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

New Dutch Oven & Apple Brown Betty

I love my new large Dutch oven and ever since I bought the Dutch oven cookbooks I wanted to pick up the 2 quart model as well. There are several recipes in The Dutch Oven Cookbook for desserts that are made in a 2-quart size pot. Also, when it is just the pair of us for dinner, a smaller meal calls for a smaller Dutch oven.

The 2 quart pot was not available from the same company that made the blue 7-quart one I bought (Cuisinart) but the lady at the store told me Lagostina did have one and it would be going on sale in March. The $170 original price was way too expensive so I set a reminder on my phone to go back. Fast forward more than a month, and here is my adorable new enamel cast iron Dutch oven. I love it in the bright orange! It is so cute and I couldn't wait to make my first dessert, Apple Brown Betty.

This is a very easy recipe to make, requiring only toasted buttered breadcrumbs, sliced apples, some sugar and cinnamon. I wasn't even exactly sure what Brown Betty was and I wondered how tasty it could be with the basic ingredients listed. I layered the crumbs and apples and baked it for 50 minutes. Surprisingly, there is a lot of flavour and the breadcrumbs turn into a caramelized, crunchy treat. Hubby loved the baked apples with the cinnamon-sugar-butter flavour and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it got a big thumbs up.

You can try THIS RECIPE for Apple Brown Betty from Martha Stewart which is very similar to the one I used. I found mine required too much sugar (it was very sweet!) so I think the Martha one will be even better. She adds a bit of nutmeg too. Simple and fast, this is a super dessert you can whip up any day of the week. Enjoy!

Block Magazine

Block Magazine is the publication produced by The Missouri Star Quilt Co. and they are already in their second year of print. You can purchase a copy to be shipped with your fabric order or simply buy a digital copy to read immediately on your computer. They even offered a free digital copy back in December (I don't think it's still available though), which I enjoyed very much. There are personal stories accompanying each pattern as well as technique 'how to' segments in Jenny's Classroom. There are 10 quilted projects in this Winter Volume 2 Issue 1 edition, for example, with photos, diagrams, written instructions, and tips. There are construction basics, general guidelines, project summaries for each quilt, links to companion video tutorials, AND a Patchwork Murder story to boot! All that for US$5.99 is not too bad - you lucky Americans!

Since our Canadian dollar exchange rate is terrible at the moment and the duties and handling for a shipped order are so expensive, I haven't bought any fabric lately from MSQC and therefore, no Block Magazine. Happily, when I was in my LQS last month the owner was making a reservation list for copies of the magazine that she was ordering in bulk. It would cost $10 CDN so I added my name to get one. It finally came in and I held my first physical copy of the 'magazine'.  I put magazine in quotations because this is really a book-azine.  The paper is lovely, there are 104 pages of content and ZERO advertisements. I have paid that much for a traditional quilting magazine at the grocery store. Granted, the LQS is putting the price up to $13 for the next copy so I'm not sure yet if I will fork over the extra $3 bucks or not. I really don't need any more patterns but it is so hard to resist reading about the subject I enjoy the most. I'll probably cave and order it anyway! If you live in the States I would definitely recommend adding a copy to your order and the $5.99 price is a steal, I'd say. Nicely done, Missouri Star.

New Apple Peeler

I've had several apple peelers over the years, from the big, metal old-fashioned one that cuts the apples into rings to a plastic Starfrit model that simply peels. The Starfrit was my favourite but it got gummed up from leaking oil and sticky apple juice and finally the gears seized. It broke the last time I used it and I had to throw it away.

I picked up a new model and they have changed the design in the many years since I purchased my first one. Now the apple is set on the spikes vertically and the body of the peeler is clear plastic. It is easier to rinse clean and there is a new ejector to easily remove the peeled apple. The suction cups are strong and the unit doesn't move at all while you rotate the handle and peel the apple with the sharp blade.

It came with two blades and a corer slicer (which is pretty flimsy compared to my Starfrit Wedge & Pop Apple Wedger but will do as a back-up). This new peeler is worth the $10 though, especially when I have a bag of apples to prepare for a recipe. Hopefully this one serves me as well and long as the old one did!

 

Sew On & Sew On Block: Cutting Fabric and Keeping it Organized

It was a little daunting to tackle the fabric cutting for the Sew On & Sew On block (part of the Snapshots Quilt Along at Fat Quarter Shop) but once I got started it went pretty quickly. There are so many pieces and I noticed in the accompanying video that each cut of fabric in the block was marked with a letter or number matching the right size in the pattern.

I thought it would make the process easier for me if I labelled my fabric in the same way so I could follow along and ensure I was selecting the correct pairs of fabric to join as I assembled my 'sewing machine' block. Post-it notes would have probably worked just as well but since I had a bit of time on my hands and was unable to really start a new sewing project, I decided to pull out my crafting and stamping supplies and make a permanent set of alphabet markers.

