WIP Wednesday #6

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Sewfrench

Well, I perfected my seam ripping, this week.  That’s for sure.
Taken apart  ✔
Rearranged ✔
Put back together ✔
Rebasted ✔

It will be worth it when it’s finished, I know it will be.  And I am SO glad I’ve taken the time to arrange the pieces correctly.  Even if, I couldn’t see it right off the bat.

Besides, I also got to correct all the points that didn’t match up to my perfectionism, LOL!

Much improved over last week…

I also took this 1 yard piece of Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in Curry,

and turned it into this

12 yards of continuous, double, bias binding.  It’s it luscious?  Just saying Kona cotton Curry makes me hungry!  I bought this from my favorite Kona Solids merchant, Simply Solid Fabric, over at Etsy.  Check out the 15% off deal she’s got going on, right now.  Not sure how much longer it will last, but there still appears to be a pretty nice selection!

Hopefully next week I’ll have something new and fun to share…

Be sure and click the WIP button and see what all the really cool people are working on this week.  Maybe you’ll see something that inspires you and we all need a little more inspiration in our lives.  Right?

Posted in Crafting, Quilting, Sewing, WIP | 10 Comments

Have you had your Omega 3’s today??

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Sewfrench

It’s that time of year, again.   In our neck of the woods it’s time for fresh salmon.  We all know, by now, we should be eating fresh fish several times a week and especially the fatty acid fish like salmon.  Now, toss in some fresh avocado and we are talking some serious Omega 3s!

Several years ago, good friends and neighbors invited us over to share in their bounty. They had been on a salmon fishing trip, out on Lake Michigan, and brought in their limit of the big ones.  How could we say no?! Anyway….. Ever since then we’ve been talking about creating a similar salmon dish.  Today we did.

This one is roughly based on a Marcus Samuelsson recipe.  And Rosalie’s, of course.

Open face fresh Salmon Salad Sandwiches

3/4 -1 pound fresh salmon, skin removed, cut into two pieces

Sweet Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

fresh dill, fronds, if you buy the little packs in the produce department, 2 packages will do

2 boiled eggs, chopped

mayo

capers

avocado

lettuce

pumpernickel bread

Brush one side of the salmon with some of the sweet mustard sauce, lay half a bunch of dill on top of each piece.  Heat a skillet to hot and add several twirls of olive oil and heat to near smoking.  Do not use a nonstick pan, the cooking police with show up and your salmon won’t cook properly.  Toss in your salmon pieces, dill side down.  Cook about 4 minutes, until about 1/2 done, you can see it cooking.  Using a metal spatula scrape/flip your salmon over.

It should be brown and crusty because of the honey mustard, don’t fret, it’s not over cooked.  Cook another 4-5 minutes, until done, but not dry.  It really depends on the thickness of your salmon.  Set aside to cool while you continue on.

In a good-sized bowl add:

1/2 c. mayo

1 TBS capers

A couple of TBS of the Sweet Mustard sauce, I used all that was left

your 2 boiled, chopped eggs

1 bunch of dill fronds, chopped, remove the bigger stems

The cooked dill, chopped

Yes, it seems like a lot of dill, but it is just plain awesome!

Mash in half of an avocado

The juice of one lime

A nice sprinkling of sea salt

Plenty of fresh ground black pepper

Now shred the salmon in with your hands.

Toss gently.  Taste and re~season, if necessary.

You can serve it warm, right away or serve chilled which we prefer.

Serve open faced atop grilled pumpernickel on a bed of lettuce and avocado slices.

Serves a lot!

Sweet Mustard Sauce

2 TBS Dijon

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS honey

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

pepper

This is so, SO good!  We’ll be doing a repeat on this one!  Let me know if you try it!

Cheers!

Posted in Eating, Health, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Recreating foodie memories…

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Sewfrench

Do you do this?  Do you recreate the bestest foodie moments of your life?  Or at least try to???

We are obsessed with eating out, trying new recipes, trying to recreate favorite dishes and especially the best of times………

This is our version of  a dish we had way back in March at Ceviche Tapas Bar in Tampa. We knew we were up for a great time when we considered who all would be sharing our table!

Ceviche Tapas BarPeter and I, along with my sister, Kim, met up with internationally renowned, fitness guru, Teresa Tapp and her side kick, IT manager, Lisa Moretti for an early dinner.  Teresa and I went back and forth, back and forth, trying to find a day and a time that worked for everyone.  We eventually settled on an early dinner time slot.  Then when Teresa suggested Ceviche as one of the options, because of where we were all coming from, it seemed like a logical choice and I jumped on it.  Enough with the options, not to mention names, but I’ve heard a well respected foodie Tapper brag on this place, I needed to see what this was all about.  Seriously.

