Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blueberry Pie Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial AND GIVEAWAY!!!!

Firsts

These picked this morning.

Ninfa's green Sauce

I just read from Homesick Texan that Houston is the only city that serves up green sauce...can that be? I guess I assumed my whole life that the whole world fed their babies this stuff. So Now I have to go ahead and post the recipe even before I make it so that all ya'll in Dallas or Tempe, Kansas City, Seattle or New York can poke around to find some tomatillos.

Ninfa’s Green Sauce Ingredients:

3 medium-sized green tomatoes, coarsely chopped (you can substitute yellow if you can’t find green ones, but never use red)

4 tomatillos, cleaned and chopped

1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed and coarsely chopped

3 small garlic cloves

3 medium-sized ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

4 sprigs cilantro1 tsp. of salt

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

Combine chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil (tomatoes provide the liquid), reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.Remove from heat and let cool slightly.Place tomato mixture with the avocados, cilantro and salt in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.Pour into a bowl and stir in sour cream.Makes 4 to 5 cups

This recipe is Ninfa's, but I found it on gorgeous Homesick Texan's website. She has awesome Texan faves. I think she lives in NY now, which makes sense...homesick!

Projects on the horizon

I am working sporatically on my dresses. I tend to work naturally in phases from one project to another.
Thing I have my eye on in June:

1. Making a cool rug from old T shirts.
2.Making Ninfa's salsa...this recipe from "Homsick Texan" comes from the Houston Chronicle..a reliable source...And if you arent from Houston, you HAVE to make this. Seriously you dont know what you are missing. I was born and raised on this stuff. I want to make it NOW...but I spent 4 HOURS at the pool for first day of summer vacation today and I'm a little Rose'.
3.Wanting to research how to get involved in either a community garden or in helping others with overflow from my garden. Just the thing to inspire me to rip up the rest of my yard. I'm practical like that. I would love to feed the world!
4.I heard from Organic Magazine about putting a vegetable garden in the FRONT yard, to bring neighbors together...pretty radical notion in my little corner of the BURBS... but one I am considering for next year. Researching Seglia's top edible landscaping ideas from OrganicGardening.com
5. Want a composter, even though the Cowboy thinks they are a pain in the Arsh.
6.Make no kneed bread.
7.Grow black berries and citrus trees next year. And grape vines: do a little experimental wine making.

I would just love to have my own little organic farm and organic herb farm...and add to it vineyard with winery in the hill country. I would loooooove to have my own winery in the hill country...bet I would drink all the wine though!

Happy birthday mama

I meant to upload this yesterday but I spent the day shopping with my grandmommy and mama. Walmart and Hancocks! Granny lives in assisted living and low and behold, since we have all been buying patterns, she wanted to buy a sewing machine! She has had many in her life, and My mom was against it, for practical reasons ( she is 91). Granny is a fighter though. And she was hell bent. (I love that about her) (smile) even though it makes it hard on mom sometimes. Mom talked her into this cute little version that she can lift easily.

Now that school is out I can drive Heavy C over and we'll help her get it all set up...

I made this garden apron for mom's birthday. I modeled these instructions from Sew Simple magazine that Lindamade created.

It was really the most fun project I've done in a long while. I added fabric yoyo's to the pocket and mom wanted places for two tools, so I added more belt loops. Heather Baily has an awesome tutuorial on how to make the yoyo's - more fun than you've ever had and addicting! And the best part! I used my FAT jeans!!! So no gaining the weight back! Take that fat jeans. I have lost 17 lbs since the beginning of the year and have 20 more to go...happily making progress. So get out your fat jeans and cut em up!

And happy first day of summer break!

On the verge

Garden update....

Everything in my backyard garden is either in bloom, about to produce a fruit or squash or is a green tomato!! Grow! You cant rush nature. But I feel like I have been waiting for eons. I still claim that even though I got a late start, this year is my Victory garden. I water every morning and every night since it has been so hot and dry in Houston. Normally we get more rain this time of year. I have been trying to get The Cowboy to tell me what is in his secret ancient fertlizer miracle called Tea Manure.... But he protects that recipe like it's war secrets. He is "tweaking" it now. I told him he could test it on me. He barely waters his garden, the dirt looks like it is hard clay, and the stuff grows like it's from another planet. GIANT zucchini's, GIANT squashes and more peppers than you've ever seen! I'm going to get to the bottom of that recipe....He recently told me to research sea salt.....I dont know if that's a decoy or not. You think???