Inside My Mid-life Crisis

One of the things we do at our quilt retreat is share a project with each other, this is the one Ethel taught us this year...I love these, so simple and super cute!

Quilt Coasters Ingredients:
(6) 5" squares of coordinating fabrics (per coaster)
Charm squares are perfect or if you are cutting, you can even go a little larger but I wouldn't go any smaller then 5".

Lay the first 2 squares WRONG sides together. This is the "bottom" of the coaster. Press your other 4 squares into triangles.
Lay the first triangle on top of the "bottom" square. Line it up precisely.
Lay the next one on the next corner...
Then the next corner...
Corner 4 goes down half on top of corner 3 triangle and half underneath the corner 1 triangle..similar to how you close a cardboard box in on its self...
Clip your corners, careful not to clip the seam....
Not the greatest representation, but turn the coaster inside-out...
Push out your corners...I used my purple thang...
Press to finish and that is all there is to it, I whipped 8 of them out in about an hour. Experiment, I may try stitching down the "long" side of the triangles and/or stitching around the outside edge with a decorative stitch in contrasting thread on the next batch....Thank you Ethel for such a quick and easy project, these will make great hostess gifts!

Picture this, 3 full days of nothing but sewing, eating and gabbing with some of your quilting besties.
Once again, a fine time was had by all and many projects completed (well for some of us anyway)
I am still so discombobulated from going back to work full time (woe is me) that I was not very organized this year.

Here we are at the Wild Rose Retreat Center in beautiful "downtown" Orting, WA on day 1. All Set up and working away. Does anyone else see a disproportionate amount of tables around LaDonna? We had to have a table intervention and it's a good thing we were one person short!
It doesn't look like much but it took me all day just to cut out my project--there are 600 triangles alone.
Each block contains 29 pieces, there are 2 different block designs and a total of 30 blocks; do the math, that is 870 pieces in the blocks.
I actually completed 22 blocks, not bad considering we left after lunch on Sunday and I spent all day Friday cutting...I decided to put sashing in. OK, I lost count now.
Here are Ethel's accomplishments--she is amazing with the tiny pieces and her table topper pattern was a hit with us all!

These are Di's and LaDonna's....
These are Sue's and LaDonna's...If we were giving a prize for highest production it would go to LaDonna! (hmmm note to self for next year..a prize for most items completed..) We have already scheduled next years 3rd Annual. Maybe I will actually get my project done before then!

Fish can be somewhat of an acquired taste. I love all kinds but it's taken me 20 years to get Brant on board. This is a salmon recipe given to me by my old buddy Matt T and even Brant likes this one.

I'm planking but you can do it just on the foil which is how I normally do it.

Salmon Filet (plan on 6-8 oz per person; it's yummy)
Mayo
Johnny's Seasoned Salt
Black Pepper
Foil
Cedar/alder Plank (optional)

Start by creating a tin foil tray with 2 layers of foil, fold the edges over and up to form sides.

If using a plank, you need to soak your plank submerged in water for 2-4 hours. This is a cedar plank.
**Note--make sure you are using a "store-bought" cooking plank, don't just buy a cedar shake at home depot-no telling what kinds of chemicals may be on it.

Spread a thin layer of Mayo over the top of your filet, I use light mayo but that is up to you. Sprinkle liberally with Johnny's Seasoning Salt. (This is also a left coast item, right coast may need to look for something like Lowrey's Seasoned Salt) Finish with some fresh cracked black pepper.

 Place the foil directly on a medium high grill (we use a gas grill). The fish will take about 20 minutes to get to "medium" if you like your fish cooked well give it another 5-10 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on your grill temp. Fish is done when it flakes and is opaque; test in the fattest part.

If you are planking, the plank will get burn marks even through the foil- just throw it on the burn pile when you are done!  You can do this with just the foil in a 350 oven if you are not a griller. Enjoy!

Wine Corner: 2010 Stoneleigh  Sauvignon Blanc, Marlboro New Zealand

Today I must extol the virtues of my Food Saver Vacuum Packer. I am on my second unit in about 10 years. It is approx $200 initial investment and well worth the money. You will recoup this expense in savings by buying food in bulk then packaging in your desired sizes and freezing for later use.
Meat purchased in family packs is normally a $1 or $2 cheaper per pound. If you buy cheese at Costco or Cash & Carry in large packages you can also break that down into smaller packs and cheese freezes easily.
Many of you know we make our own sausage and we also grind our own hamburger by buying sirloin tip steaks when they are on sale for $3.49 or $3.99 per lb; this is waaaay cheaper then buying the extra lean hamburger and you know EXACTLY what is in it.

