Design Wall Monday

The "official" design wall is empty.  I have the top and back done of the Missouri Freebird quilt but it still needs to be quilted.  I have a meeting at the store today so I will take it with me to spread out over some big tables in the classroom for easier basting.  I do want to try basting on the wall but this is a bigger quilt and maybe not the best one to use for a first try at wall basting.

I've included this picture I took this morning of the backyard because it's a design wall too.  I love these colors!

Stash Report Week #12

Added this week           4.75
Used this week               .00
Added year to date     21.63
Used year to date        11.04
Net year to date          10.59 YARDS

I know, this should have been posted yesterday but I kept thinking I would power through some pillowcases, gift bags etc. to make the numbers better, but I never did.  I think working all day Saturday diminishes my desire to fondle fabric all day Sunday.

What is interesting about the 4.75 yards I bought last week is that it is made up of 12 separate cuts of fabric, only two of which were a yard or more.

Also, for the record, I am not including interfacing in the stash total.

Everyone Should Have One

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Isn't this book weight a fabulous idea?   Very practical and while I was thinking I would use it in the sewing room, it turns out the kitchen is also a great place.

Today I made Spicy Chicken Pizza for dinner and I made the crust from the Olive Oil Dough recipe in this book which was on my shelf.  Actually the Spicy Chicken Pizza recipe was recommended by my sister and she found it on The Baking Addict's website.   I followed her recipe exactly except I halved it.

Spicy Chicken and Pepper Jack Pizza - The Baking Addict

1 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
3 cups diced fresh red, yellow and green bell peppers (I used all red)
1 (13.8 oz.) tube refrigerated pizza dough (I used 1lb of homemade crust)
1/2 cup salsa (I used fresh salsa)
2 cups (8 oz.) pepper jack cheese
Chopped cilantro or dried oregano (optional)
1 ½ cups cooked and shredded chicken

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell peppers; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2. Meanwhile, unroll pizza dough onto a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray; press dough evenly to all edges of pan. Bake in preheated 425°F 8 minutes. 3. Stir salsa into cooked vegetables; spread over partially baked crust. Top with chicken and cheese.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown. Cut into squares; garnish with cilantro or oregano if desired.

Notes:  Adapted from Sargentos,  serves 3-4 

Olive Oil Dough - from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day 

Yield: Makes 4-1 lb loaves

2-3/4 cups lukewarm water

1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)

1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.

2. Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.

3. Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.

...........

I cut the entire recipe in half including the dough.  That still left me with 2 pounds of dough, fps, and I used only a fourth of that for the pizza crust.  Fortunately,  there is an entire chapter in the book on flatbreads and pizza.  The dough will become more flavorful/sour as it sits in the fridge.  Maybe I will make focaccia over the weekend!

Loved the red peppers and onions but the Pepper Jack cheese is really too spicy for me.  Next time I will just use Monterey Jack cheese.

Guess I will have to change the recipe name.

Ramen in Curry Sauce

Hard to get a good picture of this dinner but it was so very good.  Well, I was disappointed in the green beans but I couldn't wait and when I saw them in the grocery store I filled a little bag.  Definitely not straight from the garden.  So until I can pick my own beans, I'll use fresh asparagus or maybe even frozen green beans.

Green beans aside, the overall flavor of this dish is fabulous.  I saw this on Sara's Weeknight Meals which is a Create TV program.  You can find her recipe here.  This is how I made it:

Ramen in Curry Sauce

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
12 ounces coarsely ground pork
1 15-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 cups string beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 pkgs. ramen noodles, soaked until pliable


In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat and stir-fry the garlic and onions until golden, 3-5 minutes. Add the curry powder and continue to stir-fry to toast, about 1 minute.  Add the ground meat and continue to stir-fry, breaking up the meat, until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice, and string beans and bring to a boil, then simmer 3-5 minutes until beans are tender.

Add the ramen noodles and toss the ingredients to coat the noodles evenly with the sauce.  Heat through.

Makes 4 servings

Design Wall Monday

Missouri Freebird

February UFO top.  Two cuts and two seams and the back will be done too and then the scary part.  I am going to quilt this one myself on my regular domestic sewing machine.  I so enjoyed the quilting part on the Churn Dash quilt that I couldn't wait to do it again.  When I hung this quilt on the wall though, the size was a little intimidating.  It measures 60x72 which is more than four times larger than the Churn Dash quilt.  What was I thinking!?!

So I have revised my quilting plan to involve less turning and will give it a go.  First of course, I need to get it basted and rather than try that on the living room floor I am going to spray baste it on the wall.  It's going to be a nice day today so doors and windows can be flung open to air out the smell of the basting spray.

Stash Report Week #11

Added this week           2.5
Used this week               .00
Added year to date     16.88
Used year to date        11.04
Net year to date            5.84 YARDS

Still not finished with February's UFO.  Top is done, back is almost done but then there is the quilting and binding.  Next week for sure.  Maybe I should just make another pair of kitchen curtains to use up some fabric!

The Nips box?  It's my favorite candy next to M&Ms.  I always have Nips in the house but I can't be trusted with M&Ms so I just don't buy them.  My friend Julie puts a quarter in the picture when it's important to know the size of something so that's why my foot is in this picture.  It looks like a good sized candy box but it weighs very little.  Only today I stopped to wonder exactly how many pieces of candy are in that box.  Sixteen.  Of course it was only $1.29 but surely most of that cost is packaging.  Sixteen.  Amazing.

The Rice Bag

I needed a large rice bag that could be wrapped around an aching body part so I re-purposed a Martha Stewart place mat.  It's just folded in half and then I sewed channels, filled each channel about 3/4 of the way with rice and sewed it all closed.  2 1/2 pounds of rice!  I thought about making a liner so the outside could be washed if necessary, it's what I do to make things more complex, time consuming and difficult.  This time I resisted that impulse.

It takes a bit more than just a few minutes, in my microwave, to heat this up but it does hold the heat a long time.

One does have to pay attention to putting the bag away in a dog proof spot.