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

Oven-Baked Crispy Greek Chicken

The first recipe I tried from the 2015 Milk Calendar was the Oven-Baked Crispy Greek Chicken. This is the recipe for the month of May so I am off by several seasons making it mid-December. The ingredients are still easily gathered and other than fresh dill and feta cheese, most likely already in your pantry and fridge.

I usually have dried Italian breadcrumbs in the cupboard but I opted to purchase a can of panko breadcrumbs to make the Greek chicken. I wasn't exactly sure what the difference was between the two varieties but then I saw this explanation in the tips section:

"Japanese panko breadcrumbs are crunchier in texture than regular breadcrumbs. They’re found in the bread section or by the fish counter in the supermarket."

Sure enough, the panko crumbs are large chunks of crispy white bread and definitely added a more textured crust to the chicken. While the chicken is baking you prepare a tzatziki-style sauce - basically a cooked white sauce with the addition of fresh dill, diced cucumber, and feta cheese. While I love cold tzatziki on brochettes and wraps, I wasn't a fan of it warm - especially with the cucumber heated up. Of course, it was very garlic-y too and still made for a flavourful meal. The chicken had the crunch of fried but is a more healthful version baked in the oven. I think I would omit the cooked sauce next time and either leave it out completely or buy prepared, cold, tzatziki to serve on the side.

You can use the link above to go to the Milk Calendar website and get this, and a zillion other, recipes.

Frozen Quilts: The Quilting

I thought quilting the Frozen quilts would be fast and easy. I planned on outline quilting the panel motifs with clear thread and free motion quilting. The borders would be simple straight-line quilting with a walking foot - all as suggested in the pattern.

I recently re-watched Beyond Basic Machine Quilting, the excellent Craftsy class with the wonderful Ann Petersen, and I thought I would try her recommendation to stitch-in-the-ditch around all the border seams first, working from the OUTSIDE to the INSIDE (as opposed to working from the centre out as most quilting instructors teach). While this method does result in straight borders it also resulted in big puckers, billowing, and pleats since the bulk of the fabric had 'no where to go' because of the stitching along the border edges. I am really frustrated with the quilting now but as I am using monofilament thread and I have done too much quilting already, I can't remove the stitches to release the puckering.

I did a lot of testing with the monofilament thread before I began. I have a couple of brands (e.g. Superior, YLI) in both clear and smoke (for light and dark fabrics). I wanted to use it in the needle and have polyester thread in the bobbin, which matches the backing fabric. I was able to get good tension and the test pieces looked pretty even. Mono thread can be fussy and difficult to work with sometimes and I'm fortunate that my machine (the Horizon 7700) plays nicely with it. I used the even-feed foot (i.e. walking foot) to stitch in the ditch and add channel quilting in the borders. Ignoring t the puckers, the stitching looks even and fairly invisible, other than the slight sheen to the mono thread. It's not my favourite look but I felt I didn't have much choice to avoid pokies from the light coloured bobbin thread and also for quilting in the panel - I didn't want to have the stitching show on the girls and/or continuously swap out thread colours.

Once I began free-motion quilting in the panel with the same threads I remembered that it is so difficult to do so with mono thread. I couldn't get the tension adjusted - I even tried the new blue bobbin case - and if I stitched very slowly (needed to get larger stitches), the blue bobbin thread came to the top. Travel stitching is a mess with mono thread and trying to avoid it is very difficult as well. After outlining one side of Anna I gave up and switched back to the even-feed foot. Trying to move the quilt around to stitch any curves in the panel was a big pain and this approach was just as frustrating! I decided to leave this part of the quilting and stitch between the blocks instead. Once that was done I switched to white cotton thread to do the free-motion work in the panel - quilting along the snowy background in random lines. I knew I would have to use cotton thread to outline the snowflakes anyway so I might as well use it for the interior of the panel as well.

Now I have mono thread on one side and white thread on the other. This first quilt is a bit of a mess but I'm learning what works and what doesn't for the second quilt. I'm sure once it is bound and washed the problem areas won't show up as much but I'm still dismayed at the results so far. I have to take a break anyway as my DD is having friends overnight and I need to totally dismantle my sewing room (tables, frame, machines cleared out, etc.). I suppose I need to be in the kitchen doing my (very late) holiday baking so being forced away from quilting is probably the only way it will happen!

From a Negative to a Positive

Before we went away there was a bit of a water problem in the unfinished room in the basement. I had wrapped presents in there all day but since I kept in one spot (and I wear Birkenstock sandals) I never realized that the carpeting was drenched!

Hubby stepped on the spongey, swampy mess and traced the problem back to a hairline crack in the foundation. Fortunately, other than the carpet, nothing was damaged or lost. Unfortunately, the giant weight machine had to be moved out of the way as we cut the carpet and 5,000 pound saturated underpadding away. That was heavy, messy work but we are lucky that we discovered the problem before leaving and could dry everything out.