I will now demonstrate how to blanch and freeze fresh green beans. I have been doing this for several years. You wind up with lovely packs of green beans that taste as they should that can be enjoyed all winter. You will need:
Beans, Big pot, Bus tub or sink for ice bath, Ice, Big collander, Vac Bags, Vac Packer

Buy your beans at a local market-we have great green beans right here in the Puyallup Valley. I bought this 15 lb box for $18.95 at Valley Farms on River Rd.

Get your BIG pot on the stove and fill with water, bring to a boil--no salt. Mine has a strainer basket in it so it is very easy to remove the beans-if yours doesn't you will need to use tongs to remove when the time comes.
Prepare your beans by cutting the little end off where the bean was attached to the plant. No need to cut the other end off.
Gather them up in a handful and do a bunch at a time. I toss into a bus tub (we bought for making sausage but they are very handy to have around) I like to leave mine whole but you can cut into smaller pieces if you like.
When your water is at a full boil, drop beans by handful into the pot- careful not to overcrowd or flood your pan!
Bring back to a boil (takes a couple minutes) then boil for about 3 minutes. Beans should be "al dente" which means "to the tooth" in Italian and means firm to the bite.
After blanching, place the beans in an ice water bath. This shocks the beans and stops the cooking process. Bring your water back to a boil to get ready for the next batch. Notice the nice vibrant green color the beans remain. mmmm

When cool-remove from the ice bath and drain. If you don't have a big tub for your ice bath, you can use one side of your sink--just be sure to clean it well and rinse any soap or comet out of the sink.
Fill your vac-pack bag with the desired portion and vac and seal accordingly. I portion in about one pound packs which is about 4 one cup servings.

Date your bags and freeze! My box of beans yielded 18 packs of beans so that is $1.05 per bag. They are fresh, local, no additives or preservatives and you did it yourself.
These will last in the freezer a year (if you don't run out!). You don't have to buy 15 pounds- buy 5 and give it a try; you can use zip top freezer bags but with out vac packing them you won't be able to get all the air out and they will only hold about 2 months and may get ice crystals in them which will make them a bit watery but still pretty good.

Has it been a month already since my last post? Time is really flying by and we have been busy enjoying this great summer weather. One of my stand-by's for camping meals (especially for a group) is my baby back pork ribs.
This is a 3 step process so planning is everything. Dry rub overnight-braise-grill.

Ribs:
I usually pick them up at Costco or Cash & Carry ranging in price from $2.99 to $3.99 per pound. They come in packages containing 3 racks of ribs. (Yield is about 9 servings of 4-rib sections).

Dry Rub:
1 1/2 C Brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 C Kosher Salt
1 t Black Pepper
1/4 t Chipotle Pepper (ground or Chili Powder)
1/2 t Smoked Paprika (optional or regular paprika)
1 t Cajun Seasoning (good 'ol Penzy!)
2 t Sweet Curry Powder (yellow)
Mix rub ingredients in a bowl.
Line a deep roasting pan with 2 layers of foil overlapping a few inches to hang over the top.

Lay the racks in the pan "meat" side up "silver" side down, they will likely overlap a bit or you may need to use more then one pan depending on how big your pan is. **NOTE-you don't have to take that "silver" off, these babies will be so tender you actually need it to hold the meat on the bone!**
Coat liberally with the dry rub on the top/meat side only.
Cover the ribs with another layer of foil pressing it down against the meat and folding over your overlap edges--Refrigerate overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours).
Good morning! The next step is the braise, braising is cooking at low temperature in a liquid. This technique is used for making tough cuts of meat tender, liquid can be water, stock, beer, apple juice or hard cider or something a little more special as below. Use this same technique with a beef or pork roast for succulent results.
Braise Liquid
2 C White Wine (I like to use a Chardonnay)
1/4 C Vinegar ( I used white wine vinegar but cider is great too)
2T Honey
1 T crushed garlic
Dash Tabasco or Franks
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Mix braise ingredients in a bowl and gently poor over the top of your now-24 hour-rubbed ribs. Cover again with the foil.
Bake at 300 for 3-4 hours until meat is tender and pulls away from the bone. Check them after about 2 hours and add more wine or water if needed, you don't want your liquid to dry out.

These are ready to eat now, you can serve immediately with a little BBQ sauce on the side.  To serve later, let them cool a bit before putting them back in the fridge. When you are ready to serve them you can just heat them up on the grill. If you want you can coat with BBQ sauce on the grill. I usually just serve it on the side because these babies don't even need the sauce, they are amazing just as they are. Enjoy and remember, anything worth having is worth working for.

