In the Hive

Today was Mom's birthday, we miss her deeply.  She passed away 2 years ago and it still seems like yesterday.  We made a sour cream pound cake to mark the day.  It was her favorite flavor cake!

Everyone knows I collect bees since my name means honeybee and look what I just found in the new Gardener's Supply catalog.  I really would like this in my garden! It's a rain gauge!

Today at the shop we had to make some banners for the regional choir, it was fun, but repetitive work for quilters who like to cut loose and make blocks and patterns! Speaking of which, the shop got two new patterns in today!  I really like schibbles patterns, they are great for me since I tend to collect charm packs!  I also got a gypsy gripper and little gripper to try for using with my quilting rulers!

I am poking along with these, assembling a bit as I go!

We had a crazy snowstorm yesterday, but my friend Karen and I went on a run up to the Quilted Chicken for some new fabrics. We got a bunch of civil war prints and I got some yellow to use for another project!

  Broccoli Soup Source: Allrecipes.com (6 servings) 1   tablespoon   olive oil 1   large onion, chopped 3   cloves   garlic, peeled and chopped 2   (10 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed 1   potato, peeled and chopped 4   cups   chicken broth ¼   teaspoon   ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste 1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  2. With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Original recipe says 8 servings, I think it is 6. Per Serving: 96 Calories; 4g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 548mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

I made this Martha Stewart recipe for dinner on sunday.  It amazes me that the original recipe says it is for 4 servings!  I split it into 5, but I think 6 would be even better.  It is very filling.  I don't understand why recipes in magazines have such HUGE serving sizes, as do restaurants and such.  I try to eat healthy and cook mostly at home and I have some off days.  But I can see why we have weight problems in this country, our portions are way OUT of proportion! Salmon Pasta Source: Martha Stewart (5 servings) 1   tablespoon   fennel seeds ¼   cup   minced fresh parsley 1   tablespoon   light-brown sugar ¾   teaspoon   salt 1   teaspoon   pepper 16   ounces   salmon fillet, about 1 inch thick 1   lb.   corkscrew or other short pasta 10   ounces   spinach, stems trimmed and leaves washed well, cut into small pieces or use baby spinach ½   cup   light sour cream 2   tablespoons   fresh lemon juice, up to 3 Heat the broiler. Put fennel seeds in a small, self-sealing plastic bag...

I never made my own cloth napkins before, so I ran out to get some fabrics I thought would be cute!  I hope to make at least 6 of each.  I like having a cloth napkin when I eat, and my old purchased ones are nasty and fraying!  I forgot where I got the link but this tutorial seems like a quick method, since I don't have a serger!   http://tinyurl.com/cyzv9t

We took a trip to Pennington Quiltworks for their sale. My oh my, the lines were too long! I ended up getting 1/2 yard of each of these fabrics and it was too much of a hassle to get in line a second time to get anything else! We also went to Olde City Quilts in Burlington, but I did not purchase anything there!

My friend and I are finally getting around to starting a larger spiderweb quilt.  I was not sure if I wanted webs all the the same size, different, or alternating colors of lights and darks.  Who knew they could look so different!

My block this week is in the top left, it's called Twisted Star.

I found this South Seas print at my local shop this morning!

I never posted my block from last friday.  It is the Grecian Square block in the lower left corner!  I have to pick a new pattern to make for tomorrow!

I hate having my picture taken, but Geert took a good shot of Andrew and I at the art museum so I am posting it! This is me on the morning of our trip, before the boys walked me to exhaustion!

We headed to New Jersey for a road trip and went to two quilt shops! These are some of the fabrics I picked up. One shop was in Swedesboro, the other in Mullica Hill. We then went to the Borgata in Atlantic City. It was very fancy as you can see in the photos below - I even took a picture in the bathroom! (That got some odd looks!) I put 20.00 in a video slot machine and wasn't sure what I was doing. I only picked the machine because it had donuts on it! I hit it to play one quarter and I won on the one play and cashed out at 41.50! That helped pay for my fabric sins!

AJ has his cake, and eats it too! We finally got everyone together to have pizza and cake for Andrew!  

I had some leftover apples and found this recipe! It came out great! Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce "This easy and delicious spiced applesauce slow cooks to perfection. My kids and I came up with this recipe one fall weekend. It's a family favorite." Ingredients 8 apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced ½ cup water ¾ cup packed brown sugar ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Method 1. Combine the apples and water in a slow cooker; cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. 2. Stir in the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice; continue cooking another 30 minutes. Source: Allrecipes.com (8 servings)

Karl won the school geography bee for the 4th year in a row!  Congratulations Karl! Next, he takes the test for the state competition.  If he scores in the top 100 scores in Pennsylvania, he moves on to the state contest. Last year he tied for 5th place in the state!

Chili with Chicken and Beans If you like, spice up this robust chili by adding chopped fresh hot chile peppers. You can also replace the canned beans with cooked dried beans; if you do so, use the bean cooking liquid to replace half the chicken stock. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 teaspoons whole cumin seed 2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups) 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 dried bay leaf One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes with their juice One 4-ounce can green chiles, finely chopped 2 ½ cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat ½ teaspoon coarse salt 4 cups canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed Freshly ground black pepper 2 ounces (1/4 cup) low-fat sour cream, for garnish (optional) Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional) Method In a large, heavy-bottom pot or Dutch o...

