Category: Recipes in SC

That Texas Sage!

It has bloomed all over…again! How fun is that?

Yesterday it was cool enough to have my noon main meal in my “outdoor room” screened porch.

Recently I replaced my stainless steel “cookie” pans with new, larger ones. So I used one to roast the veggies I had on hand: cabbage, carrots, sweet peppers, onions, garlic–with butter as the fat.

Noon Dinner–roasted swordfish, red potatoes cooked and cooled and with added olive oil and herbs, and the roasted veggies. The fruit medley included fresh red cherries, grapes, and canteloupe.

Did you know that fruit has enough acid to soften your teeth for about 30 minutes after you eat it? Dairy can mitigate the acid, like a cube of good cheese for instance. I use some raw whole milk as I can’t eat most cheeses as they are fermented. Anyway, I learned recently that one should not brush your teeth for 30 minutes after eating fruit as the brushing can damage teeth enamel.

The new pan cleaned up like a dream. My old pans were rusting through whatever coating was on them. With this new pan, I am being really careful not to scratch it, but the task was so easy that no rough materials were needed. What a treat for me!

I have also added a new large metal cutting board to my counter. Here in coastal South Carolina, my more porous cutting boards get mold in the cracks the knifes make, and I have been unable to get the mold out even with soaking in pure clorox.

I love it! I have it where the edge is just a bit over the sink so that I can just sweep remnants into the sink. There is a pad underneath that keeps the metal rock solid on the counter. It does not…move.

The critique is that a metal pan will dull one’s knives, but, so far, I have not found my cutting to dull my very good knives worse than the old boards did. And, this new addition also serves as a kind of hot pad that protects the counter beneath.

Today’s morning task should be drastically trimming back the scraggly red roses which are THRIVING as they are getting all the nutrients the Asian Jasmine was taking from them. Plus, we have had sufficient rain, including the 1-inch from last night’s thunderstorm.

A large fire ant hill appeared near the roses overnight. I’ve already treated it as it will get higher and higher if left alone. The fire ants are no joke. Their bite/sting can be painful for hours and can leave blisters that take days to heal. They are small, but powerful.

This afternoon’s sewing task will be to put “Cross Tiles” (Quilty Love) on the longarm, which means ironing and sewing together the backing panels.

Enjoy your Sunday! And have a great week!

How To Pick a Ripe Melon

Here in coastal South Carolina, local melons have been filling our markets.

But, how to tell if one is ripe and ready to cut?

For watermelons, look to the skin to see if the melon is starting to turn more yellow. Then make a fist and thump the melons in the storage bin. Move then around as needed. A ripe melon has a deep satisfying sound, not a sharp higher sound. You will be able to tell the difference immediately when you thump a ripe melon. Sometimes I go through a number of melons before I hear that deep sound. Also, inspect the melon to make sure it is not overly ripe so that it has too-ripe places starting to soften on the outside–which is more easily seen with cantaloupes.

Look at this gorgeous, deep red, sweet watermelon!

Cut whatever melon you have bought in half and then into slices. Take a small knife and cut away the rind of each piece. Then, cut the half-round pieces into bite-size pieces. For a big melon, I often just cover the top of the uncut half and store it in the refrigerator until I am ready to cut it up. It stores better that way.

I store my cut pieces in a covered glass container in the refrigerator.

What a gift these local ripe melons are!

Enjoy!

A New Method for Roasting Chicken

Unlike my roast chicken, son Michael’s roasted whole chicken has the most gorgeous dark and crispy skin when he is finished.

After seeing his chicken more than once, I asked him what he does.

First, Mike prepares his chicken the day before he want to cook it.

We both “spatchcock” a whole chicken as it will cook faster, which involves cutting out the backbone. (Sometimes I save this piece in the freezer, along with leftover bones for a future bone broth for soup.) Here’s a link to show you how to “spatchcock” a whole chicken.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/cooking/a69513410/how-to-spatchcock-chicken-like-pro/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_ghk_md_pmx_prog_org_us_18399044072&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18396202201&gbraid=0AAAAADA2MEpJBINvX9EeywCy0hxOJE223&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2vaYn-mJlgMV_HV_AB0AxyG8EAAYASAAEgI95PD_BwE

Secondly, Mike puts his flattened chicken in a pan meant for the oven–I use one that has lower sides–about 2 inches–to catch drippings. Then, he dries off the chicken surfaces, salts the top, and puts the whole thing uncovered in the refrigerator to dry out until he wants to cook it the next day.

