Double Irish Chain Lap Quilt

Just finished a lap quilt for my mom. I will give it to her for Christmas. This is only the second time I have made the double Irish chain pattern. I really like the results.

Curry Cauliflower Soup

This soup was inspired by the delicious cooking of my good friend Taruna. It's a soup, but almost a stew because I cram as much cauliflower in it as I can. I hope you like it too! 

Curry Cauliflower Soup

2 Tbsp. curry powder                 1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground black pepper                               1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 cup chopped onion                                                 1 cup chopped carrot

1 Tbsp. minced ginger root                                       2 tsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil                                                   2-3 medium potatoes

1 head of cauliflower                                         8 cups vegetable broth

1 can coconut milk                                                   1  14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 lime

* In a large soup pot over medium/high heat sauté  in oil chopped

onion, carrot, garlic & ginger for 4 minutes. Add in curry powder,

black pepper, & red pepper. Stir for 30 seconds.

* Add in the broth and salt. Add in peeled diced potatoes & chopped cauliflower.

* Add in can of coconut milk. In a small bowl puree can of tomatoes and add in. Juice the lime and add in the juice.

Simmer 15-20 min. 

In the Organic garden - Tomato cages & Storms

 On the 4th of July we had a couple of storms track across our area. The second storm brought pea sized hail with extreme wind and rain. The damage was quick and disastrous for many plants. My Japanese lilac in the front of the house lost a large section which came down very quickly at the start of the storm. Our neighbor had a very large dead tree land in the backyard of the next neighbor, and my garden was really whipped into a frenzy of destruction.

This is the front of the house right after the tree lilac went down. You can see the hail starting to collect (the white stuff on the ground).

This is the poor pepper plant that lost all of its leaves. You can also see the smashed squash behind it. That's pretty much the look of the whole garden. 

   Only one of my 

cherry tomatoes fell over but for the most part they fared better than the garden.

Since the "A" frame I usually try to secure the cherry tomatoes with was not really working well

I decided to get some 6' galvanized fencing and build my own  cages. First I measured the circumference of the top of the pots and then gave them another 6 to 8 inches overlap. I cut them halfway in the rectangles in order to give me a wire to make the hook from. I wanted it to hold but not be so difficult to undo at the end of the season. 

I kept the tomato stake in the middle and only had two of them needing to be wired a little to straighten them out. My hand is small enough to fit in between the wires but you could easily cut some of the in between wires to make a larger opening if need be.

So there you have all 4 varieties of cherry tomato in their new cages. I hope that they will be more stable and give the plants more support too. I will hopefully remember to give an update later on. If you are wondering, I usually grow my cherry tomatoes in pots to keep all those falling tomatoes from becoming weeds next season. If you are wondering the varieties of  cherry tomatoes they are Yellow Pear, Sunsugar, Sweet treat, and Jasper. I start all my tomato seeds the end of Feb. or beginning of March inside the house. 

Now I will wait and hope my garden can recover enough to produce something. 

As always, happy gardening!

Baby Quilts

Just finished 2 little baby quilts. The top one was a lot of fun with the tessellating stars. The bottom quilt is a surprise for a Kindergarten class teacher. Each child in the class decorated a square to be sewn into the quilt so they would all be part of the gift. If you are wondering, I don't really follow specific patterns, I just pick blocks or colors and go from there. They all turn out different sizes as well. 

Disney Quilt Refurbished

This quilt was a combination of taking an old and well loved Disney quilt, cutting it apart, and using the whole squares (some were partial) to put together a new Disney quilt that will hopefully last another lifetime.

Enchilada Soup

This is my take on Enchilada soup. Squash is such a nice addition with so many valuable nutrients like vitamins C, A, E, & B-6 as well as a good source of potassium and fiber.

Enchilada Soup

6 c. vegetable broth                                                1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 small can hot enchilada sauce (if mild add 1/2 tsp. red pepper)

1 small can crushed tomatoes                                 2 small cans black beans (or 1 can, what ever is preferred)

1 butternut squash peeled & cubed                          1 tsp. salt

1 small can chopped black olives                         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tsp dried

1 tsp. ground cumin                                                1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 cup sour cream                           

Shredded cheddar cheese & tortilla chips optional

*optional: 2-4 cups chopped coocked chicken

* Place broth in large soup pan over medium heat. Add onion and

  squash first, then add beans, cilantro, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, 

enchilada sauce, black olives, and salt. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or 

until squash is soft. (Add chicken if desired)

* Ladle out about 2 cups of the broth into a small mixing bowl. Take

sour cream and slowly whisk it into the broth until well combined.

Add the sour cream broth into the large soup pot.

*Serve with some cheese and/or crushed tortilla chips if desired.

** If making with chicken, chicken broth can be used in place of veg. broth.