My Stash Bee Quilt .... so far.....

A quick peek at the blocks received so far from my hive on Stash Bee.  I have no idea what the finishied size of this quilt will be since this is only 1/3 of the blocks that will be coming my way.  I am using a cheery woodgrain fabric for the shelves but want to do another border around that.   It is also hard to tell in this photo but I machine embroderied each contributing quilters name and homestate and/or country on their blocks.

I love how this is looking already!

September Block for Carol

I am shocked at myself!  I actually got Carol's block done in time for the afternoon post plus embroderied all the names on the bookshelf quilt blocks that I have received so far.  They need to be trimmed up a little so will post the bookshelf blocks later. 

 

Of course, this was in addition to me having severe focusing issues today......I would work on her block for 10 minutes and then jump on the computer or go look for more fabric, etc.  Carol wanted a fall themed block and I had this great center piece I wanted to use up so things worked out perfectly!  Of course, after looking at this photo, I think I need to re-iron since I did not get all my seams perfectly flat and of course, the gold is not "popping" like it does in real life.

The fun part is that I now have all my obligations done so I now get to start designing my Round Robin pieces.  Yes...shocker!...I joined another quilting swap ....this one is a Round Robin centered around Valentine's Day and will conclude in four months.  Pretty excited since this is one you get to add borders to another person's center block and you have NO clue what yours will look like until you get it back! 

Holiday Knitted Scarves

Yeah!  Half of my holiday knitted scarf set is complete!  I need to work on the hat next but here is a picture of the scarf that I decided to make for myself after I saw this yarn for a quarter at a yardsale.  (I actually got all three skeins for that price!)

 

It was raining when I took the photo so the metallic flakes don't really show up great.  Just a basic knit pattern since the yarn would not show any detail when doing anything fancier.  32 stitches across and two full skeins of the yarn for the scarf.

 

 

Below is a picture of a scarf I did last month using the Seafoam pattern. I really liked it but need to find the right yarn to do another one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next thing to work on today is finishing Carol's autumn quilt block. 

Stalking a blog....

OK....I admit it....I have now officially become a stalker of my Stash Bee quilting blog!  The reason?  Well, I am the Queen Bee for my hive this month and I keep wanting to see if there are any new postings from my hive members for my quilt block. 

It started when I realized that everyone's were turning out so cute and I got so excited about seeing them!  Then I started imaging how I would lay them out and what binding fabric I would use.  It is killing my productivity....I need to work on other things but how can I not get excited with each posting that says "Quilt block for Rachelle or Hive #2?"  It is like Christmas but only better since it lasts all month!!!!!!!!

Below is an example of one of the blocks created....

Note: Created by Carol who is in Hive 4 but wanted to join in the fun.  Isn't this awesome?

A Typical Tuesday....

Yesterday was going to be a quilting / sewing day but my neighbor called in the am and asked if I wanted to go traveling to do some shopping.  Of course, who was I to say "no" to such an adventure.  As a newbie to Michigan I often rely on others to show me the good spots to go but I am usually faithful about carrying my GPS....not so yesterday!

We started out going to Dundee and checking out a candle store that specializes in soy candles, Swan Creek Candles (http://www.swancreekcandle.com/).  They have a couple new scents that I really liked including Vanilla Oak so I had to get something there.

Then we decided to find this outlet mall in Monroe, Michigan which was supposed to be very close.  Where we actually ended up was Lake Erie at Luna Pier.  It was actually a great thing since my cousin had sent me a bear to photograph at a Michigan landmark as part of her school project

 

 

Also since I had a Michigan bear on hand, I decided to give her bear a traveling companion. They are in front of the Luna Pier lighthouse.

 

 

Luna Pier was a cute town which would be fun to visit in the summer and maybe do some fishing out on the pier but I really did not see any good beaches even though their website said they had some.  May need to go exploring again there.  (http://www.michigan.org/property/city-of-luna-pier-public-beach-and-pier/)  From Luna Pier, we finally saw a highway which we knew would get us close to the mall so back on the road we went. 

 

After about 30 minutes (we went South instead of North on the highway first and almost ended up in Ohio) we did find the outlet mall which was almost empty and whose biggest store was Bon Worth......The clothes were stuff my grandmother used to wear and all the pants were made out of polyester.  (I think you can see their advertisements in the Sunday circulars.)  Obviously I did not get anything there even though the prices were unreal but it was interesting to know about it.  On the way home, my neighbor and I were "winging" it again and got lost AGAIN!  Ended up having to stop and ask for directions on that sidetrip, the guy we asked could not believe how far we were from where we needed to be. 

