Saturday, December 31, 2016

Kiana's Cranberry Oatcakes

Kiana is a steadfast family friend. She adopted all of us in her own fashion. Meaning a beautiful latte spitfire from LA came to Boston to study art and wrangled my mass of mostly "Cranky Yankee" family members to her liking. We hardly resisted since the feelings and festivities were mutual. Today on the last day of 2016 Kiana is arriving in Scotland to pursue her Masters. I'm in my kitchen cooking, contemplating the new year, my next quilting project and Kiana's adventure. These Cranberry Oatcakes are adapted from a J. Levak blog recipe who in turn adapted these "Pictou County Oatcakes" from "Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens"by Marie Nightingale. I liked the idea of combining a Scottish staple with our own New England cranberry for Kiana.

 

Kiana's Cranberry Oatcakes

Makes 12 

3c. oatmeal

2 1/2c. oatflour

1/2c. cane sugar plus extra for sprinkling on top of oatcakes

1t. sea salt

1/2 c. semi solid coconut oil

1t. baking soda

1t. almond extract

3/4c. boiling water

1 1/2c. fresh cranberries 

1/3c measure, parchment paper, cookie sheet

Combine all the dry ingredients except for the baking soda. Add coconut oil and rub into the oat mixture with a wooden spoon breaking up any large clumps with your fingers. Combine baking soda and boiling water, add to dry mix, stirring well.

Stir in Cranberries. To shape oatcakes press mixture into a 1/3 c. measuring cup including a few cranberries in each cake. 

Tap the  the measuring cup face down on the counter to release the oatcake. Place oatcake into a parchment lined cookie sheet

  


Tap the  the measuring cup face down on the counter to release the oatcake. Place oatcake into a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle each oatcake with a little sugar.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. 

 

Cooks Note: I thought about chopping the cranberries finer but decided to leave them whole. It makes the oatcakes a litter harder to shape.  I'm glad I didn't. When we tasted them the texture of the oatcake in one bite and then a cranberry taste bomb in another seems a perfect reminder of Kiana. Look out Scotland!



Friday, December 30, 2016

Winter Lentils + Food Stash = Quilting Time



When I need a winter food stash for a salad, a meal, or a snack, I break out a heartier version of my simple lentil salad to buy myself some "Quilting Time". I don't want to work too hard in the kitchen but want wonderful results when I do.  I like something comforting and versatile to look forward to. Something that I can take to my studio or have quickly after a late night of teaching or sewing and still feel satisfied.  

 

 Winter Lentils with Bacon &Tomato

Serves 4-6 


 1lb. or 2c. French green lentils

 8c. water

 1 yellow onion roughly chopped

 6oz. good bacon chopped into a 1/2" dice

1/2c. moist sun dried tomatoes snipped

2T. red wine vinegar 

1t. sea salt

1/2 t. coarse ground black pepper

 

1. Cook rinsed lentils in 8c. water until tender 30-35    minutes. Drain and place in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. 

2. Saute bacon and onion until lightly browned and  beginning to crisp.

3. Add snipped sun dried tomatoes to bacon mixture stirring for 1 minute. Drain into a fine mesh sieve to remove excess bacon fat.

4. Toss with lentil mixture.

 

 

Serving Suggestions:

A snack- serve at room temperature spooned onto crisp bread or  toasted french bread rounds

A salad- serve warm or cold piled on mixed greens

A meal - serve warm over brown rice

You need very little to accompany this dish, a glass of red wine at dinner, or a poached egg on top of a salad is perfect for addition for extra guests who pop hungry for lunch.

 



 

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Too Much and Not Enough to do!



It's a wintry blustery day and I have a million things to do toward putting away our Christmas treats and trimmings. Part of me wants to take down the tree before the needles invade every crevice and carpet versus enjoying it's fleeting piney scent. What do I do? Nothing! I head to the kitchen to make Mushroom Soup. Now with my bowl of soup I spread out my quilting magazines that have been tempting me since Thanksgiving and enjoy the possibilities of what to make next. 

