Signature Block Quilt Update

Some quit due to slow progress never grasping the fact that slow progress is progress. –Unknown

For me, life is particularly busy lately and quilting and blogging have had to kind of take a back seat. Work is busy. My kids are high on the priority list. I spend a lot of time cooking, because I have to. Gluten free and dairy free is hard to find in fast food restaurants or even in prepared or partially prepared foods at the grocery store. I'm not complaining. We're eating a lot more fresh foods without preservatives. And I've enjoyed exploring new tastes and finding ways to eat delicious food that doesn't disagree with my body. I've become a curry addict. It is awesome.

Right now, the sewing project that occupies my limited time is a signature quilt for a very special lady in my neighborhood who is turning 100 in September. I've been thinking of this quilt since she turned 99 last September. I bought fabric clear back in March. And I've been working on blocks since mid-May. Each set of four blocks takes about an hour, give-or-take, depending on how interesting/how much attention the TV show I'm watching/listening to requires. About an hour a day is all I have for sewing and what seemed like slow progress has turned into this beautiful stack of 52 blocks.

Since I didn't post as I went you get all the blocks in one giant, picture heavy post. A lot of the prints came from the 30's Playtime line by Chloe's Closet for Moda. This is one of them.

Loved this print! It came in several colors and it was hard not to get them all.

This is how I left things when I finished working that particular evening. The next morning, it looked like a perfectly staged photo op, so I took it.

Moving on to the reds.

See comment on pink block in same print above.

This is another print that I had a hard time not buying in every color. I love those pretty roses!

Orange is such an underrated color.

This one is a Lori Holt print.

Each set of four blocks takes a little less than half of a fat quarter. I'm definitely going to use this print in a fall quilt.

I love yellow. It is so sunny and bright. This is another print that came in several different colors, but I only got it in yellow.

This sweet print might just be my favorite, but I can't say for sure.

The rose print also came in yellow. I didn't get more than two colors of any print, but it was tempting.

This, I think, was my least favorite print. But once I cut it and put it together, I like it. A lot.

All put together, those 52 blocks make 13 of the 25 flowers for the quilt {layout}. I'm more than half-way to 100 signature blocks! That is pretty exciting! The half-way point is sort of the barrier to me; it is where the mundane becomes exciting again because what I have left is less than what I've already accomplished.

After I put together the collage, I started in on the green fabrics. If you ask me my favorite color, I would probably say blue. Or maybe red. But secretly, I think that green is my real favorite color. And now I have 56 of 100 blocks done.

Amelie Pattern Giveaway Winner, A Stitch in Time: June, and My Trip to Crazy Town

The human mind is not a terribly logical or consistent place. –Jim Butcher, Turn Coat

I usually reserve Sundays for posts of a more spiritual nature. Today, however, my back is up against a wall. I've yet to announce the winner of the promised giveaway and there should be some sort of linky party going on around here starting today. With my most humblest apologies for not being on top of everything like I always think I can, let's take care of some business.

First, I threw everyone's name who entered for the giveaway into a hat. OK, it was a dish, but you know what I mean. And Grasshopper pulled out the winner.

Congratulations to

P.

at The Way I Sew It

P., check your inbox .

Now, about the June Linky Party. I've debated back and forth and have decided that there will not be a linky party for June. I'm also considering taking the summer off. And maybe not ever starting back up again after that. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'm juggling a lot and while it is really hard to let go emotionally to the idea that I can do everything, it makes the most sense at the moment to let a few things go. The June Linky Party is one of those things.

You see, LadyBug and I are going to Girl's Camp for the week. It's this thing we do in our Church to torture the girls by making them survive out in the wilderness for five consecutive days without technology and also to make the leaders crazy getting ready for it. I happen to be on the Crazy Town Express at the moment. I still have packing to do, my gluten and dairy free food substitutions to prep and about fifty other things before my self-mandated 9:00 pm bedtime, because I have to be up at oh-five-hundred hours tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure the No-Bake Dark Chocolate Granola Bites that I made a special trip to the Health Food Store to get Sunbutter for {like peanut butter, only made with sunflower seeds} because peanut butter and I don't get along, and then discovered I'd left my wallet and home and had to run home and back in order to make my purchase are not going to get made.

Our packing lists are about a mile long and we have to make everything fit into one bag. LadyBug and I just spent 25 minutes coercing foam pads into rolls so that we might have some hope of sleep this week. We're not really camping. We're sleeping in cabins and the cabins have bunk beds, but the bunk beds just have wooden bottoms — no mattresses. Hence the need for foam pads. We also have showers with hot running water if you're the first or second in line. And kitchens with fridges and electricity and everything. There's a canoe lake and a ropes course and hiking and the food is fantastic, from what I hear. So, it isn't really camping. But it isn't like home. And it is a lot of work to get ready for it. I'm not ready.

Wish me luck!

Beef Stroganoff Can Be Gluten and Dairy Free and Still Taste Good

Cooking is not difficult. Everyone has taste, even if they don't realize it. Even if you're not a great chef, there's nothing to stop you understanding the difference between what tastes good and what doesn't. –Gérard Depardieu

I fought it for a really long time. I did not want to give up gluten — in essence, my daily bread. I was tested for Celiac and it came back negative. I gave up dairy almost a year-and-a-half ago, which was really, really hard. It was hard enough eating diary free without adding gluten to the mix so I stubbornly stuck to my gluten-laden diet because I don't have Celiac disease. I was convinced that it wouldn't help. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was eating myself sick. Within 3 days of giving up gluten, I felt better than I had in months. It's been a little over two months now and I feel like a normal person again. I can't believe what a huge difference it has made.

Coming up with menus that aren't monotonous is difficult. And living dairy and gluten free limits what you can make but necessitates cooking almost every day. Very few restaurants cater to special diets. You can only eat so many salads with vinaigrette dressing without getting bored. And there are cross-contamination issues, as well, when eating out. This week, I felt like I was out of ideas, so I rummaged around on Pinterest and found a few things I'd pinned a while ago and decided to give them a try. First up, was the most amazing Black-Eyed Pea Curry from Mel over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Her recipes use mostly fresh ingredients, so it is easy to substitute if necessary. This curry called for half-and-half, but I used canned coconut milk instead, added cauliflower as suggested in her notes but not included in the recipe and omitted the cilantro because I'm not a big fan. After tasting it, I could see how the cilantro would have complimented the flavors, so if you like it, I'd say go for it. As it was, I thought it was heaven on a plate. We will definitely be having more curry around here in the future.

