WIP Wed: 2 Quilts Basted, and Garden-In-Progress

After last post, I can't resist showing you our little baby okra plants coming up in our garden.  I think it's so marvelous that the baby okra leaves have the same "hairs" on them that the mature okra pods do.  Awesome!!

Here's our beans coming up.  We had some nasty cold wet weather last week, so we lost a few starts and some seeds didn't germinate either, so we're still planting...  I just used up the last of the 2011 tomatoes and winter squash recently, but haven't bought lettuce from the store in over a month :-).

I also managed to pin baste my "Purple Haze" and "Modern Granny" quilts.  I just counted up my other "WIP's", and I'm down to 5 quilt tops after these are done!  Yea!!

As usual, I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced WIP Wed. Come see what others are working on as well!

Tuesday at the Table: Fried Okra

The subject this week at "A Quilter's Table Blog" is salads and vegetables.  It took me all of 2 seconds to decide what to post there.  I did a similar post on my old blog, luckily, and had some pictures and the recipe.  Come see what others have brought to the table as well, or bring your favorite recipe and join us!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE fried okra. It's my favorite vegetable. I probably could eat it every day. Unfortunately, living in Oregon, I rarely get to eat this treat.  Okra likes really hot weather and a long growing season. That's probably the main reason you don't find it outside of the South. But I have had some success growing it, both in Southern Oregon, and now in the Pendleton area. If you're lucky enough to have it in your grocery store or farmer's market, give this recipe a try.
First of all, you need to select fresh green small pods of okra, as pictured above. Okra is pretty fragile and bruises and browns (and molds) easily. It'll keep up to a week or so refrigerated if fresh. I start by slicing off the stem caps.

I grew up using a paring knife to slice the okra into rounds of about a 1/4 inch, but discovered that using a mandolin slicer makes the job quicker, easier and more uniform. I bought mine for under $20.
Once all the okra has been sliced, I "bread" it with equal parts flour and cornmeal. My mom used to put it all into a paper bag and shake it. I just add it to the bowl and give it a stir. Okra is naturally very sticky, so there's no need to add any eggs or milk to make it stick! I also add a small amount of salt, but you can add this once it's cooking to taste.

Next, I heat up about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. My grandma used to use bacon fat that made it SO good, but I prefer to use canola oil. Over medium heat, fry or saute the okra until it's tender and medium brown. I usually stir it frequently to keep it from burning... every minute or so, and it typically takes me about 15-20 minutes. My kids have learned (from me) the tradition of nibbling the okra as it cooks, so I always make extra for nibbling.
Some people like Tabasco on the okra after it's served, others, a little pepper. I just like it with a little salt, and we all fight over who gets the last bit from the pan, because all the fried breading crumbs that fall off are also yummy! Enjoy!

"Purple Haze" Quilt top Done!

Our weather here has been just lousy!  It's been cold, windy and wet, which is not great for the beginning of summer vacation, or for our garden, but it's great sewing weather.  I was able to finish my Lavender challenge quilt, which I'm naming "Purple Haze"!  Who doesn't love Jimmy Hendrix? 

I also got the back of my "Modern Granny" quilt sewn up, and the back started on the Purple Haze Quilt.  If this weather keeps up, I may even get these 2 quilts pin basted and quilted.  I hope your week-end has been much nicer, weather-wise than ours!!

Postcards on Etsy, Trying Something New

I've been having so much fun making postcards, that I decided to try to list a few postcards on Etsy this week, to see what happens!!  I wanted to make one to send to my Father-in-Law for Father's Day, and made up a few extra! Click HERE to see the listing!  I'll let you know how it goes...

I also got these 2 beauties in the mail this week, as part of the "Reproduction Apron Swap"!  Thanks Sheila and Linda!  I LOVE them!! 

When I first saw reproduction fabric in a store, I wasn't too impressed, but it's really grown on me through the years.  I've seen some incredible quilts made from this fabric, and hope to some day make one, but I really have very little of it in my stash right now, so it may be a while before that happens!!

It's also the last day of school for my boys today, so if I become pretty scarce soon, you'll know why.  I hope all of you have a great summer!  I'll try to pop in here as time permits!

WIP Wed: Lavender Challenge

With only a few days left of school, I decided to start one more quilt before my "design wall", which is also our living room floor, becomes too difficult to keep free and clean.

I visited a quilt store in a neighboring town recently and a quilt challenge caught my eye.  Actually, the fabric that is supposed to be the focus fabric caught my eye.  I love purple, I love lavender, I love this fabric!

