Christmas was late ... or maybe it was early

A girlfriend asked me to make this for her in 2010.  I decided it would make a delightful Christmas present and told her I wouldn't charge her that I would make it as a gift for Christmas.  I love giving handmade presents. The problem was ... I finished it and gave it to her on March 28, 2011 (it was snowing here in Idaho and was white on the ground) does that still count as Christmas 2010 or was it an early gift for Christmas 2011?  Either way -- I think she liked it!

Blessing Dress

Our mother is an awesome seamstress.  For her first granddaughter she started a tradition of sewing each one a blessing dress.  I wish I had pictures of them all.  She now has 5 granddaughters and a great granddaughter on her way.  This picture is one of the blessing dresses, shoes and bloomers she made for her latest granddaughter, Tenley.  Normally the dresses have all been white, but when she ordered this particular lace it was a cream.  She used a cream silk for the fabric on the dress and it turned out absolutely gorgeous.  The pictures do not do it justice. 

Coneflower Crazy by Buggy Barn Quilts

I have always wanted to make this quilt and recently a friend asked me to make one for her.  I was happy to do it.  What I didn't know about this pattern, was that each block contains 46 pieces ... times that by 25 blocks and what do you get?  It took me a while, but I love the way it turned out.  It was fun to have some flowers around in the middle of winter and it is now beautifully displayed in the entry of my friend's home.

Chicken Enchiladas

Yes I do a lot of sewing and quilting -- but on occasion I also take time to cook and feed my family.  The proof is shown here.  I took time to fix Sunday dinner and made these delicious Chicken Enchiladas.  They are easy and best of all yummy in the tummy!  The recipe is as follows:

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded or cut in small pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 small can green chiles
8 oz. sour cream
Green onions
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
12 flour tortillas

Step 1:  Bake chicken breasts and let cool.
Step 2:  While chicken is cooling, in a medium size bowl mix together your soup, salsa, green chiles and sour cream.
Step 3:  Cut up or shred your chicken.
Step 4:  Spread a tablespoon full or more of the soup mixture over each tortilla, place a small amount of your chicken on top of the tortilla, top with shredded cheese and roll up.
Step 5:  Once the tortillas are filled with your mixture, rolled up and placed in the pan(s) for baking, spoon the remaining soup mixture over each, top with the remaining grated cheese, and add your chopped green onion.
Step 6:  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

March Charm Square Quilt

I love to buy charm packs of different fabric lines.  I decided to use my "Spirit" charm pack (by Lila Tueller) and a square or two of scraps to make this charming baby quilt.  FYI -- I borrowed this idea from Crazy Mom Quilts, she had used 10" squares but I wanted something smaller.  I cut an uneven edge off of each side of the charm square, added some strips and squared each block to 6 1/2".  I then sewed the blocks together, quilted and bound the project.  It is precious and will make a little girl very happy somewhere ... (it just needs a good home).

And the winners are ...

Jasmine Walker, Roberts, Idaho
Celia Erickson, Idaho Falls, Idaho

Your names will be written on a quilt block as indicated above and contributed to The Just One Star Project.  If I have misspelled or misstated, please let me know as soon as possible.  Thank you for your contributions to our blog.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Growing up I use to eat these cookies all the time at my cousin Dianne's house. We would sit and eat 4 or 5 at a time with a ice cold glass of milk. It did not get better than that. These cookies are so great because they are just like a tiny piece of cake. They come with a warning though: you cannot eat just one!

1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a glass measuring cup, boil water in microwave. When water is boiling, add your cocoa and mix together. Set aside

Cream together your butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and stir. Add your flour mixture, alternately with your milk. When ingredients are all incorporated, add your cocoa mixture and stir well.

Drop 1 inch sized cookies onto baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool.

Frosting:
1 cup heavy cream whipped until thick
3/4 stick butter (at room temperature)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt
4 cups powdered sugar
Blend until frosting is creamy. For decoration, I use half of a walnut.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

These potatoes are so easy to make and are definitely one of our families favorites!

