Baby quilt using fat quarters

A month ago I posted a picture of a quilt made from Dr. Seuss prints.  This little quilt was made using the same pattern, but using black, pink, lime green and white.  It is fun how to see how different each quilt turns out. Oftentimes someone will tell me they don't like a pattern, but it is usually because they aren't fond of the fabric used.  I felt the same way about this pattern, but love the pattern having made it with fabric that I like.  It is simple to make, takes 8 fat quarters for the top, and I can sew, quilt and bind the entire quilt in less than a day.

And just wait until you see what I am making from the scraps!

A new addition

A week ago my son's wife had a baby girl.  Welcome Reggie Tayzli!!  She is beautiful and is welcomed by her big brother.  Daddy will be home in about a week for R&R for a couple of weeks and is excited to see and hold his little ones.  Since I was never blessed with girls -- and this is my first granddaughter -- I have been sewing something besides quilts.  How I wished I had tried harder when my mother taught me to sew all those years ago.  Most of my sewing has been later in life when I wanted to make decorations for my home and ultimately started quilting (anything but buttons and zippers).  I must say that I could sew, quilt and bind a baby quilt in the amount of time it took me to make these little clothing items.  This little dress uses a pink onesie embellished with a fabric flower and cowboy boots to complete the outfit.

  

And then there were these little pants I just had to make using scraps from the backing and binding of my March Scrap Quilt, and another pair from Sandy Gervais "Giddy" fabric.  Look at how darling the little ruffle and pockets are.  Although they show the front view of the pants, they sport some cute red pockets from the print used in the ruffle.  These are going to be so cute over a little onesie.

I keep findings fabric, tutorials and patterns to make several more items of clothing, although her closet doesn't look like she needs a thing.  Another fun part of sewing for her is that with all the cute fabric out there, I can justify buying more!

And hopefully her parents won't mind if I post a picture or two of the grandkids ... they are both adorable.

Finally ...

I made this wall hanging for my mom for Christmas this past year.  It has sat all folded up in her sewing room like a silent child being punished, and she didn't hang it on her dining room wall.  I thought she didn't hang it up because she did not like it and didn't want to hurt my feelings (is it inappropriate grammar to use didn't that many times in a sentence?).  Tonight I walked in her home and much to my surprise look what was hanging on her wall!!!  Yay, it did my heart good. This wall hanging is the first machine applique quilt I have completed.  I quilted around the applique pieces and then used a small meander to make them pop up a bit.  Yes I gave myself a big pat on the book when this was done.

April's charm quilt - Central Park

This month's charm quilt was made using 2 charm packs (remember a charm pack is a stack of 42 -- 5" squares) of Kate Spain's fabric "Central Park". I pieced together 5" blocks, cut them in half and half again creating squares and rectangles (also known as a Disappearing 9 patch block).  You can lay them out in several ways to sew them back together in rows (soon I will show you the Halloween table topper I made -- yes you heard me right HALLOWEEN!).  There are some absolutely gorgeous pieces in this line of fabric (I want to buy some yardage) and it was so much fun.  It didn't take long to sew, quilt and bind.  I used a large daisy print as a backing and a solid yellow for the binding.  It brightens my day to look at this quilt and makes it feel like springtime (although I don't think it will ever quit snowing and/or raining here in Idaho).

Bunny Cake

Today my children and I made this bunny cake. We had so much fun! Growing up, we used to make this cake all of the time with my mom. It needs no recipe, it is so easy to make. I made a yellow cake, but you can make a chocolate cake, a white cake, or even a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. My daughter and I decided to make it a girl and put a bow in her hair even if she has a green bowtie. Obviously I have an obsession with cakes! See Rhonda, I can make single layer cakes. Julie

Bengal Cats

I would like to introduce you to Rum-Tum Tugger and Mister Mistofelees. They are our bengal cats. Bengal cats are a cross between domestic cats and asian leopard cats. They are the most curious cats you will ever meet. I brought this basket home recently, and they could not wait to check it out and smell it, play with it and take cat naps in it. No matter what I bring home, whether it be a bag of groceries, a new decoration or whatever, they always have to check it out! Also, if we ever go to the grocery store and do not bring them treats home, they will not forgive you for 4-5 minutes. Our cats also love to play in the water, fetch, and are very affectionate lap cats. If you would like to learn more about the bengal, check out this website, lakemountainbengals.com, this is the breeder we got our bengals from.   Julie

