Just Desserts

Yum In Any Language

One of the great things about going on

vacation is the food.  And for my son

Brennan, that means sampling as much

ice cream as possible.

(Note: After he ate this, he said, "Umm,

that was good, can I have another?")

Years ago, on their first trip to Paris, the

kids had some spending money.  Kate bought

prints and jewelry and fashion and Brennan

bought gelato.  There was a gelato shop next

door to our apartment and he quickly became

a regular.  The lady that ran the shop would make

the gelato into beautiful rose shapes for him.

When traveling around the world with

him, we would look at him devour these

monsterous desserts after a big meal.

Where does he put it?

Ice cream is just more fun when

served in a coconut or pineapple.

Check out these toppings in the market in

Bangkok ~ sticky rice, red bean, corn and

black jelly ~ hmmmm, tasty...

What do you think black jelly is????

This was one of his finds in Cambodia.

You lounge on these giant bed/couches,

have free wifi & eat ice cream ~ priceless.

Ha!  Yeah, that says it all...

Now he's off traveling the world without

us.  He left Paris yesterday for Copenhagen.

He said he didn't make it back to his gelato

shop from years ago but, he did make it to

Berthillon.  I wonder if there's good ice cream

in Copenhagen?



Chock-A-Block Wednesday

Red Cross

I made this block in honor of those

who lost so much in the terrible

tornadoes that hit my State this week

and for those that help with the recovery.

This makes a 10 1/2" block unfinished.

Fabric A: White

4 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles

2 - 2 1/2" x 6" strips

Fabric B; Red

2 - 2 1/2" squares

1 - 2 1/2" x 6" strip

1 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip

Make Center Unit:

Sew a Fabric A  2 1/2" x 6" strip to each

long edge of Fabric B 2 1/2" x 6" strip.

Square off one edge and cut 2 - 2 1/2" units.

Place above units on each side of Fabric B

2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip.  Sew together, press

seams to the Fabric B.  Square to 6 1/2".

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 & 3

to the inside and row 2 to the outside.

Sew rows together and press final seams

open to reduce bulk.  Square to 10 1/2".

Lessons Learned on Living Well

Decades ago I met a man that would teach

me many lessons on how to live well.

He was my brother's friend and when I first

met him, it was some time in the 80's and

I was telling him about a new salad dressing

I had just tasted ~ honey mustard.  A few weeks

later I got a present ~ a jar of the dressing.  I had

never seen it before, but he found it.  Of course,

I wrote him a thank you note and he then wrote me

a thank you for my thank you.  And that was

the beginning of a lovely friendship.

I would see this man from time to time while

I still lived on the east coast but then I married,

moved to the Midwest, had kids, etc.

I didn't see him again until years later

when I brought the kids to NYC for the

first summer of the Hoosier Experiment.

He thought the "experiment"was such a

great idea, he lent me his beach house so

 the kids could experience that too.

Lee was a fixture on Fire Island.  He knew

how to live well and made everyone he met

feel welcome.  The little house in The Pines

had a house cocktail ~ I remember it as frozen

lemonade & vodka, there was a house dip ~a

jar of Pimento spread mixed with something.

And the house was always open, even if he

wasn't home.  He encouraged you to come

in, write a note in the guest book and grab

a handful of M&M's ~ the pastel ones...

Sadly, our friend left this world yesterday.

He had moved to Florida, he was ill but

didn't tell people because he didn't want

people to fuss.  I think heaven is probably

a better place already because he's there.

And he probably has a guest book...

Rest in Peace, Lee.

Redbud 2012 Block of the Month ~ March

Illinois

This is the March Block of the Month

for the Redbud Quilt Guild.  Each month

I will show how I made my block.  This

month's block was presented by Irene S.

This makes a 12 1/2" unfinished block.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Cream

16 - 2 1/2" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

2 - 5 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

2 - 3 1/4" squares - cut

on diagonal.

Fabric B - Floral print

1 - 3 3/8" square

Fabric C: Medium green

4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

2 - 5 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric D: Medium maroon

4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric A and Fabric C 5 1/4"

squares with right sides together.

Sew 1/4" away from each side of

drawn line, cut on drawn line and

press seam to the Fabric C. 

Square to 4 1/2".

Make Center Diamond in a Square Unit:

Place Fabric A triangles right with

sides together with Fabric B square.  The

 edges of the triangles should hang

over the edge as shown and stitch. 

 Press seams toward the triangles. 

Trim and repeat to the other 2 edges.

Square to 4 1/2".

Make Flying Geese Units:

Place 2 1/2" Fabric A square on the left

side of rectangle.  Sew a thread width above

the drawn line and press to the corner.

Trim back 2 layers of fabric to 1/4".

Repeat one the right side as shown.

Square to 4 1/2' x 2 1/2".

You will make 4 green units and 4

maroon units.

Layout units as shown and sew

together, press seam to the top.

Square to 4 1/2".

Assemble Block:

Layout units as shown as sew together

in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 & 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 12 1/2".

Total Devastation in Minutes

Twisters Hit the Heartland

I happen to live in an area of the

United States that most people would

refer to as "out there".  It is a place that

few people pay much attention unless

you are lucky enough to live here.

It is a beautiful area of the country that most

 merely fly over.  It has wide open spaces

 filled with family farms and rolling and

wooded hills in the southern part of the state.

And in one little town called Henryville

yesterday the world as they knew it changed.

Henryville had a population of just under 2000.

It was the home of Colonel Sanders

of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Yesterday a most unwanted visitor came

to town ~ a tornado hit yesterday afternoon

and took away much of Henryville in a

few minutes.

The stories coming out of Henryville

make me weep.  There is a path of

devastation that is unimaginable.  I

remember seeing the film Twister and

when the cow flew through the air, the

audience burst out laughing, it doesn't

seem real.  But it is real, yesterday a 20

month old girl landed in a field, she is

alive, but critical and has a breathing tube.

We have no idea how many died yesterday,

there are confirmed deaths but who knows

what is under all that rubble?

 What do you do when you have no car,

no home, no clothing, no food, your place

of employment may be gone, the school is

demolished?  And that is just the "things"

of life, what do you do when you don't know

where you loved ones are, including your

beloved pets?

If you would like to help, please

give to the American Red Cross.

In the 21 years I have lived here, I

have seen countless storms.  We do

not take it for granted, it is a very

serious part of our lives.  We have been

lucky though.  It is part of life to have

tornado watch graphics pop up on the

tv, quite a few times I have left my home

with my loved ones to go to my Mum's

house who has an area of her basement

with no windows.  And one terrible afternoon,

a bad storm was heading right for us and I

went to school to get my kids and just as

we were leaving all hell broke loose, the

sky was as black as night and things were

just flying through the air.  My sister & I

took my kids into a little bathroom and

we covered them with our bodies and

pulled exercise mats over us.  My face was

pushed up against a cinder block wall and

I could feel it moving.  We were lucky, we

walked away.  So many were not as lucky

yesterday ~ please keep them in your thoughts.



Redbud Quilt Guild ~ March 2012

Here are some examples of the work

of the talented quilters of the Redbud

Quilt Guild in Anderson, Indiana ~ USA.

Elle's Kitchen: Zucchini~Tomato Ragout

Quick, Easy & Healthy

I made up this recipe one summer

evening when we had tons of zucchini

fresh from the garden.  We liked it so

much we now make it all year round.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 can Hunt's fire-roasted diced tomatoes

couscous

Saute onions in olive oil over medium

heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add zucchini and garlic and cook

until crisp tender.

Add tomatoes and heat through.

Serve over couscous, top with

shavings of parmesan.

Enjoy!