Monthly Archives: April 2010

BBQ Tortilla Soup

Posted on April 26, 2010 | 1 Comment

My husband was not feeling well today and requested his favorite “feel good” soup: Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I don’t use any particular recipe; however, today’s version was pretty good with BBQ baked chicken.

BBQ Tortilla Soup

1 pound chicken tenders, diced

3 tablespoons BBQ sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 tablespoons onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons pepper, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

8 cups chicken broth

1 cup rice, cooked

1.5 cups black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

1/2 diced tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon coriander

Cheese for garnish

Avocado for garnish

Tortilla Chips for garnish

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line bottom of cooking dish with BBQ sauce.  Toss chicken in remaining sauce and cook for 30 minutes in the oven.  Heat oil and saute onion, pepper, and garlic in soup pot.  Add broth, rice, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add cooked chicken.  Serve into soup bowls and garnish with cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Gadget Note:  I used an avocado peeler from Pampered Chef.  I received this cool tool from my aunt and uncle for Christmas.  It has been very handy!

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Enough Fabric?

Posted on April 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

Here is my mom’s quilt.  We were tight on having enough fabric for the backing and binding.  Thus, we were creative to shorten the width between the Bali pop strips from 8 inches to 4 inches.  Her next step is to determine the thread color for quilting.  Suggestions?

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Just in Time

Posted on April 25, 2010 | 1 Comment

Quilt class is tomorrow and I finished my 9-block square just in time.  Next week’s homework is two squares.

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Quilting Homework

Posted on April 20, 2010 | 1 Comment

I just went to the second session of my Monday quilt class.  My homework was a rail fence block.  This homework is the fun type!  Somehow, it was exactly 12.5″ — pure luck!

Sq1_Sampler

  The upcoming week’s homework is a nine-patch, which I have never done before.  I will have a chance to focus on precise edges, which will help prepare me for my pinwheel quilt along.

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Luck with Van Gogh

Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

My sister-in-law is working on a quilt for college by adding borders to the Van Gogh paintings from two fabric panels by Exclusively Quilters.  We finished off two yards of the blue background fabric by adding borders to only half of the pictures.  Luckily, my mom came to the rescue with two more yards.  Now that I have washed and unwashed fabric, I now need to wash the current squares to make all of our fabric pre-washed.  I don’t expect much shrinking; however, 3-5% can make a difference!   

Sq1_VanGogh

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Jelly Rolling Along

Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

Believe it or not, I am completely up to date with the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along that is hosted by Konda’s Moose on the Porch Quilts Blog.  Here are the first four squares:

Sq4_Jelly Roll

Sq1_Jelly Roll

 

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On a [Jelly] Roll….

Posted on April 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

Two blocks in three days!  I am on a roll with my jelly roll quilt along.  I thought that I was all caught up with my three blocks…then I realized that block four was posted yesterday.  My new goal is to keep on schedule.  Stay tuned to see the progress.

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Exploring Blues and Greens

Posted on April 12, 2010 | 1 Comment

My mom’s super early birthday present for me is an 8-week quilting class at Fabrics on the Hill.  At the end of the class, we will have a completed 6-block sampler quilt.  Today’s introduction class reviewed rotary cutting, fabric selection, and a comparison of cotton and synthetic fabrics.  Our homework is a rail fence block, which you will see by next Monday! 

Shown below is my fabric selection for this sampler quilt.  The stripes on the top will be my border and backing.  The light green on the bottom will be my sashing and binding.  All of the others will be my blocks with contrasting colors.  The colors will match my living room for a wall hanging.

 

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Second Square for the Jelly Roll Quilt

Posted on April 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

Although it is almost a month behind schedule, I finished the second square for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along.

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Cuban Feast

Posted on April 11, 2010 | 2 Comments

This weekend was dedicated to making a Cuban feast with traditional food from my heritage to share with my friends.  My husband and I cooked Friday and Saturday to prepare the menu.  The appetizers were ham croquettes and tostones (fried green plantains).  The frying was easy with our new fryer.  The main course included black beans, rice, roast pork, and an avocado and pineapple salad.  Dessert was flan.  I made lots of food to have leftovers with my parents on Sunday.  It was a great cooking weekend!  Most of the recipes have been passed down through the generations.  The only recipe that is not a family “secret” is the delicious avocado and pineapple salad from Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban.  Here are additional Cuban cookbooks: A Taste of Old Cuba, Estefan Kitchen, and Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban.

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http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Old-Cuba-Delicious-Traditional/dp/0060169648

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