 

Mmmm...Mushroom Soup

Serves 4 


4T. butter

4T. flour

4c. Chicken or Vegetable Stock

 1 medium onion finely chopped

10 oz. white mushrooms sliced

1/3c. sherry 

1c. whole milk

2t. dried thyme

1t. sea salt

1/4t. ground black pepper 

1. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add chopped onion and saute 7-9 minutes until soft.

2. Stir in flour until onions are coated. Add 1c. of the stock stirring until well blended. Add mushrooms, the remaining 3c. of stock and the sherry. Simmer for 15- 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

3. Add the milk, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer another 5 -10 minutes until milk is warm but not boiling.

 

Cooks Note: I used goat butter and goats milk in this recipe which I find easier to digest than regular cows milk and butter.  I have substituted and served this and similar cream soups to many guests with compliments.

 


 


 

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

A Quilter's Day Off- Keri's Summer Sangria


Even though I want to quilt all the time every once in a while quilters need a day off to rest and recharge. Earlier this year I was gifted a bottle of Aki Plum Liqueur. I opened the bottle and took a taste wondering where to best use Keri's tasty present. Fortunately I think I found a great way to enjoy and share this lovely treat. Thank you Keri!

 

 Keri's Summer Sangria

3-4 peaches 

11/2 c. strawberries

 1/2 c. Aki Plum Liqueur 

1 1/2 bottles Vinho Verde white wine

1/2 gallon mason jar

1. Peel and slice peaches in to bite sized pieces. Add to jar

2. Trim tops off of strawberries. Slice into bite sized pieces. Add to jar.

3. Add Plum liquer.

4. Add 1 bottle of wine then enough of the second bottle to fill the mason jar.

5. Cap jar and shake a few times to mix the Sangria.

6. Chill for one hour or as long as you can wait to taste. Pour into wine glasses including some fruit in each serving. Have spoons ready to eat the fruit  from the glass after you drink the Sangria. 

Note: The half gallon jar fits nicely in my fridge. You can easily double the recipe if you have more thirsty quilters.

 


                                                                                             Happy Quilting and Relaxing,

                                                                                                             Mary

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Mary's Tips- Appliqueing on Dark Fabrics

Little white square

When I applique I want to get comfortable and enjoy my handwork. I think about my chair, my tools, my lighting, and my time. Once I'm set up I don't want to get up! 

I started to applique this butterfly block and found it difficult to thread my needle working over dark fabrics. With my bifocals, holding my needle and thread in front my light is always awkward and ineffective. I break and lose my needle threaders... I needed a simple solution to thread my needle!

I hate to struggle and love to overthink my situation to find an easy solution. I just needed a little light source to hold my needle over to thread. 

The solution, a 2" freezer paper square ironed onto the corner of my block and voila!

Eye of the needle
Needle threaded 

Get a block together and try this! It works great and you can reuse the little freezer paper square several times before you need to make another one.



Happy Quilting,
Mary

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Care and Feeding of my Mister - Lentil Salad
















I admit when summer rolls around it's hard to focus on the projects I want to work on in my studio. On sunny days I want to stroll on the beach or read lazily on the porch. I don't want to cook much but I still want to eat! This lentil salad cooks quickly and can be eaten hot or cold. Today is a bit cool and grey and calling me to get some quilting done. A perfect day for this salad!


Lentil Salad

1 lb lentils 

2 medium leeks

2 T. olive oil

1/4 c.  moist sun-dried tomatoes 

2 T. chopped parsley

2 c. cooked brown rice

Balsamic Dressing 

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar 

1/2 c. olive oil

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper 

1. In a fine mesh strainer rinse lentils picking out any stones etc.

2. Put lentils in a small sauce pan, cover with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender. 

3. Trim the leeks cutting off the root end and keeping 2-3" of the green top. 

4. Slice the leeks in half then place cut side down on your cutting board. Chop into 1/4" half moon slices.

5. Put leeks the fine mesh strainer to rinse off any sand. Drain well.

6. Add 2 T. olive oil to a heated saute pan. Add Leeks, saute and stir on medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender.

