French Cake Trio Apron - Happy Birthday, Penny!

In between all the blocks for the Spring Sampler, I have been working on a serious hush-hush, big secret project. My good friend Penny (who has made several cameo appearances on this blog including the post from the Lighthouse crafting retreat and the trip to Stephanie Inn) is having a birthday! I know, shocker... right? It's not like we can get away from them. They follow us everywhere we try and hide and pop up on the same day, every year. But I digress... So Penny is having a birthday.

Penny is our Baker of Cakes for all birthdays. Anytime anyone on the Club Green Meadows Women's Drinking Team (we are undefeated!) or the tennis group has a birthday, Penny bakes the most delicious cakes. Even now that I can't eat regular cake (because of the gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free diet I eat due to food allergies), Penny made me a gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free cake for my birthday. It had 8 eggs in it. And it was AWESOME.

So for Penny's birthday, of course she bakes the cake. I know some of you might think that is odd, but really... no one bakes cakes like Penny does. Might as well stick with the best! But I still wanted to make her something like cake for her birthday. Something special. I considered and discarded a lot of options before I came across the perfect solution in the March 2014 issue of Cross-Stitch and Needlework magazine: the French Cake Trio Apron.

Yes, that is me showing off the finished apron. And yes... I am missing the top half of my head. Don't worry, I wasn't using it anyway. And isn't it fortuitous that the missing part of my head is the part with the grey hair on it? Hah!

So the apron is sewn in a soft beige pattern with a light metallic, and has blue trim on the ties and waist. The cross-stitch cakes are set into the bodice:

And I hid a couple of champagne splits in the gift bag, too... because I don't know about you guys, but I like a little wine when I cook!

 And here is the birthday girl herself, modeling her new apron!

Have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Penny. We love you!

Spring Sampler Block #4 - Around the Corner

I think this is the quickest block yet for the Spring Sampler at Cora's Quilts. It came together in under an hour, but I am loving this color combination. I apologize for the lack of good natural light... another "perk" of living in the Pacific Northwest. We get very consistent yellow light. :)

I am still really enjoying playing with all the batiks colors... this block used two new fat quarters that I hadn't cut into yet, and I am thinking that I might make a couple more of this block to fill out all the blocks for my full quilt. The pink and grey is really pretty.

The next block has lots of flying geese and I am looking forward to the practice! This is a quilt-a-long, so feel free to head over to Cora's Quilts and join in the fun!

Spring Sampler Block #3 - Tombstone

I have a quick Spring Sampler from Cora's Quilts update: my Block #3 is finished! This one is called Tombstone, and I think it might be my favorite color combo so far.

And I was lucky enough to get a sunny day (rare enough here in the Pacific Northwest), so I tacked it up to the shed to get some natural light in the photo!

So here is the quick recap of where we are so far:

Block #1 - Pyramids

Block #2 - Beacon

Block #3 - Tombstone

I can't wait for the next one! And the next time I get a sunny day, I will try and get better pictures of all the blocks so far!

Mama Cat and Her Babies: A Framed Cross Stitch

I made this cross stitch for my sister a couple of decades ago... yup, it's been that long... and she has had it and loved it for all this time. Now, however, her house is overrun with boys and testosterone, and she has sadly given it back to me so that we can find a new person to love it.

The design measures 15 inches by 15 inches, and with the matting and the frame, it is 21x21. The glass used in the framing is UV protection glass to keep the colors from fading.

My sister used to have a peach and blue room, hence the colors... but I think they work really well with the design.

I love the little satin stitching on the nose... so cute!

So these precious little ones are looking for a new home. This is posted in my Etsy Store, but if you are local to me and interested, definitely let me know. You can save a lot if I don't need to ship it because of the framing and glass!

Just look at that little face! So stinkin' cute!

Finished Baby Quilt!

So in between working on spring sampler blocks for Cora's Quilts, I have managed to get the quilt for my cousin's sweet new baby finished... finally!

I love this pattern... mostly because I created it myself. :) I am contemplating making the pattern available for sale on my Etsy Shop, so if there is any interest, definitely let me know!

So I was told the nursery colors were light blue and kelly green, but I had to throw in some darker blue, too, so that it looks like Seahawks colors!

