My husband and I love salmon, and since we’ve been married, salmon has become a steady part of our diet. Funny, I never ate much salmon growing up. We lived near Lake Michigan and there are lake salmon, but our fish diet was most exclusively perch. But my dad and I loved smoked salmon. He and I used to wrangle over the small jars my aunt would bring us from her fishing excursions in northern California – Aunt Jane and Uncle Lou caught, prepped and smoked their own. When we had a supply and just before dinner, my dad would retrieve the coveted jar from the refrigerator, and he would break off a chunk for us to share – wow – it was awesome! And, if you’ve never tried it, smoked trout is out of this world, too, but I digress . . .
When my children visit, we usually get a whole salmon filet, and either bake it or wrap it in foil to cook on the grill. But when they’re not with us, Richard and I buy frozen salmon filets from Costco. They’re good sized – about six ounces or so, individually wrapped, thaw quickly, and one bag is enough for several meals.
One of many fun things about visiting my sister is that we do shopping neither of us have time to do. Well, of course we shop, but there is so much variety as compared to what is available to me in Billings, that I jump at the chance for a shopping adventure. Carol is my willing partner in crime, and we were in the mood to shop for fabric.
Off we went to a couple of stores that had great selections, and the prices were unbelievable. I picked out a couple of remnants as samples for my master bedroom. I wanted to bring them home for my husband’s approval, before I bought more to finish my master bedroom project. We have very different tastes – he was not looking forward to pink, blue, green floral patterns, the girly stuff that I love.
For the first time in over 20 years, my sister, Carol, and I were able to spend an uninterrupted week together. Ever since she and I began our families, all of our visits surrounded holidays, family events, and vacations at our parents home in Northwest Indiana, her home in Pennsylvania, or at my home near Indianapolis. Rarely did we have a chance to just be together, just the two of us, to visit and do the thing we like to do.
Carol’s birthday is in February, so this year I decided to fly to PA for a visit. I’m so glad I did! For her birthday, she treated me to a Wine and Truffle Paring at the Paradocx Vineyard in southern Chester County. (What a great sister!) The business name is a play on words. The winery is owned by two husband and wife teams who are all practicing physicians. I thought the name was pretty clever!
I love this recipe originally from Ina Garten. My husband and I crave Chinese food and flavors, particularly this time of year. In the winter, I tend to stick to the old standbys: vegetable soup, chili, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings. All great stuff, but during the seasonal transition from winter to spring, I thought it was time to challenge our taste buds – what about something Asian? This dish came readily to mind believe it or not, because I had almost all the ingredients on hand. This is not a light dish, and not something that leaps to the fore when it’s cold. The noodles are served at room temperature, but I warmed up dinner with a couple of baked chicken breasts. There are lots of vegetables, is it healthy, well you be the judge. However, Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad is very satisfying.
I can’t believe it! I finished Jessica’s first apron today! It took me about three hours this morning, but so worth the effort. If I’d put my mind to it, I could have finished this in two days, tops. This is an easy pattern anyone could put together in no time at all. And the apron is nicely constructed. There’s a lining for the bodice and waistband. The waistband ties are long and wide. I strayed from the pattern instructions just a bit and lined the pockets.
The first thing I did was stitch the pockets to the front and then sewed the waistband and ties.
Then, I attached the bodice to the waistband, and voila! It was finished. Well, I still have to whipstitch the waistband lining, but that won’t take long.
I really like the fabric not only because of the color combinations but because of the quality. We chose quilting fabric from JoAnn’s. I washed and ironed the fabric before I started cutting out pattern pieces – a lesson I learned when I took quilting classes. I was afraid the fabric would become limp and lose its body, but the weight and feel pretty much stayed the same, especially after it was ironed.
I’m off to Pennsylvania Thursday, so I’ll take a project rest for a couple of weeks. I’m sure my sister and I will come up with several ideas. After all, we’ll be in Pennsylvania Dutch country, quilting capital of the world!
When I asked my daughter what she wanted for Christmas, one of the first things on her list was: “I want you to make me an apron.” No problem. I selected a couple of patterns in Billings as her gift, and told her that we would go out shopping so she could select the fabric. My sister was in Indy for the holidays, so the three of us had a great afternoon. We ended up picking fabric for two different aprons. The fabric for Apron Two is so cute – I’m eager to show you my progress for it, too.
It’s now almost Valentine’s Day, and Jess asked that I have her apron ready by then. I’m posting these photos as validation that I am working on Apron One. I’m intent on having it in the mail on Monday. Here are a few pictures of the project in progress:
Isn’t this pattern sweet? It gave the inspiration to use coordinating fabrics. I wish I could have found the chicken and egg fabric.
Here’s the bodice:
Here’s the skirt and pockets:
This is a very simple sewing project. I don’t know why I’m dragging my feet . . . An apron would make a good Easter or Mother’s Day gift, too.
