I'm a Quilter!

I am so excited because I started and finished my first quilt yesterday!  It is a small quilt- only 21"x21" so it was a good one to start with. It took me about 9 hours to finish the whole thing.  I had a great time sewing it and even enjoyed the hand finishing part of putting the binding on the edges. I did prick my hands about a dozen times during that process though. :-) Here are some pictures of the finished quilt and the walking foot that I used to do the final quilting (stitching all the layers together)

A kid in a sewing machine shop

The final piece of my quilting puzzle arrived in my hands yesterday. A brand new Viking Emerald 118. The Viking brand comes highly recommended by several quilting and sewing friends and there just happened to be a Viking Dealer 2 blocks from my office. The dealer is called the Sewing Arts Center and everyone there sews on Vikings. They also offer a free class to learn the machine, and an extended warranty. It didn't take long for them to show me several in my price range, and I decided on the 118 because of the extra stitch features, needle threader (which is awesome by the way), and the height that the foot lifts up to (to fit quilts under it). The sales person gave me a discount so I paid the price that the 116 (one step down) would normally go for. The box had been opened at the factory so that's why I got the discount. But the salesperson explained that it was probably to teach someone how to thread the machine.

Anyway, I am so excited to start sewing on it and spent the evening learning the machine, threading it, and experimenting with stitch length and tension. I can't wait to work on my project!

A New Adventure

In a quest to find a new hobby that I can do in the evenings, I decided to embark on some uncharted territory for me and learn to quilt.  eeek! :-)  I'm very excited about the prospect of being able to make functional artistic items for my family and friends, and I hope that I'm able to produce some fun things.  I picked up "Quilting For Dummies" and read that yesterday and today and found it to be very informative.  It describes everything in a simple way that non-sewing people like myself can understand.   The extent of my sewing is two sets of curtains and some shoe bags in Jr High. :-)  After reading that I headed for Joann's to get supplies and fabric. I had picked out a design from the dummies book called "Pastel Nine-Patch Wall Hanging". Doesn't sound so exciting but it's pretty and small enough for my first try at quilting. I've included some pictures of the fabric I picked out after I had washed and ironed it like a good quilter. 

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

One of the most tasty things I have ever cooked is Giada De Laurentiis' "Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables". I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys italian food and is looking for something on the healthier side that is also great for leftovers. My husband Chad thought it was fantastic too so I will more than likely be cooking this as one of our "staple" foods in the coming year. 

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, halved (large brown mushrooms)
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese (you can sub grated gouda or provolone)
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.


Enjoy!

Happy Retirement!

Last week we took a whirlwind trip to Hawaii for my dad's last flight with American Airlines. It worked out wonderfully because my brother and his wife were able to come and so we had the whole family together! We flew to Hawaii early in the morning on Tuesday and were able to enjoy the day there to the fullest. We had a great lunch, played on the beach and partied the night away in Waikiki. :-) The trip home was great too. The weather was fabulous and clear and we even had two rainbows greeting us before takeoff. Once we got home it felt funny that we had just gone to Hawaii for a day, but it was one of the best trips ever because we were all together celebrating my dad's great career. Here are some pics from the fun.

The retirement party that evening

Mom and Dad on the balcony

Steve and Liesl on the balcony

Chad and I on the balcony

Bed Bath and Beyond Class Action Lawsuit

If anyone is looking for proof that America is lawsuit crazy, here is some interesting news. There is a class action lawsuit against Bed, Bath and Beyond that claims that the company misrepresented the thread counts on their sheets. It states that the company listed the number of threads per square inch of fabric instead of the number of yarns. The company denies any wrongdoing and has come to a settlement that gives customers who bought certain sheets from them the right to get full refunds or to get gift cards.

I found out about this through an e-mail that they sent out to their customers. I don't remember ever buying sheets there but even if I did I probably wouldn't go to the trouble of trying to find a receipt for some sheets I bought up to 7 years ago (that's what the lawsuit covers). I am curious to find out who the people wronged by the sheet scandal are. Do they have thread counting microscopes at home? :-)

Spinny ride in Dubrovnik

Still testing out my new ilife '08 I found this video and it made me laugh. We are in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2006 and we had just gone grocery shopping. This ride was outside the store and we decided to try it. Hilarity ensued. :-)

LT enjoying the wind

I am trying out my new ilife '08 and one of the great features is being able to post to youtube straight from imovie. This was from two summers ago when we drove across country. Thought it was pretty cute.

Traffic in LA is amazing

I saw this pic and thought we definitely need these devices in Los Angeles. Maybe they help people's blood pressure go down in traffic.

:-)

This morning was one of those mornings that make me think that our state needs to fund a research project on the science of traffic. Yesterday I pulled out of my driveway at 8:13 and there was no traffic on my street. I drove away and was on the freeway within minutes. Granted, I was off the freeway within minutes as well, as I only use the freeway as a quick way to get to the surface streets I take on my way to work. Today, I pulled out of my driveway at roughly the same time, and proceeded to sit in front of my building in traffic for 3 full stop light cycles until it was finally my turn to turn left. Once I turned left, it was all good and it took me the usual 45 mins to drive 12 miles to work. But during that time spent gazing at my building from the street, I couldn't help but think something is wrong with how our lights are timed or how our streets are designed. Thursday is traditionally a heavier traffic day is LA because a lot of people take fridays off so they all need to work Thursday. But that still doesn't explain that huuuuuge difference in traffic levels on my street from day to day. Just needed to get that off my chest. :-)

Chili on a rainy day

Today it's been raining most of the day and I decided to make a big batch of crock pot chili so we could have that as our meal of the week. I generally make a big batch of something on the weekend that we can have as leftovers during the week because our schedules are a little weird and it's good to have something ready at any time of the day or late night. :-)  So today I made a recipe from my cookbook called "Fix- it and Forget- it Cookbook, Feasting with your Slow Cooker."   There were many chili recipes to pick from so my choice was based on how much time I had which wasn't much. (I didn't get back from the store until 4pm which is bad for a slow cooker.)  I found one that needed 4 hours to cook and told Chad we'd be having a late dinner. :-) It turned out fantastic so I just had to share it. This recipe is courtesy of Jeanne Allen from Rye, CO.  I don't know Jeanne but I thank her for her fabulous chili.

Trail Chili

2lbs ground beef

1 large onion diced

1  28-oz can diced tomatoes

2  8-oz cans tomato puree (paste)

2 cans kidney or pinto beans undrained. I use pinto because I prefer them

4-oz can diced green chilies

1 cup water

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. mild chili powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. pepper

1. Brown beef and onion in skillet. Drain. Place in slow cooker on high

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on high 30 minutes

3. Reduce heat to low. Cook 4-6 hours.  (I chose 4 because of my lack of time. :-) )

Top individual servings with shredded cheese.