Guess what HEALTHY FOODS I cooked for Dinner Yesterday !!!

Last night lil ole me got into the baking mood again. This time it was baked yellow apples, and a Tilapia, Cauliflower casserole.

I tasted one of the raw apples from the bag, and was surprised at how sweet they naturally were.

In an effort to continue to respect my waist, I added very little sugar to these. The cinnamon and allspice made them taste "just right".

I made brown rice to go along with the cauliflower.

Did you notice the green onions and cilantro here? Oh boy!!! Good eating indeed.

Are you able to sight the white fish amongst the white cauliflower?? It's there, I promise.

Fresh frozen RAW Tilapia, still bagged.

The backside of the SAME piece of fish.

I think that mine did, after being cooked, have a strong resemblance to the piece on the bag. (does that mean that I'm a good cook?)

I have seen and purchased fresh Tilapia from the Farmer's Market.(still in the skin, guts, etc) The filets shown here are just easier to deal with if your mind is on quilting, sewing, knitting and crochet, and you just want to get dinner finished as fast as possible.(I would rather be crafting, for the most part)

That's my fish story. I hope that you enjoyed it.

I Hand Quilted an Irish Chain Quilt for my Grand Daughter

Well, finally it's FINISHED.

When her mom told her that the quilt could be an heirloom that she could leave for her children; my granddaughter replied: No, I want you all to bury me with this quilt.

Honestly, that is what she said. She's only 9 years old. We were all surprised that she could think that way, and had become attached to the quilt so quickly.

This was a most soothing job; and the first project that I completed on my new quilting frame.(shown on a previous post)

Actually, the quilt top itself was completed a while ago; and I decided recently to turn it into a quilt for my grand-daughter who most resembles me.

(The other GD will get hers soon.) I completed most of the quilt in my home; but,

after I decided to spend a weekend with them,

and then realized that I would not have the quilting process

finished by the time I wanted to take off towards their home,

I decided to pack up the needles, thread, fabric, and even the sewing machine, and even the chickens,

and did the final completion at their home.

By that point, I really no longer needed the frame, because

I only had part of one border left to do. 

So, at their home, I finished the quilting process,

and then sewed the scrappy binding pieces together, 

and then sewed the double binding strip around the quilt.

I handstitched the folded over binding around the quilt.

The butterflies and bird were hand embroidered by me.

I hope that you have enjoyed viewing these photos. They were taken late in the evening, and didn't turn out as well as I had hoped for.

Been baking again - Lemon CUPCAKES and a Lemon CAKE

I admit that I'm a little late in posting these photos, being that I made these goodies a week ago today. -But it's new to you. LOL

 I began by setting some of my basic ingredients out to become room temperature. After mixing the ingredients, I realized that I had enough dough to make a few cupcakes as well. I did not use a recipe.

 The lemon cake, above, almost done.

 

The cake is done.

Needless to say, the muffins were super delicious, and didn't hang around for too long. Lets's just say that they were all gone by mid-day the next day. (no, I didn't eat them all)
The cake was, also, delicious. We ate most of it without any topping. (naturally lemon flavored wins)

I'm usually disappointed with store purchased cupcakes; and will be making more of my own.

My new Hand Quilting Frame / Hoop Stand

I usually handquilt with the "quilt sandwich" placed on my lap. Suddenly, it hit me a few days ago to go and purchase a quilting frame/stand for a, perhaps easier job.

 I love to handquilt; and after all these years, my brain just, out of the blue, realized that I needed a frame/stand.   I don't have enough room to accommodate the large frame type that would fill an entire room like what my grandmother used to use. I still have very vivid images of hers, and my little self sitting there rocking the needle with her, the grown up.

This frame is very adjustable.

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  By the way, I took a screwdriver and put all of those sticks and screws together. It was very scarry at first, and my immediate thought was that I would never be able to do it, and that I should just put it aside until I could get hold of my ex-husband, but then...

...the DIVA in me took control, and I realized that I did NOT want to wait for a chance to catch him; and that I would want to throw something on the hoop and give it a workout within the  next few days...

...so, I put my smart DIVA brains into action, studied the assembly guide, and , after a few trials and errors, I had the new toy all together. WHOOLA !!!

As shown in the photo above, the hoop size is 18 inches.

Luckily, my brains realized the need for a new toy on a week that Hobby Lobby was offering a 40% off coupon; therefore...

...I printed a coupon; jogged/drove on down to the famous craft store, and picked up the only one that was left. (yes, I did call first to make sure that I could use the coupon, and to know if they had any in stock)

So 99.99 minus 40.00 equals....hmmnnn, you do the math. Did I save a bunch or what???

Yes, by looking at the photo on the box, I was concerned, that the stand might be weak, wobbly and flimsy; and asked the cashier about their return policy just in case. To my surprise, the stand by itself is very structured and strong. Will let you know how it goes when I land my first quilt sandwich in its hoop.

I Made Cinnamon Rolls Last Weekend

Yes, I love cinnamon rolls; and decided to get into the kitchen this past weekend and cook up a few. Surprisingly, they rose, and came out better than I was prepared for. They are absolutely delicious. 

I cooked three, that's right, three  cookie sheets full. Shared two with the grands. I look forward to cooking more soon. I made them totally from scratch.

Fresh garden pickings

I collected these delicious vegetables from my garden recently. They were so fresh and delicious. Everyone should try gardening at least twice. With the right technique, you'll love the results.

This was a delicious and healthy dinner.

I  have got to become better on this blogging thing. Time passes so fast between my blogs. I have every intention to update in a couple days, but before I know it, a week or two or more has passed.

I enjoy blogging; and must learn to do it more often, or- to SLOW TIME DOWN. Hmmnnn. Which feat is the easier !!!

Anyway, the above photo shows a delicious and healthy dinner that I had a few days ago when it was too hot to cook. Loved the broccoli and the sweet and sour chicken.  It was better than I had expected; therefore, I had to blog about it. Frozen, but delicious. It was cooked/heated via microwave, of course.