Third: roast the chicken. I roasted at convection 375 degrees as that works for my oven. However, I found out later that Mike goes much higher–400 or even higher at 450.

In my first attempt at convection 375 degrees and 40-45 minutes, I ended up using my broiler to further brown the skin. Here’s how my chicken turned out–which is NOT as brown and crunchy as Mike’s version at the higher temperature. So, next time… And perhaps the cooking time would be shorter?

And maybe, I might add a bit of fat to the chicken tops after the drying period in the refrigerator.

The organic yellow summer squash is in my grocery store now, and I’ve so been enjoying it. I like to pan fry it in a good fat–this time Ghee–and use some herbs and garlic if one has time to chop it. (Duck fat would be a good choice too.) Don’t overcook as the squash gets way too soft–so maybe higher heat and a close eye and turning frequently until browning starts.

On a gardening note, my azaeleas in the bed where I removed the Asian Jasmine are THRIVING. Clearly the Asian Jasmine was taking most of the nutrients in the soil, even when I fertilized. They are so happy now, as is the camellia down on the end.

It’s a beautiful sunny day here today, with a morning shower that fed the grass and plants.

Happy Monday!

Yesterday I made a soup that has everything but the kitchen sink included. I made the broth (chicken bones and savory veggies) Saturday. It takes me some bit of time to chop all the veggies and the chicken thighs and a while to let the stronger veggies slow cook and sweat and then begin to carmelize. Only then do I add the softer veggies (chopped cabbage, sweet peppers, the yellow squash, and so on) and herbs. When all is slick with my duck fat, I add the broth. The kale goes in last when the soup is HOT. I just turn the kale around in the broth so that it wilts.

While I chopped and cooked, the sky opened and in very short order out poured 7.5 inches of rain. Patience is everything with this kind of soup, and it was very soothing to see heavy rain falling straight down while I stirred and chopped.

Sunday’s supper and today’s main meal–and leftovers for a few days.

I treated myself to a new 3-step ladder in my quilt room. Now it’s easy and safe to reach the top of the design wall. Now I have a much taller handle to help with balance when I need to go…up. The two-step ladder has been retired.

I promise to post about the design wall tomorrow. It’s getting full again. How fun is that?

The Garden Got In The Way of Sewing

HI blog readers!

I’ve been super busy with a HUGE gardening project that had to be addressed immediately.

Remember the Asian Jasmine I planted as a ground cover for TWO beds around my house–one on the shady side that also had azaleas and one around the back screened porch that has the red roses?

And:

Isn’t it pretty. But it turns out it is also a nightmare planted around other plants and near the foundations of a house. A nightmare! Along the side with the azaleas, it started going UP, behind the hardy planks and behind door frames. On the roses side, it went up the inside of that white corner wood piece and came out at the top to wave at me. (Son Bryan to the rescue for recaulking.) And it went UNDER the screens at the bottom of the porch and had to be pulled out with brute force with a pair of narrow nose pliers. (I love that tool.)

Yikes!

Asian Jasmine is NOT a true jasmine, and it is NOT a ground cover, but a VINE. Earlier this spring, its third summer, it started to increase its depth and its top was covered by its long vines that run in straight lines–so there were now two or more layers of tough vines in the depth, with the bottom layer well beneath the soil top.

There has been nothing to do but dig it out, and that has been what I’ve been doing for several weeks now. It is a really big and difficult job that requires a lot of muscle strength. I’ve gotten some help here and there–which has been so appreciated. And I’m feeling really encouraged. But there is a ways to go yet.

When I’ve cleared the ground as well as I can–the roots are often deep–I’ll put a thick layer of pine straw down that will smother any attempts of this plant to send up green vines and leaves. This plant has to have green leaves showing to spread. If I see shoots, I’ll be able to locate them easily under the pine straw. So, this this project will not be “done” for some time I suspect, but this part is the worst part. For sure.

I come in at night really tired–it is hot and the work is dirty–so most days have been two shower days. I have been cooking foods I can easily reheat: a lamb roast, a batch of grits (yum), and a whole sheet of mixed veggies roasted in the oven.

I try to use up what I have on hand with chopped veggie roasts like this one. I would have liked one of the sweet onions now in season chopped to add, but I didn’t have one. What I did have was a head of cabbage, red and yellow sweet peppers, carrots, garlic, and some frozen cranberries and broccoli heads. I seasoned with a dried mixed herb mixture and salt and topped with good butter for the fat. (The town is spraying for mosquitoes at night again, so I won’t use my garden herbs again until fall.)

