Productive Weekend and Kitchen Blog Name Result!!!

What a crazy busy and insane weekend I just had! But a very productive one too! I managed to get in a lot of good quality time in my sewing room this past weekend. I can also officially say I have started making my Christmas gifts for this season. Hey Christmas IS less than 3 months away!!!! Here is a sneak peek of some of the projects I am working on for gifts. Only little peaks as I know these people follow my blog!!!

I also FINALLY completed a project!!! It's been ages it seems since I started and finished something! I have alot of different necklaces that I love to wear, but I was never able to see what I had the way they were in my little jewellery box. So Mum and I came up with the concept of creating a wallhanging to put in our closets to show off all the 'bling' we do have!! And Viola!!! here is my little hanging! Now I can see all my necklaces and can easily choose what I want to wear!

I like to start my Christmas gift list in January (yes you read right), that way it is fresh in my mind what I gave away last Christmas. In fact I have a book devoted to my Christmas lists for each year! I make a list of all the people I want to give gifts too. (sometimes the list increases as sometimes throughout a year I decide to give an extra gift to another special friend in my life). I write on the list what I want to make. I have another chapter in the book that shows all the gifts I have given to my regulars over the years. That way I don’t make a duplicate of the same gift! Sometimes the gift ideas change, and so I can make the change as the year goes on. I know.. I know…. I have my Mum to blame for this insane organization habit. For those of you who know Mum you can appreciate just how ORGANIZED this woman is!!! If I can be HALF as organized as her I would be happy! She never ceases to amaze me of her organization skills and talents!

I also managed to cut out 5 of the 8 Christmas tree skirts I have ready to make up and sell. I still have a few other ideas up my sleeve of projects I want to put together to sell. I am hoping to have everything ready by the last week of November or the first week of December. That is my goal.

At this time I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who helped me come up with a name in the new kitchen blog I plan to start up. I wrote down all the names Sunday night and stuck them in my purse. For the last couple of days I took my list out and let the names roll of my tongue to see which one felt the best. I made my decision. Congratulations to MANDY!!! She came up with the name “Scoffin’ It Up At Comfort Cove”. It was catchy and it also tells a lot about the Newfoundland Culture and our love of food. For those of you out there in Blog Land you do not understand the word “scoff”, it is a Newfoundland term for a big meal. In years gone by it mostly meant a big meal (or feed as we say here on the island). When you read the link I added here from the Official Newfoundland Dictionary (Yes we have our own distinct language), it says a scoff consisted of a meal either at sea or ashore that consisted of meat or a sea bird and vegetables (sometimes stolen from a neighbour’s field). I assure you that in this recipe blog all my ingredients will be purchased legally or given to me (as in our farmer friend)!!! This day and age, a 'scoff' is just known as having a big feast! If you are up for a good scoff then you might also be up for a good 'scuff'.. or in Newfuneze, a dance! So you can come here to Newfoundland for a good "scoff and a scuff" So CONGRATULATIONS again to Mandy! Please email me your mailing address and I will have your little pressie sent out to you this weekend!

I will get started on my new “Scoffin’ It Up in Comfort Cove” blog in the next few days. I will post a link once it goes live!

Tonight I have to ice my final cake for this course. Tomorrow night I will finish the first course. If I time things right I will get all my buttercream icing made up and the cake iced and still have some time left over to do a little sewing, but it's doubtful as it usually takes a couple hours in the kitchen making the icing and getting the cake ready. I guess my next night in the room will be on Thursday with the Thursday night sewing gals!

On another note, here is a really nice photo of Alexi that Trevor shot the other day!! It's a great photo of her, that is when she is not up to trouble! I'm now trying to come up with a cute halloween costume for her as we decided to host our first halloween party this year! Any ideas???

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

Cake Decorating and a Contest for New Recipe Blog Name

This week’s cake decorating class was a real success!! Not only was I able to fully clothe my cake, but I think I did a pretty darn good job decorating my little masterpiece too!!! This week we learned out to pipe clown bodies! Here is the result!!

Tonight we cut into the cake after our Thursday night sewing/quilting girls have finished working on their projects this evening. We usually sew from 7:30 – 10pm. We complete the evening with tea and dessert

I think I will tackle completing my “bling” wallhanging this evening. All that is left is to tack down the rod pocket and attach the binding.

