C's quilt

 Well, I finally got around to posting pictures of my cousin's Aggie quilt that I finished several weeks ago.  He painted his walls green and then decided he wanted an Aggie theme (I guess teaching him the War Hymn at 2 years old paid off!), so I had to incorporate a coordinating color.  He likes camouflage but I couldn't find any that matched his walls.  Lo and behold, I stumble upon this homespun fabric that is striped but is "camo colors."

 The quilt was a big hit, and now I am working on pillow shams and a bed skirt, which should be finished just as soon as I take my Adult Health 3 exam on Friday.  I have to take some time off of the sewing to study.  Also, Joann ran out of the fabric I need for the bedskirt.  I had already bought what I needed for the shams so I can start those tonight.

3 quilts done!

I have finished my 3 quilts of the summer.  I have a Singer home sewing machine and I have done straight quilting with a walking foot and free-motion quilting with a darning foot, and have done queen-sized quilts with no problem.  Once I learned how to free-motion, I have not done any straight quilting because free-motion is so much more fun and I want to become really good at it!  The point of this post is to review my thread choices.  Now, I have not experimented with very many threads at this point.  With these 3 quilts, I used Gutterman (spelling?) all-purpose and Coats all-purpose threads to do high-speed free-motion quilting.  Now, the Coats thread does create a lot of dust, so I make a point to dust about every 5th bobbin change.  I also had a partial spool of a Coats variegated quilting thread that worked well.  It has been a while since I have done free-motion quilting so I don't remember how well some threads worked that I used previously.  For my 3rd quilt this summer, I had a spool of Sulky Blendables quilting thread.  I forked up about $5/spool + shipping charges for 2 more spools so I would have enough.  This thread looks nice on the quilt, but I found that it was frequently breaking at the high speeds of free-motion quilting.  It was a disappointment.  For my next quilt, I might branch out and try new threads, or I might use the plain and simple Coats, which is what I have most often used in the past.  For now, though, I am taking a break from the quilts to make some bedskirts and pillow shams for my aunts.  My cousin needs shams and a bedskirt to match his new Aggie quilt! 
In the meantime, I will be busy tackling my last semester of nursing school!  Pictures of my latest projects soon to come.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

My aunt bought some coffee creamer at HEB, I think it was Coffee Mate All-Natural Vanilla.  Don't quote me on the name, I am not sure it is correct.  But it was something along those lines.  It was yummy, and I was inspired to make my own.  It turned out well, and I just made a second batch to freeze for later.  Here is my recipe:

1/4 cup raw cane sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw brand.  Raw cane sugar is better for you than processed granulated sugar, and it has a better flavor.)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk (I use 2% but skim would work fine)

1 TBSP vanilla (I use the real stuff, not the imitation.  It makes a big difference.)

Mix this all together in a one-pint jar, and you are done!  The sugar WILL dissolve into the mixture.  I was not sure at first if it would completely dissolve in something that cold, but give it a little bit of time and it will.  Shake before using (just the same as you would with a store-bought creamer), and ENJOY! 

Mac & Cheese Pie

I just wanted to take this moment to share with you a great recipe that I am planning on making sometime this weekend.  I made it last year, and being just one person, I froze individual slices of the pie and I would take it for lunch every day.  It made a very large pie, and this time I plan on dividing it between 2 pie plates.
I will start by saying that I got the idea from an issue of Kraft Food & Family (winter 2007), and made serious modifications to suit my diet and lifestyle.  As you may or may not know, I am on the IC diet, and though my college-student financial status has primary influence on my eating habits, I strive to make my own food when possible and to follow the diet to reduce symptoms.

So, here is the original version published in Food & Family:

1 pkg Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
2 cups small broccoli florets
4 eggs
1 pkg Oscar Mayer Smoked Ham or Honey Ham, chopped
1/2 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.  Cook pasta in boiling water until tender, adding broccoli during the last 2 min. of cooking time; drain.
Meanwhile, beat eggs in bowl.  Stir in cheese sauce and ham until well blended.  Pour egg mixture over pasta, stir to combine.
Spoon into prepared pie plate.  Sprinkle with cheese.   Bake 30 min. or until set and golden brown.
Makes 6 servings.

