Tuesday, August 16, 2011

What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. -Cleveland Amory

From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank everyone for the lovely, thoughtful, and positive comments that were left on my last post! It has been a rough few months in many ways but reading your kind words has bucked me up quite a bit - I know that there are still obstacles and that I just need to keep on working hard but I am feeling better than I was this time last week! I actually only just realized that both my 200th blog post and three year blogiversary passed in July without any mention or notice from me- whoops! Just goes to show where my mind has been. So, um, ya, happy belated 200th post and blogiversary to me!

Aaaaannnndddd... I got a little sewing done! As I mentioned before I'm working on a new tutorial for ya'll and here's some evidence...


Now I know that this is really just evidence that some cutting happened, but trust me there was some sewing and ironing after this! I am planning on getting even more done tonight while Alex is at ultimate (frisbee that is).  Now what is that in the photo you ask? Well, it's a little Essex Linen/Cotton in Natural and this...


Windham sent over a charm pack with a sampling of Rosemarie Lavin's new collection Divine which will be hitting your local fabric store next month! The colours are super cheery and fun and I am especially loving the florals! The tutorial that I'm sharing is relatively easy and straightforward but the fabric really makes it pop!

Oh and I just have to share with you the "sammiches" that I made for dinner on Friday!


I love making sammiches like these in the summer! For these ones I used focaccia bread sliced in half down the middle to create two layers and then I quartered the layers (that makes two sammiches each for Alex and I). I slathered one half with roasted red pepper hummus and topped the other half with oven roasted tomatoes and zucchini (both green and yellow), fresh basil, and feta cheese! 

Here's a recipe-lite: I roast the tomatoes and zucchini at home - first I douse them in olive oil and salt and pepper (and sometimes a pinch of sugar for the tomatoes depending on the season) and then pop them into a 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes (our oven runs a bit hot and usually the temperature climbs up a bit before these are finished) and then I let them cool for a bit while I warm up the bread (easier for cutting when it comes to hard crusted breads) and assemble the rest of the ingredients. 

Our oven is a little teeny and I can only fit one pan in at a time so I usually do the tomatoes first so that they can set a bit while the zucchini is roasting. To make the two sammiches I used five average sized plum tomatoes and two average sized zucchini - you can use more or less! Top with whatever you like - I have used different flavours of hummus and dips, goat cheese is great (especially any of the herb flavoured ones), and I've added cooked shredded chicken before - the sky is the limit and really that is one of the best things about sammiches! You could even take these guys and put them in a panini press - or press between two skillets over a burner (poor man's panini press!) - and I'm sure they'd be super tasty!

Alright y'all my stomach is growling and the sewing machine is calling! xo

4 comments:

  1. Ooh, can't wait to see what you're making with those lovelies! :) And now I'm hungry!

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  2. Oh my - so much to like! I love Cleveland Amory - anyone who can write so eloquently about cats is aces with me. Sewing scrids! Evidence of sewing related activity right there! Yummy looking sammiches! It's too much. Suddenly I want a sun-dried tomato in olive oil and fresh mozzarella sammich.

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  3. Hi Kaye! I hadn't been on your blog for a while and wasn't in town for the last MQG meeting -- but am catching up with you now...and I'm really sorry to hear that you have had a less than ideal summer. I was skimming through the sweet and generous comments on your last post and can only echo the sentiments expressed there. In terms of the job search: I have been there (it took me two academic year cycles to land a tenure-track job -- and I think the market may very well be worse now than it was in 1999). It's tough, but hang in there, and try to set some goals for the time that you're under-employed. (Maybe a research project? Or volunteer work in a related field? Ultimately you can recast this chapter in your life story in terms of the opportunities afforded by under-employment, rather than in terms of disappointment.)
    As for quilting and needlework: they aren't going anywhere, and you can tap into the pleasures of those forms of creative expression whenever they serve you best! Speaking as a slightly (!) older sister-in-stitches, I can say that my own knitting -- which I have done for 30 years now! -- has come in and out of my daily routine, sometimes an intense outlet for creativity, and sometimes completely falling by the wayside. But it is always there when I need it, as are sewing and quilting.

    The online community of quilters is like any other human community: at its best, it can offer you camaraderie, and at its worst it can be clique-ish and fractious. Maybe you can regain some balance by refocusing your energy on sewing for yourself, first and foremost.

    Hang in there!! And wow, that looks like a nice summer supper. Yum.

    Best,

    Jennifer

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  4. You got going on the tute..yippee!!!

    Oh those sammiches look dee-lish!!

    I love how you say the "poor man's panini!" true.

    Have a great Wednesday!

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