The Fruits of our Labor

Things have slowed down a little bit for the weekend, and it's a good thing. Sewing time is desperately needed. Yesterday I needed to pick up some things from the grocery store, and then there were some chores to take care of when I got home. The annual pots needed watering, and I was able to harvest the first of the cherry tomatoes. We added those to our chicken Caesar salad last night.

After that, I picked some more cherries from our trees. These are mostly Black Tartarians with a few Bings thrown in.

There was plenty of low-hanging fruit, and I could stand on good old terra firma to pick another three pounds. That makes 7 1/2 pounds total, and we've probably picked just about half of them. We can only think the raccoons have taken a bye this year. It's been great fun getting actual cherries from our own trees.

It was around 3:00 p.m. by the time I made my way into the sewing room yesterday. Since I hadn't been there in a couple of days, I'd missed the apparent human sacrifice that took place in my absence. We can thank Smitty for that gruesome scene. I didn't take an pictures. You're welcome. Fortunately, Mike was home and went to work with our industrial carpet cleaner to clean up the mess. Ick.

While he was working at that, I sorted through the red scraps in preparation for making red blocks for the Rainbow Jubilee quilt. Only the brightest reds were selected (as opposed to the brick reds) for these blocks, both large scraps...

and small ones.

Cutting them into strips was barely under way when Matthew showed up early to have dinner with us and to collect some more of his belongings.

So that was the end of a rather unproductive day of sewing, but it was fun spending the afternoon with Matthew. He moved into his new place the first of June, and he seems happy as a clam there. It's a great location and he has some roommates he enjoys. Also, he's hoping he has a new job at a location that will allow him to ride his bike to work. He's been in a holding pattern since last September, and so it's very nice to see him so content in his new digs.

While he was here, I switched out the hummingbird feeders for clean ones. Along the way, I admired the purple hydrangea. It's covered in flowers now.

They are a deep purple.

Also, I noticed the hens and chicks (sempervivum, if you need the snotty botanical name) are putting up a few flower stalks. They make the most odd little Dr. Seuss flowers.

They were a housewarming gift from many years ago, and they've thrived in the place where we planted them.

This morning when we set free the cats, we noticed this visitor to our field just on the other side of the vegetable garden. I have an idea she's the one responsible for eating the tomato plant.

She seemed unafraid and curious about us and the kitties.

While Matthew was here yesterday, we went through the freezers and pulled out some food he left behind. While we were there, I found a cup-sized portion of roasted, pureed, and frozen pumpkin left over from a previous year's CSA share. It seemed a good time to try these Pumpkin Cream Muffins, which are, surprisingly, on our diet.

It was a good way to use the pumpkin and at 210 calories per, one muffin at breakfast won't blow your calorie budget. The diet told us we could have one muffin with some fruit and a slice of bacon. We opted for two muffins and a hard boiled egg left over from the Fourth of July. It was a little over our calorie budget, but not too bad. Inside, they have a nice little cream cheese center. It's a little like a frosted muffin with the frosting on the inside.

When I looked online, I found several similar recipes, but nothing that was exactly the same, and so I'm giving it to you here. It's adapted only slightly to suggest bowl sizes.

Pumpkin Cream Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light Diet

Baking spray with flour
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese -- softened
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract -- divided
6 3/4 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter -- softened
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners lightly with baking spray.

Place cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Set aside.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through cloves) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1 teaspoon vanilla, granulated sugar, and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin; beat at low speed until combined. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed 1 minute or until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling one-third full. Top each with about 2 teaspoons cream cheese mixture; divide remaining batter evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake muffins at 365°F for an additional 10 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with great gusto!

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After this morning's breakfast, I stitched enough of the latest Snow Globes block to enable me to move the hoop to the next position.

Now the remainder is within the boundary of the hoop, and this shouldn't take too long to finish.

My cherry pitting station is set up and that's where I'm heading next.

On today's agenda is some Sweet Cherry Lime Jam. I'm giving you the link to the recipe there, but I haven't tried this before. I'll let you know how it turns out in tomorrow's post.

When that's finished, it's going to be sewing, sewing, sewing, and high time. I needs me some sewing time bad.