Easter by a Hare

Phew, somehow we did manage to squeeze a bit of Easter in .. or out .. which one is it?

Blessed with a 3 day weekend as Belgium takes Easter Monday as a holiday we knew we could completely chill and take some time to reflect on Sunday but still get a few things done (in preparation) on Saturday and a job or two around the house on Monday.

First a quick down of what we needed ... dinners, sugar cookies!, carrot cake (of course) and hmmm, maybe some chocolate.

I wasn't really in the mood but Saturday morning after a reasonable lie-in I headed into the kitchen ... via my computer to skype my neighbour and tell her there would be sugar cookies .. come decorate and take some home. Leah is from Lynden, just a couple hours from where I grew up so whenever I make anything typical "home" I try to remember her. I don't have enough words to explain how much I appreciate Leah and her husband .. they have been so much to us over the last few months and we are extremely grateful for their help and understanding.

Too bad I grabbed the wrong Sugar Cookies recipe but I went ahead, substituted half the flour for whole wheat and threw the dough in the fridge to chill. At first we thought they just turned out "ok" ... but once the icing was set we were happy campers. Especially the ones with sprinkles. Oh animal cookies - I miss you.

Carrot Cake was another almost no-brainer. Except I thought I'd be "smart" and follow my recipe to the letter. I measured the grated carrots and stopped at 3 cups. In the past I just fill my food processor so there's more. Hmmm, definitely like the more a lot better.

With all this baking going on and the oven already being hot and all .. I tossed an easy peasy dinner in the oven - my own recipe for a simple Roast Chicken with Lovage and Lemon. You can find the recipe here in the little grey cookbook!

Thank goodness I had the presence of mind to nip into the butchers on my run to the pharmacy the other day. Easter Dinner was lamb chops rubbed with fresh rosemary and served with a pile steamed carrots and broccoli left us too very very happy.

As for chocolate we were both happy each with a mini Chocolate bunny from a friend. 

So Easter was here. It was quiet but busy with prep. Cooking and baking was somewhat enjoyed. And we packed it all in just under the wire. Monday night I came down with something ... and spent the rest of the week feeling generally under the weather ... hence the explanation for this very very late post.

We've spent nearly this entire weekend painting the kitchen ceiling - no mean feat and much too boring for photos. Taxes are on the cards for this week. All work and no play ... although maybe a few evenings to play with scraps of fabric if my eyes are still open and my fingers aren't numb.

Back soon with more exciting things ...

p.s. The applique block you saw above is part of Bunnyhill Designs A Tisket a Tasket BOM. I started two quilts and they're both still in the works but it was the best eastery thing to show you! You can see more of my blocks here.

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An Abundant Day

Yesterday was amazing ... I'm still dragging my butt out of bed in the mornings and getting what I need to get done, but yesterday I felt like Superwoman!
By 11 am I had :

• bread rising (but it flopped and weighs a brick)
• eggs were boiling to go into sandwich filling for dinner and Axel's lunch today
• beets from our local CSA were simmering away
• zucchini bread was in the oven - you can get my new recipe here - yummmeeee!
  
• and I finally refined my recipe for mock apple pie - it turned out really good this time.

1. my A-7, 2. hand-pieced HAL, 3. Zucchini Bread, 4. Blogged A-7 5. Cooked beets 6. "Scandinavian" sandwich filling

Oh, and in the midst of all this, I was WORKING! I wrote this really long, picture-packed blog post about how to piece A-7 block for Contemporary Jane.

But I have to give most the credit to Superman, who came home after his own busy day and cleaned up the kitchen after I had packed up my basket with zucchini bread and pie and ran out the door to cooking club with our local CSA. What fun! I think there were 8 to 10 of us and we used red beet in 6 different recipes.

• pureed soup - with carrots and onion garnished with cream, chive and a nasturtium
• baked - with garlic and herbs
• as a carpaccio with capers
• pan-fried with peaches
• raw salad with apples and raisins
• as a coulee with ginger and raspberries served over ice cream

I think that nearly all the vegetables and herbs came from our field. Fresh dill, anise, thyme, oregano, chives and more! It was fun, our first meeting. I think it's fair to say they were all a tad surprised but intrigued with my baked "vegetable" goodies. I am loving the CSA experience and am hoping to get more involved and cooking up some new recipes for us all. Pin It Now!

Yesterday was my Wedding Anniversary ... 13 years!

I thought I might show you a pic or two but my scanner isn't set up yet in the new studio and the only one I can find on the computer is this one of my dad and I.

It's hard to imagine that so much time has passed but then we have to admit that we have packed a ton into those 13 years. We've moved "across the pond" three times, into homes in England, the States, Germany and now Belgium for a total of five household moves. For the sake of sanity we won't count any moves involving storage units, the shop or classroom.

Axel is working very hard right now - they are right in the middle of "the season."  So we decided to wait until the weekend to go out for an Indian in Gent - I can hardly wait - my mouth is already watering.

Since we stayed in last night,  I made his new favorite dinner ... it's a variation on a recipe I found here. Only I make it with chicken using a combination of this recipe and a family favorite that my mom just called "soy sauce chicken wings." I'll post my adaptation soon.  For dessert we had his favorite cake - the same one we had for our wedding day and later for our reception - with thick Cream Cheese Frosting.

