Tuckered out

Today I've been cooking a lot. It probably would have been better for the electric bill if I had sewn instead. We turned the air conditioner on for the first time this season.

 

Want to see what I made?

 

We're having an Italian feast tonight:

Pesto Chicken Lasagna

Tozzetti served with Vino Santo (recipe from Bon Appetit)

I also made our favorite chocolate cookies. I use Hershey's special dark cocoa so they're extra delicious.

Rocky Road Garganchewas

The weekend wasn't completely devoid of fabric goodness though. I stitched up a name tag yesterday for the MadMod June challenge using lots of little squares.

I also contemplated starting my single girl, making another lotto block, and/or simply picking up all the fabric laying about on the carpet. Perhaps after dinner...

Eat organic

If I haven't mentioned before, we signed up for a CSA this summer. Every week we get a box of organic produce delivered. Last week, I also ordered an additional amount of basil - 12 bunches - which amounted to a full second box!

It took me all weekend to pick the leaves off the stems and turn it into pesto. I did it in batches in my food processor between trips to the grocery store when I ran out of one ingredient or another. (Can't say I did very well planning ahead...)

Anyway, the freezer is now stocked. (Those are new containers too.)

I love Saturdays!

This one in particular is going very well for me! Whilst the husband took the truck to be inspected this morning, I made breakfast and a treat. And made a good start on laundry - didn't think you'd be interested in photos of that though...

Whole wheat buttermilk scones

Apple pie

I strayed from my usual pie recipe by using lime juice rather than lemon and sweetened it with honey instead of sugar. After lunch we tested it. I probably should have used just a bit more honey, but served with whipped cream or ice cream I'm sure it would be fine.

Next we took a walk around the neighborhood (40 degrees does not feel like January!) and stopped by the thrift store. There were no interesting pieces of furniture, but I did spot a solid blue sheet that seemed brighter than the one I already have. I mean to go back tomorrow with a swatch of my quilt along fabric to see if it matches.

The fact that I have not found satisfactory solids yet is one reason I am so far behind on this project. Mostly, I've just had a hard time finding time to sew over the past couple months. If I was caught up with the set schedule, I'd be about half done right now...

My work space - ie dining table.

Oh well. I'm just working slower than most, if not everyone else. Eventually I'll finish and I really like how it is coming together so far. I've noticed an improvement in my seam accuracy today which is nice. I fudged it a bit more in the big blocks which I made first.

2 large, 2 medium and 3 small

Can you tell? I think they all look good as blocks, but I expect imperfections will make piecing to adjacent blocks a bit more difficult. Maybe I'll decide a couple missed points don't bother me or maybe I'll use the worst on their own as pillows to avoid such frustrations.