New Project for Daughter (Seamstress-to-be)

The above picture is from the newest Quilts and More magazine. My b-friend, Kathie Holland, designed it.

I think it's the perfect quilt for my 10-year-old daughter to sew, with a little help from me. No offense to Kathie, but even a 10-year-old could sew this and make it marvelous!! Thanks for a great pattern, Kathie.

I'll post Rachel's progress if she wants to make one (I haven't actually asked her if she's interested yet, but I think she will be).

~Joan

Cheesy Bacon Chicken & Rice Unleashed

Cheesy Bacon Chicken Rice...that pretty much sums up our lunch (with the addition of fresh salad and cucumber slices). We all heartily agreed that this is the perfect marriage of cheese, bacon, chicken, and rice...hence the catchy name!

Emily made this for the first time today because we had all the ingredients thanks to sale shopping. I asked her where she got the recipe. Mysteriously enough, this recipe was in my recipe box (thank you, Dad, for the box) in my own handwriting on one of my recipe cards. Less mysterious is that I don't recall WHERE I got it or WHEN I wrote it. The little grey cells are not always firing on all cylinders.

But back to the recipe. You layer uncooked bacon in the bottom, then sprinkle long-grain white rice over that. The rice picks up the bacon flavor and is sooooo moist and tasty. The chicken and cheddar cheese on top are just bonus. Here it is in all its glory...try it soon. Gratitude to whomsoever I got it from in the first place.

CHEESY BACON CHICKEN & RICE

12-16 oz. bacon, cut into thirds

1-1/4 cups white long-grain rice, uncooked

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups water

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange bacon in one or two layers in a 9 x 13 baking dish, fully covering bottom of pan. Sprinkle rice over bacon. Combine soup and water in a separate bowl. Pour 1/3 over rice. Arrange chicken in dish. Top with soup mixture.

Cover with foil and bake one hour 15 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted.

You're welcome! Let me know if you try this and like it.

~Joan

Decision Made and Executed

Above is my ready-to-be-quilted Christmas stitchery. I found the green outer border in a pile of large "scraps" one of my readers sent for my Seeds of Kindness quilt (remember that?). It was the perfect green. It wasn't close to the other greens in my pieced border, so I didn't "lose" any in the mix.

Below is a quilt Emily just pieced for a customer. It's called Bear Tracks. The entire thing is done in roses and greens. Not the best photo shoot. Just take my word for it...the piecing is perfect.

Off to record grocery receipts...fun, Fun, FUN!

~Joan

Framed Christmas Stitchery

Above is the stitchery with the first border. Miraculously, I was able to cut and sew those on tonight.

It is supposed to have another border outside of that. I can't find a stash print that will do. The one below is the best I can come up with right now. A nice brown plaid would be great, but I don't have one of those! I may have to go to Mary Jo's and see what I can see.

What do you think? Is the piece above sufficient without an outer border, or should I add something to finish it off?

Eagerly awaiting your suggestions.

~Joan

Christmas Stitchery Center Finished

Here is the center of the Christmas stitchery...finished! I am eager to add the borders and triangles now. Perhaps I can do part of it tonight.

~Joan, whose 3-day excruciating headache is gone!!