That was the bad news but the good news that resulted is that the bare concrete floor is now ideal for pinning my quilts! As it happens, I was ready to baste the Frozen quilts and there was just enough room to tape the backing to the floor and layer the batting and pieced quilt top for pinning. (It was great for rolling, measuring, and cutting the batting, too!) It was a little difficult to spend two hours on my knees on the cold, hard concrete but I slid a small carpet sample around with me to sit on while I changed positions. I tried using hubby's fancy gel knee protectors but they were a little cumbersome as I moved around.

It worked so well to have the backing taught and I could really tell when my pins were through the layers and hitting the floor. I had almost enough curved pins for the first quilt and had to switch to straight safety pins for the second. I was sure I would run out before finishing but since I spaced them far apart at first and then filled in the empty spaces after, it actually worked out well - balanced and secure!

Of course, we have to put all the exercise equipment back to its original position but instead of carpeting we will just buy a rug. I will be able to roll it up for the couple times a year I need to baste a quilt too large for tables and we can just push the weight machine (although it's hard to do, it IS at least possible), out of the way. The negative problem of water in the basement turned into a positive for my quilting! Hubby is sealing up the crack and now that there is no carpeting we will be able to notice right away if there is any more water coming in.

Both Frozen quilts are now pin basted and I've started stitch-in-the-ditch quilting on the first...

$5 OFF Coupon Code

Here's a $5 OFF Coupon Code for Connecting Threads. I have so much fabric and thread from them and they are a super on-line source of quilting supplies - easy and fast shipping to Canada too! They've recently added some amazing designers, like the incredible Tula Pink, to their fabric line-up and I simply adore the Lantern print from her Moonshine collection. Even though I have quite a stash waiting to be used I don't think I can resist adding it to my order!

Enter the promo code LOQJAN15 at checkout to get $5 off your order of $20+.

Craftsy Stuff Your Stocking Sale

Have you finished your shopping yet? I got almost all of mine done before vacation but I'll continue to pick up odds and ends right up until the day. Craftsy is having a Stuff Your Stocking Sale on yarns, fabrics, quilting and sewing supplies so I might just add something for myself to open!

You can click HERE to reveal what's on sale and find a little something for the crafty person on your list...even if that's YOU!

Ziploc Big Bags

Oh, I'm in love with Ziploc Big Bags! I'm sure my American readers have known about these oversized double zipper bags for years but I never picked them up while shopping on one of my cross-border trips. I suddenly remembered them and scoured the supermarkets and chain stores in my town but to no avail.

On my last stop to Walmart, way down low on the shelf, I found two small boxes! I was so excited but confused as to which 'big bag' size I needed. They are available in L, XL, and XXL but the dimensions were in metric so I wasn't sure what they were in inches. I got the Large which has 5 bags and was thrilled when I got home and saw how big and sturdy they were. This was a perfect system for my trip to Vegas and I was amazed how much I could get in each one.

I easily slipped my very large cosmetic organizer into the bag and felt more confident packing it into my checked luggage, along with my dress clothes, knowing that should anything leak it would at least be contained in the Ziploc. The subsequent bags were ideal for layering my outfits and once I pressed all the air out I could stack them in the case with room to spare. Not only were the clothes protected from spills and wrinkles but I was amazed at how much less room they took up! With checked cases now costing at least $25 it helped to compress the air out and fit both hubby's and my clothes into one bag.

Once we were ready to return home I used a spare bag to stash all the luxury toiletries from the hotel, safe and sound - and allowed, in the large suitcase. I separated my remaining clean clothes into another so they didn't get all mixed up for the laundry once home. I was able to add souvenirs in another to keep them protected and easy to grab should I need to produce them for customs. There are so many great uses for these oversized bags for travel: kids toys, snacks, wet bathing suits, electronics, shoes, etc. (Sure enough, one shampoo bottle did leak but I just rinsed out the bag and nothing else got goopy!)

Back at home the bags work great for organizing all kinds of things to reduce clutter, store, and protect items from moisture, dust, and bugs and they fit into tight spaces better than bins and buckets. They have a sturdy handle, are strong, and pleated for expanding for bulkier items. I went back to buy more since I loved them so much but they were gone! They had one box of the XL size and I grabbed them. They are huge! The extra large size would be great for layering in a large suitcase or for home use but I prefer the Large as a more convenient and versatile size. The bags cost a couple dollars or so for each ($10+ a box) but I can see that they will last a long time and can be used repeatedly. I've store a set in each suitcase and have the rest ready to go. I think they would also be ideal for my sewing room - to transport projects in progress, store fabric, perfect for scraps, etc. Love, love, love Ziploc Big Bags!!!

Return from Vegas

I'm back from my mini-break in Vegas where I managed to find new things to do and different (but amazing) food to eat. We saw some great shows, including Michael Jackson's 'One' Cirque de Soleil. It was a beautiful show with amazing dancing and the most incredible hologram. I was surprised how sad I felt that he is no longer alive to make more music.