Mel also has this casserole {she calls it a hot dish} that I've been romancing for the past year or so. It is an upscale version of one of my favorite casseroles. Mine uses cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups and plain white rice, with a splash of soy sauce, some hamburger, onions and garlic and chow mein noodles on top. Hers uses butter, flour, milk and spices to flavor wild rice. The first time I made it, I used a wild rice blend, butter substitute and almond milk and halved the recipe but otherwise followed it exactly. The rice came out crunchy and under done, and it was all burned to the bottom of the pan. The second time I tried it, I made the same changes as before but I tried cooked the rice half-way by using only half the water and half the time, hoping that the time in the oven as part of the casserole would finish cooking it all the way. It was an epic fail. For some reason, it was too salty. Way too salty {operator error, I'm guessing} and the rice still wasn't done.

Several months ago, I gave it one more try. I still used half the amount of rice and still did a wild rice blend, but I cooked it all the way before putting it into the casserole. I also used the full amount for the sauce ingredients {subbing in dairy-free only; I was still in denial about being gluten intolerant} and added in a tablespoon of soy sauce. It was spot on. I was going to make this recipe last week, but I was still recovering from surgery, so it got bumped to this week's menu. As chance would have it, we had a leftover steak that Mr. Bug had grilled up for us on Friday night, so I decided to use it to make beef stroganoff night before last or as close to it as you can get without using dairy or gluten. I used the sauce recipe from Mel's casserole, modified slightly, and I thought it was pretty tasty. Without dairy, it isn't exact, but it is pretty darn close so I thought I'd share.

Beef Stroganoff

½ to 1 lb. beef (leftover roast beef, stew meat, steak – raw or left over), cut to bite size pieces
2 tablespoons butter substitute or olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 oz. mushrooms, diced
¼ cup corn starch
1½ cups beef broth
¾ cup rice milk (or 1 cup almond milk)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon onion salt
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

8 oz. gluten-free pasta

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not drain until ready to serve.
• In a 10” skillet, brown the beef on medium high heat until juices caramelize on the bottom of the pan {works with both leftover and raw meat}. If your pan is non-stick, you don't need to add any oil, but if it is a regular pan, add a little olive oil to keep the meat from sticking. Transfer the meat to a plate and cover with foil.
• Return the skillet to the stove and add butter substitute or olive oil and melt over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are translucent and most of the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms. Sprinkle the corn starch over the vegetables and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cook the mixture for about 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk the broth and milk into the skillet. Add the salt, celery salt, onion salt, garlic salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• Return the meat, with any juices that might have accumulated, back to the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Serve over hot pasta.
Serves 4

Notes:
• I used Heartland Fusilli pasta. It was excellent. You can find it on the regular pasta aisle at Wal-Mart.
• Rice milk doesn’t thicken as much as almond milk, but I’m sensitive to almonds, so I use rice milk. Also, for some reason, sauces and gravies made with corn starch lose their “thickness” when you refrigerate them, so leftovers will have runny sauce, but it still tastes good.
• My favorite butter substitute is Earth Balance. They have the original in Wal-Mart, but I go to a health food store to find the kind made with olive oil because I like it better.
• The amount of meat doesn’t have to be exact. This is a great recipe to use up leftover roast or steak, but you can buy a steak or stew meat if you don’t have leftovers. Stew meat tends to be a little bit tougher, though.

Gluten Free Is Do-Able. Or So I Keep Telling Myself.

There are very few one-size-fits-all solutions. –L. Tom Perry, Obedience Through Our Faithfulness, April 2014

My tummy has always been a little fussy. I was tested for Celiac in December of 2012 and it came back negative. I knew that dairy bothered me so in January of 2013 I decided that it was time to give it up completely in hope of easing the discomfort. And for a couple of weeks, things seemed better. But it wasn't long before the the gastrointestinal distress returned. Since I'd tested negative for Celiac I was sure it couldn't be gluten, and I stubbornly refused to give up my daily bread. I mean, I'd already taken the cheese off my pizza. If I took away the crust too, I'd be left with sauce and pepperoni and that just didn't cut it in my book. I figured that I just had a more sensitive digestive system and that it was something I was going to have to live with.

About five weeks ago things became pretty unbearable. My stomach hurt all the time. It hurt so much that it woke me up in the wee hours of the morning, and as I laid in bed tossing and turning and waiting for relief, I started to worry. I got up and started cutting scraps into 2" squares, and I worried some more. And I was convinced that something was VERY wrong. I e-mailed P., who is dairy-free and also gluten free. She also tested negative for Celiac, but is gluten intolerant and feels much better without it. We've discussed our intestinal woes on occasion and she urged me to try giving up gluten for a couple of weeks {as she has done on several other occasions in the past}. I figured that the only thing I had to loose were a few worrisome symptoms, so I did. And I made an appointment with the doctor who took some blood, did a bunch of tests, including for Celiac {which was negative again}, and then sent me to a gastro doc where I was subjected to more and less pleasant tests. Everything is normal. Except it's not, because my body doesn't tolerate gluten.

Within just a few days of giving up the stuff, I started to feel better. A lot better. And I got to wondering why, suddenly, so many people are gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease? I mean, wheat is the staff of life, and all that. Why would our bodies suddenly turn on us? I followed a few rumors, like that hybridized wheat was to blame, or genetically altered corn, cotton, alfalfa and papaya {among other foods} were to blame. And someone to throw the blame on is just what I was looking for. I wanted to buy into those rumors, because they were on the internet, so they must be true. After more consultation with P., she pointed me in a different direction, and it would seem that lectins, gluten and phytates are just plain hard to digest. I suspect that, coupled with a diet high in the grains that contain these components, would eventually lead to rebellion. And it looks like the rebellion has won in my body.

