The Disappearing 4-Patch Block!

Hello!  Are you ready for some sewing fun? Here we go....!

Here's what we'll be making...  Isn't that just plain fun??  I used Lily & Loom fabrics - the Daisy Collection - from Craftsy.  Loving the bold colors and thinking it will go for either baby boy or girl.  I haven't added borders yet, but will show the finished quilt after I do that.

I used the charm pack size - 5" squares and made 4-patch units using 2 white squares and 2 of each print.  I found out the hard way that it's much better to use squares that when sewn together are divisible by 3 because you'll be cutting the 4-Patch into Thirds.  The 5" squares sewn together came out to 9 1/2" blocks which was not exactly the most fun I've ever had as I tried to cut them evenly into thirds... Here's a sample block:

So...

I tried 4 3/4" squares when I made this blue sample block and it comes out to 9" which of course easily divides into 3's! Yay!  Much, much easier!

                                                     

And this final picture shows how you can rearrange the pieces to make the design I used on the baby quilt above.
I hope you'll try this and have fun being creative as you experiment!



Here's your inspirational quote of the day:

"Beautiful things come together...one stitch at a time."  ;)
                                                   

The Smokies!

Howdy from Tennessee!

I decided to take a little break from cooking and sewing, so here we are seeing the Smoky Mountains for the first time.  It's breathtakingly beautiful, as you can see.  So take a minute to enjoy what we are blessed to be experiencing.  The first pic is sunrise from our cabin.  Boy, let me tell you...getting to this cabin was no joyride!  Talk about steep, curvy and narrow....my husband was ready to turn around (if there was room to do so) and go back the way we came!  But we persevered and made it just fine.  Coming and going is always tricky because you cannot see around the hairpin turns, but fortunately there's not much traffic.

from our cabin's deck

This is our first trip to a National Park and it's a fabulous experience. Must see to be believed! The visitor's centers are wonderful and informative with Nature Centers and movies of how the Park came to be, etc.  We set out to walk a trail and somehow ended up on the Newfound Gap road that crosses the entire park, north to south! 50+ miles of rather slow-moving traffic, but wow! What a ride!  So glad we did it.  There are lots of places to park for pic opportunities...which is where these pics were taken.

Finding a trail that would suit 2 "older" people that aren't used to hiking very much was not an easy task, so now we had to just follow this very long road (50 miles of slow, slow driving with lots of turn-offs to park and take pics) and see if we could find another trail suitable for us.

Turns out that near the end of that a road was a perfect trail for us...we even saw a bear run across our trail up ahead (no pic, though...but trust me - you don't want to get that close anyway!) It ran up another hill which was fine with us.  We met some really nice families that we ended up walking most of the way with.  They had several children with them which we were glad for after seeing that bear.  Families have kids. Kids make noise.  Bears don't like noise...noise is good!

So there you have it..just a small bit of our trip to the Smokies.  Go and see it for yourself someday...you'll be glad you did!

Quote of the day: 

 Everyday is a second chance. ;)

Applesauce Cake

Hope you're good & hungry, because this blog is about a delicious, rich - yet healthy (well, sortof) cake!  It's Applesauce Cake at its best!  I found the recipe in this old cookbook that my mom bought me decades ago (bless her heart) She loved to cook and bake and I inherited her passion as well.  She tended to "doctor" recipes a lot more than I do, though.  Well...I may be doing that more now myself come to think of it!  

Ah, but I degress...anyway, this is the book and I found it for sale on ebay if you're interested in getting a copy.  It's got some really marvelously tasty recipes of all types and is beautifully illustrated.  The pictures always inspire me!  It's fun just to browse through.  And if you're in a rut like I was - this book will help you climb out! :)

Just look at these pictures!  Doesn't it make you want to run to the kitchen and start baking right now?!!

Ok...perhaps not...but it might motivate you at least some time in the near future..

 

And this is what the finished product looks like.  It's so moist and delicious it doesn't even need a frosting or icing of any kind....which always tends to make me believe it's low-cal.
It's probably not, but it's also not as full of fat and calories as it would be if it did have icing!
So go ahead and have a second slice. :)




So here's the recipe:

Applesauce Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups applesauce  (see, it IS healthy! ha!)
2 tablespoons molasses
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins (I decreased this to about 3/4 cup and added
2/3 cup chopped pecans)  (more healthiness...) ;)

In mixing bowl, cream the sugar and shortening. Beat in applesauce and molasses, mix well.
In separate bowl, sift together (I didn't sift, I stirred) flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; add gradually - and I do mean GRADUALLY - it will fly all over if you add too much at once! -  to batter, mixing well to moisten...don't over beat!  Stir in raisins (and nuts if you like).  Pour into a greased, floured fluted tube pan.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (mine was done in about 40, so check after about 30-35 minutes or so...) or until cake tests done with toothpick. Cake will not rise to top of pan. After 10 minutes, remove cake from pan and cool on a wire rack.  Yield: 8-10 servings

Inspirational quote of the day:

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today" ~ Will Rogers

Disappearing 9-Patch block!

