Accessories

Almost Looks Like a Whale From This Angle

These came with the car.  I am sure I will not need to tote any skis but maybe someone else will someday.  The trailer hitch though is quite exciting.  I have always wanted a small trailer, mostly that was back in the day before there was green recycling, but still... I can picture it.

Provo Oil Spill

I didn't know the Jeep was leaking oil so badly until I pulled it into the driveway this afternoon.  Any more and I believe I would have had to call the EPA, fps.  Luckily when I pulled into the driveway I was just back from doing this...

Yay, yay, yay!  More twirling going on here! 

I should have taken a little more time with the picture taking so it could have been slightly more in focus but it seemed a bit like peeping into my neighbor's windows.

For the Birds

Here is how Janie is helping...crocheted birds' nests!  This is a stack of four in assorted sizes and more woodsy looking.  She also made a bunch that were more brightly colored.  It all depends on what's on hand. Today a batch was sent to Swift Care Ontario which is dedicated to providing care for species at risk, specializing primarily in Chimney Swifts, Barn Swallows, Whip-poor-wills and Common Nighthawks.  They care for abandoned, injured and orphaned birds.

You can find out more information here.  Yay, Janie!

This Sums It Up

I probably have posted about this before and with a similar picture.  I can't tell you how long it took me to stop thinking about what I could do with the Laughing Cow Cheese container and actually drop it in the recycling bin.  Heavy. Sigh.  Most likely a genetic problem as most of the family has this same obsession with containers to some degree or another. 

However, on a more promising note, this morning I took seven and a half pounds (7.5!) of old calendars to the recycling bin that was already at the curb.  I barely looked through them but did pull out two.  The oldest calendar that I saw in the stack was from 1992.  Twenty two years ago, fps.  I'll admit that I heart Mary Englebreit.  I like to frame calendar pages but honestly there is not a lot of wall space left. 

I do have four calendars currently hanging in the house.  You might think I am worried about how much time I have left compared to how much fabric I have left to sew.  You would be right.

(That's a jar of hardened honey, not bacon fat.)

Fruits & Veggies

In keeping with Meatless Monday, I finished this mini quilt today.  The pattern is a free tutorial out on the web and was popping up everywhere because of Valentine's Day.  I was inspired by the blueberry fabric!  It is a paper piecing pattern and took me more time that I care to admit given the few number of pieces involved.  For me paper piecing is like thinking inside out and backwards.  I really enjoyed the hand stitching which I did with #8 Perle cotton.  I was trying to channel my friend Sheila who does amazing hand stitching but oh, I need quite a bit more practice.  My machine quilting turned out well and made me happy too.

I also bravely tried a facing rather than a binding.  Facings are used most often on small quilts where you don't want to interfere with the "picture".   After the facing is sewn to the right side of the quilt, you sew an eigth of an inch from that seam just as you do in garment sewing to help the facing roll to the back and stay there.  Nonetheless, massive pinning is involved to keep it all in place while the hand sewing is done.  Those are my favorite pins, long, thin and very sharp but I was constantly getting poked by them.  Also of note, that backing fabric is so old that the company is no longer in business!

 

This little quilt is only 15x20 inches, not something I usually do but it was fun to start and finish something in a very short time.

Valentine's Dinner

Another keeper recipe!  I was eager to try it because it uses half a pound of ground chicken which would leave the other half for meatballs or to add in the meatloaf mix.  I could not imagine though how something called spaghetti would not have oregano or basil in it.  This really works and after all, there is nothing about Italian in the title.

Chicken Spaghetti Pie 

Slightly adapted from Serious Eats, Posted by Yvonne Ruperti, February 13, 2014

Note: This can be doubled and baked in a 13- by 9-inch casserole dish.

    5 ounces angel hair pasta, broken in half

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

    8 ounces ground chicken

    1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

    2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, strained

    1 (8-ounce) can tomato purée

    6 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded, divided

    1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 400°F. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in medium pot over high heat.  Season generously with salt. Quickly cook until pasta is al dente (about 2 minutes). Immediately drain and run cold water over pasta to cool. Spread onto a plate and place in the freezer while you prepare the sauce.   If beginning to freeze solid, move pasta to refrigerator.

 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until just softened, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken and cook, breaking up with spoon, until chicken is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.  Add chili flakes, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, strained tomatoes, and purée, and bring to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly thickened and flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Place sauce, spaghetti, 5 ounces colby-jack cheese, and Parmesan in large bowl. Toss to combine. Spread into an 8x8 baking dish or a 2 quart casserole dish, top with remaining ounce of cheese, and bake until top is crispy, about 20 minutes.  4 servings

Original recipe found here and it includes an explanation about chilling the pasta to keep it from getting mushy when baked.

Cupping and Tasting

The second class about Coffee was on Monday night and it turned out there was more to the tasting than just pouring a cup for everyone.  In fact, it was fairly intimidating in the same way a wine tasting would be.  I think of Meg Ryan in French Kiss when Kevin Kline asks her to close her eyes and think about what she is tasting.

