Moose in a row, on the go …

With the final hours and minutes of January 2018 slipping away, I'm finally deciding on the content for this post. This is one that, actually, I've been contemplating since the first of the month. For most of the month, I had a very different idea for its emphasis. Now, however, I'm finding that it has taken a bit of a different pathway (no pun intended).
Over the past few years I've shared several rows that I have created using patterns acquired as part of the annual Row by Row experience. I do need to confess that, even with the rows that I have managed to complete, I probably have at least that many more unfinished ones in the designated drawer in my craft closet. That being said, I have been working hard not to acquire new projects, but to focus on completing the ones I have.
For me, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is a time where I give myself permission to set work aside and to enjoy some devoted days in the sewing room. During this year's break, I decided to pull out a couple of rows that I had collected and to get them completed. These rows happened to be from the same shop, Davidene's Quilt Shop, in Park City, Utah. One was from 2016 and one was from 2017. If you happen to be in the Park City area, Davidene's is a great little shop and well worth your time to visit.
Both of these rows feature moose and involve machine appliqué. Although I do like the moose, I do have to confess that the prep work for machine appliqué is not exactly my favorite. I have to really want to do a given project to put myself through the tracing, fusing, cutting, and more fusing - especially when rather small pieces are involved. Once the pieces are fused in place, however, I enjoy stitching them down and watching the appliqué scene come together. 
For the most part, I use a blanket stitch for my machine appliqué work. My machine is a Brother brand, and the blanket stitch is Q-14. Once you have selected the stitch, however, you still have to decide how wide and how long you want your stitches to be. Over the years, I've come to prefer a 2.5 mm width and length for my appliqué designs. If I am working on a very small piece, I will go as narrow as a 2.0 mm width. Otherwise, I find that the stitch really isn't wide enough to adequately tack down the fabric.

Here are a couple of close-ups of some of the detail on the "Home Sweet Home" row. The row features a printed cloud background. Here are the house and the birdhouse before I added the lace curtains and trim to the roof. One of the things I like about this shop's row designs are the added embellishments.

Here are the three mini-quilts before they were hung on the clothesline. I added some batting and machine quilting to give them a little extra interest.

I do hope that you have had a good start to your 2018. For me, this has been a month of some new and unexpected opportunities - some more challenging than others. It's also been a bit of a season of finding myself experiencing a lack of clarity in some of my projects while also having unanticipated opportunities for future projects. In the midst of these issues, I've found myself needing to slow down, be still, and reflect on some of the simple truths from God's word. The verses that have come to mind and are guiding me through this season are ones that, perhaps, are familiar to you as well. Whatever pathway you may find yourself traveling at this time, keep your focus on God, and allow Him to guide your path.

Trust in the LORD with all of your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all of your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Meat and Potatoes

Although we are not a big "meat and potatoes" meal family, there are definitely times where we enjoy a good hearty meal. During a long cold January, a good filling meal can truly hit the spot. If it involves a chance to use our smoker, even better. Here are a couple of recipes that we enjoyed this past month. I hope you will enjoy them as well and find an opportunity to use them.

The first is Poor Man Burnt Ends. This recipe is adapted from one posted at https://heygrillhey.com/poor-mans-burnt-ends/. For those of you who may not be familiar with the expression "burnt ends," here is a little more explanation. The burnt ends are pieces of meat derived from the "point cut" of a smoked brisket. This cut is the fattier portion of the brisket and also takes longer to fully cook so that it becomes tender. If the brisket is cooked as an entire portion, typically the flat portion is removed once it is cooked, and the point portion is then returned for additional cooking. This longer cooking time is what gave this portion of meat the name "burnt ends."

The recipe that I am sharing substitutes a chuck roast for the point cut of the brisket. We enjoyed it and will definitely be preparing it again. 

Ingredients

The meat:

3 lb beef chuck roast

The rub:

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic salt

The sauce:

1/2 cup barbecue sauce - feel free to use your favorite. We used Stubbs Sweet Heat - this brought in a little bit of spice to complement the sweet of the brown sugar. 

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar (yes, I did mention the brown sugar twice)

The steps:

1. Prepare the smoker for indirect grilling at 275 degrees F. We used hickory wood.

2. Combine the rub ingredients and spread liberally over both sides of the roast. Here is what ours looked like.

3. Smoke until the roast reaches 165 degrees at its center. Ours took about XX hours. Remove the roast from the smoker, wrap it in foil and return it to the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees.

4. Remove the roast from the smoker and allow it to sit for about 15-20 minutes. Cut it into 3/4 inch cubes and place in a roasting pan.  We used our Le Creuset dutch oven. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup brown sugar and most of the barbecue sauce. Toss gently to coat the pieces.

5. Return the pan to the smoker and cook for another 1.5 to 2 hours or until the sauce is becoming bubbly and the meat is starting to fall apart.

6. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and the rest of the barbecue sauce. Stir gently and return once again to the smoker to allow all the flavors to meld together.

7. Serve as a stand-alone meat dish or on buns as a barbecue sandwich. Either way, you will be sure to enjoy!

Now for some potatoes… 

This is a modification of the Potatoes au Gratin recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook that I received as a wedding gift. 

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes

1 medium chopped onion (I'll say a little more about this later)

1/4 cup butter (feel free to use margarine if you like)

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk (depending on what you have on hand, feel free to substitute cream or half-and-half for all or a portion of the volume)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

paprika

Directions

1. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly. I like to boil my sliced potatoes for about 5 minutes. I find that this helps decrease the time in the oven. Be careful not to cook too long or you risk having your potatoes au gratin turn out a bit mushy. If you don't mind a more mushy consistency, that isn't a really bad thing. They will still taste good. If you opt to boil the potatoes, be sure to drain them promptly after cooking.

2. Saute the onion in the butter in a 2-quart saucepan until tender. Depending on your taste preferences, you can use less onion or even leave it out altogether. When I went to make this recipe a few weeks ago, I discovered that we were out of onion. I ended up using dehydrated onion instead. I reconstituted the onion in a small dish using 2 tablespoons onion and 2 tablespoons water and let it sit for about 5 minutes before adding to the melted butter. For me, this amount actually worked out pretty well and added some nice flavor without being overwhelming.

3. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Stir until the mixture is well-combined and bubbly. Essentially, you are making a light roux. remove from heat.

4. Stir in the milk (or milk/cream/half-and-half mixture) and 1.5 cups of cheese. We had an extra cup of cream on hand that I needed to use or throw away, so I used it as part of the milk volume. Cook over a low-medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil, stir constantly. Boil for about 1 minute and remove from heat.

5. Place the potatoes in an ungreased casserole dish and cover with the cheese sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. You will need to increase the baking time to 60-80 minutes if you did not boil the potatoes. 

6. Mix the remaining cheese with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the potatoes. Broil for about 5 minutes until the top is crispy.

Here's how we served up our meat and potatoes!