Saturday, September 29, 2012

Ketchup and Eggs

Ketchup...

OMG! this is the best stuff I have ever had... Do you have a spoon? A chip? A piece of bread I can dip into it?

Homemade ketchup. In my opinion ketchup, in general, is not just a condiment but a comfort food. And as my dear friend Holly would say, "Steak is just a vehicle for eating ketchup!"

I have to agree with her.

This stuff, that bubbles on the stove for over 3 hours is simply amazing, and by experience I have found the longer it sits after being put into canning jars, the better it gets.

The recipe that I found in the New York Times magazine section is the one that I swear by. And it's funny how life sometimes throws you a curve but, with determination and perseverance, one can prevail.

My story: I was searching for the pages torn from the magazine containing the recipe. One day, I finally found them and here's where it goes awry: I lit a small votive candle and left it on the table with the recipes, including this one, that I was sorting through. I've lived on Maui 3 years now and one would think I have learned a few things during that time but apparently not. Mark forgot about the trade winds that blow through every day starting about 1:30 PM and tend to cause papers and small, light objects to gust about. So burning candle, wind blows, makes recipes take flight, ketchup recipe lands on candle... small fire -- no panic, douse it quickly -- and all I am left with just charred and tattered remains of the recipe with singed edge and dashed hopes.

Quick! Google search... a few minutes I found it! Relief...

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/8571/Spicy-Tomato-Ketchup.html

So today I'm concocting a new batch... with pics, of course!

Here's a plate of spices and condiments that are added to the tomatoes with red wine vinegar. A few included above are charred onion, garlic, tomato paste, brown sugar, raw honey, capers, cardamon pods, cumin, black pepper and allspice berries.

All the ingredients in the pot prior to cooking and reducing for 3 hours.

The simmering ketchup after approximately an hour-and-a-half. Notice how the color is getting deeper and darker as it reduces.

A jar of the finished ketchup.

Angus burgers on the cast iron charcoal grill to be served with oven fries and onion rings and a side of homemade cole slaw. And lots and lots of ketchup!


Eggs...
Here in Upcountry, and perhaps all of Maui - all islands too? - there is a problem with feral chickens. One measure to curb the chickens from making nests, laying eggs and raising broods in the wild is to mark the nests and return weekly to remove the most recently laid clutch of eggs.

These eggs are smaller than what I think of for a chicken egg. Here's one showing the very orange-colored yolk and was later used for onion rings which accompany the burgers and ketchup. Honestly these eggs do taste differently from store bought eggs.

Deviled eggs made from the wild eggs with black sesame seeds.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Mirror Ball Dot On My Doorstep

The 15 new colors arrived from Michael Miller Fabrics Friday and my friend Dina was here when UPS delivered the boxes.

Need I say more?


Monday, September 10, 2012

Mirror Ball Dot Collection

Aloe

 Celestial

 Confection

 Lagoon

 Limeade

 Onyx

 Opal

 Platinum

 Princess

 Rice

 SIlver

 Starlight

 Sunshine

Twilight

Monday, September 3, 2012

Mirror Ball Dot: Summer Release

Aloha All!

I thought as today is a holiday, that I would break away from my normal routine and sit and write a very, very, VERY long overdue and much promised post: 
The release of the second installment of 

I held off writing for a while because installment #2 wasn't going to ship until last month, and I didn't and to seem like I was being a tease by showing all these beautiful new colors and wonderful inspirations, and the fabric wasn't available in the stores. Now I am certain that retail establishments are stocking their shelves with the collection that was shown at Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City in May, and might even be available at your local fabric or quilt shop. (There is a store locator link on the Michael Miller Fabrics website that lists establishments that carry Michael Miller Fabrics, but not necessarily Mirror Ball Dot - so be sure to check with your favorite store first.)

I guess I never considered myself someone that would actually attract fans, and all because of fabric. But the unmistakable fact is that Mirror Ball Dot has done just that for me. Part of what I do to stay on top of what is going on with my fabrics is to scour the web looking for images of product using the MBD pattern. 

One of my first connections was with Jamie Mueller, and this is one incredible story of someone who has grit and determination:

"Okay ya'll,
I spoke with the President of Michael Miller Fabrics and BEGGED him to reprint the Mirror Ball Dots because they are AMAZING! I asked if a petition would help and he said yes! So please if you have photos of this fabric upload it and SIGN the petition! I started this POST (discussion). Just leave a comment saying you will sign and I will create a list and email him!! We can do it, he seemed VERY willing to reprint if I got a lot of people involved! :)
Thank you so much!! We can do it!!" October 2010

Thanks Jamie! 

And thanks to Dory! She's started a Mirror Ball Dot Pinterest board!!! 

I'm sure she'd love to include your Mirror Ball Dot projects too!

Here is  photo of "My Stash" by Dory Smith Graham of Worthygoods Textiles; Mirror Ball Dot colors from the original release and are only to be found, if at all possible, in very limited quantities and in very specialized venues on the web.

As I have been told, now that the design has been re-released, fans of MBD that have been coveting their stashes are beginning to feel less possessive about keeping their fabrics and have started releasing them from their confinements and using them in current projects.

2 pictures of  "Charlie's  Wobot" at Stitch Outside the Ditch by Elisa Albury.



This is a smart and festive little dress made by Kuky Ideas. You can visit her original post here: Butterick 4919


Unconventional Gift Wrap
Wonderfully creative gift toppers which invoke in me the intricate detail of origami by Wisenheimer Crafts



These are very inspiring as I have always thought of Mirror Ball Dot as being very sophisticated and high tech: round hard-edged circles and a reflective ink but these samples, made by Linda Solovic of Chit Chat from Linda Land show how the delicate hand embroidery reminiscent of red work can temper the look of the fabric and move it into an entirely different realm of sophistication.




This is called A Seasonal Fruit Smoothie by Sew Karen-ly Created. I don't quite know what to say about this except, perhaps. "WOW!"


This is one of those concepts that makes me want to hit myself on the head and go, "DOH!" I think this is brilliant and very classic! You can find the original post here by Rose Hip.


Tammy's Trees by Hadley Street Quilts on her blogpost Mirror Ball Dot Redux. The 7"x10" piece is made all from scraps - see even Mirror Ball is good to the last dot!
 


Stephanie K of Sew With Sass and I have made a real connection regarding MBD. Talk about a devotee... a few years ago Stephanie contacted me to see if there was any more fabric available, and unfortunately for her there was not. But did that stop Stephanie? NO! She went ahead and contacted Michael Miller Fabrics in hopes they might have some fabric, stashed somewhere but alas, there was none. 
But this story has a happy ending - to date there are 20 colors available with the promise of perhaps a dozen or more before the end of the year, or soon to follow. 


And for those of you that wonder about the process of developing a fabric design, here are the photos of the new colors, released last month, as they were received by me from the Michael Miller Fabrics New York office. They are being merchandised with Fairy Frost (also one of my designs) and the Cotton Couture solid fabric collection.








I suppose now you can imagine how excited I was when I received these photos in an email. This stuff is just jaw-drop-on-the-ground gorgeous!!

Please visit the Michael Miller Fabrics website to view thumbnails of the collection by either clicking on the link, or by accessing the collection with the link on the sidebar to the right.