While stubbornly refusing to believe that gluten was an issue, I thought giving up bread was the worst thing in the world. Now, almost five weeks on the other side, I can't believe I spent so much time eating myself sick. My tummy is SO much happier and I feel a lot better. Before, my brain felt like I should always be eating, even if my stomach was full. Now, my blood sugar stays pretty steady and my stomach is in charge of when I eat and it knows when I'm full too.

Granted, it is a more work to try and come up with interesting and tasty things to eat. The first week was a snap. I was so anxious for relief that I happily met the challenge. The menu I already had planned for that week lent itself nicely to being gluten free. All I had to do was pick up some GF soy sauce and I was set. The next week was much harder, because I was pretty sure we'd eaten all the things that are gluten free the week before. Somehow, I managed to scrape together another menu. It was seriously lacking in imagination. The week after that I put together another. And then another. We've only had a few repeats {the Not-So-Little Bugs love chicken tacos, and I'm good with having a crunchy corn tortilla and leaving off the cheese as long as there is plenty of salsa, homemade guacamole and dairy-free sour cream}. I'm hoping to develop a fairly well-rounded répertoire of menu items because fast food is quickly becoming a distant memory {although I've had some very lovely salads lately from Wendy's, Chick-fil-A and a local cafe. And I really love an "unwich" from Jimmy John's – think lettuce wrap sandwich}. I've made quite a few Asian recipes because they're mostly dairy-free, and if you've got the right soy sauce then gluten isn't an issue either. Potatoes and rice and quinoa have made appearances. We even tried gluten free pasta and I was pretty impressed. I tried a loaf of gluten free bread and wasn't impressed at all with that. When I left dairy behind, I discovered that it really is best not to try to substitute ingredients, but rather to find new recipes that don't require those particular ingredients. Although I am going to try P.'s gluten free double chocolate chip cookie recipe. I haven't had chocolate for five weeks, people! Five weeks! Almost. {Sidebar: did you know that Oreos are dairy free? Makes you wonder what is in that creme filling, doesn't it?} Eventually, I'll get around to trying homemade gluten free breads. Perhaps when I no longer have to go to work every day.

In the meantime, I think it has been a very positive change. I still have days here and there when I can't figure out why I've got a belly ache. I wonder if I forgot to read a label, if there are other items that my body doesn't like or if there were cross-contamination issues. But I'm not going to let it get me down. And I'm not going back to a pizza filled life. To be honest, I remember pizza and garlic bread, ice cream, cookies and cake with fondness, but I don't crave them. I don't even really want to eat them. Jimmy John's put cheese that I didn't ask for on my unwich a few weeks ago and I didn't notice until I'd eaten about ¾ of the sandwich {it was wrapped tight in lettuce, you know}. Within a half-hour of eating, I felt uncomfortably nauseated, and my tummy was pretty unhappy for the next 36 hours or so. I'd rather eat a nice salad or some beans and rice and fresh fruit makes a delightfully satisfying dessert.

Yes, I suppose gluten free is do-able, after all.

Walt Disney World Day 2: A Bug's Life

Isn’t it a bit surprising
How one’s fortunes ebb and flow;
And only to the enterprising
Does the magic fortune cookie go?
Believe me,
It’s the time of your life so live it well.
–Randy Newman, It's The Time of Your Life from A Bug's Life

Sunday, January 19, 2014
Destination: Animal Kingdom
Weather Forecast: High of 64˚

7:45 am, EST [5:45 am, MST]: Too. Early. To. Wake. Up.
8:30 am, EST [6:30 am, MST]: Still too early . . .
10:30 am, EST [8:30 am, MST]: A little sleeping in on vacation is in order, but it's time to get up already.
11:57 am, EST [9:57 am, MST]: Bathing and dressing accomplished. Clothes unpacked {Sidebar: I never unpack on vacation. It just seems weird to put my clothes in someone else's drawer, but I thought this might be the easiest way to keep track of what is clean and what is dirty. If it's in the drawer — which, by the way, are nice and big; Mr Bug and I can fit all our clothes for 6 days in one drawer and there's plenty of room left over — it's clean. After you've worn it, put it in the suitcase. Folded. And don't wear it again.}. Room organized so the maid doesn't trip over luggage.

12:02 pm, EST [10:02 am, MST]: Our quest for food takes us to the restaurant just off the main entrance to the hotel where we are staying — Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory and it has a Mardi Gras theme going on. We got the Disney Dining Plan {they had a great deal going on when we booked}, so we're set for food. Brunch today: pizza for the Not-So-Little Bugs, a Cajun chicken sandwich for Mr. Bug and a tuna salad sandwich {which, by the way, is HUGE} for me.
12:40 pm, EST [10:40 am, MST]: We're waiting for the shuttle to the Animal Kingdom park. I'm so excited to be here I can hardly contain myself.
1:00 pm, EST [11:00 am, MST]: The shuttle is {finally} here. Have I mentioned? This is so awesome!
2:26 pm, EST [12:26 pm, MST]: Park entry achieved {after you tap your MagicBand on the Mickey scanner, they scan your fingerprint so if you loose your MagicBand no one else can use it to get into the park}, locker secured, Disney Trading Pin purchased, photos snapped, milling about aimlessly accomplished and various bathroom breaks taken.

Our FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris are available now, so that is where we are headed.
4:40 pm, EST [2:40 pm, MST]: Giraffic jam navigated,

