Sweet Basil Jelly

Ta-Da!

We went to the Farmer's Market this morning and got some great buys.  Tomatoes galore again.  Some are destined for the 4th of July Kabobs made with zucchini, balasmic marinated t-bone steak cut into chunks, tomatoes and eggplant.  Others are destined for salads.  I really need to eat salads.


Salads instead of Popeye's Fried Chicken for lunch.  But it was darned good.  I had the new shrimp.  Forgot to take a before picture!  LOL.   It was too good to wait.

Other Farmer's Market items were :

Then there was the Basil.  At the organic produce farmer I found Lemon Basil.  OMG!  Lemon Basil.  Do you know how fabulous that smells?  All the way home in the car.  All the way into the kitchen.  All the way being cut up and processed.  Amazing!  Totally amazing.  I want to just sit in my kitchen and BREATHE!

Here is the recipe from Better Than Store Bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Colchie.

1 1/2 c unblemished basil leaves, rinsed drained and coarsely torn including some unopened flower heads
2 c water
2 tbls mild white vinegar or rice vinegar
pinch of salt
3 1/2 c sugar
1/2 bottle of liquid pectin (6 oz bottle so that would be 3 oz)

I had no liquid pectin so the best I could do was a box of Sure Jell that I mixed with some sugar and poured it in when the liquid was boiling.  That is what another type of recipe did with the Sure Jell.  No one could find the liquid around here.  I need to search harder and farther out.

1.  dry basil, chop coarsely.

2.  put basil into large saucepan; crush with potato masher.  Add water; bring to a boil and boil for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.


3.  Strain 1 1/2 c liquid through a sieve into a saucepan.  Add vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to a hard boil, stirring.  When the boil can't be stirred down, add the pectin.  Return to hard boil that cant be stirred down and boil for exactly 1 minute, then remove from heat.

4.  Skim off foam and  pour jelly liquid into hot, sterilized jelly glasses. leaving about 1/2 inch of head space.  Seal at once with melted paraffin or with sterilized two pieced lids.  (I used the lids and did not process further.)

Oh, my!  It was soooo good!

I have been busy...and other things

For the last three days I have had the headache from hell.  If you have these headaches you know what I mean.  Life just exists.  You don't.

If I can catch the beginnings of it and take feverfew it will not develop further.  But this must be cluster headaches because they keep hitting me.  I grabbed the feverfew bottle about an hour ago and this one is nearly gone.

Which is good because today is Carrie's birthday!  And we are meeting the beloved out of town Cousin Jason and his two boys for a birthday dinner!  He is the one we saw last Sunday at the Fish Fry at his momma's house.

We have been Grand-Dog sitting since Tuesday, and Hugeaux just went home about 15 minutes ago.  He was supposed to stay only one day.

I have been working on a project from Judy Momenzadah of Mike and Mo Designs.  She asked me to test drive a purse pattern and I have it down to the wire now, with just the wire frame to add.  Which I could have done this afternoon had I not been debilitated with head stuff.

I am off to the Fat Cow for a birthday dinner with Carrie and the gang.

glen

Red Stick Sew Day - the fabulous five

There were 5 of us sewing today.  I generally have an idea of who is coming, but it is a wonderful surprise when they actually get there and walk in the door!  I do so enjoy being there and working with everyone.

Today we had Paula, April, Charlene, Ann and me.  Most worked on a duffle bag and I made  messed up making a bag to hold Carrie's birthday present, it was too small......I am not sure how that happened.  Duh.  So tonight I remade one in the correct size.  I just need the handle for it.  I want to get some webbing.  No it is not a duffle bag, just in case Carrie is reading this, which I am pretty sure she is not........sigh.

I wanted a small (operative word here is small) purse to hang around my shoulder so I guess I have now now!  LOL.  Yes, they all laughed at me, it was a silly mistake.

Charlene is doing hers in Halloween fabrics for Grand-daughter Sammy.  I never thought of a seasonal duffle bag!  But I love it.  Sammy is a Halloween lover and these fabrics are leftovers from a quilt Charlene is making for her.  A great way to use up leftovers and have something you know the receiver will love!



Charlene and Paula both left with their bags in various stages, but April went home and finished hers right up.  She sent me this picture.  I asked for permission and haven't heard back, but I am sure she would love to show it off to you.