This weekend I am hoping to start cutting out the tree skirts I plan to sell this season. I have the fabrics for 8 skirts pulled and ready to cut.

I am hoping next month to purchase my Janome 350E embroidery machine that I have been drooling over the last year or so. For the last 3 years I have saving up all my $1 loonies, $2 toonies and other loose change to go towards my machine. I also put some of my teaching money towards the cause as well. From my last count it looks like I have enough to get my early Christmas gift to ME!!!! Once I have my little darling in it’s new home, I will start hunting down Christmas embroidery designs and make up other gifts for the holidays. I also have a few ideas up my sleeve on some things I could make up and sell with the machine too. I might start looking on eBay (another weakness of mine) for some stabilizers and threads.

Take a look at the wonderful spread on fresh veggies Trevor’s friend gave us this week! His buddy is a recreational farmer who lives no far from us. This weekend I hope to put some of this to use. I will make up a few more zucchini quiches and a few more loaves of Chocolate zucchini cake. I also plan to make my coconut curry butternut squash soup. I’m thinking another day in the kitchen is in order this weekend. Let’s hope Alexi is on her good behaviour this time round!

We began harvesting our fresh herbs this week too. Here are my mint leaves and oregano leaves drying. I made a really nice mint/lemon chicken recipe the other day using fresh mint before drying. It was really yummy, although next time I'll go easy on the lemon juice. I'll post that recipe soon.

I was wondering if anyone out there might know what type of squash this yellow one is? It is just a bit bigger than a cantaloupe, but I have no idea what to do with it. Also I am not sure what to do with this other little green pumpkin. Any suggestions out there???

Speaking of food, I have had a several emails from some of my blogging friends asking how they can access my recipes easier. I have decided to set up another blog and link it to this one. If all goes well, I might try to tackle this new blog over the weekend. I will keep you posted when the new food blog is live and ready. I will copy what recipes I do have on this site and post them to the recipe blog. Hmmm now I need to come up with a name for my blog. I need ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have I thought!!!

Blog Naming Contest And Giveaway!!!

As an incentive to help me with this new name, anyone who posts a name suggestion between now and Sunday, I will draw a name from these suggestions. The person who comes up with the best name for my new blog will receive a little pressie from me!!!!! I will close the contest this Sunday, Sept. 27th at 8pm Newfoundland time. I will post the winner next week. Good Luck!

Til Next Time

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

A week in Review

Tuesday AM (during late morning break at work)

The cake turned out not to bad in the end. I had meant to post after my class last Wednesday night but oh lucky me was stricken down once again with another cold! I took Thursday and Friday off work and spent most of those two days in bed or camped out on the couch with a quilt, my pooch and “Eclipse” the 3^rd book in the Twilight series. I am a bit late reading this series, but I have to admit, I am hooked! I picked up the final book the other night and having a hard time keeping it down!

So yeah, my rainbow cake… so I went to class, with a brewing cold (but I soldiered on) and sat to the back of the class. So far everyone had a nicely iced cake (including sides) and no crumbs… I mumbled a few colourful words to myself and put my cake container under the table so no one would see my poor excuse. Yep.. seems I was going to be the “special ed” student of the class. I remember students of mine from years ago use to call themselves that. Two women in particular come to mind. I would set up my classroom tables in a horseshoe pattern so everyone could and chat with one another while quilting. These two particular women I speak of use to sit together in one of the corners. They had a ball in my classes and they would make so many silly little mistakes as they were too busy chatting and carrying on and not paying attention to what they were doing! They would call themselves my “special ed” students!! I miss those two women in my classes now. They haven’t been to one of my classes in some time, but we do still keep in touch from time to time..

Anyway, once again I am going off course… So yeah…. With my cake safely hidden below, we started our practicing of the star tip and making the first step of piping roses. Forty minutes left to the class, we had to take our cakes out and start decorating them. I swallowed my pride and opened the cake container…… Sigh……..I was the only one with a half naked cake on the table….. Yep I had a porn star cake!! But WAIT…. What do I see across the room???? Aha!!! A girl came late for class and she too has a porn star cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m NOT ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooo hoooo!!! I was feeling better now and knew I could take on the cake world!!!!!!!!! I sat with a smile on my face and began making the hundreds of little stars that would make up the rainbow of my cake!!! I didn’t get to finish it in class, so I went home sick as I was and finished decorating the cake. I especially loved making the little 2D fluffy clouds. And I must say the clouds tasted the best!!!

