Category: Recipes in SC

The last block in the Tara Faughnan online class “Blocks” is called “Wheels.” I made 4, and the last one is this little guy below. This block draws on other blocks we explored: the curves in Serpentine, the lines in Lines, and the 6-minute inset method of Squircles.

Here are the other three “Wheels” blocks. The aqua and red “Wheels” used the inset method, and I hand appliquéd the lavender block as I was a little afraid to try on of the big blocks with the inset method first. I do prefer the inset method, having tried both, and it proved to be quite easy.

Here’s where my design wall is now. I only had one triangle block that didn’t want to play here–and it can become a big table-top hot pad gift for someone’s kitchen I think.

Is this arrangement going to be an improv quilt, or shall I break it up? When I chose what colors to use in a new block, I often did that while thinking where the new block would go in an improv quilt and what it would be near.

I have a light grey Kona in my stash–so maybe I’ll start to link up the blocks on the upper top left using it and just see how that goes.

This class was–and is–so much fun. I have really enjoyed the time for play and creativity–and an improv quilt would capture this 6 months of my life.

Meanwhile, I bought a whole cabbage and cut big slices out of it and roasted them in the oven. There were some beautiful dark green outer leaves, so I blanched those and cut them into thin strips. And with the smaller ends of the cabbage, after cutting the thick slices, I made a fresh salad–by pounding the finely cut pieces with a bit of salt to melt out the juice.

A grilled flank steak, some refrigerator “asset” roasted peppers and carrots, and some potatoes smashed with raw butter rounded out this delicious meal. I did, however, overcook the flank steak. I do like it much more rare. It’s hard to tell sometimes with flank steak just how done it is–and they do have thick and thin areas.

Good morning all!

Tomorrow Block 5 in Tara Faughnan’s “Block” class will arrive. It’s “triangles.” How fun is that?

I’ve walked 5 miles in the past three days–2, 1, and, yesterday, 2. What will today bring? It’s rainy, so whatever will happen will happen when things dry out a bit. But it is cool and that makes for wonderful walking. I play music and sing along some of the time.

I finished this top yesterday, and I love the secondary patterns. There is a feeling of, I don’t know, lace, in this top. I’ll back and bind with the neutral–so next I have to put together the backing and put her on the longarm to be basted so she stays straight while being quilted–and so I don’t have to worry about the needle apparatus catching wrong in a loose edge. I have no idea what pantograph to use on this quilt.

I would not choose to buy these 1920-30 reproduction fabrics today–but as you know, I’m on a mission to use up fabrics in my stash. And I do think these fabrics have worked well in this quilt.

I have a fair amount of fabric left over in all the colors I have–so, I’m playing with blocks on the design wall. When I attended my first Charleston Modern Quilt Guild meeting last week, five or six members showed their 3 quilts each in a challenge to “riff” on fabrics and layout choices in a series. Is that what is playing in my head? Maybe… Those series of 3 quilts were really fun and inspiring.

BTW, the talent in this modern group is fabulous. One member has two quilts accepted into the big modern QuiltCon meeting in late February, held this year in Raleigh, NC. And, she had quilts in last year’s show as well. This member is a MASTER quilter–and it was so, so fun to see her work. Plus, she is so generous with her time with fellow members–and has a suggested project for our next Sit and Sew for an upcoming Saturday morning. I can’t wait.

I never get tired of seeing bright vegetable colors combined in a pan and ready to be roasted.

Here’s my main meal yesterday–which I didn’t get to until about 2 pm.

The potatoes with dill, salt, and drizzled with the nuevo olive oil from Organic Roots were leftovers and are now gone. So today I have to cook something starchy to go with the roasted veggies and chicken. Maybe French Fries in the Air Fryer. Now, there’s a treat! But maybe only if I walk 2 miles.

And, later, I’ll play more upstairs with those developing blocks. And still later, I’ll finish season 5 of Fargo and hand quilt on “Happy.” I’m assuming most of you know Fargo is funny, funky, and can be violent. It’s the Coen brothers and Noah Hawley, so be warned.

We have a cold period coming into town.

I’ve wrapped my outside faucets and will drip water inside when temps fall below 30, which is coming soon. These houses are NOT set up for really cold weather. Recall that the water heaters are on the OUTSIDE of one’s house down here in coastal South Carolina. And unlike Maine, outside water faucets are not the kind that can take freezing temps without breaking.

Many in Maine have sent pictures and links to pictures of the really bad and damaging coastal flooding there. Poor Maine. It’s had a LOT of rain all summer and now, every storm we get here in South Carolina moves right up the coast to Maine. There are many pictures of coastal buildings floating out in the water.