I check the dish about every 20 minutes and turn over the veggies to mix them all up with the butter. It takes just under an hour as the mixture is thick, and veggies can exude a lot of liquid that needs to be cooked off.

This mixture refrigerates well and heats easily–as do the grits, which I pour into a pan so that I can cut squares out to reheat.

For dessert, lovely, lovely fresh summer fruit cut up or added–especially the seedless watermelon and all the berries. I usually have a glass of my raw whole milk with the fruit.

I’m feeling really healthy, all in all. The physical work has been good, and I’ve loved being outside so much, especially in the cool of the early morning. My farmer’s tan, though, is getting…tanner.

I’ll post pics when I’ve got these two long beds sorted out.

We need rain again. And we’re having a few days of really hot weather, but have been promised another cold front is on the way.

Happy Birthday Soup

I’m having a really good birthday week, for which I am grateful.

Last Sunday, I made a bone broth as my small refrigerator freezer was getting too full of frozen chicken bones and organs. I can’t cook a bone broth for too long as long cooking produces too much histamine for me. Back in the day I would make bone broths in a big crock pot and cook them for 24 hours, and I recommend that way to make a bone broth as it is easy.

To my broth–made with filtered water–I add savories: onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.

When the broth had cooled, I refrigerated it.

Tuesday morning, I made my chicken soup in between birthday calls, visits, and texts. I gently sautéed onions, carrots, celery, and sweet peppers in duck fat–stirring frequently and cooking on a medium heat until the vegetables begin to slowly caramelize. Don’t rush this step.

Next I added my saved broth and two packages of bone in, skin on, chicken thighs. There were eight in all. Cook gently until you are sure the thighs are done–the bones add to the bone broth. When done, I fish out the thighs and remove the meat, throw the bones out, and add the meat back to the soup. Look at the gorgeous color of the broth now!!!

Next I add fresh herbs–I had some frozen parsley I had chopped and saved last fall. From the garden, I added oregano, sage, thyme, and rosemary. And I add chopped garlic at this point as I like for the garlic to have a fresher taste in my soup. AND, I would add the greens at this point: this time, collard greens.

For a starch, I added some frozen corn I had on hand as I love all things corn. I could have used rice, potatoes, squash, or cauliflower as a starch component. (Note that with this expensive Creuset iron/enamel pot, I don’t use any metal instruments as they can and do chip the enamel over time.)

And for my Tuesday birthday noon dinner, I sat down to enjoy my soup, which I’ll have for few days.

DIL Corinne (whose birthday followed mine on Wednesday, dropped by with flowers and the birthday art wishes from my three granddaughters in that family. My older grandchildren all sent text messages, and my DIL Tami and son Mike will host a joint birthday brunch on Sunday for me and Corinne. Son Bryan came last Sunday and changed all my house filters and smoke detector batteries–something he does for me each year for my birthday (among much other help all year long).

Wednesday morning was my monthly Patchwork Gals meeting, which is always such a treat. And Friday beloved neighbor and I will attend the Cobblestone Quilt Guild show, which is done every other year.

It’s been a great birthday week! For sure!

And I am so grateful.

It’s A Sunny Sunday

Yesterday I noticed that the carpet of brown Centipede grass is starting to turn green–after our last few rainy days.

How fun is that?

So now I’ll have to take just a little bit of time to remove the few weeds that have gotten purchase in my carpet of grass–which means joyful and contemplative time in the sunshine and warmer weather.

I’ve been in enjoying a batch of GRITS I made the other day–something I have not made in about a year. I make mine with raw milk as the liquid, and I soak them in said milk overnight. And I add raw butter when they are done–and an extra pat on the top when fresh or reheated. Leftover grits are also great made into patties and pan fried in a good fat. Here, I have a leftover Mahi fish fillet and various veggies and freshly cooked spring sugar snap peas. So far, no weight gain either, but I have cut fruit consumption back to 2 cups a day, per the new food MAHA guide.

Here’s the design wall now–there is ROOM again.

“Flower Pop” will have 9 blocks and 3 rows, which will make it 63 wide by 60 long. These blocks will likely move around as this quilt grows.

The colorful, bright solid fabric pineapple blocks are also growing. And that’s a whole “Pinwheel and Patches” Bonnie Hunter quilt on the bottom left ready to put on the design wall when I, again, have space. “XO” is ironed and ready for the longarm as soon as my nameless improv quilt is finished.

The quilt of valor is finished. Here’s a final picture so you can see the relative size of it at 64 inches square. Those are Cat’s Cradle ruler blocks.

