Musings Archives - Page 5 of 7

Paradise Found

By threejamigos | March 29, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

This has been the longest period of time between posts for my fledging blog, I hope you stayed with me. As life is prone to do, it got busy and messy. The first few months of this year has brought joy but also great sorrow (for another post), thankfully we have family and friends to share in the moments; to celebrate the good times and help us through the bad times.

I missed blogging, it has become a way to decompress, reflect on life and of course pass along yummy recipes to you.

_V3A4943 — Waipi’o Valley still spectacular, even in the rain

Juli’s wedding provided impetus for a quick island getaway. Whoever came up with destination weddings should be applauded and I can’t think of a more beautiful venue than the Big Island. Before going I formulated a list for my brief island jaunt, things to do, food to eat and sites to see. First and foremost, Hawaiian food. It is comfort food, island-style, I have a definite weakness for island grindz. Good thing I don’t live in Hawaii. A diet best described as insanely delicious but not very good for you. The very definition of vacation eats. Can you say banana mac pancakes? Loco Moco? Kahlua pig? 2 scoops of anything that contains mayonnaise? Yes, I would be doomed. My saving grace would be the abundance of tropical fruits and seafood. I also dream about Shave Ice..hmmmmm, lilikoi, mango, passion fruit, lychee, but I would have to get to Oahu to Wailoa Shave Ice to have some.

Bucket List for the Big Island

It actually takes about 3+ hours to get from the north side of the island to the south side. Rent a car you’ll need it. If you insist on driving like a Californian (not me of course), it will take considerably less time.

Hidden gem in Kona, 808 Grindz. Say hi to Aaron for us! If they have grilled pork belly on the daily specials menu, order it. Served with fried rice it has that sweet salty flavor, a big thumbs up.

On our way to Waimea we stopped at the Hawaiian Style Cafe, another local joint with breakfasts big enough to satisfy the hungriest guy in your group.

Umeke’s– Poki Bowls! The fish is fresh and the vibe is friendly.

TexDrive In We stopped here for their malasadas, not bad but if you have had Leonard’s malasadas in Oahu you have my permission to skip these.

If you’re headed to the Waipio Valley (well near it, can’t go into the valley due to Dengue Fever) stop at Waipi’o Cookhouse. Locally sourced produce and a barbecue pit that would make any southerner proud.

I enjoyed a delicious brisket sandwich. And don’t forget you can always stop at a McDonald’s for Saimin, Spam, Eggs and Rice or Guava Pie!

Stopped by to visit an old friend who moved back to the islands. Every day is another day living in Paradise, inspiration for his artwork. Well deserved after having both my boys in his third grade class!

Weather? Hot, humid, cold, wet, rainy, sunny, windy..yes, it has it all, bring your swimsuit and your raincoat, you’ll use both!

On a lazy night, find a local hangout with Hawaiian music, slatkey guitar or ukulele. Kick back, relax and enjoy the sounds of the islands and a Mai Tai if you have to! Here is a taste of island music, Home in the Islands by the Cazimero Brothers.

Don’t miss!

You can hike the crater floor, explore a lava tube, enjoy a steam facial (steam vents) and be mesmerized by the volcano activity at Hawai’i Volcano National Park

Or hang out with the sea turtles and enjoy a day at the shore at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

Stargazing at Maunakea

It’s cold at 9200 feet, bring warm clothes! So many stars…amazing! We saw Jupiter through the one of the many telescopes they set up each night.

If you can’t quite gather up the nerve to skydive or bungee jump, try zip-lining over Umauma Falls.

Aloha!

Want Wontons? Hanging with Mom (雲吞)

By threejamigos | February 25, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

My mom came down and spent the week with us recently. She is 93 years old and still lives in San Francisco in the same house I grew up in. Her memory has faltered and her cognitive skills have diminished but she soldiers on. I am thankful that she is still with us and grateful for the moments we have together. It is now our turn to take care of her, everything comes full circle.

When she visits we talk about family. She remembers snippets of when she was younger, she laughs at my exasperation with my kids. She doesn’t do much cooking anymore but she does like to make wontons for the kids when she visits. When I was in college she would make trays of wontons, freeze and pack them ready for me to take back to Berkeley after a weekend visit. When the kids were small, during her babysitting stints, she would make wontons for them.

