My Growing (Thread) Vegetable Patch

After my initial blooper with transferring the patterns, I have to say that I'm giddy about how the actual embroidery is going!

Apple and lemon done; carrot in progress.

Ready for their close-ups:


I think the carrot is my favorite so far. I love his cheesy grin. Also, I am getting more comfortable with the stitches, so he is definitely sewn better and coming along more quickly than the other two.

Blue Plate Report: A KEEN-wah Primer

Another Blue Plate success (accorning to Phineas)! How's this for Tuesday night dinner in under an hour?

Lamb chops with chimichurri, quinoa risotto and asparagus

First, I got the quinoa going (recipe below). While it cooked, I pan roasted the lamb chops and made a very easy chimichurri sauce to go with them in the cuisinart - just blend a bunch of parsley and mint with garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil to emulsify.

I sauteed the asparagus in the lamb pan while the lamb was resting. As it cooked, I added the finishing touches to the risotto. The last step was dressing the asparagus with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Quinoa "Risotto"

• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive or other oil
  
• 1/2 c wine
• pinch of salt
  
• 2 c water or stock
  
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 oz parmesan cheese, grated
  
• 1-2 tbsp butter

Sweat shallot and garlic in oil. Add wine and reduce until the liquid is mostly gone. Add water and salt; bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, put on lid, reduce to low, and cook like rice - no need to compulsively stir! Add water if needed so it doesn't burn or stick. When quinoa is tender and most water is absorbed (20 min or so), stir in parmesan and butter. Taste and adjust by adding more cheese and butter, salt and pepper, etc.

Tip: Any herbs or spices, sherry or vermouth for the wine, or the ingredients of your favorite risotto (mushroom, other veg, other cheese at the end, etc) would work here. I meant to add peas about halfway thru cooking and simply forgot. This would have been a nice touch.

Tip: Take your pantry seriously if you want good weekday eats. Aside from the lamb, asparagus, parsley and mint, everything was from the pantry. Yes, even the lemon juice - it came from one of those lemon-shaped bottles that you get in the produce section. The parsley and mint (now chimichurri) are now in the pantry, too. I made enough to last several weeks - we use it on all kinds of meats as a sauce, a marinade, and a sandwich spread. We've even brushed it on cod and then steamed the fish. Delicious!

On the Menu Tonight

Lamb Chops with Quinoa "Risotto" and Asparagus

Week 2 of Tuesday's Blue Plate Special will feature Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) - an increadibly nutritious ancient grain/seed native to the Andes. It has a nuttier flavor and more texture than rice, couscous or pasta. Delicious!

I generally use one of 2 methods depending on whether I want it to be fluffy like couscous or creamy like risotto. Tonight we are going for creamy. Check back tomorrow for the results.

Sublime? Just shoot me now...

Yes! That is an embroidered pink skull and crossbones.

Recently, I realized that I don't have a hobby that can be done in front of the tv or while traveling. For some reason all my hobbies tend to require appliances (sewing machine, stove, oven) or can't be done while sitting on the couch (travel, scuba, yoga...).

So, I recently decided to change all that by adding to my textile skills. Knitting and crocheting, alas, are not for me. It's amazing that people can take a string and magically turn it into a sweater. But when I was taught how to knit as a girl, the best I managed was an enormous knot. So, I decided to try hand embroidery instead, and was utterly thrilled when my learners kit arrived from Sublime Stitching before I left for Vegas.

The kit has everything I need for my first project, including an apron to embroider with funny fruits and veggies. I decided to transfer the pattern to the apron before leaving for Vegas - NOT one of my better ideas. Um, er... it didn't go exactly according to plan.

The directions seemed to stress how to correctly transfer the pattern to the apron with your iron. I may have overestimated how much heat and time was involved:

Look at the poor burnt apple: he even looks like he's in pain!

Naturally, the "yummy" is above the burnt apple. Perfect.

Adding insult to injury, it looks like I will also be adding an ironing board cover to my list of projects:


Sigh. I'm not generally the kind of person that gets things right on the first go-round. I'm more the persistence/patience/practice sort. Oh well. Lesson learned: despite the directions, the transfer does not take 20 seconds at cotton/wool setting.

Anyway, I will be finishing the project because it was meant to be practice, and it still will be a good learning experience, even if it isn't exactly as planned. So, today, I will transfer the faces onto the fruits. I guess I'm going to have to re-think the smiley face I was going to use for the apple.

Congratulations Frano & Melissa!!

I'm not sure I've ever seen a happier Groom than Frano. The one word that sums up the wedding of Frano and Melissa: JOY. There was a truly infectious joyfulness to the whole day. Congratulations to the newlyweds! Thanks for including us in your special day!

The Groom

The mischief makers

I do's

Happily ever after...

Off to Vegas

We're off to Vegas for the wedding of Franodog and Melissa. Back on Monday.

Blue Plate licked clean

So, how's this for good lookin' chicken??? MMMMMmmmm...

Here it is with a side of couscous (recipe to follow)
and a green salad with a sherry vinaigrette.

Dinner was a success, if you judge these things based on the amount of left-overs. The couscous was the perfect accompaniment to the Pollo al Ajillo.

Spanish cooking does use dried fruits and nuts in many dishes. So, I started the couscous by sauteing a minced shallot until it was soft. Then I added a handful each of slivered almond and chopped craisins. When the almonds were toasted I added a mixture of water and chicken stock. When it boiled I added couscous, shut off the heat and popped on the lid. Five minutes later it was fluffy and delicious.