Safari ride thoroughly enjoyed,

Coats retrieved from locker {it looks like I didn't really need to do all that laundry so that we could have something different to wear every day.}, more milling about aimlessly accomplished, It's Tough to be a Bug 3D show attended, and snacks procured {thanks again, Disney Dining}.
4:45 pm, EST [2:45 pm, MST]: Our Expedition Everest FastPasses are available. Look out, Yeti! Here we come!
4:52 pm, EST [2:52 pm, MST]: That was totally awesome — among my top 5 favorite roller coasters of all time. When Mr. Bug and I came here a few years back, this was the first ride we rode. It was a short wait, so we got off and got right back in line for it. Also, it is as I suspected earlier, but tried to ignore anyway. That is a migraine. And the roller coaster made it worse. I will be so embarrassed if I have to throw up in a garbage can at The Magic Kingdom.
4:57 pm, EST [2:57 pm, MST] I managed to hold it together long enough to get a Coke, which is helping to settle my stomach and will hopefully, in combination with a little medication, put this headache to rest. Also, I hope this isn't going to be a vacation-long thing.
5:01 pm, EST [3:01 pm, MST]: Our next FastPass isn't until 6:30 pm. The Not-So-Little Bugs are loosing enthusiasm {their feet hurt despite the expensive sneakers we bought them} and according to the nifty Disney app, the wait time isn't too long, so we're going to stand in line for DINOSAUR.
6:30 pm, EST [4:30 pm, MST]: While we were waiting in line, something went wrong and they closed the ride for about 20 minutes, which caused our FastPasses to get cancelled anyway, so it was a good call that we got in line. While we waited, we sat on the floor and formulated a plan to soak our feet and do foot massages upon arrival at our hotel. We are now going to the Yak & Yeti to see if they will let us bump up our 7:30 reservations and squeeze us in sooner.
6:37 pm, EST [4:37 pm, MST]: The people at The Yak & Yeti were very kind and they've seated us early. While we were waiting for the verdict, LadyBug squished a penny in a hand-crank machine. It was fun.
8:03 pm, EST [6:03 pm, MST]: Dinner was absolutely delicious. They were very accommodating in making sure there was no dairy in my food {Sidebar: avoiding dairy at home is a hassle. On vacation, it is double. I have to trust that they are reading labels and not just assuming. So far, OK.}. Mr. Bug and I ate here, too, when we were here a few years back and it was as good as we remembered. We're headed back to the shuttle to take us to the hotel now.
11:58 pm, EST [9:58 pm, MST]: I found a really nice peppermint-y smelling foot lotion in the hotel gift shop. We all soaked our feet in the tub and then I used the lotion to rub our feet. Much better. My headache is gone, I made dining reservations for the rest of our trip and then made some tweaks to our scheduled FastPass selections. Bedtime. It is curious to have jumped two whole time zones forward. I want to get up and going first thing in the morning, but "first thing" here is way before "first thing" at home. And I'm not a morning person to begin with. But after a day filled with walking and more walking, getting to bed "early" doesn't seem to be a problem. But then again, "early" at home is way later than "early" here.

When Life Gives You Quick Cooking Oats Make No-Bake Cookies

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. –John Wooden

The other day I mentioned that, must to my distaste, I'd mistakenly bought a box of quick cooking oats and didn't know what I was going to do with it because I certainly wasn't going to eat the oatmeal for breakfast. I got lots and lots of replies suggesting I make cookies. I also got several recipes. I haven't had a chance to make any of these yet, but plan to {because YUM!} and wanted to share the recipes with you and to thank you all for your comments!

This first recipe is from a very wonderful friend, Jenna.

Oatmeal Clusters
¼ cup butter
2 cups sugar
½ cup milk
1 pinch of salt
1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup peanut butter
3 to 3½ cups quick cooking oats

• In a 4-quart pot, melt butter then add sugar, milk, salt and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute exactly. Remove from heat.
• Add vanilla and peanut butter and blend well. Then add oats.
• Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper or cookie sheet to cool.

Notes:
• Cocoa can be omitted to make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Clusters
• For dairy free, use Butter Substitute instead of butter and substitute almond milk for the milk.

Jenna also sent this next recipe, which is a favorite in her husband's family. Freda sent me a link to her Mrs. McKenzie's Chocolate No-Bake Cookies, which her family has been using for the last 50 years. The ingredients are identical in both recipes, although the quantities and directions vary slightly. I'm sharing Jenna's recipe here, but check out Freda's for a slightly chocolatier version.

Oatmeal No-Bakes
½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
½ cup condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoons vanilla
3 to 3½ cups quick cooking oats
Chopped walnuts

• In a 4-quart pot, melt butter then add sugar, milk, salt and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute exactly. Remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla and then add oats.
• Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper or cookie sheet to cool.

Notes:
• Butter Substitute can be used instead of butter for dairy-free cookies.
• For a dairy-free substitute for the condensed milk, simmer 1¼ cups soy, rice or almond milk in a pan until it is reduced by 60% to ½ cup. Be careful not to scald it. {For sweetened condensed milk, stir in ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, and stir in over low heat until it is completely dissolved.} It will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
• Another alternative for evaporated milk is to substitute coconut milk 1:1 in the recipe. This will impart a coconut flavor to the recipe.

This final recipe is from my friend, Sparkle Girl, who is as vivacious in real life as her screen name suggests.

Energy Balls
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup mini chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup ground flaxseed
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into bite size balls. Refrigerate to set.

Thank you Jenna, Freda and Sparkle for the recipes! And now, if you'll excuse me I suddenly have a craving for something chocolatey.

"C" is for Cookie and "D" is for Dairy-Free

Now what starts with the letter "C?" Cookie starts with "C." Let's think of other things that start with "C?" Ah, who cares about other things.
"C" is for cookie, that's good enough for me.
"C" is for cookie, that's good enough for me.
"C" is for cookie, that's good enough for me.
Oh, cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C!"
–Cookie Monster, The Cookie Song

I'm not a big fan of baking cookies. It takes a lot of time {a minimum of 2 hours a batch. Perhaps I'm just slow?}, dirties a lot of dishes and they disappear all too quickly from the plate only to reappear on my hips and thighs later. So I mostly buy cookies. Or at least I did until I gave up dairy. I still buy Oreos, because they are dairy-free {which makes me wonder what sort of chemicals they use to concoct the "creme" centers}, and I started buying a really yummy Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie at a health-food shop downtown every once in a while when I'd stop in to pick up vegan sour cream for taco night. And then I decided that a $1.79 for one - 12,000 calorie cookie was kind of ridiculous. I figured out that I could buy a bag of dairy-free chocolate chips and make about 12,000 - one hundred calorie cookies {which comes out to about 8₵ a cookie} instead, so I changed my tune.

I found this recipe at The Live-In Kitchen. It was already in its third iteration, so I think it is OK to share my take on it because I've made a few tweaks.

Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 cup butter or butter substitute
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2½ cups old-fashioned oats
¾ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips or dairy-free mini chips

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and coconut. Slowly add to the butter, sugar and egg mixture and beat until combined. Add the oats and chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350˚ for approximately 10 minutes; let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 6 dozen

Notes:
• If you are using real butter, use it at cool room temperature. If you are using butter substitute {I prefer the kind made with olive oil}, use it straight from the fridge.
• 10 minutes in my oven plus 2 minutes on the baking sheet {a preheated Pampered Chef baking stone} produces the perfect cookie — not to crispy and not too doughey. You may have to adjust for your oven and/or baking sheet, especially if you make larger cookies.

--

And everyone needs a good chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe, even the dairy-free folks.

Arlene's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
½ cup butter or butter substitute
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
⅔ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cups milk chocolate chips or dairy-free mini chips

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening, butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the butter, sugar and egg mixture and beat until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350˚ for approximately 10 minutes; let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 8 dozen

Notes:
• If you are using real butter, use it at cool room temperature. If you are using butter substitute {I prefer the kind made with olive oil}, use it straight from the fridge.
• The type of cocoa powder you use makes a difference. In the first batch, I used regular cocoa powder. I was disappointed with the color and the flavor. The second time I made these, I used Hershey's Special Dark, which is a blend of regular and Dutch-processed cocoas and it made a huge difference. Someday, I may even get my hands on 100% Dutch-processed cocoa.
• Obviously, the flavor will be different if you use milk chocolate chips versus the dairy-free semi-sweet chips. Whichever chip you use, I highly recommend that you use mini chips. They're just so darn cute.
• 10 minutes in my oven plus 2 minutes on the baking sheet {a preheated Pampered Chef baking stone} produces the perfect cookie — not too crispy and not too doughy. You may have to adjust for your oven and/or baking sheet, especially if you make larger cookies.

Easy Zucchini Quiche Supreme

When I pass a flowering zucchini plant in a garden, my heart skips a beat. –Gwyneth Paltrow

It is that time of year again. Zucchini season! And I love zucchini. Did you know that August 8^th is National Zucchini Day, otherwise known as Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch day? I don't usually grow zucchini because I have a very kind neighbor who always brings me some of hers. She doesn't even have to sneak it over because I always appreciate it. Zucchini is awesome.

I know it's been a few days, but if someone snuck you some zucchini and you're still wondering what to do with it, try out this bit of deliciousness.

Easy Zucchini Quiche Supreme

2 medium-large zucchini {about 4 cups} sliced about ½" thick and quartered
4 oz. {about 1 cup} coarsely chopped mushrooms
¼-½ cup finely chopped onion {to taste}
3 large tomatoes {about 1½ cups}, seeded and chopped
½ cup butter or butter substitute
2 eggs, well beaten
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons dried parsley or ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
¼ teaspoon dried basil or ¾ teaspoon fresh minced basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano or ¾ teaspoon fresh oregano basil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 {8 oz.} can crescent rolls
2 teaspoons mustard
2 cups grated Monterey cheese

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; sauté zucchini, mushrooms and onion until tender. Add tomatoes and heat through.
• Heat oven to 375˚. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Separate crescent rolls and press into the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. Spread the crescent rolls with mustard and place the zucchini, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes into the pan. Pour the egg mixture over the zucchini and then top with cheese.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, making sure the eggs have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
• I made my quiche dairy-free by using butter substitute and vegan mozzarella. I used a lot less than 2 cups {probably about ½ cup} because it just doesn't act or taste like real cheese, but does add a bit of nice flavor. The fresh veggies give enough great flavor that I really didn't miss the cheese at all. As a matter of fact, it was so yummy that Mr. Bug and I ate nearly half the quiche between us.
• If you don't have all of the veggies called for, substitute in what you've got. It would be delicious with yellow squash and/or bell peppers of any color.

For lots of other yummy zucchini recipes, here's a fun recipe book. To print the booklet, print the file out on both sides of the paper {if your printer won't do it automatically, print odd pages first, flip the pages and arrange so that the first page is on top, printed side down, and so forth. Then print the even pages}. Fold down the middle and you've got lots of new recipes to try.

Dairy-Free Basics: Taco Seasoning and Ranch Dressing

Food allergy side effects may include healthier eating habits, improved baking skills and an increased number of meals together at the dinner table. –Tiffany Glass Ferreira at Food Allergy Fun

Going dairy-free was not a lot of fun. Besides all the yummy things like pizza and ice cream that you have to give up, dairy is hidden in a lot of places you'd never expect to find it. Shortly after giving it up I made chicken tacos, which is a favorite at Bug Cottage. At the time, I was kind of at a loss about what to eat and when I planned my menu for that week I figured I'd be safe as long as I didn't put any cheese on mine. As I was putting the tacos together, I decided to check the ingredients and discovered that there is dairy in the seasoning packets you buy from the grocery store. I didn't know what to do. It was getting late and everyone was hungry. So I made the tacos for my family and had a bowl of cereal {with rice milk} for myself.

Later, after talking with a neighbor who has kids with lots of food sensitivities and allergies, she gave me good recipe. If you've been dairy-free for a while, this is probably old news but I thought I'd share anyway.

Taco Seasoning

½ tablespoon chili powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes {or ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper}
⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon Cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon dried onion flakes
¾ teaspoon Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning {optional}

• Combine all dry ingredients. Add seasoning and ⅓ cup water to one pound of meat. Stir to combine; simmer until the liquid is gone.

--

Ranch dressing was never my favorite, but as soon as I couldn't have it anymore, I suddenly wanted it. My friend, the same one who gave me the taco seasoning recipe, gave me this yummy dairy-free version. I like it a lot better than the lactose-laden original. Probably because it doesn't give me heartburn.

Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
⅓ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

• Mix mayonnaise and vinegar together until smooth. Add parsley and spices; stir to combine. Keep refrigerated.

Lately, I've been on a fresh-herb kick. Dried herbs are good. And it takes a little more time to chop fresh ones, but it seems like the fresh ones are just a little bit better. Plus, they make nice garnishes.

{Dairy Free} Zuppa Toscana

A dairy intolerant woman went into a local restaurant for a meal and asked the waiter, “I can't eat anything with dairy in it. Can you tell me how this meal is prepared?”