Checkerboard Cake

So my sister is right...I do like to make big cakes, and yes they are loaded with calories....BUT they are delicious. I love this cake because it looks like an ordinary 3 layer chocolate cake. When you cut into it, there is a big surprise! So if you are a chocolate cake lover, you will love this cake, and if you love yellow cake, then you will love this cake! My kids get so excited when we make this cake and I have to admit, I do too!! Julie

My idea of a layer cake

My sister, Julie, has shared some of her decadent layer cakes with you on our blog.  There is no question that she is a very good cook and extremely creative in her presentation.  As for me, I don't make decadent layer cakes.  I prefer to bake a sheet cake.  They taste the same, they may not look as pretty but they don't take as long to stack and frost and do all that greasing and flouring and wax paper stuff so they come out of the pan.  (Ask my sister sometime about the SHEET cake I made her for her 40th birthday).

My idea of a layer cake is well -- a little different -- I use a fabric layer cake to create a quilt.  (A fabic layer cake is precut 10x10 inch squares, normally about 42 of them).  This particular layer cake, pictured below, is called "Sunkissed" by Sweetwater. It features yellow, green, pink, orange, gray and cream. It is springy and fun and beautiful and won't leave any extra inches on my hips because I don't need any more. 

The actual sheet cake pictured above, if you are interested, is a Banana Cake (yummy, tastes like banana bread with frosting).  Here is the recipe. 

2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1-1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. sour milk or buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. ripe mashed bananas
1/2 c. chopped nuts/pecans
2 eggs-beaten

Add shortening and dry ingredients.  Add 1/4 cup milk, mashed bananas and mix until flour is dampened; beat 2 minutes.  Add beaten eggs, nuts, and remaining milk.  Beat 1 minute.  Turn batter into greased and floured cake pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until it springs back with touch.  Cover with tin foil and let cool.  Once the cake has cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and store in the fridge.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz. softened cream cheese
4 T. soft butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Beat altogether.  Frost your banana cake and store in fridge.

The tutorial for the quilt that I made out of the Sunkissed layer cake can be found at P.S. I Quilt under the tutorial tab.  Rachel Griffith is extremely talented and has wonderful quilt tutorials she is kind enough to share.

Julie's layer cakes always taste better -- but mine certainly have fewer calories :o)  Here it is all baked and frosted.

Teenage boy in the kitchen

A couple of months ago my 16 year old sat on his computer playing games and continually asked what there was to eat ... or will I get him something to eat.  If I told him there were leftovers he would say ... will you heat them up for me ... or if I didn't he would ask how long they would need to be heated up for.  If you have teenagers I'm sure you have heard the same things (at least I hope it's not just me).  One day I was absolutely, without a doubt, fed up.  I told him he was almost 17, that one day I hoped he would be on his own and eating more than Marie Callender's frozen pot pies and that if he had time to play computer games he had time to learn to cook for himself.  Much to my surprise, he has been doing that very thing (learning to cook) and quite proud of himself.  The goal has been to have him cook at least one meal a week.  However, because he is doing so well, he loves to rub it in that he is a better cook than me ... which may be true but I would usually rather sew than cook anyway.

So around our house lately we have had:

1.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup ... a family favorite
2.  Scones and omelets ... yummy
3.  Pancakes, bacon and eggs in the hole ... I was sick that weekend morning and he surprised me
4.  Malibu chicken ... delicious
5.  Grilled pizza ... even more delicious
6.  Shepherd's pie ... good comfort food
7.  Fruit smoothies ... refreshing
8.  Hot Pockets ... these were fun and you will love them

I don't know if I am blogging, or viewing blogs, too much but the other day he had the camera and was taking pictures of his creations ... here are a couple for you to view.  Not too bad for a young man.  Hopefully one day he will make a good husband.

Bacon, pancakes and eggs in the hole - a surprise breakfast of epic proportions.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Homemade Hot Pockets (ham and cheddar cheese and pepperoni and mozzarella cheese), you can see the layers, I will post a recipe for these soon.