Then I got to thinking ... it's been !13! years ... and we *still* don't have a quilt on our bed. Not that he's that bothered being a European duvet kind of guy.

But still ... I've started two ... isn't it time to get one finished ... but which one first?


I think I need to make quite a few more of the Monkey Wrench blocks for it to be big enough but will be easier to quilt (maybe?).

The Amish 9-patch, on the other hand, just needs two borders ... but how will I quilt it?  (you can read more about this quilt here).

And then there's the whole question of size ... did I mention he wants to get a King Size "Long" now?  We have had a custom bed for some time now - Queen Long, the mattress is 60" x 90" / 152.5cm x 229cm (Queen is usually 80" / 203cm long).  A California King is only 84" / 214cm long.

Then again, my first quilt does fit ... so maybe I should just leave it there for a while ...

But first I need to get more put away in my office, the sewing machine(s) set up, pressing and cutting space organized ... and then, ~then~ ... I CAN SEW!  In the meantime, here's a peak of the shelves that are starting to look more like this :) Pin It Now!

Christmas is Coming

. . . and the goose is getting fat!

It would help if the silly goose didn’t keep tasting all the yummies she’s busy baking. But, it’s so hard. It’s at this time of year that I get all those yummy flavors that I miss from home . . .

• Molasses & Gingerbread
• Anise - I put extra into my Pfefferneuse
• Cornbread - for my stuffing of course
• Pumpkin Pie and all kinds of spices

and mmmmm, yummy moist Fruit Cake that I can hardly waiting to slice into. Color me weird if you want to but I LOVE FRUIT CAKE.


However, I am picky, it can’t be too sweet and absolutely must be very moist.  What can I say - my mom made the best!  Actually she made two recipes - a “Light one” and an “Inexpensive One.”  The latter being darker and moister, gooier and full of raisins and candied fruit.

The recipe is below - give it a try, you never know. You might like it - or love it like I do.

I also thought I’d update you on my Festival of Trees that we’ve been doing as a block of the month. It’s been fun, very and so popular that it will be back next year!

Reserve your space now – then choose to pick up your fabric kit or have it shipped to you in January. Just $60 for all twelve months, including the fabric for the top, binding and the pattern.  Quilt finishes approximately 40” x 48”. Designed by Barbara Brackman & Karla Menaugh,

And here’s a sneak peak at my challenge entry for the group of friends in Mülheim (Germany). The theme these year is “Crazy.” We’ll see how far I get on this. “Sew little time” right now with Christmas preparation and patterns-writing for the shop. Our group reveal is this coming Tuesday . . . wish me luck!

Click here to see 2007 challenge results.

Mom’s inexpensive Fruitcake

2 Cups raisins or mix of raisins and dates
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
5 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Cloves

Mix above ingredients together in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool, then add:

3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Walnut Pieces (optional)
and Candied Fruit to taste - if you don't like candied fruit, increase amount of raisins, dates or consider chopped dried apricots.

Mix thoroughly and pour into paper lined bread pans. Bake at 325 F for 1 hour.

For maximum “moist-ness” pour one tablespoon of rum, cream cherry or other sweet liquor over baked cakes. Repeated weekly until Christmas your cakes will stay fresh throughout the New Year season too.

print PRETTY card - Fruitcake.pdf

print BORING card - Fruitcake.pdf

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Harvest Fest Donut Recipe

Phwew! You can tell it’s fall again. It’s always this time of year that I finally gather steam again and try to get back on top of things. I’m not sure where October went but it was packed full of wonderful things!

I celebrated another birthday, visited, dined, chatted and shared wine with many friends in the Northwest and finally returned “home” to Schellebelle (Belgium) on the 15th. The last two weeks have been filled with numerous trips to purchase furniture for my studio and I’m nearly set. There are still boxes to filter and put away . . . somewhere . . . it’s amazing how quickly these new spaces fill up. But it’s fantastic and I can’t wait to pull out my sewing machine. It’s been away in lieu of catching up some of my computer work.

But today is Halloween - honestly, it never has been one of my favorite holidays. I prefer to celebrate the harvest season - pumpkins, golden colors, reds, rust and candles.
To celebrate just a bit though I made drop donuts - yummmm! Many of you will remember these from various autumn and winter events in the garden at our previous location.

Nothing conjures the taste more than a mouthful of pumpkin pie or these orange-flavoured drop donuts!



DROP DONUT RECIPE

2 Tablespoons Shortening
1/2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon (or more) Grated Orange Rind
2 Cups Flour
2-1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup Orange Juice - fresh is best!

Mix all ingredients until a thick batter. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil. Cook at 300F for about 6 minutes until golden brown. Test temperature first with one donut. Break open to see that it is cooked through. If it is seems dark enough on the outside but not cooked thoroughly lower the temperature to ensure they will cook all the way through. Drain on paper towels then roll in granulated sugar.

Print PRETTY Recipe Card.pdf

Print boring Recipe Card.pdf

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