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About Fabric...and Quilts....Being a quilter for over 30 years, I've learned one thing that's for sure (as my good friend Ops - short for Oprah - would say) and that's this:
You can't go wrong if you buy too much!
You will never be forced to have a "close enough" fabric in a quilt again!
I've always said that I make 30-foot quilts - or put another way, quilts that look good from 30 feet away!
One day I hope to make "inchers."
In the meantime, as I struggle to make points match, I'm happily trying to cover every bed, sofa, and chair in my house with a quilt - that's normal, right?
My quilt books can be ordered on line from Leisure Arts at:
My children's books can be ordered directly through me, just send me an email:
Ahhhh....food....
We may live without poetry,
We may live without conscience and
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.
He may live without books,
what is knowledge but grieving?
He may live without hope,
What is hope but deceiving?
He may live without love,
What is passion but pining?
But where is the man that can live without dining?
Owen Meredith...or as I like to call him....
The Earl of Sandwich
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Did I tell you I gave the mister a DNA kit for Christmas?  I ordered it from .  The mister is always blathering on about how he's 1/4 Scottish, 1/4 Irish, 1/4 Cherokee, and 1/4 Mystery Meat.  It was $100, well worth it to find out if the mister is indeed William Wallace's great-great-great-great-great-great-etc.-son.   I personally think he is as the resemblance to the real William Wallace, not the Mel Gibson version, is striking!  Or maybe we'll find out the mister is related to Arthur Guinness?  If so, the Guinness family would be proud of his support all these years!  If the mister is indeed 1/4 Cherokee then that opens all kind of opportunities for his Golden Years...he could go live on the reservation, get a job in one of the casinos and spend every lunch hour dining at the buffet - bland food as far as the eye can see!  We are still waiting for his results to come back - but one thing is certain, with his ancestry - Irish, Scottish and Cherokee - I should probably get him in for a liver check soon!
Since St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, I thought I would remind you to wear green and you have 24 hours to build a Leprechaun Trap, that is, if you want to try to catch a Leprechaun - like duh, who wouldn't?!?  You also have time to make something festive for tomorrow, like this Irish Freckle Bread.  This bread gets it's name from the currants, raisins and dates that freckle the bread - lending it a sweetness that makes it perfect for an afternoon snack or for breakfast with a cup of your favorite . 
This is a quick bread, meaning the dough doesn't need to rise.  But it does take some time to make, the fruit needs to soak in hot tea for about an hour and then the bread itself takes an hour to bake...but don't let that scare you away - your home will smell wonderful and you'll have a wee bit of Ireland to enjoy!
This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion cookbook.  It's a really moist and tender bread and even though it's made with whole wheat flour you won't notice it much, the sweetness from the fruit is the star of this bread.  Oh, if you want to make it even more Irish...substitute Irish Whiskey for an equal amount of the tea!!  Faith and Begorrah!!
Irish Freckle Bread - Adapted from Kind Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (aka Tea Brack)
1 Irish breakfast tea is recommended but I used Rooibos Herbal Tea
1 cup raisins, packed
1 cup currants, packed
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 1/2 tablespoons coarse sparkling white sugar
Pour the hot tea over the dried fruits in a medium-sized bowl.  Set the mixture aside to cool to lukewarm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan.  In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the dried fruit, and any remaining liquid.  Stir till thoroughly combined.  The batter will be thick and stiff and it will look like it won't come together but just keep stirring.  Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the top evenly with the coarse sparkling sugar.  Bake the bread for 60 to 70 minutes, till a cake tester inserted in the center comes out moist, but without clinging crumbs.  Remove bread from the oven and turn it out onto a rack to cool.  Serves 8. 
If you need any other suggestions for St. Paddy's Day, click on my link for St. Patrick's Day below left - you will find all kinds of great recipes to help you celebrate being Irish - even if you're a wannabe!