The wine list was amazing.

The menu was small plates and a tad bit overwhelming, to say the least.

JAMON SERRANO ~ The prized air-dried ham from the mountains of Spain, served with figs, grapes and pear slices.

It is the authentic of dishes of Northern Spain and Catalan. It very much reminded us of one of our favorite Grand Rapids restaurants, San Chez Tapas Bistro, lots of the same dishes and flavors.

ATUN ESTILO TARTARO Sushi-grade tuna hand chopped with capers, onions, fresh parsley and sesame oil. Served with the cutest little blue corn cones to scoop it up with!

So when Teresa walks in and orders Ceviche de Salmon and flat out tells us she will *not* be sharing, order your own if you want a taste, the foodie in us knew we were on to something.  Something delicious.  And it did not fail us.  The freshest of salmon marinated in lemon, lime, cilantro, sweet onion and topped with caviar.  Delicious!


So here we are, 4 months later, ready to recreate this recipe, in northern Michigan, salmon country, no doubt, and can’t get our hands on ceviche quality salmon, anywhere…. So what do we do?  We turn to Burritt’s in Traverse City.  They suggest tuna and we jump on it because we know it’s fresh and have been enjoying Tuna Poke salad at a number of restaurants including Firefly in Traverse City and Mikado’s in Grand Rapids.  And besides tuna poke, salmon ceviche, same diff, right???  Okay, not really, but similar.  So this is neither and both.   Minus the caviar.  Never been a huge fan, myself.  It’s a texture thing that goes back to a Japan trip…. ‘Nother story, different day.

Any~way……..

This is what we came up with.

Garlic Aioli Sauce

Ceviche de Tuna

1 1/4 pounds very fresh tuna steak

3/8 cup olive oil

2 limes, zested

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp wasabi powder

2 1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp hot red pepper sauce

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 TBS freshly ground black pepper

4 minced scallions, white and green parts both

1  fresh jalapeno pepper, minced, seeds removed

1 ripe avocado

1 TBS toasted sesame seeds, black and white

Cut the tuna into 1/4-inch dice and place it in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, soy sauce, hot red pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tuna, add the scallions and jalapeno, and mix well. Cut the peeled seeded avocado into 1/4-inch dice. Carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds, and season to taste. Allow the mixture to meld, in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour.

Serve over a bed of your freshest greens and top with a garlic aioli sauce.

Garlic Aioli Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

and pipe on the top of each serving

We served it up with fresh fried wonton chips but I suppose pita chips or water crackers would work in a pinch…

Other than maybe zipping it up a bit more, next time, you know we like it spicy around here, the only other thing we would add would be more friends.  Just bring on the friends. We need more of those in our lives.

Everyday.

Good food with great friends…

Can never be recreated often enough…..

Go for it.

You know you want to.

You won’t be disappointed.

Cheers!

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Family, Fitness, Recipes, Recreating foodie memories, t-tapp, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friday Funday!

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Sewfrench

Tara, this one’s for you!

Tara’s Terrific Grapefruit Mint Margarita
printer friendly version

1 shot simple syrup

4 shots fresh grapefruit juice

3 shots tequila

1 shot lime juice

Muddle 16 smaller mint leaves with the simple syrup and grapefruit juice.  Then roughly strain the liquid into your Vitamix.  Add in your tequila, lime juice and a glass of ice.   More if you want it slushy.  Blend until smooth.  Pour over your muddled leaves and top with more mint, if you like.

Sit back and reflect on what a great week it’s been.

Here’s to a fabulous weekend.  Cheers!

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Gardening, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Thematic Thursday

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Sewfrench

You know, we’ve been contemplating all the different ways to use fresh mint, this week. Right?

So keeping with the theme, I was researching recipes, a notice, by my latest and greatest recipe food blogger, Jenna, over at EatRunLive popped up.  Lo and behold, not only does she have exciting news to share, her latest recipe featured fresh mint!

How is that for being at the right place at the right time????

So for tonight, along side fresh salmon, I did a test run of Jenna’s

Grape Tomato and Walnut Tabbouli

½ cup dry bulgar, Bob’s Red Mill brand (is what I used)

¾ cup water

1 cup sliced grape (we call them cherry) tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup fresh mint, minced

½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

juice of one large lemon

½ tsp sea salt

Bring water to a boil on the stove. Once boiling, add bulgar then cover and turn off burner. Let sit for 15 minutes, or until bulgar has absorbed all of the water.

Fluff cooked bulgar with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss together well. Season with salt to taste and serve.

Tabbouli will keep in refrigerator for up to six days.

Number of servings: 6.

Or 3 depends on who is eating.

As I always do, I follow the recipe to a T.  The first time.  Second time, I alter it to what *I* think it should be.