I bound with the backing fabric, Marcus Fabrics “Liberty Island,” R261661D. I had enough to cut binding on the straight of grain, unlike the bias binding I usually make. And I discovered a whole new reason why I like bias binding–the raw binding edges don’t come undone in long strings until I encase the binding edges.

I won’t buy this maker again–Marcus Fabrics. There is something stiff about this fabric that did not wash out when washed–and this brittleness caused little white runs here and there with my longarm needle (a sharp, newly installed needle), my domestic machine needle while installing binding, and my very thin needle used to hand quilt the binding down.

Add in that I also had a similar problem with a stiff feeling Moda crimson wide back that would not stop shedding its dye. I washed it FOUR times (an hour each, but with soap only the first time), and it still shed its dye in a volume that made it impossible to use it in a quilt. I use color catchers when washing new fabrics, so I can easily see if there is a problem. So now I’m wondering if some fabric makers are using some new technology to make thin cottons stiffer? And if something about that stiffness can cause the little runs in the fabric or the shedding of some dyes????

From now on, if a fabric is stiff, I’m not buying it. I returned the Moda wideback to the shop owner, who was horrified and immediately refunded my money. She is investigating now.

I also finished hand quilting this 14-inch stretched canvas block and gifted it.

This pattern is “Best Buds” by Pen and Paper Patterns–and we talked about it some months ago. It is a cute block, and I think it would make a handsome quilt. Maybe that will happen…??? BUT, note that there are some errors in the cutting directions, so if you go this direction, make a trial block first. It isn’t hard to sew otherwise.

Have a great next week everyone.

The Traveling Flower Vase

My neighbor spoils me on a daily basis. Look what she brought me the other day!

These falls colors are just so gorgeous, and I love the little bit of frilly white that breaks up the density of the fall colors.

For the past year, and maybe a bit more, we have shared “the traveling flower vase.” She started it! She gave me flowers, and I returned the vase with flowers in it for her. Now this vase goes back and forth between us. We each enjoy the flowers the other puts into the vase, and sometime after the flowers have faded, the one with the vase puts in new flowers and delivers it to the other.

It’s so much fun!

One of my favorite meals is best done in the fall when the butternut squash is nice and ripe. I cut one into cubes, add lots of chopped garlic and fresh rosemary, some REAL olive oil (not the kind with mixed seed oils added), and a bit of rough salt. I roast on a fairly high heat (375 or so) until the squarsh starts to carmelize a bit–which makes it so so sweet. I usually turn it all over once with a spatula as the bottom will burn if you don’t. Don’t cook it too long as you don’t want it to get mushy.

This month’s Tara Faughnan Blocks3 class is “Garnish,” a pickle dish quilt block form. Tara gave us extensive instructions on how to improv cut this block AND many templates of different sizes if we wanted to have a bit more precision.

Here’s where I am now–with blocks ready to be sewn together. Each “flower” will finish at 8 inches, for a 32-inch square…something? A table topper maybe. I’m going to hand quilt it.

I could keep moving around blocks forever I think, but I’ll stop here. I love how the warm black is working with the other colors in this month’s palette.

What interests me also is the pattern where two big blocks come together and form a circle. So I made one of those which I’m now hand sewing and will put on stretched canvas if it comes out ok.

How did it get to be Friday already?

It’s still very dry, and I’m going to have to water the flower beds again, as I don’t see any real rain on the horizon. I’ve given up on the grass for this year.

Have a great weekend!

Good Morning!

How did it get to be November already?

We had a lively Halloween here in my small subdivision, which is filled with small children who delight me with their laughter most days as they play outside. It is so fun to see them growing up–but they are growing up so fast. In no time at all, it seems, these children leave their strollers and are pedaling small tricycles.

It’s time now to do the fall outdoor clean-up chores, but the roses are still blooming, so it’s hard to get the motivation to cut back those bushes for the winter cold that is coming.

I can still have my noon dinner on the porch most days, but often need a sweater. Yesterday I had baked cod and for a real treat, some delicious Carolina “gold” rice. I had some crunchy fresh salad veggies, so I cut those up as an addition and dressed them with some leftover homemade mayonnaise.

I’ve spent the summer cutting starchy carbs as I’m trying to drop a few more pounds, but all the summer fruit got in the way of that goal. I can, apparently, eat good fats or fruit, but not both outside of about an 80-20 ration for one or the other. LOL. Still I have dropped a few pounds, and the rice didn’t show up on my scale this morning, but eating only a half of an apple illustrates this truth.

