English Toffee

Making english toffee is (like my spiral quilts) an endeavor with results that seem really extravagant, though the actual process is quite simple.  (There, I knew I could find a way to relate this to quilting!)  So here, for your holiday pleasure, is my family recipe for english toffee.  It’s a wonderful treat for yourself, and an impressive (and inexpensive) gift for family, friends, colleagues and clients.

English toffee

Starfish, monarchs & glowing jellyfish

I spent last weekend at Appalachian Mountain Club’s cabin on Fire Island.  On Saturday, David and I walked along the beach from the cabin to the lighthouse at the west end of the island — about 3-1/2 miles.  Along the way, we found three baby starfish, still alive, that had washed up on the beach.  I put them in a large clam shell with a bit of water and a few small rocks and carried them to the lighthouse, where I released them onto some rocks on the calmer, safer bay side of the island.  Along the way, I got to know them a bit — each had quite a distinct personality.  One, which was missing a leg, was quite shy and hid under the rocks most of the time.  The largest one was quite active, very much the explorer. Near the end of our walk, when I picked up another starfish about three times his size and put it into a second clam shell, this one immediately went right over the edge of its shell into the other one and snuggled up to the new starfish.  (Maybe he was into older women?)  The third one was pretty mellow, just hung out in the sun and stretched now and then, except for when he reared up and gave me the finger!  I grew quite attached to my little family in their portable tidepool nursery.

  
 

All day, we were accompanied in the air by monarch butterflies migrating west, like small orange-and-black spirit guides.  They seem so delicate that it’s hard to imagine them flying hundreds of miles.  Yet I suppose they just take it a day at a time, like all of us.

The night before, as we were walking along the shore on the bay side where the waters are much calmer, I happened to glance down and see lights in the water.  At first I thought it was just my eyes making spots (you know, the kind you see when you look at a bright light and then look away), but when I looked closer, it turned out to be three jellyfish, each about 2″ in diameter, glowing a soft purplish/turquoise blue.  What an amazing sight!

Later that weekend, I found and purchased a necklace — a small silver starfish on a chain.  I haven’t taken it off.  Now back in the midst of hectic city life, I touch it and remember three baby starfish, a few dozen monarch butterflies and a trio of glowing jellyfish.  To have seen them and know that I share the world with them brings me a sense of calm and wonder.

Perhaps someday I will make a quilt inspired by them, but in the meantime, I’m finding that the memory helps open a space in my mind where I can imagine and create — a portable mental studio, like that little tidepool in a shell, where ideas, like starfish, can thrive.

French Crepes

Yes, I am quilting, and will post pictures soon.  But meanwhile, ya gotta eat!  Here’s a recipe that has been in my family for as long as I can remember — a friend requested it today so since I had to write it down, I’m sharing.  Enjoy!

French Crepes

Banana Upside-Down Bread Pudding

Here’s a recipe I came up with for breakfast this morning

Banana Upside-Down Bread Pudding

Now, to the studio for sewing, designing and quilting practice on the Bernina (it’s been lonely for the past few weeks).  I’m hoping to get Alex’s quilt put together this weekend — I’ll post pictures later!

Summer fruits

 Quick, before summer is over, take advantage of these wonderful recipes for delicious, light fruit desserts.  I’ve posted all 12 recipes from the NY Times Sunday Magazine here, on my Spiromaniacs Blog:

http://spiromaniacs.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/just-desserts/

Bon Apetite, and Happy Quilting!

RaNae

What goes around . . .

Spiros, I don’t usually pass along “spam” emails, but this one seemed worth sharing.  Do something good for someone today — you never know where it will lead you, or them.

———————————

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.” And that he did.

Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools. In time, he graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.  His son’s name?  Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.

A triple dose of trouble

Spiros, next time you’re having a bad day, remember this email I received from my mother just now.  Have a great day, no matter what!

Wednesday August 20, 2011 – A triple dose of trouble

This was a very interesting day. Jacob’s [my nephew, mom's grandson] physics class was doing a project at Rainbow Lake. Each class member had to build a boat out of cardboard and tape that is all. Jacob asked Grandpa to take his boat to the lake in his truck so he stayed to watch the action. The kids jumped inside their boats and rode around the lake until they sank. Jacob is quite a know it all and did not want any help so he built what he thought was a wonderful boat. Well it was one of the first to sink. The kids all learned some good lessons from the project.