7. Chop sun dried tomatoes and parsley. Set aside.

8. Make Balsamic Dressing.

9. In small jar or bowl (I use a pint mason jar with a lid for shaking and storing) add balsamic vinegar, finely chopped garlic, thyme, oregano, salt & pepper. Stir to blend. Whisk olive oil in a steady stream into balsamic/spice blend until combined.  

10. Drain warm lentils, add sun dried tomatoes, leeks and the cooked rice. Stir to combine.

11. Drizzle balsamic dressing on the salad. Note you may not use all of the dressing. Stir and taste to see if you need more. 

12. Garnish with chopped parsley and more salt & pepper if you like. 

 

Eat warm or refrigerate for later. Leave a note for your mister. Quickly head to your studio to quilt! 

 

Happy Quilting and Eating,

Mary

 

 

 

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Food Memories- Happy Fathers Day



                                               Egg on Bread

 
 
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of food. Consequently and luckily I grew up to be a foodie and a quilter! The other day wanting to get to my studio early, I whipped myself up a  quick breakfast of Egg on Bread, and thought about it's history in my family.

This is one of my Dad's contributions to the family menu of memories. He learned this from his mom and he nicely passed it on to me. I remember cool school mornings having a hot serving of Egg on Bread and a "Man Lunch" to get me through the day. 

A "Man Lunch" usually consisted of an overly mustardy sandwich, green pepper strips, and a pickle all of which probably mirrored his own lunch for the day. Not exactly a little girl lunch! At school I nibbled at the edges of my peppers and tried to wipe the mustard off my bologna or ham sandwich. Sorry Dad most of it went into the bin! I still don't gravitate toward raw peppers or most pickles but the Egg on Bread is a keeper. 


Egg on Bread


 A cast iron or nonstick griddle
1/2 tsp bacon fat
1 egg
2 slices of bread.

1. Heat the griddle to medium low (ours is cast iron) add the bacon fat and melt. When melted spread  around the griddle with a paper towel. 

2. Crack the egg onto the griddle. Using a fork  quickly spread the cooking egg out into an enlarged oval shape while loosely blending the broken yolk and the egg white. You want a portion of egg yolk and egg white on each slice of cooking bread. Spread the egg out covering enough surface area to hold two slices of bread positioned end to end.

3. Place the bread on top of the cooking egg. Lower the heat and wait about two minutes for the egg to cook. I like to cut the bread slices apart at the butted bottom ends so the egg cooks through completely.

4.Remove from the griddle, plate egg side up. Sprinkle with  a little salt. Roll one up and start eating from one rolled end. 

Makes 1 serving.

Thanks Dad for this and many other things you taught me.  Happy Fathers Day.



Happy Eating & Quilting,

Mary

Saturday, April 23, 2016

The Care & Feeding of my Mister - Beets with Cumin Vinaigrette

 

 

I'm looking forward to teaching an all day quilting class tomorrow. That means my hubby is foraging on his own, grazing on whatever he finds in the fridge until he's satisfied. My secret is out these beets are a plant. I know he will reach for them. I've also strategically placed goat cheese and washed greens in sight just in case a salad magically happens to fall into his dish. This easy recipe makes enough beets to stash for more snacks and salads.

 

Beets with Cumin Vinaigrette  

3 large beets peeled and cut into a 1/2" dice.

In a medium saucepan cover the beets with cold water, add 1/2 tsp sea salt, and cook for 20-25 minutes until fork tender.

Drain and toss the warm beets with cumin vinaigrette. Store in a quart glass jar.

