I have been busy, busy, busy but not doing handwork...more like housework! But that's okay because I like balance in my life...a little of this and a little of that. I did finish something as I needed a confidence booster as the knitting was not. The first of one of my "toys" and childish items I want make this year. I apologize if you saw this last Wednesday but my YOP friends have yet to see it.
I've made some progress on my Blackberry Salad and I must admit I "get it" now and it is so fun to crochet! I think this will not be the last of them and perfect for telly watching!
It's not as uneven as it looks in the picture...........I hope!
I forgot to list the books I was working from this year...did you hear that, "books" plural, as if I could get through one of them in a year! LOL! But I do know that this book will be the first one!
Did you notice I'm not mentioning any knitting? If you want to know why check last Wednesday's blog.
Anyway, not only do I love this book and all it's projects but I love how it is organized by level of difficulty and building on skills. The first project is another blanket I started when I realized I really needed to finish the Blackberry first. Plus, in order not to bore you or myself, these "blanket" projects will be interspersed with smaller projects like my little birdie from Attic 24. (There's a link to Attic 24 on my right hand sidebar.) There are 4 skill levels in this book and they go from Beginner to Enthusiast. The next project after the blanket is a bunting so hopefully I will have that started by next week and meanwhile keep having fun with the Blackberry Salad! I need to order more yarn in more colors too. Does anyone know if there is a book like this out there for knitting? One that takes you from beginner to advanced projects all the while increasing your skills through the projects in the book? I would love a book like that for knitting.
I have to go make a cake now as my sweet tooth is calling for something sweet. I defrosted peach pie filling I made last year and I'm anxious to try this new recipe. I'll let you know tomorrow if it was everything I hoped it would be! LOL!
I'll be by later to see what you all have been up to after I get the cake in the oven! Toodles!
Look what I made!!!! I know it's supposed to be WIP's and don't worry! I have PLENTY of those but I rarely have anything to show because I'm always "frogging" things (knitted) so I decided I needed a break from the constant disappointment of my knitting. But it sort of is a WIP because I plan on making more of these! A whole FLOCK! LOL! The pattern is from Lucy over at Attic 24 She has so many gorgeous patterns for FREE! I wanted something small that I could finish and build back my "confidence" muscle as knitting had just about destroyed it!
Not only did I have to frog a washcloth that I had started over about 9 times, and then a sock which was all done except the toe and I looked back and it was unraveling....where I had evidently skipped a stitch WAY BACK.....plus look at this.........
I have made 2 pairs of socks that I was wearing. They were both made from Cascade 220 washable yarn (yeah right).....I have washed them about 4 or 5 times no problem. The last time the blue ones "felted" and shrunk...same washer (Frontloader with no agitation), same cycle, same water temp.....does the anti-felting wash away after awhile? I'm seriously taking it all as signs that I am supposed to stop knitting.....for now anyway. If I have to hand wash socks that I wear everyday...well, let's just say...I'm not going there.
I traced and cut out all my pieces for my next applique block.
I also decided that although I love my projects I need something in each of those areas that is BIG and something that is little so I won't tend to feel like I'm not making any progress. I ran across this book I've had for awhile and that's what gave me the idea. They are "little" applique projects....postcard size to be exact! LOL!
I'm measuring my background fabric to cut for one of the grandboy's wall hanging/growth chart.
Maggie, the rabbit is getting lined ears............ and probably a dress cut out too.
And yes, I'm finally back working on my Blackberry Salad blanket! That little birdie really motivated me.
Today was Farmer's Market..........onions and more beans
and a jar of homemade Peach Jam.......these are all from the Amish here
and it was bread making day for me here on my homestead...
Here's the recipe for the meal I made the other night that was SO good and good for you!
GARLIC & LEMON CHICKEN W/GREEN BEANS & RED POTATOES! INGREDIENTS 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 pound trimmed green beans 8 small red potatoes, quartered 4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about
3 1/4 pounds)
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking dish or
cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices
in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon
juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a
slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the
lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat.
Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of
the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same
bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken,
skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil
mixture over the chicken. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the
dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more
or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving
plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.
Please go visit Tami and see all the other WIP's people have been working on. It's so inspiring! Just click on the WIP icon on the right hand side of my blog.
Slept great, woke to thunder and a cozy day of rain and but no loss of power...........PERFECT!
I finished a few books....finally.....
This one is a KEEPER! A wonderful reference for anyone who wants to start or enhance their business. I'm not doing that now but I might after I move. I highly recommend this book....it covers every aspect of selling your wares from Etsy to craft fairs; it's all there!
I actually read 2 of these but forgot to take a pic of the other one. My method for going through my magazines is I always read one along with my evening reading and I use a highlighter to mark things I want to remember or investigate further. After I finish reading it, I mark it with a black marker so I know I've read it already. Then I sit down in front of my pc and look up web addresses that were mentioned and write down other info I want to keep like book titles etc.. After that it goes to the library where they have a "free" bin. But I've been thinking of taking them to the local nursing home as those people can't get to the library. I actually never get rid of my MJ magazines but they're the only ones.
I finished this book. It was a good one! It's part of a series I really like of DIY mysteries by Jennie Bentley. This is the 4th book in the series and the last one I have. I'll have to check if there's another one out there yet. My "book fairy", Sue, usually brings me these.
Uh oh...this book came HIGHLY recommended but I am almost half way through and it is not making any sense to me. Maybe it's because I am such a realist that I can't relate to fantasy or science fiction or what ever you call this book. Although I did love the Harry Potter books, in my defense. I will continue to read and see if it becomes clearer or makes any sense to me eventually.