Now, I have never disliked any of Jenna’s recipes, actually, I have always loved them! But my idea what Tabbouli and Jenna’s are a bit different, not much, but a bit.

Okay well, the main difference between them was that I

skipped the nuts the second time. Never have been a fan of walnuts, always been a pecan sort of girl, myself.
I added a large minced clove of garlic,
doubled the parsley,
upped the mint and lemon juice a bit and
added a handful of chopped chives, because I had them coming out my ears.
Oh, and I used Near East brand tabouli, just the grain, not the mix.

After they both chilled and the flavors married, they were really, very similar.

The local vote:

Jenna’s ~1

Lori’s ~1

Needs to eat more to decide ~1

Either way, we’ll be making Tabbouli again!

Thanks you for the inspiration, Jenna!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Wickedly Good Wednesday

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Sewfrench

Okay, so we’ve made mint iced tea, mint chocolate chunk cookies, what’s next??

The most common suggestion I’ve gotten, so far?  Mojito’s.  Sounds like a good idea for me. Wednesday doesn’t always have to be a Winesday, now does it???

Gather up 8-12 fresh mint leaves, 2-3 wedges of a lime.

A little higher quality rum.

A muddler, must have a muddler.  Okay, you don’t *have* to, but it’s nice.  And if you use one you’ll feel like a real bartender….  Try it.

And a lake to admire, while sitting, doesn’t hurt.

Amanda’s Special Recipe Mojito
Printer friendly version

In a 16 oz glass

Place 8-12 mint leaves along with 1/4 – 1/2 a lime, in wedges

1 shot of simple syrup ~you know half water, half sugar, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes and then cool down.  We keep this in the refrigerator at all times for homemade lemonade, to sweeten smoothies and for a variety of mixed drinks.

Muddle with your above mentioned muddler.  If you don’t have one, the end of a wooden spoon could work, in a pinch.  No problem.

Add 1 1/2 – 2 shots of your higher shelf Rum, you decide the strength

Fill with ice and stir it up.

Top off with Club soda (maybe 4 oz?)

Sit back and sip while you admire your mint and all the ways you are enjoying using it.

Breathe in the smells of summer to reminisce on, come winter.

Cheers!

Posted in Cooking, Cottage, Gardening, Recipes | 5 Comments

WIP Wednesday #5

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Sewfrench

I’ve got a finish.  Finally.

Temple Doors fabric with amy butler patternAnd the back.

Amy Butler raincoat pattern xs by SewfrenchIt’s been a busy couple of weeks, but I’m back at quilting now.  Sort of.

I spotted a quilt I was fascinated with, in this year’s Blogger’s Quilt Festival spring 2011.

I love houndstooth and I’d never seen a quilt done in this pattern.  I also love Kona Cotton Solids, so I thought this is my next, just for fun personal challenge.  Looks fun, right?

Looks easy enough, too.  I can figure that out….  You’ve said it, you know you have.

Well, it wasn’t as easy as it appeared.  Once I got the cutting part figured out, lots of cutting to do, the individual pieces were easy enough to put together.  Easy Peasy.

Houndstooth quilt pin bastedThen once I got the grandchildren safely returned to their parents, I got my quilt all pin basted, feet propped up, movie started, a glass of wine to sip on, and sat down to hand quilt it.

As I was sitting there planning my quilting strategy was when I realized how spatially blind I am…….

The problem came into play when I went to lay out the pattern. The first chunk, the above section, no problem, then that must be about the time I figured out a short cut. See the problem???

Houndstooth quilt layoutI’m pretty sure that’s some kind of flower pattern.  The kind of quilts your great grandma may have made and I don’t do those……

Now the only short cut there is has to do with cutting out lots and lots of short rows of stitching……

Some wondered why I just wouldn’t leave it be and quilt it as it was.  Well, it wouldn’t be a houndstooth, then where would I be?  Sitting around drinking wine trying to figure out a clever name for a new pattern and that isn’t my strong point…..  The clever naming, that is….

Seam ripping while drinking wine, I’m good at.  Or I will be by the time this think is put back together in a herringbone pattern….

By the time this quilt is put back together, I’ll be at the expert level.  On all things…

Be sure and go check out all the other WIP Wednesday links.  They may actually be getting something interesting accomplished…..

Posted in fabric, Family, Quilting, Sewing, WIP | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Do you need Tempting on this Tuesday?

