tomato pie

hi everyone!  long time no post... and i don't have any plans to post again any time soon- at least not quilt finishes :)  we finally have a move date, so preparations for that are in full swing.  as of november 5th, the babies and i will be Frankfurters.  but in the meantime, i wanted to write down a recipe for posterity.  i made this amazing tomato pie for dinner tonight, using the last tomatoes of my mother-in-law's crop.  that woman has the greenest thumb you've ever seen.

i have to share this recipe because it is one of the best things i've ever made, and i don't even like tomatoes.

TOMATO PIE

1 frozen deep-dish pie crust
2 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, roasted
1 onion, diced and sauteed
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
pepper to taste
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

preheat oven to 350' and bake pie crust until golden

sprinkle tomatoes with salt and then in a 350' oven, roast for 10-15 minutes, then drain over a strainer lined with paper towels.  while tomatoes are roasting, saute the chopped onions in oil or butter until translucent.  (would also be delish if they were caramelized, but that takes longer!)

combine tomatoes and onions in a bowl and mix in italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.  spoon into the bottom of your pie crust.

in a bowl, combine mayo and cheese and layer on top of the tomato and onion mixture.  bake for 30-45 or until the cheese layer is golden and bubbly.

she's here!

Mae Emilia, 7lbs. 7oz., 20.5" long!  she's perfect.

a wedding quilt- WIP

one of the benefits of being very pregnant is the irresistible drive to get things done.  the nesting here has been OTT (stands for over the top... also my maiden name).  the car has been detailed, many things have been baked and frozen, baby things have all been sewn, etc. ...  a few weeks back i decided that if i could find a cheap enough ticket, i'd fly down to austin for one of my best friends' weddings, and thanks to priceline, that happened.

if your name is erin bales, DO NOT scroll any lower!!!!

 the wedding is at the end of september, so i'll be flying with a wee tiny little baby.  i'll also be flying with.....












A TARDIS QUILT!!!  my beautiful friend erin is an even bigger Doctor Who fan than i am, which is saying a lot.  i can only credit that to the fact that she was raised watching the show, whereas i came to know The Doctor later in life.



this thing is a big'n- roughly twin-sized, but a bit narrower, because i just kind of winged the pattern.  i've started the quilting tonight and i'm reminded that i really don't enjoy quilting bed-sized quilts.



i absolutely can't wait to give this to her!

milk gravy recipe

hey y'all!  i made some delicious chicken tonight with this recipe, but didn't have any country gravy mix.  which i totally didn't need, because i made my own.  it's very similar to what my grandma molly makes and serves on toast, usually on our last morning visiting her.  it shouldn't be restricted to toast, grandma!  what makes this different than other gravy is that you don't start with meat drippings.

Milk Gravy

6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
about 1 tbsp steak seasoning (my not-secret ingredient)
2 1/2 cups milk

melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  add the flour and whisk until smooth and bubbling.  add some salt and pepper and the steak seasoning (start with less, season to taste).  whisk some more.  add the milk and whisk whisk whisk over medium/medium-high heat.  it should be bubblin!  when it thickens, take it off the heat and pour it into a gravy boat.

i know the steak seasoning sounds weird, but it gives it so much flavor.  yum.  there's a bunch left over, so i'm making biscuits for breakfast.

august already!?

hello friends!  it's been a while so i thought i'd check in.  lots happening here in my old kentucky home!

i'm still pregnant but getting close to the end... i'll be 37 weeks and full-term on saturday, so she can come any time after then!  i was given the biggest blessing this week, in the form of a midwife basically cutting her fee in half so i can afford to have a home birth.  i wanted one so badly, but with our insurance, it wasn't an option.  the one hospital we could use is dark and dismal and just not the ideal place where i wanted to give birth- and they make you stay at least 24 hours after birth, which i hate.  the kindness of strangers, man... my midwife is the best friend of my doula, who is a friend of some college friends, which is how we met... do you follow?  mae will be born not in our home, but in the home of some really close friends who live in lexington (which is where the hospital is, should i need to be transfered- better safe than sorry.)  im still reeling with thankfulness over the kindness shown to me.

 

(this was at 34 weeks!)

beau is in frankfurt right now, and has already found us an apartment after one day of hunting!  it's in a great location, has two bedrooms and the space is really well laid-out.  it's on a street with lots of shops, cafes, and a market, which is important because we won't have a car.

i've been doing a bit of sewing when i can... one quilt finish for a friend who's wife is having a baby boy in december:

i cut into some beloved FMF and lizzy house pearl bracelets, among other thing.  this quilt measures about 40" square.  it's backed with one of jack's old crib sheets that was never used.  

i'm caught up on my one quilt bee... this month's theme was photography.  i couldn't resist using a bit of my precious heather ross to make polaroids!

zucchini bread, and some personal news

word on the street: it's zucchini time!  i've never grown it before, but i've heard that it's easy to grow, and can be prolific to the point of ridiculousness.  when we went to visit my in-laws a few weeks back, my MIL had a loaf of this bread waiting for us.  oh wow, it was delicious!  and i'm not generally a zucchini bread person.  i recommend it warmed with a little slather of cream cheese.


