May Baby Quilt

Still behind schedule but slowly catching up.

The fabric I used in the center of the quilt was new in the last month or so but on a clearance table  for $3.99/yd.  I also used it on the back and for a section of the binding. There is just about a 15-inch square of it left.  The other pieces are from the stash.

When the binding was smoothed out, there was less than an inch overlap to trim off and you can see that I had already added a different piece because there was not enough of the stripe.

Quilt size = 42 x 48
Pattern = Alex Anderson's 3-hour Baby Quilt (3 hrs not including the quilting and binding)
Fabric = 100% cottons, some from stash
Batting = 80/20 Hobbs
Quilting = 2-inch diagonal cross hatching
Sewn for baby Harold, Torey's newest great grandchild.  Harold's grandfather works for NASCAR which made using this fabric so fun.

One Winner, One Semi-Fail

Farmer's Market, Aix en Provence, May 28, 2016

We tried a recipe for Crock Pot Sazon Pork Chops with Peppers, Olives, and Potato from Skinnytaste.    
We left out the potato and doubled up on the red peppers but even with all the seasoning, we thought it was bland.  I could mess with the seasonings but really there have been enough exceptional recipes this summer to last a long time.  Here is what we had last night:

ALL PURPOSE CHILI LIME CHICKEN RUB 

barely adapted from Jen@CarlsbadCravings.com

4 servings

        •     1 pound chicken breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

Chili Lime Rub

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional for more heat)*

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• fresh-squeezed lime juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

• Lime zest from 1 lime

1 In a small bowl, whisk chicken rub ingredients together and rub evenly all over chicken breasts. Time permitting, allow chicken to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate up to 8 hours then bring to room temperature for before cooking.**

2 If chicken has been refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting).

4 Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, or until nicely browned (or blackened if you prefer) on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 5-7 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

5 Garnish with extra fresh lime juice if desired.

NOTES

*  I used 1/4 teaspoon of the adobo sauce that chipolte peppers are packed in.

**Chicken is still delicious even if cooked immediately but is more flavorful the longer the rub marinates

The chicken was marinated in a plastic bag in the fridge for about 3 hours and was exceptionally flavorful.  We made a salad with romain lettuce, napa cabbage, 1 ear of fresh corn cut off the cob, red onion, and black beans.  We dressed the salad with a spoonful of guacamole and some ranch dressing.  Tristan said the best salad so far!

We had a light dinner because we were saving room for our celebratory pints of gelato after game 6 of the NBA playoffs.  There was no celebrating however and we move on to game 7 on Sunday.

De-stinking the boy's shoes

Not Broccoli Rabe

Another amazing recipe from Skinnytaste.com.  We modified it a bit because there was no finding Broccoli Rabe here.  Perhaps if we had been able to get to the Farmers Market last Saturday but we were trapped at home during the Market hours because of a marathon running through town.  Nevertheless, this turned out incredibly delicious!

SLOW COOKER BEEF MEATBALLS WITH BROCCOLI

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

3 3/4 oz. broccoli

1 cup unpacked fresh whole wheat bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1-3/4 oz)

3 tablespoons milk

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced/pressed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 teaspoon olive oil

 3 cloves smashed garlic

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14-oz can petite diced tomatoes

 3 small bay leaves

kosher salt

black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then add the broccoli. Blanch for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, drain well and set aside in a colander to cool. Finely chop 3/4 cup of the florets (3-3/4 ounces).

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the bread with milk, tossing to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, until bread is completely moist, about 10 minutes. Squeeze bread between your fingers or mash with a spoon to make sure there are no dry spots; if there are dry spots that refuse to moisten, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until bread is moist throughout.

3. Add the ground beef, chopped broccoli rabe, grated cheese, egg, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Mix with clean hands, then gently form into 15 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each and transfer to a large baking sheet. Broil on the 2nd rack from the top until the top is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

4. In a small skillet heat oil over medium heat, add garlic and cook until golden on both sides.

5. Pour the crushed tomatoes into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt and pepper, bay leaf and the garlic. Gently place the meatballs into the sauce, cover and cook low 4 to 6 hours or high 2 to 3 hours.

We served this over the ubiquitous zoodles.  3, not quite equal, servings if you are living with a growing boy.

Basil

This is the garden overflow pot, one tomato, two basil, and one zucchini that is just resting there before a big pot is filled just for him.  For tonight's dinner recipe, I had to clip leaves off all the basil plants because we needed three cups.  Every plant was trimmed!  Good for the plants and very good for us.