I do so love the way it doesn't matter what fabrics you use, the bag looks just terrific any way you do it!!!

Yes!  Great work ladies!  I enjoyed spending the day with you all!

glen

The Big Reveal

Since the beginning of the year I have been involved in a fabulously creative group of people and we have been passing around fabric.  Each lends their unique talents to adding a round to what shows up on their door stop.

you don't know who it is coming from, what is coming, or where yours is for all this time.  But I guarantee, when you get it, it is fabulous!

here is the big reveal and who worked on what:

http://cottonrobin.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-reveal.html

Thanks, all I loved it!

glen

Stash Report, Design Wall, Jason all in one

I have been on that Houston Shop Hop and did add some fabric to the pile.  Not much, but some.

Stash Report.

used this week	-1.5
used in june	-17.75
added this week	21.25
Add in June	71.25
Used YTD	-92
Added YTD	104.68
Stash reduction	12.68

 

We are in positive territory here for the first time!
Design Wall:  Still quilting Dan's quilt.  But adding some Duffle Bags to the mix.

Then we crossed this bridge to see my cousin Jason and his kids who now live in Denver.  Jason's momma was married to my beloved late cousin Terry.  She has been a wonderful friend over the last 40 years and her son has been like my own son.  I was so close to Terry when we were growing up, and his absence is deafening, as they say.

I dreamed about Terry last week, then Jason called to say he and the boys would be in town and his momma was having a fish fry.  I should have taken pics of the fish, amazing pile of fish caught by Diane's brother and nephews.  Rodney's band played for everyone, they do Cajun music all across the US and will open for the Three Dog Night Concert in Tampa soon.

  Jason is the one without the hat!  His kids look like their momma for sure!  The little one is Lucas and the older one is Ethan.

Boy do I miss them now that they are in Denver.  They boys are doing so well out there, they love snowboarding and excel in school.

We have such a smart family, cousin Karen's kid is super smart as well.  I guess that means Carrie's kids will have their goals set for them!

The space is belongs to Diane and husband Rodney.  Rodney purchased it from the bank as a foreclosure.  The buildings were used to fabricate the stuff for the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans.  There are three huge buildings and he has it full of 57 Chevys he has reconditioned.  All kinds of equipment like front end loaders and bobcats.  It is a wonderland of fun and interest for the likes of me!  And the kids LOVE being there!  They have the run of several dozen acres of pasture and land and the buildings and their grandma!

glen

Houston Shop Hop Sucessful

I think we have all returned to our respective homes, safe and sound by now.  And I think we all got some great bargains!

Fat Quarter I won

Checking into hotel

One shop opened early for us and treated us to free FQs, books and a kit for a rotary cutter case.  Another offered 15% off every purchase.  Another had specials for us exclusively and another gave us 10% off our purchases.  One set up a scavenger hunt and when you found the "painted pony" card you won a free FQ!

Chevrons

Fabric prices for my purchases ranged from $1.99 per yard for barn material to $14. 25 per yard for the Riley Blake Chevrons.  Ann bought two of the Tutto bags.  We bought kits, patterns, jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes and yards.  There was not a single person who came home empty handed.

I must thank the ladies who set up the fabulous shop hop and the time they devoted to the paperwork and directions.  It is not easy for 17 people to drive around Houston as a unit in 5 cars and not get lost (which we did....several times) and all be happy and have such a great time.  Can you imagine 17 women and not a single cross word?

Here we are crossing state lines


Here we are crossing a really neat bridge, that is Lisa ahead of us.

Here we are at the Painted Pony




Here we are in one of the shops.

Here are some of Ann's purchases - Now she REALLY is a quilter when she buys fabric for no reason!

For a duffle bag 

Patterns and rulers, all were ripe for the picking!

Keep looking, more bargains below!

 

Chloe the Smelly Basset Gets her Teeth Cleaned

I am still in Texas with the Texas Shop Hop today, tomorrow I will show you what I bought.  Oy!

Wednesday, Chloe the Smelly Basset went in for a teeth cleaning.  While in, they removed a tumor just behind her canine tooth.  We knew it was there, but not that it had gone through to the other side.  Bad mommy!