Tons of Advice on Won Tons

We head to the Asian market to shop for freshwater chestnuts (no canned stuff for her), pork (not pre-ground too mushy), mushrooms, wrappers, and shrimp (raw & unpeeled). At home she insists on making the filling as she has for so many years, chopping the pork and shrimp by hand and incorporating the seasonings with her Chinese cleaver. We reserve some of the filling for mini stuffed omelets called Gai Dan Kok (kid favorite) and then we sit, talk, and fold won tons. We fill as many trays as we have wrappers or filling, and store them in the freezer. When the kids come home she will boil up a batch or fry egg dumplings for them. These are the moments I will treasure.

Mom makes classic pork and shrimp filling for her wontons. It is my go-to filling for not just wontons but the egg dumplings, and steamed stuffed squash. It’s delicious. The shrimp can be chopped with the pork and blended with the pork or cut the shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces and place one piece in each wonton as shown in the video below. Soaking the shrimp in potassium carbonate firms up the shrimp giving the wonton a nice bite. You could probably forego this step. I added 1 tsp Ponzu (or you could use soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon) and 1/2 tsp sesame seed oil to the shrimp for additional flavor.

The Fried Way

These wontons can also be fried. Heat oil in a large pot to 350-375 degrees. Fry these in at least 2-inches of oil in the pot. Cook in batches of 6-8 won tons. Fry to golden brown and remove to a paper towel-lined pan to drain off excess oil. Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.

Wontons

Every culture has a dumpling, our family enjoys won tons in soup or fried as an appetizer. A classic! This is me mom's recipe for wontons, our favorite.

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Asian-American

Keyword dumplings, soup, won ton

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 5

Ingredients

Pork & Shrimp Filling

3/4 lb ground pork
1/4 pound fresh shrimp peeled and deveined and roughly diced
4-6 water chestnuts peeled and coarsely chopped fresh or canned (rinse before using)
3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in warm water to soften (15-20 min) drained and coarsely chopped
2 stalks of green onions coarsely chopped
1 T cilantro leaves finely chopped optional
1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger peeled and minced

The Flavorings

1 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1 T rice wine or sherry
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil optional

That's a Wrap

1 pkg won ton wrappers Hong Kong Style are extra thin, I use thin wonton wrappers by New Hong Kong Noodle Company of San Francisco

Instructions

Filling

Start with Pork shoulder or Pork Butt. Hand-chop or coarse grind in food processor. When buying pork, look for coarse ground
Place ground pork and shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Add seasonings. Using chopsticks or a spoon, stir the mixture in one direction until the ingredients are well combined. Transfer half of the filling to a bowl. Reserve the other half for egg dumplings or steamed squash.

Wrapping

See video of my mom wrapping wontons!
Have ready wrappers, filling and small bowl of water or egg wash to seal won tons
Choose any won ton wrapper you like. My preference is Thin wrappers from New Hong Kong Noodle Factory. Wrappers come in different thicknesses. Avoid thick wrappers if you are making wontons for soup or deep-frying. Thick ones work well for Potstickers-a combination of frying and steaming when more filling is used.
Wontons can be folded in a variety of ways including simply folding like a triangle or square. Trick is to eliminate air bubbles and use water or egg wash to seal the edges.
Use about 1 generous teaspoon of filling per wonton.
Meanwhile, fill a large stockpot with water at least 2/3-3/4 full. Bring to boil over high heat. Drop folded wontons into the boiling water. Keep water at a nice boil not on a crazy high boil. The wontons will float to the surface as they cook, an indication they are ready. Let boil for about 3-4 minutes total, about 1 min after they float to the top. Remove with strainer, drain and serve in soup*
* Chicken Soup is perfect. If you use commercial chicken broth, use low sodium and season yourself. Add a slice of fresh ginger or shallots as you are heating. Season with soy sauce.
All the rage now seems to be serving wontons without soup, slathered in Chili Crisp Oil and a splash of vinegar. You could easily sub the soup and use a chili oil for the wontons. See notes for sauce.

Notes

From Red House Spice, Chili Sauce for Wontons in lieu of soup.

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or regular soy sauce
1 teaspoon black rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon homemade chili oil, or to taste

Mix together, drizzle just cooked wontons with sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Add a touch of Chinese Sesame Paste if you like ~1 teaspoon.

Watch Mom Fold Wontons!

Kids will be Kids

By threejamigos | January 28, 2016 | Comments 1 comment

Have you seen those Procter & Gamble Olympics commercials? You know, the ones about moms. By the time they are over you are bawling your head off and grabbing another tissue. Well if you haven’t, check out this link P&G Olympics Mom Commercial. I cry every time I see one. Don’t tell anyone.

