Tony Minieri's French Ribbons - Finished!

Tony Minieri's French Ribbons


I took Tony's class on this piece last April, but wanted to finish another piece before I started this one.  So I actually got started in June of last year.  I finished it earlier this month!  That's about seven months of stitching.  Well worth it.  Here are some closeups.

This shot gives you some idea of the three-dimensionality and the bling!

What a fun project this was!  Now my group has started on Tony's Stars for a New Millenium.  I'm going to use coordinating colors so that I can hang these two together.  I'll be posting on our progress and you can see pictures of some of the many color ways at my Pinterest board.

Jean Hilton's Scott Lee

I just realized that I never posted a picture of this piece that I finished last June.  It's called Scott Lee by designer Jean Hilton.  Here it is, as a pillow.

What the Sciences Sing to Us

THE SCIENCES SING A LULLABYE
Physics says: go to sleep. Of course
you're tired. Every atom in you
has been dancing the shimmy in silver shoes
nonstop from mitosis to now.
Quit tapping your feet. They'll dance
inside themselves without you. Go to sleep.

Geology says: it will be all right. Slow inch
by inch America is giving itself
to the ocean. Go to sleep. Let darkness
lap at your sides. Give darkness an inch.
You aren't alone. All of the continents used to be
one body. You aren't alone. Go to sleep.

Astronomy says: the sun will rise tomorrow,
Zoology says: on rainbow-fish and lithe gazelle,
Psychology says: but first it has to be night, so
Biology says: the body-clocks are stopped all over town
and
History says: here are the blankets, layer on layer, down and down.
- Albert Goldbarth


thank you, Whiskey River

Luncheon for a Winter Day

I hosted a luncheon meeting yesterday for my Master Gardener committee.  I kept it very simple:  a beef stew that I've posted about here before, Beef Daube Provencal and the best and easiest cornbread ever, Homesteader Cornbread.  Since this was a meeting, we needed to get started, so Fresh Market came to the rescue for dessert with an assortment of their fantastic cookies for easy eating.  They were out of the Kitchen Sink cookies, but the ones I got were almost as good.

I made two batches of the stew, one in the oven per the recipe and one in the crockpot, on low for about 8 hours.  I couldn't tell the difference.  Since I wanted a thicker stew, I coated the beef with flour before I browned it.  There was plenty for my group of 10 plus leftovers for dinner.  My husband hates leftovers, but I told him it was new to him!  He cleaned his bowl.

The bonus?  A great meeting!  I'm so excited about what we're going to accomplish this year in Master Gardeners.  Check out our blog:  Garden Musings.

Homesteader Cornbread

HOMESTEADER CORNBREAD

Submitted by: Patricia Bergstrom

Rated: 5 out of 5 by 715 members            

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes      

Ready In: 50 Minutes

Yields: 15 servings

"A moist, sweet corn bread with a crisp crust is the goal, fully realized with this recipe."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

2 1/2 cups milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder        1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.         Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.         In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.         Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

This recipe appears in the Allrecipes "Tried & True Favorites" cookbook. Buy it online at http://www.shopallrecipes.com/

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2007 Allrecipes.com     Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/4/2007