I am ALMOST done with the blocks for the leaf quilt sewalong with Rachel LaBour of the “Stitched in Color” blog. Maybe today I will be able to start sewing that quilt top together.

There may be more moving of blocks around. But I’m really loving this quilt. I ordered a Tilda fabric for the backing that will work with these fall leaves, and it will come Saturday. As for binding… Maybe the gold fabric? I don’t know… Yet.

This little quilt is done. It was to be a donation quilt, but I’m holding it for either a family baby or a neighborhood baby. (My neighbor’s baby is due any minute now, and I’ll gift the finished pink quilt when she arrives and will share pictures here on the blog.) All the fun neutral fabrics are so fun.

The backing is a cheddar color from my stash, and the pantograph is “Bayside,” which lays down lovely texture without dense quilting. (When in doubt, pull “Bayside” out.) I used a pale peachy orange from Signature cotton threads, which does not draw attention on the front.

The other little donation quilt is getting its binding sewn down, so a final picture for the blog and my archive will happen soon.

Meanwhile, we have our November block for Tara Faughnan’s Blocks3 six months sewalong. It’s “Garnish,” a curvy orange-peel improv block, though I may make mine via precision cutting. I have a batch of block parts cut in all the colors, so will carve out some play time to try out various combinations.

Here’s Tara’s sample of one idea.

This month’s palette (13 colors) is so pretty too. It’s “dustier” than I would normally choose these days, but rich and very “Tara Faughnan.” I love it.

Of course, as usual, Tara has given us MANY ways to manipulate this block and the colors involved.

Quilty “play” is…everything. So fun!

Quilty Update–Early August 2025

“Spring’s Song” is off the longarm, and the quilting in lime green looks so pretty.

This quilt is now trimmed and bound, and I’ll start sewing the binding at night. Look how pretty the backing is with its trees in spring green.

The design wall is once again…FULL of fun projects–organized from the piles on my cutting table: strips of bright solids, a pile of fabrics and a quilt pattern, and print strips waiting to be cut for desired blocks.

On the left is the almost finished top made with Bonnie Hunter’s 2025 Leader/Ender block “Four Patch Fun.” More stash scraps are getting used. I am aiming for 60 by 60. The light and dark braids that form are visible now.

Here’s a link to Bonnie Hunter’s 2025 leader/ender block pattern–scroll to get to the printer friendly link.


2025-leader-ender-challenge-four-patch.html

The long rows growing in the middle of the design wall are from leftover fabrics and cut block parts from a Tara Faughnan early The Color Collective quilt project called “Stacks.” I had a lot of leftovers that I put in a big plastic sack when I moved from Maine. This project goes back to the first Color Collective, in 2019 I think. I’ll make a smaller quilt and then call it a day on this project. The first quilt was big and was gifted as a family wedding present. *It feels good to be moving this bag of fabrics out of the stash.

The solid bright improv log cabin type blocks are 14 inches and are using up solid strips and fabrics. It is so cheerful! A lap quilt would need to be at least 4 blocks wide and maybe 5 long–which I will do as I don’t need another wall hanging.

The 4 rectangle blocks above the log cabins are just improv play with the leftover solid log cabin pieces–and longer ones too. Who knows what will happen here, if anything. I’ll just keep on playing.

It’s been hot here off and on, but overall this summer has been cooler than summers for the past two years. July is the hottest month here. I would have thought August would be hotter, but data says no.

I’ve been able to eat on my wonderful screened porch for all but a handful of these summer days. And the other day I had some hamburger and thought I had not made a stir fry in some time.

So this pan of goodness happened–and fed me for two days.

As you all who read this blog know, I cook by what I have on hand. And this stir fry contained summer sweet onion, sweet red pepper, some carrots chopped into small chunks that will cook quickly, some garlic, and a mixture of “Italian” dried herbs. I added my bunch of kale torn off its stalk and roughly chopped when the firmer veggies were soft. I added the handful of frozen peas that were the last in a bag with the hamburger.

I sauteed in beef tallow and added the kale when the veggies were getting soft. When the kale was wilted, I added the frozen peas and the hamburger and just turned the mixture until the hamburger was lightly cooked to pink. (I don’t like overcooked meat as the nutrients get killed.)

This day was an indoor eating day, sadly. The fruit is ripe canteloupe.

I’ve been trying to lose weight to hit a long-term goal for me, so I’ve cut all starchy carbs for the moment. And I seriously control the amount of fruit I eat twice a day. This morning I saw a number on the scale I have not seen in years.

I was very excited!