Grace Day’s Zucchini Bread (via Melissa Gibson)


3 eggs
2 C sugar
1 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 C flour
3 C shredded zucchini
1 C nuts


325 degree oven for 1 hour for two loaf pans


Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in large
bowl. Beat ½ minute at low speed, then 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in dry
ingredients, zucchini, and nuts. Bake. May be wrapped in foil and frozen. Makes nice
cream cheese sandwiches.



in other news...  we finally got a final answer re: our German health insurance.  long story short, it doesn't go into effect early enough for baby Mae to be born there, so she's going to be 100% American.  it's a huge bummer, and means Beau most likely will not be present for her birth (as his contract starts august 20 and her due date is september 1).   i'm actually praying she'll be 'done' and come early, around the middle of august so he can be present... but that's up to God.  and if he can't be there- that's what skype is for, right?  so, Jack, Mae and I will get over to Frankfurt as soon as we can get her wee little passport.

i really believe that this is the way it's meant to be, though.  it sucks that B will probably miss her birth, but it happens to military (and other) families all the time, and it's not the end of the world.  in a lot of practical ways, it's for the best.  at the very least, B can start his brand new job without having to worry about his 9-months-pregnant + stressy wife + 3-year old (or post-partum+ stressy wife + a newborn + a 3-year-old) at home.

this isn't the way i would've planned things, but i trust God.

one for my MIL

We went down to the very bottom of Kentucky this week to visit my mother & father-in-law.   When we moved out of our house, she (Melissa) worked her tail off to help us- including making dozens of trips between Lexington and their town, to haul our stuff (which is all currently residing in one of their extra bedrooms).  So, I wanted to make her a little something to thank her for everything.

It's a modified maple leaf pattern (i just free-motion quilted the stems), which I chose because of her love of all things outdoors.  I hope she likes it.

a fancy peeps diaper bag

hey, friends!

the last few days, i've been working on a new diaper bag.  it's Simplicity Pattern #2713.  i wouldn't recommend making this if your machine can't handle lots of layers.  at one point i was sewing through at least 16 layers (including 4 layers of poly fleece).  the construction method seems like it could be simplified, because it involves sewing binding on the inside seams to finish them.  and also, it calls for you to stitch a separate little pocket which holds a piece of plastic canvas, which you insert in the bottom after the bag is completed... i chose not to do that, because it seems extraneous (and i ran out of lining fabric due to adding the extra inside pockets). but overall, i'm really pleased with how this bag turned out.  it's sturdy, and nice and big.  i doubled the pockets; the pattern called for two outside on the front panel, and two inside on the back panel, so i just did inside and outside pockets on the front and back.  there are two elasticized pockets on the sides for bottles/sippy cups, so this bag has a total of 10 pockets!  that should be enough.

fabrics used:  flea market fancy- bouquet, and 1001 peeps- candles (don't know what it's actually called).  the inside is some random heart/polka dot print that i got at the old lady quilt shop in lexington, ky.

Big Blooms... another finish!

#7 is DUNZO!  Last night I was saying to my mom that, now that Jamie & Darryl's & my MIL's quilts were done, and I had no works-in-progress to keep me from working on Jack's snail trails quilt.  Then I remembered that I had the Big Blooms blocks done, but not pieced into a flimsy.  So this morning while mom & Jack were eating breakfast together (as is their custom), I started piecing that mofo together.  It was pieced by noon, basted by 1, quilted by 2:30, and bound by 4.  It's one of the faster quilts I've ever made (each block is 6" square), but it's absolutely one of my favorites!

My mom asked if she could buy it for 100 free hours of babysitting :)  

finishes

There's no way i'm going to make my personal goal of 18 quilts this year... but at least i've finished five six!!!  (forgot about Grannie's...) I've had 3 finishes in the last few weeks!


First, I finished Mae's quilt.  I'm happy with how it turned out and it's got some really special fabric in it- see the strawberries?  That same fabric is what MY blanket is made of.  It's not a baby blanket, per se, but it's very precious to me.  Almost every quilt I've made has had some sort of strawberry fabric in it, and it was important that my babies' quilts have strawberries :).

I also finally (FINALLY) finished Jamie and Darryl's wedding quilt.  I'm not going to risk posting pics, though, lest they see it early.

I also finished a surprise one for my MIL- pics after she's received it.

rhubarb delight

this came from my friend Val.  i'd never had rhubarb before trying this... it's SO GOOD.  it's a little time consuming but worth every moment!  


