A Better Fanfare

 

The first week last December, I ordered a kit to do the 2023 RBD Block Challenge. I’d enjoyed the previous two challenges, and was looking forward to another fun mystery quilt. There was a problem with one of the fabrics in the kit, and it didn’t arrive before the first weekly block pattern showed up. I decided to “practice” making the first block with scraps from my stash, and then make a better one when the fabric came in the mail. But the kit ended up coming a full month late. I used scraps to make the first four blocks. Three will probably end up in a finished quilt. The fourth, which I posted January 13, won’t make the cut. It had too little contrast between light and dark prints, and was just too busy. I’ve replaced it with today’s block. Next week I’ll catch up and remake the January blocks with fabric from the kit.

Day at Sea

 

This recipe is NOT for your slow cooker. But it’s just about as effortless as if it was.

 

Pan-Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

 

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 skinless chicken thighs, legs or breasts (about 2-1/4 pounds)

6 cups fresh baby spinach (about 6 ounces)

Lemon wedges for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, chicken and seasonings; toss to coat. Transfer to sheet pan coated with cooking spray. Roast until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170F, about 40 minutes. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Top vegetables with spinach. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender and spinach is wilted, about 10 minutes longer. Stir vegetables to combine; serve with chicken.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

 

“In 1831, the Lord gave this revelation to guide its members and, I believe, all of His children worldwide: ‘Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.’ In more than 38 years as an Apostle and over 30 years of professional employment, I have seen many generous efforts by organizations and persons of the kind this revelation describes as a good cause and bringing to pass much righteousness. There are uncounted examples of such humanitarian service throughout the world, beyond our own borders and beyond our common knowledge. Contemplating this, I think of the Book of Mormon prophet-king Benjamin, whose sermon included this eternal truth: ‘When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.’” – President Dallin H. Oaks

Game Night

 

Last July in Eastern Kentucky, heavy flooding left more than 40 people dead. One of these was Gilla Ann Noble Patton Miller, an 83-year-old widow, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Troublesome Creek (that's really its name) overflowed its bed and filled her home, and she was unable to escape. A few weeks later, members of the Lexington Kentucky Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volunteered to clean the ruined home and see what could be salvaged. Ruth Ann Baxter discovered two bins in a closet, filled with hand-made coverlets, water, black mud and mold. Everyone who saw (and smelled) them said they couldn’t be saved, but Ruth Ann wasn’t deterred. After days of gentle, patient cleaning and line-drying, fourteen heirloom quilts and two Afghans were washed, disinfected and ready to be returned to the Miller family. Among them was a Trip Around the World, a hand-appliqued Idaho Lily, a red work Clay’s Choice, and several scrappy 9-patches, all hand-quilted.   

Windmill Star

 

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

 

1 pound chicken breasts or thighs

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

Juice and zest of 1 lemon (Save a few lemon slices for garnish.)

1/3 cup onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup orzo, uncooked

 

Add chicken, onion, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, oregano, broth, water, and bay leaf to slow cooker. Stir. Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker along with the orzo. Stir to mix. Cover and cook another 30 minutes. Orzo should be tender. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and serve hot.

Milky Way

 

In 2020, as we slowly emerged from lockdown, a quilt shop near me placed a sign on their door saying, “Cash not accepted.” There was a coin shortage, so they couldn’t always make change. Also, they worried about being infected by handling money. The quilt shop sign is long gone, but last week we suddenly ran into a similar one at a pizzeria. We didn’t ask why it was there, but wondered if this was even legal. As it happens, there’s no federal mandate for retail businesses to accept legal tender. Unless your state insists, you’re free to tell customers you’ll only take credit and debit cards. But even finding out which states allow this and which don’t is trickier than you’d think. Why does it matter? The 55 million Americans who can’t pay with a check or card would be shut out of the economy. In a natural disaster, we could ALL share that predicament.

Jacob's Ladder

 

The first Wednesday in February is World Read Aloud Day. It doesn’t always fall on February one, but it does this year. It’s a day dedicated not only to reading, but to the art and practice of reading out loud to an audience. Long before the invention of written language, stories were passed orally from one family to the next, from one village to the next and from one generation to the next. What books would you choose to observe Read Aloud Day? If your audience is mostly young children, you might try Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Matilda by Roald Dahl, The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, or Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. Slightly older audiences might enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, or The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.