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Welcome to American Homestead. I'm happy you have found my blog. Make yourself comfy and see what's been happening around here. I write about the things that interest me ~ creativity, travel, food, nature and a happy life. I'd love to read your comments.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Hot Stuff

How Hot Is Too Hot?
 
 
It all started with some guacamole.
I went out for a late dinner last night and
had a taste for guacamole.  After the food
arrived I tasted the guac and it was hot -
spicy hot.  Mr. Wonderful tasted it and
agreed, the hottest guac he's ever had. 
When the waiter stopped by to check on us,
I asked him if they made the guac there, yes,
all made fresh in the restaurant.  I told him
it was very hot and he said they had started
making it differently, so I asked him to taste
it.  He agreed. It was hot!  I LOVE hot food
but this had no other taste ~no cilantro, no
lime, just hot.  I asked if he could bring me
some lime and cilantro and I would fix it to
my taste.  A while later, he came with a freshly
made bowl of guac, the cook had made a
bowl up just for me ~ lovely.
 
So, that made me ask ~ how hot is too hot?
 
 
I love hot food, I ate my way through Thailand
and loved it all.
 
 
I eat Indian food whenever I can...
 
 
The hottest thing I ever ate was in Mexico.
I was at a Breakfast Buffet at a resort and I
sampled a little of this and a little of that...
I tried a few of the salsas that were near the
omelette station and when I ate the salsa
verde ~ I was ready to spontaneously combust!
My eyes were watering, it was a bit hard to
breathe and I couldn't talk.  Wonderful looked
at me and said are you ok?  I pointed to a
container of a watery milk and did a hand
motion of drinking.  A little while later an
older kindly waiter came by and asked if I
was ok.  I told him I had the hottest thing I
had ever tasted.  He said, " Oh ~ the salsa
verde..."  He told me to be sure to have dairy
to nuetralize the heat, I pointed to the milk.
"That should do it."  Of course, I didn't stop
eating it, I just made sure I had plenty of the
milky stuff to drink.
 
What was the hottest thing you ever ate?

 
 
 


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 26

Ladies' Wreath
 

We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's
Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.
 
 
This is how I made my block, the instructions
may be a bit different from the original.
 
 
Fabric Requirements:
 
Fabric A: Light
5 - 3 1/4'' squares - Mark a
diagonal line on back.
 
Fabric B: Purple
5 - 3 1/4'' squares
 
Fabric C: Green
4 - 2 1/2'' squares
 
Fabric D: Orange
1 - 3 1/4'' squares - Mark a
diagonal line on back.
 
Fabric E: Blue
1 - 3 1/4'' squares
 
 
Make Half Square Triangles:
Pair 3 1/4'' squares in the following combinations:
5 - A/B     1 - E/D
Sew 1/4'' away from each side of drawn line, cut on
drawn line and press seams to the darker fabric.
Square to 2 1/2''.
 
 
Make Quarter Unit #1
 
Layout half square triangles as shown and sew
together in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the
left and seam in row 2 to the right.  Sew rows
together and press seam to the top.
Square to 4 1/2''.  Make 2.
 
 
Make Quarter Unit #2
 
Layout units as shown and sew together in
2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left and
seam in row 2 to the right.  Sew rows together
and press seam to the top.
Square to 4 1/2''.  Make 2.
 
 
Assemble Block:
 
Layout quarter units as shown and sew together
in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left and seam
in row 2 to the right.
 
 
Sew rows together and square to 8 1/2''.
 
 
Here is an interesting quilt using this block.
It is 4 blocks across and 5 down and every other
block is rotated.  Add a few borders!
Copyright 2013 - American Homestead 
 
 
Here is a more modern quilt,
 
 
using a second alternating block.
Copyright 2013 - American Homestead
 
Check out everyone's work on Dustin's
Flickr site:
 
American Homestead is
now on Facebook.
Please "like" my page.
 
Thanks for visiting,
see you next Sunday!
~ Ellen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Gift From France

 
It is a bitterly cold and snowy day here in
the American Midwest.  As I was coming
home today I collected the mail and found
a package from France.  The lovely Corey
from the blog Tongue in Cheek had a birthday
recently and she gave presents to others!
I was lucky to be one of them.  My present
is a beautiful antique postcard and a lovely
bar of French soap. 
 
C'est magnifique!
 
Merci Beaucoup, Corey!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 25

The Carrie Nation Quilt
 
 
We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's
Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice:
 
A nice easy block this week.  This is how I made
my block, it may differ a bit from the original.
 
