Shop Hop Fever

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." -- Billy Graham, Christian Evangelist


"A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child." --Knights of Pythagoras  

 

 

  What a week this has been!  It's that time of year when the shop hop along the Wasatch front happens.  My friend, my daughter and I were able to attend all 12 of the stores and complete our passports.  Now we just need to wait and see if we win a prize.  It was slightly different this year because each store had patterns for small quilts or table runners instead of full sized quilts.  The theme this year was "Let's Play" and each shop centered their festivities around a game.  Here are a few of our favorites from some of the shops.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the pattern that we received for completing the shop hop.  I can't wait to make my own checker mat.  I think I will try constructing mine using Halloween fabrics.

 

 

     Celebrating Father's Day today with my family was nice.  We had a houseful of kids, grandkids and parents.  I'm very blessed to have a husband who is a great father.  He has that rare and exceptional quality of loving unconditionally. 
     We served Mushroom Porkchops to the crowd today.  My mother-in-law also brought one of my husbands favorites--Tossed green salad with homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.

 

Mushroom Pork Chops

6 pork chops                                        ½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced or

1 tsp. salt                                                 1 ( 4 oz.) can mushrooms

¼ tsp. pepper                                       1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

garlic powder to taste                         1 ¼ cups milk

2 T. butter                                           4 cups thinly sliced potatoes

1 large onion, finely chopped

 

            Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9x13” baking dish.  Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat, add chops and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Brown on both sides.  Remove from skillet.  Place onions in skillet and cook until browned.  Pour in mushrooms, soup and milk.  Stir until blended.  Remove from heat and set aside.

                Arrange sliced potatoes evenly on bottom of prepared baking dish.  Arrange pork chops on top of potatoes.  Pour soup mixture over chops.

                Bake, covered, for 45 minutes in oven.  Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.

 

 

 

Blue Cheese Dressing

 

Combine thoroughly:

1 clove garlic (optional)

6 T finely minced onion

2 T lemon juice

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup Roquefort or blue cheese

1 cup sour cream

 

Chill thoroughly.  It mellows and thickens on standing.

 

 

 

     Another good recipe that will feed a crowd is Chocolate Texas Sheetcake.  My friend, Debbie gave this recipe to me.  We like to serve it with chopped nuts sprinkled on half of the cake.  That way if someone doesn't like nuts they don't have to have any.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 cubes margarine

1 cup water                                           Put in bowl and melt in microwave.

2 ½ T. cocoa

 

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour                                           Put in large mixing bowl and set aside.

1 tsp. soda

 

2 eggs

½ cup buttermilk or sour milk                           Mix in small bowl.

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Pour first bowl of ingredients over bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well.  Then add egg mixture and mix well.  Pour onto large greased and floured jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Make frosting 10 minutes before the cake is done.

 

Frosting:  Mix 1 cube of melted butter with 1/3 cup milk and 4 T. cocoa.   Add 1 tsp. vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make frosting the right consistency.  Can also add 1 cup chopped nuts.

     Here is a cute little gift that my friend, Pam, made for some of the fathers that she knows.  It's made from a regular envelope with the end cut open.  She used some scrapbook paper for the ties and  slid in a Hershey's candy bar.