Here is a photo of my porn star rainbow cake!!!!!!!!!

Last night I started my homework for this week’s class. I made up a lemon box cake (as the instructor says, it’s not about the cake, but the decorating so don’t get too crazy over making up some fancy cake)… I found out the reason why I couldn’t ice my cake well last week. Two reasons actually… first, the cake was too fresh. I had baked it and iced it within a few hours. Second, my thin consistency was still too thick. My cake has been cooling all last night and it is sitting still on my counter, wrapped up, and hopefully doggy proofed! I swear if I come home from work and the cake has come to it’s demise by one dog…. I kill the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep there could be a doggy murder here in St. John’s ……

On to quilting news, my sampler quilting class started this past weekend. As sick as I was, I managed to teach them their first two blocks. They seemed very excited to have their first block made, and are looking forward to next Saturday’s class. I will start to take pictures this weekend. So ladies, I know you read my blog, so be ready to have your photo taken and your fabrics and blocks too!!!

The “bling” wall hanging is almost finished. I got all the ribbons stitched down and the rod pocket is about to be sewn in place perhaps this evening (depending if I get all my icings made early). I will head out to Fabricville tomorrow afternoon to search for a nice chocolate brown fabric to bind my hanging with. I can’t wait to be able to get this on the wall and see all my ‘bling’!!! I love to wear the nice fancy colourful necklaces that are out in clothing stores. Reitmans got some awesome pieces. With this wallhanging in my little walk in closet I’ll be able to see my pieces much easier and I’ll have lots of room to buy more!!!!!!!! LOL

I also took out my list the other night to see what gifts I will be making for people this year for Christmas. I know where I am going with most of them and I just need to pick up a few more pieces of fabrics to get started. I also pulled fabrics for 8 tree skirts to make up and sell this season. I have a few fabrics to wash as they are brand new, but hopefully this Thursday night during our quilting night, I’ll get started on cutting them up and prepping them for assembly.

Tomorrow night is my cake class again so I will try to take photos when I come home from the class. This week we are making clowns…. Should be interesting. Keep your fingers crossed I have a fully clothed cake this week. I would hate to be arrested for an exposed cake!!

Tuesday in the pm

I made some of my parmesan herb scones. now I'm off to make my buttercream icings and cloth a naked cake..

ooh and on a further note, the dog did NOT eat the lemon cake today!! wooo hooo!

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

Back to School.. Cake Decorating School That Is

I find it funny that for the last 13 years of teaching quilting I have been the one at the front of the class giving homework to my students to complete a particular part of their quilting project for next class. Now the tables have turned.

I mentioned recently how I am taking up cake decorating classes at our local Michaels Craft Store. Last Wednesday I had my first class. I was the student this time not the instructor. In the beginning it seemed a little different to be sitting looking up at the instructor instead of being the other way around. In two hours I had a ton of notes written and found out all the new gadgets and gizmos I would have to purchase to start this new hobby. Again I found it a bit funny that I was not the one suggesting tools of the trade needed to complete the projects. I found myself after class going through the Wilton Cake Aisle looking at all the new ‘toys’ I would be getting myself familiarized with. I bought a bunch of stuff that night, then turned around with more Michaels coupons and gift certificate in hand and spent more money on Sunday. I still needed a few more things to complete my homework before my next class. I also went to the grocery store and bought enough icing sugar, shortening and cake mixes to last me forever!!! LOL I think I need a bigger kitchen!

Last night I decided it was going to take two nights to complete my homework. Last night I made up 2 batches of Buttercream icing and then had to break them down into different consistencies and then into different colours. Here is a photo of the cake we are going to decorate this Wednesday night!

I managed to get all the colours to the shade I wanted, but I just can’t seem to master the colour red!!!! I botched one batch trying to darken my red with black colour gel and that became a disaster!! So after trying and trying, instead of having a red colour rainbow I will have a dark pink pastel instead LOL… I will need to research a bit more how to get the real RED.

Here is my poor excuse for red...

I spent over 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen last night with my Kitchen Aid making icing and colours! I never realized it would take that long to make the icing. I had hoped to make my icing and then still have a bit of time left over to do a bit of sewing. By 10pm I was SPENT! I checked some emails then crashed into bed. When the alarm went off at 6:30am this morning it took every bit of energy for me to crawl out of my nice warm cozy bed.