We woke to another sunny day in Seattle...a person could get used to this!  Day after day of seeing a big yellow light in the sky surrounded by blue in February and March, well, it's unheard of around here!!   No clouds, no gray skies, no rain!!!  This past weekend we spent more time outdoors than we did in and loved every sun-drenched minute.  Days like this are hard on a quilter though...who wants to stay indoors and sew when the sun is out?!?  So I won't be staying indoors today...I'm going to go out into the sunshine and drive to my favorite fabric shop!  While I'm still inside, let me show you the quilts who made an appearance at our last meeting!
Our year long group project has finally come to an end!  Each month one of us got to have the group make blocks for us.  Ardith requested red, white and blue stars of any shape and size...she got quite the mixture!  We put her blocks out on a table to see how they looked - pretty darn great!
Kareena showed us her scrap-buster crayon strips - she had two of the strips done but this pic doesn't show how long they are - and they are long!  When this top is done it will have every color in the crayon box...cute, cute, cute!
Helen showed us this top a while back but she didn't have the borders on then...we all agreed, gray is a really good background color.  Just look at all of those triangles!   This is another great scrap-buster quilt.
Stephanie made this adorable baby quilt - love the stripped small border - it really sets off the blocks! 
Janet made this Christmas quilt pictured above.   Janet didn't think she was a real quilter...hahaha...there are many ways a quilt-maker turns into a quilter and Janet is a Real Quilter!  In case you're wondering what makes a person a Real Quilter, I've written down my Top Ten ways...
A real Quilter is someone who:
Makes more than one quilt a year
Has a stash and doesn't need a comb for it
Makes holiday quilts (because she has made quilts for herself and all of her loved ones and needs an excuse to keep on quilting!)
Has several quilts in the works at one time
Knows that a sandwich is not food
Knows that Warm and Natural is not a medical reference
Can strip and stipple without getting arrested
Understands that size does matter...1/4-inch cannot be rounded up
Uses a rotary cutter more than a whisk
Buys fabric she doesn't need
Now that you've been educated, let's continue with the show!
Lori finally finished her masterpiece!!!  I say finally because while Lori said this quilt took a very long time, in another universe this quilt would have taken a century!  That is not a printed fabric border - that's all very fine hand-applique...Lori is a Real Quilter!!
Lori also brought this very cute kitty quilt she made for her newest grandbaby.  The quilting on this little quilt is wonderful, too!
Denise made both of these - I love the runner!  Wouldn't an entire quilt made with just little squares be cool?  Might have to attempt that!  Denise paper-pieced the wall-hanging - all of those points are perfect - Denise is the paper-piecing Queen!!
This might just be the most amazing thing I've seen...Jenny is making this - these are the blocks she has finished so far and there will be 50 in all.  Jenny purchased State Flower Fabric so each Grandmother's Flower Garden block is made with fabric representing one of our 50 states.  In the center of the block Jenny has hand-embroidered the two-letter initials for the state and then she has hand-stitched around each block in a contrasting color.  Gray and creamy white background really set off the flowers...this is going to be so fabulous!!!  Way to go Jenny!!
That's it!  Short and sweet this month because the weather has been too nice to stay inside and quilt! 
The boy and his bride came for dinner Sunday night which is always fun and interesting, especially when it comes to what to serve.  The bride doesn't eat beef, only chicken.  I had some breaded chicken cutlets ready to go and homemade bread so I decided to make chicken sandwiches with Parmesan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.  Except I had no mayo.  I always have mayo.  I searched the refrigerator, even prompting a quick cleaning out of all the science experiments lurking on the bottom shelf.  No mayo.  Then I searched the pantry - which again included a quick cleaning and tossing of old bread, half opened packages of stale cookies and cereal boxes that were put away with nothing in them (the mister's handiwork.)  No mayo.
Next I opened the door to the cave (the closet under the stairs) and entered.  Every manner of thing resides in this closet, including a six-pack of unopened glass Coca-Cola bottles dated 1968, two pairs of mini-binoculars, doll body parts (don't ask), serving plates, platters, trays and canned food.  But no mayo.  I opened and entered the cave three different times in an attempt to find a jar of mayo because I always have mayo.  No mayo.  I did find a pair of ice skates I thought I'd given away and my jar of thumbtacks and a full bag of Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate!  Score!