 

So after about 20 minutes of traveling backroads, we were back on track and back home in time to make dinner for the hubby.....Turkey Tettrazini. 

 

I did get some work done on my Christmas scarf that I am knitting which I should have done by the end of the week if not sooner.  Now I just need to find a cute easy pattern for a hat and/or gloves.

 

September Block Headed to Russia

This one is called Storm at Sea.....The instructions were slightly off so truly a stormy block....

Headed to Russia in tomorrow's post

Stash Bee September Block

 

My September block for Stash Bee.  It is called Converging Corners and is actually going to a hive member in Ireland.

 

 

Marty's Quilt

I was able to finish this quilt in May and get to my cousin Marty.  Pretty proud of how it looks in her room.  Queen sized quilt with a natural cotton batting and a light brown paisley print on the back.  Very simple quilting was used.....basically stitch in the ditch.

Blocks for my May and July block swap partners at Stash Bee.  Just now getting to post these even though May's block was sent in early June

 

I am still not really pleased with it but needed to just call it quits and get this in the mail for Stash Bee.  The QB wanted houses from everyone and I wanted to do a witch house since every town needs one.  I still feel like the right hand side needs something but not quite sure what to add.  Ever have a project where you just need to give up.  I have taken this block apart so many times and adjusted height of the sky, grass etc.  Still not happy with it.

Alex's Rich Chocolate Cake

Alex used this recipe for his Glados Cake......much richer than I ever imagined it would be......must make again!



http://www.food.com/recipe/dark-chocolate-cake-2496

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 cup baking cocoa ( dutch process or dark cocoa preferably)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4-1 cup boiling water ( see note below)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

1. Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans or one 13x9 inch pan.
2. In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in boiling water by hand (batter will be thin). NOTE: I have tried it with 1/2 cup, 2/3 cup and 3/4 cup boiling water and we prefer it with less than 1 cup water. I usually use between 2/3 & 3/4 cups. The cake is still very moist but it doesn't seem to "fall" as much as it cools. This might have to do with our high humidity or brand of flour or other factors so I don't know if it will work for everyone.
5. Pour into prepared pan.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round 9-inch pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (Do not use 8-inch pans or the batter will overflow.).
7. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks.

 Making this for dinner tonight since we got another cucumber from the garden I need to use up plus a pound of aspargus...


Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

http://www.food.com/recipe/sesame-chicken-and-asparagus-pasta-180887

• 8 ounces linguine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hot chili oil (optional)
• 2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 5 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• 3 scallions, white bulb and inches green cut up
• 1 small cucumber, halved and seeded cut into 1/4 inch dice

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the linguine and cook until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

1. Place the garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, peanut butter and soy sauce in a food processor. Process for one minute. With motor running, slowly add the sesame and chile oils through the feed tube, and process until well blended.
2. Shred the chicken into 2 inc julienne and toss with linguine. Add the sauce and 4 T of the sesame seeds and toss to coat well.
3. Cut the asaragus on a diagonal into 1 inch lengths. Blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and pat dry.
4. Place the linguine and chicken in a large flat serving bowl and arrange the asaragus on top. Sprinkle with scallions, cucumber and remaining sesame seeds.
5. Serve at room temperature.

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

I have always made bourbon balls to help endure any family event.  When I was single I would pop one every time people would ask me if I was ever going to settle down....or why hadn't I met a decent guy yet.  It was like a little shot of bourbon every time.  And to be honest isn't every family event better with bourbon?

Now that I am married, I make them to just enjoy them.  The secret is to soak your pecans in the bourbon for at least 12-24 hours.  In fact, the longer you soak them the better since it helps to retain the bourbon flavor for quite a while.  Be warned this adventure in cooking can take a couple of days to complete but it is definitely worth it.  Oh...and if you have a stand mixer this is a great thing to use since it makes everything come together much nicer.

Ingredient list:
1 cup of pecans
1/4 cup of good Kentucky bourbon (I prefer Woodford Reserve or at least Maker's Mark)
1 bag of confectionary sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1-2 bags of semi-sweet chips

Day One:
Take 1 cup of pecans and turn into pecan dust in the food processor.  (Fortunately I live near Detroit and can buy pecan dust directly from Rocky's which is across from the Eastern Market.  I have also found the pecan dust at roadside stands in Georgia but that can be quite a trip if you don't live near by.)