Tonight’s homework consists of baking the cake and icing it. Last night when I fell asleep my dreams consisted of me making different coloured icings and then trying to get everything ready before class started. I remember looking at the clock in my dreams and saying to Mum “oooh nooo!!!!! Its 6:30pm Wednesday I’m suppose to be in class right now and my cake is half iced!!!” Next thing I am stuffing Alexi, the dog in my cake carrier and closing her inside to take her to class!!! Now where did THAT come from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sure there is a pill out there somewhere for what I have!!! LOL

(Later that night....) You know, do you ever find yourself hating it when you see how something is made and the instructor makes it look sooooooooooooooo easy that SURELY you will have no problem doing it!!! Well I am going to be the laughing stock of my class!!!! So I tried to do the whole icing of the cake. I got the cake all leveled and I even managed to put a filling between the layers.. noooo problem... then I started to put the icing on the top of the cake being EVER so careful not to lift my spatula from the icing... well somewhere along the line I did and now I have bits of cake crumbs throughout my cake top!! THEN I said to myself, hey I'll use the same big tip the instructor used to do the sides of the cake!!! DISASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never had enough icing in the bag so I couldn't squeeze anything out!! THEN what I did get out came out in a large mess and wouldn't stick to the side of the cake taking.. yep you guessed it.. CRUMBS!!!!!!!!! so much for that idea of icing a nice cake including sides... So now my poor Picasso of a cake is naked on the sides and the top is like playing connect the dots between crumbs. My next step is to let the icing dry a bit and form a bit of a crust.. then I have to take some parchment paper and smooth out the bumps.. hee hee this is going to get interesting.. Please someone PLEASE tell me it will be easier and that I CAN do this!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my poor excuse of an iced cake.. please don't laugh too hard!!



This is how the cake is suppose to look when complete.. mine will just have naked sides LOL...ooh I hope I'm not the only one in class with a half naked cake!

On the quilting side of things, and something I know much more abourt,I have one more border to add to my sampler quilt that I’ll be teaching this Saturday morning. The border is just a simple and straight forward border.. So no big thinking involved. Hopefully I’ll have that border on by Thursday night and I’ll get started on writing up my lesson plan for that first class. I know exactly what I’ll be talking about and teaching that day, I just need it in written format now.

One more border to go!

Also I have other BIG news!!!! I have officially started selling my very first E-Book!!!!!! This e-book is a step by step instruction book on how to make your own chenille and I show how to put it into 3 different projects. If you have never made your own chenille before it is so much fun and so easy to do! You don’t need any special machine to make it. As long as your sewing machine can sew a straight stitch and you can attach a quilting foot to it, you can make your own chenille! It has over 75 coloured photos detailing every step to making chenille and ways to use your chenille in 2 different cushions and a travel/make up bag.

If you are interested in learning more about chenille and interested in my e-book, here is a link where you can go to find out more and if you wish to purchase your own copy.

http://www.quiltedparadise.com/n/804-owz.jsp

With e-books you can download the book immediately. You can read it from your computer screen or print your own copy for future use. If you have any further questions or comments about this book, feel free to contact me any time at comfortcovedesigns@yahoo.ca

‘Til Next Time

Andrea

Learning Something New

Momma always said “Life is like a box of chocolates”…oops wrong momma… MY momma always said “Never stop learning now matter how old you are”. So as if I didn’t have enough on my plate between my sewing/quilting, teaching quilting, designing and selling my work, playing in the kitchen, and scrapbooking, I started my first Wilton Cake Decorating Class last night!!!! Our local Michaels Craft Store offers 4 different courses to cake decorating. I am in Course #1. I’m laughing cause I am so used to being the one up in front of class teaching and informing students of the homework they have to complete for the next class, now the tables are turned. I HAVE HOMEWORK!!!!! I have to bake a cake, make 2-3 batches of buttercream icing, separate the icing into batches for icing, and colours and different consistencies. I have a bunch of things to buy for next class, although I picked up most of it last night! There are soooooo many new toys to buy for this!!! Last night I picked up a really nice 8” Wilton round cake pan, a contraption to cut my cake in half for layers, cardboard cake rounds for laying the cake on for decorating, parchment triangles for the icing, piping gel, a large icing spatula, and my course kit.

Here are my new toys!


