The Rathskeller ~ Indianapolis

 

Now that we are back to living in the

Honeymoon Cottage, we try to get out

on the weekend and have lunch at a

restaurant we have never been to.

 

 

Today's choice was the Rathskeller

in Indianapolis.  It is located in a

castle-like building that was designed

by Kurt Vonnegut's grandfather.

 

 

This is a huge place that has a bit of everything.

 

 

A rustic bar area.

 

 

A bit more formal dining room with wood

paneled walls, walls painted with German

phrases (does anyone know what this says?),

and a fireplace carved with demons.

 

 

If you like beer, they have plenty to

choose from.

 

 

We had the Jaegerschnitzel with sauerkraut

and German potato salad.

 

 

We also tried Kassler Ripchen, it was a

pork chop with a raisin, apple and walnut

sauce with spaetzle and potato pancake.

 

The food was not as good as what we have

eaten in Germany but how often will you

find a restaurant serving Jaegerschnitzel

in the USA?

  

 

An added plus is just down the street is

one of my favorite shops.  I showed Mr.

Wonderful some great gifts for the future.

 

 

Update:  This is the photo of the Jaegerschnitzel

I had a few months ago in Bacharach, Germany.

It was lecher ~ right Regina?

Elle's Kitchen: Food Find

 

Isn't it great when you come across a favorite

food item that has been made even better?

Recently Mr. Wonderful was going to the

grocery store, I noticed in the weekly ad that

pistachios were on sale, so I told him to pick

some up.  Now, I must let it be known that I

love pistachios, they are delicious, pistachio

is even my favorite flavor of ice cream though

sadly, I can rarely find it in the Midwest.

So, Wonderful comes home with the pistachios

and says, "oh no, I didn't realize they were Sweet

Chili flavored!"  I thought, "Oh no?  What could

be wrong with that?" Oh no ~ oh heavens, they

are fabulous!  If you can find them give them

a try.

 

 

For those who may not be as practiced in the art

of pistachio eating as I am, here is a little tip to

get them open without breaking your nails ~ or

worse.  Let's face it, how many times have you

heard the words pistachio and chipped tooth in

the same sentence?  NEVER open a pistachio with

your teeth, the pistachio will eventually win.

Instead, hold the whole pistachio with 2 fingers

and with the other hand use an already broken half

shell and pry the shell open as shown (I was taking

the photo, so sorry for the one handed demonstration).

It is simple, it works well and it will save you lots of

money on dental bills so... you can buy more pistachios!

 

Enjoy!

 

It's A Date!

 

We were up and out the door just after

sunrise today.

 

We got a hike in early since it was going

to be in the 90's today.  And we had a

special day planned.  Wonderful was off

today and he rescued me from my cell, um...

 studio and took me out for a date.

 

 

We had a Thai lunch,

 

maybe because the temps felt as hot as Thailand.

 

 

We had some shopping to do after lunch

because in 2 weeks we will be here.  Of

course, we only bought a stack of books.

 

 

Then we enjoyed the cool darkness of

a movie theatre and saw Woody Allen's

new film, Blue Jasmine.

 

A great day!

 

 

 

A Natural Confusion

 

 

Hey Mother Nature, what is going on???

 

 

For the past few weeks it has been deliciously

cool.  Far too cool for mid-August.

 

 

I loved it... waking up and wanting to

stay in bed with the covers pulled up

because it was so chilly that early in the day.

 

 

I just got back from a hike and it is

roasting out there.  The weatherman

says this may be the hottest week of

the year!

 

 

But the leaves are changing color and

beginning to fall.

 

 

Acorns have started dropping.

 

 

Some berries are drying but I think most

of them are being eaten by the birds.

 

 

I love finding feathers, I think it is

good luck.  This one was stuck in a

tree trunk.

 

 

No, too early.  I'm not ready to be thinking

about Christmas and snow yet.

 

 

Now it is time to settle in with my field

guides and ID everything I've found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



What is a Trunk Show?

 

In my world, a trunk show is a situation where

I send out original works to a shop so they can

display them.  Patterns always sell better when

there is a sample.  Shop owners do not have time

to make a sample of every pattern they buy.  This

collection is shipping out this morning and will be

traveling around the country for the month of

September going to various quilt shows.  I try to

include examples of various colors, I show the

feltworks as ornaments, décor, framed and as

pincushions.  I mainly work in wool felt but I show

one done in felted wool for those that prefer that.

I also send an example of one made with beading.