It may have taken more effort than required but I really like what I came up with and I can re-use my tags over and over - especially helpful when making future Snapshot blocks. First, I stamped the letters using my fancy Stampin' Up alphabet set. (You may recall I recently packed up all my stamping stuff but it was easy to pull it all out again and luckily, this particular set was near the top of the stack!). I punched out each letter and adhered it to a scalloped square punched out in black card stock. For the numbered tags I printed off a sheet on my printer and just punched those out too. Once they were all ready I ran the squares through my laminator and trimmed them all to the same size. I'm really happy with how they turned out and once I started cutting all my pieces of fabric, they really did keep things organized.

When I began cutting I wanted to make sure that I understood the chart correctly and that each listed size pertained to the swatch of fabric above it (they do) so I watched the video for the first block in the quilt along (the Let Them Eat Cake block). In that tutorial it is mentioned that it's a great place to use one's 'Alphabitties'. I didn't know what that was so I went to the Fat Quarter Shop website and searched what I thought I'd heard, and there I found actual Alphabitties! These are plastic letters and numbers available ready-made to purchase. They look like the set I made and cost $7.99. If you don't want to stamp or punch or print or laminate, buying a package might be an easier way to organize your fabric pieces after cutting!

There is a quick video showing a few tips for using these cute letter markers. They will actually work with any pattern even if the cuts are not lettered (you can just note each letter used next to the size in the cutting chart) and I love the tip about using Wonder Clips to clip the letter to the stack of cut fabric pieces.

 

This Sweet 16 is My Rosebud!

Earlier this month before I went away a very special delivery arrived. I am the proud new owner of a Handi Quilter Sweet 16! This beauty is a sit-down machine exclusively for free-motion quilting. It will no longer be any struggle to fit a quilt under the throat space and stitch away to my heart's desire.

We are still getting to know one another and I haven't had much time to even try her out. There are no U.F.O.s in my workshop so I must resort to practicing on a scrap quilt sandwich for now. It is so exciting and I cannot wait to work on my first project under her needle. I need to get piecing!

I have named my Sweet 16 'Rosebud', which is in direct reference to the movie Citizen Kane. It is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made but if you haven't watched it since it came out in 1941 - *** SPOILER ALERT *** - the lead character Charles Foster Kane (played by Orson Welles) utters his last word 'Rosebud' on his deathbed. The film depicts the search for the meaning of the name and in the end it is revealed that Rosebud is not a woman but a treasured sled from the newspaper publishing tycoon's childhood. So...there's, you know, that, and my Sweet 16 has her name in pink lettering across her arm. The moniker just seemed right.

That is my exciting news and I look forward to sharing my experiences with my new machine. I have a lot of experimenting and learning to do, and I predict a long and happy relationship. Stay tuned... 

Rosemary Chicken Thighs

I had just the right ingredients to make these tasty Rosemary Chicken Thighs from the Milk Calendar. Baked chicken is always a good choice and when it's breaded in a savoury coating it rivals fried chicken and is a lot healthier. This recipe was a bit unusual because the batter the thighs are dipped in before their roll in the herbed bread crumb mixture is cooked first. I've used a beaten egg dip before but not one that is cooked into a thickened custard.

It's not difficult to make the mixture - it just cooks on the stove for a minute and thickens up quickly with the added cornstarch. Of course, it's a bit messy when coating the chicken but I try to leave one hand for the egg part and one for the flour and bread crumbs. The Rosemary Chicken Thighs bake up crispy and tender and the flavour is awesome. I used fresh rosemary which I think pumps that up a notch over dried. This is a good recipe and I will definitely make it again. You can find it on the Milk Calendar website, HERE.

Spring Training with the Red Sox

Hubby and I visited Fort Myers, Florida to watch a couple Spring Training games at Fenway South - the other home of the Boston Red Sox. It felt great to leave the awful winter behind us although it didn't warm up significantly until we were well into the State of Florida. Once on the Gulf Coast the beautiful sunshine, blue sky, warm air and sandy beach, (instead of snowy sidewalks), were so restorative to our frozen Northern souls!

Unfortunately, on our first day there (after two and half days of driving), as we enjoyed a long-awaited drink at the Fisherman's Village, I got a text from my sister relaying the news that my two-weeks-from-turning-91 mother was in the hospital. I'll spare you the details of her gall-bladder attack gone-bad leading to much worse, but the messages toggled between under control to touch-and-go. It was an extremely worrisome and anxious night and we couldn't head home until that last winter storm passed through Kentucky. Things improved over the next two days but we decided to end our 'vacation' (it's impossible to relax and savour the beauty when you are so worried) and head home. We did get to see the two games we'd bought tickets for and hubby loved seeing the Red Sox play in such an accessible stadium. He caught a foul ball, got a gift from the 'vending machine', and we spent a chunk of change at the Red Sox store.

