May Days!

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."--Abraham Lincoln

     I am having so much trouble wrapping it around my brain that it is May already.  I know that summer will be here in the blink of an eye and I am definitely not ready. 
     I guess we'll start with a cute quilt.  This one is from Quilt Soup (not only do you get a cute pattern but you also get a recipe--bonus!!).  It's called "We Be Jammin'".

     I read the book Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen last month.  It was good but my favorite has still got to be Pride and Prejudice.  I guess it reminds me of my girlhood growing up with four sisters and a dad who reminded me a little of the famous Mr. Bennett.

     Here are more pictures from our California trip.  We went to Yosemite National Park.  There is absolutely no way that you can take a bad picture there.  Any direction you faced the scenery was gorgeous.  I'm glad we were there in April so we avoided the crowds of the summer months.

                    








     The best dessert ever is fruit pizza.  My husband will agree.  He requests it every year for his birthday.  It's great in the Spring when the fresh fruit is available.  Thanks to my sister for a great recipe.

                                            

Fruit Pizza

Crust:

            ½ C. margarine            2 ¾ C. flour

½ C. shortening           2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 ¼ C. sugar                1 tsp. soda

2 eggs                          ¼ tsp. salt

Mix ingredients together as for cookies.  Press into a cookie sheet.  Bake at 400* for 10 minutes.  Cool.

Sauce:

            Beat 12-16 oz. of cream cheese, 1/2 C. sugar, 3-5 Tbsp. fruit juice (use juice saved from draining canned fruit).  Spread onto cooled crust.

Use pineapple, mandarin oranges, strawberries, mangos, grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, raspberries, kiwis, etc. and arrange on top of sauce on the crust.

Topping:

            Combine remaining fruit juice left from draining canned fruit with 3 Tbsp. cornstarch. Cook until thickened. Cool slightly and drizzle over entire fruit pizza.  Chill for several hours.

Waiting For Spring!

  "In the Spring, I have counted 136 kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."--Mark Twain


"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."       --Mark Twain


Spring Break was great, although it had a rough start.  We drove to California and stayed in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, the home of Mark Twain's Celebrated Jumping Frog.  It's also near where the gold rush all began.  But on the way there, traveling through Nevada, we ran into a dirt storm and chipped our windshield in several places and ended up with a crack down the side.  We got to Donner's Summit and had to chain up because of the snowstorm.  One of the wipers actually broke off due to the built up ice.  It was slow going for a few hours but we were very happy to finally make it to our destination.  After a day of rest we visited Mercer Caverns and Calaveras County Big Trees State Park.  I'll tell about other places we visited in a future blog.

Snow storm at Donner's Summit

You can walk through this tree without ducking!

Tree stump dance floor holds 30 couples!

Snowy and muddy trail to follow.

We had a great Easter with all the family and others here for a ham dinner.  Now, what to do with all that left over ham.  A simple solution is Ham Fried Rice.  It's easy and even my picky eater likes it.  Add some fresh fruit and some stir-fried veggies and you have a complete meal.

Ham Fried Rice

3 cups cooked rice                                1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed

5 eggs, scrambled                                 1-2 cups ham, diced

3-4 green onions, diced                          soy sauce to taste

2 tablespoons oil 

Prepare individual ingredients beforehand.  Chilled rice works the best.  Heat oil in wok.  Add each ingredient gradually and stir until well mixed and heated through.  Add enough soy sauce to flavor rice and give it a light tan color.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Even though Spring is taking it's sweet time to get here, this quilt helps us imagine it's toasty warm outside.  I made this one for my youngest daughter for her birthday.  It's from Nancy Odom's book Vintage Rose.  It's called Lost Spools.  If you look hard enough you can find the thread spool shapes.

Closing in on April!

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."--Thomas A. Edison

     I can't believe Easter is in two weeks.  Just when I think it's going to be Spring the weather turns and it's cold again.  Hopefully, there are sunny days ahead.  Here are a couple of recipes to help us feel warm inside. 
     Start a new Easter tradition and make Hot Cross Buns for your family.  They are delicious!  I have been making this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com for about 7 years. You can use raisins instead of the currants but I really prefer the currants.  I also like to smear the icing all over the top and not just in a cross shape.

