What's been going on in my kitchen....

We have taken a new direction in our food preparation and consumption. We are both concerned about what is in our food and where it comes from. Processed foods are slowly disappearing from out diets. Vegetables and fruits are abundant. And we are having fun!

An electric wok made by Breville (I have no affiliation just appreciation of their products) has joined the kitchen staff.

Jack has become the prep chef extraordinaire.

All of this done a little ahead of time quickly becomes a healthy dinner with some left for lunch the next day.

The grill has been put to use all winter.

We par-boiled the sweet potatoes and then grilled them. They were almost better than steak fries!

Fresh salads with homemade vinaigrette are our favorites. I like to garnish the salad with Parmesan crisps. These are easily prepared. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spoon about a tablespoon of cheese onto the paper. Leave some space as they will spread. I use just a little bit more and use the back of the spoon to press the cheese down. Bake for about 6 minutes. Watch carefully! They can be made in various sizes and the time adjusted.

So, that's what been going on in the kitchen around here.

Then there is the knitting. I finished Charlotte's Web.

Have a wonderful day and week.

Busy time of year.....

Once again the blog took a back seat and I feel badly about it. However, I have not been idle. My knitting fingers need a break as I think the wool is rubbing the skin off! Or perhaps it is the dye in the wool. But I am making progress and hope to have this project to my friend Nancy for finishing before I go back to Maine. That date is approaching quickly.

I have a new toy.

Now another gadget needs my participation in the learning curve. Yes, I am giggling....The return of a Polaroid type camera.

And I have been cleaning and moving furniture. Why just last week I moved a grand piano and a sofa.

And as usual I left the vacuum in the middle of the room!

I shall continue to look for "stuff" for the house.

And in my house, I have been cleaning and organizing - closets and cupboards and drawers. I invested in plastic ArtBins and with my trusty Brother PT labeler, I have sorted and put together what needs to be together.

In the process of going through all of this, I found 3 projects that could be completed. They were and went to my friend Lynn at A Quilter's Journey for some long arm quilting. You can read about Lynn's shop on Facebook.

I think I made these miniature Log Cabin quilts 25 years ago. My eyesight was much better then. I found a quilt that was a challenge from my blogging friend Rett at Gazebo House. The challenge was to only use fabric from our stash. I worked on it eagerly and then put it away. I found it while cleaning and two hours later it was done. Now it will grace the dining room table.

And I finished Jack's table runner which will live in Maine.

And the back of it.....

While at the quilt store I bought some placemats. Yes, I could make them but the reality is that I wouldn't. I love the "modern" quilting look. The background fabric and the quilting is as important as the actual "block" which is sort of freeform and cattywampus.

So now back to the knitting!

But first I shall set the table! Have a wonderful rest of the week.

A change in plans........

I have been doing a lot of knitting. It is hard to write a blog and knit.

I would like to finish this jacket before we go to Maine although there were a few days in Florida that I could have used it!

Jack saw some quilted table runners at a local quilt shop and suggested that it might be a nice gesture to make one for his house. I suggested that it might be a nice gesture if he ran the vacuum for me - and a deal was struck! I shall finish it tomorrow and then off to the long arm quilter.

I had forgotten how much I loved batiks and sewing.

Some new linens and ranunculus at Trader Joe's prompted a tablescape. 

There is something wonderful about white ironstone and white flowers.

We had planned a day out in downtown Sarasota but thought better of it and changed our plans. From time to time I have seen doll houses made out of metal like the one I had as a child. They have not been in good condition. But yesterday tucked away in a corner was the exact doll house of my childhood in excellent condition. It followed me home. The doll houses were made by Louis Marx in the 40's and 50's and the furniture was made by Renwal.

Notice the sewing machine in the window!

I shall have to find some outdoor furniture. 

And the living room is a little bare. But the fun will be finding furniture in miniature. 

It was a good day!

Now I shall go back to my knitting and listen to a book.

I hope you have a wonderful day and good week. Thank you for stopping by.

A little bird told me......

I am an early riser. I go to bed early and often wake too early but if I have things on my mind, I have found it is just better to get up and do them rather than toss and turn and then be too tired to do anything when I do get up! So here I am at o'dark early.

I have figured out how to listen to books while I am knitting. It occurred  to me that I haven't been reading. So now with needles clicking and earphones, I have the best of both worlds.

I continue to enjoy the roses on these early mornings. Jack has been buying them for me at Costco and they have been glorious.

I was working in my studio which houses most of my vintage pottery and I noticed the number of pieces with birds.

Even the bookends on the desk are birds.

hmmmm.

I take my lunch to knitting. I usually like to eat by noon at the latest and if I order with the knitters the wrong foods for me end up on the plate. So, off I go with my contemporary Bento box from Publix.

We love corn and black bean salad. We use a recipe from whole foods which you can find here. I add more lime juice. Velva from Tomatoes on the Vine shared this a while back. You can visit her wonderful blog here. I have gotten some wonderful recipes from fellow bloggers!

This morning was much too early but my projects are under control. I shall now finish a gauge swatch of knitting for my next project, play a few games of Candy Crush Saga, and have another cup of coffee. Soon Jack will be up and we will start our day.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!