OMG: It's Finished!

Good morning, my friends. It's been a blustery couple of days. We're expecting more wind today and through the week. Tomorrow is expected to be very warm. It makes good gardening weather, and that was my first stop on yesterday's comings and goings. I hoed weeds, replanted some sunflower starts, replaced the cucumber starts that were chewed off, and I planted the little carrot seed strips. If, like me, you've never seen seeds packaged this way, here's what they look like:

They were folded over and over themselves like on a playing card, which accounts for those creases. The little carrot seeds are no bigger than the head of a pin. There are three strips here, and they pull apart. I'm only showing you a portion of their length, but they stretch to about six feet each. It was tricky getting them into the ground with the wind blowing a gale force. I'm hoping I'll find them still covered when I look today. Optimistically, I think some of the original carrots are sprouting too. If we end up with zillions of carrots, we will be richer in Spicy Dilled Carrot Spears than we ever dreamed we could be. There are worse things in life.

Back inside, it was time to decant the Chive Blossom Vinegar. The smaller bottle is for my friend Sue.

Back when I broke my shoulder, she gave me a bottle of tequila...medicinal, of course. Apparently, the tequila evaporated somewhere along the line, leaving me with this nice stoppered bottle to regift her with some chive blossom vinegar. We're getting together for breakfast tomorrow. She's going to take possession of the Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs quilt, and she'll get a bottle of vinegar to boot.

Also, I got a head start on dinner by making these Crispy Shallots. These were included with the last test recipe from America's Test Kitchens.

The test recipe was a really more of a method than a recipe. It was for a top round roast. The goal was to turn an inexpensive roast into something delicious by roasting it low and slow. Along with the method, two recipes were included for using the leftovers. We had the salad just recently.

Sorry, I can't share the recipe until it's published. Also included was a recipe for Roast Beef Sandwiches with Thousand Island Dressing and Crispy Shallots. And I can't share exactly how that was done, but I'm going to tell you how to do the crispy shallots. If you want to make the sandwich at home, here are some hints: Use a soft bun, such as brioche. Use thin-sliced deli roast beef. Use bottled Thousand Island salad dressing on the bread. Add a slice of Swiss cheese, and top the whole thing with these Crispy Shallots. 

Here's how they're made, and it's super easy: Get yourself three shallots, and slice them thin. You're also going to need one-half cup vegetable oil. Then, combine the shallots and the oil in a medium-sized bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir and continue to microwave 2 minutes longer. Repeat stirring and microwaving in 2-minute increments until beginning to brown (4 to 6 minutes). (Mine were finished by that time.) If yours aren't, then repeat stirring and microwaving in 30-second increments until deep golden brown (30 seconds to 2 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt to taste. Let drain and crisp, about 5 minutes (cooled shallots may be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days).

Okay, and I was ready to sit and do some slow-stitching by then. It was time to stitch the binding on the collage piece. Now it is finished, and you can put this out of your mind until the reveal on August 1st. 

It sounds terribly far away right now, but it will be here before we know it. Summer has a way of flying by, doesn't it?

Quilting and binding the collage piece was my goal for June's

so I'll link up when the party starts at the end of the month.

It seemed too late in the day to start any machine sewing, and so I used the remainder of the afternoon to trace out the next embroidery for the Seasons quilt. This one is called Summer Sun.

I'm very nearly finished with the "Dwell in Possibilities" piece. I expect to finish it today or tomorrow.

Before dinner, I went out and took a little walk around. Look at all the peonies on the Fairy Princess peony.

There is one more peony that needs to bloom. This one is called Garden Treasures. It's a yellow one, and I expect to see it flower today or tomorrow.

Turning around 180 degrees, you can see the dahlias are gaining some size now. I noticed the dahlia festival begins on August 2nd. That gives me hope these will bloom before we leave on our fall trip. It would be so sad to miss them.

There are several things on today's to-do list, including watering the annuals and a little housekeeping. The next Tiny House has been released. This might be the most complicated one yet with sections lettered "C" through "O." 

I'll probably want to institute the one-hour rule for this because I want to make June's block for the Homestead quilt. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday searching for a free pattern to make the Schoolhouse block. 

I've made these before, but I didn't save the associated pattern. It was surprisingly hard to find one in the size I wanted. Finally, I found one on AllPeopleQuilt.com as a part of a much larger quilt. I just need one block to be done in light blues and greens. When that's finished, I'll get busy quilting the small Sewing Day quilt. 

So, there's plenty to keep me busy, as always. It's time to get after my current slow stitching project. I'm hoping to finish it today. Off I go...have a good day, everybody...and let's just go for broke and have a whole good week.