(shake the jar gently to evenly coat beets with dressing before serving)

 

Cumin Vinaigrette 

2T unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salsa verde hot sauce

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

3T good olive oil

In a small glass bowl add the first five ingredients, stirring together until combined. Slowly stream in olive oil whisking until the dressing emulsifies.

 

Serving suggestions: Great with any combination of washed greens, goat cheese, avocado, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, pickled eggs,or black olives.

 

 

Happy Cooking and Quilting,

Mary

 



 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Mary's Tips -Try Clipping

When I quilt I like to use my design wall. It helps me see and organize my work. Once I have decided on the placement, I have to figure out how to get my fabric pieces from the design wall to the sewing machine and back with some order.  Trying to carefully pin my pieces together and move to the sewing machine. With pins my pieces stayed together but I hated getting stabbed with the pins. There had to be a better way and I think I've found one. My clover binding clips. Not just for binding anymore!

                                                      

It couldn't be easier! Just grab a clip and start clipping your pieces together and head for your  sewing machine. When I sewed the first pair in my line of  clipped pieces I removed the clip. My patches were small enough to hold  together in my hands and sew without pinning. Keep the remaining clips in place removing it just as you get to the clip. In your clipped strip you will have a combination of sewn pairs and clipped pairs as you continue sewing. My row pieced quickly and no painful pin pricks! I was  happy with the results of my clipping idea.I think you will be too. Thank you Clover!

     


Happy Quilting

Mary

 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

The Care & Feeding of my Mister - Roast Carrots with Sea Salt, Olive Oil & Thyme.


I have to say my husband is a pretty good sport about my cooking aerobics. When my cooking is in full swing,often all the burners and oven are cranking while the pans are piling high. He tiptoes in to investigate, (an oxymoron for him) getting a handout and promises of what's to come. 

I usually shop with a list and plans for meals but willingly adopt anything that looks enticing and add it to the mix. I was delighted to find a local/organic bag of gnarly little carrots from RED FIRE FARM located in Granby and Montague MA. www.redfirefarm.com. I thought these would go great with the roast chicken but they might not make it that far.

 

Roasted Carrots with Sea Salt, Olive Oil & Thyme

2 lbs of small carrots 

2 T. good olive oil 

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2-1 tsp. dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.

  2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  

  3.  Wash and lightly scrub the carrots, dry, then toss with olive oil.

  4. Spread on the baking sheet and roll carrots around to coat with olive oil.

  5. Season with sea salt and thyme to taste.

  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes re-rolling the carrots in the oil after 15 minutes.

  7. Remove when fork tender and lightly browned. Season with fresh ground pepper if desired.

     

    Happy quilting & cooking,

    Mary

Saturday, April 16, 2016

I want to be a vintage quilt when I grow up.





Recently while driving, I heard a radio commercial praising the benefits of anti-aging therapies. They rattled off a litany of enticing services that offered fat freezing, face peeling, and assorted other unimaginable practices promising youth. I mentally calculated the effects that some of these procedures might have on my appearance and my pocketbook. 

Our society has a strong foothold in promoting the benefits of youthful appearances and I too am guilty of wanting to  believe some of those promises.  How does this square with my all natural, always buy organic, leanings?   It doesn't! I want to be able to age gracefully on my own terms. I want to have crows feet, laugh lines and evidence that I faced the wind and the sun. I want my greying hair to be a sign of accomplishment that I have lived long enough to have done something I cared about.  

Why would  I alter that agenda?  I hope I age as well as this beautifully soft Welsh quilt in my collection. I want the patina of those slightly worn and deepened hand quilted lines. I want to be patterned  like the hours and days it took to add every stitch to this quilt as evidence of my age. Intriguing  to the quilt historians and appraisers who study the value and provenance of quilts and wish they knew the stories of the maker. 

Yes, this is my philosophy as I sit in a snarl of traffic that's trying my patience. Then I remember to I smile and squint a little in the sun as the driver next to me honks and passes.

                                                                                                                      Happy Quilting,

                                                                                                                                      Mary