A Big Finish

It was after 2:00 p.m. when I was able to get back to my sewing yesterday. It will probably be something like that today. I don't have to head out quite as early, but early enough. After my eye appointment, I have a number of errands to run in town.

As for yesterday, I surprised myself by stitching the rest of the way around the Quiltemala quilt, and now that puppy is finished.

This was my goal for August's OMG, and so I'll be linking up to the party at the end of the month.

The pattern can be found in this book:

I've made several quilts from the same book, and there is another one sitting on my table awaiting my attention. As for the Quiltemala quilt, I used all of the fabrics, piecing the leftovers into a quilt back.

Smitty helped me hold the quilt down on my lap while I stitched the final two sides. Don't let 'er buck you off there, Buddy.

Just in case he got tired, Sadie was at the ready as my first alternate. She was also busy killing her cat toys.

When it was finished, I folded it up and waited for my quilt-holder-upper to arrive. (Cats are too short for this task.)

While I waited, I watered the pots outside. Sadie, having laid waste to the toy critters inside, was getting ready for a nap in her kitty house outside.

For dinner last night, I tried another new recipe. (I pretty much make a new recipe every night.) This one used up quite a few of the CSA veggies, including zucchini, basil, tomatoes, garlic, and broccoli. It's a one-dish meal, and it was pretty tasty.

At some point in time, I tore this one out of a magazine, and it's been sitting on my desk. Since I can't link to it online, I'm giving you the recipe right here. I changed the directions just a bit, but the ingredients are all the same. The original recipe had me adding the Parmesan cheese to the cream mixture while it was still in the pan. I knew that was going to make a terrible mess, and so I sprinkled the Parmesan over the tomatoes in the skillet, and then poured the cream mixture over. Here's the recipe:

Pasta with Vegetables and Tomato Cream
adapted from My Magazine
Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, sliced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons
1 cup frozen peas
8 oz. dried penne

In a large skillet, saute garlic and red pepper flakes in oil for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil; cook on medium-high heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in basil. In a separate saucepan, combine cream and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan over tomatoes and then add cream mixture. Stir into tomatoes to create a thick sauce. Keep warm over low heat.

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil. Add broccoli and zucchini; cook 5 minutes. Add the peas and cook 1 minute more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the tomato-cream sauce. Return the water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Toss the cooked pasta with the vegetables and sauce. Serve with additional grated Parmesan on top. Refrigerate any leftovers.

It would be easy enough to make this a vegetarian dish by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

* * * * *

While we were preparing and eating dinner, I gulped hard, crossed my fingers, and washed the Quiltemala quilt. I've been worried sick whether those hand-woven fabrics would fray apart in the wash. I washed and dried it on delicate cycle, and it came through with flying colors. No frayed seams, no unraveling, no nothing. Phew! And it looks so pretty and poofy now that it's been fluffed up with a good washing.

So ends another project. As soon as I publish this post, I'll get busy stitching up the Zebra binding. It should be easy enough to finish today, and that will be two finishes in two days.

I won't send this along to my friend until I can include the Unicorn for her other granddaughter. In the meantime, I hope it behaves itself in the sewing room. Surely I can count on some cats to keep it reined in.