If anyone is interested in an American Homestead

trunk show, just email me at:

 

ellen.americanhomestead @gmail.com

 

Sorry for the uninspired photo but this was shot

just to show what will be sent in the package.

Time For A Change

 

We are missing something in our lives...

 

 

It has been a busy month so far, but around

here it is always busy...  Both of our kids went

back to school and last week we celebrated our

23rd anniversary and 23 years of our life in

the Midwest.

 

 

We have become so busy that we are

forgetting to do the things that bring

us the most joy in life.  Things like just

strolling around the garden and enjoying

the beauty of the blossoms.

 

 

I guess we have forgotten to take the

time to smell the roses...

 

 

We don't want to miss the radiance of

the sun coming through this blossom.

 

 

So we will be making some changes, we

are heading down to Mexico in a few weeks

and plan to discuss what we want in our lives,

what we can leave behind and how to make

that happen.

 

 

Spending more time roaming the woods

with our best friend will certainly be

on the list.

 

 

We were in Amsterdam recently and we had

breakfast with a young couple from Australia.

We were discussing the meager vacation time

Americans have compared with the rest of the

developed world.  The young woman said in

Australia the ethic is work hard, but play harder.

I like that idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dixie Diary ~ August

Confederate Silver

 

 

We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's

Block of the Month, Dixie Diary.

 

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com

 

This is how I made my block.  It may differ

from the original.

 

 

Fabric Requirements:

 

Fabric A & B:

1 - 14'' square each - mark a

diagonal line on the back of the

lighter fabric.

 

 

This is a very easy block since it is just

a quarter square triangle.

Pair the blocks with right sides together and

sew 1/4'' away from each side of the drawn

line, cut on drawn line and press seam to

the darker fabric. 

Mark another diagonal line as shown above

on the back of one of the half square triangles.

Place the half square triangles with right sides

together  (you want the lights and darks to be

opposite each other)  and take care to have

the opposing seams "lock" together, this will make

for a precise block.  Sew 1/4'' away from the new

drawn line, cut on drawn line and press final

seam open to reduce bulk.

 

 

You will have 2 blocks made but only need

one for this project, save the other for another

use.  To square this block to 12 1/2'', you need

to place a 12 1/2'' ruler so the diagonal lines of

the ruler rest on the sewn seams and then be sure

to position the 6 1/4'' intersection of the lines on

the ruler in the center as indicated by the arrow.

Then trim all 4 sides.

 

 

This is what your block will look like.

 

 

I have added the sashing and the appliqued

heart to my block as described in the January

Dixie Diary instructions.

 

 

Make multiples of this block for a

quick and easy quilt.

 

Add some sashing to change the look.

 

Rotate the blocks in alternate rows

and introduce some more color.

 

 

Elle's Kitchen: Crostini

 

Around our American Homestead we love

nothing more than a delicious Mediterranean

style lunch.  And crostini should always be a

part of that lunch.  They are easy, inexpensive,

look great and work perfectly for transporting

food to mouth.

 

 

Take a nice baguette, I use the ones from

Trader Joe's or Panera Bread and slice very

thin, about 1/8  to 3/16 of an inch.

 

 

I use my olive oil sprayer which I find to

be one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

They are quite inexpensive and you get

to use your own choice or olive oil instead

of a bunch of chemicals. Anyway, place bread

on a baking sheet and give a very quick spray.

Place under the broiler and keep the door open,

it only takes a few minutes.  I like mine to be

 golden and not brown.  Take out, flip and toast

the other side for a minute or so.

 

 

And this was the lovely lunch we enjoyed.

A delicious spinach salad, crostini, a few

cheeses, olives and a couple of tapenades.

My new find ~ the Roasted Red Pepper and

Artichoke Tapenade from where else?  Yep,

Trader Joe's!

 

 

Look at that cheese on the left, it is heaven

on a plate... Mr. Wonderful & Brennan were

heading home from Indiana University after

dropping off the first carload of college stuff

and decided to stop at TJ's.  We live about 40

minutes away from our Trader Joe's so we stop

in when we are in the area.  Wonderful called

and told me told me he picked up a Brie with

mushrooms that they were sampling that day. 

I told him to put it back.

I know the heavenly cheese when I see it but

couldn't remember the name.  I described it to

him but he wasn't finding it.  I told him I'd call

him right back, I called someone and pulled them

out of a Broadway show pre-set to get the name.

Yes, it's that good...

And the name you may wonder?  It is:

Le Delice de Bourgogne!

Don't eat it cold!  Wonderful put it on the ledge

of the back window of the car for the ride home

and it was soft and creamy and... heaven.

 

Enjoy!