She got all cleaned up and the tumor, which was actually like a large cyst, was sent off to be evaluated.  No one thinks it will come back as anything drastic, but then again, she is my dog.  And we have always had the weird stuff.  I still remember the vet saying, we will do the test for Diabetes Insipidus, but it is so rare, no one ever has that.  Yeah, right.  That was Bonnie Doon who drank 5 quarts of water in one sitting!

So now Chloe TSB has clean teefies!  And she smells a lot better too.  She slept all night Wednesday without rousing and and all day Thursday, but will probably get her groove back on Friday.  You can tell she is feeling better because she is not as grouchy to DiNozzo.

But then he is soooooo agravating...........

A good day shopping

Day 2 in Houston shop hopping! We had a great day yesterday shopping at the Painted Pony, Fabric Etcetera and pinwheels and posies. All amazing shops. Each is a bit different from the other And at the fabulous Fabric Etcetera I scored some Riley Blake chevrons in RED!!!! Ann and I only got lost three times driving on the freeways, tollways and surface streets. Houston is toooooo big!! glen. We will se what today holds

A Little Salsa by the Bay

I made Salsa with my tomatoes from the Farmer's Market from last weekend.  They needed to be used and I was going to leave for the Texas Shop Hop.  And I knew Frank would not use them and they would be rotten by the time I got back.

So I used some of the mason jars I bought for the Sweet Basil Jelly (since I had no basil yet) and canned some salsa in a hot water bath.

This picture is my salsa sitting by one of my bay trees.  Since they went into the ground the bays have grown at least a foot but maybe closer to 18 inches. They just needed a place to live!  Bays are actually Grecian Laurels but are also called Sweet Bay Trees.  They grow to 35 feet but will trim nicely into a hedge if you like that.  Mine will be a two bush hedge.

I need about 2 cups of fresh basil.  If you have some extra basil I would trade that for some of the Sweet Basil Jelly!  I thought I had a basil bush, but I have oregano, rosemary, thyme, mint and lemon balm.  Lots of oregano..........

We are Siamese.....the movie!

Oh, yes......they ARE Siamese!

We are Siamese (click to see the segment I love so much.....except for when they get Lady in trouble, which gets her kicked outside and into the Tramp's slick paws!)

Lady didn't have a chance!

glen

Karen, If You Are Reading This....Close Your Eyes

This is my cousin Karen's Christmas present.  She will love it.  She and her son Matthew the Smartest Kid in the World, both love cats.  Their foray into dogs was not a blazing success, but the cats have definitely been their thing.  She is an acupuncture vet who does only the acupuncture now.  Always interesting, that girl.

These are Siamese, if you please.....thank you Anne - I agree, I think it was Lady and The Tramp....

I finished this duffle bag about 9 pm tonight.  I did use a different batting inside, this one is the fusible pellon batting, 785 I think.  I already tossed the info on it.  It made if stiffer and it stands up where the other one with the 80/20 batting is really soft and needs stuff inside.  Both are the same in utilization ability but this one is prettier with nothing in it.  And it has cats.  Karen will think that makes it better anyway.

Don't you love it?  I am so impressed with these bags.  I am addicted to them.  The worthy this year may just get a duffle bag with their quilt!  LOL.  Maybe you need to click on this one showing the inside, it has little cat feet!  Like the Chicago Fog and Carl Sandburg.  Karen is from Chicago.......wow......that is amazing, it was meant to be!


THE fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

I love the size and the shape and the ease of making it.  I will be at Red Stick on Tuesday with April and Ann and Charlene and we will all make one.  If you are interested, this is not a class but we can all work on one, I will send you the pre-info and you can make the fabric sandwich and do the cutting before we get together so it will finish in aobut 3 hours.  The longest part is the quilting the fabric part so I am thinking on how to do it on the long arm.........hmmmm.


I had hoped to finish the other one this weekend but I don't think I will have the time.  I am going on the Shop Hop in Houston leaving Friday morning with the Gang of Women from REME Guild.  That would be Remember Me Guild here in Baton Rouge.  We are still whining from the news that we have to leave at 7 fricking AM before all that is good and dawn has hit the streets.  But we will make it.

And I guess I will have to buy something at each shop, you know, just to be kind.   My Stash busting numbers are pathetically low right now anyway, so why not blow it in Texas!

And Sunday, Jason comes in town and we have a fish fry at his momma's house in Addis.  Addis is like BFE, but closer.  And cooler.  And Jason.




                                                      glen