Though I am arts and crafts challenged I do make my feeble attempts at crafts, especially during the holidays. This year I thought I would make pillowcases. Quite a few of our pillowcases and towels are worn and discolored. For the longest time I couldn’t figure out why. Was it poor quality control? Bad dye process? Hmmmm….so I went to my trusty sleuthing source (Google) and typed in discolored towels and pillowcases. Voila’! BENZYL PEROXIDE. If you are of a certain age you have just heard a low commanding voice go off in your head “OXY-FIVE, oxycute those zits”. Yes, a definite correlation between discoloration and teenage angst.

So, I decided to make pillowcases for the kids for Christmas to replace the old ones. I actually like making pillowcases, a quick project that involves only straight line sewing..I can do that. Off to the store to select fabric with my friend Mari aka my “Master Shi Fu” of sewing in tow.

In my mind, my kids are still just that, kids. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind and heart they are all still 5 years old. I’m still holding their hands to cross the street, packing their lunches, riding my bike along side them to make sure they get to school safe and sound. Still picking them up when they fall down and wiping away the tears.

And with that in mind I chose the material for their pillowcases.

Sometimes they still are my little kids…

These pillowcases are really quick and easy to make. I found a video on Youtube by Crafty Gemini that does a great job of showing you just how easy they are to create. Just a few additional steps and you have a fancy-schmancy pillowcase with 2 borders and hidden seams. Believe me if I can do it so can you!

The Big Apple

By threejamigos | January 19, 2016 | Comments 0 Comment

Right before the holidays I was trying to figure out what to get the hubby so I called my cousin’s wife Kathy in New York. She is my Go-to-Guru for kitchen appliances and cookbooks. I was curious about a sous vide machine and knew she had one. She mentioned she was throwing a surprise birthday party for Mike (her hubby) and I immediately invited myself, I know tacky but hey we’re family. A quick trip to New York would be fun and help decompress from the holidays. By the time I boarded the plane I had the hubs and daughter in tow.

I love New York. The energy level is amazing. Museums, restaurants, people watching, theaters, history. So much to enjoy, appreciate and reflect upon. We visited the World Trade Memorial, the MOMA, the Met, walked SOHO and the waterfront, stood in line for half price Broadway tickets (still expensive but SO worth it) to see Something Rotten (GO. Very funny!). We topped off our MOMA visit with lunch from the Halal Guys cart and noshed on great bagels and lox from Russ & Daughters. Jamie, with her roomie Jenny, took off to High Line Park, Manhattan’s old railroad trestle reinvented as a beautiful urban park.

No Jamie, these are real bagels. Chewy with a nice crispy crust. They aren’t stale, sheesh.

I wonder how annoyed people were on the plane coming home when I pulled out my chopped liver, egg salad, smoked whitefish and salmon salad and bagels. Hey, it was a long flight, gotta have something delicious to eat.

If you haven’t been to New York..put it on your bucket list NOW.

Almond Cookies: Homage to Mrs. F

By threejamigos | December 20, 2015 | Comments 2 comments

My brother-in-law’s mother passed away unexpectedly a few days ago. Through the years we would see her at family functions and exchange pleasantries. Every Christmas we were the lucky recipients of one of her signature pink cake boxes filled with a variety of delicious homemade holiday cookies. We all had our favorites. Me, I loved her almond cookies. They were just like the ones in the windows of Chinatown bakeries, crumbly, full of almond flavor and finished with an almond pressed into the center.

Unfortunately I do not have her recipe but I do have one by Belinda Leong of B patisserie in San Francisco. Bursting with almond flavor and buttery goodness this is an amazingly delicious cookie that for me pays tribute to Mrs. F. Baking these lovely morsels conjures up the image of her pink boxes stacked on the holiday table. Most of all it reminds me of her warm smile and her kind and generous spirit. She will be missed.

Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace)/Auld Lang Syne performed by Yo- Yo Ma and Chris Botti

The recipe for these wonderful almond cookies is from Andrea Nguyen’s blog post Viet World Kitchen. The recipe was first published in the book Chef’s Table by Carolyn Jung. There were some glitches in the recipe and luckily food people are of the most generous spirit. No sooner had I emailed Ms. Nguyen she responded answering all my questions and updating her website. Here is the link to the recipe on her blog, Viet World Kitchen. I weighed the flour using the 8.75 ounces and used 1/2 cup volume measurement for the sugar. Start checking the cookies early. My batch only took 12 minutes to bake. If you like crisp, buttery, almond flavored cookies..BAKE THESE, you won’t regret it.