 
Fabric Requirements:
 
Fabric A: Gold
8 - 1 1/2'' squares
4 - 2 1/2'' squares
 
Fabric B: Blue Flowers
8 - 1 1/2'' squares
 
Fabric C: Brown Print
6 - 2 1/2'' squares
 
Fabric D: Blue Leaves
2 - 2 1/2'' squares
 
 
Make Small 4-Patch Units:
 
Layout 1 1/2'' squares as shown and sew
together in 2 rows.  Press seams in row 1
to the left and seam in row 2 to the right.
Sew rows together, press seam open to
reduce bulk.  Square to 2 1/2''.  Make 4.
 
 
Make Large 4 - Patch #1:
 
Layout units as shown and sew together
in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left
and seam in row 2 to the right.  Sew rows
together and press seam to the top.
Square to 4 1/2''.  Make 2.
 
 
Make Large 4 - Patch #2:
 
Layout units as shown and sew together
in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left
and seam in row 2 to the right.  Sew rows
together and press seam to the bottom.
Square to 4 1/2''.  Make 2.
 
 
Assemble Block:
 
Layout large 4-patch units as shown and
sew together in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1
to the left and seam in row 2 to the right.
 
 
Sew rows together and press final seam open
 to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2''.
 
Check out everyone's work on Dustin's
Flickr site:
 
American Homestead can now
be found on Facebook.
Please "like" my page.
 
Thank you!
See you next Sunday.
~ Ellen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Elle's Kitchen: Lentil Soup

 
A few weeks ago we visited our Kate at
Purdue University and took refuge from
the biting cold in a Middle Eastern restaurant.
Mr. Wonderful had a lovely bowl of lentil
soup to warm up, I tasted it and asked, "Why
don't I ever make lentil soup?"
 
Perhaps it is because many years ago I had an
awful bowl of lentil soup, it was bland and watery
and I couldn't eat it.  That stuck with me for years,
if someone suggested lentil soup, I would just say
I didn't care for it...
 
 
Last year in Istanbul, I took refuge from the
cold and rain in a funky little cafe that only
had lentil as the soup.  I was so cold I decided
to try it and I was in love!  Read about our
experience here.
 
 
Ingredients:
 
3 tabl. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed & drained
14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes with liquid
balsamic vinegar
celery leaves, chopped for garnish
salt and pepper
 
 
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over
medium heat.  Add onions, celery, carrots
and garlic and cook for 15 minutes until they
begin to brown.
 
 
Add vegetable broth, lentils and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-
low, cover and cook for 35 minutes or until lentils
are soft.  Then put 2 cups of the soup solids in a
blender and puree, add this back to soup.  If too
 thick, add some more broth or water.  Season with
salt, pepper and a splash of vinegar.  Serve with a
garnish of the celery leaves.
 
 
I found this recipe to be a bit too bland for
my taste.  I added some Aleppo pepper and
kept adding more of a good Balasmic vinegar
to heighten the taste.
 
If anyone knows how to make a great Middle
Eastern spicy lentil soup, please send me a
recipe!
 


 
 
 
 
 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Our Valentine Dinner

 
Years ago we used to dress up and go out
to dinner for Valentine's Day.  The restaurants
were always jammed, even though you had a
reservation you still had to wait for your table,
the service was harried and it was crowded and
noisy ~ what is romantic about that?
 
Then we had babies and we would dress them
up in their Valentines's Day finest and go out
for a meal in the middle of the afternoon when
the restaurants were empty.  That was fun, though
probably not that romantic.
 
I suppose with age comes wisdom, we have been
doing this for 30 years afterall.  We realized there
was nothing better for Valentine's Day than to make
a special meal and enjoy it in front of the fireplace.
Just us ~ simple, happy, comfy.
 
This year we decided to make a favorite meal of mine
from when I was a young girl.  Back in those days we
didn't go out to eat all the time like people do now.
It was much more of a treat.  And a special treat for
us was to go to The Lobster Shanty on the inlet in
Point Pleasant, NJ.  I would order Surf 'n Turf ~ oh
my poor parents ~ it was probably the most expensive
thing on the menu.  When you are little you don't look
at prices, you have no idea of such things, luckily I ate
every bite.  So that is what we had for our special meal
this year, a lobster tail and filet mignon with asparagus
and those petite pommes that we are in love with.
...And I ate every bite ~ with just a little sharing with
Mia the Wonder Dog because she is my valentine too.
 
