactus pinata seemed like a good place to start!  The cactus had 3 "arms" - I removed one and relocated another.  Then I filled the cactus with candy - and not just any candy - because Max is picky about his cavity-making-treats, he likes Twix Bars so they filled most of the cactus!

Thin strips of crepe paper that had been hand-fringed...also known as cut with scissors, were glued on with Elmer's glue.  Hand-fringed is a pinata-maker's technical term, as is dotted adhesive so as not to allow moisture to permeate the crepe...I was warned by a "pinata expert" at the party store (because that's where unemployed pinata-makers go to find work and share their vast knowledge of pinata making) that the last thing I wanted was permeated crepe! 

Max will love this - I'll make sure of it - I'll tell him about the professional pinata-maker I met and how if he works really hard in school with glue and paper that one day he might be able to apprentice under a pinata master, so he can - dare to dream/hope/wish - maybe one day...create pinata's for children to smash to smithereens! 

Let's do some math:

Price of cactus pinata:  $12.00

Price of brown, blue and white crepe paper:  $8.50

Price of candy to fill pinata:  $22.73

Seeing Max's face when he sees the pinata, smashes it open, collects and eats the candy inside...wait for it...

P R I C E L E S S !