  
Even though I always have mayo, I could not find any...so I had to make my own.  Which, when I think about it, was the right choice all the way around.  Homemade mayo is easy and quick to make and it tastes SO much better than the jar stuff.  Especially if it's doctored up a bit with minced garlic or capers or olives or jalapeno or just about whatever you can think of!  More on that in a minute...one egg yolk, combined with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, a little salt, canola oil and about 6 minutes, is all it takes to make a great tasting mayo.
Adding in minced garlic really brings up the flavor -and changes the name from mayonnaise to garlic aioli!  That's right, just by adding garlic you've got aioli sauce.  Talk about presto-chango!  We were talking about that, right?  Because making your own mayo or garlic aioli, changes whatever you're putting it on from routine to yummy.  Mayo is fine, garlic mayo or aioli is finer.  Presto-chango!  (FYI:  Aioli purists would use olive oil instead of canola.)
This morning as the mister was going out the door to Global Headquarters, I asked him if he noticed the mayo on his sandwich last night, he said he did and he thought it was good.  So I told him I made it, since we were out of mayo.  He immediately stopped, set down his bag of tricks (briefcase) and opened the door to the cave.  I laughed and told him I had already looked THREE times and we didn't have mayo.  Two seconds later he pulled out a jar of mayo from the bottom shelf.  That man is a freak of nature!!  He said he remembered seeing it when it was in the cave looking for a light-bulb.  He smirked.  I smirked more.  I always have mayo.  Guess it's time to clean out the cave.
Homemade Mayonnaise - Garlic Aioli - Adapted from Epicurious
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup canola oil, divided
for aioli:  1 clove garlic, minced, black pepper to taste, optional
Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds.
Very, very slowly add 1/4 cup of the oil to the yolk mixture, stream it in as slowly as possible, whisking constantly, taking about 4 minutes to do so.  This step is important so the oil doesn't separate from the egg but emulsifies.  Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Cover and chill. Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.  Makes about 3/4 cup. 
To make aioli, add 1 minced garlic clove to the egg mixture. 
Today I'm sharing one of my very favorite dessert recipes, Raspberry Creme Brulee.  It is everything you hope a dessert will be...decadent, rich and utterly delicious.  You're going to want to make this for your next fancy dinner or for your 3:00 meltdown tomorrow afternoon.  This should be at the top of your want list, right above the two weeks vacation in Hawaii, $100,000 in twenty dollar bills, and all manner of lifts, fillers, suctions and transplants.  If only.  Allow me to quote Dr. Gregory House, who quoted a famous group of British Philosophers, &You can't always get what you want!&  But I'm here to tell you, you can get what you need, and you need Raspberry Creme Brulee!
Creme brulee is typically made with Grand Marnier, an orange-flavored cognac (liqueur.)  I have no problem with the original, it's just that I prefer raspberry flavoring so I use Chambord, which is a raspberry flavored liqueur.  Think of the liqueur as an extract, like vanilla extract - yes, it has alcohol in it but then so does vanilla extract...same difference, so don't get your girded loins all in a twist! 
If you've never made creme brulee before, not to worry, it's not difficult, just know that you have to allow time for baking and time for chilling - so making it the day before is a good idea but if you don't have that much time, allow for at least 3 to 4 hours for the brulee to chill in the fridge.
Creme brulee is cooked in a bain-marie, a water bath, which allows for steam to fill the oven so the custard stays moist and doesn't crack/split while baking.  The ramekins come out looking just perfect!
