Slow day

Not much (OK, not any) sewing has been happening here while I finish up some "real" work. You know, the kind that funds my sewing.

The boys and dogs had a mostly lazy weekend and this photo about sums it up.

I have a few errands/chores to finish today but I hope to be dusting off my sewing room tomorrow. Linda's twist-front sweater is still on my mind …

Chilly, Chili & Chili

It's been a bit chilly outside here the last few mornings and evenings (beautiful in the middle of the day though), which makes me crave some warm-you-up dinners from the crockpot. This is Cowboy Chili in the works, and how I came to have this recipe is actually sewing-related.

When I first became obsessed with sewing about 5-1/2 years ago, I bought a used Viking Rose. It was a great machine and certainly a huge step up from my very basic Kenmore mechanical. I loved that machine, but soon started coveting a Designer 1. (My dealer is very good at holding classes that make you want to spend money!) Soon after, I lucked into a side web design job that paid Big Bucks. Since it was bonus income, I spent the money on a luxury item — a new Designer 1. But that meant I needed to sell my Rose because, as some of you may remember, I was sewing in a closet at that time and had no room for another machine. (Yes, I did somehow manage to squeeze my coverstitch machine in later!)

I listed the Rose on Ebay and sold it to a very nice woman about my age. We had some email correspondence before, during and after the sale and at some point the conversation went in the direction of cooking for a house full of "men." She shared a recipe that has since become one of my guys' absolute favorite meals. Yep, the Cowboy Chili shown above. I've changed the ingredients around a bit, but the basics are pretty much the same. The original recipe (and how I've changed it) is below. I guarantee this will be a hit with any meat-eating male in the house. This current batch has been in the crockpot since 8 AM and the house is already smelling delicious. Later I'll be making some bread in the bread machine to go with it.

And, what's one Chili without the other? ;-) The poochies are still getting along great, although we need to make sure that Pepper gets her share of hugs and loves, since Chili wiggles his way to the front-and-center of any petting session! I'm taking them both to the vet this afternoon. Chili for a basic checkup and Pepper for a follow-up after her surgery. She's not looking so much like FrankenPuppy anymore as the shaved area on her forehead is filling back in. Her stitches are still intact though, so she does have a little more healing to go before she's 100% back to her usual cuteness.


Here they are, both eagerly waiting for … what else, but a Treat! (I had to bribe them so they'd both be looking at me for the photo.) Chili has made huge progress with his commands. He now knows Sit, Down, Shake, and Come. Next on the list is Roll Over. He'll be a natural for that one. Pepper used to Roll Over, but now she's so plump she gets stuck. ;-) I'm curious to see what she weighs at the vet today since her diet and exercise have improved a thousand-fold now that "Mr. Spoiling Dad" (a/k/a DH) isn't in charge anymore.

* * * * *

Cowboy Chili (original)

Brown 2 lb. ground beef. Add 1 chopped onion, 4 chopped green onions, 1/4 c. celery, 1/2 clove garlic, 1/4 bell pepper. Saute until soft.

Add salt and pepper to taste, 1 T chili powder, 1/4 tsp. sugar. Stir well. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 16 oz can tomato juice, 2 cans drained whole kernel corn, 1 can Rotel Ranch Style chili beans, and 6 medium potatoes peeled and cubed. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. Cook until potatoes are done (approx 30-40 minutes).

Cowboy Chili (my changes and for the crockpot)

Stir all of the following together in a large crockpot and cook on High all day (about 6-8 hours) or Auto Alternating (high/low) if you have that option on your crockpot. Makes 8-10 servings (good for lunch the next day!)

3-4 lbs. cubed stew beef (extra lean meat will end up too dry)
2 cans Rotel Ranch Style Beans
2 cans diced chili style tomatos
2 cans whole kernel corn (not drained)
1 can tomato paste
5-6 medium potatoes (not peeled), cubed
1-1/2 T chili powder
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped garlic or 1 fresh clove, diced
1 whole green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced (optional)
4-6 green onions, chopped (optional)

I stopped using the tomato juice because it's only available here in very large cans and we ended up tossing the rest. The extra can of diced tomatoes and tomato paste work just as well.

We also prefer stew beef over ground beef. Chicken is a good meat alternative for a different flavor.

I am SO going to make this!

Have you seen Linda's completed Adrienne Vittadini Allegra Twist Front Top?? It's gorgeous!

