PinkPetunia's House

Quilted Button Heart Bag Tutorial

Here is the bag I referenced in yesterday's post. Ellie uses bags for everything and I wanted to make her a special one for Valentine's day. Please let me know if you see any errors with the posted tutorial. I cut and pasted it from another application and I am not sure how it will come over so please let me know if you see any errors.

Quilted Button Heart Bag Tutorial
(printer friendly PDF below)

Materials:

½ yard of pre-quilted fabric, more if you are matching a pattern

1 yard 1 ½ - 2 inch wide webbing for handles, cut in half

1 yard of 5/8 inch ric rac

Assortment of coordinating buttons of various size and shape

Thread to match buttons

Fabric marking pen, invisible or washable

 

Notes:

To indicate stitch(es)(ing)(ed)             or - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Directions:

1. Cut quilted fabric as follows.
     2 – 12 ½ inches by 10 ½ inches for FRONT and BACK
     1 – 5 ½ inches by 10 ½ inches for BOTTOM
     2 – 12 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches for SIDEs 
2. Mark desired heart shape in center of FRONT panel.
    
3. Sew buttons in a random pattern within the heart shape. I did not cut the thread between each button. I knotted off the back and moved right onto the next button.
         
4. Start bag assembly, sew each piece wrong sides together as follows:
   Sew FRONT bottom to BOTTOM long side.
   Sew BACK bottom to other BOTTOM long side.
    
5. Attach side pieces as shown:
   Sew each SIDE to bag FRONT, stopping at seams sewn in step 4.
6. Shape bag as follow:
   Sew bag SIDEs to BACK, stopping at seams sewn in step 5(the buttons are now on the inside of the bag).
    
7. Close bottom of bag:
   Sew BOTTOM short sides to SIDE bottoms, stopping at the seams sewn in step 6.  
8. Fold top of bag under 1 inch and iron to set. 
9. Turn bag right-side out. 
10. Iron each seam to so that it is a sharper crease.
11. Attach handles:
    On FRONT and BACK panels, tuck webbing strip ends under folded over edges (they are now hanging down into the bag)
    
    Pin the strips ends in place.
    
    Pull the webbing strips up so they are outside of the bag as shown.
    
    
12. Top stitch ½ inch from top of bag being sure to catch the webbing strip ends under the fold.
    
    
13. Attach ric rac:
    Pin ric rac all the way around the bag lining up the center of the ric rac with the top stiching. The ric rac will hide the stitching.
    
    Sew in place.
    
    
    
14. Fill with whatever your 'heart' desires. Sorry, I could not resist.

If you have any questions or comments about this tutorial, please contact me.

Printer friendly PDF

Christine
http://pinkpetunias.typepad.com
thepinkpetunia@gmail.com

Valentine's Day, Part Four: The Menu and a Little Quilted Heart Bag

My little Valentine before school today:

Later, I will post the pink quilted heart bag I made for her. It turned out really sweet.

And now, because inquiring minds want to know, here is the final Valentine's Day menu. It took some serious thought but we finally narrowed it down to some of our favorites.

Valentine's Day Menu

Cruz Alta Mendoza Chairman's Blend 2006 red wine (delicious bottle of wine from Laura and Bill, my inlaws. Please note, Ellie had apple punch juice, NOT wine.)

 

Mini crab cakes (made with blue crab meat)

Fettuccine Alfredo with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms (Friends Val and Jen were on to something with this idea. Apparently they have it for New Year's Eve...it's that good of a combo. I browned 1 pound of italian sausage, threw in 5-6 sliced mushrooms and set it aside. Then I followed the posted recipe and when the pasta and sauce were done, I mixed in the sausage and mushrooms and voila!)

 

Caesar Salad (recipe below and thank you Pat and Sarah for the recipe, I never knew what it meant to coddle an egg before. I do now.)

 

Cherry Cheesecake Pie, it was so good. It is actually too good to keep around the house so I will be taking this one into work to share with my co-workers...after I keep one big piece for Rob, afterall, it is his pie.

