Halloween Quilt

Quilt groups can be a wonderful inspiration.  In January, 2001, my quilting group, known as "the Pinheads" then, decided to work on Halloween quilts.  We would each work on our own project, but use the same pattern.  To keep with the theme, we changed our name temporarily to "The Batty Babes".  Once a month my dear friend, Becky M. and I would plan for all of us to meet at different secret locations.   Sometimes the group had to figure out clues to the whereabouts of the next meeting.  Tricky huh? When we got together, we would  share what we had done and be inspired to continue on.  Well, we kept meeting and working hard and we completed some pretty awesome and very cute tricker treaters for our quilts.  The pattern was adapted from a Sue Garman pattern. 

This is one of the funniest quilts I have ever made.  We personalized each little goblin with buttons, beads, embroidery and any other embellishments we could think of.  It was all hand appliqued.

We all got very creative.  It took us almost a year to do.

 

I had almost let Halloween slip by without getting out my Trick or Treaters Quilt.  It's funny how we let some of our favorite memories slip by because we just get too busy.  Well, my quilt is out now and I am having a great time enjoying it and the memories it holds.

Until next time- Kyle

Mondays

I was reading a survey that said that Monday is considered the worse day of the week.  I guess because it is the beginning of most people's five day work week.  I like Mondays because it is the beginning of a new week, a fresh start.

I did a lot of errands today and guess, I mostly ran into people who dislike Mondays.  There was a lot of attitude out there.  I didn't take people's behavior personally, but instead tried to smile and be pleasant.

I have been listening to Maya Angelou's book, Letters to My Daughter.  It talks about her path in life and living a life of meaning.  She talks about having an attitude of gratitude.  Maybe Mondays wouldn't seem so negative, if we remembered how much we have to be thankful for.

5 Things I'm Thankful for on a Monday:

1.  That I was granted another Monday to see the sun rise and the sun set.
2.  That I have a job to go to on Tuesday.
3.  That I have a family who loves me no matter what day it is.
4.  I can share a kind word or a smile to someone who doesn't like Mondays
5.  I can make a pot of soup and a batch of muffins and then not cook for several days!

Chicken Noodle Soup and Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins

Cranberry-Zucchini Muffins

based on the recipe from Martha Stewarts Baking Handbook

the (****)  indicate altitude changes

1 3/4 Cups all purpose flour  (+ 3 T)

1/2 t. baking powder    (- a pinch)

1/2 t. baking soda         (- a pinch)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

2 large eggs   (+ 1/8 cup egg beaters)         

1 cup sugar  (-2 T) 
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 t vanilla
1 cup finely grated zucchini 1/2 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries   (I coarsely chopped them instead)

Preheat oven 375 degrees ( 385 degrees)
Prepare 10 cups of a standard 12 cup muffin pan
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.  Stir in the zucchini.  Add the flour mixture and stir to combine, do not over mix.  Using a rubber spatula fold in the cranberries.  Divide the batter evenly among the 10 prepared muffin cups.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the muffins are golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 - 30 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Turn the muffins on their sides in their cups and cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Hope you enjoy the muffins and Mondays.

Until next time- Kyle

San Francisco

I don't consider myself a true foodie, but when Ed and I travel, we certainly enjoy contemplating all of the food choices.  Last week we went to "the City on the Bay", San Francisco. So many choices, so little time.

The Bay Bridge

We walked all over the city, exploring neighborhoods, riding the trolley (that's Ed hanging on to the outside of the trolley), and checking out the food scene.  The weather was perfect.  We rode the ferry over to Sausalito and back so we could get a good view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. We had lived in the Bay area a long time ago so it was fun to come back and check things out.

China Town

With only 2 days in the city, we had a lot of food choices to taste.  One place certainly on our list was Yank Sing in the financial district.  Home of the best Dim Sum in the city. Dim Sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea.  The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. 

Dim Sum

Sourdough bread

Boudin's is San Francisco sourdough bread.  We tasted their bread at least 3 times! Another fun place we visited was the Ferry Building Marketplace. It includes shops of cheese, exotic mushrooms, pasta's, chocolate and the home of Boccalone,  The owner of this salumeria, Chris Cosentino, appears on the food network on the show Chefs vs City.  He wasn't there, but we talked to his wife and thoroughly enjoyed his tasty salted pig parts!

Our two days went by fast.  From here we drove north, across the bridge to Napa.  I'll share more about that another time.  Where's the best food you've tried while traveling?

Until next time- Kyle