Take the pecan dust and put in a small jar or plastic container with a tight fitting lid.  Now pour even bourbon to barely soak the pecans (usually 5 Tablespoons).  If you put in too much you may need to either add more pecan dust or use more confectionary sugar in the following steps.

Day Two:
Take 1/2 cup of softened butter (preferably the real stuff) and add one complete bag of confectionary sugar.  Blend together.  Please note that it will still not look like anything but confectionary sugar even when you are completed blending so just have faith that it will work out at this point.  Now mix the soaked pecans in with the sugar/butter blend.  Mix in your stand mixer until fully incorporated and the filling looks like the inside of an opera cream (with some pecans blended in).  You will now want to remove the filling from the mixing bowl and either a) spread to about 1/2" thick on a platter OR b) make into small round balls.  You will need to put these into the freezer and chill into firm.  This is crucial since it helps when you are dipping them into the chocolate to coat.

Day Three:
Melt a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or for real decadence use dark chocolate chips).  If you did use method A for the filling, you will need to cut it into small squares or rectangles which can them be dipped individually.  The easist way to coat the bourbon balls is to either use a pair of chopsticks (if you are proficient with them) or use a small teaspoon to roll them into the chocolate.  Place on waxed paper to harden.  If possible, store in the fridge to completely harden before packing into an airtight container for longer storage in the refrigerator.  The second bag of chocolate chips is your reserve bag if your primary bag of chocolate chips is used up prior to finishing up coating all the bourbon balls.

NOTE:  Other uses for pecan dust are coating chicken / fish / pork and then frying or baking.

Blackberry Cake

Today is my DH birthday and I wanted to make something special for him.  So I went to my Grandmother's recipe box and found this one that was always a favorite around her house.  I was pretty excited about it since I was getting to use up some of the blackberries I had picked last year with my Godson at a U-Pick farm and I remembered it being a pretty darn good cake.

"Aunt Edie's Blackberry Cake"
Cream together:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup lard (I substituted butter flavored Crisco)

Add :
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Then Add:
3 cups flour (no more)
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoon Cinnamonm
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Finally Add:
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups blackberries --  juice and all

Makes 3 pans    350 degrees
--------
OK....so notice anything missing from this recipe that I copied verbatim from her notes?  Yes...the length of time to cook it!  After 35 minutes, I put a toothpick in it and it came out clean so I removed it from the oven.  After letting it cool, I started to put icing on it and realized it was doing a slow wave with every stroke.  After checking again with another toothpick and it was still clean I decided to cut it open since it was either not done or it was possessed.

Well all I can saw is thank goodness I decided to do a 9 x 13 cake vs a layer cake.  It was definitely not done and had to go back in the oven for another 30-45 minutes.  I removed as much of the icing as possible prior to the rebaking but worried that it would turn extremely nasty while cooking.  Thankfully it just made the cake absorb the Cream Cheese Icing that I was using.

Also, my Grandmother (Annie) had always served this with a caramel icing but I was out of granulated sugar to make one from scratch.  Of course being the creative one.....I got a brilliant idea of using the caramel apple wraps I had left over from last fall.  Bad news I had already put them on since I wanted a layer of caramel between the icing and the cake.  Good news is while some of it melted into the blackberry cake along with the cream cheese icing the rest got more like toffee and formed a hard crust on top of it. 

Final result was good but was definitely a chore to get there and it was not the pretty birthday cake I had hoped for (hence the small pieces in the photo).  Next time I highly recommend cooking for at least an hour or longer and checking by cutting it open with a knife.  Also, make sure your opening can easily be covered with icing.  It is a rich cake so I would recommend doing a less sweet icing or even just sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Grilling Asparagus

I love the taste of grilled asparagus but find that it can be messy to do especially if you don't line them up correctly when placing on the grill plate.  And honestly there is nothing worse than watching your freshly olive oil coated and prepped asparagus disappear into the flames of the hot coals below. 

I was recently "googling" for some new tips for grilled asparagus when I came across the blog "Cooking Like Your Grandmother" which had this cool tip for grilling.....use a bamboo skewer to thread them together to be able to easily flip and control on the grill.  For complete instructions on this technique including photos, check out http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2008/06/how-to-grill-asparagus-take-2/.

Pioneer Braid Sampler

Finally finished my block for Linda G. today.  Decided to do a pioneer braid sampler quilt square.   Went with this design since I had a long piece of the braid left over from another quilting project and it was a good way to use up the scraps.  Now I don't feel so guilty about not using that piece.