 

Caesar Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon ground mustard
1 clove crushed garlic
1 egg
1 lemon, juiced
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups croutons
1 (2 ounce) can anchovy filets

Directions:

1. In a bowl or jar combine oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, mustard, garlic and lemon juice.
2. Whisk until well blended.
3. Coddle egg by heating 3 cups of water to boiling.
4. Drop in egg (still in shell) and let stand for 1 minute.
5. Remove egg from water and let cool.
6. Once cooled crack open and whisk egg into dressing.
7. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
8. Mash desired amount of anchovies and whisk them into the dressing. If desired set aside a few for garnish.
9. To assemble, place torn lettuce leaves in a large bowl.
10. Pour dressing over the top and toss lightly.
11. Add the grated cheese, garlic croutons and freshly ground pepper, toss.
12. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Wondering how I have all this posted on Valentine's afternoon? Well, celebrating with a big meal after a long day at work is pretty tough so we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on Sunday so we could take our time and have a nice relaxing dinner. It was a very smart move on our part.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Valentine's Day, Part One: Appetizers, Valentine's Day, Part Two: Dinner, Valentine's Day, Part Three: Dessert

Valentine's Day, Part Three: Dessert Recipes

Appetizer recipes, check. Dinner recipes, check. Dessert recipes, not so much. I am a little torn on about what to make for dessert on Valentine's day. Rob really, really, really loves pie. Ellie, does not. They both really like ice cream but that seams a little boring. I cannot add anything to it because the only thing Ellie will put on her VANILLA only ice cream are sprinkles (Rob hates them but don't tell Ellie). And not just any sprinkles. They must be rainbow sprinkles. She prefers rainbow jimmies to sprinkles but I have not gotten into the whole sprinkles vs. jimmies debate with her. To her they are all sprinkles. It is up to me to make sure I have the jimmie variety that she likes.

I think I need to do some serious analysis here.

• pie - Rob loves, Ellie not really
• cheesecake - Rob loves, loves, loves cheesecake. I don't think Ellie has ever tried it. She is good about trying new things. This could be a good option.
• ice cream - Rob and Ellie both love but not too special
• cookies - everyone loves a good cookie
• cake - Rob and Ellie do not care for, or me for that matter
• chocolate covered strawberries - what's not to like here, chocolate and strawberries but I don't think I am going to have a lot of luck finding great ones since they are out of season. I might have to look around.
• cut up fruit with chocolate fondue - sounds delish but I could be asking for trouble letting a three year old dip things in hot sauce.
• souffle - please people, I need to make this on a weeknight. Maybe I could make dinner on Sunday and let Rob make a nice dinner for Ellie and me on Monday. Just a thought if you are reading this, Rob.

So, it looks like ice cream and cookies are safe bets.

Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream Pie Recipe, from Woman's Day

 

It's pie, it's ice cream, it's fruit and it's chocolate. This could be the best all-around dessert ever! Who wouldn't like it?

Ingredients:

Crust
12 to 15 whole chocolate graham crackers
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1⁄4 cup sugar

Filling
1 container (14 to 16 oz) vanilla ice cream
1 pint raspberry sorbet
1 container (14 to 16 oz) chocolate ice cream
1 pint red raspberries
1 tub (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Garnish (Optional)
chocolate curls or chocolate sauce

Directions:

1. Evenly coat a 9-in. pie plate with nonstick spray.
2. Crust: Pulse crackers in food processor until fine crumbs form.
3. Add butter and sugar; pulse until crumbs are moistened.
4. Press firmly over bottom and up sides of pie plate.
5. Freeze 30 minutes.
6. Place vanilla ice cream in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to slightly soften.
7. Pack into crust with an ice cream spade or large spoon; spread evenly.
8. Freeze 15 minutes or until firm.
9. Slightly soften sorbet as above; spread on vanilla ice cream.
10. Freeze until firm.
11. Slightly softening chocolate ice cream.
12. Spread evenly on sorbet. Freeze at least 3 hours, or wrap airtight and freeze up to 1 week.
13. Top pie with 1⁄2 pt raspberries.
14. Drop spoonfuls of whipped topping on berries; spread evenly.
15. Top with remaining berries; garnish with chocolate curls or sauce. NOTE: To make chocolate curls, firmly pull a swivel-blade vegetable peeler across a bar or block of roomtemperature chocolate.

