Proof of a Productive Day . . .

 

Finally, I'm getting some quilts finished . . . so I can start another one! Very productive day once I directed a fan my way to keep me somewhat cool. Lots of hand sewing left and I need to find a matching fabric for the back of the outer space quilt I pieced today.

Dinner has been cooked, eaten, and cleaned up. Late night work for my husband so we treated outselves to breakfast for dinner with eggs and bacon. Going to get my sewing together to work on while I watch television but, FIRST, I'm going to read the lastest issue of the Cook's Country recipe magazine which arrived in the mail today. Recommend it highly for it's tasty recipes and easy to follow instructions.

The Plight/Blight of the Green Tomato!

 Much to my husband's dismay, he found a leaf problem with one of his thriving tomato plants and the cure, according to many searches on the computer, was to remove the plant. He was peeved because the plant had a lot of large, green tomatoes just waiting for the sun to finish the ripening process in the next week or so. What to do? A little searching of my own and I discovered a recipe for Green Fried Tomatoes! It seems that the frying will make the unripened fruit (fruit or vegetable, I'm not getting into that argument!) more tender and increase the flavor and reduce any possible bitterness. Since I am now the proud owner of a large bowl of green tomatoes, guess what's on the menu?

Before a prayer chain is started about the demise of the tomato plant - yes, we are recovering nicely - our yellow squash and one, bright, red tomato has weathered the blight storm!

Fried Green Tomatoes

4-6 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
All-purpose flour for dusting
2 eggs, beaten
Cornmeal, bread crumbs, or Panko crumbs
1 tablespoon grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Vegetable oil for frying

Salt and pepper your tomato slices on both sides to taste. Combine the crumbs of choice with the grated cheese. Heat your oil in a large, stable frying pan, about an inch deep should suffice. Dust both sides of the tomatoes with flour and shake off excess. Dip in beaten egg than bread crumbs/cornmeal (whatever your decided) and fry for a minute or two on each side until golden. Drain on paper towel and serve soon so you don't lose the crisp!

Super Sugar Cookies

This is an all-time favorite cookie at our house. It is also great for bringing to potluck dinners or bake sales. They seem 'sturdy' but are actually quite crisp and almost melt in your mouth. Given the relatively rich ingredients, these are usually reserved for special treats or at Christmas time. You can always find these cookies on the cookie plates I give out during the holidays.

Super Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter (margarine just doesn't cut it!)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar aka powdered sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Approximately six cups all-purpose flour

*If you have it on hand, grinding a fourth of a vanilla bean in with your sugar takes the taste to a whole, new level.

*One tablespoon of freshly grated orange or lemon zest is really interesting and good.

Cream the butter, sugars, eggs and oil until well combined. Add all the rest of the ingredients and enough flour to form a workable dough. If you want flatter, even crisper cookies, use a bit less flour.

Form into balls of dough the size of walnuts. The baking sheet is ungreased. Depending on your baking sheet, however, you might want to use a light spray of vegetable oil to be sure. Use the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar to slightly flatten the cookies.

Bake at 400 degrees for about ten minutes or until golden around the edges. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack. They are more fragile hot.

Ideas:
When the cookies first exit the oven, you and place a chocolate chip or two on top of each one. The heat should soon melt them and you can spread it out like an icing.

You can also 'glue' a pecan or walnut half on each cookie with a dab of icing. Candied cherries are good, too.

Instead of just pressing down the cookies with granulated sugar, use the coarse, rainbow sugar or some of the other types of colorful sprinkes for pressing down the cookies. You bake and decorate at the same time!

The Tale of the Tote Bag . . .

I got an order, yesterday, for a 'generic' angel tote. The person wasn't sure if the person she wanted to gift with the tote was Catholic but wanted to give something with sort of a religious meaning. I already had such a bag in my inventory but remembered this same person turned it down last time she put in an order so I made the one featured in the picture. Just in case, I brought both the new one and the rejected one with me. She took the one she had originally rejected!

Personally, I liked the new one as I had such fun cutting the fabric to recreate a new sort of fabric. I especially liked the narrow stripes that picked up the colors in the angel print. The back of the tote bag has a pocket that I made out of bits and pieces of the original fabric choice as well as a pocket inside the bag. I enjoyed making this bag because I was only making ONE. I usually have two or three going at the same time so this was almost a recreational creation.

I got a lot of hand sewing done on three quilts last night. Very interesting AND warm having an insulating quilt on one's lap when the temperatures in the house are topping off around 85 degrees! I love the quilts on my bed in the cold months as they are light yet keep you very warm. In the summer, definitely not so much.

Makes sense in any faith . . .

“With all the strength of my soul I urge you young people to approach the Communion table as often as you can. Feed on this bread of angels whence you will draw all the energy you need to fight inner battles. Because true happiness, dear friends, does not consist in the pleasures of the world or in earthly things, but in peace of conscience, which we have only if we are pure in heart and mind.” 

 ~Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

If that isn't the truth . . .!

Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

Ambrose Bierce