Shop Hop is Over!

Hop was great! It was wonderful seeing so many of you again! I sure hope you had fun hopping! For those of you who did not get a chance to hop, here are pictures of the other quilts that were made by the other shops on the hop, with the same blocks that I used in my quilts shown in an earlier post.

Aren't they beautiful! It is amazing how different they can look with different settings and additions of other fabrics!

Happy Sewing,

Jean

Shop Hop Time!

It's time for the Eastern Pennsylvania Shop Hop! The hop runs Nov. 6 - Nov. 20, 2010.
The passports are $5.00 and you will receive a free block kit, a passport with many coupons to be used after the hop at each shop, and a tote bag, while they last! It is so much fun to go to each shop and see the quilt that they have made from the shop hop blocks! It is like a quilt show!

Here is a peek at our shop hop projects!

This is Springtime Sue!

I also made a bed runner which I named Floral Fantasy Bed Runner. It would also work well as a table runner.

If you live close by, maybe you can HOP on in!

Happy Sewing,
Jean

Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

Don't these look delicious?! I made these for dinner tonight and they tasted so yummy! The recipe is by Martha Barnes on www.allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
dash pepper
1 1/2 c. soft bread crumbs
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. rubbed sage
1 t. grated lemon peel
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 bone-in pork loin chops
2 T. olive or vegetable oil
2 T. butter or margarine

Directions:

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and lemon peel. Place egg in shallow bowl. Coat pork chops with flour mixture, dip in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Let stand for 5 mins.

In a skillet, brown chops in oil and butter for 2 mins. on each side. Transfer to a greased 11" x 17" x 2" baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 10-15 mins. or until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Note: I did not have sage, so I skipped that and I was out of lemon peel, so I added lemon pepper. Lemon pepper is one of my favorites. I also used boneless pork chops and made fresh bread crumbs.

Until next time,

Happy Sewing,

Jean

Quilts from the Heart of Berks

This past weekend was the Berks Quilters Guild Show at the Leesport Farmers Market. It was a lovely show. I was one of the vendors there and got to enjoy the show all weekend! I'd like to share some of my favorite quilts.

Pat and Arlan Christ had an exhibit of some of their antique quilts called Stars and Bars. This was one of my favorites!





Sorry this one is sideways. After 4 tries, I decided to leave it this way. It apparently wanted to be on it's side. :-) This was a birthday block quilt that my bee group did for my friend Linda. She asked each of us to make a red violet flower block. She embellished them all with embroidery stitches and put the quilt together and finished it. It turned out great! She got a blue ribbon! Congratulations Linda!






Hope you enjoyed the mini quilt show!

Happy Sewing,
Jean

October Club Show & Tell

October's Club meeting was full of inspiring show & tell.

This lovely card was made by Sue's daughter.



These fall projects were made by my DIL Zlaty. They are beautiful and really get me in the mood for Fall! If you would like to see more of Zlaty's quilts, you can visit her on her blog.



Judy made a beautiful flower pin and some wonderful rag style bags!


Pat showed a beautiful applique quilt and a whimsical dancing birds quilt!

Thank you ladies for sharing your wonderful projects! I look forward to seeing what you have to share next time!

Happy Sewing,
Jean

Cheddar Potatoes Au Gratin with Ham

You might be asking yourself why i would be posting a recipe in a quilting blog. Well, the answer is simple. Quilters also love to eat! :-)

I made this recipe tonight and it was a big hit. I must say I loved it and I am a very finicky eater!
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of it fresh out of the oven, however I only thought of it when I was eating it.
The recipe came from southern foods about. com. You can check out a picture here and more wonderful recipes.

A perfect dish for a chilly Fall evening.

This recipe was by Diana Rattray About.com guide

Cheddar Potatoes au Gratin with Ham

4 cups diced potatoes
salt
6 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups diced cooked ham
8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 2 cups), divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs

Preparation:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and add about 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently for about 10 minutes, or until just fork tender. Drain.

In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard. Add onion and cook, stirring, just until onion is softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until well blended and bubbly. Add the milk and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the ham and 6 ounces of the cheese (about 1 1/2 cups). Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Stir in the parsley. Gently stir in the potatoes until well coated with the cheese mixture. Turn into a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved 2 ounces of shredded cheese.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6.

I made a few changes as I made due with what I had on hand. I used garlic and onion salt in place of the real thing. Those of you that really know me, know that I would not have a fresh onion around. :-) I also used 2% shredded cheddar cheese and margarine in place of butter. I also made my own bread crumbs.

I served it with fresh broccoli and rolls. Delicious!

Back to quilting!

Happy Sewing,
Jean

September Club Show & Tell

At September's Club meeting we had so many inspirational show & tells!


Pat is working on this wonderful quilt for her Grandson. Just too cute!




Judy was busy making many beautiful purses. The purse pattern that she used was called the Towne Purse by Lazy Girl Designs.

Sue made this wonderful sewing organizer!

I love this punch needle Pennsylvania German star! I think that is what it is called, although I was not able to find more info about it.

Karen is working on this fun quilt for her Granddaughter!


Two more Christmas Surprise blocks. One from Pat and the other one from Angie. Just beautiful!

I just love show & tell. Don't you?!

Happy Sewing,
Jean