“Oh yes,” said the waiter, smiling helpfully, “It’s cooked in a Wok!” –adaped from WhatAllergy.com

Dairy has bothered me with varying degrees of severity/ annoyance for about as long as I remember. But over the last couple of years it has gotten worse. About seven months ago, I went dairy-free. I immediately felt better, but soon realized that I should probably be a whole-lot-of-other-things-free too. Giving up dairy was hard and I'm stubbornly avoiding trying to weed out any other intolerances, especially when the official test said I don't have Celiac Disease {gluten allergy}, which is pretty serious if left unaddressed. But that's an adventure for another day.

When giving up dairy, I looked for ways to find substitutes at first, but there are just some things that can't be recreated without dairy, so I only substitute when it doesn't alter the food too much. Mostly, I look for recipes that don't have dairy in them in the first place so they don't feel incomplete without it. It's always fun, though, to find a good dairy-free recreation of a dish that usually has dairy in it. Today, I want to share a really yummy dairy-free {and gluten-free if you use the right mayonnaise and sausage} Zuppa Toscana.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. mildly spicy sausage
½ cup finely diced onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1½ tablespoons finely diced fresh parsley or 1½ teaspoons dried parsley
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2½ lbs. red potatoes, diced
¼ cup mayonnaise
4 cups rice milk

• In a large saucepan, brown sausage; drain off excess grease. Add onions to sausage and cook until onions turn clear. Stir in chives, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add potatoes. Whisk together mayonnaise and about ¾ cup rice milk. Add remaining rice milk to ingredients in the pan and then stir in mayonnaise and milk mixture.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer together until potatoes are tender.

Serves 5-6

Notes:
• I used sausage labeled as "mild spice," and with the red pepper flakes it wasn't too spicy. I like things mild so you can increase the spiciness of the dish by getting a medium or hot sausage.

Mrs. Potato Head

A skin have I, more eyes than one. I can be very nice when I am done. –A Potato

It's been a really long time since I posted any kind of recipe. It's not that I haven't been cooking. But I posted most of my favorite recipes. Also, I just found that getting good {i.e. appetizing} photos of food to be difficult. And photos to accompany a recipe are kind of a requisite. I mean, isn't it the photo that draws you in and makes you want to try the recipe? Nevertheless, I am posting a couple of recipes today with somewhat non-spectacular photos.

Since I went dairy-free in January of this year, I've been limited in what I can eat. There are milk products in everything from chocolate to taco seasoning to bouillon cubes. It is kind of ridiculous. Over the past several months, I have been relying heavily on Mel's Kitchen Cafe to replace my dairy-laden casseroles. Mel does not use many canned/prepared items {i.e. cream-of-whichever soup} in her recipes, so it is easy to use dairy substitutes. I particularly enjoyed her post on food allergies, during Food Allergy Awareness Week earlier this month.

Today I want to share a couple of potato recipes. Potatoes are a tricky business for dairy-free folks. While they do not contain dairy themselves, they aren't particularly appetizing with out it. Mashed potatoes with almond milk and butter substitute are not bad. As a matter of fact, the Not-So-Little Bugs didn't even notice. But I'm not too fond of the sour cream substitute I've been able to find and wouldn't really like to try it on a baked potato. Whipping up a batch of flavored instant potatoes is out of the question. So, I've been looking for different ways to dress up a potato. Here's what I've come up with.

Garlic & Herb Potatoes

Garlic & Herb Potatoes (with Lamb Shanks)
Photo courtesy of Shay at Quilting In My Pyjamas

8 medium to large red potatoes
1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh minced oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¼ cup olive oil, butter or butter substitute

• Scrub potatoes and dice into ½" - 1" cubes. Fill a 4-quart pot about half-way with water and bring to a boil. When the water reaches a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and the diced potatoes all at once. Return to a boil and boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes.
• Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl add rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic to melted butter or olive oil. Toss together with potatoes to coat.
• Place potatoes in a greased 9" x 13" baking dish and place in a 350˚ oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Notes:
• For crispy wedges, cut potatoes into wedges rather than dicing them. Combine seasonings as directed and toss with potatoes to coat. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake as directed.
• I've tried this recipe with dried and fresh herbs, as well as russet and red potatoes and it is delicious no matter which way you make it.

Gram's Best Potato Salad

1 dozen eggs
5 lbs. red potatoes

Dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

Additional Ingredients
½ cup pickle juice
1½ cups chopped celery
¼ cup finely diced onion
½ of a dill pickle, finely diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
Paprika

• Place eggs in the bottom of a 4-quart pot and add cold water to 1" above eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow eggs to stand in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain water from eggs; fill pot with cold water and ice and allow eggs to cool.
• Peel and slice the boiled eggs; reserve the slices with pretty yellow centers for garnish on top of the potato salad and grate the remaining eggs to be added to the potato salad.
• Scrub and dice potatoes. Fill an 8-quart or 10-quart pot about half-way with water and bring to a boil. When the water reaches a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the diced potatoes all at once. Return to a boil and boil potatoes for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to prepare dressing, mix mayonnaise, sugar, red wine vinegar and spicy brown mustard together in a small mixing bowl.
• After the potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, drain them and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the pickle juice directly on top of the hot potatoes. Add grated eggs, celery, onion, dill pickle, salt, pepper and parsley and stir to combine. Toss together with dressing. Top with sliced eggs and sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

Notes:
• There are no notes, except to say that no picnic is complete without a good potato salad and this is a good potato salad .

Random Bits: Vol 7

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. –Thomas Merton

Absentia
I think about blogging a lot. I write posts in my head all the time. But getting them down “on paper” is another matter. This post is a patchwork of the things that have been on my mind the last week or so. I've often wished for a USB port behind my ear, so that I could plug in and download my thoughts. Then I could blog things one at a time. It's been so long, I don't know if anyone is left out there to read this. I hope you all haven't given up on me. There is still a ton of traffic here and I check at least once a day to see if there are new comments. I stopped getting excited a couple of weeks ago, though, because all there is is spam, spam and more spam. I know some of you are also getting spammed into oblivion. Do you think if we asked nicely, that Google/Blogger would put anonymous commenting in its own category to be turned on and off at will and independent of any other commenting options?