I cooked a lamb rack yesterday, after walking 1.6 miles. ( I added a loop and then went back with the car to clock how far I had walked.) The two added loops–at each end of my big outside road–will add up to a little over 3 miles, which I’ll do one of these days. One loop plus the normal 2 miles would be a little over 2.5 miles. I’ll try that right after my leg muscles–following a whole string of walking days now–stop complaining.

Lamb rack, which I so love, and leftover roasted red peppers, quick-boiled Brussel sprouts topped with raw butter, and more air fryer sweet potato fries–followed by the apple slices and my noon espresso. 

Then, I tackled the Serpentine quilt with my domestic machine where I keep a walking foot installed. I’ll do the grid the other way too.

I’m listening to William Forstchen’s sobering trilogy that starts with One Second After and scaring myself to death, LOL. Civilization can disappear…so quickly…especially in this digital age which requires a lot of infrastructure. And then what? It’s not pretty, that’s for sure.

And at night while hand quilting I’m watching Harlan Corben’s murder mysteries–there are 8 of them on Netflix–and each is 8 episodes. I am having fun guessing “who done it” and what happened and why. I’m on the third one now. On the first 2, I only guessed part of what happened on 1 of them before the end. So that’s fun.

Have a great day everyone.

I think I’m done making more Squircle blocks (from Tara Faughnan’s online block study class). Done, I’d say, for the moment. I love this inset method pioneered by Dale Fleming.

Here is my collection of 5, 6, and 8.5 inch blocks. It’s not the best picture as I took it when the light was terrible in my quilt room.

And here is what that part of the design wall looks like now, with zipper, serpentine and checkerboards, lines, and Squircle blocks. Hmmmm… Is there an improv quilt possible? Time will tell. *Note, I’ve kept the same fabric palette for all of these blocks–though the palettes Tara Faughnan gives with each block are gorgeous.

Meanwhile, I have to feed myself daily–with good food. So, I oven-roasted some chicken two days ago.

Here’s a bowl meal with chicken, blanched Lacinato kale with some raw butter topping, and air fryer red peppers and French fries. *For the kale, just drop the whole leaves in some boiling water and after about 4-5 minutes drain and cut out the stems and roughly chop the leaves.

Followed yesterday by the chicken and roasted red peppers reheated in the air fryer in one drawer while sweet potato fries cooked in the other drawer AND baby bok choy sautéed with bits of apple and garlic and dried herbs. *Soften the apple pieces and garlic before adding the bok choy as it cooks fast. If you overcook bok choy it gets way too soft. You want to keep some of the crunch of the thicker bottom pieces.

I eat my main meal in the middle of the day and afterwards have some sliced apple or a berry mixture and an espresso.

Today I’ll roast a rack of lamb in the oven and, maybe, the butternut squash I have on hand as well–with my good olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary from the garden. There are, also Brussels Sprouts in the refrigerator.

And I’ll walk at least a mile.

It’s a plan!

We had a really big storm that kept us pinned down all day Tuesday–very high winds and tornado alerts but not a whole lot of rain here on the coast. Schools were cancelled and most activities just…stopped.

I cooked. And I sewed.

Here’s more “rainbow” eating:

A bit of beef tallow, carrots, red pepper, and asparagus. I can’t think when I have pan sautéed asparagus, but it was lovely. 

Locally, lately, one can buy beef hamburger where about 25% added is liver/heart/other organs. Americans have stopped eating liver. And that’s too bad as liver and other organs are so full of nutrients we need and that we don’t get anywhere else. 

I made some hamburger patties and cooked them in the air fryer, along with a russet potato cut into four parts–so with the beautiful rainbow dish above, I had food for two main meals.

*Liver with heavy cream added at the last cuts the strong liver taste. Don’t overcook liver as that makes it tough. Slice it into strips and add after your veggies have softened–at the last, add the cream. A lot of cream. 

I’ve been playing with the new block that arrived from Tara Faughnan’s online block class on January 1st. It’s a method created by Dale Fleming called “the 6-minute circle.” Tara is calling this month’s block “Squircles.” It’s a fiddly block until you get the method–and then one is off and running and having lots of fun. 

I started with Tara’s recommendation of starting small–5-inch blocks–and then went on to 6-inch versions. Will try an 8 inch block today or tomorrow.

My rainbow versions are too narrow I think. But this is a very fun and addictive method. One person online called it the 60-minute block, which set me to laughing. I’m down to way less time, but it is a learning curve. However, the online community for this class is off and running, and their creativity and where they are taking this block is, as usual, awesome.

I do think these blocks WILL go with the others on my design wall. Pics to follow when I’m done.

Ah, air fryer sweet potato fries are so, so good–and so much easier and quicker than baking a sweet potato.

I’ve walked 3 days this week–and did 2 miles twice and 1 1/2 miles yesterday. And I’ll walk today.

We are getting another storm late today and into the night, but it is said to be not as strong as Tuesday’s storm which caused massive coastal flooding in Maine, including in Camden.