Oregon holds a state-wide Lavender Festival every July, with events at dozens of lavender farms spread throughout Oregon, including Purple Ridge Lavender Farm in nearby Hermiston, Oregon.  Our local farm joined up with Aunty Ida's Quilt Shop to hold a quilt challenge, to create a quilt of any size using a yard of this fabric.

I've never done a quilt challenge using a focus fabric, so I thought that this would be fun to try, but I passed up all of the very tempting coordinating fabric the store had on display, and used scrap and stash fabric instead.

I've also been wanting to try out a "Bento Block" Quilt for a few years now, and thought using some of my stash Asian fabric would be a fun twist.  I sewed up some boxes first.

Then I cut them up and started rearranging them.

My final decision was to stick with the "traditional" squares put back together.  Now I'm just working on how to arrange these blocks within the quilt.

This certainly has been a challenge for me!!  Wish me luck getting it finished in time for the festival!

As usual, I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced WIP Wed.  Come see what others are working on!!

Tuesday at the Table: Roasting Your Own Coffee Beans

When Debbie, at A Quilter's Table announced that this week she'd focus on beverages and appetizers, I wasn't really sure what I'd write about.  Then I remember a prior post I'd done a few years ago about coffee roasting.  Since moving from Michigan back to Oregon, I haven't roasted any coffee (the glass roasting bin cracked during the move).  But we did get a replacement, and who knows, maybe I'll start roasting again, as coffee prices have really gone up in the last year or so.

I started roasting my own coffee several years ago as a way to save money. I wanted to drink organic fair trade coffee, but the price for such was so expensive. I don't remember where I found out about coffee roasting, but somehow found and decided to buy a small coffee roaster from Sweet Maria's Home Coffee Roasting Company. In Oregon, getting good coffee was never an issue. My kids' earliest memories must include regular trips  through numerous coffee drive-through stands that are scattered through out Southern Oregon.

The world of coffee can be compared to the wine world. There are so many varieties, so many regions, several ways to process the coffee cherry to make the green bean. Each variety and region has it's own flavor and characteristics. It's really an interesting subject.



When we moved to Northern Michigan I came to depend on my coffee roaster to make my own coffee. In small town rural Northern Michigan,  it was hard to find the same quality of coffee I had gotten used to in Oregon. It's so much better, and cheaper. I have control over the coffee, where it comes from, how long I roast it, etc... Sure it's a bit of effort, but well worth it.



And it's not rocket science. You simply put the green beans in the roaster and turn the timer on. You have to know the different roasting levels... As the beans roast, they expand, and "crack". It sounds a bit like pop-corn popping. After the first crack, the beans can be ready to grind into coffee, if you like that style. They'll be light brown. Most people prefer a fuller bodied coffee though and continue the roasting a bit further. If you roast long enough, you'll get to the "second crack" stage. Once again, the beans make their distinctive crack, but this time the oils in the coffee bean are released. This makes it very easy for them to burn. Not good. Once that second crack is done, you need to remove them from the heat and cool them. Then your fresh home-roasted coffee is ready to brew into my favorite beverage... Mmmm coffee....
 

More Swap Postcards

I decided to try some new foundation paper that I recently bought for these aprons, thinking that it'd be faster than the freezer paper piecing. 

Boy was I wrong.  I love the new paper, but I think from now on, I'll be using the freezer paper method if I can!!  It eliminates the "backwards flip side confusion", and creates a nice precise finish, and really doesn't involve any more cutting and trimming than the foundation method.  I don't like the foundation aprons nearly as much as I like the freezer pieced ones.  I thought I'd try both ways on the same pattern to compare.  Now I know.  I'm now eager to try making a home made light box that a local friend told me how to make.  Stay tuned...

Just as I got the last of my postcards into the mail, I started seeing the following beauties appear in my mail box!!

Flossie is my kind of lady!  She and I were on the same "wave" length (pun totally intended) as we interpreted the theme "where you want to be".  The beach is the place for both of us.

Can you believe the detail on this card?  Look at the sea shells and beads in the waves!

Lynn must be following Space X's Dragon mission closely , as our family has been, as she wants to go to the moon!  So cool!!  Unfortunately, it picked up a stain in its travels.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to mail these cuties.  Flossie (and I) used clear cellophane envelopes.  Many people prefer them "naked" though.  That's how I'll send my aprons, per that swap.  I'd love to hear your opinion.  Do you like the artifacts and postmarks and such on these postcards, or do you like them protected?