Each coffee was first ground and then put in five of the cups, which actually looked like bowls.  The roasted beans are displayed in the blue dishes.  We smelled each and jotted down anything that we noticed about the aroma of the dry coffee. Then Levi poured hot water over the ground beans which  steeped only a few minutes and we went around and smelled the brewed coffee.  Step three was the actual tasting part and after the "crust" was broken, you only skimmed the surface or you would be chewing on the grounds.  That would be wrong and really nasty.

During all these steps, Levi would be asking us what we noticed and then he would say what he noticed and then most of us went back to see if we noticed it once we knew what it was.  A bunch of rookies but it was interesting and fun.

Packaged ground beans, sold mostly to restaurants.  The empty bags hanging on the tables show where the coffee came from.  We tasted three coffees from Ethiopia, one from Rwanda and one from Nicaragua.

Risotto!

A perfect  dinner on a rainy February Sunday.  I pan cooked half of a small pork tenderloin to go with this amazing risotto.

 Baked Barley Risotto With Butternut Squash 

 – adapted from Real Simple Magazine - Serves 4

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  small butternut squash (about 11/2 pounds)—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1  cup finely chopped onion
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1  cup  pearl barley
• 3 ½  cups  low-sodium chicken broth
• 5  ounces  baby spinach
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving *
• 1  tablespoon butter

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squash, onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Add the barley to the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil; cover the pot and transfer it to oven. Bake until the barley is tender, 35 to 40 mins.

3. Stir in the spinach, Parmesan, and butter. Serve with additional Parmesan.

* The fresh Parmesan in the fridge was bad so I used the “green can” kind which worked just as well in this recipe.

Original recipe found here.

Cool Beans!

Last night was another train adventure up to SLC.  We went to another Life Long Learning class from the UofU.  This one was All About Coffee: Introduction to Specialty Coffee.  Our instructor is Levi Rogers who is a local coffee roaster.  

This week the class was How We Get Coffee - History, Growing, Roasting.  Next week the class will be How We Make and Taste Coffee - Brewing and Cupping.

Charming Beards, the name of the roasting company, is located in a light industrial area and is one really large room maybe 30 x 50 feet.  I find it so exciting to see a business at its infancy and that you don't need much space to set it up.  Plus they are sharing part of that space with a photographer! And let's face it, the roaster in its brass and stainless glory is stunningly beautiful.

Sticky Chicken

Oh, this turned out so tasty!  I halved the recipe below so last night for dinner I had a chicken breast with mashed cauliflower and roasted carrots.  Today the salad.  I had veggies to use up so substituted carrots, onions, and red bell pepper for the Clementines and almonds.  I'll try that another time.  I did have a little trouble getting the sugar to dissolve in the dressing but I have never heard of white balsamic vinegar so used the regular dark kind I had in the cupboard.  Mabybe that made the difference.  Regardless this recipe is a keeper.

Here is the recipe from Barefeet in the Kitchen,  you really should check out her site:

Sticky Chicken Chopped Salad  - recipe adapted from RecipeGirl  ( 4-5 servings)

Chicken Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts, boneless skinless

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional Glaze Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Salad Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce, thinly shredded, about 8 cups worth

10 Clementine oranges, peeled and sectioned

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup white balsamic vinaigrette

Place the chicken and all marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Preheat the oven to broil and move the top oven rack to about six inches from the top of the oven.  Line a large baking sheet with foil and place the chicken on it. Broil the chicken for 5-6 minutes on the first side and then remove from the oven and turn the pieces over. Broil another 5 minutes or so, until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven.

 Glaze Directions: (Prepare while the chicken is in the oven.) If you want the chicken to be extra sticky and sweet, whisk together the glaze ingredients and warm in a saucepan or in the microwave until bubbling. Whisk to make sure the cornstarch has completely dissolved and the sauce has thickened. Generously brush the glaze over the finished chicken pieces, flip and brush over the other side. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing.

To make the salad: Place the lettuce, oranges, and almonds in a large bowl. Slice the chicken very thin and add to the salad bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss with your hands to coat well. Enjoy!

White Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup light flavored olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar *
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

 *If you are avoiding white sugar, you can make this with honey. However, it will have a completely different flavor.

Pre-game

I love Bob.  He is co-owner-co founder of Superior Threads and a self anointed Dr. of Threadology.  In addition to his knowledge of thread and the quality of thread that they sell, Bob is just a hoot.  I am happy to once more post a classic, just in time for the super bowl.

Bob's Superior Joke

The Washington Redskins are finally changing their name because of all the negativity, shame, humiliation, dissent, polarity, adversity, defiance, hatred, animosity, contempt, discrimination, division, violence, counter-productivity, ill-spirit, un-Godliness, and hostility associated with their name.  From now on, they will be known simply as the Redskins.