Pots and Pins

Deviled Strawberries...

It's no secret that I don't eat eggs - unless they are baked in a cake or cookie.  I don't remember ever eating an egg either (four words in one sentence that all begin with the letter E, how about that!)  This time of year, when eggs become the stars of brunch, lunch and hunts, I try to find other things I can eat while my family devours deviled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, etc., etc.  May I please introduce you to my new favorite Easter egg...deviled strawberries!

Last year for Easter we went to our friends home for a feast and I took all the ingredients for a deviled egg bar.  I wish I had snapped a picture because it was beautiful!  Deviled eggs were surrounded with bacon bits, capers, chopped red peppers, cheese, chives, green onions, various olives, and I don't remember what else but everyone could top their eggs with whatever they wanted and they all seemed happy about that.  Everyone but me!  Because I don't eat those stinkin' eggs!  So this year I'm going to have my own eggs to eat and I'm betting they will be wanting to eat my eggs, too!

As you can probably guess, these eggs are super easy to make.  Once the ingredients are blended together and put into a plastic Zip-lock style bag, the mixture is piped onto a half of a large strawberry.  Creamy and delicious and it's not too sweet either so it's the perfect match for the beautiful spring strawberries in the store right now.  You won't find any toilet paper but there are plenty of strawberries!  

Now, as pretty as they are, these deviled strawberries aren't complete.  The last step is to sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the tops OR you could sprinkle Oreo crumbs or whatever your favorite cookie is - even shaved chocolate would be good!

Deviled Strawberries - Adapted from Instrupix

18 to 24 large strawberries, stems remove if desired - I left mine on because I thought it looked prettier

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (or other cookie crumbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest from half a lemon

Prep the strawberries by cutting them in half.  If you're not using an "egg dish" which will hold the eggs up straight, then make a very small slit on the back of each strawberry so they will sit straight on your serving plate.  Place the softened cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest in a medium sized mixing bowl.  (Do NOT add the whipping cream.)  Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well incorporated.  Fill a piping bag or a Zip-lock style plastic bag with the mixture and snip the end so you can "pipe" the filling onto the strawberries.  (I didn't use a decorating tip but a nice star tip would be pretty.)  Pipe a small amount onto the top of each strawberry and finish with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs.  Makes 3 dozen or so strawberries.  Recipe can be halved and the filling can be made the day ahead.

These deviled strawberries are perfect for your Easter feast or Mother's Day or 4th of July or really, anytime you want something pretty and yummy to eat!  

Strawberry-Arugula Salad...

In an attempt to keep things normal, I'm doing what I usually do two weeks before Easter - reading recipes for our Easter feast!  I'm not sure who will be attending our feast this year, maybe it will be just the two of us and if so, that's okay, the feast must go on.

Strawberries are a sure sign of spring and their sweetness adds the perfect balance to the slight bitterness of the arugula.  Of course, candied almonds help with that, too.  This salad is very adaptable, if you don't want to use strawberries, use chopped apples.  If you don't want to use feta cheese, use crumbled blue cheese.  If you don't want to use candied almonds use candied pecans - but whatever you do, don't mess with the dressing, it's divine.

The dressing could not be easier to make and it's deliciousness will coat every piece of yummy goodness in this festive spring salad, making it the perfect salad for our Easter feast.  Sure we'll have ham and scalloped potatoes and asparagus - those are part of our tradition - but we also need to balance out the heavy food with something bright and tasty and this salad is it!

I've decided this Easter we will stick with the favorites mentioned above along with hot cross buns, wouldn't be Easter without them.   You can check out all of my Easter recipes by scrolling down to Easter in the categories on the right - you might even find something else that your feast needs.

Strawberry-Arugula Salad - Southern Living Magazine

 1 small sweet onion, chopped, divided

1/2 cup light olive oil

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste

1 (10 oz.) package fresh arugula 

1 lb. fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups)

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

1 cup chopped candied slivered almonds

In a food processor or blender, process half of the onion, oil, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper until creamy.  Arrange arugula, strawberries,  remaining onion, feta cheese and slivered almonds on a large platter.  Drizzle with dressing and serve.  Serves 8 to 10.  

 

There's one last thing I want to tell you about and that's the serving tongs I love and use for salads.  I've had these tongs for about 10 years and they still look brand new because they are stainless steal and they don't tarnish.  You can find them on Amazon, click here for the link.  I have 3 of these Oneida 11-1/2 tongs, a gal can never have too many!