I love the fabrics in this quilt, too... kelly green for the stripes, but the green/white polka dot with the blue/light blue polka dots, and the soft chevrons with the "loud" chevrons... and then the little alligators, which are so stinkin' cute!

I did a simple stitch in the ditch quilting on this one, and used more of the soft chevron for the binding. I just love how it turned out!

So this week I hand-stitched the quilt tag in the bottom right corner of the back, and shipped it off to it's new home. I hope it gets lots of love, just like the little guy that owns it now!

Spring Sampler Block #2

I have finished my second block in Cora's Quilts Spring Sampler quilt-along. I am really enjoying playing with the batik fabrics!

Block #2 is called "Beacon".

I know it isn't the most fabulous photo, but at least I managed to hide the mess that is my sewing room!

So now I have blocks 1 and 2, and next week will be block 3... I can't wait!

Okay - this one was short and sweet but I will have more for you shortly, I promise!

Paleo Baked Chicken Enchiladas

I am so excited to share this one with you! I did some kitchen experiments today and created a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas that is 100% Paleo. It is not completed Anti-Inflammatory friendly, since it does use chipotle peppers, but if you are okay with the peppers, this dish does not disappoint!

I used my crockpot for the first part of this recipe because I find that when I cook my chicken breasts on low for 6 hours in the crockpot, the shredding becomes really easy! The chicken stays moist and tender and doesn't dry out. Plus, it slow cooks in the enchilada sauce, which infuses it with flavor. Yummo!

 If you are paleo or gluten-sensitive, make sure that the brand of chipotle peppers with adobo sauce are gluten-free and sugar-free. These differ by brand, so definitely read the labels! Chop a couple of the chipotle peppers.

Add the chipotle peppers and a couple teaspoons of the sauce (depending on how much of the rich adobo flavor you want) to your tomato sauce (again, make sure yours is sugar-free!), and add garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and ground chili pepper. I used adobo chili pepper 'cause I like it!

Stir it all together and pour it into the crockpot over your chicken breasts. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove the chicken breasts from the sauce and shred. I use the two forks method... I think it goes pretty quick and easy that way.

Take a head of cauliflower and cut it up into florets. Put them in the food processor and pulse until it forms a rice-like consistency.

Voile! Set aside... we'll get to that in a minute!

You know me... I added an onion, 'cause that's what I do with everything I cook! Then I added the onion to about a tablespoon of olive oil and sauteed it until translucent. Then I added some spices (more cumin, oregano, cilantro, black pepper, more garlic) and sauteed for a couple of minutes.

This is where the rice comes in. Take the rice and mix it with about 1/2 cup of the reserved enchilada sauce in your crockpot. Then spread it in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Use a spatula and tamp it down. This will serve as the base for your enchiladas.

Add the shredded chicken and the remainder of the enchilada sauce from the crockpot to your saute pan. Stir it all together.

Pour it into the baking dish on top of the cauliflower "rice" and spread it evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and let it bake an additional 30 minutes.

It comes out absolutely delicious!

I served mine with avocado slices. Mike had his with sour cream, cheese (you can tell he doesn't have any dairy issues!) and some tapatio (because he puts that s*it on everything)!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Paleo Baked Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Sauce:
2-3 small chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 2-3 tsp. adobo sauce (make sure you use a gluten-free brand)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. ground chili pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch sea salt 
3 C tomato sauce, no added salt or sugar

Chicken:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 head cauliflower, riced
Fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)
Avocado, sliced (garnish)

Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot on low. Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Remove the chicken breasts from the crockpot and shred. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Dice up the onion and add it to the olive oil in the pan. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spices. While these are sauteing, cut the head of cauliflower into florets and "rice" them in your food processor.

Mix the riced cauliflower with about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the crockpot. Spread the rice in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

Add the chicken to the saute pan and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over it. Let it simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Then pour the chicken mixture over the cauliflower, using a spatula to spread it evenly.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 30 minutes. 

Put whatever toppings you desire on it, and enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 162.7

• Total Fat: 2.5 g
• Cholesterol: 46.8 mg
• Sodium: 711.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 15.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.6 g
• Protein: 20.9 g