CURRENT PROJECTS

This could be called "what am I doing?" After being gone much of March and early April I hit the ground running when I came home.

First, it was two Teeny Tiny Two For One quilts, made as gifts. Each time I teach Two For One, I want to come home and make another one. I don't need another bed quilt so I made Teeny Tiny ones:

Those squares are 1/2" finished

Mug Rugs, each about 11" square

I can honestly say I am "over" the urge for now. The squares are 1/2" finished. How long can these small things take to make? Far longer than I thought, especially when I occasionally sewed the wrong thing to the wrong thing. They are on their way to their new homes, all fabrics are returned to the closet and I am on to the next task.

The 2025 Block of the Month quilt for TheQuiltShow.com is Laurel Ridge, designed by Lynn Wilder. Not as far along as I should be by now, but it's getting there. I made a Feathered Star as a possible substitute middle block. The jury is still out on that, there is another large block I will make to see if I prefer it:

While working on these two projects, I have been sewing the adorable Old Italian blocks I showed a few weeks ago--they are the perfect Leader/Ender blocks. YES, there WILL BE A SUMMER SEW A LONG for you! I will provide instructions for this great block in 3 sizes, your choice, Here are a few of my 3" ones:

The other night I was able to attend my local guild, the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville. I don't get to attend very often due to my teaching travels but I wanted to be at this one. My friend, Dr. Jan Davis, an astronaut who has flown in space on 3 missions, including being the Payload Commander of her third flight in 1997, talked about her journey as a quilter and an astronaut. She has the distinction of being the first quilter in space. She gave a great talk, the large crowd was very enthusiastic:

Recently I got a new "techno toy". An Apple Watch. I have to be dragged kicking and screaming into new technology as it takes me a while to learn what's what. I don't like feeling that I don't know how to do things. But this was EASY! Everything syncs from my phone. I LOVE using it to track my outdoor daily walk, 2 hours, 8 miles/7 days a week. My husband has been urging me to get one for a few years. Honey, you were RIGHT:

Speaking of my husband, earlier this month we celebrated 49 years of marriage. In some ways it seems like time has flown and other ways it seems like a long journey together. I wonder what we will do for 50:

Today is Easter Sunday for us and we are happy to be celebrating with our son's family. There will be 10 of us at the table, including 3 children, who always make it a fun day. My contribution to the menu was easy, GUACAMOLE ATX and two Key Lime pies. The guac recipe I got from a great friend in Austin and I love it. Recipe linked above:

The Key Lime Pie recipe comes from the bottle of Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice, easily found in the supermarket:

Happy Spring to everyone. Let's quilt.

Barbara

GUACAMOLE!

 I recently learned to make excellent guacamole. It's not something I ever made before this summer but it is now a staple for me. If you invite me to a cookout, I'll bring the guac--and maybe a blackberry cobbler.

Here is one batch. I got the recipe from an awesome Texas friend so I call it Guacamole ATX:

small bowl is one serving, large bowl is 5 servings

RECIPE FOR AWESOME GUACAMOLE ATX 6 servings, more or less:

3 ripe avocados--save the pits

1 jalapeno, cored and diced small

1/2 cup diced red onion, diced small

1 Roma tomato, cored and chopped small, remove the juicy part--eat it while you make the guac

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice, approximately 1 small lime

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Smash the avocados in a bowl, add remaining ingredients, combine well.  

Put the pits in the serving/storage bowl then put the guacamole in the bowl. The pits help keep the guac from turning brown in the refrigerator over several days. 

Mangia!

WHAT I LEARNED:

1. Knowing when avocados are ripe enough is a skill that takes time to learn. Rock hard from the store, I let them sit on the counter for 2-4 days until they are "sort of" soft. Buying 3 at a time, it is not unusual two will be ready in 2 days and the third takes longer. Crunchy avocado is not what you want. The soft two can be kept in the refrigerator while the slowpoke takes another day or two on the counter.

2. My friend neglected to tell me the pit trick, incorrectly assuming everyone KNOWS THIS.  As a Yankee who didn't eat guacamole until 5 years ago, I did not know the trick. It REALLY WORKS. My first batch was brown the second day, still tasted fine but was less appealing in appearance. That's when I learned the trick. Each batch since has stayed nice and bright green for up to the full week it takes me to eat this entire batch. If you make it for a gathering there will not be any left so you could leave the pits out of the bowl. 

3. Experiment with the ingredients. I use 1 teaspoon of cumin because I love that flavor. I use the juice of two small limes because I love the flavor. This latest batch I used two jalapenos because I had two. Add cilantro if you like that flavor. Cilantro is one of those things: you either love it or think it tastes like soap. I love it but my friend is in the soap camp so no cilantro in this batch. 

4. This is easy to double. If making it for a gathering I recommend you do. Everyone is going to want the recipe so send them here to find this post. They will thank you!

5. I eat this as a side dish with my CHARRO BEANS RECIPE:

                                          

 Costco had some great Veggie Crisp crackers recently that were wonderful with the guacamole. Veggie Crisps, Sea Salt and Black Pepper, Off the Eaten Path brand:

One morning I had it for breakfast on high fiber bread. This was so filling I only ate one of the eggs:

Enjoy this healthy snack while avocados are plentiful and yummy.

Now, let's quilt!

Barbara