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

7-Layer Dip

It's an oldie but a goodie - Mexican 7-Layer Dip!  There are many variations of this easy appetizer idea and you really can't go wrong no matter which one you choose.

I usually start with a layer of refried beans mixed with some salsa or taco sauce and spice.  Then I layer on any combination of sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, avocados, onions, and diced green chilies, if I have them.  It's different every time but always awesome with some premium tortilla chips.

Here's a link to a 7-layer dip recipe similar to what I make: Seven Layer Dip.

Hummingbird Cake

Yum!  I made this Hummingbird Cake because I had some ripe bananas to use up and a can of crushed pineapple in the cupboard...and I didn't even realize it was going to be SO good!

The cake is simple to make and has a gorgeous texture.  The cream cheese frosting is amazing and makes the dessert taste almost like a carrot cake (but without all that grating!  I didn't add the pecans (because of a nut allergy) but it would be phenomenal with them.

This was a big hit at our house so if you'd like to try it yourself you can find the recipe HERE.

New York Album

Even though I love to scrapbook I find I don't have the time to keep up with all my projects doing elaborate pages like I used to.  However, I still want to preserve my photos and memories and nothing beats having PRINTED photos presented in an actual album you can hold in your hands.

I have shared several Creative Memories PicFolio albums here over the years and I really enjoy working with that format of slide-in pockets.  While I still embellish the pages with 'scrapbooking' by adding photo mounting paper, creative cuts, and decorative elements, the pockets can be limiting in that you are confined to the space and orientation of each one.

This is the first time I've used a 12x12 EXPANDABLE version of PicFolio and I LOVE IT!  It offers me the perfect balance of speed and ease with creative possibilities.  It's the love child of a traditional album and a PicFolio.  You can customize this album by the type and number of pages you add.  There are pocket pages available with 6 landscape pockets per page and there are also 12x12 large pocket pages which are one big sleeve for adding a 12x12 piece of paper.  This allows me to create a traditional scrapbook page(s) with portrait photos and extra stuff like memorabilia (tickets, brochures, maps, etc.).

The 12x12 PicFolio was ideal for my New York City trip.  I mixed and matched the two kinds of pages.  I was able to have pages with all my memorabilia and also have a few pages of straight photos that didn't require a lot of explanation.  I still added journal boxes of course and I love how the photos and words paint a complete picture of our great experiences in the Big Apple.  (I also love the photo window on the front cover - a perfect place to title the album!).

Lots of room for photos...

Room for journaling and memorabilia...

 

My Kitchen Tour

I got a comment on my Craft Room Tour video from "Vercippu" suggesting I do a kitchen tour.  Even though it's kind of personal to be showing you inside my cupboards (!!) and probably boring to most, I thought it would be a fun idea to share my kitchen layout and the way I've organized my space.

As I say on the video...I cannot apologize for any wear and tear on my now 7-year old kitchen (it's seems like yesterday we had it renovated!) because it is well-used and hard working!  There is not a day goes by that I am not cooking or baking in there as we eat at home 99.9% of the time.

If you'd like to snoop around my kitchen (and see the before & after), watch today's video and see where all the Over the Kitchen Counter recipe videos are filmed!

Fusible Batting Tape

I bought and wrote about this fusible batting tape almost a year ago but I only now just tried it for the first time.

I was ready to quilt my cheater baby quilt and didn't have a piece of batting the right size.  Since I knew this would be a test project I chose not to cut new batting from my roll and instead, found 2 leftover sections that would be the right size if joined.  Ah-ha!  Batting tape to the rescue.

There aren't even really any directions for using the tape - you just abut the two pieces of batting together and iron the tape on to fuse them.  It worked very well and I didn't get any lumps or seams like I might with a zig-zag stitch.  I think I could have had the edges even closer together so I'll try that next time.

When the quilt was finished you could not tell there was a seam in the batting.  Two thumbs up for the easy use and excellent results of fusible batting tape.

New Marathon Thread Set!

I was so excited to finally be able to order my second gorgeous polyester embroidery thread set from Marathon Threads Canada.  This time I picked Starter Kit #8 because it has no duplicates to Kit #3 - my first set which I shared in April.

Now I have a really nice range of shades in each colour family and some pretty neutrals too.  That should allow me quite a lot of choice when I'm stitching out my embroidery designs.  These mini cones are definitely the way to go as I have yet to even make a dent in any one spool.  As a kid I used to adore getting a brand new box of 64 Crayola crayons and I still get that same feeling now when I look at the assortment of lovely colours!

Of course I had to add another roll of stabilizer to my order - this time I got a soft, fusible no-show mesh since I think it will be a very versatile addition to my stabilizer drawer.  The cut away I bought last time is excellent for embroidering my quilt blocks and other projects but for t-shirts it's nice to have a lighter, softer stabilizer.  The 10-yard roll should last me quite a while!