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Sewfrench

Amanda has been hard at work researching mint recipes for me.  This was her winning pick for using up more fresh mint.  Thanks for the photography, too, Amanda!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint

1 stick of butter, room temperature
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract, you made the good stuff, right?
1-1/2 c. of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of baking soda
3/4 c. of chocolate chips, we used a mixture of dark and semi-sweet Ghiradelli chips, milk would be too sweet and the dark added just the right amount of oomph!
1/4 c of packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

You know the drill.  No one needs to tell you how to make a chocolate chip cookie.  We used a medium sized scoop, then slightly pressed them down with our fingers and baked them on parchment lined sheets, at 350°, for 12-15 minutes or until gooey and the smell drove us crazy.

Makes about 18 depending on the size scoop you use.

Not sure if I can top this one, tomorrow, or ever for that matter!  But I will give it a try!

Cheers!

Posted in Cooking, Gardening, Recipes | Tagged , | 4 Comments

It’s just another Minty Monday……

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Sewfrench

Have you ever grown mint?  If you have you know what an aggressive little bugger it can become.  Even when grown in a planter, on your deck, come July, it will take off like a hot bottle rocket.  There is no stopping it.  Last year, that little $2.49 plant busted my favorite planter.  The only plant that ever survived in it, but still…..

So if you did plant mint and it took off, you’re probably wondering why you planted it… Especially if you made the mistake of planting it directly in the ground.  Egads, let’s hope not!  I know it’s a perennial, and all that jazz, but I prefer to treat it as an annual and keep it contained in a planter.  It’s enough that it’s runners run right off the deck and between the planks to try to find soil way down there, anywhere, somewhere….  Scar-y!

So we have been planting mint, in planters, for the last 8 or 9 years.  Ever since Amanda picked out a concrete planter, at the garden center, and wanted to plant an herb garden. Our first herb garden was contained in one planter, if I remember correctly.  Little did we know how large that one little plant would become.  It’s a fun plant, just the same.  Kids can eat off it, it smells good and it is a never fail plant.  Besides that, there really are health benefits from eating mint.  It’s high in Vitamins A, C and B2.  It’s high in the essential minerals manganese, copper, iron, potassium and calcium.  So even though you take it in in small amounts you can still see significant benefits.

It soothes heartburn, indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome (whatever that catch all phrase means…).  It’s great for bad breath and cools the skin when used as a compress for sunburns or hot flashes.  Mint, when used as a tea, can cleanse the blood, rid you of acne, and act as a mild calming sedative.

It really is an attractive plant that needs little attention.  Bonus!

So, if your mint took off anything like ours did and you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what in the world to do with all this mint…..

I believe today I’ll start with a tall, refreshing glass of mint iced tea.

Put several mint leaves in the bottom of a pint mason jar, add a tea bag of your choice, add near boiling water until about half full.  Let steep for 5 minutes of so and fill with ice. Top off with more mint leaves.  Sit back and breathe in the refreshing scent as you chillax.

Growing mint is hard work.

Cheers!

Posted in Gardening, Health, Recipes, Wellness | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Easy Peasy Pesto

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Sewfrench

So easy that any 9 year old can make it.

Start with cleaning and cutting 4 packed cups of basil.  A handy, dandy cute as can be grandson works great for this task.  If you don’t have a cute grandson any small child will do.  They generally work for free, that’s a big bonus in my book….

Toast up some pine nuts.  Stir and shake, shake and stir.  Don’t let them burn.

Smash your garlic with the side of your Chef’s knife to remove the skins.

Practice your weighing skills with the garlic cloves.

Grate or chop your parmigiano-reggiano cheese.  Spencer chose to chop it since you can use the knife and it’s going into the food processor anyway…

Measure up your freshly squeezed lemon juice.  An electric juicer is especially fun!

And your olive oil.  Measuring skills are pretty important if you want to eat.  And accurate if you want to eat well!

After adding everything but the oil, to the food processor, add sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Puree while adding the oil in a steady stream.  Taste and season accordingly.  Or exhaust your legs while carrying taste after taste to PaPa Peter, he is the tasting expert at our house.  When asking Spencer if it tasted right he says “sure”.  I don’t go for sure, does it taste right?  Is it good?  Does it need anything else?  He says, “I’ve never had pesto, but it tastes great to me!”.  Funny kid.  This is my kind of helper!

The finished product.  2~8 oz jars (recycled jars work great!)

Easy Peasy Pesto
printer friendly version

4 cups basil, packed

3-4 garlic cloves (14 grams)

1/3 c. of toasted pine nuts

1/2 c parmesan, grated or 2 oz by weight, chopped

6 tsp lemon juice (2 TBS plus a tad more) (about 1/2 lemon)
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt + an extra sprinkle
freshly ground pepper

Puree until nearly smooth.

Keeps great in the freezer to scoop out of as needed. Wonderful on pasta, in pasta sauces, over fish, across a steak, by the spoonful… whatever! It’s all good!

Posted in Eating, Family, Recipes, Tutorial | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments