Monthly Archives: May 2012

Six Things……

  By sewwhatscooking | May 30, 2012 - 2:33 pm |
1 Comment

Hello!  I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend.  Tom and I had a nice, relaxing and nice and included some fantastic barbecued pork steaks masterfully cooked by Tom! We had Tom’s dad over and some other relatives and had a nice visit.  And, bonus, did big house cleaning so this week I have it easy!

I haven’t been sewing but I’m setting some things up this afternoon and plan to spend tomorrow morning sewing.  One of the things I need to do is make myself a name tag for the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild before the next meeting.  I also have some catching up do to on some Japanese quilt blocks.  I really want to get back going on those.  They are a lot of fun!

Anyway, today I thought I’d share some things I really like right now with you!

1. Good Trade Farm  Antique restoration and custom woodworking.  This is my mom and stepdad’s place and they do wonderful work.  My mom also does paintings.  Here are a few things I’ve gotten as gifts that I love.  My cutting boards I’ve been using for over a decade.  I love my tortilla roller!  The pizza peel I got for Christmas. And last year when I wanted to make Scottish Meat pies and mentioned a mold, I got one in the mail a week or two later! They make beautiful pen covers and other unique gifts and sell Dover books.

Good Trade Farm

Good Trade Farm

2.  A week or so ago we went to Pappy’s Smokehouse.  SO SO good! If you are in St. Louis, you should pay a visit!

3.  A new quilty blog I discovered and really like is The Happy Zombie.  Really nice blog. Fun and modern!

4.  I love this blog, Doughmesstic, and the recipes Susan posts are fantastic.  Check it out!

5.  Another food blog I adore is The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Can I just say  YUM! And check out some of her desserts and cookies……

6.  A new recipe from me, adapted from my tomato pie, Southwestern Quiche.  It is good.  REALLY GOOD!  I hope you enjoy it!  I wish I’d made 2!  And tonight I’m making yummy avocado blts….  I’ll be back with that!

Southwestern Quiche

Print recipe
Southwestern Quiche

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust
  • 3 medium tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (finely chopped)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper (finely chopped)
  • 2 large jalapeno peppers (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
  • 1 cup pepper jack cheese (shredded)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Step 1
Prepare crust in pie pan and set aside.
Step 2
Melt butter in large pan. Add tomatoes and onion and cook over medium heat until tomatoes are moisture is mostly cooked off. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 3
Add diced peppers to pan and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Step 4
Whisk 3 eggs into cup of milk. Mix in salt and cilantro.
Step 5
Add tomato mixture, milk mixture, and shredded cheese to pan with pepper mixture and mix together. Pour into pie crust.
Step 6
Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve hot.
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Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner(s)!

  By sewwhatscooking | May 25, 2012 - 11:54 pm |
2 Comments

The responses to the giveaway were overwhelming!  Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.  And if you are a new follower, I’m so glad! And I loved hearing about everyone’s favorite meal and found a few new ones along the way!  Thank you for sharing!

This was so fun, I thought to myself, why not give away all three instead of just one? And I think it was meant to be – because I drew three numbers and each winner had chosen a different set!

So, without further ado!

The winner of the Fall Classics is #64, Michell of michellsplace.blogspot.com whose favorite food is lasagna.  A big favorite around here!

Fall Classics – 7 fall colored fabrics, each approx fat quarter size.

The winner of I Love Dots! is #91 Hueisei whose favorite is baking cheese sticks.  Yum!

I Love Dots – 12 Fabrics.  One is bigger than a fat quarter, most are fat quarters, and a few are regular quarter yard cuts.  Total approx. 3 yards of polka dots.  OR

And last but not least, the winner of Breath of Avignon is #118, Marguerite of dangandblast.blogspot.com.  Her favorite was  “… anything with rice. “Gymnastics chicken” (what we’d have when my little sister had gymnastics class before dinner, so my mother couldn’t cook) – a whole chicken, a bit of water and salt, and a bunch of rice tossed in the crock pot and let go all day – is very nice.”  I love anything in the crockpot!

Breath of Avignon: two fat quarters blue and two fat quarters cream Breath of Avignon

Thanks again to everyone who participated.  I wish I could give something to everyone!  I hope you will come by again!  Don’t forget to check out my monthly giveaway.  I draw a winner the first Friday of each month!  Have a great weekend!

Kid-Friendly Sausage & Pasta

  By sewwhatscooking | May 23, 2012 - 9:45 am |
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I’m sleepy this week and so draggy….. but I have so much that I need to do and sewing I’d like to do as well.  I’m having a hard time getting moving today!

Well, with sleepy draggy in mind – here’s a quick and easy, kid friendly recipe that is one of our family favorites.  I know it doesn’t sound like much – but it is really tasty and our boys go crazy for it.  So do we, in fact!

Hope you like it!

Sausage and Pasta

Print recipe
Sausage and Pasta

Ingredients

  • 1lb Italian sausage
  • 13.25oz rotini pasta (we like whole wheat)
  • 1/2 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon beef boullion
  • 1 cup pasta water

Directions

Step 1
Boil pasta to al dente in salted water. When finished, reserve 1 1/2 cups water from pasta.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook Italian sausage in large skillet, breaking apart to small pieces. When sausage is browned, drain most of the grease.
Step 3
Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and bell peppers. Cook peppers until soft, approximately 4 minutes.
Step 4
Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water from boiling your pasta and tbsp of boullion. Bring to simmer. Stir in rotini and toss to coat. Lightly salt and serve hot.
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Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway Day!

  By sewwhatscooking | May 21, 2012 - 6:00 am |
232 Comments

 

Hi!  I’m excited to participate in this year’s Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway Day Link Up!  Enter between now and 7 p.m. Friday, May 25th!  The winner of my drawing will have their choice of:

Breath of Avignon: two fat quarters blue and two fat quarters cream Breath of Avignon

Breath of Avignon

OR

I Love Dots – 12 Fabrics.  One is bigger than a fat quarter, most are fat quarters, and a few are regular quarter yard cuts.  Total approx. 3 yards of polka dots.  OR

I Love Dots!

OR

Fall Classics – 7 fall colored fabrics, each approx fat quarter size.

Fall Classics

 

All you need to do to win is leave me a comment telling me which one you choose and for fun, since I love cooking, tell me….. What is one of your favorite meals?

For an extra entry, like me on Facebook or  Google+ and leave me a comment to let me know.  One entry each.

Something Funny Happened When I Went to Make Placemats….

  By sewwhatscooking | May 20, 2012 - 11:54 am |
1 Comment

I have had this seer sucker fabric for a LONG time.  I got it a few years ago at Joann’s when it went on clearance because it was so summery.  I have been meaning to make placemats for my table so I finally pulled it all out and started to play.

First, I cut the fabric up in random sized strips and started sewing them together.  Then cut those sections into random directions and added more strips.  Finally, I cut them into 7 inch blocks.

This is what I have so far – and I love them!  Too much for just placemats, so a QUILT it is!  Maybe a picnic quilt – and I’m calling it Summer Punch.

What do you think?

Summer Punch 7 inch blocks

Hope you have a great day!

Krista

Catching Up!

  By sewwhatscooking | May 19, 2012 - 5:00 am |
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Whew!  Getting my quilt done for Blogger’s Quilt Festival took my time and focus for a bit.  Meanwhile…..

Mother’s Day came and went and I had a lovely day, thanks to my husband and sons.  Tom turned the soil for two beds for me and then worked in some garden soil and compost.  A lot of hard work – and very much appreciated!

Herbs & Hot Peppers
tomatoes & peppers

Our patio

Our patio from the yard.

What is this growing in my blueberries?

 

Orange Tree, Lime, & Blueberries - need to learn how to prune my orange tree. the orange and Lime need repotted too!

mint, strawberries & lettuce

It is so nice to have a patio and yard to sit out in after living in Houston in the heat for so long!  I love it!

While Tom worked the soil, Sammy came with me to Lowe’s and Weithrop’s to pick the plants.  Then, while I did the planting, Tom cleaned the kitchen for me!

On top of all that, Tom got me flowers and the guys got me this awesome drawing pad so I can design my quilts, etc.,  freehand!

Bamboo Create Drawing Pad

I felt very special and spoiled! Thank you Tom, Andrew, & Sammy!

I also have been wanting to do something with all the buttons I seem to have collected.  I am going to make these into pillows and it gave me something to work on while we watched tv.

Button Heart Pillow

R Button Pillow

Well, that’s it for now!  I hope you have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by!  Leave a comment and say hi!

Blogger’s Quilt Festival 2012 – Burst into Bloom

  By sewwhatscooking | May 18, 2012 - 6:15 am |
65 Comments

I’m so excited to be part of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival this year  – Thanks Amy! – and this is my quilt, Burst into Bloom.  Can’t wait to see all the lovely quilts and talent!

Amy's Creative Side

Our family experienced so much change and stress over the last year – good and bad.  We sold our home of ten years and relocated from Houston, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri to be near family; my husband, Tom, left his job when our home sold without having one secured in St. Louis, on faith and found and started a great job within two weeks of us getting here; and our son Andrew grew ill and was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

To me this quilt represents love and patience and faith, renewal and growth, not to mention some hard work!  Though winter may be at times harsh, there is always the promise of spring bursting into bloom.  Might be goofy or sappy – but that’s me! :)

Burst into Bloom Quilt Front

Burst into Bloom Quilt Front - and my sweet husband, Tom, helping me take pictures - yet again!

 

Burst into Bloom Quilt Back

Burst into Bloom Quilt Back

 

stipple quilting

more quilting

I had not done half-square triangles before and I had a lot of fun with them!  The project began as a vague idea and evolved in stages into my final quilt through trial and error and collaboration with my super supportive husband!

First Ideas

I started out with 2 charm packs – Vintage Modern and Redwork Renaissance – as well as some white Kona cotton.  What began as a small quilt became a much bigger project when I picked up a second charm pack!

The front.

During the process, I designed, stitched, pulled out stitches, re-designed, re-stitched.  I took my quilt top to the store and played with fabric patterns and colors for sashing.

Top with Sashing

Working on the backing was fun.  I started with my leftover fabrics and stitched pieces together here and there until the backing was complete.

Piecing the back.

All pinned.

I pinned – and then re-pinned because I wasn’t careful enough the first time! I tested a quilt design and liked it – until I put it on my quilt.  So I took that out and another until I decided to stipple. I liked the stippling.

quilting

 

I was going to use my leftover scraps for binding when I noticed the polka dots in my stash – and that was that!

I really love this quilt – how it turned out, the colors, everything!  It reinforced that I should trust myself, take my time, and do my best – even if I have to redo things.    I will have the pattern available online next week.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you will leave a comment and say hi – and come back again!

Burst into Bloom Quilt Front

Burst into Bloom Quilt Front

 

2012 Monthly Giveaway – June

  By sewwhatscooking | May 17, 2012 - 9:16 pm |
49 Comments

Hello!  Hope you are having a lovely Friday evening!  I’m hanging out with my sweetie and we are watching some t.v. :)

Earlier I put the sashing on my half-square.  The lighting is not very good so I’ll have to take some outside.  Here’s a little peek, though!

Half-Square Triangle Peek

Well, on to the June Giveaway.  This time I have 3 yards of adorable fabric.  It is 100% cotton but it has a crinkly look.  I really am not sure what they call it!  I had made a quillow for my niece, Kaiya, and this was left but since I have boys…….

June Giveaway

Four ways to win – leave a comment for each!

Entry #1: Leave a comment and with summer coming up…. tell me where your favorite vacation was!