Print Pin

Almond Cookies

Buttery, crispy, full of almond flavor. These cookies from B's Patisserie are a winner.

Course cookies

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Almond Cookies

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups 8.75 oz / 250 g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces 120 g almond paste
1/2 cup 3.5 oz / 100 g sugar
2 sticks 8 oz / 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces 120 g sliced or chopped slivered almonds
Powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C / gas mark 4) with a rack in the middle position. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda. Set aside.
Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to make the dough. Cut the almond paste into thick slices or big chunks. Put them in the mixer with the sugar. On low speed, mix the ingredients together until the almond paste has broken up into big pea-like pieces.
Pause to add the butter. On medium-low speed, beat the ingredients until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined (you no longer see flour bits). Add the almonds and use the lowest speed (“Stir” on a Kitchen Aide) to mix into the dough.
Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar in a small bowl or on your work surface. For slightly gnarly/textured cookies, pinch off balls of dough – each the size of a big cherry tomato (1.5 inch / 3.75 cm wide). Roll in powdered sugar, then place on the prepared sheet pan, spaced 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Flatten each ball slightly as you work. (If you want neater cookies, squeeze and roll the dough into a fat log and cut crosswise into pieces. Roll them into balls, coat in the sugar, etc. See the photo above.)
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown at the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for several days.

Milk and Cookies Anyone? (Peanut Butter Cookies)

By threejamigos | October 31, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Lately I have been on a peanut butter kick. Slathered on apple wedges, chunks of banana, in celery to make it edible, or a pbj sandwich when I am off for a bike ride or at a regatta. It is eminently convenient, a great energy and protein source and the added bonus, a pbj sammie makes me feel like a kid again. If you are old enough, you’ll remember the giant peanut butter cookies that every self-respecting school cafeteria sold back in the day. Peanut Butter Cookies from the Buttery in Santa Cruz remind me of those cookies, big, chewy and peanutty. The recipe first printed by the LA times can be found via the blog, Ipso Fatto. What sets these cookies apart is rolling the dough in peanuts before baking. It adds extra texture to an already buttery, salty, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside cookie, double yums. The recipe calls for pastry flour, I used White Lilly AP flour, a soft wheat flour found in the South (perks of having a kid in Nashville). Used for biscuits, it has a lower protein content similar to pastry flour. I also used a low sodium crunchy peanut butter, not a health conscious decision, I just picked up the wrong jar at the market! I did add some salt because of this, but I don’t think it is necessary, my batch was pretty salty. I plan to use the low salt peanut butter and omit the extra salt next time. For the sake of my waistline the days of eating giant cookies are over so I rolled the dough into a 12-14 inch log with a diameter of 1-3/4 inches with each slice about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. This made approximately 2 dozen cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes. If you like peanut butter cookies put this one on your need to bake list!

Print Pin

Peanut Butter Cookies The Buttery

Ingredients

Adapted from the LA Times and Ipso Fatto Blog
1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon baker's sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1/2 cup low salt chunky peanut butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups 6.4 ounces pastry flour or White Lily All purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts or honey roasted peanuts I used low salt peanuts)

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed just until creamy. Add the sugars to the butter and cream together, careful not to over-mix. Scrape down the bowl to make sure the sugars and butter are evenly combined.
Beat in the egg just until incorporated, then beat in the peanut butter, scraping down the bowl again after mixing.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, beating until smooth and the flour is evenly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, making sure the ingredients are combined and smooth.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a rough log, approximately 2 1/2 inches thick. Place the dough in a sheet of parchment paper and roll the dough in the paper so it is smooth and a consistent 2 1/2-inches thick throughout the log. The log will be about 9 inches long. If the dough is a little soft, chill in fridge for 15-30 minutes.
Place the peanuts in a rimmed cookie sheet and gently roll the dough in the peanuts to coat on all sides. The peanuts should stick to the log; if they don't, brush the roll with a beaten egg, then roll it in the peanuts so they stick. Wrap the finished log in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the cookies into 1-inch-thick slices and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them at least 3 inches apart, as the cookies will spread while they bake. Bake the cookies until set and browned around the edges, about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking for even coloring. Cool the cookies, still on the baking sheet, on a rack until set and cool enough to handle.
Serve with an ice cold glass of milk!