Anyway, I also signed up and registered for Course #2 that will start next month. As for now with Course #1, I have to make a cake and icing every week. We will be making a different cake every week. Trevor will be happy!!!! I just have to make sure to take photos of my cakes before they get cut into!

My good friend Kelly Hatch who use to quilt with us on Thursday nights recently left our group to move to London , Ontario to pursue her Masters in Library Studies gave me a $50 Gift Certificate from Michaels before she left. Kelly if you happen to read this, I want you to know I am going back to Michaels this weekend with gift certificate in tow and my 40 and 50% off coupons to pick up more cake decorating toys!!! The Wilton aisle has become my latest favourite aisle in that store!!! I have started a list of other toys I want for my course and will use! So remember when you come home, and visit us one Thursday night, I’ll be making you a cake!

Tonight during our Thursday Night Quilting Group, Mum and I will be starting up a new project together. We both love to buy the nice costume jewelry you see everywhere in the clothing boutiques. We both have some really nice pieces, from necklaces, bracelets and rings. We both have so many necklaces now that we are running out of room where to store them when not in use in our jewelry boxes. I came up with the idea of making a wallhanging we can hang in our closets that can store all of our necklaces carefully and easy to see. Mum’s closet is not a walk in, but she can hang it on the inside of her closet door. I have a small walk in closet and can hang mine on the little wall as I open up my closet door. We can see all our necklaces in a glance. Mum found this beautiful elegant tone on tone fabric in her stash that is big enough to make two hangings out of. Tonight we will cut it up and with some pretty ribbon work on our hangings. I’ll post photos as we go along with our little projects. Now that the fall season is here I tend to wear more of my necklaces and will now be able to see them better!

After work yesterday, Trevor and I headed to Fabricville where there was a big sale on. We found a really nice piece of fabric to make curtains for his ‘ Man Cave ”. He has a lot of reds, grays and blacks going on in his room and this fabric will be perfect for it! I just need to finish my living/dining room curtains first before tackling these puppies!! I’m only going into my 4^th weekend making these darlings! I will NEVER make big living room curtains again!!!!!!! These curtains I’m making now are going to last me a looooong time and I will NOT get tired of them!!! Lining big curtains is very labour intensive!!!!!!! This weekend I am hoping to devote completely to my curtains and the sampler quilt. I have a lot of projects lined up between now and Christmas!!!!

Tonight we are going to try out the new lasagna recipe I made the other day. It’s a different recipe than what I am use to doing. If it turns out edible, I’ll post the recipe! I’ll also post the recipe for the Chocolate Zucchini loaf. It turned out delicious!

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

A Productive Day and One to-be Strangled Dog

So I had a productive day in my kitchen yesterday.



I started around 12:30pm and I think I left it close to 10pm!





I think I did pretty good with my list from yesterday that I posted, though I still missed a few things. So this is what I accomplished!

2 chocolate zucchini loaves

1 partridgeberry loaf cake

1 big pan of lasagna

1 big pot of honey garlic meatballs

1 bowl of crunchie veggie salad for sandwiches

1 loaf of honey wheat bread

1 focaccia bread

(Trevor took a taste sample)!!

and now looking for a rope big enough to strangle one dog!!!

Don’t be surprised by those sweet innocent puppy eyes!

I had never made focaccia bread before and so I thought I would give it a whirl. It turned out really nice and the smell of the herbs was devine throughout the house! I placed my success lovingly on my dining room table (as I had no more room on my overflowing counters) and wrapped it carefully with one of my big baking cloths.

Mum invited me downstairs to her apartment for supper. She was making grilled salmon with her awesome crispy yet mushy potato bakes and grilled veggies. I decided to cut off some of that focaccia bread to have with supper. I headed downstairs to have supper. We were really enjoying our meal when I heard a large THUMP from upstairs! I knew Alexi was trying to get into something. So up the stairs I went. Normally Alexi would greet me when I come upstairs and give me loves for missing me while I was away. She was no where in sight! I finally found the culprit hiding behind the loveseat, with her head down and the look of GUILT all over that face!!! I turned to look at the dining room table. I also had the lasagna pan cooling on the table… seemed untouched.. then I noticed the victim! The bread cloth had been nosed back and she ate HALF!!!!!!!! That’s right HALF of my focaccia bread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The little bugger knew she did wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My jaw dropped and I was dumb struck!!!!!!! I’m still trying to figure out how she even got on the table. She can’t jump to it! I’m figuring she had it all planned out as soon as I left the room… she nudged the chair a little bit so she could climb up onto the seat. From there it was smooth sailing!!!!!!!