Blueberry Pancakes

Sunday mornings are not complete without Blueberry Pancakes! My family loves these and so does our chocolate lab. These pancakes are a must try. They have a nice crunch on the out side and are very fluffy and moist. You cannot just stop at one.

2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs separated
1 3/4 cup 1% or 2% milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt, then add the milk, egg yolks, and vegetable oil. After all ingredients are combined, gently fold in egg whites with rubber spatula. Cook on preheated griddle. To make your pancakes have a nice crust, rub butter on the griddle right before you spoon on your pancake batter. I add the blueberries directly onto the pancakes right after I spoon them onto the griddle. This helps prevent your batter from turning blue. Last but not least, Enjoy!!

The Rosier Family

When my sister and I decided to start this blog, we not only wanted to share our favorite things, but also talk about our differences. So this is my family. My husband Troy and I adopted 2 biological siblings. We have had Jackson & Sophia for 4 years now. It has been the greatest blessing in our lives. We live in Price, Utah. We have 2 bengal cats ( pictures coming soon ) and a Chocolate Lab! There are many things that I love to do, but one of my very favorite things is to cook! I love it! I wished I had a fun hobby like Yoga, or Pilates, or Spinning....no, not me. As you can see from my pictures, I like to bake and cook! There is nothing more satisfying than to invite friends over and have a great meal, or to make someone a box of candy. Rhonda is the talented one! She can sew, bake, make crafts...the list goes on and on! We decided by doing this blog, we could each post our favorite things. So this blog is a work in progress, but I hope you join in our experience because we are having a lot of fun!! Julie

Flower Chocolate Cake

It was my niece's birthday this Sunday and they were here visiting. She wanted a chocolate flower cake. So we took some M&M's and then cut large marshmallows to make the flower petals. It was a simple cake but it turned out really cute. The best part, we had a blast putting it together.

Macaroni & Cheese

Forget Kraft Macaroni & Cheese! This is just as easy to make and it is sinfully delicious! It is one of the most requested dishes at our home.

12 ounces large elbow macaroni

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups half & half

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese grated

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook and drain the macaroni. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs with mustard, salt & pepper. Stir in half & half, then the cheese & then cooked macaroni. Pour into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish & bake for 25 minutes.

Sometimes I will add crisp bacon to the top of the macaroni for a garnish, or I will add 1 small chopped yellow onion to the mixture. Either way, it is very easy to make and is a treat!

Vegetable Stuffed Chicken Breast

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 red onion
1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1 small can artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and then add chopped red onion, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped artichoke hearts. Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and add feta cheese. Let mixture cool completely.

Meanwhile, trim the fat off your chicken breasts, and wash and pat dry. Pound chicken breast until it is 1/4 inch thick. At one end of the chicken breast, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable mixture onto one end of the chicken breast and roll mixture into chicken. Insert two toothpicks to hold chicken and mixture together. Repeat.

In separate saute pan, heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, brown chicken on both sides and then put into a 350 F oven and cook until chicken is 165 F.

After your vegetable mixture is gone, put your saute pan back over medium heat and deglaze with 2 teaspoons butter, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese. Cook until bubbly. Pour over your chicken breasts.

Oh where oh where has my little sis' gone

Oh where oh where has my little sis' gone,
Oh where oh where can she be,
With her cooking skills and our favorite things blog,
Oh where oh where can she be.

Oh where oh where have your cooking skills gone,
Please blog and share them with me!

Julie -- we are waiting for posts from you (I know you are still feeding your family).

Love,
your sister

April's scrap quilt

I have been so excited for April to come to share this month's scrap quilt with you.  A few years ago I made a quilt from a fabric line called "Tiddlywinks".  Of the scraps I had left, some pieces were large and others quite small and uneven.  I took a piece and started adding some very uneven pieces to the sides ... and then even more uneven pieces and trimmed the blocks to a specific size and sewed them together.  There is no rhyme or reason to this quilt but I am very pleased with the final result. 

I stayed with my uneven theme and put a row of scraps in the back.  It was a fun addition to the plain brown.

The end.