Trust me, these are study, well-made, they look nice if you're using china and crystal or paper plates and plastic.  I get nothing from recommending these but the satisfaction of knowing your Easter guests will be able to scoop up a portion of salad without dropping anything in their laps.  I've lost track of what day of coronavirus quarantine this is - I just know that my daily routine consists of these choices:  Netflix, laundry, walking the dog, sewing or baking.   But if I keep choosing to bake then I'll be dealing with the quarantine 15 (pounds) that I'm sure is in my future! Stay safe and keep washing your hands.

Corona Quilt #3...

Oh my aching neck!  I need to go back to my 20-minute a day sewing rule because I don't have enough Advil in the house right now!  So this might be the last Corona quilt top for a bit.  This house quilt was brutal for me...so many points, directions to follow, precision sewing...everything I hate.  I probably did more UNsewing than actual sewing and just when I thought I was done, I realized I hadn't added the "sky" at the top of the quilt - so here's a pic before sky - wish I'd taken a picture of my face - nothing but pure joy for having this one done...

Then nothing but pure frustration when I realized I had to UNsew yet again to add the sky.  I like to think of this house quilt as a neighborhood without a homeowners association.  Let me explain, this was a group quilt where we all supplied some fabrics and asked the members of our quilt group to make blocks.  I wanted a "Kaffe" neighborhood and I pictured having all kinds of loud, floral Kaffe printed fabrics for the houses.  I didn't quite get that!  Which is FINE with me - truly - our quilt group motto is "you get what you get" and I was pleasantly surprised with my house blocks.  So my neighborhood took a different turn where there were no rules as to house color...scrappy is good, no?

I didn't like this quilt the entire time I was putting it together but now that I've had a day or two to look at it, it's kind of growing on me.  Rosie likes it though, but she already has enough quilts.  Once it's bound and quilted I'm sure I will love it, and maybe I'll love it enough to keep it even!

 

This quilt measure 50-inches by 63-inches - or thereabout - I may be off by a half-inch but then that's my signature move.  This pattern is from Cluck Cluck Sew - she's got some beautiful quilts so pay her a visit.  I've ordered batting and background fabric and am waiting for it to be delivered so I can get my Corona quilts finished!  Our governor issued a "stay at home" order which begins today so I'll have at least two more weeks to get things done...hoping it's only two more weeks!!  Stay healthy - don't breath on anyone and wash your hands!

Corona Quilt #2...

One of my blog readers asked me how we are doing - curious about the lack of mister mentions lately on my blog - wanting to know specifically if the mister was okay.  So let me put her mind, and yours at ease, the mister is just fine.  Except for feeling isolated over March Madness being canceled, sports being quarantined almost brought him to tears; no college basketball for another 6 months or so - luckily he has plenty of Corona on hand to help ease his pain!  Speaking of Corona, the mister has always practiced social distancing, and while I've called him a chicken numerous times, thanks to the 6 o'clock news I know now he suffers from an abundance of caution which is actually a good thing now because he will never be involved with community spread as he hates community.  He's not even interested in herd immunity, he hates herds, too.  The mister has an infectious sense of doom so I am happy to report he is still going to work every day even though there is a world-wide pandemic of people buying toilet paper and curiously, flour.  (If y'all keep buying flour I won't be able to bake and then I'm going to want to flatten more than the curve!)   Off he goes every day to Global Headquarters where he can spread his special kind of joy.  He has a few masks just in case he wants to scare people when buying lottery tickets, because I know when I see someone wearing a mask I'm always a bit startled, I wonder if they're sick or just afraid and then I wonder if it wouldn't be more fun if people started wearing Halloween masks instead?  Can't you just picture someone wearing a ghoul mask pushing a cart filled with toilet paper and flour through Costco?  We have no need for ventilators or respirators around here, even though we're in that vulnerable age group of people who have underlying health conditions and AARP memberships.   Is being a know-it-all considered an underlying health condition?  If so, the mister might have reason to panic but not me, nope, I'm happy to shelter in place, as long as I have Netflix, a good book and fabric, I will survive.  Cue Gloria Gaynor or Donna Summer, it's great to sing along with them when you're washing your hands.

Corona quilt #2 is a beaut, no?  I started this quilt last July when we were toying with the idea of going to Hawaii the week before Thanksgiving so the mister could watch his beloved basketball teams in the tournament that is held there every year.  The mister was desperately trying to finagle a way to  make the trip work...he wanted to see the games but I wanted to be home in time to shop and prepare for Thanksgiving...I won.  Which meant no Hawaii for me which was sad but I was so happy to be home for my favorite holiday and my parents were able to be here, too!  My pineapple quilt soon became a way for me to assuage my sadness of saying Aloha to Hawaii.  

