November BOM Finish

I wanted to get this up here before I forgot. Right before Thanksgiving week I rushed to get this done and over to the shop in preparation of our class that is this Saturday.

I confess, these are not my favorite colors. I rarely work with oranges and browns unless they are in a pack, and even then I am more likely to leave them out if I can. That being said, I am happy with how the block turned out.

It reminds me of the Night Vision block I used to complete my Origami Quilt. I was able to, once again, have a little fun with the color variation to create more movement in the block. I think it worked out pretty well.

I am also glad I added the squares on the outer edges of the block. It reminds me that I wanted to go back and add a little more purple to this block.

Okay, let's see if I can get some other things done. Busy month, between school for me and the kids, dance recitals, holiday celebrations, etc. I would really like to get some projects done though, too. Let's see what happens.

Beef and Onions, Crockpot Style

So many years ago, my uncle introduced us to a meal we lovingly refer to as “Bob’s Beef”. It was actually a Julia Childs recipe that consisted of browned onions and stew beef with brown sugar, beef broth, and beer. Only drawback…it needs to stew on the stove top for about 3 hours.  I just don’t have that kind of time, so I don’t make it very much.

Fast forward to today—I have found the solution.  I was thumbing thru one of my Crock pot books trying to find something that would work for our hectic Fridays.  I stumbled upon this recipe that called for beer and brown sugar and wondered if it tasted like our Bob’s Beef.

I am not a huge fan of crock pot recipes because they all tend to taste the same to me, so I wasn’t holding my breath on this one.

Oh My Goodness!! I found it! I found the recipe I’d been looking for! It was hiding on my bookshelf all this time. There are still some things I want to try, small things like herbs, etc, but I had to get this up here for reference.

There’s minimal prep, you throw it in, and need about 30 minutes to finish it off.  Cook times will depend on your individual crockpot; mine is fast and seems to run hot.

Bob’s Beef, Crock Pot Style

2-3 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbs brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 12oz beer

1 Tbs cornstarch

½ c water, divided

Herb Packet:

6 parsley sprigs (of 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

mix in cheese cloth and tie shut

 

cooked noodles 

Place onions, beef, salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic, beer, and 1/4 cup of water into the crockpot. Lastly, add the herb packet and cook on low for 5-8 hours, depending on your crockpot. When cook time is done, turn it to high. Mix the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, and add to the crockpot. Add more water if the sauce seems too thick. Cook for another 30 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Serve over egg noodles, or a noodle of your choice.

It's just that easy. Amazing recipe! So glad I found this one. I hope you enjoy it, too.

*Adapted from "The Crockpot Cookery", Flemish Carbanado.

Still Here...

Yes, I'm still here. I can't believe I've gone the whole month without a mention. I have been getting some things done, but it's been so crazy around here I haven't any time to write about it all. So I have a few minutes and wanted to share this awesome little creation I made.

My sister lives in cold-country up north, and her daughter uses/loves fleece sheets. I wouldn't have thought of this, being in hot-country, but when we went to visit my kids were lovin' the fuzziness. After visiting, my kids decided that fleece blankets for bedding is way better than actual sheets. 

My sister has a 1 year old who sleeps in a crib, too. She felt like every time she'd get him to sleep and lay him in his crib, he'd wake up from the sudden temperature change that comes with cotton sheets. So, we thought it might be fun to try making fleece sheets for the crib.

I used the Fons and Porter sheet pattern that my Mom found and used for our other sheets. We like this pattern because the elastic doesn't weave all the way thru. It only secures the ends where you need it. 

I shrunk the pattern an inch in length and width to allow for the stretch of fleece. I didn't want it to be loose on his bed.  I also wasn't sure how it would turn out, so I used fabric from my stash (Why do I have fleece stash? I don't know). That's why he's getting horses. The other choice was a pink plaid, I figured this was a little more masculine.

Upon receiving it in the mail, she immediately washed it and placed on the crib mattress. Fits great! Now I'm waiting to hear how he likes it. Let's see if I'll be making more of these or not.