Chicky Quilt

Here is one of my most recent completions:

It is a very simple piecing and applique pattern, but turned out so cute!  My friend Elle and I both made one of these together - it was so fun to pick out which yellows we would use for each bird.  We bought a roll of various yellow prints and batiques and just had fun mixing and matching.  Each chicky body and wing uses a different yellow fabric. 

To assemble this quilt, just sew the corners onto larger white squares of fabric.  Then applique your chickies, and complete with sashing and borders. 

The other nice thing about this baby quilt is that it is unisex, so it makes a great gift for someone who is not finding out the sex of their baby until after it is born, or if you are like me and can't wait until you're 20 weeks along to start making baby quilts!  That's right - this quilt is the first in line for Baby Lynch (aka Spud)!

Happy quilting!

Happy Earth Day and Homemade Laundry Detergent

Today is Earth Day - the perfect opportunity to step back and think about your individual impact on our planet.  It is also a great time to teach kids about the importance of environmental responsibility.  We can all do our small or large part to help keep the earth a pleasant place to live and raise our families. 

In honor of Earth Day I am hoping to send all of my readers over to http://homemademothering.com/, a wonderful blog about keeping a home and raising a family in a way that reduces our impact on the earth and ourselves.  This website/blog is run by Maureen, a friend of a friend in Chicago, who has two small children.  Yet, she manages to do things like develop her own recipe for low-chemical laundry detergent and write a manifesto to help new parents figure out how to use cloth diapers. 

About two weeks ago, I made a batch of Maureen's laundry detergent.  We have been using it on our linens and clothes, and have not noticed any decrease in cleanliness or stain-removing power.  What I have noticed, in particular, is the scent-free end result - clean sheets and clothes without a trace of chemical scent on them.  And, you can feel good about using this detergent because you know everything that is in it. 

I will just say that if you have a high-efficiency washer, you should treat this detergent like it is a powder as it is thicker than traditional liquid detergent.  Other than that, we've been very happy with it and encourage you to give it a try!

Mixed Vegetable au Gratin

One way to change up your nightly vegetable serving is to bake it up with a little cheese and milk.  Au gratin style vegetables will add some calories to your veggies, but this recipe compromises a little richness by substituting in skim milk

 

Ingredients:

- Mixed vegetables - I used one medium-sized head of cauliflower, 8 carrots, 4 small potatoes.

- 2T unsalted butter

- 2T flour

- 3/4c grated gruyere cheese

- 1/2c grated parmesan

- 2c milk

- 1/4c breadcrumbs

- Pepper

- Grated nutmeg

Cut your vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  Arrange in an oven-safe baking dish.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Make a roux by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and then adding flour, constantly stirring for about 2 minutes, until the flour starts to cook a little.  Add milk a little at a time while stirring.  Bring to a light boil and then stir in 1/2c gruyere cheese, paremesan, nutmeg, and pepper to taste.  Pour cheese mixture over vegetables.  If it doesn't completely cover the vegetables, that's fine.  It should come up about half-way.

Sprinkle a little of the remaining gruyere over the top, then the breadcrumbs, and top with a little more gruyere.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is browned and vegetables are cooked.

This dish has a lot of flavor, and so it is a good accompaniment for chicken or other dish that won't compete with it too much.

Bon appetite! 

Strawberry, Banana, and Chocolate French Toast for Two

This is a great alternate breakfast for Saturday or Sunday Morning when you have a little more time and want to treat yourself to something sweet.  It is easy to make, and so tasty!

Ingredients:
- 4 pieces sturdy bread
- 1c milk
- 2 eggs
- 1t vanilla
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 8-10 strawberries, thinly sliced
- 1 banana, thinly sliced
- 1c chocolate chips

Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.

Place a layer of strawberry and banana slices down on one piece of bread.  Sprinkle about 15-20 chocolate chips on the fruit, and then top with another layer of fruit.  Place second piece of bread on top, so you have a fruit and chocolate sandwich.

Preheat your skillet over medium high heat.

Carefully dip each side into the egg mixture so that the bread is wet.

Spray your skillet with Pam, if needed.  Place french toast "sandwiches" into the skillet and cook, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the toast is golden brown and the chocolate is melted.

While french toast is cooking, place remaining 1/2c or so of chocolate chips in the microwave and cook for about 45-60 second, until melted.  Set aside.

Remove from the skillet, and cut in half along the diagonal.  Top with more sliced strawberries and drizzle melted chocolate over top.