...so, as I dug through my scraps yesterday, I wondered if I would have enough to keep to the dark side. As it turns out, there were plenty, and I even used quite a few from my "small scraps" bin, where I keep things that are less than about five inches. They were all cut into strips of differing lengths. They start with 3 inches and extend up to 11 inches.
You can see my little friend showed up as I was taking that picture. She wanted to have a little dip in the nip.
When the strips were cut, they were sewn together and then trimmed to size. You can see that a lot of these are from patriotic fabrics with stars well represented.
Today I'll add the black and white strips and these will be finished. From there, I'll probably move on to the Shop Hop blocks.
The rainbows for the day weren't finished though. This is the time of year when we start seeing a lot of rainbows. The sky can't decide whether to be sunny or cloudy, and when it rains, we see rainbows.
It extended all the way from horizon to horizon. It was a double, but its partner was too pale to see in a photograph.
I'm still catching up on my housework, but the biggest jobs are done. Today I have a couple of little things to do and then I'll have some time for sewing.
Oh yes, and I almost forgot about the new recipe I tried last night. This is Cucumber Gazpacho with Dungeness Crab.
We've been inundated with cucumbers from our CSA share. Since my pantry shelves are stocked with relish, I've been on the hunt for new things to do with cucumbers. This looked appealing.
The original recipe title calls for blue crab, but I think that's only available on the East Coast. Nevertheless, it brought back family memories of when we lived in North Carolina. We lowered pieces of chicken into the water from a string and waited for the crabs to hop on. Here's a picture of a family friend with just one of dozens we caught that day. And, yes, that's me off to the left at about age 6. If I had to guess, I'd guess my mother probably made that shirt I'm wearing. She made most of my clothes.
My family traveled back and forth across country four times in that little trailer you see behind him.
But getting back to the recipe...I made just half of it, and I made it around noon. When I tasted the gazpacho, it was kind of boring. It was refrigerated all afternoon, and then I added the fresh crab just before we ate it. I'm happy to say that the crab really took it over the top, and it was delicious. I'd make it again. We had it with a slice of crusty bread. The gazpacho has a jalapeno pepper in it. I removed the seeds and ribs, but it still lends a nice little kick. The bread helped keep our mouths cooled off. I think this would also be good made with smoked salmon.
Today I'm going out to pick some more plums before they're gone. I have plans for them. More about that in tomorrow's post.
9 comments:
I love gazpacho ... I'm going to give this one a try. Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, we were big blue crabbers, too. I remember throwing a string tied to a chicken neck into the water, too. When I got old enough (I think I was ten), I bought a crab cage with my allowance and rode my bike down to the pier, VERY early in the morning, and crabbed until ten. Then I'd come home, boil my catch, and make crab cakes. Fresh seafood (especially blue crabs) is one of the things I miss most here in North Alabama! Wow -- great post for a touch of nostalgia for both of us!! I think I need a bit of nip, now. ;)
If these fabrics are any indication then I am sure you have a gorgeous and an enviable stash. The blocks look beautiful. I am sure that the finished project ill be lovely. Ooh cucumber gazpacho!!! I am saving that recipe.
Chicken necks on a string is how I learned to catch crabs too but in the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas coast. What fun memories that brings to mind. The gazpacho looks so tasty.i do not think I have ever had it, so maybe something I would try. Thanks for the memories!
Well, as a native Midwesterner, I know nothing about how to catch crabs. I do enjoy eating them when I travel to coastal areas. I can get them here but rarely do. And I've never had gazpacho. Clearly I need to get out a bit more. Ha! I'm liking those rainbow blocks. Here in the Midwest, those blocks remind me of a Black 'n Blue -- burger, that is. Yum!
If only I liked cucumbers! That idea looks delicious but what does one substitute for cucumbers? I do like the crabs on the west coast. I’ve had East coast crabs, too. They are tasty but a lot more work to get out of the shell.
With your rain and us cooling down, I hope the wild fires are being reduced and hopefully being put out one by one.
Today is a class on pants fitting with a Palmer Pletsch teacher. I’m looking forward to a perfect fitting pant - or close enough most will think it fits perfectly. Enjoy your day!
Oh don't you wish you still had that cute little camper!!
You made great progress on your RSC project for the month. It's always fun when something brings on a blast from the past, that's a very fun memory picture.
Very nice dark blues! beautiful rainbow
The blues look great - but they are my favorites anyway. :)
What a fun memory of crab catching! Cool little trailer too. Glad you enjoyed your Gazpacho.
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