As Promised….

Here is my latest on Quaker Halloween:

Here’s a close-up of my mistake:

That spider has to be moved one stitch to the right.

This is what it should look like:

I tried to watermark with “Cherished Stitches”, but my photo editing skilz are non-existent.

I helped the 2 guacamoles do some painting today. I cut in the living room ceiling, and put the first coat of primer on the medium size bedroom. Adam went behind me and painted the living room ceiling while poor Emily valiantly scraped and pried the pig (who in their frikkin’ right mind would think PIGS would make a “cute” kitchen motif???) border off the kitchen walls. Success on all fronts!

As Promised…..

Here are photos of my progress on my last 2 ornaments:

HinH “Wee Santa 2010”:

I’ve started biting my nails over whether I have enough of the red floss to finish his cape!

Here’s my Rosewood Manor Snowflake:

The beads will be a bitch on this, I’m sure.

I spent almost the entire S & B pulling out the errant spider web on Quaker Halloween; as I finished the border for the motif I realized tonight that the one spider (who kindly pointed out my counting error) I had stitched is also off by the one stitch, so he’ll have to be removed too. I’ll try for a picture tomorrow so you can see what I’m talking about. Bah!

Day Late and a Dollar Short….

as usual, King Friday!

I wish someone had said something earlier in the week:

Yes, I’m still in here somewhere…

I even picked up a needle at lunch today for the first time since…...maybe January???? on that Wee Santa Em gave me for Xmas.

I WAS planning on stitching tonight but those plans got de-railed. I will try to take some pictures tomorrow- it’s too dark & messy right now. I have progress on Quaker Halloween (we skipped S & B last week) but as I was finishing up 2 weeks ago, I realized the center spider web was one stitch off-center. So that needs some ripping-out. Luckily that part of the motif worked up quickly, so I should be back on track soon.

Next month, I’ll be able to take this out again:

Sorry to be such a lackluster and sporadic blogger; just lots of noodgy stuff going on. In fact, when I went to the dentist Monday,  instead of  being my usual walking dead, my blood pressure was up to 142 over 74. Normally I’m low 90’s over 60. So now I’m conscious of trying to take deep, relaxing breathes and I’ve noticed my jaw being clenched more often- again with the dentist!

I know I have a back-up recipe on my computer somewhere, but I don’t feel like digging it out tonight. Maybe I’ll have a chance tomorrow.

Em has been house-sitting for friends this week, kind of inconveniently far away from here, so I’ve been walking Axe around the indoor-another chance of trying to relax! She’s such a good pony!

Chick pea needs a walk, and American Idol is coming on.

TTFN

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Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Another savory offering tonight; I guess the prolonged cold has affected me: I’m really craving soup these days! I saw this on My Best Bites. I added additional chicken broth to stretch the volume further. Next time I’ll process the diced tomatoes a bit- my Delmonte Italian spice diced tomatoes were about 1” dice- too big for my tastes.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

• 3 links Italian sausage or 2 patties (hot Italian sausage was excellent)
• 4 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ c. water
• 1 carton + 1 can chicken broth
• ½ c. apple cider
• one 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
• one 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 c. sliced carrots
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
• 8-10 oz. package frozen or dry (Barilla)cheese tortellini
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that's two tablespoons)

1. If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.
2. Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked.
3. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
5. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I came across this recipe somewhere last Friday, on Tastespotting. It was so fiendishly simple, from such unassuming ingredients, I knew it had the potential to be outrageously good!

Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

• 24 tater tots, partially defrosted (about 30 minutes at room temp.)
• 12 strips of good-quality bacon, cut in half
• 24 small chunks of sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese (about 1/8”x1”x1/2”
• Tabasco sauce
• Toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil & spray with nonstick spray.

2. In assembly line fashion, gently cut a slit down the center of each tater tot, and insert a piece a cheese; set aside on plate, cheese side up.

3. Sprinkle Tabasco on top of cheese.

4. Lay a piece of bacon on a flat surface. Place tater tot on top, and roll bacon tightly around the stuffed tot, and secure with a toothpick.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over, and continue baking until bacon is crispy, about 10-15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

On the way in:

On the way out:

Makes 24 appetizers.

PS:

go back to the original recipe for some variations!

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hari-kuyo to you!

Thanks to Coni Spinster, here’s the story about the Japanese Festival of Broken Needles.

In my case, I think I actually would have to pick up the needle to have any chance of breaking it. I’ve come to the conclusion that I made an ill-advised decision to halt work on LHN’s “Gingerbread Cottage”. For some reason my ambition to stitch has gradually dwindled to just Thursday evenings on Stitch & Bitch night since setting this one aside. This was the last time I showed a photo, and I think I stopped stitching soon after. My thoughts now lean to resuming “Gingerbread” in the hopes of reversing the voodoo spell I’ve been under.

It’s almost halfway done, right? What am I waiting for?

Aslan

Chicken, Rosalita and Aslan in the back

Never liked the camera flash.

Delilah on the left, Aslan on the right

Baby Delilah playing on top of her “new” uncle

 

New uncle checking out the new baby Delilah.

Loved the sunshine

Tied for Best-Kitty-in-the–Whole-Wide-World with his deceased sister Rosalita. Today they’re playing together again.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

With all the crappy weather we’ve been having, a pot of soup has been sounding like an oasis of comfort and warmth. I browsed thru Tasty Kitchen’s recipe index and found this soup. Here is my version, but please refer to the original for a nice photo- I was too busy slurping to take one!

Easy One Pot Tortilla Soup

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ green or red pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne (or to taste)
• ½ lb. Boneless chicken, ¾” dice
• 32 oz plus 1 can chicken broth
• 1/3 cup enchilada sauce
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 can green chilis (Ortega Fire roasted are good)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• ¼ - ½ fresh jalapeño, chopped finely

1. In a large pot, add olive oil & heat on medium. Add onion & green pepper and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sprinkle cumin and cayenne and stir.
2. Season chicken pieces with salt & pepper, and add to pot. Brown each side about 4 minutes each. You can also substitute pre-cooked shredded chicken and add it at this time, and proceed to next step.
3. Pour in chicken broth, canned chilis, corn, jalapeno, and enchilada sauce. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
4. Right before serving, stir in sour cream. Serve & garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, sour cream, lime & cilantro.

It was Em’s idea to add the corn- nice touch!