Enchanted Garden Scrappy Quilt

 

Back in 2010, when I had only been a new mom for a year, Riley Blake put out this beautiful fabric line called Enchanted Garden. I’m not usually drawn to fall colors like browns, oranges, and yellows. But the but pinks and deep berry colors screamed out to me that I needed this fabric.

 

I bought ½ a yard in each pattern in the line… and promptly stored it away until I found the perfect quilt to use it in. As always. I got distracted and it got further and further down into the project bin.

 

 

Last summer, however, I decided it was time to pull the fabrics back out. I had always wanted to do a butterfly pattern and I’d finally found some inspirations to get to work. I finished that top and then had a bunch of leftovers. Naturally, I leaned towards a patchwork scrappy quilt.

 

 

I had one print that was larger than the others so it was set aside so I could make the alternating blocks with that. With the other fabrics, I used my classic 2 ½ inch pieces and made nine-patches with them. Using the measurements, I made a thin white border around the blocks of larger print to break it up a bit.

 

 

Once everything was pieced together, I debated whether to make a border. I’d used up most of the fabric at this point and decided it was busy enough without a border.

 

 

The last thing I needed was a backing. I found a larger sale piece at my LQS that was big enough for this project, and used the scraps for the binding as well.

 

 

I used a basic meander for the quilting on this quilt as I felt the scrappy nature works better with that look.

 

 

It came together beautifully. I can’t decide if it’s a fall quilt or a summer quilt as the colors and patterns throw me off. What I do know is that this was a fun finish. I’m so happy with how it turned out. It was worth the wait this fabric endured to produce this great finish!

Quick and Delicious Chicken Egg Rolls

 

I am a huge fan of Chinese food, but have always struggled to get the flavors right. Something  I love to have with my Chinese dishes are egg rolls. This is something that seems like a slam dunk, but like so many take-out dishes, it's difficult to reproduce, 

 

I finally came to the conclusion that I don't need to duplicate them, I just need to make them as tasty and scrumptious as I like them to be. So that is what I sought to do with this recipe. It was actually a recipe born from having leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken. I hate the waste, but my family isn't that good about eating leftovers. I'm better off finding a new recipe to incorporate the leftovers into, making it a whole new meal.

 

I have a previous egg roll recipe on the blog, but my tastes have evolved over the years, and I wanted a more bold and authentic taste in my egg roll. This one has all the wonderful flavors of the veggies, as well as using grated ginger root instead of powder. What a difference! I also use more spices to make the flavors bounce out more. 

 

This can be it's own dish, or it can be a side to a dish like fried rice or chow mein. It can also be a great snack or appetizer as it's not too heavy or filling. Finally, they freeze wonderfully! This was important for me because it means I can make giant batches and then have dinner on call and ready if I'm in a pinch. I have included air fryer instructions, but they can also be heated in a traditional oven as well.

 

Chicken Egg Rolls

 

 

1 lb chicken or pork, cooked, chopped or shredded

1 Tbs canola oil

4 c cabbage shredded

1 c carrots, shredded

3 green onions, sliced

2 tsp ginger, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp chinese five spice powder

20 egg roll wrappers

1 large egg, beaten

Oil for frying

 

 

 

Prep your ingredients so you can go quickly with cooking. In a large wok or sauté pan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Once warm but not smoking, add the cabbage and carrots. Cook until softened and reduce in size (about 7-10 minutes).  Add the green onions, ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Then add the meat and the seasonings. Allow the meat to warm and the flavors to cook for a couple minutes, and check to see if it needs more salt or other seasoning. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

 

Meanwhile, prep your rolling station. Have your wrappers package open, but keep the wrappers in the package until you are ready for them, otherwise they will dry out. Begin warming your frying oil to 350. Lay one wrapper on point on a flat surface (I like to use a cutting board). Place 2-3 Tbs of filling at one end of the wrapper (slightly off-center). Use a brush or your finger to rub egg mixture along the edges of the wrapper. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper up over the filling, making sure the filling is covered. Fold in the two side corners and add a little more egg at the folds. Finally, roll the rest of the way to the top corner. Make sure you have a good seal and set it aside to continue with the rest.

 

Once all rolls are ready, start placing them in your fryer (a deep pan on the stove with a couple inches of oil will work as well. Don’t crowd the fryer as this will drop the oil temperature and make the rolls greasy. When I first place them in the oil, I hold them a minute to make sure they stay closed. Once they’ve reached a golden fried color, pull them out of the oil to a paper towel to drain and cool (about 4-5 minutes). Enjoy them with a sweet chili sauce as an appetizer, side to a meal, or as a meal themselves.

 

*These freeze wonderfully and are easy to re-heat in the air fryer. I warm them from frozen in the microwave for 2 minutes and then put them in the air fryer at 350 for a 2-3 minutes. They come out with a nice crisp to them.