A fellow quilter on the quiltville blog asked how my quilt based on a coneflower from my garden was going: it is going fine, but slow, my kids have been keeping me busy! I had to pull the one yellow out of my palette since I had picked too many colors, but I think the orange captures the flower center well!! I put the photo up as a reminder of what I pulled colors from.  I really like the look so far!

We went so many places! Click to go to picasa and see album in larger size!  We walked 11 1/2 miles and my legs are feeling it today!

I took Andrew and his friend Geert to Philly for the day.  We went to the Art Museum & Perlman Building, the Comcast Center, Rittenhouse Square, Elfreth's Alley, and Reading Terminal Market.  We also walked to Center City and all along South Street. I am tuckered out!  I will post more pictures later, but it was a a fun day.  We met LOTS of interesting people. Happy Birthday Andrew!

Time flies!

Swiss Potato Soup Ingredients 4   ounces   wegmans 45% less sodium 33% less fat bacon, diced, approximately 5 slices 1   medium   onion, chopped 3   cups   chicken broth, or water 4   medium   potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 ½   teaspoons   salt ⅛   teaspoon   pepper ⅓   cup   all-purpose flour 2   cups   lowfat 2% milk 1   cup   shredded Swiss cheese, (4 ounces) Method In a saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings Saute onion in  drippings until tender. Add water, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12 minutes or until  potatoes are tender. Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir into potato mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Garnish with bacon. Notes Per Serving: 372 Calories; 16g Fat (39.4% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fib...

It's my name!  It has a bee on it!  I love to cook!  Why did I take so long to order it?

I confess, I started a new quilt - again.  I was inspired by ladies following along in a 365 Day quilt calendar, but I would fall quickly behind on that one.  So, I will do 52 blocks I like - one for each week of the year!  I am using the fabrics I got from the Little Shop and locally.  These are my first two blocks.  I hope to keep doing on per week every friday!

These were two shots I took when I was out yesterday... the sun went in before I could get the shot I really wanted of the sunlight streaming through the icy trees.  But you can tell we are heading into a deep freeze here!  I love the landscape photo below under the sheep.  The way the clouds and sunlight were you really only see a little blue in the sky and the rest of the photo almost looks like black and white.  Click the picture larger to see.

☁Seeing the sun shine through the blue sky and icy trees. It was a beautiful sight. ☁Michael de-icing my car. ☁The variety of foods at Wegmans. ☁My bedwarmer, I am feeling under the weather. ☁Thomas helping me with my crossword puzzle - what a smart little guy he is!

I have a bit of a cold and the kids had a snow day today, so I did not get too much sewing done. We watched The Bee Movie and made popcorn this afternoon!

Pasta With Italian Sausage 20   ounces   Shadybrook Farms Sweet Lean Italian Turkey, casings removed 1   cup   onion, chopped 1   cup   green pepper, chopped 2   cloves   garlic, minced ¼   cup   fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tbsp dried ¼   teaspoon   fennel seed, crushed 1   tablespoon   olive oil 1   cup   pasta sauce, your favorite type ½   cup   red zinfandel 12   ounces   pasta, your favorite type ¼   cup   italian parsley, chopped 1   tablespoon   olive oil ½   cup   parmesan cheese, grated Crumble sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until meat is well browned. Drain and set aside. In same skillet, cook onion, pepper, garlic, basil and fennel in 1 tb olive oil over medium heat, stirring often to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of pan. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add sausage, pasta sauce, and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. While sauce is cooking, in a large pot of boiling water cook pasta until a...

I have been working on the smaller units for Bonnie's Double Delight quilt.  Today I made two of the blocks.  I think they are pretty cool.

The three fabrics on the left are what I purchased at The Little Shop in Haddonfield, NJ.  Today, I went to my local shop and found the other coordinates and the yellow checkered FQ was in my stash.  I am sure there could be more lurking in there!

My friend took a picture of me taking a picture of the Washington Monument - see below!  Karl is sharing the moment with me!

I did not get to sew today.  I went to see two quilt shops in New Jersey.  I did not get anything at the first shop (it was kind of uninspiring), but really enjoyed visiting "The Little Shop" in Haddonfield, NJ.

We walked a lot of miles today in Washington. They are busy getting ready for the Inaugural Parade!  We had a great time with our friends Rick and Jean.  You can click to see the slideshow or pictures in full size!

I sewed more of the SIS's today and started some of the nine patches.  These are pinned together in stacks of 10 blocks.  I won't get any sewing done tomorrow, we are spending the day in Washington, D.C. with our friends!

Pork and Sauerkraut Stew "A good, satisfying one-pot meal. Try it with a big dollop of sour cream on top and a fresh slice of dark rye bread." Ingredients 2   onions, thinly sliced 3   cloves   crushed garlic 4   potatoes, peeled and cubed 2   tablespoons   vegetable oil 2   lbs.   boneless pork loin, cubed 1   teaspoon   caraway seed 1   tablespoon   browning sauce salt and pepper to taste 22   ounces   sauerkraut with juice Method 1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the pork cubes and brown. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until onion is soft.  2. Stir in potatoes, sauerkraut, caraway seeds, browning sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer over low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serves 10 allrecipes.com

I was up late for New Years and felt pokey sewing today so I only have 32 of the first 140 blocks needed..... I have to just keep sewing, just keep sewing.