To make making creme brulee easier, it helps if you have ramekins to bake it in - if not, any oven proof dishes will work.  (Target sells ramekins for a couple of bucks each.)  And you don't need individual portions, you can bake one large creme brulee but it's much nicer to serve everyone their own little pot of lusciousness.  Another thing that is helpful, but certainly not necessary, is a blowtorch.  I purchased mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, along with the little can of fuel (they keep the fuel up at the front register, so be sure to ask about it as the blowtorch does not come with any fuel in it.)  If you don't have a blowtorch or don't want to buy one (they are not expensive) then you can put the creme brulee under the broiler, just be sure to watch it closely!  When the sugar on top starts to carmelize it can go quickly from wonderful to burned!
Just because it's so pretty, I like to serve my raspberry creme brulee with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh raspberries...it's always better to drive home the flavor, no?  This one is worth all five dangs on the Dang Meter - it's dang delicious, dang delectable, dang refreshing, dang smooooooth and dang Good.  As always, don't take my word for it, make it yourself and see!
Raspberry Creme Brulee - Adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (recommended:  Chambord)
For garnish:  whipped cream and fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined.  Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the raspberry extract and raspberry liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full. (I am able to get 7 ramekins with this recipe.) Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm, about 3 to 4 hours. 
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch* until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.  You can serve immediately or keep in the fridge until serving time.  Will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.  Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, if desired. 
*Just a word of caution, blowtorches can be very dangerous, please follow the directions that came with your blowtorch and be careful not to burn yourself!
The mister is on his death bed from his trip to Knoxville, where the snow and ice kept him indoors surrounded by little children who were happy to share their germs with him.  Then he was ensconced on airplanes surrounded by people who, according to him, had every form of Ebola known to man.  The mister woke this morning saying he was dying...just so, so sick...well, being a dutiful wife, I examined him...no fever...no cough...not one sneeze, not even a sniffle...so with my TV-doctor-show-medical-knowledge,  I  diagnosed the mister with that nasty bug that is going around (hypochondria) and prescribed complete bed rest for the entire day.  Clever, no?  You see, Saturday is the mister's day...we go to lunch, the movies, dinner, shopping, sight-seeing - whatever - it's his day to play and more specifically, to play with me!  So when friends call and want to go to an antique shop or a jewelry show or to lunch or something just for girls, I have to say no, because it's the mister's day.  Not today!!!  I'm freeeeeee! The mister has already taken up residence on the sofa in front of the TV...and I've set him up with juice and Kleenex and NyQuil - all the trappings one needs for who is not only sick but imaginary sick!
Today with my new found Saturday Freedom, I'm going to head to my favorite quilt shop, Keepsake Cottage in Bothell, to look for fabric for the back of my newest quilt top.  (I tried to get a picture of the entire top but it was just too big!  And then the wind picked up and so it looks like the top is wavy but it's not, it was just windy!)  While this top is new to me, it is not new!  It's been in the works for years and years!!  My friend Dawn, who used to be in my quilt group but then had some sort of revelation and decided she needed to move to sunny Southern California (and give up the clouds and rain?!?!), gave me the makings of this top.  The center was already pieced together by Dawn, and she gave me the fabric to finish the quilt, which I had planned to do the minute she gave it to me...but you all know what happened...the fabric and pieces sat in my aging pile for about 3 years - or more - it's been so long I can't remember!  Last month, while doing my annual workroom cleaning, I came across the fabric and decided it had aged long enough!
You might be wondering about Part Deux...well, wonder no more...the quilt above is my first French Quilt...made entirely with French fabric from France - hence making it French!  Dawn also purchased her fabric in France and it is the same fabric that I used in my quilt - with about 20 years difference in time!  And they still sell the very same fabric today at the only quilt shop inside the Paris city limits, Le Rouvray.  It's a very tiny and cute shop and along with American fabric, which is mostly what they carry, they have two French fabrics, the red and cream toile print and the red and cream floral print.  Dawn knew I loved those fabrics and that I had the &sister& quilt...and I can't remember why she said she didn't want it any more...but I was very happy to take it off her hands!  Now I'll have two French quilts to wrap myself in - which should make me part French, oui?