 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

 
I love Valentine's Day.
I love hearts.
I love... love!
 
 
Hearts as a design motif have
always made me happy.
From way back when in grammar
school when I used to draw hearts
all over my school books that were
wrapped in brown paper shopping bags.
 
 
This is a piece I made many years
ago with antique buttons and some
beads when my cousin was teaching
me how to do silk ribbon embroidery.
At the time I had 2 very young toddlers
and not much time for being crafty.
 
 
A number of years ago, I was with a
group of women and one of them was
getting married.  She was talking about
themes for her wedding and said, "well
definitely no hearts, I don't like hearts."
What? 
It never occurred to me that someone
would dislike hearts...
 
 
Well, not me.  I love them and use them
in my designs all the time.
 
 
And don't get me started on how
many heart shaped cookie cutters
I own.
 
 
So I can make these for the ones
I love.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Elle's Kitchen; Eggs Everything Sandwich

 
When I was growing up, every once in a
while we would like a late night snack
and we would make "Eggs Everything".
We basically looked in the fridge and threw
in anything that looked good.
 
 
A few days ago I was visiting a friend
and we were admiring the chickens on
the property and I was lucky enough to
be sent home with a little bucket filled
with eggs.
 
So I decided to make something special
yet easy.  I "everything'ed up" a recipe
I saw on Pinterest.
 
 
Ingredients:
 
Fold out Flat-Out bread
provolone cheese
crumbled bacon
chopped tomatoes
sliced scallions
eggs
avocado, sliced
milk
salt & pepper
 
 
I toasted the Flat-outs on a panini press.
I used Rosemary and Olive Oil.
 
 
Start by scrambling the eggs:
Crack the eggs into a bowl and with a
whisk whip them, add salt & pepper and
a bit of milk (or half & half).  Continue to
whip them until well combined.
 
Melt a little butter in a pan and add the
eggs.  Move them around with a spatula
and while they still look a little watery,
remove from heat.
 
 
Quickly add the bacon, tomatoes and
scallions and combine.
 
 
Place some of the egg mixture on one
side of the Flat Out, top with cheese
and avocado slices.
 
 
I served mine with homemade
hashbrowns and a fruit cup.
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Honoring Women's Rights ~ Week 24

True Blue
 
 
We are quilting along with Barabara Brackman's
Block of the Week, Grandmother's Choice.
 
 
This is how I made my block, the directions may differ
a bit from the original.  But using these measurements
my block came out to a perfect 8 1/2''.  There will be
measurements that WILL freak you out, just go with
it and I promise, in the end it is easy...
 
 
Fabric Requirements:
 
Fabric A: Fussy Cut
1 - 3 3/16'' square
 
Fabric B: Red
4 - 1  13/16'' squares (this is the
freak out measure!)
 
Fabric C: Blue
4 - 1  13/16'' squares (again!)
2 - 4'' squares
 
Fabric D: Green
2 - 4'' squares - Mark a
diagonal line on back.
 
Fabric E: White print
8 - 1  13/16'' squares (last one!)
 
Regarding the Freak Out Measure:
Okay, I don't like them either but if
we want to make an 8 1/2'' block into
a 9-patch, well then, we have to deal
with some wonky measures.  Just look
at it ~ 1 13/16'' is in the middle of 1 3/4''
and 1 7/8''.  If you need to stick a little
piece of painters tape on your ruler to
remind you, that's fine.
 
 
Make Half Square Triangles:
 
Pair Fabric C and D 4'' squares with right
sides together.  Sew 1/4'' away from each
side of drawn line, cut on drawn line, press
seam to the darker fabric and square to 3  3/16''.
 
 
Make 4-Patch Units:
 
Layout the freak out squares (1  13/16'')
as shown and sew together in 2 rows.
Press seam in row 1 to the right and seam
in row 2 to the left.  Sew rows together.
 
 
Layout units as shown and sew together
in 3 rows.  (Note:  I rotated my 4 patches
because I liked how that looked in one of
Becky's blocks.)  Press seams in rows 1 and
3 to the outside and seams in row 2 to the
inside.
 
 
Sew rows together and press final seams
open to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2''.
Mine came out just about perfect, which
considering the freak out measures, makes
me happy ~ I guess it was worth it!
 
Check out everyone's work on Dustin's
Flickr site:
 
 
American Homestead can now
be found on Facebook.
Please "like" my page.
 
 
Thank you!
See you next Sunday!
~Ellen