Bees and Butterflies Quilt

 

While visiting my sister in Seattle last summer, I had to make a stop in the local Ben Franklin. We don’t have them anymore, so it was kind of fun to see it again. They had a bunch of fabric pre-cut packs marked down. 

 

So many pretty fabrics!!

 

 

I came home with a few, including this beautiful charm pack called Flutter and Buzz. I was so excited about the colors in this one, I was pumped to get to work on it right away.

 

 

I knew I had a couple solids that would pull on the subtle colors in the fabric line, I just needed to figure out a good pattern. I always feel like I really need to maximize the impact of the fabrics from a charm pack. 

 

 

I saw a type of pattern in a demo quilt at another local shop I visited while there. I decided to play with a block and see how it looked. So happy! Fun use of the colors, and each of the fabrics was showcased as both strips and squares within each block. Great way to create a scrappy look while mixing up how the charm pack was utilized.

 

 

I tried to mix up the lights and darks to make sure the yellow and teal colors had an equal number. I picked a simple layout that alternated the solids, but it felt a bit too small. 

 

 

To remedy this, I ordered some light butterfly fabric to make sashing. It gave me just enough added size to reach a nice, oversized throw. I had ordered a darker grey for the final border, but to break it up I added a thin white border. It really framed the blocks nicely. 

 

 

When picking a back, I was going to just find a nice fabric from the sale room at my LQS, but I took a quick peek online and found a piece from the flutter and buzz line that was half off! Perfect!

 

For the quilting, I decided to do a fun symmetrical quilting pattern for each block, and a simple meander for the sashing and border. It worked out wonderfully. I added my label and declared it done.

 

 

This was a fun quilt to do. It came together pretty easily, and I feel like it has a fun “wow” factor. I can’t believe I completed that many blocks with a charm pack, and what a fun way to incorporate solids. Great finish for sure! 

 

My Lucky Clover Quilt

 

When I first got into quilting and began collecting fabric for a stash, I found this really neat white-on-white clover print fabric. I was so excited as I knew it would be perfect for my Clover Quilt I wanted to complete at some point. Big picture; I wanted to make a quilt for each month of the year, and this would be perfect for March.

 

 

As time went on, I was distracted by other projects and beautiful fabrics and the white clover fabric was tucked away. I found over time, I am not naturally drawn to green fabrics. I like green, it’s just not the top of the list.

 

 

So, in my quest to clean out my stash, I pulled out this white clover fabric and decided it was time. I found a pattern I really liked (I admit, it’s the same block pattern I used for my hearts quilt) and knew it would work well. I just needed the green fabrics.

 

 

Last summer while visiting San Diego, we stopped at Rosie’s Fabric Shop so I could get some pieces to finish a few projects, including this one. There was a great selection of greens and I was able to get a nice collection together.  I also pulled a couple I actually did have in my stash, and went to work making the blocks.

 

 

Once the blocks were done, I made the stems. This was a last-minute choice. I decided I wanted to have one lucky four-leaf clover, and then the rest be three-leaf clovers. I used the darker colors for them so they wouldn’t stick out too much. I wanted the focus to be on the clovers.

 

 

I chose not to put a border, and part of them was because I didn’t have a lot of any fabric to make a solid border and didn’t think a pieced border would add to the quilt. Now that it’s finished, I kind of wish it had a border, but the start is the clover and I love how that’s worked out. 

 

 

I found a fun zigzag fabric in greens at the LQS sale rack, and knew it would be perfect. I liked it so much. I used it for the binding as well.

 

 

The quilting is basically a play on the clovers with some swirls. Then I just used a basic meander on the white to give the finished quilt some texture.

 

 

I finished this quilt 2 days after St. Patrick’s Day. Oh well, I’m ready for next year, and it’s been a nice spring quilt while I work on my new spring quilts for April. I am really happy with this finish. It’s a nice lightweight quilt for our warm spring evenings, and a bright beautiful switch to spring. So glad I finally got this one done.

Chili Verde Enchiladas

 

After discovering Chili Verde and falling in love with it, I began to plan out what else I can do with it so I can eat it more often without the family complaining we’re eating it too much. I thought about what other dishes would this meat work well in, and of course enchiladas was the first to come into my mind.

 

 

I never really thought much about enchiladas as a kid. As an adult, I really started to notice the versatility of them. I discovered the value of flavors and spices and creams added to the meat. The importance of creating more complex meals, using simple methods.   

 

 

To make this I used leftover pork chili verde, but it would also work with chicken if you’d prefer. If your meat hasn’t already been stewed, do that first. Sear the meat with a teaspoon of salt and allow it to simmer in the sauce for 2-3 hours. Or, you can make extra meat when you are making a batch of Chili Verde and save it for this recipe. 

 

 

I also tend to make double batches of the sauce and then freeze half pints of it. It’s the perfect amount to use to simmer fresh meat if you don’t have leftover meat, and use the sauce in the recipe.                                                                                  

 

 

Chili Verde Enchiladas with White Sauce

 

 

 

1 lb meat, cooked in chili verde sauce (think leftovers)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

½ c onion, minced

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

1/3 c chicken broth

¼ c milk

¼ tsp each of salt and pepper

1 c chili verde sauce (from this recipe)

½ c sour cream

12 corn tortillas, yellow or white

2 c Mexican blend cheese

 

 

 

 

Heat the oven to 375. Separate the meat from the chili verde sauce. Warm the meat (if it isn’t already) and use 2 forks to shred it up. Add the cream cheese and mix together. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour to make a paste. Add the onions next and stir for a couple minutes. Then add the salt, pepper, chicken broth and milk. Allow the sauce to warm up, stirring occasionally. Bring it to a simmer and allow it to thicken. After a few minutes at simmer, pull it off the heat and add the reserved chili verde sauce and the sour cream.

Warm the tortillas so they’re easier to work with. Put ¼ c of meat on a tortilla, and add about 1 Tbs of cheese. Roll the tortilla cigar style and place it seam down in a greased baking dish (I use 2 pans that are 7 x 11 inches, or you can use 1 that is 9 x 13). Continue that until all the meat is gone.

Pour the sauce over the top, making sure to cover the tortillas. Add the remaining cheese to the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes; until it bubbles on the edges. I switch the oven to Broil on high for just a few minutes to brown the cheese a bit. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.