All day long she spent the day with me in the kitchen. She would find a nice sun beam on the floor and bask in it!

All that time she was coming up with a plan and the right time to make her criminal move!!!!!!!! And here I thought she just wanted to hang out with me!!!!!!! She didn’t care about me!!! It was the food that was on her mind!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't be fooled by her cute innocent face!!! She ain't that innocent!

Sigh……………..

So tonight I hope to get back to the Sampler quilt and get a good chunk of it completed. I teach the class at the Shea Heights Community Centre a week from today. So for those of you in the St. John’s area and you are looking to take a quilting course, be sure to get in touch with the H.G.R. Mews Centre. The phone number is 576-8499. You can register over the phone.

I also have one more seat available for my private class here in my home. This same Sampler quilt will start at home on Saturday mornings, starting Sept. 19^th from 9:30am – 12:30pm. For more information, please drop me an email!

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

Labour Day Weekend/Cooking & Baking Day

Happy Long Labour Day Weekend everyone!

With the house to myself (Trevor having to work today), I decided to make good use of the day and go crazy in my kitchen! Well actually I started to get a little silly yesterday when I tried out a Zucchini Quiche. It was quite delicious and below I have posted the recipe. I was a bit stunned as I forgot to take a photo of the final product as we were just too hungry and I just cut into the quiche without thinking.. Duh on my part.

I picked up this book at one of our local Shoppers Drug Mart locations. They have a great variety of recipe and quilting magazines.

Zucchini Quiche

(the mazagine is called "Taste of Home. Picnics Potlucks and Barbecues" The issue says it is to be displayed until July 27, 2009. You might even find the recipe on their website www.tasteofhome.com)

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp butter

2 eggs

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each garlic powder, dried basil and oregano (I used fresh basil and oregano from my garden)(I also used fresh garlic)

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups (8 ounces) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 pastry shell (9 inches)

In a large skillet, saute the zucchini and onion in butter until tender, drain. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, parsley, salt, garlic, basil, oregano and pepper. Stir in cheese and zucchini mixture. Spread mustard over pastry shell; add egg mixture.

Cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Or bake, uncovered at 400 degrees celcius for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning). Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche: Thaw in the refrigerator. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees celcius for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 35 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning). Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

One of Trevor's friends is a recreational farmer, and he is very good at it! He gave us this zucchini and other squash from his garden. I have to say it is the biggest zucchini I have ever seen i my life! It measures 18" long and about 4 inches thick!!!!!! My little zucchinis that I am growing on my patio deck look like tiny pickles next to this monster!!! But I am going to make good use of this baby today! I am going to make chocolate zucchini loaves, another quiche (as the recipe I got it from says it can freeze up to 2 months) I will also make an extra loaf for our farmer friend as a thank you for his generous gifts! hmmm maybe by supplying him with food he might give us more!!! He doesn't sell his produce but keeps so much for himself and gives alot of it away! I'll be more than happy to take some off his hands! He doesn't live that far from us here in Kilbride and he has a nice size farm that he plays in. Trevor says he has sunflowers in his greenhouse measuring over 8 feet tall!!!!!!!!!!!! Mine are about 3 -4 feet now and the buds are just starting to get ready to open.

So today's plan of attack in the kitchen is as follows:

Going to try a new lasagne recipe

Honey Garlic Meatballs

Chocolate Zucchini loaves

Zucchini quiche

Focaccia Bread

Brownies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Butternut Squash/Coconut Soup

And if I have some more time, I'll try a new cod au gratin recipe I found in my recipe collection!

I have a nice little recipe book collection. When I renoed my kitchen I bought a nice big bookcase to display all my recipe books. I wanted a big one so that I would have plenty of room to add to my book collection. Trevor's sister gave us this beautiful hand carved chair. Eventually I plan to reupholster it and make a pretty accent cushion to go with it. Once I get my living/dining room curtains made (so far they have taken me 3 weeks to make and still not complete), I think I will tackle the kitchen roman blind and other accents.

Anyway, I'm drifting off course!! So now I have this cozy little space in my kitchen to curl up and read through my recipe books and choose what I want to create! Like my sewing and quilting, playing in my kitchen is my other big passion!