Dawn fussy cut the centers of the large stars so the toile fabric would show.  I added the checked border and then had to do some really, really difficult math to make those stars fit!  Of course I had help...I don't DO math!  Once I get the backing it's off to the quilters to be quilted - I usually quilt my own quilts but this one is too big - it measures 72 x 72-inches - too big for my machine!  Thanks Dawn, it's going to be a beauty!!!
Valentine's Day was filled with the usual romance around here...I cooked breakfast, did the laundry, vacuumed, dusted and mopped the kitchen floor while the mister ate his breakfast, played on the computer and watched basketball on TV.  It's the stuff dreams are made of.  Then, I ever so gently put my foot down, more like a big toe touch, but it was enough to rattle the mister's bones into action and save the day.  We had a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory, (and bought a whole cheesecake to take home!) did a little shopping at Macy's because it was Valentine's Day and everything was 20% off with an additional 20% off plus an additional 15% off since I used my Macy's card!  Macy's does my kind of math!  We capped off our afternoon with a movie, but our Valentine's Day wasn't over yet... 
Valentine's Day started much earlier in the week for me...I had my bi-annual Valentine's lunch for women of a certain age, (the youngest attendee was 68, the oldest 91) and I rolled out all the stops, at least all that I could think of!   and Valentine's Day go together like love and marriage and I must have made 60 of them - had to have plenty on hand to eat and some to for the ladies to take home as favors.  I also made white chocolate dipped maraschino cherries...they were so good!  The recipe makes a zillion so there were plenty for the party and plenty to give to friends - I'll post that recipe soon.  Of course, no Valentine's Day would be complete without chocolate dipped strawberries! 
Should have turned the plate around so you could see the pretty strawberries!  Oh well, you get the idea...a chocolate roll cake with a strawberry filling...in a word?  Chocolat-meets-Willy-Wonka-and-The-Chocolate-Factory-Meets-Strawberry-Shortcake-Delicious.  (This cake would make a great spring dessert when strawberries are in season - the recipe will be up soon!)  I didn't serve this cake to the ladies, I had something more decadent in mind - this cake went to someone special, and that's all I'm going to say about that!
My table looked pretty, no?  The ladies loved it - they commented on every little thing and were so very appreciative - it made my afternoon so much fun.   When the ladies arrived I totally forgot about my camera - so I didn't get pictures of them (just means we'll have to do this again next year!) or of the food!!  I served the main course in those cute red, heart-shaped dishes... - it's one of my all-time favorite meals.   I didn't do all the cooking for this soiree, Shelly came and was a huge help - she brought a fabulous salad and fresh fruit, along with little cheese biscuits (gougeres!) pink raspberry lemonade, and raspberry creme brulee for dessert, we had the perfect lunch! 
After the ladies left I jumped into the car and headed to the boy's home.  He and his bride have been under a lot of stress lately, she is finishing up school and he is entering a management program so I knew neither of them would give Valentine's Day a second thought...so I thought about it for them.  I ordered the t-shirts for them and they were thrilled - they will wear them, too, 'cause that's the kind of kids they are!  I filled a little goodies box for them and gave them an hour's notice before I &popped in&...as no pop-ins are allowed, they are not fans of the pop-in.  Quick, who said that?
Isn't the box just so cute?!?  It's not a hat box, nope, my mom sent me some pajamas for my birthday and they came in this box!  I was saving it for something special - it was perfect for the boy and his bride!
At the end of the day, the mister and I stood in front of the refrigerator looking for something to eat...and there they were, the last two remaining raspberry creme brulees.  I took mine and headed into the family room to watch the last episode of Gilmore Girls, the mister was banished to the bedroom.  I had one glorious bite after another and cried when the show ended.  Raspberry creme brulee and Luke and Lorelai together at last...now that's what I call the perfect ending to Valentine's Day!
