T-Shirt/Sweatshirt Quilt

 

I saw a Fons & Porter TV show where they were making a T-shirt quilt.  Considering all of the T-shirts and sweatshirts which I didn’t wear any more and the closet space they were taking up, I decided to try to transform them into a quilt.  Fons & Porter recommended using a fusible tricot interfacing and I used Pellon #EK130.  This is a very light interfacing and gave some stability but it was still a little trying to cut and sew the knit fabric.  I’d suggest cutting the portion of the shirt you want to use an inch or so bigger than you need.  Iron on the interfacing and then trim to the size you want. 

I pieced alternate blocks in a very simple pattern – if you had enough T-shirts, you could just use sashing between the pieces.  I used my Bernina to do a very simple meandering stitch to quilt and used large leftover scraps for the backing.

I enjoy using the quilt and getting to see my treasured shirts every day: the two shirts with pictures of my grandson when he was a toddler…..

….a cute scottie….

….a commemoration of the women’s baseball league during World War II…

….a view of Bern I had painted after a trip to Switzerland….

….and even a picture of Kramer from the old Seinfeld show.

It was a quick, fun quilt to put together.

A Picnic at Cincinnati’s Coney Island

For generations, Cincinnati families have been going to Coney Island on the Ohio River for picnics, rides and swimming.  Until the mid-1940s, there was a beautiful boat which made the trip, bringing people from the public landing in downtown Cincinnati to this lovely spot just outside Coney’s old riverside entrance. 

Then, up the hill and through the stone entrance to a day of fun.

Everyone enters  Coney Island these days by car, coming in the main front gate, but it’s still a fun way to spend a few summer hours.  I came along with my youngest daughter and her two children to see Lake Como….

….try out the ferris wheel….

…and bounce up and down on The Frog.

The best feature of this old park is the abundance of big, leafy trees and lots of shade.  We picked a shady spot to eat the picnic lunch I had prepared – chicken sandwiches on foccacia bread, brownies and our favorite Broccoli Salad.  Here’s the recipe for the broccoli salad which is a little lower in fat than the original:

BROCCOLI BACON PECAN SALAD

• 3/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 3 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins

Blend mayonnaise, granulated sugar and vinegar and refrigerate until ready to mix with vegetables.

Blanch broccoli by steaming for just a few minutes – just until the broccoli turns bright green.  Place broccoli, bacon, cheese, onion, pecans and raisins in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to mix.

AT LEAST ONE HOUR BEFORE SERVING, mix mayo dressing with salad and refrigerate for at least one hour. 

Yield:  4-6 servings.

Mediterranean Zucchini Casserole

Back when we lived in lovely Blue Jay on the Ohio/Indiana border, I spent my whole summer trying to make good use of all the tomatoes and zucchini my husband planted and harvested.  In 1995, I found a recipe in the newspaper that used a lot of zucchini, tomatoes and basil to make a big 9×13 pan of Mediterranean Zucchini Casserole.  I have a note in my recipe binder, “Large amount, but David and I ate 3/4 of it for supper along with hot rolls and a tossed salad.  Excellent.  We both liked this.”

Now that I’m alone, I cut the recipe down to fit a 9″ pan and still ate on it for three days.  It was delicious each day.  The good part about this dish is that there is not a lot going on to interfere with the fresh flavors of the vegetables and basil and the baking time allows the vegetables to be at their tender best.  I only make this casserole in the summer when I can use good farm market vegetables and my own fresh basil.

MEDITERRANEAN ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I use Laura’s Lean 4% fat beef)
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grind or two of black pepper
• 3 slices of sturdy bread (I use homemade Italian bread)
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 Tblsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 medium zucchini cut into 1/4″ thick slices (3 cups)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the ground beef, onion and garlic until beef is done and onion is tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Tear bread into chunks and put into food processor with basil leaves.  Process until crumbs are fine.

Oil bottom of 9″ baking pan.  Arrange half of zucchini in the bottom of the pan, spread half of cooked meat/onions/garlic over the zucchini.  Top with half of tomato slices.

Sprinkle half of the bread cumb mixture over the tomatoes.  Drizzle olive oil over the top.  Repeat with layers of zucchini, tomato, crumbs and olive oil. 

Bake @ 350 degrees F for one hour.

Sit down and enjoy the flavors of summer!

Mom’s Blue Ribbon Watermelon Pickles

I once heard Garrison Keillor say something to the effect that the only purpose for watermelon pickles was to have an item on the Thanksgiving table that you could pass up.  When I was a child at my Grandmothers’ or Great-Aunt’s tables, the very things I looked forward to were corn relish, picallili and watermelon pickles. 

I was a late-comer to canning and preserving.  My mother never attempted it and I was 50 before I found myself in a country home with a big garden and a lot of produce to use up.  Once I got started, I enjoyed canning so much that I spent the entire summer “putting up” everything my husband brought into the kitchen in his oversized basket.  We never grew watermelon but I bought a good Indiana melon each summer at the farmer’s market and made these pickles in quantity.  Now that I’m alone, I make up one small jar so I can have something on the Thanksgiving table for people to pass on.  This recipe won a Blue Ribbon at the Hamilton County Fair (Cincinnati) in 1983.

MOM’S BLUE RIBBON WATERMELON PICKLES (Makes one cup)

• 3 cups of watermelon rind, prepared*
• 1 cup cold tap water
• 3/4 Tblsp. pickling salt

Brine:

• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1 tsp. whole allspice
• One 2″ piece of cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar

*To prepare watermelon rind:

I used a medium sized seedless watermelon.  This melon had a thin rind.  Big old-fashioned black-seeded melons have a very thick rind and may need a longer cooking time.  The very small melons don’t have enough rind to use in this recipe.