When we have gone to Hawaii in the past, our first stop is finding either a Dole pineapple whip or shave ice with pineapple.  I do love pineapple...and I love pineapple quotes just as much...

To be a great photographer you have to be a pineapple, you have to have 100 eyes.

Be a pineapple:  Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside.

In a world full of apples, be a pineapple.

I pine for you.

A pineapple a day keeps the worries away.

Party like a pineapple.

Peace, love and pineapples.

When life gives you lemons sell them and buy a pineapple.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?  Spongebob Squarepants!

Tropic like it's hot, eat pineapple.

Dang, you pine.

Ocean air, salty hair, pineapple everywhere.

Stay golden.

Passports and pineapples are the key to happiness.

The pineapple is a symbol of warmth, friendship and hospitality.

When I'm feeling particularly nostalgic for Hawaii I will start my day with a pineapple protein smoothie.  If I have fresh pineapple I'll use it but usually I don't so I use a small can of crushed pineapple and I put that in my blender with 1 frozen banana (which is why that banana looks like it's lived beyond it's expiration date), two scoops of protein powder, a splash or orange juice and a cup of ice cubes which is blended until it's smooth.  This makes two servings at about 300 calories each.   

When life hands you pineapples make pina coladas or a smoothie.  Stay healthy my friends!

 

Corona Quilt...

I've cleaned my linen closet, cleaned bathrooms, family room, wiped down all surfaces including the baseboards and even cleaned the garage...and then I realized I was behaving very abnormally, like who am I even?!?  Fortunately I was able to stop the madness and found my way into my workroom, which I had cleaned, too, so I could easily find my works in progress basket.  I didn't even remember some of the things I found in there!  So I knew they were perfectly aged and it was time to finish a few things.  

I'm happy to report I have completed one quilt top and am working on a second!  This is my 1st Corona Quilt, thought it best to start with an easy one, to make sure my brain still worked.  All that cleaning and breathing bleach fumes might have done some damage - at least that's what I'm going to blame any mistakes on that I might find!  Normally I don't post my quilts until they are bound and quilted but stuck inside has made me throw the "rules" out the window!  Take that Coronavirus!

I'm not a blue person - no blue in my home but I think having a blue quilt will be perfect for summer on the deck...our summers are not known for being particularly warm so I like to have a quilt handy.  I'm looking forward to reading outside and will now have this corona quilt to throw over me when I do...since we will probably still be on lock-down when summer finally arrives.  It's so interesting to me that after going over and over the placement of the rectangles I still ended up with those star pieces being too close together!!!  I blame Corona...

This pattern is called Chinese Coins and the rectangles were cut 2 1/2- inches by 6 1/2-inches.  Usually I stipple all of my quilts, random quilting is my thing but I'm toying with the idea of wavy line quilting on this - any thoughts?  Quilt in the ditch?  Or should I just stick to the stipple...too many decisions!  Maybe I'll let this one continue to "age" while I finish Corona quilt #2...it's a beaut!  I hope wherever you are you are making the best of this impossible situation.  Stop the madness/cleaning and do something FUN...just as long as you stay 6 feet away from everyone!  And in case you haven't realized it yet, you DO have enough toilet paper!!!

Quilt Group Friday...

How has another month come and gone?  Time is sprinting at a breakneck speed so once again it's time to show you some amazing quilts...

We did sort of an orphan block exchange at our meeting and Helen brought in her orphan block quilt to show us how we can use those blocks to make a fabulous quilt...but something tells me that the blocks we exchanged won't end up looking anything like this quilt!  Just take a minute and look at all of the different fabrics - there's even a Halloween-esque block in there and it works!!!  Plus Helen has mixed traditional blocks in traditional fabrics with super bright fabrics...she is the master with color!  I think this quilt is my very favorite of all of Helen's masterpieces - I love that it's made with scraps and orphan blocks, they definitely found a home in a very original way - love this!

Helen finished hand-quilting this Christmas wall-hanging...she said she was able to work on it, even while being on drugs from a knee replacement...all I can say is we should all be taking those drugs because look how perfect this is!!  I've been hand-quilting a quilt for the last three months, every night in front of the telly and my  titches are no where near as small or as straight as Helen's...seriously, pass the Oxy, my hand-quilting could use some help!

You might recall seeing this quilt before, made by Kareena - she said she didn't like it and we told her once it's quilted she'd love it.  Well it's quilted and she still doesn't like it!  But Kareena found a brilliant way to make sure this quilt is loved the way it should be...she has a sister who belongs to a rowing club so she added the club's oar logo to the border and she's giving the quilt to her sister.  We all loved that!  

