Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Quilter's Preview Paper

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Quilter's Preview Paper is an ingenious product!  It's a roll of clear plastic that you can lay on top of your quilt top so you can preview quilting designs.

You simply use a permanent marker to trace or draw a design on the plastic (there are black lines to show the boundries of the sheet), then you hold the design over your quilt so you can decide if the particular pattern (both design and scale) works with your piecing.

It definitely helps to see what the quilting looks like before you actually start.  While there may be several designs which could be used you can certainly see which designs won't work!  I found this very useful when trying to choose a quilting pattern for my Arbor Roses quilt.  The Preview Paper is also great for deciding on applique placement on a block or quilt top.  You can find more information here and watch the video below to see how this very useful item can be used.

Snap Cases & Thread Organization

My friend gave me one of those plastic, stacking snap cases and now I'm obsessed with them!  She picked it up at Michael's and I've also found them at the container/organizer store.  I think I have about 4 or 5 of them so far, in varying sizes.  They are perfect for scrapbooking supplies (like hard-to-store paper ribbons and embellishments) and I love them for my sewing supplies!

I've got them organized based on the items they hold: one for all the feet and accessories for each sewing machine; one for fabric cutting items (scissors, rotary cutter, extra blades); one for quilt marking tools (Hera, markers, pencils, chalks); one for threads and bobbins; one for measuring tools; one for needles & pins, etc.  I love how they have several sections with different depths.  Thanks for the gift and idea, Kathleen!

Another great idea, which I got from a quilt magazine, is to store spools of used thread with their matching filled bobbins in tiny zippered plastic bags.  I picked up the bags at the dollar store and you get about 25 of them!  They are perfect (and cheap!) for keeping my thread organized - so simple!

Finally, I seem to have gathered quite a lot of new thread spools and organizing them can be a challenge as they multiply!  I started with some small Gutermann cases but quickly outgrew them (plus I am using larger spools now).  So then I moved to the plastic drawer system and it's ok for now (I'll probably outgrow that too!).  I like keeping the thread covered up so it doesn't get dusty but want to be able to see what I have at a glance.  I've organized the drawers based on type of thread and love being able to choose from all the great colours!  I stack the other containers on top to save counter space!

 

Quilt Ruler Storage

I have accumulated a rather large collection of quilt rulers.  I used to store them with my cutting mat, sitting on top of my rolling island tucked underneath my craft counter, but it started to become a pain to move them every time I wanted to either get my cutting mat or use the island surface for scrapbooking.

The logical storage solution was to hang up the rulers but since I don't have any real wall space for these very large rulers, and they are not the most attractive items to display, I had a great idea to use the sides of my island.

I bought some 3M Command hooks which would accommodate the hole in the rulers and could be removed without damaging the surface.  I adhered them to each side of my island, as well as on the inside wall of my cabinet below my work station.  I followed the application directions, making sure to wait the hour before adding the rulers (even though I was very excited to hang them up!).  I actually even weighed the rulers to make sure I hadn't exceeded the weight limit clearly marked on each package of the various hooks.  My DH suggested that NO ONE but me would actually do that...but really, how can you expect a product to perform properly if you don't follow the directions?

I have to say I am pretty impressed with myself!  Not only are the rulers out of the way yet easily accessible, they are actually better stored hanging from a hook to protect them and avoid warping.  My Olfa rulers are hanging together - the squares and the rectangles on separate hooks, and my June Tailor Shape-Cut rulers, which are quite delicate, are on another.  It is the perfect way to store these items and I'm so happy with the way the storage solution turned out.  I haven't removed one of the Command hooks but I assume I won't have any trouble if I need to...since I "saved the instructions for easy removal"!

Tassimo

I got a Tassimo hot beverage brewer for Christmas, which was a big surprise.  My mother and sister have Keurig systems, and my sister also has the Tassimo.  She recommended it because it can make different drinks with precision: it knows to select the right amount of water at the perfect temperature, brew time and it can add foam or steamed milk as well.  It uses a bar code on the t-disc (the unit containing the ingredients) to read the information needed to precisely brew each beverage...whether it be coffee, hot chocolate, lattes, teas, cremas, expressos, or cappucinos.

It is a lot of fun to select the drink you want and simply press the button to have it made.  The machine brews very quickly.  At first I thought it made a weird noise but after watching YouTube vids from several other people, I realize it is the machine 'reading' the bar code.  I usually make a full pot of regular coffee every morning and we have a couple of cups each.  I'm reserving the Tassimo for afternoon indulgences.  While the .50 - $1.00 per cup cost of the t-discs beats the coffee shop, for me it is more expensive than my fresh-ground 8 o'clock coffee beans!  I also have a hard time with the wasteful packaging of single-serve units.  I consider it an occasional treat to use this fun and clever machine...it does work very well...and the Chai tea latte is to die for!

Creme Brulee

Last week I showed you the micro torch I have in my kitchen and linked a recipe for Creme Brulee.  Well, that recipe looked so simple and good I just had to try it right away!  I decided to make it for dessert one night when my mother came over for dinner and she was a riot watching me caramelize the sugar on top with the torch.  My daughter was really worried since Granny kept saying to get the flame bigger!  Apparently my father used to use his giant welding torch on all those creme brulees we had in my childhood...;)

I only used skim milk with the whipping cream and although the creme brulees were fantastic, they could have been even richer, with more body, had I used homogenized milk.  The flavour was amazing and we all oohed and ahhed.  The hard, crunchy layer on top is so good - especially with a bite of the creamy custard underneath. 

