Arrowhead Puzzle

Here’s another incredibly simple crowd-pleasing recipe; this time for breakfast. We’re planning a weekend retreat for the whole family in November (There are eleven of us now!) and I’ve been thinking about serving this Saturday morning. It’s like funeral potatoes with a twist. Not exactly what you’d call diet food, but if I pair it with fresh melon, grapes and pineapple and offer skim milk or fruit juice to drink, it won’t be so bad.

Crescent Roll Casserole

1 can (8 biscuits) Pilsbury Grands flaky biscuit dough

8 ounces shredded mild cheddar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cubed ham

6 large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Cut biscuits into quarters and carefully fold in. Transfer to large greased casserole dish. Cook at 350F for 30 minutes or until firm and golden-brown. Serve warm. Makes 8 generous helpings.

Break Out

A filibuster is a way to prevent or at least delay a vote on a bill you oppose. I learned that from listening to my fifth grade history teacher and from watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Neither prepared me for what I read in the paper this week. Texas Senator Ted Cruz held up a vote on a temporary spending bill for more than 21 hours while he read aloud from (among other things) Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. Then he turned around and voted FOR the bill he’d been blocking. Confused? Welcome to the club. That’s not the most puzzling thing I’ve heard about Senator Cruz. He’s being groomed as Republican presidential candidate for 2016, though he was born in Canada. The constitution states, “No person except a natural born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the office of president.” Maybe instead of Dr. Seuss, Cruz should have read from my fifth grade history book.

Devil's Puzzle

When you’re sewing bits of fabric together to make a quilt block, the sewing machine frequently tries to “swallow” those bits through the hole in the throat plate where the needle dips down to pick up the bobbin thread. This can cause a nasty jam; not to mention cursing. I’ve always used a thread-saver (a folded fabric scrap to “lead” the pieces I’m sewing over the throat plate). After I’ve used a thread-saver so much it’s more tangled threads than fabric, I toss it and start a new one. But this week I’m trying a suggestion I heard from Eleanor Burns. I’ve filled a paper sack with 2 1/2” square scraps. Instead of stitching into a thread-saver at the end of every seam, I’ll put two of these fabric squares together and sew them together along one side. When I’m done I’ll have something useful instead of a bin full of rubbish. Maybe I’ll make a scrappy 4-patch quilt.

Braced Star

I’m a Suzuki mom. This means I dragged my kids to music lessons every week for years and years. It means I listened to recordings of their assigned pieces every day right along with them. It means I encouraged (bribed, threatened, whatever it took) them to practice every single day. When they had trouble with rhythm, we danced together. We made up lyrics to help them memorize the songs. One of our favorites (wish I could take credit for it) fits the Minuet in G Major, BWV 822: 

J. S. Bach had 20 kids. Boy, that’s a lot! He

Lived in a country called Germany and

Wrote lotsa songs there.

(Repeat)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Played organ and the harpsichord

He played the violin and he played the viola too.

Bach wrote a lot of music that we love to play.

Minuet One is so very fun so, thank you, J. S. Bach.

(Repeat)

Variable Star

Okay, you caught me. This is the same block I posted September 19 (almost), with a different name. I was less than satisfied with the first 12" block, so I cut it up to make the tiny 3" block in the barn quilt block I posted September 21. The points in that block didn’t all meet dead on, and I thought I could do a better job if I had another go at it. Apparently I was wrong. If you look very closely, you’ll see these don’t quite meet either. “Dead on” is more relative than it sounds. It depends on the strength of your reading glasses. My mom would say a horseman galloping by would think it was perfect. My grandma would say a blind man would be happy to see it. Maybe I should take an Amish view of the matter. If only God is perfect, I should be content with an occasional flaw in my work.

Clematis

Good food doesn’t always mean exotic, expensive ingredients or complicated directions:

Three Envelope Roast

Ingredients:

3 pound beef roast (It simmers all day, so you don’t need a pricey cut)

1 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix

1 envelope of Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

1 envelope of McCormick brown gravy mix

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

2 cups water

Heat oil in heavy pan or skillet to medium high heat. Sear roast in oil for a few minutes on each side until it’s browned on all sides. Pour 2 cups cool tap water into a quart-size bowl or pitcher. Open all three envelopes and pour contents into water. Stir with a fork until completely blended. Pour mixture into slow cooker. Place roast into cooker and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for eight hours. If you like veggies with your roast, you can add carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, etc. along with the meat.