I love all twisty tops but I think this one has the potential to look the best on me, since it's not a deep V neckline and the twist is more subtle, above the cleavage area instead of right in the middle of it. Plus, look at those opportunities for darts! I don't knit so I'm going to try creating it for a knit fabric and with sleeves. I'm sure I've got a pattern around here somewhere that will be a good jumping off point, whether it's a commercial pattern or something created in my software.

I read Linda's blog entry this morning and this top has been on my mind all day. Looks like it's going to be high in the order of the What To Make Next list. But since I'm short on time this (already half over) week, I'm thinking I'll sew up a very quick TNT tee by the weekend and leave this one for next week. But don't hold me to that. I may not be able to wait. ;-)

Meanwhile, this rayon knit jumped into my Textile Studios shopping cart this morning. I swear, I was helpless.

This and that

I never know whether to respond to comments by making a comment myself or to answer in the main blog stuff. So today, I'm answering here and then rambling about other things.

Dog park: Nope, we don't have to pay directly. It's a county park and so our yearly county taxes help to fund this and other county parks.

Dogs: Thanks for putting up with me going on (and on) about Chili and Pepper and thanks for all your nice comments. We're still thrilled with our new family member and I'm not sure if he could get any cuter but he sure keeps on trying. I've also enjoyed seeing and reading about some of your pooches and other pets.

Tornados: Thank you all for thinking of me. We're south and to the west of where they hit. We were lucky but lots of people were not.

Dutch sewing terms: Thank you for all the offers for translation, etc. I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that!

Topstitching: Someone asked how I get it so straight ... I probably wouldn't be able to without my edge stitching foot and my edge joining foot! The former has a rudder on the right side of the foot and the latter, a rudder in the middle. The rudders ride in the "ditch" and I use my needle positions to set the spacing. Using these feet, topstitching is almost mindless and very relaxing for me since it's pretty much just straight stitching over a seam that's already been sewn.

General: Thanks for the commiseration on the jacket frustrations and the head cold. You already know that jacket is done now and I'm loving it, and I'm happy to report the cold is almost done too. Just a bit of lingering sniffles and an intermittent cough.

Tonight is Superbowl food leftovers for dinner. I've got a whole tray of nachos ready to bake, some Buffalo wings, and cheese/meats/crackers. (The beer didn't survive though!) We're also going to be heating up the other leftovers from the past few days. The boys may complain about "leftovers" but unless they're volunteering to make something else, it's my vote that counts. ;-) The game was good to watch, since we were mostly rooting for the Colts and Tony Dungy who got a really raw deal when he was booted away from our hometown Bucs and Gruden moved in for what should've been Dungy's first SB victory. But honestly, I like both teams a lot and would've been happy either way.

The commercials were a little disappointing though, do you agree? Although I did like the Blockbuster "mouse," the faux dalmation, Oprah and Dave, and the regular joe winning ad with the sports fanatics feeling sad at the end of the season. What were your favorites? I'm sure I've forgotten some other good ones.

And does anyone really like Prince? Sorry if you do, but I'm just not getting him and the Superbowl combination (like the halftime show ever makes sense!) I did feel bad that he was completely doused in the rain during his performance though.

I did write up my review for the jacket, but if you've been following along here, you've read/seen it all.

I think that's enough rambling for one post, don't you?

Men!

They can be so goofy. I had just put on the jacket to take some pics this morning and met DH coming up the stairs. He says, "So it's done now?" And I said, "Uh, yes. And by the way, I was *wearing* it last night when we went to the store and walked the dogs." Him: "Really? Well, it looks very nice." Yeah, sneaky way to escape that one. ;-)

So, here's a pic of me in the jacket. The color is off and I look as purple as the jacket for some reason that isn't happening in real life, but otherwise it's not a completely bad shot. Belinda asked me, if after all the work, whether I liked it or if it needed some time in the "Magic Wardrobe." I'm happy to report that I love it and all the time spent was worth it. I really did enjoy the project a lot. It's good to be challenged and I feel like I've learned a few things in the process.


I spent some time this morning cleaning up the disaster a/k/a the sewing room and now I'm ready to start thinking about what's next. So many choices! But since it's Superbowl Sunday and the pregame stuff is already on, I don't think I'll be making a whole lot of progress on that today. After today, no more football for months and months. Sob.