Wine Corner: I have been remiss in getting pictures of bottles for you but I do have this one. Suffice it to say that does NOT mean I haven't been tasting new wines and taking tasting notes tho :)

2007 Athena Dolcetto from the Viansa Winery in Sonoma County CA.
Dolcetto is a black (red) grape from originating from the Piedmont Region of NW Italy. This wine appeared clear and ruby in color. Aroma was light and pleasant with fruit notes. Taste was medium dry with a low acid soft finish. Pretty easy drinker especially in this hot weather, chill it a little so it is not at "room temp" of 80!!

I can't believe it is August already! The summer is flying by. Here is a recent grilling adventure; super easy and fast and ingredients most will have at the ready.

1 lb sirloin tip or round steak (great use for these less expensive cuts)
2T Olive Oil
3T Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove garlic-minced
1t fresh rosemary (use less if not fresh) finely chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut the meat into 1 inch squares (tip-Cutting meat when still partially frozen yields more even cuts)
Place meat in zip bag or plastic container with lid, add other ingredients- toss to coat. Marinate in fridge at least 2 hours--4 is even better. Don't freak out if the meat turns a little brown on the edges during a longer marinade--the vinegar is "cooking" the meat--won't hurt a thing.

After marinading for 2-4 hours, skewer the meat shish-ka-bob style. If you want to add some veggies, skewer away! (tip-skewer meat and veggies separately as they cook for different times-this way you don't get mushy peppers waiting for the meat to get done). Grill Away!

We have a new favorite way to enjoy Walla Walla Sweets. these came out of our garden and since they were smallish and oblongish I cut them "longways". If you buy nice round fatties at the market, cut them into 1 inch slices the other way.
Spray the top/cut side with spray olive oil, seasoning as desired; I like garlic salt and pepper and/or Cajun but try any of your fav's--don't be scared!
These were longways cuts and placed on the grill cut side down- I would season both sides if I had "rounds" cut. You want the sugars in the onion to caramelize so start these off med heat to get them going. You do want a bit of char on them too...Every grill is different so you will have to experiment with time and temps. Yum check out the grill marks!

As for Wine Corner I have 2 from my wine club at Steppe Cellars; a red and a white.

2008 Steppe Cellars Syrah from the Stone Tree Vineyard-Wahluke Slope AVA WA.
This one showed purple-black in the glass (and on the tongue) and the aroma led with spice and black cherry. Taste was traditional Syrah peppery-spicy with a nice long finish, nice balance not to acidic. Very much enjoyed and around $25 bucks a bottle.

2008 Steppe Cellars Riesling--Rattlesnake Hills AVA WA
This one was a light straw yellow with an almost tropical nose. I found it to be medium sweet apple-pear-pineapple. It was a good way to offset my rich and spicy Verde-Blanco Crab Enchiladas.
* Note--Steppe does a DRY Riesling that is much more to my liking but this one was good too and around $18 a bottle!

Forth of July has come and gone and in typical Northwest style, summer arrived on July5th! We have been privy to lovely summer weather with a few needed rainy days and some rare and exciting thunder and lightning storms.

While I have not been spending much time in the kitchen in the heat, it has not slowed me down from trying a few new wines.

This 2007 Saviah Cellars Red Blend called "The Jack" was hand carried to me by my friend Suezy  from her trip to Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley AVA.
Watch out, this dark beauty with it's black plumb-y goodness is a medium bodied, well balanced easy drinker that you will make you wish you had a second bottle to pop before the first one is even done!
Thank you Suez, I will be picking up a few of these when we trek to Walla Walla this fall!

Our friends at the Hogue Cellars, also in the Columbia Valley AVA deliver to us this 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon dubbed Genesis. Ready for your purple tongue? Full bodied, I found this one leading with a little spice and a medium-long tannic finish. I like this style of Cab and it's a real bargain at Grocery Outlet under $10 bucks.

In the summertime we tend to pick up a few whites for refreshing accompaniments to lighter summer fare...
2007 Patianna Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino.  I really liked this one. The color was a very pale yellow and almost effervescent. Initial aroma was faintly yeasty and the taste was round and nicely acidic affording a full mouth feel. I think I grabbed this one at Grocery Outlet too.

Recipe side note--I wish I would have shot a couple pics for you but this is a very simple and elegant salad or side dish:  Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Dijon Dressing

2T Olive Oil
2T Lemon Juice (use fresh--juice of one lemon)
1T Dijon mustard
1T Anchovy Paste
1-2 Cloves garlic minced
salt & pepper
pinch red pepper flakes

Mix dressing ingredients together briskly-it will emulsify slightly; chill while the lettuce cooks. Leaving the core of the lettuce intact, slice the romaine head in half LENGTHWISE. Lightly drizzle the cut side with olive oil (or hit it with spray olive oil) and salt & pepper. Grill cut side down 3-5 minutes to wilt/char the lettuce. Drizzle dressing liberally over cut side and serve immediately.