February Photo Hunt - Day 5: RED

February Photo Hunt Day 2 - Entrance

The entrance to  my basement doesn't get used very often - it's unusual to have it shoveled out.  I cringe if I have to go through here - spiders and cobwebs take over from lack of use.  This week I had a flood in my basement so I had to sweep out the cobwebs for the guy who grinds roots out of sewer lines.  Actually I swept it out a few days earlier when I purchased a new washing machine -- thinking my old one had caused the flood.  Next week has to be better.

Getting it Done in January

Here are my completed quilting goals for January - I managed to finish all of them.  Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of 2013 would be that productive.

I finished quilting the blue quilt in the middle - and got all three bound.  The two on the right are waiting to see if the February grandbaby will be a boy or a girl.

I also made another baby boy quilt - and passed it on to a new great nephew to snuggle.

I even managed to get started on what may be a QOV.

Even more fun than meeting my goals was the opportunity to take a weaving class at the Calumet Art Center.  It's always fun to learn a new craft.  Many years ago my dad made a table loom and it's been sitting in my attic waiting for me to retire.

It may sit there a bit longer.  Apparently it went to the attic via the old stairway that has since been made into a closet.  It's a bit too wide to fit through my newer drop down stairway.

Fortunately I was able to rent a loom at the art center to work with.  Here's what I have done so far - what a fun way to use up some of my quilting scraps!

 My goals for February:

1. Finish my weaving project.
2. Baste and quilt low value log cabin quilt
3. Baste and quilt one more baby quilt.
4. Baste one more quilt top - not sure yet which one I'll pick.

I think its doable!

What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 5

I did consider wimping out on this one - after all, tofu was the ingredient!  Never tasted it and it wasn't on my bucket list.  I decided to give it a try anyway and dug around on the internet trying to find something that I thought I could handle.  I came up with this recipe for Tofu Chocolate Mousse from Martha Stewart.

It was very easy to make and wasn't that hard to eat, although it wasn't as sweet as I like my sweets.  A little dollop of whipped cream helped that.  I'm linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times - check there to see what recipes you can try using tofu!

I continue trying to "find the time" in 2013.  In addition to trying new recipes, one goal I had now that I'm retired was to go through some of the crafty books I've purchased over the years and try something new.  For my first attempt, I dug out this book and used the technique to make a little chair pad.

It was a fun to try something new - and it took about 50 feet of 3/16" rope for that little pad.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 4

The ingredient for this week was cream style corn.  Rarely would you find that in my cupboard, but I was willing to give it a try.  I decided to dig through my "family cookbooks" to see what I could find.

In the Tormanen family cookbook, I found a recipe for Corn Squash Bake -

1/4 c chopped onion
1 stick melted butter
1 can cream corn
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen squash
1 1/2 sleeves crushed saltine crackers
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c French onion rings

Saute 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/2 stick butter.
Add corn, squash, and 1 sleeve of crushed saltine crackers.  Cook until squash is well mixed into corn mixture.
Mix in 3/4 cup shredded cheese (save about 1/4 cup for top).
Place in a 2 quart baking dish.
Cook in a skillet 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 sleeve crushed saltine crackers and French onion rings.  Place on top of corn bake.
Bake 350 uncovered for 20 minutes.

It didn't specify in the recipe when to put the 1/4 cup of saved cheese on top.  I added it before baking - I might try next time to add it after 15 minutes.
I wasn't able to find frozen squash, so I baked an acorn squash and used that.

I really enjoyed the blend of the corn and squash taste - I'll most likely try this recipe again.

It doesn't look much different than my corn and cabbage dish from 2 weeks ago does it!?

You can find more recipes using cream style corn over at Patchwork Times.

Oh dear - I see the ingredient for next week is Tofu!  I may wimp out on that one!

Show Us Your Socks

I'm linking up to Judy at Patchwork Times again today.  Today she's asking everyone to show their socks.  When I saw that it was going to be in the single digits today, I pulled on the socks that I knew would keep my feet toasty warm.

Not only do they keep my feet warm, they warm my heart.  They were a gift from my sister-in-law who for many years has shared her cozy summer home on Lake Superior for a fun quilt retreat.  They always bring back good memories.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Week 3

The ingredient of the week was spinach.  That was a tough one for me.  I occasionally buy spinach to add to salad but I've never done anything else with it and wasn't sure where to start.

My friend Elaine suggested stuffed manicotti.  After browsing recipes on the internet, I decided to give it a try.  The recipe again came from allrecipies.com - you can find it here.

I have no desire to be a food photographer when I grow up.  It's hard to find an uncluttered surface in my kitchen for a photo.

The recipe went together easily.  I'm not sure of the proper way to stuff a noodle - but a narrow rubber spatula worked well for me.  I divided the recipe in half, ate some, put a serving in my freezer and another in my mom's freezer.   It was pretty tasty but was one of those dishes that would probably taste better if someone else made it.

I'm linking up to Patchwork Times where you can find some more things to do with spinach.

The ingredient for next Wednesday is creamed corn.  Not something that I stock on my shelf - but I'll see what I can come up with.