Checklist Items Complete

It was a very productive weekend here at the Three Cats Ranch. There were several items on my to-do list, and I finished everything. I could have made the list longer, but it worked out exactly right. At the top of the list was to finish the Guatemala quilt (aka Quiltemala). There wasn't a good place to lay it down for a picture, and so I took it outside and hung it on the deck railing.

Smitty's part in this endeavor was to sit on my work table, looking handsome and pettable.

Also, he helped me decide where to start when I pieced together the back.

These next two are terrible pictures, but the quilt back was even larger than the quilt top, and so I didn't have a very good place to lay it down. I ended up laying it on our never-used pool table. I had large swaths of fabric that I sewed side by side and row by row until the back was both wide enough and long enough.

In the process, I used all but just a few bits of scraps. I'll use them for something...someday...when inspiration hits.

The fabrics frayed so badly and the sewing room was a complete mess when I finished all of this. I had to vacuum because I couldn't stand it. It also made a lot of dusty fibers everywhere, and I had to dust off all the surfaces. I've told Matthew he can have the quilt when it's finished, and I committed to having it finished for his birthday next April.

Also, the snowman seemed to mend his ways when I returned to it yesterday morning, and I stitched him this far.

Checking on the poppies, I noticed the first bloom is fading, and one of the petals has fallen off. The flower center is interesting because you can see the seed pod in the middle now. Eventually this will turn brown and be full of poppy seeds.

This bud has looked the same for days. I'm kind of surprised it hasn't opened yet, but I haven't checked this morning.

These are some volunteer pansies. They're growing in the whiskey barrel with the cherry tomato.

The dappled willow might be at it's peak now. It's hard to know for sure. When the peachy bits start turning green, I'll know it's finished. For now, it's looking very pretty. It certainly has kept me entertained this spring.

The roses are close to opening, and so the deer should be dining on them any day now. I notice a spider has built a web over this cluster, and that should deter the aphids.

Here are two of the kits. I've indicated the not-yet-ripe strawberry next to the feet of the one on the right. They're eating the strawberries while they're still green. It looks as if they'll get a reprieve from the kitties. We're keeping them inside for the time being. Too many coyote sitings just now. I've been reading old blog posts and seeing different memories from Facebook, and it seems the coyotes move through this time of year. They've been bold and "present,"  and so it's not safe for the kitties to be out just now. They will be very unhappy about this change in conditions.

Okay, and I know you've been waiting on tenterhooks wondering how the Fresh Strawberry Mousse for Two turned out. I'm happy to report that it was delicious. I upped the amount of gelatin by 1/3 and that did the trick. When I finished with it, I put it in some pretty little glasses just in case we ended up drinking it again. Also, I made this a recipe "for two," but you can double it to make it for four.

This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. Ordinarily, I'd be saying I can't reprint the recipe because Cook's requires a membership. Even if I linked to it, you'd need a membership to open it. But since I changed this one, I can give it to you as my own adaptation. So here you go:

Fresh Strawberry Mousse for Two

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

2 pounds strawberries, hulled

¼ cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar, divided

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened

¼ cup heavy cream, chilled

Directions:

1. Cut enough strawberries into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1/2 cup; refrigerate until ready to garnish. Pulse remaining strawberries in food processor until most pieces are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (some larger pieces are fine), 6 to 10 pulses. Transfer strawberries to bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons sugar and salt. (Do not clean processor.) Cover bowl and let strawberries stand for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Strain processed strawberries through fine-mesh strainer into bowl (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons juice into small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over juice, and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Place remaining juice in small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add softened gelatin mixture, and stir until gelatin has dissolved. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Transfer mixture to large bowl.

3. While juice is reducing, return strawberries to now-empty processor and process until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. Strain puree through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to remove seeds and pulp (you should have 3/4 to 1 cup puree). Discard any solids in strainer. Add strawberry puree to juice-gelatin mixture and whisk until incorporated.

4. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk whipped cream into strawberry mixture until no white streaks remain. Portion into dessert dishes and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours. (If chilled longer than 6 hours, let mousse sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.) Serve, garnishing with reserved diced strawberries.

Notes:  This recipe works well with supermarket berries and farmers’ market berries. In step 1, be careful not to overprocess the strawberries. If you like, substitute 3/4 pound (2 3/4 cups) of thawed frozen strawberries for the fresh and skip step 1 (do not process berries). Proceed with the recipe, adding the 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt to the whipped cream in step 4. For more-complex berry flavor, replace the 1 1/2 tablespoons of raw strawberry juice in step 2 with strawberry or raspberry liqueur. In addition to the diced berries, or if you’re using frozen strawberries, you can serve the mousse with Lemon Whipped Cream.

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Scott the window guy is coming today. Scott has been cleaning our windows for about 30 years. We used to have them done more often, but now we do it just once per year. They need it badly. You guys always give me a bad time about "the window guy," but there ain't no way I'm getting up on our steep roof to wash the windows. In truth, there ain't no way I'm washing windows. Period. There is bread proofing on the counter downstairs, and I'll get back to my "meat and potatoes" sewing of Rainbow Scrap projects, catching up on Tiny Tuesdays, and the usual stuff I do each month. There's no real plan for the day, so I'll just have to see where I end up.