Chicken tacos...yum

I got this delicious recipe from

Pioneer Woman...do you know about her and her cookbooks 

and now Food TV show on Saturday mornings?

I have prepared it twice now and we really like it...

just take a look at Cliff's face!!

Ingredients

• 16 whole Corn Tortillas (small Size)
• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Pieces
• Salt, Cumin, Chili Powder To Taste (or Use Taco Seasoning)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
• 1-1/2 cup Finely Grated Cheese (cheddar Or Cheddar/jack Mix)
• Sour Cream
• Hot Sauce (Chulula Or Other Brand)
• 2 cups Thinly Sliced Romaine Lettuce (or Any Lettuce)
• 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• Canola Oil, For Frying Tacos

Season diced chicken liberally. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes. Dump in the diced green chilies. Stir and cook until chicken is totally done inside. Turn off heat and set aside.

Have all other ingredients---grated cheese, sliced lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, and hot sauce---ready.

Also have a plate ready, as well as a stack of five or six paper towels to hold in your hand.

TO FRY

To fry the tacos, heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Place some chicken in the middle of a tortilla, then fold tortilla in half. Clamp the tortilla shut with a pair of heat-proof metal tongs, then carefully lay the taco---one side down---in the oil. As you lay it in the oil, use the tongs to hold the top side down for a few seconds to form it in place. Once it stays put, repeat with two other tacos. Turn tacos after 30 to 45 seconds, or when each side gets light golden brown (not too brown.)

One at a time, remove tacos from the pan with tongs, holding sideways as you remove them to allow oil to drip out of the sides. Place the taco in the stack of paper towels. Fold the sides and corners around the taco to tightly hold it, then give it three or four shakes to remove excess oil. Remove it from the paper towels and place on a plate. Repeat with other tacos in the pan.

As you continue frying the other tacos, have someone carefully place some grated cheese inside the tops of the tacos (gently pry them open just enough to place the cheese in). Then just let them sit until ready to serve---the cheese will melt as it sits in the warm taco.

To serve, garnish in this order: a smear of sour cream, dashes of hot sauce, shredded lettuce, diced tomato. You'll need to slightly open up the tops of the tacos to get all the garnishes in there.

Tacos will be hot for a minute or two after frying, so don't rush into eating! They'll stay nice and warm for a little while after frying.

Here is her web site for you to enjoy...

The Pioneer Woman

Blessings and enjoy!!

Kathy

Cherries in winter...

A while back, I found this vintage table cloth

at a yard sale for $3.00.

Just the kind of find I love...it had a few small holes

but what the heck, I can figure a creative way to cover them.

On a shop hop, I purchased the cutest "Oh Cherry" fabric by Moda

that matched perfectly...

So

why not make it into a quilt???

Here is the top with the borders.

Now I just have to add the backing and I will have a fun

picnic quilt.

What ideas do you have for helping me

cover these small holes?????

Blessings,

Kathy

Charming wall hanging complete...

I am about as excited as I have ever been in completing

a quilt!!

But then, this is not just any old quilt...

It all began  in January 2010 
when I was at our guild and someone had some 

"free" quilting magazines
and this wall hanging was on the cover.

"Charming" by Carol Armstrong.

McCalls Quilting April 2007

I was "charmed" from the first look.

So, I took the magazine home and quickly opened it up

to page 56 where Carol Armstrong's pattern and completed

quilt were pictured with instructions.

I studied it for days trying to decide which fabrics I would use and perhaps would need to get some from friends...but then this would make it special...

Each of the 169  2 inch squares is hand appliqued using needle turn

with three lovely little tear drop flowers on the side.

Of course it is hand quilted and hand embroidered.

Each square is a different nature print and has a perfect green border

to enhance the overall nature theme.

Before I could get started, I realized that the floral

applique pattern sheet was NOT in the back of my magazine.

I had no idea who had owned the magazine.


What did I do??
1. Contacted McCalls who checked their files- No pattern
2. Looked on the internet to see what popped up- No luck
3.Tried to contact Carol Armstrong- No success 

Well, my husband often buys me quilt magazines

(isn't that real nice!!!)

and guess what he brought home???

McCalls Quilting February/March  2010 issue.

AND WHAT WAS IN THE issue????

A QUILTER FROM MISSISSIPPI DISPLAYING HER

VERY OWN "Charming" quilt....

Can you believe it?????????

Mrs. Joan Beasley form Mississippi !!!
who worked on it while her son & grandson were deployed.

SO, I wrote her, after finding someone by that name in the online white pages
and she sent me a copy of her pattern in August 2010...