Thai Basil Chicken
(from Skinnytaste.com)

1 1/4 lbs b/s chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano  chile, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
3 cups fresh Thai or regular basil leaves

In a shallow bowl, marinate the chicken with oyster sauce and soy sauce for 10 minutes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat then add oil, garlic and chile and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Increase heat to high, add chicken and cook, stirring until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Add basil and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

Can be served over jasmine rice but we used fresh baby bok choy from our farmers.  I sliced the bok choy horizontally then chopped it, added some oil to a pan and sauteed the bigger pieces for a minute then added in the greens and cooked another couple of minutes.  Stirred a half teaspoon each of sesame oil and soy sauce.  It's ready when soft and wilted.

Another hit recipe!

Today's (Pre-game) Fun and Entertainment

We signed up some time ago to participate in some health and behavior research with Darwin's Dogs. There have been quite a few questionnaires to complete but all, I think, less than 20 questions each. Then the day I left for vacation this was delivered:

Saliva Collection Kit

They wanted Min's saliva for DNA testing.  In the box was a consent form as well as a measuring tape.

There was a bit of dancing around to get these numbers, particularly the nose to eye measurement.  I was lucky to have Tristan as an assistant!

The swabbing part, not so bad.  No photos though.  Here is the "training" video:

http://darwinsdogs.org/kit.php  That wasn't quite how Min behaved but she did okay.

The original mailing box could very cleverly be refolded to return the specimen and is waiting on the mailbox for our carrier to pick it up.

"The Garden"

I used the quotes because really, this is not a garden by anyone's standards but mine, it's just a double decker grow box.  However, there are 5 tomato plants and 6 or 7 basil plants that are doing very well. Last night we had some big wind and the biggest tomato plant was leaning so tonight we caged it and also staked the small grape tomato!

The fun part of all this is that Tristan and I picked up the last bags of soil and all the plants on May 19, the day before I left for the cruise.  He did a great job with keeping everything watered while I was gone and is still in charge.

And, there are two grape tomatoes on the vine not red yet, of course, but growing nicely.  Yahoo!

Also exciting is that in today's farm box...

garlic scapes!!

1st Quarter Charity Quilt Finish

This quilt is from a class I taught at The Cotton Shop many years ago.  The pattern is called Pea Patch by Bloomin' Workshop and was designed for beginners.  The original top was just the four large rectangles.  I added the thin green sashing and the floral border.  I needed the quilt to be even bigger for the Covered In Love charity.  I took the border off and, after all these years, still had enough scraps to piece additional top and bottom inner borders plus the additional green sashing.

With the exception of the green sashing, the fabric is from a line called Bliss by Bonnie and Camille.  The backing, donated by the wonderful Sheila, is from a line called Ruby, also by Bonnie and Camille and the line that followed Bliss which explains why it coordinates so well.

Thanks for your help Miss Sheila!

Another new hit recipe

Tristan brought a giant recipe book and had this one flagged to try.  Yum! I never knew how good chili could be with just one can of beans! I usually add three cans of beans to one pound of ground beef.  Not anymore.

Easy Weeknight Ground Beef Chili

(lightly adapted from The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez)

serves 4-6

4 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, grated (or we did a fine dice)

2 large cloves of garlic, minced, grated, or pressed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

 Kosher salt

2 canned Chipolte peppers, finely diced

2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 pounds of ground chuck

1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped 1/2 inch pieces

1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chicken broth 

salt and black pepper to taste

optional

2 - 3 tablespoons instant cornmeal *

2 tablespoons whiskey, vodka, or brandy

garnishes such as shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, or green onions

Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic, oregano and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring frequently until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add chipoltes, anchovies, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook, stirring until you smell the aromatics, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste mixing in well, cook about 1 minute.

Add ground beef and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up the beef into pieces.  Cook until no longer pink, do not try to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, beans, stock and cornmeal (if using) stirring to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have developed and the chili is thickened, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the whiskey, if using, we did not.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Serve with any or all of suggested garnishments. 

*We didn't have corn meal of any kind but thought the chili was just the right consistency anyway.

Winner, Winner, Another Great Chicken Dinner

THAI PEANUT CHICKEN & ZUCCHINI NOODLE BOWLs
(almost exactly as written by SkinnyTaste)

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
• lime wedges, for serving

sauce

• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Drizzle a large skillet with oil and bring to medium heat on stove. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken to pan and cook 4-6 minutes on each side until browned on the outside and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest.
2. Whisk together all sauce ingredients.
3. Saute', steam or boil zucchini noodles and pepper til just tender (you can also put them in a large bowl and microwave them for about 2-3 minutes for a shortcut!)
4. Assemble bowls with zucchini noodles and peppers on the bottom. Dice chicken and assemble on top of zucchini and peppers. Drizzle sauce over the top and sprinkle with cilantro, and peanuts. Serve immediately. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top if desired.

We loved this!