Entry #2: Become a follower via RSS or e-mail and let me know.  (If you already are…. let me know that!)

Entry #3: Become a follower on Facebook or Twitter and let me know.  (Again, if you already are ….. let me know!)

Entry #4:  Blog about my giveaway and leave the link in comment!

Good luck and have a great weekend!

Krista

 

Cajun Food and Progress

  By sewwhatscooking | May 17, 2012 - 10:21 am |
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Hi!  Sorry I’ve been absent.   I had one of those weeks!  But I’m so excited. I got my quilt all finished last night for the bloggers quilt festival tomorrow!  I’m working on quilting my zig zag baby quilt today and will have some more Japanese quilt blocks this weekend and a couple of patterns in my shop!

For today, a little taste of New Orleans.  This stuff is good!  Hope you enjoy!    And don’t forget to stop by tomorrow to see my quilt for bloggers quilt festival!

Have a great day!

Blackened Tilapia

Print recipe
Blackened Tilapia

Ingredients

  • juice of small lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 6 filets tilapia
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions

Step 1
Let fish sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Step 2
Mix spices. Liberally coat the fish filets on both sides.
Step 3
Divide oil between two pans and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add filets, 3 to each pan, and cook for 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot.
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Red Beans and Brown Rice

Print recipe
Red Beans and Brown Rice
Serves 6-8
Prep time 3 hours, 20 minutes
Cook time 2 hours, 15 minutes
Total time 5 hours, 35 minutes
Meal type Main Dish, Side Dish
Misc Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Region American
Spicy, savory red beans and rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4lb sausage (smoked, Italian, whatever you have on hand)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 2 medium bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 4 medium celery stalks (chopped)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
  • 4 tablespoons bacon grease
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 bag red kidney beans (rinsed & sorted over)
  • 10 cups chicken stock (or water with chicken bouillion)

Directions

Step 1
In a large pot, cover beans with water. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
Step 2
In a large pot, cook sausage until just browned. Drain grease and set aside. You can use whatever sausage you have on hand. For this batch, I used brats removed from their casing.
Step 3
Add bacon grease to pot. Add chopped onion, celery, and bell peppers, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add sausage, bay leaves, parsley, and thyme, beans, and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until beans are softened, approximately 2 hours.
Step 4
Remove 4 cups of broth from bean pot to cook rice in. Add two cups of rice. We like brown rice. Cook according to package directions.
Step 5
Serve beans over cooked rice.
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Halfway There and A Couple of Giveaways

  By sewwhatscooking | May 11, 2012 - 4:15 pm | ,
1 Comment

Whew – half-way there with the stippling.  Yea!  What do you think?

Half way there!

The back so far!

Tomorrow I’m going to the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild meeting.  I haven’t been to one yet so I’m excited.   Should be fun!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!  And check out these other giveaways!

June Giveaway! 3 Yards

Quilting Lodge Giveaway

It's So Kiki Giveaway

Have a great weekend!

Krista

 

Quilting & Requilting…..

  By sewwhatscooking | May 10, 2012 - 5:55 pm | ,
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First – let me ask you?  Do people REALLY want to know what Cindy Crawford’s skin care secret is?  Do we really even care?  And don’t even get me started about the commercial about &%$!… mesh.  How many times can they possibly say that word in 60 seconds?  Ok.  Enough about that! You can tell I’ve had the T.V. on in the background while I’ve been working on my quilt and haven’t been fast forwarding through the commercials!

Well, Tuesday I finished piecing the back.  This is before my final pressing so forgive all the wrinkles!

Burst into Bloom Quilt Back

Wednesday I spent all kinds of time smoothing and pinning only to find when I picked it up that I had 2 big folds in the middle of the quilt back. Ugh!!!!  So, I unpinned the whole thing and re-pinned last night.

Finally ready to quilt!