HOT CROSS BUNS

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup dried currants
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons milk

Directions

1. Put warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, and yeast in bread maker and start on dough program.
2. When 5 minutes of kneading are left, add currants and cinnamon. Leave in machine till double.
3. Punch down on floured surface, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
4. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
5. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
7. To make crosses: mix together confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and milk. Brush an X on each cooled bun.               

     It just isn't Easter unless you have some Deviled Eggs on hand.  It's a great way to use up some of those colored eggs.  For even more variations go to tasteofhome.com.

Deviled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1/8 tsp. salt

Cut hard-cooked eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks.  Mash yolks with a fork.  Stir in mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and salt.  Stuff egg whites with yolk mixture.  Garnish with parsley or paprika.

Italian-Style Deviled Eggs
Prepare Deviled Eggs as above, except omit mayonnaise, vinegar and mustard.  Add 3 Tablespoons Italian dressing to mashed yolks.  Stuff egg whites with yolk mixture.

     This is a fun quilt for April.  Since we're still waiting for the tulips to appear in our yards we can at least experience them in fabric form.  This quilt is called Tulip Trellis.  It was another one of those free patterns I got in the mail.  Yeah!  We love free!

    

    

     I read the book Christy by Catherine Marshall when I was in High School (We won't say just how long ago that was.)  It was one of my favorites.  It was also one of the things that inspired me to get my teaching degree.

Happy Windy St. Patrick's Day to You!

"May the road rise to meet you,
 May the wind be always at your back,
 May the sun shine warm upon your face,
 The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
 Until we meet again,
 May God hold you in the palm of His hand."
                            --Irish Blessing

     I thought this was an appropriate quote for this day.  We have weather warnings for 50 mph winds today.  I like to spend the days indoors anyway.  My kids started out their day in the usual St. Patrick's Day tradition of having Lucky Charms for breakfast.  (Hey, it's a holiday for me as well.) 

This is one of the first pieced quilts that I ever made.  I learned how to do needle turn applique on the vines and leaves.  I used up a lot of scraps for the pinwheels and I was happy with how it turned out.  The pattern was one of those free patterns that I got for signing up to take a quilting magazine.  McCall's Quilting Magazine is one of my favorites.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Tonight my family will be eating corned beef sandwiches on rye bread and some hidden pear jello.  The jello salad has a beautiful light green color and makes the meal festive.  Not to mention, the family really likes it.  You can also try it with peaches instead of pears for a refreshing salad or dessert for Easter that has a pretty peachy color. 

Hidden Pear Jello Salad

1 (15 oz.) can pear halves                                 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1 (3 oz.) package lime flavored gelatin            2 cups frozen whipped topping,

                                                                                    thawed

Drain pears and reserve 1 cup liquid; if needed add water to equal 1 cup.  In a saucepan over medium heat, combine liquid from pears and gelatin.  Bring to a boil and stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from heat and chill until partially set.  In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese and pears until smooth.  Add gelatin mixture and whipped topping, blend until smooth.  Pour into mold or leave in bowl.  Chill for 3 hours or until firm.

I read a book called The Leper a few months ago and it was a sweet story about a man with leprosy and how he tries to save his family the grief of living with him and his disease.  I was amazed that it all turned out well in the end.  The author is Sigmund Brouwer.

Snowy Beautiful Day!

"A handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold." --Irish Saying


I don't know about April but March came in like a lion.  But it did leave a beautiful morning behind.  This is the view from my backyard.

Today I was remembering back to the days of being sick and pregnant and I thought of the books I used to read way back then.  One of my favorite authors was Janette Oke.  I could read her books and completely forget my troubles.  Two of my favorites were Love Comes Softly(there is also a movie by the same name starring Katherine Heigl in her younger days) and Roses for Mama.  Her books are mostly in the genre of inspirational fiction.  These are nice, clean, well-written books.  Most of them take place in the Canadian Prairie.

Here's a quilt to get you in the St. Patrick's spirit.  It's a basic 9 patch with shamrocks with woven plaid 4 patches for the background with ragged edges.  I wanted it to look rustic.

Everyone loves potatoes and what's more Irish than that.  This is a recipe that my mom made when I was young.  It's oh so easy but tasty as well.

Seasoned Potatoes

          Peel and cube about six medium sized potatoes.  Boil in large

 saucepan for 20-30 minutes until soft.  Drain.  Add ¼ C. butter or

margarine and about 1 tsp. seasoning salt.  Stir together and serve

warm.