A Pocket Dial and Other Telephone Related Chatter
At work yesterday afternoon I answered the phone, but couldn't understand what the person on the other end said in reply to my “how may I help you?” spiel. This isn't uncommon; lots of our customers speak English as a second language, so I took a deep breath and prepared to do my best. However, the unintelligible reply was followed by a long silence, to which I answered “hello?” Then there was a snippet of a conversation, in perfect English, about bone spurs on someone's heels. I tried another “hello?” but it was obvious that I was not included in the conversation.

I'm still scratching my head over it. You have to be a very persistent pocket dialer in order to get to me. First you have to dial the main number, which could be on anyone's speed dial. But then you have to select option 4 or dial my direct extension. And bone spurs, even ones on heels, have absolutely nothing to do with how many people we billed them for last month.

There seems to be a funny phenomenon going on at my desk. Aside from the occasional pocket dial, no one ever calls me at work unless I'm in the bathroom. It's getting so I'm afraid to even go, because I know I'll have voice mail when I get back, which is ten times more work to handle than a straight up phone call. Three times this week, I've come back from a quick potty break to find I had a message. How is that even possible?

My New Best Friend
I'd like to introduce you to Mel. She's my new best friend, which I'm sure she'd be interested to know since we've never met. Mel has a food blog. And not just any food blog. It's a good food blog, which is just what I've been missing in my life.

A couple of months ago, I gave up dairy due to intolerance. Thanks to some great advice from Regan and P., who are both dairy free, I survived my first few weeks of wondering what I actually can eat. {Sidebar: there are milk or milk products in everything, from chocolate to bread to taco seasoning packets. Strangely, there is not milk found in Oreos.} Regan hooked me up with a good dairy-free “butter” and gave me lots of advice on how to live dairy free. P. commiserated over the loss of most chocolate products in our diets. And I muddled through, hunting down every last allergen ingredient list that could be found on the internet for fast-food restaurants. When nothing was available on-line, I called ahead to places I was contemplating eating at and harassed the poor employees into giving me the low-down on what was dairy free. I mourned the loss of pizza and ice cream and my favorite casseroles, which all have cream-of-some-kind-or-other soup in them. And I kind of quit cooking on a regular basis.

Eventually, I found a new-age hippie herb shop that sells lots organic and whole foods, as well as lots of dairy free food items like vegan “cheese” and “sour cream.” I was able to make some of my favorite dishes with the diary free substitutes, but there were still some serious holes in my menu.

Then I met Mel and her fabulous food blog. She has menu plans and a month's worth of meals that take 30 minutes or less. She's not dairy free, but her recipes are fresh, without a lot of processed foods. And she doesn't cook with cream-of-anything soup {at least not that I've seen}. Everything we've tried so far has been delicious. The wraps {with dairy free cheese and sour cream substitutes} we had on Monday were so good, I ate the left-overs for breakfast on Tuesday morning. And the Sweet & Sour Chicken we had for dinner on Wednesday night was also lunch on Thursday and dinner tonight. I've never been so excited to have left-overs. {Sidebar: whoever invented sweet & sour sauce is a genius. Seriously. On the one hand it is so innocently sweet that you want to take it home to meet your mother and on the other, so sour that your eyes roll back a little in your head.} {Sidebar: P., the sweet & sour chicken is gluten-free if you use the right soy sauce. And I'm wondering if you could use honey instead of sugar. This recipe seems to be saying “use honey in me.”} I've pinned about a dozen other things to try from Mel's, and I'm looking forward to it!

I've bookmarked a few other food blogs that look promising, and as soon as I stop drooling over Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I'm going to take a serious look and see what other food adventures I can take.

Quilter's Favorites
You meet the most amazing people in blogland that you might not otherwise ever encounter in real life. Have you met Geta yet? She is a seriously amazing quilter. In a little under two months, she is hosting the Quilter's Favorites linky party.

It looks to be quite the blog event. Anyone and everyone can participate. Geta's put together a list of questions that you can print out and answer as you quilt over the next few weeks. Then during the week of May 10^th, you can post your answers, link up and then go learn something new from the other quilters who link up. I'm looking forward to clicking around the blogosphere to see what new project I just have to start.

The Tale of the Tortoise and the Snail or, What I'm Working on For Friday Night Sew-In
I haven't officially participated in Friday Night Sew-In for a year now. But with Mr. Bug on 3^rd shift {midnight to 10:00 am}, pretty much every Friday night is Friday Night Sew-In at Bug Cottage. {Sidebar: I am so happy to announce that Mr. Bug is working days again! Do a little happy dance with me!} Even though Mr. Bug is home tonight, I'm doing Friday Night Sew-In, because he's still transitioning from being a nocturnal animal. We'll catch up on our TV and I'm going to see if I can get a little quilting done on Miss Butterfly's Zig-Zag quilt. I was hoping to be a little farther along on it by now.

Since I last posted {11 days ago}, I still had to put the back together before I could baste the quilt. Then I had to make the binding and I decided that I needed to pre-wash and dry the batting {for shrinkage purposes, and not at all because I was procrastinating; see also, persnickety}. After that I was distracted by some chain piecing on a really, really, really old Ph.D quilt that I hope to finish sometime this decade. I was certain that the Zig-Zag quilt need to rest for a little bit, kind of like bread dough. And I knew that basting it was going to be pretty hairy. I was right. It took 2½ hours. I procrastinated that until last weekend and have been working on the straight-line quilting a little bit at a time this week. I had a couple of no-sew days {I must have been really tired or busy to have a day go by without sewing at least a little bit; see also, Mel's Kitchen Cafe}. I have just shy of half of the white zig-zags finished. My goal for FNSI is to finish the rest of those and then wind bobbins for the threads for the FMQ in the colored zig-zags. I will probably bind the quilt before I do the FMQ {the quilt should be pretty stabilized by then and it is just that much less bulk to work with. Plus, it keeps lint from building up on the quilt as it rubs off the extra batting around the edges} , but it is always good to be prepared.

Why, yes. That is a twin size quilt, all 72” x 96” of it, balanced on my little sewing table. When I quilt, I hold as much of it as I can in my lap and then fold or roll the rest of it to fit on the table. This is the biggest quilt I've done, but so far, it is working out nicely.