 Today I came up with a quilt design and did some practice.  I thought it looked great until I actually did it on a square of the quilt.  And then another.  It just looked to whimsical and didn’t go with the quilt.  So, I grabbed my trusty seam ripper.  Then I tried a second idea on a very small part of the quilt and instantly hated it.  So, I gave up and decided to stipple it and I am very happy!  I think the quilt design and back speak for themselves.

Quilting!

I don’t usually have such a struggle with a quilt – I just go with the flow.  Not sure why with this one!  Can’t wait to get it finished!

Well, I’m going to have some Jello fluff for dessert and then back to my quilt!  Hope you have a great night!

Jello Fluff

Print recipe
Jello Fluff

Ingredients

  • 2 small boxes (jello)
  • 16oz sour cream
  • 2 cups berries (optional)

Directions

Step 1
Heat 2 cups of water to boiling.
Step 2
Put one cup boiling water and one box of jello in blend and blend for 1 minute. Add ice and enough water to make 1 cup and blend. Add 16 oz. carton of sour cream and blend well. Pour into bowl and refrigerate until firm.
Step 3
With second cup of boiling water, make jello following package directions. Stir in berries. Refrigerate for 40 minutes or until just set. Spoon over sour cream jello mix and continue to refrigerate until set.
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Doctors & Amy’s One Thing One Week Challenge

  By sewwhatscooking | May 8, 2012 - 2:04 pm | , ,
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Today we had to do some running around.  Andrew had his first quarterly check up at the endocrinologist.  Funny, before January I had no idea what that even was.  Anyway, we had gotten pretty lax about writing down his blood sugar number each time he took it so this morning I sat down and scrolled through his meter and wrote down his numbers for the last 2 months.  Then I forgot them.  :)   I remembered the averages, though, and the doctor said they looked good.  We are still in the honeymoon phase, which means his pancreas is still trying to make insulin but it can’t really keep up so she said we will have some wacky ups and downs.  Then we had to go do an annual blood work.  I guess we will normally just get an A1C with a little finger prick but this time lots of scary blood work.  A1C, cholesterol, thyroid, peroxisome function, and testing for celiac disease.  I know this stuff will end up being old hat eventually – but it seems kinda scary now.  Especially when it’s your kid.  He’s a tough kid and makes it all seem like no big deal.  I’m really proud of him.

Then I had to make an appointment for myself.  I haven’t found a new doctor since we moved and my blood pressure is a bit high.  Our family is eating really healthy right now and I’m trying to loose some weight so hopefully that issue will go away.  But in the meantime……

We hit the library after that and I don’t know how – but it seems like no matter how many books I return, I end up coming home with a bag so full I can hardly carry it.  I LOVE the library!

Anyway….. I am feeling the pressure of needing to get my Burst into Bloom quilt done before the Blogger’s Quilt Festival so…..  I’m joining Amy’s One Thing, One Week Challenge!

Amy's Creative Side

And on that note….. time to get off the computer and get back to work!

Have a great day!

Krista

Checking In and Burst into Bloom

  By sewwhatscooking | May 6, 2012 - 7:15 pm | , ,
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Had a good weekend hanging out with my guys.  But man – has it been hot!  You’d think we never moved from Houston!  We are supposed to get thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow then cool off for a bit.  I sure hope so!

Friday I finished the top of  on my half-square triangle quilt.  Yea!!  Thanks to my sweet husband for patiently standing on a chair and wall and holding up the quilt up for all my pictures!

Burst into Bloom Quilt Top by Krista Robbins

Burst into Bloom Quilt Top By Krista Robbins

Sashing Fabric

 

Saturday night we had Tom’s mom over for dinner and Tom made some fantastic burgers on the grill and I made my Jalapeno Poppers.  We had a great dinner and then watched the movie, The Debt.  It was good and thought provoking. I also got this book!

Texas Eats by Robb Walsh

His books are wonderful and full of rich Texas history and recipes.  This one is no exception!