I just started this book, another great series by Maggie Sefton who writes about a great group of gals that are friends and their common bond is a knitting shop in Fort Collins, Colorado. There are recipes and knitting patterns that come with this series. This is the 7th book in this series and I'm so anal I have to read them in order! LOL! This series and the DIY ones are mysteries and there's always a murder to be solved but nothing awful that would keep you up at night. I don't do gore or psychological thrillers.
I got a nice dinner made tonight...a new recipe that was on FB. I'll share the recipe later as I just ate it and it was delicious! I used fresh green beans and new potatoes from the Farmer's Market and it uses a marinade that you make with lemon and garlic and olive oil. It was wonderful and healthy! This was before it went in the oven and I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture when it came out! LOL!
I had a nice glass of my favorite red while I was making dinner and now I'm off to do some "craftiness"! Have a great evening! I'll post the recipe tomorrow...promise!
It's not much but my little lettuce patch has fed me all summer just when I need some lettuce for a BLT or to put some on an egg salad sandwich. I'm going to try and grow some on my sun porch this Winter.
Remember when I planted the end of my celery from the store? Here it is! No huge stalks but plenty for my potato salad or soup or whatever.
All the flowers seem to be doing well this year..........
Here's my onions from the grocery store that I planted. They were in water and rooted like crazy....I'll show you in a week or so when they start really growing. I like this pot because I can bring it in for my Winter/Indoor garden.
I divided and transplanted some lilies into the vegetable garden that was. It's one of a few perennials you can transplant in the middle of the Summer. They seem to have taken well. There's also another plant that was in a pot that I stuck in there too. It's purple and smells like lavender but it isn't. Hmmm....can't remember the name of it now. The greenery growing on the front left is a weed!
Yesterday I took Nitty to the vet for her allergy shot and I forgot to get Frontline when I was there. So, today I had to go to Walmart and I went to the vet too.........I'm tuckered now!
I've had my pizza, a glass of red wine and now I'm going to curl up with the girls, the t.v., and these!
I hope you have a great Friday evening and have wonderful plans for your weekend!
I was making pizza last night and went out to get basil and it had bugs on my one plant but thank goodness the other one was okay. Then I went to get some parsley and..........
See the worms or caterpillars or whatever? At first I thought they were the horn worms I had last year that destroyed my tomatoes but they were solid green and these don't have horns and they are gorgeous with their green and yellow and black coloring. But as you can see they have voracious appetites!
So much for my parsley!
Arkansas is Nature heaven for nature but not for gardeners.... this is a blurry photo but it was a baby deer in my back yard......... Bambi, I'm sure!
And then there's my little hummers that I feed.........hard to get a shot of them.......
They're right outside my kitchen window....
I didn't let any of it deter me though and went on to make my pizza.........
It looked great going into the oven.............
And even better coming out....
Until I looked at my nice clean oven......that I had JUST cleaned that morning.....AHHHHHHH!
Oh well, I guess I'll get to clean it again but meanwhile I did enjoy that pizza! Hope you had a great day and that YOUR oven stays clean longer than mine! LOL!
I promised I'd post the recipe for the blackberrry cobbler I made the other day.
I'm sure there are other recipes and I'm not saying this is the best but it sure was EASY! Except for cleaning the oven the next day. DO NOT put it in a pie dish like they recommend. Instead, use a deep dish casserole as it will bubble up and you don't want to have to clean your oven afterwards like I did.
Below was the "accident waiting to happen".......
and this is what it looked like after the "spill over"....
But it had no effect on the taste which was all I really cared about by then! LOL!
I'm no food stylist but if you're after a tasty dessert this one fits the bill!
Blackberry Cobbler with Bisquick
1 1/2 cup blackberries (I think you could use other berries and fruits but don't quote me!)
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs cornstarch
Topping
1 cup Bisquick (store bought or homemade)
2 tsp sugar
2 tbs melted butter
1/4 cup milk
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F
2. For Topping: Mix Bisquick, sugar, butter and milk.
3. For Filling: Combine blackberries, water, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch.
Bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Put into deep dish casserole and cover with topping. I would actually double the topping as there wasn't enough to cover the top really. Also, you might want to add a little more milk if it seems really stiff like mine did.
4. Bake until golden brown about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm over ice cream! If you like it warm after you've refrigerated it you can heat it up in the microwave and then put your ice cream on top of it. Where there's a will there's a way! I prefer it warm as it seems more flavorful to me.
This recipe is from www.kitchennostaglia.com which also has a conversion chart for my cooks from across the pond and everyone other than the U.S. which I think is the only country in the world that doesn't use the metric system. I even used metrics when I worked in a medical lab years ago but not in my kitchen! LOL! Once you're on their website just scroll down and it is on the left hand side! Bon A Petite!
Blackberry Cobbler with Bisquick
An easy Blackberry Cobbler recipe using store-bought or homemade Bisquick mix.
For TOPPING: Mix Bisquick, sugar, butter and milk.
For FILLING:
Combine blackberries, water, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Bring to a
boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour into pie dish and cover with topping.
Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
For TOPPING: Mix Bisquick, sugar, butter and milk.
For FILLING:
Combine blackberries, water, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Bring to a
boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour into pie dish and cover with topping.
Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
- See more at: http://www.kitchennostalgia.com/desserts/blackberry-cobbler-with-bisquick.html#sthash.dXdTqybb.dpuf
Blackberry Cobbler with Bisquick
An easy Blackberry Cobbler recipe using store-bought or homemade Bisquick mix.
For TOPPING: Mix Bisquick, sugar, butter and milk.
For FILLING:
Combine blackberries, water, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Bring to a
boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour into pie dish and cover with topping.
Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
