Click on the quilt for full view.

Gaelic Blessing by Margaret McCrory  

 
Blessing is abundant if you take the time to list them. Quilt travels have been a blessing for many years. Back in 2000, a lady with a strong Northern Irish accent approached me at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. She was dressed very chic and her white hair had a splash of pink. She introduced herself as Margaret McCrory and asked if I would be interested in coming to teach quilt classes in N. Ireland. That encounter led to many visits to Ireland. Margaret and her husband are two of the biggest blessings in my life - a dear friendship that I treasure.
 
Margaret is also a musician. She spent a career as a music teacher leading special needs students. She took students with both physical and mental disabilities on tours where they would perform. She had a way of making sure a student felt important even if all they might be able to manage was to hit a drum or crash a cymbal when directed to do so. One of her wheelchair-bound and blind students went on to become a choral director. There is nothing more of a blessing than empowering and encouraging others. Margaret has done that her entire life.
 
Margaret and I share a passion for choral music. She sang for years with the Belfast Operatic, and I was lucky to be on the front row to watch her perform during the 100-year remembrance of the Titanic when the Belfast Operatic presented the musical Titanic. Margaret made and gifted me this quilt which was inspired by a traditional Irish blessing. The tune is by John Rutter and is my favorite tune associated with these lyrics.
 
Here’s the link to my rendition of Gaelic Blessing: 
 

 

Pattern - $14.98

 

 
 TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

   

 

 

Buttery Herbed Mashed Potatoes
by Hugo Dos Santos

This recipe is for all lovers of potatoes.

Do you like your mashed potatoes very buttery and tasty? 

Made simply with cream, fresh herbs, a little garlic, and a good amount of butter.

So you will impress your family and friends with this recipe.

 

 

                  Ingredients:

    • 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
    • kosher salt
    • 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
    • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
    • 8 leaves fresh sage, 6 whole leaves + 1 Tbsp chopped)
    • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
    • 3/4 cup crème fraîche (sour cream)
    • fresh black pepper
    • chopped fresh chives, for serving

 

                Instructions:

  1. In a large pot of cold water, bring the potatoes and garlic to a boil. Salt the water and cook until the potatoes are tender about 20 to 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the cream, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon chopped sage, and the thyme sprigs over medium heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and let the herbs sit in the warm cream until the potatoes are done. Remove the thyme sprigs before adding them to the potatoes.
  3. Drain the potatoes, return the potatoes to the pot, and mash over low heat, or mash in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the herbed cream and crème fraîche. 
  4. In a skillet, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and the sage leaves over medium heat until just browned. The butter will melt, foam and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Remove the sage leaves. Pour the browned butter into the warm mashed potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve the potatoes warm, topped with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, sage, and fresh chopped chives. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

   

 

 

Best Ever Guacamole
Hugo Dos Santos 

Everybody loves guacamole...right? It's fresh, light, and a lovely way to share with family and friends.

When cooking, I always try to use fresh vegetables and urge you to do the same. Keep it simple. It shouldn't be complicated. Avoid processed foods. The taste is much better with fresh ingredients.

For this recipe, all you need is avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, and salt. It's easy and delicious!

You will be a Top Chef with this recipe!

 

Serves 6-8 people /   Total time: 5min

Ingredients:

Avocados | 3 

Small Onion | 1/2, finely diced

Roma Tomatoes | 2, finely diced 

Fresh chopped Cilantro | 3 Tablespoon

Jalapeño  | 1 

Garlic gloves | 2 

Lime juiced | 1tsp

Sea Salt | 1 tsp

 

  1. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop them into a mixing bowl. 
  2. Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you'd like.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add a pinch more salt or lime juice if needed.
  4. Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips.

 

 

 

   

 

 

Click on the quilt for a full view.

The Quilt Show Guest Artists Sampler
 
For many years, guests who appeared on The Quilt Show (www.thequiltshow.com) brought Alex Anderson and myself a 6” quilt block. After several years I had enough to put this together. It might be a challenge to name who made the blocks, but if you browse them, and if you have been in the quilting pool hall for a awhile, you might be able to at least make a few guesses. Apologies that I don’t have the roster to provide.
 
This seemed like a fun quilt to highlight because I am in Dallas taping new episodes of The Quilt Show and once we are done we will have taped over 400 shows since we started in 2007.
 
 
 TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

   

Photos of the Week - Week 11

 

Critique Group Challenge: 

Week 11, The Power of the One

Photo by Allison Haggarty

Click to view larger image 

Allison says:

We had a first day of warm spring weather last week so I took a long walk to explore a neighbourhood near downtown Montreal. This is an old factory near the canal which was converted to individual workspaces. The window in the middle had some sort of reflective coating and even though this side of the building was in shade it was very bright. There are lots of deatils to be seen in other windows but this one remains a mystery.

 

 

 

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 11 - High Key

 

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 11, High Key

Photo by Ruthanne Wirth

 

Click to view larger image.

Ruthanne says: 

We are currently on a road trip through Arizona and New Mexico.  Many buildings in this area of the country are decorated with large colorful murals.  This shutter zoom is of a mural on a restaurant wall in Wilcox , AZ which is in the southeast corner of the state.  The beautiful young woman in the mural is wearing a bearskin shawl  with the bears head  still attached as the hood.  If you look closely you can see the bears nose and teeth above her forehead.

 

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 11 - Polka Dots

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 11, Polka Dots

Photo by R.Scheiner

Click to view larger image.

 

 

 

 

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