Preheat oven to 400 F.

12 small red potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil (I use light, but you can use extra-virgin)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

Quarter red potatoes and place them on large baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over your potatoes and sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands so that all of the potatoes are covered equally. Bake for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender when a fork is inserted. Half way through baking, stir the potatoes so that all sides with get nice and brown. Enjoy! These are also great for leftovers the next day.

Lemon Artichocke Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts

1 can quartered Artichoke Hearts

2 lemons

1 cup Heavy Cream

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Parmesean Cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 strips chopped Bacon (optional)

Preheat Oven to 350 F. Pound chicken breasts until they are 1/2 inch thick. In a heavy skillet pan, brown 2 teaspoons butter on medium high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and then brown both sides of the chicken in skillet (approximately 3-4 minutes per side)

Add chicken to 9x13 baking dish and cover with drained artichoke hearts. While skillet is still warm, reserve the remaining butter in skillet and add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tsp. lemon zest. Slowly add heavy cream and stir until mixture is simmering. Pour over chicken and artichoke hearts and add parmesean cheese to cover.

Bake until Parmesean Cheese is slightly brown (25-30 minutes)

Just One Star Project

Tonight I decided to sew a star to donate for the "Just One Star" challenge by Moda.  Instead of piecing just one block to donate, I completed four.  Each star will have written on it a name and where that person is from.  Having a son serving in the military has given me a deeper appreciation for the men and women who serve in our armed forces.  They are truly heroes in many regards as they leave home for months at a time for parts unknown and leave behind wives and children.   I wish I could thank each of them individually for all they do for us.  

Since I have extra stars, three individuals will be chosen to have your name and location written on one of these blocks.  I invite you to post a comment regarding how someone in the military may have touched your life, what freedoms you may enjoy because of the sacrifices these service men and women make ... (you get the idea).  Three winners will be chosen on Monday, March 21st.  

Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

I made this cornbread with Chili last night and it was so good! You could make it for a snack, or with a bowl of soup. I only put a few jalapenos in the bread, but if you do not like them, then just leave the jalapenos out all together.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups 1% milk

4 large eggs

2 sticks melted butter

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped scallions

2 tablespoons seeded and minced jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a seperate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not over mix, as the bread will be dry. Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room tempature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I like to line the pan with parchament paper because it does not stick).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares.Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Just One Star

Moda staff and designers have issued a challenge called Just One Star can comfort a soldier.  The challenge is to piece, quilt and bind 100 quilts in 100 days.  They are setting a goal to receive 1800 star blocks and will coordinate their donations through the Semper Fi Fund to go to soldiers who are injured in the line of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq fighting for our freedom and security.  Being the mother of a soldier who is currently serving in Iraq, I will be making a star block to donate for this good cause.  I will post a picture of my completed block(s) soon.  If you, or someone you know, would like to participate, this website gives you the instructions and mailing address.  http://www.unitednotions.com/LA_just_one_star.pdf

March Scrap Quilt

As I have said before and you will hear me say many times throughout my posts, I am a fabric addict.  Not only do I have a lot of projects to make, I tend to keep the scraps from past projects -- because you never know when a 1-2" piece might come in handy.  Each month I have set a goal to try and complete a quilt using nothing but scraps!  (I am pretty secure in knowing I can do this for a year).  My scrap piles continue to grow with each new project (kind of like yeast when placed in warm water to dissolve).  For my March project I pieced 2 1/2 wide strips of various lengths together in rows and sewed a neutral fabric between each row.  I love the fabric I found for the back of the quilt; the green dot I used in the binding complemented both the front and back and pulled it all together.  It turned our darling and I have enough of the brown floral and green dot left to make a little pair of pants for a new baby ;o) 
I can hardly wait to share April's scrap quilt with you! 

Pirouette Chocolate Cake

Such an easy way to dress up a 2 layer chocolate cake. I use these Pepperidge Farms Pirouette Cookies and line them all the way around the cake. You can dress it up by adding a ribbon around the cookies. This cake is great for birthdays and it tastes great!