Today I started piecing the back of my quilt and Tom took a run.  I made a big salad and some homemade vegetable soup and then we went to Barnes & Noble and browsed books.  One of our favorite activities.  I checked out a couple of new quilting magazines – 100 Blocks, Quilty, and Primitive Quilts.  There are so many creative and talented quilters out there!

Anyway ….  That’s all I have for today! Take care!

Krista

2012 Monthly Giveaway – May: Winner!

  By sewwhatscooking | May 4, 2012 - 7:54 am |
Comments Off

Baby Doll Quilt

Today is a very gray and rainy day.  A good day to stay inside and sew!  I picked up some lovely fabric for my sashing so I want to get my top finished and piece the back.  I just love this quilt!

Anyway – you’re probably wanting to find out about the winner of May’s drawing!  And the winner is #16, Jeanne G.  Congratulations Jeanne!   Check back this afternoon for June’s fabric giveaway!

33 Responses to 2012 Monthly Giveaway – May

  1. sandyb says:

    I love this quilt kit – it is so cute.

    My best tip is to finish what you start. I used to have so many unfinished projects. Supplies are so expensive and it seems to be so discouraging to just let things sit. I know sometimes it gets maddening when things don’t work out – I rip them out and do something else. I try not to pick such an overzealous project, key work try.

    Thank you for this great giveaway.

  2. sandyb says:

    I am a follower:)

    Thank you

  3. Lisa Cox says:

    How cute!
    My tip, since I am a newbie and haven’t done a whole lot, is definitely to measure twice, cut once.

  4. tanne says:

    Take a class…even if it is on DVD. I just couldn’t begin to work everything out for myself and to have some one guide and walk with me made the difference between being an on-looker and a do-er of just about anything including sewing and in particular for me, quilting. Best $30 I ever spent.

  5. tanne says:

    I follow via email!

  6. Gill says:

    My tip is to read through the instructions before you start!

  7. Gill says:

    I’m a follower!

  8. Ellen M. says:

    My 13 year old daughter has expressed an interest in quilting (plus I’m a brand new quilter), and this would be a great way for her to start. My best tip, for regular sewing also, is to just be patient! Mistakes happen, stitches will need to be ripped, but that’s OK! Thanks for the chance to win.

  9. Ellen M. says:

    I’m an email follower already! Thanks for the chance to win!

  10. Elisabetta says:

    my best tip is to be patient, be sure what you’ve read, measure two or three times and cross your fingers (don’t when you’re sewing ^_^)

  11. Elisabetta says:

    I am your follower

  13. Sue D says:

    My granddaughters would love if I won this! My best tip is to use quality tools and to keep your supplies organized.

  14. Jeanne G says:

    My best tip that I can think of is: If you aren’t in the mood to sew and do it anyway, be prepared to unsew more then you “sew”. Ancient Chinese saying
    “You will Rip what you SEW”

  15. Jeanne G says:

    I am a faithful follower on all social medias. :)

  16. Jeanne G says:

    I blogged your giveaway and used your picture as “eye-candy”. Thanks

  18. Stacey says:

    Those colors are delicious! My favorite (and most used) tip is ‘wet the needle, not the thread’.

  19. MarciaW says:

    Most traditional blocks look best if you sew that scant quarter inch. Invest in a quarter inch with a metal guide presser foot for your sewing machine. Once I did this, my seams matched sew much better. Thanks for the chance. This would be a perfect prize for us to win and use with my 6 yo grandniece who wants to sew on the machine.

  20. Binks says:

    So cute. I’m new to quilting, so I don’t have any real tips. I would just say to keep chugging. You only get better with time and more practice, so keep on making those quilts.

  21. Binks says:

    …tweet tweet…
    I follow you on Twitter

  22. Joyce Mitchell says:

    Love the baby doll quilt. My best quilting tip is to square up your blocks – your seams will match up a lot better. Thanks for the chance to win.

  23. Joyce Mitchell says:

    I’m a follower by email. Thanks for the giveaway.