Of course, the main project that this came from is still a UFO (UnFinished Object) but I am hoping to get it done in April (this year!).  I have only been working on it on and off for over three years so setting that as a goal should not be too unrealistic I hope.  I started it with my engineering friend at a class and she finished hers several years ago and gave it to her son for his bedroom.  (Talk about no pressure there.....)

I think the problem is it is such muted earthy colors and there is so many different fabrics.  I know it is supposed to be that way but I like bright geometric patterns in quilts.  I want to do this again in just two or three colors but it will probably be a while.

Wonky Star

I finally got my March block done for Jorie today.  She wanted a Wonky Star and I found a great tutorial on the web (http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html). 

Great thing about this quilt block swap is I am getting to use up some of my material from my scrap stash.  This is the second month in a row I had to do a Wonky Star and they are starting to grow on me.  The first one I did I made the seams too wide so I was doing a scant 1/4" on this one to make sure it was 12.5 inches wide.  Turns out I did a little too good of a job since it was almost 13 inches wide.  Personally, I like to make the points of the star a little more wonky than usual to give it  interest.  I am thinking about doing a whole quilt of this kind of star for my engineer friend since it would probably test her patience on not being perfect points!

My next challenge is to do my block for Linda G who moderates our swap block so you know it probably should be better than my usual work.

Block Swap Adventure - April

Received in the mail today my block from my April swap partner (Linda G) at Block Swap Adventures.  It is called a Rail Fence design and she did it in bright jewel colors for me. 

Easter Bunny Bread OR the Killer Rabbit from Monty Python

Decided to make bread today to go with homemade chicken and dumplings.  A little overkill on the starches but I could not resist when I saw these instructions to make a bunny out of bread.  (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/bunny-shaped-bread-baking-easter.html)


I varied the recipe a little by using 1/2 cup of wheat flour along with the regular bread flour.  Here it is after the second rising before baking.

I think he flattened out a bit much so I generally reshaped him and added some definition to the paws and face.



After baking, he still looks like something from Monty Python but for a first try, I think he turned out well other than needing more face definition.  The best part is he was still all connected!

I actually made two of these and gave the better looking one to my neighbor.  I may have to do this again when my godson visits since it was pretty easy.

My hubby could not decide whether or not to cut off the head first or a lucky rabbit's foot.  He decided to go for the head since he does not like his food looking at him while eating it.  :)

The Beginning...

Today is my first day of blogging and I started this to not only show off my quilting stuff to my fellow quilters but also to talk about my latest adventures in canning, cooking, travel, etc.  Can't promise to always be exciting but will try to make this entertaining.

Today my goal is to get a quilt block completed for another one of my swaps plus get the
tree block (shown below) in the mail.

The block I am mailing today is for Tara at Stashbee.Blogspot.com. It was an "improv" block that the Queen Bee of the Month asked that we only use Kona Azure for the sky background. Other than that it was anything goes. I got very lucky and found this really neat fabric that was similar in color with birds and tree branches. I decided to go with a simple block to show off the tree branch fabric. The little block to the side is my signature block (can you tell I REALLY liked this fabric!) I decided to hide my information in the branches to feature another one of the birds that I could not get in the original block.

Also this past weekend, my dear husband and I decided to visit Eastern Market in Detroit (www.detroiteasternmarket.com).  We were able to score a deal on some fresh green beans so we (I) decided to try out my new pressure canner that I had just received for my birthday.  Turns out one bushel of fresh green beans makes 17 quarts and 6 pints of canned green beans.  We ended up having to stay up until 4am on Saturday monitoring the canner since I was so nervous about using it for the very first time.  Every hiss and bit of steam release from the valves had me jumping and worried about the cost of having to potentially redo the kitchen ceiling.

So to keep me from going nuts I decided to clean out my canning "pickle mis-adventures" from last year.    The pickles we had made were a really odd combination of sweet, clove, and garlic.  I don't mind being adventurous but these did not taste good.  Ended up dumping over a dozen jars into the compost bin. My thoughts were I rather do that than force family / friends to pretend to like them.  I did have my cousin try them and after being polite about them and her saying things like "there is nothing like a homemade pickle" or "that was an unusual recipe"....I finally got her to admit that they were not worth keeping.  Guess I need to find a better recipe.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated on a better recipe for dill and/or garlicky pickles.