Yes, I'm Still Here...

So very sorry for the delay in posting! My mother-in-law came down with a pretty bad viral infection so I have been taking a few shifts watching our nephews. They are really fun. Anyhow, her follow up appointment was yesterday, and it was not MERSA, just a bad viral infection, so we are very grateful for that.

Also, congrats to my brother in-law Ben, father in-law Denny, and our friends Nick and Willie for winning the Blue Water YMCA Salmon Stakes Tournament this year! Bring on fishing season!

On that note, I really have been busy... Here is my progress report...
The Speedy Cable Cowl and Beret are finished...

Please forgive my lack of creativity while I find places in and around my house to photograph things.

The Fisherman's Shrug is finished too, it has not had a great photo opp yet, but here it is. Yeah, I need a better pic of this...

I finished this Breadcloth for Erin's Shower - isn't it cute?

For Easter I made Cherry Turnovers from Everyday Food # 41 - April 2007

They were a HUGE hit! I had no idea my father-in law's favorite was cherries! I have now made them 4 times. I made a double batch for his birthday last week and he was elated! Trust me on this... the Pepperidge Farms Frozen Puff Pastry is the BEST. And add at least 1 Tablespoon almond extract to the cherries! If someone is allergic to eggs, using a milk wash can substitute, but the egg wash is first choice. These are delish!

I also made a Welch Kringle. The recipe is posted under Sweet Stuff, click the link to get it! My mom's cousin Mary Lou made this when we visited in Seattle a few years ago and was generous enough to send me the local cookbook it was from. This would be the perfect base for a fruit tart. But it is PERFECTLY Yummy on it's own. There was NONE left!

Thanks Mary Lou!  Um, maybe I should make it again soon?

This is a great recipe for Asian Chicken Soup, also from the April 2007 Everyday Food. You will soon see that I am getting A LOT of use from this issue. I am not a bell pepper person, so I of course omitted the peppers, and I think I used lemon juice instead of lime. But this soup had really good flavor. The only problem was the noodles. When I made it, everything was perfect. By the time Brian got home, the broth was brown and the noodles were mushy. So this is definately a serve immediately dish. The leftovers tasted good, but again, were mushy.
** Edited to say: (I also used the water/granulated chicken boullion (sodium free) instead of chicken broth for this soup)

And then there was this dinner...

Top: Greek Chicken Cutlets - yep, Everyday Food #41, April 2007 (I didn't have any mint, opps)
Left: Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli (sodium free here people! not from a box!!!) Everyday Food #45 (another of my fav issues) September 2007 oh, and you are welcome mom... told you I would find one! My Substitutions to make it Sodium Free - omit the chicken broth and use 14.5 oz. water and 2 tsp. Sodium Free Granulated Chicken Boullion( Wylers and Herbox both make one) I also added about 1 tsp. granulated garlic. (BTW - there were no leftovers of the rice)

Right: Just roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, but we eat these little green leafy things weekly!

I think I have perfected the recipe for Chicken Chili, so I will be bringing that to you very soon.

The Barcelona Bolero is on the needles, Jamie's snake is almost done, I just need the stuffing and to sew it together and there are socks on the needles too. Oh, and I snuck in a really easy pair of mittens this weekend too! ( they were purple though) I think April and May will be Green Month's, because there is no way I will have the Bolero finished by Thursday. The snake, maybe. The Bolero, not a chance!

Upcoming posts: Fresh Salmon recipes and Grilled Pizza which I will try to post this week still!

Here Goes..... Nothing??

Well, here goes. I think I will give this blog thing a shot. I have been inspired by so many blogs out "there". A few friends, a few with similar interests that I really enjoy reading. So I hope to inspire someone, or at least give them an idea for dinner. Please bear with me while I figure out this site and how blogging works, linking information, and getting everything in order. It might take me a while to get everything set up how I want it!


I of course will be including recipes and links to several on the web. Also, I will be doing some crafting since I have time on my hands right now. I have really started to love sewing, and my wonderful husband surprised me with a new sewing machine last week. Would you like to meet her?



Quite a nice upgrade from this, don't you think?  Yep, I sure do!

Along with sewing, I have been cross-stitching and of course knitting as always. I made my mom 2 breadcloths for her birthday and lined them with a pretty yellow basketweave fabric. She was pretty excited! Oh, and I am selling them for housewarming gifts, shower and wedding gifts and holiday/birthday presents if anyone is interested... I have a good selection of patterns.

I will be adding more soon. My goal is to post at least 1 blog a week to start, more if I get a lot done and have pics to share. See you soon!