I have one more episode to watch - just one - and then I'm going to have to get a grip.  Last October I discovered the TV show
on Netflix - all seven seasons.  I didn't watch Gilmore Girls when it originally aired, I suppose I was still living under that rock.  Several friends mentioned the series to me over the years, telling me I would love it but I could barely keep up with the shows I watched in real time and had no time to watch old shows...or so I thought...it's amazing how much time one can find to waste in the pursuit of happiness.  And make no bones about it, watching Gilmore Girls is happiness.  So thanks to all those friends who told me to watch Lorelai and Rory because not only do I love them, I am them!  Seriously, I could be a Gilmore Girl...well, except for the brain, body, face and the age difference, but other than that I have all of their qualities...sarcasm-junk-food-movies-shopping-reading-and-an-incredible-passion-for-the-inane - that's my middle name!  One more episode...I'm saving it...I'm going to watch the last episode on Valentine's Day...romantic, no?  I'm so excited!  We are going to have Blackberry Ginger Pork Tenderloin with smashed potatoes, salad and Creme Brulee for dessert and we're going to eat in front of the fire and the TV and hopefully watch Luke carry Lorelai off into the sunset, and then the mister will give me some fantastic piece of jewelry and a box of chocolates and while I'm stuffing my face he'll whip out plane tickets to Rome!!!  Wouldn't that be amazing?!?!  As if!  Well a girl can dream...back to reality...this tenderloin recipe is a dream, it's easy to make and definitely worthy of Valentine's Day or any day you want to make special... it is my new favorite - not even kidding one tiny ort - it will be your new favorite, too.  I promise. If you're smart, you'll make this for your Valentine, I'm sure it will get you more than a Hallmark card!
This is the most flavorful pork tenderloin you'll ever have - in part because the pork is brined for a quick 20 minutes, which makes the pork moist and tender and while it's brining away you will have time to prepare the blackberry ginger glaze...in a word?  Divine!
Blackberry preserves, hoisin sauce and ginger combine into a refreshing glaze, with just a bit of heat from red pepper flakes, which can be dialed up or down depending on your tastes.  This recipe is from Jen at , and Jen didn't say to strain the sauce, but I didn't want to have blackberry seeds in my teeth so I strained it...other than that, her recipe IS PERFECT!  Now about Jen, I don't know her, but I love her.  I love her , her recipes are killer, her photography is amazing, and her journey is inspiring.  Go check out her blog, you'll fall in love with her, too!
One little note about Valentine's Day...the mister walked in last night with a beautiful tulip plant, yes, you guessed it &sorry flowers.&  He was sorry for something and instead of actually saying those words, which he is incapable of saying, he let the flowers do the talking...and then he asked if they could be an early Valentine's gift, since it is Valentine's week.  At this point the flowers had nothing more to say.  Don't go pulling a groin muscle leaping to the conclusion because I'm happy to spell it out for you, just as I did for the mister...a Valentine's gift, given three days ahead of time is not a Valentine's gift.  It is just a gift and in no way can be construed as theeeeee Valentine's gift.  Unless it's diamonds.  Diamonds trump everything, even my rules.  My work here is almost done...moving on...the tenderloin is browned on all sides on the stove-top and then it's slathered in that delicious glaze/sauce and put into the oven to finish cooking.
I'm telling you straight, this one is a home-run, worthy of company, heck, worthy of royalty!  Jen said it best, &It looks fancy, it tastes fancy but I promise anyone can make it!&  Jen is right...it is fancy.
Blackberry Ginger Pork Tenderloin - Adapted From Jen of Carlsbad Cravings
2 pounds pork tenderloin, silver skin removed
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup ice cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Blackberry Ginger Glaze:
1/2 cup blackberry preserves (seedless if you can find it!)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found in the Asian section of the grocery store - it's like a thick soy sauce)
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (ginger provides some heat so use 2 if you want more of a kick)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
scallions, chopped, for garnish (optional)
fresh blackberries, for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brine the pork:  In a gallon size Zip-lock style plastic bag, dissolve the salt in the warm water.  Add remaining brine ingredients, mix well, then add the pork.  Brine for 20 minutes, no longer. 
