Oh, Spring in New York... you make love to me like a Spanish lounge-singer... slowly y con pasion!

Or at least, that's how I interpret it.

AND I have a treat for you. Recently while at Sharky and Mrs. Sharky's house we were watching comedy central and a comedienne named Maria Bamford came on and did a bit and she was super duper funny. Like had me laughing out loud repeatedly funny! Which almost never happens.

Most stand-up comedians are not funny. I like Eddie Izzard, George Carlin, Richard Pryor... and Maria Bamford.

Anyway- enough about ME... here's Maria.

I stole this from my nephews blog. Because it rocks.

See Chice's blog here.

A brief quilting update... the countdown is on.

It's fuckin Spring!

At least in New York. And let me tell you, it is most welcome. I don't like hot weather so I always grimace a little when the last chill of winter dissipates because I know humidity and misery are in store for me. But this Spring is SO beautiful that it melts even the heart of a an old grinch like me.

I have been grinding away at the sewing machine trying to get this baby quilt done by Sunday at 12:30pm (not that I'm counting) and I thought I'd share my progress thus far. Some of it is quite good, and some of it is ridiculous, but I am a beginner quilter and it's the goddamn thought that counts... right?

Here is the quilt all pieced together. I have just finished the actual quilting and have to bind it and I will be done!





This is the top of the quilt juxtaposed with the backing fabric.


The backing fabric is awesome - it's called "Goth Baby" and is blue with chocolate brown skulls & crossbones.




The borders.




Now, I thought I would be clever girl and quilt in a pattern, large and "easy" in each block to leave it relatively puffy and relaxed since it's a baby blanket. I thought "I'll just do a crescent moon and star pattern in each one" and practiced on some muslin. Well, I'm taking my creative license and calling it "rich with character" because as you can see... the moon and star pattern (and this is my best one) sort of look like they were done by a two-year-old. Such is life.



So on I go towards binding. This I have never succesfully done before. I have watched five videos on youtube.com about it and taken a class where I WATCHED someone do it, but have yet to do it myself. So this should be interesting.

I suspect quilting is like the rest of life where you complete one part of one task and think, "That would have worked a lot better if I had only done ______." But ya know, there are times to go back and be a perfectionist and there are times to say, "Fuck it" and keep moving.

This is a "Fuck it" time. Go babies!

Two new recipes... I mean HEAVEN.

I made these last weekend for a dinner party for friends, then for my father and we ate a considerable number of them as well. They are DEEE-LISH.

From Epicurious.com.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

And secondly, Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce.

Ingredients

3 pound chicken parts (thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts), with skin and bones
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes per batch.

Return all chicken, skin side up, to skillet and roast in oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Strain sauce through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chicken with sauce.

****

With the chicken recipe I did not use chives because we didn't have them. I did not strain the sauce because I love lumps and chewy bits in my sauce (that's right) and I used six, boneless, skinless breasts. Oh, and I added mushrooms because me and the Mans love them. It was truly delicious. I bet it would also be good with a thick, white fish.

Baby Quilt in a week... I hope

So my friend's baby shower is this Sunday and I'm trying very hard to make a baby quilt for her by that time!

We'll see how it goes. I had already started another one and re-read her invite and realized her nursery colors were ice/light blue and chocolate brown so I re-did the fabric selection and managed to score this Alexander Henry 2-D Zoo in Blue print off ebay at a bargain price (it's hard to get right now). These blocks are not attached, they are just lying together.

I have to finish the blocks, add the sashing and batting and backing and quilt it and bind it by Sat night or Sunday morning.

NO PROBLEM.

Here's what I have so far.







Wish me luck. Because I'm gonna need it.

Fantastic weekend

My fiance and I took a road trip this weekend to Washington, DC where we had a lovely time. We went to visit my father and see a friend. It was beautiful there - was 54 when we left NYC and was 81 degrees when we arrived. It was nice to get out of NYC and see the exploding blossoms and leaves and have the storms that roll across the sky in the DC area.

We went to my favorite bar in the world - Off The Record. It's located in the basement of the Hay Adams Hotel. It's funny to walk into my favorite bar while looking at the White House. They also have a version of my favorite drink in the world - a vodka martini with blue-cheese stuffed olives. At Off The Record it's called The Presidential Martini and it fucking rocks.

See here:

















Tell me this doesn't make your mouth water -








One of my best friends in the world also took us to Sabores Restaurant on Connecticut Ave. in DC. It has delicious Passion Fruit Mojitos and scrumptous tapas as well as a seafood paella that is worth the wait. It has sliding doors that lift up so you get the warm air as we move into Spring and Summer. We were there for sunset and after and it was a wonderful time.

A Passion Fruit Mojito


Seafood Paella


I also strongly recommend the seared scallops, the crab-stuffed avocado (you get the whole avaocado!), and the mushroom quesadilla.

My friend also made us brunch from this cookbook - Seriously Simple - which I plan on getting now if not sooner because this frittata was fucking incredible and she admitted it was her first. I saw her make it, while talking to me, and it looked relatively simple and was seriously impressive and tasty.









And last, but absolutely not least, we gave my father's cat a lion cut. Well, we didn't, but Petco did. And now she is matted-fur-free and ready for warm weather.

BEFORE


AFTER






Happy Spring!

Need a sleepless night?

I've got the page-turner for you.

No, seriously.

Page-BURNER, is more like it.

This book made me ignore one of my dearest friends while in Bermuda on vacation until I turned the last page. She, a reader of fine literature, looked at my airport-buy and sniffed and huffed and quietly picked it up after I was finished and wouldn't talk to ME for two days as she sped through it.

I've never read another book that has kept me so riveted. Not by him, or anyone else.

Tell No One. I mean, tell everyone!
Ha!
Ha ha!
Ha hahahahahaha... that was humor.