Our first winner!!

Congratulations to Debbie Ellsworth, who's name was drawn in our first giveaway!

Cinnamon Apple Bread

STREUSEL

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 stick butter, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored and cut in 1/2 inch dice

Heat oven to 350 F. Coat a 8x4 loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Streusel: Stir ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Cake: Stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until blended.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl with a fork just to blend. Stir in butter and milk to combine. Add to flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened. spoon half the batter into prepared pan, spread to cover bottom. Sprinkle with 1/2 the apples and 1/2 the steusel. Spoon on remaining batter, spreading to cover. Sprinkle with 1/2 streusel, the remaining apples and then the remaining streusel.

Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides: invert cake onto rack.









Dr. Seuss Quilt

When my sons were growing up some of my favorite books to read to them were the infamous Dr. Seuss. We have quite a collection. Needless to say, when a Dr. Seuss fabric line came out I absolutely HAD to purchase just a few pieces to make something. I decided on a project with fat quarters and this little quilt was so bright and fun it totally made my day. How could you not be happy?! The back of the quilt has some of the favorite characters such as The Grinch, Horton Hears a Who, Cat In The Hat, The Sneetches, The Lorax, etc. A couple of months ago I got some books out for my nieces to read -- one of the books Trevor (my oldest son) had written his name in big letters. It brought back many memories and I wished I could sit down and read to him again.
Rhonda

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is very easy to make. It has lots of fresh vegetables in it, but you will never know once you make it. My kids love this recipe and it is great for leftovers! If you like spicy food, you can always add medium or hot enchilada sauce or a 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder.

12 corn tortillas cut into triangles
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans - 15 ounce
1 can petite diced tomatoes - 15 ounce
1 small can enchilada sauce mild
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake for 30 minutes.

Heat saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add your diced yellow onion, red bell pepper and zucchini. Salt and pepper and then cook until onions are tranluscent. Add your corn, black beans and canned tomatoes and continue to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Take your corn tortillas and cut in half and then half again, making triangles. In a 9x3 baking dish, lightly spread some enchilada sauce so your corn tortillas wont stick. Line the bottom of your pan with 1/2 of your corn tortillas. Add enough enchilada sauce to cover lightly. Add 1/2 of your sauted vegetables and then 1/2 of your cheese and repeat.

Our first giveaway

We are excited to show you our first giveaway! This came from one of our favorite stores, Rod Works. It has a black embelished frame and it is about  13x13. On the front, it says Jardiniere, which is a french word, from the feminine form of "gardener." So make sure you become a follower, so that you will have a chance to win this framed picture.

Rhonda's quilts on the clothesline

When my sister and I decided to start a blog, we wanted to share some of our favorite things. If you were to ask me what I enjoy the most, this picture says is all. I have a delightful grandson, Kobe, who is 3 years old, a new granddaughter expected in April 2011, and I am passionate about quilting! Last fall while several quilts were hanging on the clothesline, Kobe was playing hide and seek in them. I have not only a large quilt collection, but a larger fabric collection (many would call it an addiction). Needless to say, if I am not spending time with family, you will find me sewing and quilting. I am looking forward to sharing my favorite things with you.

German Chocolate Cake

The German Chocolate Cake! Growing up, this was a very coveted cake! We did not have it on Easter, we did not have it on Christmas. There was only one special day out of the year that you would receive this amazing cake, and that was on your birthday! I remember standing at the stove watching my mom stir the Coconut Pecan frosting and I could not wait to be one of the first who got to lick the wooden spoon. Still today, this is the most requested, if not the only cake requested on your birthday. This is definitely one of my favorite things!!

Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe

This lemon yogurt cake is amazing. Very moist and extremely easy to make!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar / divided
3 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of an 8x4 loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchament. Grease and flour the sides.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan u ntil the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Last but not least, ENJOY!!!

Favorite Books

What are your all time favorite books?