Now, here is MY (better) version:

1 box whole-wheat elbow macaroni (usually about 13 oz)
2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
4 eggs
4-6 oz of whatever meat you prefer or have on hand (a good way to incorporate leftovers.  I sliced up some sausage last time, this time I plan on using ground beef)
about 6 oz of cheese.  (I buy the 16 oz blocks of cheese because it is more cost-effective, and I shred it myself.  So, for this I just cut off a hunk a little less than 2/3 of the block.  You can use cheddar, colby jack, monterey jack, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease your pie pan (I used a large pie pan and it was piled twice as high as the pan.  It can very easily be put into 2 pans).  Boil the pasta until tender, and add the broccoli for the last 2 minutes of boiling.  Drain.
While pasta is cooking, shred the cheese.  Beat the eggs.  Add the meat and about 2/3 of the shredded cheese to the eggs and stir together.  Add the egg mixture to the pasta mixture and stir.  Spoon the mixture into the pie pan(s) and sprinkle with the remaining cheese (you may want to use extra cheese if using 2 pie pans), and bake for 30 minutes.

Let me know how yours turns out :-).

Summer!

I just finished my 4th semester of nursing school and I get the summer off before my final semester in the Fall.  It has been so long since I have had a summer that I scarcely know what to do with myself.  Well, it will be filled with sewing, quilting, crocheting, cooking, and reading.  Yes, reading.  On Monday, I took my last 2 finals, and when I was getting ready for bed that night, I realized that it is summer and I can read again.  See, I had started getting into reading again, but I wouldn't let myself start another book so close to finals.  So now I can read, and the great dilemma is WHAT to read.

Newly acquired books that I am eager to read.  I have read Redeeming Love once before, but it was several years ago.

My mom gave me the Anne of Green Gables boxed set several years ago but I have never gotten around to reading them.

I did get halfway through LOTR one time.  It took me a year.  But I was very out-of-practice in reading.  You know what they say, "use it or lose it!"  So, I have ambitions to read The Hobbit and LOTR.

Another set my mom gave me hoping I would read them.  She read a couple of these books to us when we were growing up.  I will read them, eventually.  Really, though, pioneer days are like a magic world to me, so these will definitely get read!

 I ended up choosing Multiple Bles8ings by the Gosselins.  I have been wanting to read it for quite some time now, and I actually got a copy at Dollar Tree.  I guess it was no longer a best seller after the divorce.  It makes me so sad.  But I am watching the show right now, and I just started the book, and I am going to let myself pretend that they still are happy and in love, even though we all know different.

Mary Jane baby booties

I finished these last night.  I got the pattern here.  Hers look prettier than mine, of course.  They are done in size 10 crochet cotton.  I love the way a project done in size 10 cotton feels, but it is not my favorite to work with because it is so tiny.  I usually use sport weight or worsted weight and sometimes heavier yarns, and it is a lot easier for me to control my stitches with these yarns.  In size 10, I never can seem to get uniform stitches.  But, although one booty is bigger than the other, these came out really cute!

Mousse-Pudding

So, my friend Leslie told me about a dessert she makes.  What I love about this recipe is that it is very versatile.  She makes a carb-free, low-calorie version but I made an IC-safe version.  And it is oh so delicious!

Ingredients:
1 box instant pudding mix
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk (or water, or half-and-half, etc.)
4 oz cream cheese, softened (or mascarpone or neufchatel)

Mix it all together using a hand mixer or whisk, and enjoy!

I made mine with regular vanilla pudding mix, milk and regular cream cheese.  Leslie makes hers with water and mascarpone cheese, and sugar-free lemon pudding mix.  Depending on what diet you are on and how many calories you want it to have, you can adjust it accordingly.  And it is just as delectable as she claims!

Under Construction

Check back soon as I will post on my adventures!  This summer, stay tuned for cooking and crocheting classes!