I hate to have to admit it but I add more butter than that and more seasoning salt.  I also leave the peelings on.  The nice thing about these potatoes is that they go well with any kind of meat.  Here's another meal we enjoy in the winter that is so easy.

Quick and Easy Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef                                              1- 4 oz. can tomato sauce

1 can condensed chicken gumbo soup             1 T. prepared mustard

            Brown ground beef in frying pan.  Drain off fat.  Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns with cheese slices.    

Did you know that on February 24th and 25th of this year the Snowgoose Festival was held in Delta, Utah?  I went there with a friend for the first time.  We went to the craft fair and the quilt show.  Then we went to lunch at The Pizza House.  We took a quick peek in Mom's Crafts and Fabrics store and enjoyed seeing the collection of antique sewing machines.  Then we had our own little wild goose chase looking for where the snow geese were.  We finally found them.  Due to the winds and all the dust flying around in the air the visibility was not good.  The geese were mostly hanging out together at the very end of the reservoir where we couldn't see them very well.  Once in a while a flock would fly overhead.

The white line is the snow geese.

The little dots are the geese in the air.

This is an adorable cat quilt from the quilt show.  Love the rick rack whiskers.

Happy Day After President's Day!

"A creative mess is better than tidy idleness."--message in fortune cookie


     I have never had the least desire to travel to Africa.  The dry desert and wild animals have never really appealed to me.  But after reading a book called The #1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith  I am reconsidering.  This book is about a woman named Precious Ramotswe who lives in the country of Botswana in Africa.  She starts up her own detective agency when her father leaves her his cattle just before he dies.  He tells her to sell the cows and start her own business.  And that's just what she does.  I admire her integrity and her courage, but most of all her uncanny common sense.  Precious uses her curiosity and natural talents to help others.  I am thrilled that it is the first in a series of ten books.  I definitely want to read more about her adventures.  Smith describes Africa with fondness as a place of exotic beauty.

     It's that time of year when citrus is in season and I have a recipe that I like to use those lemons in.  I got this one from my sister.  Since I like snow peas, it's become a favorite.  I also like to use instant brown rice in this recipe.

Lemon Chicken

1 lb. skinned, boned chicken breasts,                              1 large carrot, sliced diagonally

cut into strips                                                        2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 medium onion, chopped                                                 ½ tsp. grated lemon rind

2 garlic cloves, crushed                                                       ½ tsp. salt

2 T. butter or margarine                                                     1 cup snow pea pods

1 T. cornstarch                                                                     3 T. chopped parsley

1 can (13 ¾ oz.) chicken broth                                         1 ½ cups dry Minute rice

Saute chicken, onion and garlic in butter until chicken is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cornstarch and cook 1 minute.

Add broth, carrot, lemon juice, lemon rind and salt.  Bring to a full boil.

Stir in pea pods, parsley and rice.  Cover; remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.  Makes 4 servings.

Here's another birthday quilt I made for my sister.  It is made from only one block and only three different fabrics.  It's called Rock, Paper, Scissors.  I did the Scissors layout.   The pattern is put out by Prairie Sky Quilting and is one of their Triple Expresso creations.  Minky on the back makes it nice and cuddly.

Happy Valentine's Day Month!

"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved"--Victor Hugo


     Since it's the month of love, I'll have to recommend not only one of my favorite all time musicals, but it was also a really good book to read.  The Scarlet Pimpernel takes place during the French Revolution.  It's a great adventure book as well as being a pretty good romance.  If you haven't seen the musical, you are really missing out.

We tried these cookies the other day and they were really tasty and I thought they would make a really nice Valentine's Day treat.  You can also replace one cup of the flour with a cup of oatmeal and add a 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon to make a great cookie with a slightly different flavor.

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened                                                2 ½ cups flour            

1 cup brown sugar                                                      1 tsp. baking soda

½ cup sugar                                                                 1 tsp. salt

2 eggs                                                                          2 cups white baking chips

1 tsp. vanilla                                                                1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.  Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat until well mixed.  Stir in baking chips and cranberries by hand.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets. 

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until light brown.  Cool completely.

Here's a quilt I did last year.  I love black and white quilts; then you throw in a little red and it takes it to the next level of dramatic.  This pattern is by Anka's Treasures in her booklet called Stop, Drop and Roll.  It's called  Center of Attention; and you can see why.