That being said, as simple as the recipe is, I did have some trouble.  The sugar/water mix took a lot longer to brown than suggested in the recipe and, as I suspected would happen, as soon as I removed it from the heat and added the milk, the caramel sputtered and seized.  As I whisked away, most of the hardened caramel dissolved and became incorporated but there was still quite a bit stuck on the bottom of the pan once I added the mixture into the egg yolks.  The end result was fine but it just wasn't as easy as it appears.

After making creme brulee you also have the 'problem' of all the extra egg whites!  I just froze them for now but I know I will be making a pavlova with them soon!

Micro Torch

I have had this BernzOmatic Micro Torch since the early 90s and have only needed it a handful of times.  I used it on some creme brulees back in my intense Martha Stewart years and it's been sitting in my kitchen cupboard ever since.  When I made my favourite Irish oatmeal with fruit and nuts recently, I pulled it from the dusty packaging to caramelize the sugar on top.  Can you believe it lit on the first push of the button?  While the variety of uses pictured on the insert do not include food items, I know this type of torch is used by chefs for the aforementioned creme brulees and caramelized sugar, as well as browning meringues, marshmallows, and other items requiring a quick flash of fire.  With temperatures up to 3100 degrees Fahrenheit, this is definitely not a toy and even I am nervous when I spark up the flame.  It really does do the trick and on the occasions that a broiler element just won't work, I'm glad to have this handy gadget available.  (Hmmm, that creme brulee recipe looks really good...I'm going to have to make that now!)

Cheesecloth

Cheesecloth is always in my kitchen drawer.  It is a gauze-like cotton originally used to make cheese, allowing the whey to drain away from the curds.  Although I am not in the habit of making my own cheese, I do use this versatile item for several things.

1. I always cover my roast turkey with wine & butter soaked cheesecloth...just the way Martha Stewart showed me years ago.  It really does produce a wonderful, golden skin on the turkey while keeping in the juices and holding that wine and butter on the bird - it's like tucking it in and getting it all cozy in the oven!

2. I always cover my  Christmas fruitcake in rum soaked cheesecloth (hmmm...I'm seeing a common thread here!).  There is something exciting about peeling back the cheesecloth from a ripened cake, the wonderful aroma of the rum escaping!

3. I like to make a cheesecloth sachet of cinnamon stick, star anise, and orange peel to suspend from a wooden spoon in a pan of milk to flavour it for topping Irish oatmeal.  It is amazing!  No need to fish out the soggy spices from the finished milk.

4. I do occasionally make thick yogurt 'cheese' and use cheesecloth for its original purpose!  It does work very well and it's kind of miraculous how much liquid drains out!

Cheesecloth is also good for polishing and cleaning...and it's cheap!

Peeling Fresh Ginger

Do you know the easiest way to peel fresh ginger?  Simply scrape down the sides of the skin with the edge of a teaspoon and the skin will flake right off!  I try to buy a piece of ginger root that is nice and firm, shiny & fresh, and not too nubby (the 'knots' are more difficult to get around with the spoon).  I'll be showing you a recipe using grated fresh ginger next month - it's a wonderful flavour to add to holiday recipes!

Quilting Gadgets

I love having the right tools for the job and have really enjoyed collecting some gadgets to help me along with my quilting journey.  The Supreme Slider and Machingers gloves were purchased with my Gidget table from Leah Day and I am really glad I took her advice.  Both items help with free-motion quilting tremendously.  The quilt slides around so nicely on the Supreme Slider and although it's a bit of a pain having to move it aside to change the bobbin, it's worth it.  The gloves are awesome too and I don't like not wearing them even if I just have a small area to quilt.  They grip the fabric really well and just ease the strain on my wrists and arms.

The Binding Tool seemed like a real must-have item.  It allows you to cut the ends of your continuous binding so that they fit together perfectly and lay flat on the quilt.  I've had a bit of a challenge using this tool.  I found it really confusing to mark the tails using it, despite watching an instructional video.  Which way to turn the tails...which way to turn the tool...which line marks where...how to sew the tails together?  And the last time I used it I didn't have good results at all (I got a little pleat in my binding...grrrr!)  Maybe it's my inexperience but I just can't find the ease of use it's touted to possess (and I've read on the message boards that others have the same problem).  Once again, Leah Day to the rescue since (before the tool arrived) I used her method (shown in the video below) on my first quilt and it worked perfectly...and I had NO idea at all what I was doing at that point!  I think I'll just shelve the binding tool for now and finish off my binding with Leah's method.

The last 2 tools I picked up were a scallop edge template and a flying geese template/ruler.  I haven't used either one yet.  I'm scared to cut a scalloped edge on a quilt that has taken a lot of time and effort to make and I'm worried I won't be able to get binding cut on the true bias onto the quilt edge.  The geese ruler has not been needed yet but I hear it's a very beloved shape used on quilts so I'll probably get around to it at some point!  Both were 'in the heat of the moment' purchases early on!  Beware the 'add to cart' button!

Here's Leah's binding video if you're interested (see 4:05)!

Titletopia

I don't often use alphabet stickers any more for scrapbooking titles since I got the Cricut and can just cut letters out of co-ordinating patterned paper.  However, on this page of my Boston album I wanted to use the cute stickers that came with the Power Palette...and because I'm so picky, I wanted them to be straight!

It's been a long time since I pulled out my Titletopia aligner but it still works like a charm.  You can arrange your letter stickers how you want them using the guides (there is a straight edge, wavy edge, oval or swirls - depending on which aligner you have) and then transfer them easily to the scrapbook page.  I remember when these first came out from Creative Memories and it made me so happy to finally have straight titles (I use the straight edge the most).  It's too bad that they don't carry this item any more because I really love having a way to get those stickers down the way I want them before committing them to the page!