Sherrie's Circles

With the stuff I acquired from my mother, she left me one block for this quilt.  My original thought was to make that one block into a pillow and be done with it, but I decided that my mother-in-law would love a quilt from me, so as my first quilt, I attempted to make it for her in remembrance of my mother.

I didn't know how to make a pattern from the block, so thankfully the local librarian is a quilter and took pitty on me.  She took my block home and brought it back with a pattern.

From there it all exploded.  I was able to find enough fabric out of my mom's stash to make about 90% of all the blocks.  I then found a local quilt shop who helped me figure out the border fabric and backing fabric.

A sister in my ward has a mid-arm quilter, so she taught me how to quilt it myself.  That was the most exciting part.  To see my quilt come together was an amazing experience.  It was so worth the time it took to learn the machine and to quilt it myself.  I can honestly say that every stitch on this quilt was done by me.

Oh, that one single block I had of my mother's, I put that on the back of the quilt.  Therefore, her touch is in the quilt too.

My mother-in-law's birthday is on Thursday, so I have gotten it done just in time.  She will be shocked.  I know she will tell me that I need to sell my quilts and make a lot of money from them, but this and all the other quilts I am currently working on are sentimental because of my mother.

Revamping!

So in February of this year, my mom who was 57 years old, passed away which followed my dad's passing three month earlier.  It has been a long hard journey needless to say.  With all of the "stuff" I acquired from my parents house, were a bunch of old, forgotten cookbooks and 5 boxes of quilt fabric.  So, with this blog, I am going to make it my cooking and quilting blog.  I feel that this may be the thing I need to express my feelings, frustrations about my parent's passings, and the joys of my new love, quilting.

My mom never taught me how to quilt.  She quilted nonstop.  She hand sewed and hand quilted and loved every minute of it.  I am honored to own her first quilt that she finished.  She made it for me when I graduated high school.  It is a half hex charm quilt that was both sewn and quilted by hand.

I hope that you enjoy my revamped blog.  Feel free to post comments and I look forward to hearing from you, my reader!

Linguine with Ham and Swiss Cheese

8oz uncooked linguine, broken in half
2c. cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10-3/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2-1/2c. (10oz) shredded swiss cheese, divided
1c. (8oz) sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2c. finely chopped green pepper
2T. butter, melted

Cook linguine according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the ham, soup, 2c. cheese, sour cream, onion, green pepper, and butter. Add pasta; toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover and bake at 350degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

*I baked this for the first 35 minutes and then for just about 5 minutes more until the cheese was melted. It tasted great and was hot.*

Italian Bow Tie Bake

8oz uncooked bow tie pasta
1 jar (16oz) garlic and onion spaghetti sauce
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
2c. (8oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce and salad dressing mix. Add pasta; toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased shallow 2qt baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

*I prepared this ahead of time and then baked it three hours later, the dressing mix "ripened" with the spaghetti sauce. It was so overpowering we couldn't eat it. So, learn from me and don't prepare ahead.*

Cheesy Noodle Casserole

2pkg (1lbs each) wide egg noodles
1/2c. butter, cubed
1/4c. all-purpose flour
1tsp. garlic salt
1tsp. onion salt
5 to 6c. milk
2lbs process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

Topping
1/2c. dry bread crumbs
2T. butter, melted

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in the flour, garlic salt, and onion salt until smooth; gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the cheese; stir until melted. Stir in the noodles.

Transfer to two greased shallow 2qt. baking dishes. Combine bread crumbs and butter until crumbly; sprinkle over casseroles. Bake, uncovered at 350degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 2 casseroles (12 servings each)

*I easily cut this in half and it was still more than enough*

Simmered Smoked Links

2pkg (16oz each) miniature smoked sausage links
1c. packed brown sugar
1/2c. ketchup
1/4c. prepare horseradish

Place sausages in a 3qt slow cooker. Combine the brown sugar, ketchup and horseradish; pour over sausages. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs

3 to 4 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
1can (20oz) pineapple tidbits, undrained
2cans (8oz each) tomato sauce
1/2c. thinly sliced onion
1/2c. thinly sliced green pepper
1/2c. packed brown sugar
1/4c. cider vinegar
1/4c. tomato paste
2T. worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Place ribs in an ungreased 5qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10hours or until meat is tender. Thicken the sauce if desired.