Kareena said she's been on a mission to use up her scraps so she has been busy!  This sweet baby quilt is beautifully quilted and that bunny fabric is very cute.  I thought it was the perfect crib size but then it was called to my attention that blankets aren't allowed in cribs any more!  What is this world coming to?!?!?

Love, love, love this!  And my grand-daughter would love this, too...hint-hint!  Kareena has made a couple of these crayon quilts and this one is my favorite.  When I was a kid, on those rare occasions when I would have a box of Crayola 24's, I would always grab the pink crayon first - it was and is my favorite crayon - you have a favorite crayon, too, right?  I love how this quilt was quilted - perfectly!  Way to go Kareena, it's a keeper!

Stephanie is a foster parent quilter.  She finds quilts in "distress," takes them home and re-works them into new quilts so they can find a new home!  This is one of those abandoned quilts...below is the quilt before Stephanie worked her magic.  She saw potential in this quilt that others did not - she removed the floral fabric and made the above modern quilt.  Amazing!

Stephanie has a lot of blocks left over from the original, no doubt she will turn them into something amazing, too.  There is a reason she does this, a really good one...she is hoping to raise money for cancer research through Obliteride.  If you make a donation to Stephanie, for cancer research, you will get a quilt.  Win/win!  More information on this soon!

I'm going to mangle this story but basically I think it goes like this...Stephanie was asked to make a quilt - she showed the person the above quilt and they loved it.  It's made entirely with scraps and some of those tiny pieces were definitely trash-can-worthy but not for Stephanie!  Notice the border/sashing fabric is a blue-ish-gray...the quilt below is the one Stephanie just made for the person and the border/sashing fabric is a lighter gray.

Stephanie said one of the pieced blocks has 19 different pieces of fabrics in it!  19!!!!  In a little block!  That makes my head swim...someone please pass the Excedrin with a Diet Coke chaser!

Both of these quilts are beautiful and beautifully, pieced.  I love seeing perfect quilts - because I surely don't make any myself!

Janet hosted us, and made us a delicious lunch and on the table she had little bowls filled with Lemoncello Almonds (from Costco).  Consider this a PSA, don't buy any.  If you do, please don't eat one because you won't be able to stop.  You will eat handful after handful until your stomach explodes or the bag is empty, which coincidentally happens at the same time.  You've been warned!  Above is Janet's quilt - it is one of those quilts I look at and wonder how it was ever made, so many pieces!  It's way too complicated for my brain.  The quilting, which unfortunately you can't see is beautiful, just like this quilt!

Janet pieced this elephant quilt a while ago but just got it quilted and bound.  It is so wonderful.  When I first saw this quilt I loved it so much I made myself an elephant quilt and it is my very favorite quilt.  So thank you Janet - I love yours, too!  Twins separated at birth!  Even though you've seen my elephant quilt before, I decided to show you again because who doesn't love seeing elephants on quilts?!?

After seeing Janet's quilt again I kind of wish my quilt didn't have borders - I love how hers was finished without them.  I also think it's very brave of me to post a picture of my quilt next to Janet's...I'm rather insecure about these things, especially since I noticed several of my elephants are missing their tusks!  And some of their tails are cut off rather abruptly...Janet's elephants were raised in better conditions than mine!

The above quilt was made by Jenny for a very special friend.  I took a picture of this quilt at our meeting but it turned out all blurry - shock!  I found this picture Jenny had posted on FB, so I stole it so I could show you her stunning quilt.  Aside from being a very cool quilt, this quilt started somewhere else besides Jenny's work room...Jenny bought the center piece of this quilt at a quilt show boutique!  Then she added to it making it the fabulous quilt it is now - I hope you can click on this picture to see the quilting, it's pretty incredible.  Jenny even "ice-dyed" the green-blue pieces of fabrics she added to this quilt.  The binding is perfect and everything just came together and works so nicely.  I know her friend will love this quilt, probably not as much as she loves Jenny but close!

Marsha showed us her red-work quilt - one she has been working on for a very long time.  Marsha said some people embroider over the printed blocks, adding the "red-work" but it looks pretty darn great without anything to me.  Way to go Marsha!

That's it, another great show and the perfect way to say good-bye to February and hello to March!  I suppose it's time to start pulling out the St. Paddy's day recipes and then the Easter recipes...or maybe I should think about finishing my St. Paddy's day quilt or my Easter quilt instead?!?!