hmmmm...

I have been rearranging, reorganizing, and doing a little bit of culling in anticipation of the school year starting up again.  Does your house always turn into a disaster zone whenever you try to declutter?  Drives me nuts. 

Amid the chaos, I received a cute little dishtowel from my mama.  She said the rick-rack and lace trim would bleed horribly when washed, so "only use this for pretty."  Nothing in my house can be used only for pretty.  The Fella would scoff at a display-only towel.  And then the kids would wipe chocolate off their faces with it.  So I thought, "I think I could cut this up and make a little curtain for the window above the sink." 

Cute, huh? 

Except I can't figure out what to do with the inch of space on either side of the panel.  I can easily add a third panel, since Mama gifted me with the remaining towels in the set, but I don't know that I want the gathered/ruffled look.  I am partial to a flat panel.  The windows are original to the house, and this particular one is West-facing, therefore we do have blinds hung (which I hate, but this is a point of contention between me and The Fella) in order to shield us from the sun that produces blinding reflections off of the stainless sink.  My solution has been to raise the blinds to the height I need them to be, and cover the hideousness with a curtain. 


 

There are two of each print, and I'm going to use these on the other windows.  I'll have to alternate the prints, as I need 5 panels to stretch across the 78" window. Those stripes gotta go.

The remaining towel would be used for this window, but I'm stuck with the same problem I have over the kitchen sink:  an inch on either side. 

 

 

Ugh.  Help.

 

 

Summer Halter Dress

I had envisioned making a halter dress in a retro floral print, much like this fabulous dress by Gertie.  I did not find the floral print that I imagined (don't you hate that?), but was drawn to this little cotton print for some reason. I kept walking back to the bolt, and figured it was a sign.  I used to be the girl who wore only black and solid colors.  I decided a few years ago that I needed more color and more print in my life, and I've gone a little nuts. 

I used New Look 6789.  This was so easy, and a great option for a true beginner - I would highly recommend it to someone as a first project.  I did make a few adjustments - I cut a size smaller than I usually do, as all of my projects have ended up being huge from the waist up despite the measurements on the pattern.  I also tried to follow the instructions for the side zipper installation, then chucked it halfway through.  The facing/band across the bust did not line up evenly, so I basted the side seam from the top down, rather than putting in the zipper starting from the notches halfway down the side seam.  I followed the instructions on the zipper package, and it went in like a dream on the first attempt.  And no, I did not get a shot of the zipper, because I finished this at 1:00 in the morning, and did not feel like sewing on the hook and eye (gasp!  I know!) to keep said zipper neatly hidden. 

The only problem I see with the fit is how the back of the dress sort of scrunches down.  I'm not sure how I would fix this - the dress is pretty snug as it is, and I do like to breathe every so often. 

I absolutely would use this pattern again - maybe with the straps attached in the back rather than halter style.  It's light and perfect for summer.

I Was Busy Today

I made sourdough bread, fresh basil pesto, and fig butter.  Bread is on the counter for consumption, pesto is in the freezer (and on our dinner tonight), and the fig butter is in ten lovely, little half-pint jars.

My grandparents have two fig trees in their yard, and each of us (children & grandchildren) chose a day to pick figs and do whatever we please with them.  I think it's also a requirement that we share the fruits of our labor!  I was able to get 12 cups of figs yesterday, and made this precious stuff this afternoon:

On sourdough bread of course, which happened to be fresh out of the oven and warm!
Are you drooling yet?

 

This was so easy to make.  My first foray into the world of canning was making a batch of apple butter with my roommate when we were both single and had the time.  We went over to my grandparents' house and spent all day with them, while they showed us everything they know.  Smart folks, my grandparents.  Apple butter is daunting - it takes a long, long time and involves quite a lot of work.  This fig butter was delightfully simple. 

Here is the recipe, adapted from this one I discovered on Pinterest.

6 cups figs, washed and stems cut off
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup honey
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash and cut the stems off the figs.  When measuring figs, leave them whole.



FYI - the center of a ripe fig should be a pinkish-color. No need to peel them - the outer skins cook down.

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot (mine is 12 quarts).

I knew when I poured in the honey that this was gonna be good.

Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until figs are easily crushed.  Puree, either by transferring to a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Return to pot and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Ladle into hot jars, fit with lids and bands, and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Any extra fig butter that does not fill a jar can be placed in the fridge for immediate use.

As I previously mentioned, the Ball website is a fantastic source of information and recipes for canning.  There are guidelines that should be followed when pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables - this site explains everything. 

I'm thinking that I will use this fig butter on a Panini-style sandwich with ham and brie.  Or I might just eat it with a spoon, straight out of the jar. 

Happy 4th!

We had friends over for the 4th.  It's by far one of my favorite holidays.  What can I say?  I love America. 

I confess that I am a lame blogger, and we were having such a great time and great conversation, that I forgot to take photos. 

Here's all I got:

Red, White & Blue parfaits for breakfast. Instead of sliced strawberries, I used some homemade strawberry jam.

We put flags all over the house for decoration.

 On the menu for the evening:  hot dogs (of course) and all the possible fixin's, baked beans, potato salad, tomato salad, fruit, and ice cream! I set out a bottle of Grenadine syrup and had Coke and Sprite so that people could make their own Roy Rogers and Shirley Temple drinks. 


These were so easy and fun to make. I bought a box of waffle cones from my local grocery store, and they even came with the red & white sleeves on them! I melted white chocolate, then dipped the cones in it, and lastly dipped them in a bowl of sprinkles.  I set them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet in the freezer to set.

 

 

YUM.

 I've been working on a few sewing projects this week, but those will probably be interrupted by some canning.  My grandparents have two fig trees in their yard, and I'll most likely be making some fig preserves, and then I have a bunch of jalapenos from my own garden that I'll combine with onions, garlic and carrots for pickling.  My cousin started pickling peppers from her garden several years ago, and I am addicted.  Happy little spicy things, those peppers...

If Not For the Bread, Do It For the Pancakes

Sourdough Pancakes, y'all.  So worth it.  These are thin, light, and melt in your mouth.  Again, so worth the effort of maintaining a starter.  Do it.

Sourdough Pancakes (from Rita Davenport's Sourdough Cookery, which is available on Amazon.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup sourdough starter
2 level Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons melted shortening or cooking oil (I used canola)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 Tablespoon water

Add flour and water to sourdough starter. Beat until smooth and let stand in a warm place overnight.

To the batter add sugar, salt, baking powder and melted shortening or oil. Beat in eggs. Gently fold in dissolved baking soda. Do not stir after the baking soda has been added. Cook on moderately hot, greased griddle. Do not let the oil (or butter, in my case) smoke on the griddle. 

Note from book: Pancakes are ready to turn when bubbles appear on top and the griddle side is a light brown. Turn pancakes only once.


The recipe says that this makes 4 to 6 servings.  I use a ladle for my batter, and I get closer to 8 servings from this recipe.  Eight, blissful servings. 

Give you one chance to guess what we're having for breakfast tomorrow...