In the Hive

Thomas helped make the quesadillas for dinner tonight!

Last week I made Fruit 'N' Nutbar cookies.   It was a new recipe that had mincemeat in it.  I managed to get my teenager to try them, the middle child (Karl) thought they were great until I told him there was beef in the mincemeat!!  The youngest boy tried them, but did not like them. Oh well, at least we all got to taste mincemeat!  Scratch tasting mincemeat off the life list!  Karl found a recipe for these cookies and we made them when he came home from school today.  I love the beehive and sunflower stamps!   Also below are pictures of the two quilts I have been trying to work on.  My darned arm still is having problems, so it's slow going!

Well, the Fall pumpkin quilt did not go so well, I tried machine quilting it and I did not like it one little bit!!  I LOVE MY QUILTING FAIRY!  - I wonder if she can hear me??  So, I thought let's take machine quilting out and hand quilt it.  Well, between my shoulder/arm and finger injury there was  no way to hand quilt it.  Then I spotted a little hole in the one pumpkin!!!!  It's more like a 1/4 inch slit.  I am frustrated.. I guess i could stitch in closed an maybe put a lady bug or bee button on it.   Hmm.. well then the seasons changed, so I decided to start a winter/christmas project.  I found a photo in one of my old magazines and decided to do it in christmas colors!

It felt like a Fall day today with the cooler air so I made some Apple Bread! MMM!!! Apple Breakfast Bread -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Allrecipes.com Serving Size: 10 Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. 2. In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. 3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix into the butter mixture until moistened. Fold in the apples. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. 4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Made with Smokehouse apples which were to...

I got the borders on today!  Hurrah.  Yikes, now comes quilting.  I HATE my machine quilting....but I would like to hang this up soon!!

I can only sew in bits and bites with this darn shoulder and arm injury!  I got the center of my pumpkin quilt put together today. Not sure if this will get done for this season.  Oh well!

Michael did the cooking since my arm is still out of commission! The Fat Bandit's Chili -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Ann Dunlap of Tampa Serving Size: 8 Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef 1 clove garlic, minced 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped 4 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup water 16 ounces kidney beans, with liquid 16 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 dash tabasco sauce, to taste Directions: Cook beef, garlic, onion, and green pepper in a skillet over med-high heat, stirring frequently to break up meat. Cook until onion is soft and meat has lost its pink color.  Add remaining ingredients, except Tabasco. Bring to  boil.   Cover and reduce heat. Add Tabasco. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.                                                                              ...

We did a crazy trip to New York with our friends last night because my son wanted some New York Cheesecake for dessert after dinner!!  We got to NYC at 9:00 p.m.  We saw lots of different famous buildings and went to the top of Rockefeller Center.  I had not been to NYC since 5th grade.  It was quite and adventure!!  We got home at 2:00 a.m.

My friend Jean and I went to a new quilt shop that opened today.  It is called the Quilted Chicken in the Trexlertown/Allentown area.  It's a cute little shop.  I got three pieces of fabric. Moda Muslin Mates Chirp: Benartex Blush Texture: Quilting Treasures Virginia Quilt Museum:

I found this Moda Honeycomb Harvest fabric on ebay!  Really pretty and it has bees!

I might not be sewing, but we sure have been cooking up a storm.  We made this for lunch today with our tomatoes from the garden: Tortellini With Cherry Tomatoes and Corn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Cooking Light, May/Jun 1993, page 109 Serving Size: 6 Ingredients: 9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini, uncooked 10 ounces frozen whole kernel corn 1 clove garlic, halved 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup sliced green onions 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/8 teaspoon pepper Directions: Cook tortellini in boiling water 3 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add frozen corn, and cook an additional 3 minutes; drain well. Rub the inside of a large serving bowl with garlic halves; discard garlic. Add tortellini mixture, tomatoes, and remaining 5 ingredients, tossing gently to coat. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

Karl found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and wanted to try and make these brownies.   Mom helped him a little bit and the were delicious!  They are very rich! The Baked Brownie, Spiced Up -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking from the Baked Bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn Yield: 24 brownies Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder (I didn’t have this and used smoky spicy paprika, with a very similiar flavor profile, instead) (for the spicy version) 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for the spicy version) 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (for the spicy version) 11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 5 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pur...

Working on quilty stuff here and there but the arm and leg are proving to be difficult.  I was also collecting seeds from my garden and cleaning them for next year.  And I still have to feed the troops.  I made this salad today (we have so many tomatoes from the garden!) - very good: Cherry Tomato Salad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By:  Serving Size: 8 Ingredients: 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 large shallot , minced 1 teaspoon minced garlic 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pinch Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved 1/3 cup finely shredded basil Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, shallot and garlic.  Whisk in the oil in a thin stream and season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and basil and toss.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

The boys picked lots of peaches and apples on Labor Day.  This was their reward today! Peach Almond Cake -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Recipezaar Serving Size: 8 Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour (can use whole wheat) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 3 peaches, peeled and sliced 3 tablespoons blanched almonds, sliced 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. In mixing bowl, blend flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, melted butter, and almond extract until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients to make smooth, thick batter. Spoon batter into greased 9-inch springform pan or other round cake pan. Arrange peach slices on top in circular fashion. In small bowl, combine almo...

Caribbean Chicken-Vegetable Soup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: Prevention's Healthy One-Dish Meals (1996) Serving Size: 6 Ingredients: 1 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup red and green bell peppers, diced 4.5 cups chicken broth, defatted 1 cup water 2 large bay leaves 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/4 lbs. skinless chicken breast halves, bone-in 1/4 cup white rice, dry measure 14 1/2 ounces black beans, cooked, rinsed and drained Directions: In a large pot, combine the oil, onions, celery and red and/or green peppers. Cook over high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. If needed, add a little water to prevent burning.  Stir in the broth, water, bay leaves, chili powder, curry powder, thyme, allspice and black pepper. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the ...