Sewing and Growing

I've been learning different quilting techniques this week on YouTube. There are several people giving tutorials on there. Here's one of my favorites...



I've also been sewing quite a bit too. I made a couple of hot mats for larger pots like chili and stews for the table, a crock pot cover and a little case for my reading glasses.

Here's a few pics of those projects.







The next thing I hope to learn is how to sew a straight seam. lol

Yesterday evening I noticed the hostas have popped out of the ground and are around three inches tall now. What a great feeling to see that! The last freeze is due this weekend. After that, hopefully the warm weather will be here to stay.

Sissy got very protective of her kittens and was chasing every cat in the house this past weekend. It got so bad, I had to move her and the kittens into a make-shift shelter on the porch. She's finally calmed down and so have I. lol

A New Apron!

I love designing and sewing. Yesterday I decided to make a new apron with a vintage flair. I still had some yardage of that feedsack fabric left and thought it would fit the design perfectly.

Here's the finished apron.


There are yellow sashes on each side in the back that match the ruffle at the bottom. I'll add pockets later. After all, what's an apron without pockets?

Sissy's kittens will be two weeks old this Sunday.

They're growing like weeds.

One Down and a Few to Go

Well monday I began the spring cleaning. The bathroom was first and I was surprised it took as long as it did but I left so surface untouched, except for the ceiling of course. I even wiped down the mini blinds, washed the shower curtain and all the rugs too. By the time that was finished, I was whipped. Too many winter days of little exercise left my body with aches and pains in places I forgotten I had. I do feel better today though. The bathroom is sparkling and now it's on to the laundry room. Once the house is cleaned I can concentrate on other things.

I made a heat/ice pack over the weekend using muslin fabric and rice for stuffing. I then made a pretty washable cover for it out of a reproduction feedsack fabric.


You can either freeze it or put it in the microwave for a minute. Peety's already discovered it's warmth and will lay on it when I'm not using it.

Spring Cleaning Begins This Week

Spring begins tomorrow evening. Yay! I'm preparing for the annual "spring clean" around here. I've decided to take one room at a time and just clean it from top to bottom. That way I won't get so overwhelmed.

We've had some sunny days and my mood has lifted quite a bit. I must be one of those who gets the winter blues. This winter has been a long and painful one, but as I said, I'm feeling lighter and brighter now.

Sissy's kittens will be a week old tomorrow.


We're going to run an ad in the local paper and see if we can find them new homes when they're old enough. We decided it was better to let her birth them inside than try to tame another litter of feral kittens.

We did manage to tame the two males "Boo" and "Sammy" from Penny's last feral litter but "Molly" still refuses to be touched.

"Peety" is growing into a handsome fellow.

He was the kitten someone dropped off on our deck this past Christmas. We thought he was a female for awhile and named him Holly. He's since forgotten that. Now he spends his days driving Bella crazy. They wrestle and play tag around the house until they both flop down from exhaustion. I did manage to get a pic of Bella during a mellow moment.

She's the kitten who's pic is in the top of the page. She turned a year old in April.

We do have a lot of cats around here...



but we also get a lot of love.

Warm Days Ahead

Spring is almost here and with it a new litter of kittens. A neighbors cat moved in this past winter and had two tuxedo kittens this past sunday.

This has become a chronic problem. Neighbors refuse to spay or neuter their pets and their offspring come to us for food and attention. We've adopted more than we can barely afford and there's no animal shelters in Carter County. We have a pound but it consists of one man who rarely shows up when you call him and it's a killing facility. We can't send them there.

We're not sure what the answer is but something has to give.

What a Breakfast!

With all this rain there's been quite a bit of TV watching around here. One of our favorite shows is Down Home With the Neelys on the Food Network.
They were making breakfast dishes the other day and we decided to give a couple of their dishes a try this morning.

Gina's Brown Sugar Bacon and Banana Stuffed French Toast.


Awesome! That's all we can say about those dishes.

Here's the recipes.

Gina's Brown Sugar Bacon

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
* 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, 8 slices

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper together in a medium bowl. Add bacon and toss.

Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and lay bacon on the rack. Pat any remanding spice mixture on the bacon. Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and let cool slightly before serving.


Banana Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* Pinch ground cinnamon
* 3 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
* 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 large unsliced loaf French bread, bread cut into 8 slices
* 4 large eggs
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon rum extract
* Nonstick cooking spray
* Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
* Maple syrup, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted add the brown sugar and pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts into the butter and becomes a sauce. Add bananas and toss together. Let cook until the bananas are soft and incorporated into the sauce. Remove to a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, add cream cheese and mash with a wooden spoon.

Using a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slits in 1 side of each bread slice, cutting 3/4 of way through bread and creating pocket that leaves 3 sides of bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the bread pockets.

In a large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, cinnamon and rum and whisk to combine. Pour mixture into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the egg mixture and let soak for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread from egg mixture, using a spatula, letting the excess drain off.

Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray and put the rack on a baking sheet. Put the bread on the rack and transfer to the oven.

Bake the French toast until it is golden brown and filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Transfer the toast on a serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

I halved this recipe for Ray and I and we still had more than we could eat. I was glad I'd made french bread yesterday as it came in handy this morning.

A Rainy Day for Comfort Food

The weatherman has been right so far. The rain has come to Hitchins and with it, falling temps. All the cats are napping while I've been busy in the kitchen baking french bread to go with our lasagna tonight.


Here's the recipe.

BASIC FRENCH BREAD

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. quick-rise yeast
1 tbsp. oil
1 c. hot water, 125-130 degrees
2 tbsp. soft butter
1 tsp. garlic
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 beaten egg white
Set aside 1 cup flour. Mix flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Stir in hot water and oil. Mix in reserved flour to make soft dough. Knead 4 minutes.
Roll into 12x12 inch square. Spread with butter, garlic and cheese. Roll up jelly roll fashion.
Place in baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a cloth. Place over boiling water in a large shallow pan. Allow to rise 20-30 minutes. Make slashes in the top of loaf. Brush with beaten egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

I think it's the easiest bread I've made yet.
I thought I'd make some of it into garlic bread.
The house smells so nice and comforting. I think I'll go take a little nap myself before making the lasagna.

Hints of Spring and Other Things

I hear the spring peepers from the open window tonight. I think this is the first time I've heard them this year.
Folklore says that they must be frozen out three times before warm weather is here to stay. One freeze is coming our way this weekend. Rain tomorrow and sunday followed by a possible bout of light snow for sunday night. Hmmm...wonder if this is the first freeze?

I tried making an envelope pillow cover and had good luck on the first try.
Vanessa's a good teacher!

I bought the front but had to add fabric to the sides to get the size I needed for my pillow.


Here's the back.

Best Fish Ever!

I found a bag of frozen Tilapia fillets in the freezer the other day and thought fish and chips would be good for dinner. I went to one of my favorite recipe websites www.cooks.com and found this beer batter that is absolutely the best you will ever try. It's now going to be a family favorite at our house. Here's the recipe...

BEER BATTER FRIED FISH

fish fillets (Tilapia is a good choice.)
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. beer
1/2 c. salad oil
Oil for deep frying

Coat fish with flour; set aside. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, beer and 1/2 cup oil; beat with rotary beater until smooth. Dip fish into batter, allowing excess to drip into bowl. Fry in deep hot 375 degree oil until golden brown on both sides. I've found that 4-5 minutes on each side works well. Drain on paper towels.

(You can half the recipe if you're only cooking for one or two.)