Extreme Shepherding
Confession time: I started this post in December. I knew that in my next hodge-podge post, I wanted to show you this funny video. So I threw the HTML code in to a draft and have been moving the scheduled post date up by a few weeks every time the draft got old enough to drop down into the list of already posted stuff and get lost. There wasn't anything else in this post until today. And I'm hoping this is still as funny as I remember!

The Big Four-Oh Giveaway, Day 1: Quilter's Care Package

To give and then not feel that one has given is the very best of all ways of giving. –Max Beerbohm

Today is my three-year blog-aversary. In a few days I will turn 40. In honor of the occasion, I've given up dairy!

Wait. That's not right.

I must be getting forgetful in my old age.

I actually did give up dairy, but that's not my idea of a celebration.

Let's try again.

In honor of the occasion, I'm having a giveaway. That's what bloggy peeps do to celebrate, right? I'm having four days of giveaways; one giveaway for each decade I've been knocking about the planet. How does that sound?

Let's get right to it.

Today's giveaway is a little quilter's care package, but you probably guessed that already .

Up for grabs today:
• A Sew Taxi {a nifty little tool case which contains 12 tools: thread cutter, magnifying glass, seam ripper, piercing punch, punch needle, stuffing tool, knit picker, tweezers, safety pin, measuring tape, needle threader, long needle threader}
• A row marking kit {for after you've laid out your quilt, but want to stack your rows for easy transport to your machine or storage for later}
• A package of Schmetz size 80/12 universal machine needles
• An 876-yard spool of Gutterman 100% cotton 50-weight thread
• A three ounce misting bottle filled with Magic Starch {note: the color of the misting bottle you receive may vary}.

The Fine Print:
• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling me about your favorite quilting tool. Or just leave a comment. Whichever.
• You can enter each day's giveaway only once.
• Non-blogging/non-Google users and international entrants are welcome.
• If you do not have a Google account, use the name/url {url optional} commenting option and make sure you leave your e-mail in your comment in the following format: address (at) domain name (dot) com.
• Comments with no contact information will be deleted.
• Google account users: not sure if your contact information will be attached to your comment? Click here:


• Duplicate comments will be deleted. Comment moderation is on, so don't panic when your comment doesn't show up. I'm notified of new comments and will approve them periodically each day, after which they'll show up on the post.
• The giveaway will close at 10:00 pm {MST} on Friday, January 18^th. Winner will be chosen by random drawing and notified by e-mail and announced here by noon on January 19^th.

Good luck!

The Big Four-Oh Giveaway Directory
• Chocolate Sundae Batiks Fat Quarter Bundle
• Indie Fat Quarter Bundle
• Stitchy Kit

This giveaway is now closed.
Winners can be found here.

The Best Barbecue West of Wherever They Have Really Great Barbecue

Give a man some barbecue and feed him for a day. Teach a man to barbecue and feed him for the summer. –Unknown

This is one of our favorite barbecue recipes. I made it for Father's Day and it was so good, I skipped the photo op so I could get down to eating.

Barbecue Sauce
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• Combine ketchup, onion, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire, chili powder and garlic in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally; reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 2 cups

Notes:
• Use with beef, chicken or pork.
• For grilling, brush on meat during the last 5 minutes of cooking; serve with extra sauce on the side for dipping.
• Mix sauce with shredded chicken or beef or pulled pork for great barbecue sandwiches.
• For baking, see below.

Barbecue Ribs
2 lbs. country-style boneless ribs {beef or pork}
2 cups barbecue sauce

• Heat oven to 275˚. Place meat in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour sauce over meat and cover baking dish.
• Bake, covered, for 3 to 4 hours.
• Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, veggie of choice and fresh watermelon.
Serves 4

Notes:
• For baked barbecue chicken, bake at 350 for 35 to 45 minutes {until chicken is no longer pink}.
• For large groups, use a ratio of 1 cup sauce to 1 pound meat.

I made strawberry shortcake for Mother's Day and meant to post the recipe a while back. Since I'm sharing great food that makes days to celebrate the special people in our lives a little bit more special, I'll throw this one in too. We celebrated Mother's Day with Mr. Bug's family. I estimated that there would be about 40 people there. I think there were 38. To make sure I had enough for everyone, I used 3 dozen eggs and 10 pounds of strawberries. It was quite a party.

Angel Food Cake
1½ cups egg whites {10 to 12 large eggs}
1½ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted flour {cake or all-purpose}
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar

• In an extra-large mixing bowl, allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sift powdered sugar and flower together 3 times; set aside.
• Add cream of tartar and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till soft peaks form {tips curl}. Gradually ad sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating till stiff peaks form {tips stand straight}.
• Sift about one-fourth of the dry mixture over the beaten egg whites; fold in gently. Repeat, folding in remaining dry mixture by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10" tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove any large air pockets.
• Bake on the lowest rack in a 350˚ oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake {leave in pan}; cool thoroughly. Loosen sides of cake from pan; remove cake.
Serves 12

Notes:
• The recipe calls for a tube pan, but I used a Bundt pan instead and it came out just fine.
• The powdered sugar and flour are sifted no less than five times; remember to sift them before you measure them.
• When you turn your cake, if it is too high to set the pan down, use the built-in legs on the pan. If you didn't use a tube pan {or it doesn't have legs}, invert over a metal funnel or a glass bottle with a slim neck. If you don't have a glass bottle or a metal funnel, you can get creative and use books of equal height tucked just under the rim of the pan to prop it up so you don't squish the cake while it cools, hanging upside down.
• For chocolate Angel Food Cake, add ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder when sifting powdered sugar and flour together.

Strawberry Shortcake

3 lbs. fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar

• Wash strawberries and remove stems. Cut strawberries in quarters {or more, for larger berries} vertically. Sprinkle with sugar and gently stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour {up to overnight}.
• Stir strawberries before serving; serve over Angel Food Cake, topped with whipped cream.
Serves 12

Notes:
• For more {or less} strawberries, use a ratio of 1 tablespoon sugar to 1 lb. of strawberries.
• If you're going to go to all the trouble of baking an Angel Food Cake from scratch, you darn well better make the whipped cream too {instructions on container of cream}. It just tastes better. Unless, of course, you're dairy-free in which case you'd just leave it off all together.