Apple a Day… (Apple Cake)

By threejamigos | September 21, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

I walked outside the other day, the sunlight was a little different, not so bright, not so in your face. The light had taken on a warm orange hue. Even if temperatures are high, it just doesn’t seem as hot, the day’s end is a little earlier. There is a crispness in the air and colors seem more vibrant. That’s when I sense fall has arrived. I love the fall, it means APPLES! Remember the scene from Forrest Gump with Bubba reciting what you could do with shrimp? Well, that’s how I am with apples. You can bake it, cook it, juice it, put it in salads, pancakes, casseroles, eat it out of hand. There’s apple pie, apple dumpling, apple cake, fried apples, sautéed apples, applesauce, apple crisp, caramel apples….yep, love them apples.

Growing up there was the one apple to rule them all, the Red Delicious (ok, so I grew up in the city). I didn’t know other varieties existed, when Golden Delicious apples started showing up, that was a major deal. Now the varieties are endless, Jonagold, Empire, Mutsu, Pink Lady, the list keeps growing. When I make an apple pie I use at least 3 different varieties, I look for a balance of tart and sweet, apples that hold their shape and some that breakdown as the pie bakes. Apparently, I just don’t micromanage my kids I seem to be an apple pie micromanager as well…sigh.

We were invited to Rosh Hosannah celebration the other evening, I volunteered to make dessert. Not enough time to make a pie (recipe for apple pie will be in a later post, promise), I decided on a simple French Apple Cake I found on Once Upon a Chef. A perfect way to bring in the New Year.

Print Pin

French Apple Cake

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling over cake
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons dark rum
2 sweet baking apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (Fuji or Golden Delicious work or combination)
Confectioners' sugar optional, for decorating cake

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don't worry if the batter looks grainy. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool until just warm. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan if using. Using a fine sieve, dust with Confectioners' sugar (if using).
Cake can be served warm or room temperature, with or without lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Sure Thing Wings

By threejamigos | August 30, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Our original novice women’s group got together the other night. Four of us are still rowing but the others have since moved on to other sports or endeavors. I can’t imagine why, doesn’t everyone love getting up at the crack of dawn four days a week? We met at Moultrup’s house, Gidge, 2-seat, Snookies, Way-way, and Aimster to catch up, eat, drink and be merry. We talked about lots of things, our kids, husbands, politics, books, fears, and of course rowing. We laughed, argued, reminisced, and teased each other just like families do when they get together..

Since I had to work that day I needed a quick and easy dish I could prep early and grab and go after work. One of my absolute favorite blogs is Smitten Kitchen, great recipes, wonderful writing, very entertaining. Her recipe for Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings fit the bill and is a favorite with my kids, hubby, friends, well, just about anyone who has tried them. I threw the wings into the marinade before heading to work, came home and popped them into the oven. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Print Pin

Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken wingettes or chicken wings see note up top
1 large garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons mild honey
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
Pinch of cayenne or dash of Sriracha (I use the chili garlic paste ~1 heaping tsp
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds lightly toasted
1 scallion finely chopped

Instructions

Make the marinade. Stir together garlic, salt, soy, hoisin, honey, sesame oil and cayenne or Siracha
Add wings to marinade and mix well. Marinade at least 30 minutes to overnight.
Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil and lightly oil it.Spread wings and any sauce that fell to the bottom of the bowl out on the prepared baking pan in one layer.
Roast, turning over once, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Transfer wings to a large serving bowl* and toss with sesame seeds and scallion.
If wings need more color, broil for a couple minutes on high heat or finish the wings on the grill, decrease baking time by 5-10 minutes

Done at Last, Done at Last, Thank God Almighty Done at Last

By threejamigos | August 29, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

I hope you don’t think the title is blasphemous…but I am celebrating, yep, doing the happy dance. I finally finished Jamie’s Kimono quilt! You may be thinking, okay, good for you. You don’t understand, I started it when Jamie was 2 years old and as some of you may know, she is a rising sopohmore in college. Yes, 17 years later…I am done! I have bins filled with fabrics, yarn, watercolors, brushes, rubber stamps, boatloads of arts and crafts supplies and best intentions. I think I’ll open a remnant shop one day or maybe have a giant garage sale. Perhaps that’s why I like baking and cooking, most things don’t take days to make much less years!