Kayaking in Dungeness Bay

On September 19, Dave and I went up to Dungeness Bay, near Sequim, to go kayaking.  I had  bought a Groupon special -- 4 hours of kayak rental for $25.  I was determined to go out to the point of the spit to the Dungeness Lighthouse.  It took over 2½ hours to get there.  After spending a few minutes at the lighthouse, we realized that we had only 1 hour to get back.  We paddled like crazy to get back.  My arms burned so badly from the hard constant paddling.  We got back a half hour late, but the owner didn't charge extra b/c he had no one else renting kayaks anyway.

Modern Quilt challenge

Modern Quilt Guild challenged readers to make a modern quilt.  It had to be improvised (no pattern or directions).

Here were my objectives in creating this quilt:

1.  Improvise.  Although I have pieced several quilts that I consider modern, I have always used patterns or directions to create them.  I wanted to work outside that comfort zone this time.

2.  Use only fabric scraps that I already had.  I didn't want to buy any new fabric or delve into my stash that I had earmarked for other quilts.  Conserve; repurpose; recycle.

For this challenge I used scraps of Michael Miller's Magnolia Lane fabric.  The scraps that I had were small; not large enough that if all sewn together would cover an area of 45 x 45.  So I chose to use natural colored muslin with the colored pieces of fabric.  The muslin was a light, neutral color that I needed to make the pieces of the Magnolia Lane fabric stand out.  Plus I already had it so I wouldn't have to buy anything additional.  I also used the muslin as my quilt backing.

When I got to binding the quilt, I had barely enough scraps left.  I pieced together all I had that were at least 2½ inches wide.

Bloggers' Block of the Month

This is a new quilt-along. The block instructions will be posted each month on the 25th, beginning September 25, 2011 through August 25, 2012.

Harvesting Hops

Here are some of this year's harvest of hops.  After picking, I dry them 8-10 hours in a dehydrator on low setting to dry them.  I then put them in zip lock freezer bags and freeze them for Blair to use in his beer making.

Homemade Roasted Tomato Ketchup

I decided to try homemade ketchup since I had a lot of tomatoes this year.  Although the recipe yielded less product than it states (or maybe I cooked it too thick), it is well worth making because it tastes so good.

 

Homemade Roasted Tomato Ketchup

Yield: About 1 1/2 quarts ketchup

This recipe is:
Vegetarian, Vegan, Corn-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Peanut-free, Soy-free, Tree nut-free, Wheat-free

Who knew ketchup (or catsup — to each his own!) was so full of subtle spice, and so well balanced with such sweet and tart notes? Try the fresh, bright flavor of this homemade version and you will never take for granted again the quintessential American condiment!

Ingredients

• 4 pounds ripe organic tomatoes, washed and stems removed
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 sweet red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (optional)
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic
• Spiced vinegar (recipe follows)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• Salt, to taste

For the spiced vinegar

• 1 cup apple cider or your favorite vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 stick cinnamon, crushed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

Preparation

To make the ketchup

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Cut the tomatoes into large chunks. Distribute the tomatoes, onion, red pepper and garlic on a baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the onions are lightly caramelized. While the tomatoes are roasting, prepare your spiced vinegar.
Puree the tomatoes, onions, red pepper and garlic very finely in a food processor and strain through a fine sieve into a heavy pot.
Strain the spiced vinegar mixture into the tomato puree (discard the whole spices), add the paprika and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture has reduced by about half and mounds in a spoon. It will thicken as it cools. Season with additional salt if needed.
Spoon the mixture into sterilized jars with sterilized lids and refrigerate. It will keep in your refrigerator for about 1 month. (Or you may preserve it using classic canning methods.)

To make the spiced vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and let steep for 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe by Lynne Vea, PCC Chef

Kaleidoscope quilt revisited continued

I decided to use some fabric I had in my stash but I had never used in another quilt.  I only had 1/2 yd of the four prints so that quilt won't be very big.  I decided to use solid purple for the square and black for the background.  Here are a couple layouts I'm considering.

Kaleidoscope quilt revisited

I've been kinda wishy-washy on whether I wanted to do the kaleidoscope quilt.  After seeing the entire pattern, I think I'm gonna try it.  Now to choose some different fabrics by tomorrow.