 Cherry Cheesecake Pie Recipe, also from Woman's Day

 

Rob loves cheesecake and he loves pie. Ellie loves almonds and cream cheese. Could work.

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce box rolled pie crusts
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 8 ounce blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
White from 1 large egg, in a small bowl
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 
2. Put one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate.
3. Unroll remaining crust on a cutting board.
4. Cut in 1/2-in.-wide strips.
5. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.
6. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
7. Add cream cheese; beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.
8. On low speed, beat in egg and extract until just blended.
9. Spread batter evenly in crust.
10. Spoon pie filling evenly over top.
11. Beat egg white with a fork until foamy.
12. Brush on pastry strips.
13. Evenly arrange about 8 strips across pie filing.
14. Place 8 more strips diagonally over first strips to form a lattice (discard remaining strips).
15. Trim and press ends to bottom crust.
16. Brush rim with egg white; press on almonds.
17. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until crust is golden brown and cherries bubble.
18. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

NOTES: Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. Can be baked up to 4 days ahead. Refrigerate covered.

Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe, from Not So Humble Pie

Just hop on over to Not So Humble Pie's blog to see the recipe. They look so cute and best of all, they are cookies, ice cream and some could have sprinkles (Ellie) and some could not (Rob).

So which one should I make? I think all three will please both people I want to make happy...and me too. :)

Updated: Valentine's Dinner, Part Four: The Menu

Valentine's Day, Part Two: Dinner Recipes

Now that I have a few appetizer recipes to choose from, I need to decide what to have for dinner. Chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian, seafood? Hmmm. Before the days of the internet, I don't think it was as difficult to decide what to make for dinner. Now with all all the recipe websites and incredible food blogs, the possibilities are endless...and it will take me forever to decide. Trust me. When I go to a restaurant, if the menu has an overwhelming number of options, I cannot decide and usually panic and pick something safe.

Anyhow, I somehow got slightly off topic so back to dinner recipe options.

Fettuccine Alfredo

 

Ingredients:

1 pound fettuccine pasta
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, liberally salt the water and add pasta. Cook about 7-9 minutes. The pasta will be al dente.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat  in a pan large enough to fit the pasta once cooked.
3. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it but do not rinse.
5. Add the pasta to the pan.
6. Add cream and cheese.
7. Mix to coat the pasta.
8. Cook 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, let pasta stand 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
9. Toss just before serving.

My friend Val made a really great Christmas Eve fettuccine alfredo with hot sausage and mushrooms that was to die for. I am thinking I should add something to this too. Maybe shrimp and spinach? Sausage and peppers? Broccoli and chicken? Decisions, decisions.

Steak Au Poivre with Brandy Sauce

 

Ingredients:

4 steaks, approximately 1 inch thick
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
3 tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup beef broth or stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Sprinkle salt generously over both sides of the steaks and let them come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat.
3. When the oil begins to smoke, take the pan off the heat.
4. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and place in the hot pan.
5. Return the pan to the heat and turn the heat down to medium-high.
6. Sear, without moving the steaks, for at least 4 minutes. Try to pick up a steak with tongs, and if it comes clean, flip it and turn the heat down to medium. If it sticks to the pan, let it cook for another minute or two on that side.
7. Use the finger test for doneness or a meat thermometer. For rare, remove the meat from the pan when the inside reaches 120°F, for medium rare 125-130°F.
8. Once the steak is done to your liking remove the meat to a baking sheet and sprinkle on a generous portion of crushed black peppercorns on both sides of each steak.
9. Tent with aluminum foil and let the steak rest while you are preparing the sauce.
10. Make the sauce. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.
11. Add the brandy and as it boils, deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge all the browned bits.
12. Once the brandy is almost cooked away, add the beef stock and turn the heat to high.
13. Boil the sauce down until there's a noticeable trail when you drag a wooden spoon through the center of it (4-5 minutes).
14. Pour in the heavy cream and resume boiling.
15. Again, boil down until thickened.
16. Remove from heat and add the parsley and any remaining black pepper, up to 1 tablespoon.
17. Add salt, to taste if needed.
18. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the steaks.

