Craftcation 2013: Starburst Quilt Block Workshop

It's almost March, which means it will soon be the end of March, which means one thing [besides baby bunnies and daffodils] - CRAFTCATION! I went last year as an attendee, and I am so excited to be going as a teacher this year! My quilt block workshop is going to be on Sunday, March 31st at 11am. You'll learn a super fun and freeing improvisational method of quilting using a square of paper as a foundation. Afterward you can then make your block into whatever you want - a placemat, pillow, or part of a larger quilt. I'll be providing all the fabric and a lot of it will be from my own personal scrap stash. And after years of quilting/obsessing over fabric, you KNOW there's some good stuff in there.

The folks over at Craftcation just added ten more tickets to the website, so there's still a chance to go if you haven't already gotten tickets. Once you register you can sign up for my workshop, and many other great ones. Here's a little blurb page about me!

I have to say that I had no idea what to expect at Craftcation last year, and was totally blown away by the amount of great business knowledge that I left with. If you are interested in starting your own business or if you're a freelancer in any field, you'll learn so much about personal finances, marketing resources, web design, how to price...the list goes on. Then to top it all off there's great creative workshops too. If you live close or are able to get yourself to Ventura, don't miss out!

Hope to see you there!

Lemon Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Have I mentioned before that I love greek yogurt? That's it's my favorite faux fat ever? Um, yes I think I have.

So you can imagine my excitement when I received an email from Chobani saying they had seen my greek yogurt cheesecake recipe and wondered if I was interested in getting some yogurt to play around in the kitchen.

Dare I pinch myself?

So then this happened. Yogurt consumption marathon, commencing.

This is a quick and easy recipe that takes barely any effort. I think that even at my laziest, I could still deal with this recipe. Because that's what pancakes are for, right? Lazy mornings? The batter also only makes 3 large or 4 smaller pancakes. So perfect for one or two people. But please, double and triple as needed.

The yogurt conjures up an almost custardy inside for these pancakes, [quite decadent if you ask me], and also fills them with protein. And apart from whatever fat you use to cook them, there isn't anything bad in these.  Unless you topped them with a big dollop of whipped cream. Which I wouldn't judge you for doing. I didn't have any toppings on hand except some blackberry jam, which I zapped in the microwave for a few seconds to make it a little runny. Perfect.

And imagine the flavor possibilities with all the yogurt out there. Just swap out the lemon for something else amazing. Blueberry? Mango? Um, chocolate?? Go crazy with those pancakes. I dare you.

[p.s. I've been using coconut oil lately for stovetop cooking because a) it smells amazing and b) it's healthier than butter and c) did I mention it smells amazing, but use whatever you're used to.]

Lemon Greek Yogurt Pancakes

makes 3-4 pancakes 

1 egg

1 6 oz nonfat Chobani lemon greek yogurt or other flavor

1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

large pinch kosher salt

3-4 tbsp milk

butter, nonstick spray or coconut oil for cooking

fruit preserves for topping [optional]

1. In medium bowl, beat egg with whisk. Add yogurt and whisk to combine.
2. Add dry ingredients and whisk. Add milk and whisk. Batter should be slightly runny.
3. Let batter stand while you heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter or coconut oil. Turn heat down to medium low. Cook pancakes for a few minutes on each side until done. Top with fruit preserves, whipped cream, or other topping of choice.

Clean New Year - Apple Cabbage Slaw

Another new year, another chance to be better in life. After a very fun family Christmas trip to Florida my body was craving some clean, refreshing produce. When I found myself with a head of red cabbage and some apples on the counter, I mixed up this cold and crispy slaw as a side to some potato leek soup.

I think that red cabbage is beautiful. The color is incredible, and it tints everything the prettiest pinkish purple. Mixed with the green apples this salad is zingin'. And minus the small amount of sugar, there is nothing in this that is bad for you. This is a zero food guilt dish. So eat it to your heart's content!

Apple Cabbage Slaw

ingredients:

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 head of red cabbage

1/4 cup toasted walnuts or pecans

juice of 1 small lemon

2 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp nonfat plain greek yogurt

1 tsp sugar

large pinch of salt

additional sugar to taste

1. Chop apple and cabbage into small, bite sized pieces. Mix with nuts in medium bowl.
2. Mix remaining ingredients [minus additional sugar] with a whisk until yogurt is well incorporated. Toss with apple and cabbage. Sprinkle with additional sugar and/or salt to taste. Let stand for 15 minutes in fridge.

Tutorial: Super Easy Fat Quarter Napkins

Is anyone panicking about eleventh hour gift fails? That one relative you forgot you had? That pivotal missing link in your holiday tablescape?? Well, take a deep breath and a big gulp of grownup egg nog, because you probably have a last minute project lurking in your fabric stash.

I mean, I almost couldn't bring myself to call this a tutorial, it's that easy. By the end of it you'll have a set of cute fabric napkins. But forget pressing all the edges over twice and topstitching, or any such nonsense. We're just going to do a little quickie zig zag and let a little natural fraying take its course.

All you need is one fat quarter of medium weight cotton fabric per napkin. Linen would be lovely as well. If you don't have any fat quarters, just take a 1/2 yard of fabric and cut it along the fold to make two fat quarters. [That's all a fat quarter is. Now you know, and can confidently work the term 'fat quarter' into as many holiday party conversations as possible.]

Here are the simple steps:

1. Trim off the selvage and trim any sides of the fabric as necessary to make a nice even rectangle.

2. Sew along all four edges with a small zig zag stitch at 1/4" seam allowance. I set my stitch length at 1.5 and my width at about a quarter of the total width dial. Pivot at the corners and backstitch at the beginning and end.

3. Make as many napkins as you wish and then toss them all in the washer. The edges will fray down to the zig zag stitch. [Tip: Don't wash the napkins with other clothes, otherwise you'll have little threads all over everything. This may or may not be experience talking.] Then dry all the way.

4. Once dry, pull any remaining threads off - you should be able to just yank - and press the napkins to make them nice and flat and pretty.

5. Gloat about your last minute gift-giving prowess, and present napkins with pride.

6. Or just keep them for yourself.

Safe travels everyone!!

What Have I Been DOING?

Hello, all.

Firstly, I still exist.

Secondly, I'm sorry for ignoring you all for so long. A lot has been going on in my life.

I moved! From my apartment of 6 years!! I'm now just a few blocks from work. And it's uh-maz-ing. Goodbye traffic filled commute, hello suburban stroll!

One of the best things is that I now have a yard. As in an outdoor, grass-filled space for my exclusive use. I'm so excited!! Hootie has been having a grand time prowling around like a real, bonafide cat.

So what have I been making? Well, most recently, a giant embroidery hoop.

This was for the launch party at Sew LA for the new line of Sublime Stitching floss. I stretched white fabric over a hula hoop, hot glued it in place, then stitched. Then I embroidered the logo with yarn. A strip of birch veneer around the outside and a few spray painted elements on top completed the look. It turned out pretty well! Especially along with the giant floss skeins the delightful Jenny Hart made out of rope:

I also broke in my new kitchen by making some chocolate cutout cookies.

I recreated this cross stitch cookie post from Design Sponge for the party using this recipe instead of the grahams. The chocolate cutouts were SO. GOOD. If you've never made chocolate cutouts before, make them. Now. It's a direct order.

So anyway, I'm still here. I'm a little scattered right now, but I"ll be back soon, I promise! Keep making!!