I mean ...are quilters the best OR what!!!

I began to prepare my muslin fabric for the background by using Southern Belle, my favorite applique fabric. 

I had to mark it in perfect grids to guide placement of each square of fabric. 

So I checked it many times before, during and after to make sure they were straight. Look closely at the following pics to see light blue lines.

I used a water soluble fine point mark-b-gone pen in blue. 

Then I went to my stash and to select fabrics with nature prints...trees, leaves, rocks, flowers, moon, stars, animals, sea shells,frogs, birds, and a few scriptures which would make it special...

I began appliqued the squares in the center first

Since our God is the maker of all things, I thought I would place Him in the center.

 trying to make sure the colors were spread out

to make it appealing to the eye.
Then I appliqued the flowers and embroidered the stems.

Friends gave me fabrics and I hunted for the perfect 

green for the border.

It has been a delight to work on and a challenge with all of the 

needle turn applique and hand quilting..

Here are some pictures of my progress along the way.

I love using Downy Wrinkle Release to steam out those seams.

Layering & Basting

 I often use Thermore poly for wall hanging batting
but this time I used Dream Cotton 
and I really like the way the appliqueing and hand quilting looks.

Supplies used were Y L I 
silk for appliqueing,
cotton quilting thread and
basted with Sulky neutral .

and embellished with beads...


AND where does this completed 
January 2012 master piece get the privledge of hanging?

On my sewing room door, of course.
That way I can look at it every time I come and go!!






Blessings,
Kathy
and how blessed I feel to have been blessed with these talents...

oh....I am sending a copy to Mrs. Beasley to thank her...and to McCalls too
look for a post in the future.

Christmas china...

Every year I really hate to put up my Christmas china...

and this year I have two sets that I have really enjoyed using and looking at

as I pass through the kitchen and dinning room!!

When we got married I registered Holiday by Lennox for our fine china

and have never regretted it.

All of the dinner plates, salads, b&b, cups & saucers and serving dishes too.

My special childhood friend, Donna and her husband gave us the sugar dish and also the sugar shell in our sterling, Strasburg!!

What a really nice gift!!!

And they also gave us a place setting too...how generous... and I do not think they have ever been able to eat with us and use it.

I always use it in the dinning room and decorate with red, green, and gold to accent the china colors...

made the Christmas tree napkin rings in ceramics to match.

Still want to monogram some pretty white linen napkins in red to match...

one year!!!

At a friend's yard sale this summer, I came across this pretty

Christmas Tree by Spode pattern 

and thought I would give it to my sister for her collection

but she did not need any more.

SO WHAT TO DO????

keep it for me and use in the kitchen...

Perfect

and  that is exactly what I did.

Got 5 dinner plates, 7 salads and one canister for

$9.00...yes , I said 9 dollars....

bargain, huh.

So the kitchen is decorated with red & white check and Santa napkins

and I really loved it!! 

Have used the red & white checks for about 30 years now.

It is just too hard to put it all away with all of these memories

so, I think I will just leave it out til Valentine's Day

for one last meal...

Blessings all,

KATHY

Christmas gifts...

I really enjoy making gifts at Christmas

and at other times of the year too!!

My family has started "drawing names" so we do not give as many as we 

used to give...

But, I do enjoy making the great nephews something

and this year I actually drew my sister's name.

So what did I make???

I actually found a similar idea on a blog

(not sure whose...so sorry for not giving credit!!)

These are pajama pillows for boys!!!

And here is  my sister with her cosmetic bag

and matching glass case in her favorite color

aqua!!

Also made some soup in a jar for friends

and still have to mail a few

for the new year...

think I will include some cracker mix

with theirs...

What did you make for your loved ones???

Please let me know.

blessings,

KD

Christmas...busy time for homemakers!!!

This is just my time of year...what can I say...3 weeks since I posted!!!

So, what have I been doing????

decorating

cooking

parties

dinners

sewing

enjoying  ...most of all!!!

Here are our two quilted star stockings that I finally completed

and put up today.

I found this wonky star idea from a fellow blogger.

http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html

and it is so easy to make...no pattern needed!!

See how the triangles are all different???

I knitted these for us about 25 years ago
and they have been well used.








In fact, it is time for a bath on ole
santa!!!

You can see whose got the most
detail!!!!


And Cliff said today when I put up the new stockings, "why didn't you put Mrs. Santa on yours"    .........after all these years, he still does not get it...but we understand, don't we girls!!!

Remember:
wise men still seek Him!!!


Blessings,
my fellow bloggers
at this most special time of our year!!

Kathy