Cut the melon in sections and cube the watermelon to set aside for some good eating.  Don’t cut too closely to the white portion of the rind. 

Trim off the green rind and scrape the watermelon off the white section.  I cut my melon in matchstick strips about 1/2″ wide.

Place the rind strips in a non-metal container, cover with water and add salt.  Soak overnight.

The next morning, drain the rind, cover with fresh water and cook approximately 30 minutes at medium heat until almost tender.  Add water if needed.  Drain.

In a large pan, place the allspice, cloves, cinnamon, white vinegar, water and sugar and bring to a boil.  Add the drained rind and simmer gently for about 45 minutes.  The brine should be syrupy and cover the rind with a little to spare.  

Remove the cinnamon stick and pour pickles into a sterilized 1/2 pint jar and cap.  

Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. I’ve found an asparagus steamer is good for processing just a jar or two.   Let jar cool on a rack before storing. Allow pickles to cure for at least a week before using for best flavor.

This is a good web site for information on canning and preserving foods.

Freezer Tarragon Pickles

Back in 1987 when my husband, daughter and I lived in a rural area called Blue Jay on the Ohio/Indiana border, I tried out numerous recipes to use up all of the produce that came from our large garden.  I had a lot to work with and a family to feed, so I preserved a lot of stuff.  Now, my daughter is married, my husband passed away four years ago and I like to make just a jar or two of my favorites from 20+ years ago.  This is a good refrigerator or freezer pickle recipe I make when I have some fresh tarragon and can find pickling cucumbers at the farmer’s market.

FREEZER TARRAGON PICKLES

• 4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tblsp. pickling salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 Tblsp. fresh tarragon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, onions and salt.  Let stand for 3 hours.

Rinse vegetables under cold tap water and drain well.

Combine the granulated sugar, white wine vinegar, white vinegar, celery seed, tarragon and pepper and add the drained vegetables.  Mix well and pack into two one-pint containers. 

I keep one jar in the refrigerator to cure for one week before eating, and place the other jar in the freezer for a summer treat during the winter.  When removing from the freezer, allow to defrost in the refrigerator for 8 hours before serving.

Yield:  Two pints

These pickles are light, crisp and refreshing.

A Good Sunday Lunch

I offered to fix lunch for my two daughters and two grandchildren before they headed for the large pool at Coney Island in Cincinnati.  One daughter suggested an oriental style pasta salad would be good and I found one on Allrecipes.  This is my edited version with a few changes.

SESAME PASTA CHICKEN SALAD

• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 8 oz bow tie pasta (Barilla Piccolini)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• few gratings of black pepper
• 2 chicken breast halves, baked and shredded
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat.  Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted.   Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 7 minutes.  Drain pasta and rinse under cold water.  Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine canola oil, Teriyaki sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, ginger and pepper.  Shake well.  Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat evenly.  Gently mix in chicken, cilantro and toasted almonds.

The three adults loved this salad – it was exactly what I was looking for in flavor and I would suggest that you not omit the fresh cilantro.  It just adds so much to the salad.

For dessert, I pulled out a recipe for a pie that my oldest daughter had made for a pie contest at the Hamilton County Fair (Cincinnati) in 1985.  She won an award and as soon as we tasted it, we could see why.  It’s incredibly rich, so plan on at least 8 servings.

NANCY’S CHOCOLATE LIME PIE

• 16 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (Oreo)
• 2 Tblsp. butter, melted
• 3 egg yolks
• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
• 2 envelopes of Nestle Choco-Bake pre-melted chocolate
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 3 egg whites
• 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Crust:

In a 9″ pie pan, combine crumbs with melted butter.  Press onto bottom and up sides of pie plate.  Bake @ 375 degrees  F for about 8 minutes.  Cool while preparing filling.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Filling:

In mixer bowl beat egg yolks at high speed about 4 minutes.  Add condensed milk, pre-melted chocolate and lime juice, mixing well.  Pour into prepared crust.

Meringue:

Beat egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding marshmallow creme, incorporating well and beating to stiff peaks.  Spread over filling.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 12 minutes until meringue is golden brown.

Chill for 2-3 hours.

Note:  It’s important to chill the pie well and to chill any leftovers to make the pie easier to serve.

Chicken & Fruit Orzo Salad

For about 10 years, this has been one of our favorite summertime salads.  Full of chicken, orzo pasta, fruit and topped with toasted almonds – what’s not to like? 

CHICKEN & FRUIT ORZO SALAD

• 1 cup dry orzo pasta

Fruit:

• 3/4 cup pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
• 3/4 cup green grapes, halved
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2-1/2 Tblsp. lemon juice
• 2 medium bananas, sliced (reserved)

 2 chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed (about 2 cups)

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp. curry powder
• Sprinkling of salt and a couple gratings of black pepper

1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds

Cook orzo pasta in boiling salted water for approximately 7 minutes.  Rinse with cold water and drain well. 

Place orzo in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, grapes, raisins and lemon juice. 

Place fruit mixture in bowl with orzo.

Add cubed chicken breast to bowl with orzo.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, curry and salt/pepper. 

Add to dressing to orzo/chicken bowl, mixing well to blend.  Place salad in a covered container and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

When ready to serve, mix in reserved banana slices and sprinkle slivered almonds on top of each serving.

Yield:  Approximately 6 cups of salad.