Speaking of quilting, I will be teaching my Sampler Quilt class a week from tomorrow. Arrgghh!!! I still have so much to do with it! I'm figuring after my day playing in the kitchen today, I'll have to hand cuff myself to my sewing room and get crackin' on finishing this puppy. Right now I am sewing the sashing rows to my block rows. I almost have that complete. I'm figuring another hour with that step and it should be done. Next is the 3 borders. One of which is all 3 inch squares!! hee hee fun times ahead!

Well it is already 11:30am and I have nothing to show for all the plans I have for today, so I better get off this computer and get crackin'! I will take photos as I go along through my kitchen adventures and post again soon!

Let me know if any of you try out the zucchini quiche!!

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea

I’m Becoming The Queen of Procrastination!!!!

I can’t believe I haven’t posted to my blog in a month!!!! Holy Crabcakes!!! Has my life become so busy lately??? I find when I get home I’m quickly changing out of work clothes, taking the dog for a walk, making supper, checking emails, and then.. well then it seems there is always something else to be done that keeps me from sewing or all the other things I want to be doing!! I decided perhaps since I am usually in to work about a half hour earlier on some days since Trevor works earlier than I, I can sit at my desk with my cup of Joe and my raisin toast with cheese whiz and write to my blog. I can save it to my portable hard drive or email it to myself, head to blogspot, copy and paste my thread and then just add the photos!!! Viola!!!! I am not a morning person by any means, but by the time I get to work and the coffee is poured and the toast is ready, I like to sit at my desk and for a few minutes just plan my day from morning to evening.

I think another reason is due to us having such a fabulous warm and sunny summer this year and spending as much time as I possibly can out on my patio deck. I love being out there amongst all the flowers I’ve grown this year. I am also very excited to see my herbs doing so well, and the tomatoes are getting big and plump. Although they are still green they are going to be nice and tasty come harvest time. This is also my first year growing zucchini. I’m starting to finally see some beginning to grow in the flower box. My Sunflowers are doing well this year and getting very tall. I can just see the little bud where the flower will be and I can’t wait to see them soon. I just love sunflowers. Next year I will try to grow them earlier again so they can grow taller and I can grow more. I think they would look very pretty in the front of my house.

With the evenings closing in a little faster, I am finding myself playing in my sewing room a little more. I am currently working on my making panel curtains with grommets for my living/dining room windows. I have never in my life made lined curtains before at this size and I have to say it has been a learning experience! There is soooo much measuring and cutting and measuring again, then pinning, then pressing, then basting, then re-measuring and THEN sewing! I have to say for any of you out there that sews drapes and curtains for a living, you do not get the respect and recognition you truly deserve!!!!!!!!!!!! I am enjoying making these curtains, don’t get me wrong, but I will be happy when they are finally completed and hung!!!

I am also working on the Sampler quilt that I will be teaching this Fall season. Registration started last week at the H.G.R. Mews Center here in St. John’s . For those of you out in blog land who live in the St. John’s , NL area, if you are a resident of St. John’s , you can register now for all courses including mine! If you live outside the St. John’s area, registration for you will be this Thursday, September 3^rd. My course this year will be offered through the Shea Heights Community Center Tuesday evenings, 7-10pm starting September 15th. I went by that facility over the summer and was very impressed with the size of the room and it has a lot of potential for students to have a lot of room to work on their projects.

If however, you find that you are unable to make the class on Tuesday nights, I am also offering this course privately in my home Saturday mornings 9:30am – 12:30pm. There is very limited seating so it is on a first come first serve basis. If you wish to get further information, please don’t hesitate to send me an email at comfortcovedesigns.yahoo.ca.

Here are a couple block teasers!!

With the cooler temperatures not far along I will also be spending more time playing and experimenting in the kitchen. Over the last couple of weeks I have been sitting in my kitchen while cooking supper and looking over my recipe books, making plans for some good food! Speaking of food!! I am taking a cake decorating class next week! Our local Michaels Craft store offers various levels of the Wilton cake decorating. I am taking Level I next Wednesday. It will run for 4 weeks, at which time I will register for the next course in October. I can’t WAIT to start!

Well I should probably end here and get some work done. But I really wanted to post today because I didn’t’ want anyone to think I disappeared or went into hibernation!!! Again with the evenings closing in, and the temperatures cooling down, I will be inside more and getting back sewing more regularly.

Quiltingly Yours

Andrea