 

Craftsy BOM: June

The LeMoyne Star block for June's Craftsy Block of the Month quilt teaches us the technique for joining 'y' seams.  I appreciate learning this more challenging method of piecing but all I kept thinking was it is aptly named because WHY would anyone choose to make this kind of seam voluntarily????

Ok, I'm kidding...but personally, I will try not to ever have to do this again.  To me, it is waaaay too fussy and irritating and I unfortunately did not enjoy the process (which for me, is the whole point).

I managed (once again) to get the block together without too many re-sews (remember, my limit is 2!) and there are some parts of the star which are lovely!  However...there are some parts of the star which are not.  Also, my block finished larger than the 19-1/2 inches (my seam is too scant?) and if I trim it down to the required size I will cut off the points.  I had a hard time trimming this at all because unless your star seams are completely perfectly joined in the middle, there is no way to trim equally from the centre out and have the same seam allowance at the end of the tips...not to mention keeping the angles perfectly aligned on the ruler markings. :(

So, Ms. Nownes instructed me to leave the block as it is for now and incorporate it into the finished quilt top by either trimming others or adding sashing to accomodate the variance.  My quilt friend Jose also had an interesting suggestion to maybe even think outside the box and cut the block so it looks asymmetrical 'on purpose'.  But Jose is a quilt artist who is super creative and original...where I am a 'follow the rules/pattern/recipe person who always colours inside the lines! lol!  We'll see, Jose!

That's another block down for this sampler quilt class.  I hope I have enough fabric to complete the rest of the blocks.  Six down...and I think only 4 more to go.  Next month is what I was waiting for...tumbling blocks.

Some more photos.  Some angle points met nicely...

Some did not...

Some 'y' seams finished with a nice, clean join...
Some...not so much! (but I WILL quilt that out!)

Light Curried Chicken Burgers

These chicken burgers are a nice change from regular hamburgers and the curry livens up the boring ground poultry.  The addition of mango chutney and curry powder, along with chopped fresh cilantro, really offer a surprise burst of flavour.  You can cook these on the bar-b-que or use an indoor grill or frying pan.  We loved them!  You can find the written recipe from Chatelaine magazine HERE.

Serger?

I think I've mentioned before that I would someday like to have a serger.  I've taken a couple of Craftsy classes (Beginner Serging and Creative Serging) just in case I ever get one (!) so I kind of have an idea of how they work and what I can do with one.

When I made the Cowl Neck t-shirt for Eileen Roche's The Machine Embroidered T-Shirt class I got my first taste of sewing with knits.  I actually kind of liked it!  It's very different than working with quilting cottons but it was quite fun to sew.  Once I attached the embroidered cowl neck to the t-shirt I realized I had quite a seam.  I trimmed what I could and then used an overcast stitch on my regular sewing machine (which I showed you a couple of weeks ago when I finished the edge of my cheater quilt) to finish the edge but this would have been a perfect time to use a serger.  The serger will trim and finish the seams very quickly and neatly and that offers a very professional looking result.

I did actually go talk to my wonderful Janome dealer about sergers and expressed my interest in a basic model.  After reading about how fearful people get threading their sergers (and therefore, having to re-thread them with thread changes or breaks), I wondered about 'air threading' machines that are available.  Everyone seems to really appreciate those but it is more costly to upgrade to get that feature.  My dealer assured me that they provide lessons with purchase and (since he knows me) that I would have no problems learning how to thread the machine.

So a serger just might be moving up on my wishlist and then I can actually try the projects in the Craftsy classes I took!

Cast Iron Grill Press

I have eyed this cast iron grill press every visit to the Cracker Barrel on each vacation south but never bought it.  When we went to Florida I decided this would be the year to get it...but none of the restaurants we were in had it in stock!

Then on our drive to New York City we passed one single Cracker Barrel (there are about a million of them on the route to Disney World).  We went in for a salad (we love the grilled chicken salads!) and when I had a quick peek around the store, there was the grill press!

I snapped one up and finally had my Lodge cast iron accessory for my kitchen.  It cost $22.99 and is quite heavy, as you would expect.  The handle is 'cool grip' and has to be bolted onto the heavy-duty base.  After rinsing the press (it should not be washed in the dishwasher and using soap is not recommended) it is seasoned and ready to use.  I only needed to apply a small amount of vegetable shortening on it and now I can use it to eliminate my bacon curling on my electric griddle or to press out extra fat from burgers, make awesome grilled sandwiches or use it to disarm a burglar!

Every time I see the cooks at the Waffle House using a press on their bacon slices I've thought it was a great idea to evenly crisp up the strips and keep the splattering down.  I'll let you know how it does the next time I make some!