Another 2-1/2 days later we got home, did laundry, rested and then headed up to my sister's just in time for my mother to be discharged and meet with the family for a tea-room lunch. She is a strong woman with nine lives, we believe! We are now back home while she awaits surgery there. I always enjoy a roller coaster down south but on this trip it wasn't quite the same ride! We are disappointed we didn't get to completely escape the way we'd planned but of course, very thankful things have turned out so positively. Fingers crossed the next hurdle will be as quickly and easily cleared.

I have so much blog stuff to share and will try to keep to my regular posting schedule. Time is the missing element and it is always hard to walk by my room filled with fun things to do when there is real-life work to be done. :(

No-Hassle Triangles Gauge

You know I'm all about the gadgets and when I saw the No-Hassle Triangles Gauge on Sewing with Nancy I thought it looked like a worthwhile purchase. I added it to my 'one day' shopping list. Even though this quilting tool is marketed and partnered with Nancy Zieman, it is made by Clover and manufactured in Japan. I love all my Clover products and trust the quality and functionality of all that the brand produces.

I happened to be in my LQS (local quilt shop) and casually asked if she had the gauge in stock. It wasn't on her display but then she said she'd check her bag of goodies (??) and there one was! I was very excited and it felt like it was meant to be. The cost was only a little bit more in Canadian dollars and I didn't have to order on-line (duties, shipping, and handling) or travel to the States and search for it.

The tool allows you to create 1/2 square or 1/4 square triangle blocks without ever cutting triangles. Quilters probably all know how to do that already but this just makes the process a bit easier and more accurate. The nice feature is that the sizes of the HSTs and QSTs are noted right on the gauge along with the cut sizes (size of strips & squares to cut in order to achieve the desired block size). Also, since making QSTs must take into account the extra seam allowances, the matching sizes of QST blocks to the HST blocks requires a different cut size. Those cut sizes are clearly marked for you. For example, if you want a 5-1/2" HST block you need to cut 5-7/8" squares. To get a 5-1/2" QST you have to cut a 6-1/4" square.

This seems like a high quality tool with a sliding gauge that locks into place for accuracy and is push-button for easy use. You can watch the video below for more information on how it works to make HST and QST easier to make.

 

step-by-step Free-Motion Quilting

I pre-ordered Christina Cameli's 2nd book, Step-by-Step Free-Motion Quilting, because I enjoyed her first book First Steps to Free Motion Quilting and of course, her amazing Craftsy class, The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting. The book arrived and I finally have a chance to tell you about it.

This is a pretty thick book (191 pages), as far as quilting design books go. There are only a few pages of text talking about the skills required for free-motion quilting and the groups of designs Christina uses to separate the shapes (forms). The entire remainder of the book consists of sketches of designs and a few lines on how to form them. While I appreciate the inspiration, I was disappointed with the limited discussion and I think some 'real life' quilt photography showing how the designs stitch out would have been very helpful. Even if some small sample swatches of actual stitching were included it would allow the quilter to have a sense of what the finished design could look like in fabric and thread. Also, I find it much easier to select a design if I know where on a quilt, or in a quilt block, it would work and fit well. This book is only a reference for free-motion design ideas, not a 'how-to quilt' or 'where to quilt it' exploration.

If you are looking for an expanded repertoire of quilting designs based on simple shapes you will enjoy this sketchbook of ideas. If you need a bit more instruction on quilting basics, and simple projects to make for practice, you'll probably be better off starting with Christina's first book. I'm glad to have both in my library as the second is kind of an extension of the first.

Floriani Template Tearaway

Embroidering Monograms by Machine with Terri Johnson) is one of the newest Craftsy classes I joined. It's a wonderful and detailed course on everything you need to know about machine embroidering monograms. There is information on the placement of various styles of monograms on different kinds of things (towels, clothes, bags, hats, pillows, etc.) and several ways of getting, and editing, design files (built in on your machine, purchased, provided from class, or created from software).

One great tip I already love is Terri's favourite way to achieve accurate placement of the monograms (or any other design, actually). Floriani Template Tearaway Paper is a fantastic idea. The paper can be run through an ink jet printer to get the design and then there is release paper on the back so that you can just peel and stick the template to the fabric. That means perfect placement with no shifting!!! It is much easier to get precise placement and super fast compared to trying to eyeball or centre a design using the notches in the hoop. Since hooping is my least favourite part of the process I can't wait to try it out. I think this is going to be a miracle product for me!

There are so many other great suggestions and short cuts in the class. Hard-to-hoop items are discussed (I doubt I would go to great lengths to un-sew something in order to get it hooped but it's good to know how!). Terri also troubleshoots tricky fabrics like textured fabrics, open-weave fabrics, and lined garments. This lady knows it all and is an obvious professional! The class is specific to monograms and a very elaborate single-letter scrolled alphabet is included (all the different machine files are provided).

If you have an embroidery machine and want to monogram everything (the number one reason people buy an embroidery machine in the first place), you'll definitely want to check out this class. You'll learn everything you need to know.