Good evening!  Hope your day has been marvelous!  The weather here in the Midwest has been absolutely beautiful and we are thankful and blessed.

I want to show you a new block I recently learned and it's so much fun!  It's called the Disappearing 9-Patch block because you sew together a traditional 9 patch block and then cut it up and create different blocks from it!

This is the finished product - I made mine a table runner.

 I wanted mine to have a striking pattern so I used 2 bold colors plus white.








First of all, in case you've never made one - a traditional 9-patch block is simply 9 squares cut the same size and sewn together in rows of three.  See below:

And after that you cut them apart right down the middle both vertically and horizontally.  It's important to measure carefully and also to sew all seams 1/4" wide.













Then you just play around with arranging them different ways like I did below.  Lots of options!  And it's fun with more variety in the fabrics, too.  Like using busy, busy prints with solids, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and will share with me your successes, too!
Next quilt tutorial will be on the Disappearing 4-Patch!  Makes a really cute baby quilt!

Quote of the day: "Whoever said 'Less is more' never had a dessert - and she certainly never bought fabric!!

And also this famous one: "When life gives you scraps - make a quilt!"

All for now...rest well tonight so you can quilt all day tomorrow! 

:)

mary lou

Shepherd's Pie

So Shepherd's Pie was on the menu for tonight's dinner....and here's what happened..
(By the way, you will NOT find perfection on my website....I will daringly show my mistakes as well as my victories in both cooking and sewing so that you know we are all learning together!)  ;0

So this was looking pretty good, right?  I thought so!  However...I deviated from the recipe just a tad...
I tend to think most recipes for Shepherd's pie leave a lot to be desired where the sauce/gravy is concerned.
So I experimented.  Not always a good idea to deviate too far, you know...
I added the beef broth as instructed but wanted more "beefy" flavor so I also added a pkg of dry gravy mix....then I figured it would be too thick, so I added more beef broth.




This is the result....the gravy came over the top onto the cheesy part!  Didn't look pretty, but I must say - it was delicious!

So next time I just need to add less liquid and it'll be perfect, right?  

I won't hold my breath...

Here is the recipe:

Shepherd's Pie Mary Lou's way

4 large potatoes, peeled, cubed

3 Tbsp butter

3-4 Tbsp milk

1 1/4 lbs ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup or so of frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup beef broth

1 pkg brown gravy

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp water

1 - 1/4 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions: (Preheat oven to 325)

Bring a large pot of water  to boil. Add cubed potatoes, cook till soft - 15-20 min.  Drain & add butter (to taste) and milk - adding a little at a time to get thick consistency...don't add all at once or it may be too thin.

Brown ground beef and then add onion, celery, carrots and saute till veg are tender, but not too soft. (7-10 min). Add garlic, peas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and gravy mix. Simmer 3-5 minutes. If it's too thin add the corn starch/water mixture and simmer 3-4 more minutes. 

Carefully pour the ground beef/veg mixture into a  2-Quart casserole dish or a 9 X 13 pan and spread evenly.  Smooth mashed potatoes over the top. Cover with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, adding the rest of the cheddar about 10 minutes before removing from oven.  Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes till bubbly and golden brown.

Hope your's turns out delicious, too!  I welcome comments...but please be kind...I'm sortof new at this!

Quote of the day: "Go and be as the butterfly!" (from Jan Karon's books)

Hello and Welcome!

Good morning!

This is a new blog that's all about things I love and I hope you'll visit often!

There will be recipes, tips on cooking/baking and sewing/quilting as well as the inspirational quote or story here and there.

I have found that sharing ideas is exciting and uplifting and pours new life into everything we do, so that's what I hope will happen here.

I have been cooking for my husband and family for many years and was in a rut until cooking shows magically started showing up on my TV!  It has definitely breathed new life into my meal prep!  I enjoy such shows as Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa, and Trisha Yearwood's Southern Kitchen - and there are so many more!

I also sew and quilt and enjoy watching YouTube videos such as those by Missouri Star and Jenny Doan.  I am learning to free motion machine quilt and it is quite exciting!  It's fun to do - but takes awhile to master - and it helps me save money - which is also a plus!

All for now...hope your day is filled with sunshine!

Happy cooking & sewing!
Mary Lou