  24. mary says:

    I am a follower! Thank you for the opportunity to win!

  25. mary says:

    This would be a perfect project to teach my granddaughter to quilt. My tip is to “try new things”. If we only do the “easy or safe” things, we lose the opportunity to stretch our ability. Many thanks for the chance to win.

  26. usairdoll says:

    My tip is the Quilting Police do not exist! Sew what makes you happy. Be consistent with your 1/4″ seam allowance.

    Thank you for a great giveaway and a chance to win.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

  27. usairdoll says:

    I now follow you on FB. I found out about you from Jeanne at The Learning Curve.

    Thanks again for a chance to win.

    usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com

  28. Rhonda D. says:

    My tip would be to read through all of the instructions before you start! I have learned this the hard way!!

  29. Rhonda D. says:

    I am a follower of your blog. Thanks for the chance to win!!!

  30. Cradke says:

    My tip – follow through! Sometimes a project looks less than perfect and its tempting to give up half way through. But if you finish it to the end and shrug off those less than perfect parts, you’ll find it all turns out beautifully! That’s the beauty of handmade anyway, it’s got personality!

  31. Krista says:

    My best tip is to move your ironing board to reaching distance while sewing.
    You are more likely to iron if you don’t have to get up. If you iron you have crisper seams and better points.

  32. Louise Marie says:

    My best tip came to me from my favorite aunt 50 years ago this year. i was working on a project and got stuck. i did a rip/sew many times, and got increasingly angry at the project. She happened to visit that day when i was at my worst. i wanted her to show me what i was doing wrong. She calmly and patiently told me that whenever she came across something like this while sewing, she just got up and walked away. She told me that i should do the same. i hugged her and left to play with friends. The next time i picked up the project, i knew exactly what to do. i was 12 years old then. To this day i still take her advice. Thank you.

  33. I would love to win this fab kit.

    My best sewing tip would be not to be afraid of unpicking mistakes. The moment I realised that I could undo it if I went wrong, I felt so much freer to sew and have fun.

Half-Square Triangle Quilt and Low Carb Diets

  By sewwhatscooking | May 3, 2012 - 9:10 am | , ,
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Good morning!  My mom went home to New York yesterday.  We had a really nice visit and I miss her already!

Well, last night was the last hurrah for junk food and over-indulgence.  Ugh!  While I have thoroughly enjoyed gaining this weight, it is SO time to move on.  We really like South Beach Phase 2 because it is really just lean meat and cheese, fruits and veggies, and reduced whole grains.  So, that’s what we are doing around here mostly.  This morning I tried poached eggs.  I adapted this from a recipe in a South Beach Diet cookbook.  Turned out really good!

Poached Eggs with Tomatos, Green Onions & Pepper Jack

Print recipe
Poached Eggs with Tomatos, Green Onions & Pepper Jack
Serves 1
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 11 minutes
Total time 26 minutes
Allergy Egg
Dietary Diabetic, Gluten Free
Meal type Breakfast
Misc Serve Hot
By author Krista Robbins
Eggs gently poached with tomatoes and green onions sauteed in olive oil and topped with shredded pepper jack cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium green onions (thinly sliced)
  • 1 medium tomato (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 ounce pepper jack cheese (shredded)
  • salt & pepper (as desired)

Directions

Step 1
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in skillet. Add green onions and cook approximately 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Step 2
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Reduce heat to a medium low. Break eggs into a bowl. Gently slide into simmering water. Simmer 2-3 minutes until set. Use slotted spoon to separate eggs if necessary.
Step 3
Remove from pot with slotted spoon to plate. Top with sauteed onions and tomatoes and sprinkle with grated pepper jack.
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I’ve been working on my half-square triangle quilt.  I picked up some fabric for the sashing and backing yesterday.  I’m so excited – I really love it!  Here it is so far!

Half-Square Triangle Quilt

Isn't it pretty?!

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