I stayed home because I was waiting for the delivery of a new washer to replace the new one we bought in January. That one was one of the new environmentally friendly machines that use hardly any water. The only problem is that it hardly gets the clothes wet and hardly washes them. I had been scrubbing out dirt on top of the washer either before or after the washer didn’t do its job.

The very nice friendly young delivery man installed the washer and told me to run a clothes-free load. He noted that it filled properly and the agitator worked. I was happy the clothes were covered in water. After he left the machine started to spin and what a racket it made as it hopped around the laundry room. I thought it might be noisy and bouncy because it had no clothes to balance the spin.

I loaded the machine and set it for the first real operation. I wanted to watch the washer do its full cycle so I put a magnet on the sensor and left the lid open. While I was watching the clothes being washed. I decided to polish my brown shoes and since Charlie [my dad] and I had unpleasant words that morning I would polish his brown shoes and cowboy boots also. I set up operations on the dryer next to the washer. When the machine began its loud and boisterous slamming around, the tub of shoe polish, that was all broken up in small pieces, dived into the spinning washer. Of course all the pieces spewed out into the hot spinning clothes. Shoe polish landed on white shirts, underwear and many other white and light colored articles of clothing. Now not only did I have an unruly washer but I had a washer full of brown shoe polish melted into a load of white clothes. I tried every kind of cleaner, soap, stain remover and bleach I had in the house. Some fabric s let go of stains better than others. I got Charlie’s clothes pretty clean. He is very fussy about his clothes. At least he didn’t notice anything. As I was putting away my clothes I noticed one pair of underwear I missed in the heavy duty cleaning. More bleach did a pretty good job. I hope I will not find any more surprises when I try to wear something. Most of all I hope Charlie won’t find anything especially on his white shirts.

I continued on to the rinse cycle when Barbara [my sister] came in and heard the obnoxious washer and thought it needed to be leveled so she adjusted one leg but the noise and gyrations did not stop. I got down on the floor and noticed something from the washer was pounding into the dryer next to it. I pulled out the washer and saw a large glued on sign that read “Remove shipping rod”.  After I pulled it out the machine worked very quietly and peacefully. Thank goodness that problem was solved.

I retrieved some good size lumps of shoe polish and decided I would melt them back into the metal tin to use later. I set the tin on the smallest burner and the smallest gas flame and went out to check the washer. In the meantime Bridget [another granddaughter - one of the youngest] came over to see me. She came running into the laundry room shouting the stove was on fire. In the kitchen large flames were leaping up from the shoe polish to the microwave. At first I was in shock and started scurrying about trying to decide what to do for a grease fire as the flames continued to increase their fury. I thought of water but I knew that was not good but I was desperate so I poured some into theshoe  polish tin. I finally set a pan lid over the shoe polish tin but it was not tight enough to eliminate the air. I think it just burned itself out.

Now on top of the trauma of a wild washer in my house and the resulting shoe polish disaster I had a fire to clean up. Thankfully it didn’t cause any damage and not a huge mess but I did have to scrape the left over shoe polish off the counter top and stove and wash up the rest plus I had to clean up the greasy smoke. What a way to spend a few hours in what could have been a perfect day.

Spiral Miranda Bag Giveaway!

Spiros, I’m giving away this beautiful Spiral Miranda Bag that I made a while ago with Joan Hawley.  Click here to read about it and enter to win!

A new grandquilt!

Since I don’t have grandchildren, it’s fun to think of the quilts I’ve helped to bring into the world as my “grandquilts”.  I received news of a new award-winning grandquilt yesterday from Mardi Carter:

“Many thanks to your clearly written book Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts, I was able to make a spiral quilt for the 2011 Hoffman Challenge. I won “Best Machine Workmanship.” It is truly a thrill and I thought you might be interested. It will be displayed in the International Houston Quilt Festival in November.

I also have a new spiral mandala planned, fabric bought and ready to start working during the winter (no place to sew in the summer).  Thank you for your inspiration.  Mardi”

If you would like to read more about Mardi’s quilt, visit the post on her blog here:  http://photosbymardi.com/?p=2547

Congratulations, Mardi — Spiral on! 

RaNae 

Mandala Inspiration NYC

This past week was rich in inspiration for mandalas [click on images for a larger view]. 

Thursday evening I was walking home past Central Park on my way to Shakespeare in the Park (All’s Well That Ends Well), and I walked past this guy doing a sand mandala at Columbus Circle.

Sunday afternoon at the Met, I wandered in the Roman wing where I’ve never explored before, and found this beautiful mosiac floor.