What could I serve with this? Roasted asparagus? Sweet potato fries? Garlic smashed potatoes? Ideas?

I am pretty sure no matter which I choose, the fettuccine alfredo recipe or the steak au poivre recipe, Rob and Ellie would be happy. I need to keep in mind that I do work and Valentine's day falls on a Monday this year. That means this has to be something I can make after work with a 3 year old running around asking if she can help me cook.

What do you think? Any other ideas?

Updated: Valentine's Day, Part One: Appetizer Recipes, Valentine's Day, Part Three: Dessert Recipes, Valentine's Day, Part Four: The Menu

Valentine's Day, Part One: Appetizer Recipes

I am trying really hard to get my act together in 2011 and pre-plan my life. I am always running around at the last minute trying to get things done and make things just so...well, perfect.

This week, I am hoping to get my act together and get my Valentine's Day dinner plans all figured out. We don't do anything too fancy. The last 2 years, Ellie has had dinner with us and it was really nice so this year will be the same. With any luck Rob and Ellie will like what I make. Maybe I get them both to help me out in the kitchen.

Here are a few of the recipes I am considering for my Valentine's Day dinner appetizer: savory sun-dried tomato pesto palmiers (elephant ear cookies), shimp and scallop ceviche and mini crab cakes. I am pretty certain Rob and Ellie will like them. I know they like all the ingredients in each of them. Now I just have to decide which one to make.

Savory Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Palmiers

Ingredients:

1/2 package all butter puff pastry, thawed
2 cups spinach
½ cup fresh basil
4 to 5 sundried tomatoes
½ teaspoons olive oil 
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured worked surface.
2. Combine the spinach, basil, sundried tomatoes, olive oil and 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse until mixture reaches paste consistency.
3. Spread the pesto mixture over the pastry evenly.
4. Sprinkle the pesto with the remaining parmesan cheese.
5. Now Roll. Roll the left vertical side towards the center seam.  Roll the right vertical side towards the center too.  Gently press together.
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour until cold and firm.
7. Remove plastic wrap and slice into 1/2 inch slices.
8. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. NOTE: Keep a close eye on the pastries after about 11 minutes. They burn quickly.
10. Remove pastries from baking sheet and place on cooling rack.

Shirmp and Scallop Ceviche

 

Rob and I went to Talara in Baltimore and they have a traditional ceviche listed on the menu that is incredible. We ordered it with Scallops and I am not kidding when I say it was one of the best things I have had. Now, we were really hungry and all but it really was good. Talara serves it in single serve spoons but I think I would serve with tortilla chips for some added crunch and I don't have the spoons. If I go out and buy one more thing for my kitchen, Rob will KILL me.

Normally ceviche is done with raw fish but I am not brave enough to do it. The version we got at Talara did use cooked scallops so I think that is how I will do it, too.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound scallops, cooked and chopped
1/2 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled, deviened and chopped
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 bell peppers, red and green, seeded and diced
1 large red onion, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, reserve a few whole leaves for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
3. Just before serving, pour the mixture into a colander to drain.
4. Put the ceviche in a serving bowl.
5. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Mini Crab Cakes

 

I don't know of anyone in Maryland that would turn their nose up at something made with crab meat so I have to consider crabcakes. They really are easy and so good. I think I would use my traditional crabcake recipe but make a few changes: mix in some corn, replace the bread with cornbread, serve with a spicy sauce or a salasa topping so it is more appetizer like and I would pan fry them.

Spicy Crabcake Sauce

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red bell pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine bell pepper, hot sauce, zest and mayonnaise.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 Now, which one should I pick? Hmmm. I might need to see which one Rob would prefer...of course after I decide which one I want to make so I can guide him in the right direction.

Updated: Valentine's Day, Part Two: Dinner Recipes, Valentine's Day, Part Three Dessert Recipes, Valentine's Day, Part Four: The Menu