While pork is brining, make the glaze by melting 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds.  Stir in blackberry preserves, hoisin sauce, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.  Taste for seasoning and adjust by adding more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes if desired.  At this point, unless you found seedless blackberry preserves,  strain the sauce through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.  Once strained, return the sauce to the pan to easily reheat just before serving.  If you are not going to strain the sauce, just leave in the pan, but turn off the heat.
After 20 minutes, remove pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Rub pork all over with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. 
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When oil is very hot, add pork tenderloin.  Sear on all sides until browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Place tenderloin on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil.  Brush with blackberry ginger glaze, brushing again after 15 minutes of cooking.  Roast tenderloin for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 160 degrees.  (We like our pork a little more on the done side, if you want some light pink in the middle, cook till 150 degrees.  Don't overcook or the pork will be dry.)  When pork is done, remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Slice pork thinly and drizzle blackberry ginger sauce over top.  Pass remaining sauce at the table.  Garnish with chopped scallions and fresh blackberries, if desired.
Does January seem like the longest month of the year to you?  It sure does to me - because after all of the Christmas hoopla is over and done, the only exciting thing on my calendar for the entire month of January was my quilt group meeting at the end of the month.  It gave me something to look forward to - a bright spot in the Winter doldrums!   Our meeting was just what I needed to clear out the cobwebs and give me some much needed inspiration!!
Our year long group project is almost over and this month it was Lori's turn to receive blocks - only one more month to go!!  Lori asked us to make her a scrappy 9-patch block using Aunt Gracie fabrics - and she asked us not to iron her blocks...finally a voice of reason!!  Apparently she is going to cut them up and resew them into something wonderful...will be fun to see what she creates!
 Marsha brought in her WIP - this adorable red and white quilt.  Her blocks are from a panel, but they really look like red-work, no?  She had us fooled!  I used to call this kind of quilt a cheater...but now that I'm old and tired, I have new respect and love for cheaters!
Marsha brought this &vintage& hexagon piece (circa 1999??) to show us - with the papers still in the back.  I don't think the owner of this knows what to do with it...probably best that she just gives it to me...I know what to do with it!!!  A little felt on the back and a nice dark tea-dye will make this vintage piece look like a true antique...I'm just sayin'...
This is the last from Marsha's bag of tricks - her friend Karen let her bring in this old hand-pieced double wedding ring quilt.  It's pretty wavy and stretched out in places but it will be beautiful once it's quilted!  I do hope it gets quilted...or maybe, just maybe, Karen will see the light and give this to me, too! 
Jenny was asked to make a quilt for the school auction - the 4th graders did the artwork and she pieced it together.  It's SO cute!!  All of the blocks are book titles - unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good picture of the full quilt - I think my camera cut off about three rows!  It's wonderful and Jenny pieced those &x's& in the sashing herself!  Way to go Jen!!
Jenny was on a roll this past month - along with the school quilt she made the quilt above for a baby gift and then she sewed up either a dozen or a hundred, can't remember how many, of those cute little bags to give to her son's Boy Scouts Leaders!!  What a great gift!  Now, look behind the bag and notice the felt piece on Helen's table...Terry made that for one of our Christmas gift exchanges...it's enough to make one want to steal!
This adorable July 4th banner was made by Jenny - the centers are made from paper that Jenny fussy-cut and glued on - very, very cute!
Janet made this cute quilt for a baby gift for her pastor, who happens to be the pastor of the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church.  It's perfect for a boy or a girl baaaaaa-by!
Helen gave Denise some orphan Christmas circle blocks and Denise turned them into a runner.  It's always nice when someone's trash becomes a treasure!!  Not that these were trash - oh, you know what I mean!
Helen's daughter Michelle made this quilt for Helen for Christmas - what an awesome gift!  I think you can see the apple didn't fall far from the fabric stash - Michelle's quilt is very much like a &Helen Quilt& - and this is one of Helen's favorite kind of quilt - bright, happy and scrappy!  (Note to the girl:  This IS an excellent gift!)