Chicken Tacos with Mango-Advocado Salsa

1tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. paprika
1/2tsp. onion powder
1/4tsp. ground red pepper
3/4tsp. salt, divided
4-6oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1-1/2tsp. olive oil
1/2c. diced peeled mango
1/2c. diced peeled avocado
1/2c. chopped tomato
1/3c. minced onion
2T. chopped fresh cilantro
2T. fresh lime juice
1T. minced jalapeno pepper
8-6inch corn tortillas

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine garlic powder, paprika, onion, ground red pepper, and 1/2tsp. salt. Rub over chicken. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 1/4inch slices.

While chicken cooks, combine mango, avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, and remaining 1/4tsp salt.

Heat tortillas according to package directions; top with chicken and salsa.

*I made some changes to this recipe. I added onion salt, instead of onion powder. I added chili powder than ground red pepper. Lastly, I used bottled lemon juice rather than fresh lime. Also, I don't know how only 8 tacos are made. I think we got about 16.*

BALSAMIC CHICKEN or PORK CHOPS or SMALL PORK LOINS

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1-1/2tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced, or 1/2tsp. dried

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2tsp. salt

2T. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4c. balsamic vinegar

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Combine the rosemary, garlic, pepper, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil, and rub with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a heavy roasting pan or iron skillet with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the pan and bake for 10minutes. Turn the chicken over. If the drippings begin to stick to the pan, stir in 3-4T. water.

Bake about 10minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion measures 160 degrees and the juices run clear. If the pan is dry, stir in another 1-2T. of water to loosen the drippings. Drizzle the vinegar over the chicken in the pan.

Transfer the chicken to plates. Stir the liquid in the pan and drizzle over the chicken.

Serves 6

*I combine all the ingredients (including the vinegar) into a Ziploc bag and put the chicken in and massage it around. I then put cook on direct heat on the grill for about 4-5 minutes per side with the grill set to medium low. I only marinated it about 2 hours.

I cook the pork chops the same as the chicken breast, but the pork loin is cooked indirectly on medium until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees*

**Recipe from Douglas and Sherrie Nelson

French Toast

1c. half-and-half
3lg. eggs
2T. honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4tsp. salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4T butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

*Recipe from Alton Brown

Homemade Fish Sticks

1/2c. flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2c. dry bread crumbs
1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. paprika
1/2tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
3/4lbs. cod fillets, cut into 1inch strips
butter-flavored cooking spray

Place flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip fish in the flour, then egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spritz sticks with butter-flavored spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork, turning once.

Makeover Peanut Butter Bars

1-3/4c. reduced-fat creamy peanut butter, divided
1/3c. butter, softened
1c. packed brown sugar
3/4c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2c. unsweetened applesauce
1tsp. vanilla
2c. flour
2c. quick-cooking oats
1tsp. baking soda
Frosting
4-1/2c. powdered sugar
1/3c. fat-free milk
1/4c. baking cocoa
1/4c. butter, softened
1tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp. salt

In large bowl, cream 1c. peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be thick).

Spread into a 15x10x1inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; spread with remaining peanut butter. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Cut into bars.

Italian Chops

16oz bottle Italian salad dressing
2-4 pork chops

Place pork chops in slow cooker. Pour salad dressing over chops. Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours, or until tender.

*I added potatoes, pearl onions, and carrots. I also doubled the cook time.*

Shredded Beef for Tacos

2 to 3lbs round roast, cut into large chunks
1lg. onion, chopped
3T. oil
2 serrano chilies, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1tsp. salt
1c. water

Brown meat and onion in oil. Transfer to slow cooker. Add chilies, garlic, salt, and water. Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Pull meat apart with two forks until shredded. Serve with fresh tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and guacamole.

Taco Casserole

3c. uncooked bowtie pasta
1lbs. ground beef
1/4c. chopped onion
1 jar (16oz) salsa
2c. shredded cheese
1 can diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
2c. tortilla chips, crushed

Cook pasta. Meanwhile in skillet, cook onions and meat until no longer pink. Add cheese, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and salsa. Combine with cooked pasta. Pour into 11x7 baking dish.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cover and add chips. Bake 10 minutes more.