"Rhubarb Delight" 
by Mrs. William (Dora) Sabo and Mrs. Roscoe (Judy) Bonderman
Courtesy of the St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cookbook, Moltke Township, MN

SHORTBREAD CRUST: Bake 10 minutes at 325*
1/2 lb. butter
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar

RHUBARB CUSTARD: Slop on top of shortbread, bake 40-45 at 350*
6 egg yolks
2 c. sugar
5 c. rhubarb (about 2 lbs.)
4 T. flour
1 c. cream

MERINGUE: On top of custard, bake at 10-15 minutes at 350*
6 egg whites
12 T. sugar
2 t. vanilla
pinch salt

pink fluff, cake mix cookies, french dip

PINK FLUFF

1 lb whole cranberries
1 cup sugar
20 ounce can of crushed pineapple in water/juices
1 cup cream
3 cups mini marshmallows

Chop the cranberries or run them through the food
processor.
Mix the chopped cranberries, pineapple (juice and all)
and the sugar.
Refrigerate.
Just before serving, whip the cream. Fold the cream
and the mini marshmallows into the pineapple-cranberry
mixture.

CAKE MIX COOKIES

i made these for my bestie amanda and her roommate, and she said they were the best thing she'd ever put in her face.

1 box devil's food cake mix
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup strong coffee
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

mix everything together in a bowl with a big wooden spoon.  i made mine pretty huge and used like 1/4 cup dough per cookie.  bake at 350 for about 13 minutes.  let cool 10 minutes minutes before removing from the cookie sheet because they're pretty soft.

FRENCH DIP

fresh onion rolls + thinly sliced london broil, rare to med. rare

the jus:

1 carton organic beef broth (32 oz)
1 tbsp. 'better than boullion' soup base, beef
5-6 sprays bragg amino acid
1-2 tsp salt, to taste
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary

bring to a boil... stir it up... dip your sammich in it. you can either: a) dip the beef in the jus and then put it on the bun, or b) dip the sandwich in the jus. we prefer the latter.

LAMB STROGANOFF

1 (16 ounce) package egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 (10 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup white wine (i used pinot grigio, the two-buck chuck variety)
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream


Melt butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and mushrooms, season with salt, and cook until very tender. Mix in garlic. Turn heat to low. In another skillet set on medium-high, cook the lamb. Add in the wine, flour, mustard, and sour cream. Add in mushroom/onion mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

fresh peach cobbler

y'all, this is the best peach cobbler i've ever had.  it converted me into a cobbler lover.  it's rich and needs to be served with a good vanilla ice cream

8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick salted butter, chilled and cut into small piece
1/4 cup water that's been microwaved for 2 minutes

3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

-preheat the oven to 425'.
-in a large bowl, combine ingredients from first list in a large bowl, tossing to coat evenly.  pour into a 9x13" pan and bake for 10 minutes.
-while that's baking, combine the flour, sugars, and salt.  blend in the butter using your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal.  stir in the water until just combined.  you still want to see streaks of butter.
-remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over.  sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
-bake until topping is golden- between 20 and 25 minutes.

dinner ideas

tamale pie

breakfast for dinner (goetta & eggs/pancakes/waffles)

roast chicken 

pork chops

homemade pizza

bean soup

white chicken chili

chicken & dumplings

lentil soup

falafel

enchiladas

salmon patties with dill yogurt sauce

red beans & rice

pot roast

chinese chicken pasta salad

sesame noodles

minestrone

fried chicken & mashed sweet potatoes

chili & cornbread

tacos

lamb stroganoff

mexican burgers

turkey burgers

spaghetti & meatballs

spaghetti carbonara

linguini & basil pesto

baked salmon

pork tenderloin

meatloaf 

baked tilapia

ham (leftovers: ham salad, soup)

tuna casserole

quesadillas

sausage & sauerkraut

cabbage rolls

stuffed peppers

bbq sandwiches/quesadillas

tilapia florentine

homemade pretzels & soup

grilled cheese & homemade tomato soup

cinco leches cake

i'm gonna kill my old food blog (yellowbowlbakery.blogspot.com), because i haven't posted there in a year and a half, and i found out there's a bakery in new jersey with the same name.  so i'm going to put some of the winner recipes here.   sorry if the formatting is off, i'm too lazy to change it.

Cinco Leches Cake

are words necessary?

for the cake:
1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup veg. oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350'.  mix everything together until well-blended and bake in a 13x9" pan 30-34 minutes.  remove from oven and cool 30 minutes.  poke holes all over the cake with a fork or the end of a wooden spoon.  bigger holes means the milk sauce will absorb better.

for the milk sauce:
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 (15 oz.) can cream of coconut (coco lopez brand)
1/4 cup dark rum
t tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

pour over the cooled cake with a ladle.  wait. until your first few ladles-full have absorbed to add the rest.

whipped cream:

1-2 cups heavy whipping cream (depending on how thick you want this layer)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp dark rum, or more to taste

whip together until to whipped-cream consistency and spread over cake. 

refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.