Helen is still working on this one - it's quite wonderful!!  And those bottom blocks are not lamps but trees, just in case you were wondering!  Helen has such a way with fabrics, color and crazy!
Another Helen creation in the works...I missed part of the conversation about this quilt - not sure what everyone was discussing, maybe something about the borders?  In any case, I have no doubt this will be my new favorite, as every one of Helen's quilts is. 
I had two tops finished this month...yes, two!  I'm going to show them to you in another post...don't want to over load you with greatness!!  Hope you are finding time to do whatever it is that makes you happy...especially if it's quilting!
Elsa is three years old and she loves books.  Over the holidays when she was here, she carried a book with her wherever she went - even if they just had words and no pics!  She would rather have a book than a toy or doll, but I do think she'd pick a cookie over a book, she is my granddaughter after all! 
Elsa is also very, very sweet.  She never makes a fuss, hardly ever cries, and is the happiest little girl there ever was.  Just look at that face!!  That face is the reason why I made her a Quiet Book...when I had sworn I would never, ever make another!
Quiet Books are an old-time kind of thing - mainly used in church or any environment where you want your child to sit quietly and play.  They also served to teach the child how to do basic things, like button a button or braid or use a zipper.   Now days, parents just hand their three year old their phone to play with to keep them entertained - or else the three year old just uses their OWN phone!  Not many people have Quiet Books any more - and really, not many people had them years ago because someone had to make it...and they take time...lots and lots of time!!  Hours and hours (almost 100!) of sewing by machine and hand...but in the end, it was worth it! 
The cover of the book has been reinforced with two l even though it's just fabric, it's pretty durable.  Two buttons hold the book closed.  I added a handle to Elsa could carry it around easily...although it's kind of heavy, but heavy from added treats - once she eats those it won't be too bad!  I also opted to use ribbon to hold the book together instead of metal rings.  The rings were either too big or too small and there was just too much &play& with the pages - the ribbon holds the pages close and they slide easily without making noise.
 Inside the cover is a pocket, which I stuffed with candy, kleenex and fruit snacks...just what every girl needs.  The first page is for apple picking - snapping the apples off the tree and putting them in the basket, then snapping them back on.  Elsa's little fingers will love doing this!
This is the &Let's Eat& page - where Elsa can set the table with waffles, butter, bacon juice and a fork, knife and spoon.  All are made from doubled fabric with interfacing and they are velcroed on.
Chalkboard fabric for Elsa to write on!  The opposite page has two little notebooks in the top left pockets, crayons, colored pencils and the bottom left pocket has a chalkboard erasing cloth and a box of colored chalk.  I think Elsa will like this page the best - and so will her brother Max.
Laminated cards are attached with a ring so Elsa can set the clock to different times.  The opposite page is called Weave the Pie...every girls needs to know how to weave a lattice crust, right?  Oh, it's cherry pie underneath, in case you were wondering!
No Quiet Book would be complete without a tic-tac-toe game!  The opposite page has a pocket to store the X's and O's and a few extra treats.
These are my favorite pages...the little bee has to fly out of his hive and visit all of the flowers - can you see him?  He is very small - and let me tell you, it was REALLY hard to find a small bee!!
On these pages Elsa will be able to give the dog his bone (it's removable) and undo his collar.  Elsa likes dogs so she'll like this page.  I don't know how she feels about horses...but she'll be able to braid the horses tail...and yes, that is a horse, it was the best I could do!
Make A Chain - this page should keep those little fingers busy!  The opposite page has shapes that are buttoned on...and the pocket holds Skittles - her favorite!
The last page in the book is all about Elsa - there's the mirror and in the plastic pouch there are wipes, two lip glosses and a comb...she loves to play beauty parlor!
The inside of the back cover has a pocket which was stuffed with more candy and goodies for my little girl.  I wish I could be there when she opens it!  I really did have fun making this book but I will never, ever, ever make another!!!
Happy 3rd birthday Elsa!}