We also saw Raiding the Rock Vault which was much better than I expected. It was not a tribute show as I had imagined but actually has a cast of 'real' rockers from bands from the 80s performing hit songs through the decades. The talent was phenomenal and the songs were a great selection of rock anthems. There were some cheesy moments of skit acting and a couple of go-go dancers I could do without but the show was a great value and a fun time to reminisce. I really enjoyed the guitarists, especially Doug Aldrich from Whitesnake.

Jersey Boys was the next show to entertain us and it was as good as the version we saw in Toronto. It's a slower time in Vegas this time of year so I felt bad that the theatre wasn't full and the cast worked so hard just for 'us'. There is so much talent out there and it sure impresses me every time I see a live production.

We ended on an even higher note with a performance by Olivia Newton John. Having grown up listening to her music, first as a country artist, then pop, and her famous turn as Sandy in Grease, it was quite a sentimental evening to hear her sing the hits. Olivia still sounds as sweet and since we were seated right next to the stage I can attest that she is still beautiful and lovely as well. It was a very fun night and I still can't believe I was so close to her!

Our favourite places to eat remained on the itinerary but we found a couple of new culinary experiences, including Hussong's Cantina - a Mexican menu with fantastic margaritas and food to savour. We also were thrilled to find Brooklyn Bowl and their incredible fried chicken. This is a new restaurant on the strip (opened in March of this year) and I'm sure it will do well with the cool atmosphere, bar, live music stage, and bowling! The fried chicken was truly the best I've ever tasted and it was a total treat! I also ordered a mojito that was so fresh and tasty. It was a bit strong but a topper of soda made it perfect for me.

One other very special drink I got was a gorgeous Lavender Lemontini at Vic & Anthony's in the Golden Nugget. This was a total indulgence and so delicious. At $17 a pop one was enough but I could've definitely handled another! I think I might have to recreate that one at home...

Other than a bit of jet lag I'm starting to get back into the swing of holiday prep and finishing up my three quilts on the go. Being away at the beginning of December makes the time fly and I have so much baking, wrapping, and decorating to do but I think a bit of time dedicated to sewing will help me transition back to 'real life'!

Pork Noodle Casserole

I had some leftover roast pork from the other night so I turned it into a Pork Noodle Casserole. The original recipe came from an old Taste of Home Casseroles magazine I got for Christmas in 2004 but you can get it now on-line HERE. I was delighted to find the website, actually, because there are so many great recipes to try. I used to subscribe to Taste of Home but eventually got overwhelmed with so many issues and so many recipes! The on-line version is much easier to reference.

I made half the recipe and it was plenty for four people (or two meals for hubby and me). I used frozen corn kernels instead of the canned and cream of broccoli soup instead of mushroom. I also added diced sweet red and orange peppers to the onions and sauteed them up together. One last thing I added was a buttered bread crumb topping for a little extra flavour. We really enjoyed the casserole and it was a great way to use up the remainder of the roast. Definitely check out the website for super tasty and easy recipes that use simple ingredients you probably have on hand. I always have had great success with Taste of Home and I trust that what I make will turn out well.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates were on sale for $.99 cents at the store so I added one to my cart. I love POM juice (especially in martinis!) but it's also fun to buy the actual fruit and eat the seeds. I knew there was a trick for getting the seeds out easily and I shared it in one of my very first posts way back in 2009. After scoring the thick outer skin into sections and breaking it apart, you can hold each one under water in a bowl and let the seeds sink to the bottom and allow the pulp to float.

This time I did it Martha Stewart's way which simply involves prying the seeds away from the pulp over a bowl after cutting the pomegranate into sections. (She also has another video where she hits the halved fruit with a wooden spoon to knock the seeds out but that just seemed like too much action for me!).

Now is definitely the time to enjoy this unique and healthful fruit as they are in season in North America. You can find all kinds of info about pomegranates at the POM Council Website including how to select them, store them, and even grow them!! The actually share all three ways of getting the seeds out so pick the one that suits you best!

Garlic Pork Roast

I gave in and bought a pork roast for hubby for dinner. Instead of my usual garlic-ginger-sherry-soya sauce marinade I looked up a different recipe and found one from my very trusted Canadian Living Magazine website. Although there are 15 Pork Roast Recipes in the article, I chose a simple Garlic Pork Roast.

Despite our early snow fall, my container of fresh thyme on the deck is still looking great. I snipped a bunch of sprigs to harvest the fresh leaves (easy to get if you slide your thumb and finger up the stalk) and garnish the roast. I also used fresh thyme in the roasted sweet potato dish (shown at the bottom of the recipe under 'Additional Information') I served on the side. The fennel seeds were so fragrant after I crushed them using the mortar and pestle - very licorice-y!

Although pork is not my favourite the roast turned out perfectly and smelled amazing. Hubby enjoyed the meat with apple sauce on the side and thought the herb and garlic rub added great flavour. I loved the roasted sweet potatoes too!