Let's Try This Again ~ Cooking, Quilting

Hello! One of my favorite sayings from an old sampler [supposedly] is "I DONE MY BEST jane smith aged 11 years". It makes me laugh, in  sympathy for the child of long ago. I know just how she felt, the urge to just say, this is good enough.
The crucial question is, did I really do my best or am I just getting by?  I know nothing can be perfect, but some things are worth trying again. And again. As Tom Gunn says, Make it work! [My other fave saying.]
So first we have the Log Cabin / Schoolhouse block from When the Wild Geese Fly.
Version One. Awful. I blamed poor Jan Patek's pattern.

Version Two. I drafted my own pattern. Okay, harder than it looks. And really ugly, below. In our defense I will say this quilt block is usually pieced, and I have done so with no issues. Even made a miniature one once with 2" blocks. But this applique version is not good.

My friend Mel said something about how she never liked that block anyway. Which I don't agree with, I love it!---but that made me think : Yes I want a cabin/ cottage/ house in that spot; No, it need not be an [ugly] Schoolhouse.
This is Version Three. It's, well, okay. A Cape Cod cottage, maybe on the marsh where the geese are huddled, preparing for their autumn flight.

Geese here migrate to the golf course and the soccer fields. But the big Vs of honking geese are beautiful and evocative and wild, in my imagination.
Does it work? Maybe

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Now with cooking, do-overs are easier and more fun. You'll maybe recall my bland and boring cauliflower ''pilaf'' from a few weeks ago. It was edible, but disappointing. Not a hint of rice's nutty goodness and why I expected that is a mystery. Cauliflower tastes like, uh, cauliflower. This didn't stop me from buying another bag of the grated cauli and---again listening to Mel---I made her delicious version of faux twice baked cauli.

Here is her description, edited a little,because she kept adding info:

 Mel's Twice Baked Cauli Casserole

It's like twice-baked potatoes. 

Cook cauliflower lightly and break up. 

Mix in melted butter, sour cream, some green onion, bacon bits, and shredded cheddar. 

Mix well, and put in baking dish. 

Top with a bit of cheese and bake (or microwave) until hot through and cheese is melted.

    ****

I used the pre-grated cauli  crumbles  microwaved in the bag 3 minutes.

Added cheddar [reserve some for topping] , green onions*, sour cream, butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
* I didn't have green onions, used regular minced. But I think green onions / scallions would be extra tasty plus adding a bit of pretty green.

Don't forget the bacon bits!

I  baked the casserole for 20 minutes at 350*, then added some reserved cheddar . Baked it 3 minutes more til the cheese melted.

This was delicious! We gobbled up the whole thing. I served it with a green salad and lemon/ thyme grilled chicken breasts, though I personally don't eat chicken and the cauli casserole and salad was a delightfully hot savory and filling, though not lo-cal, meal. Easy to make too.
I picture this being really wonderful with steaks, too, just like regular twice baked potatoes are. Yum!
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Sky note: the air is suddenly chilly now, the wind is blustery at times. And sunsets are coming ever earlier these on these October days. Too early but so beautiful---an amber orange glow fills the cloudless sky.

Have a great week!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

Out and About

Hi! Happy Friday! I am breathing sighs of relief because Hurricane Matthew is NOT supposed to head to north to NY. Instead of doing hurricane evacuation prep, yesterday my friend and I went out for a bit of a shopping day. Our goal was to find a Halloween costume for Mo. I wasn't  planning on dressing Mo up because I can't maybe take him out trick or treating, but my kids want Mo to have a costume. Sad to say, the only outfit left on the rack at Home Goods was a XXXL hot dog costume that would fit a great Dane.

I did find a sweet little Fall jacket for Mo, very soft red corduroy with an even softer plush lining. Mo looks cute in red!

Gotta give HG credit, they did still have pumpkin-y decor and the Christmas things are not yet out on the shelves.

We popped into TJ Maxx too.

Lovely cozy-looking sweaters, but it was just toooo hot to think about buying sweaters.

Inspired me to want to knit something though. Maybe:? This?  or This I'd make the sleeves long and put thumbholes!

..........

We had the most fun at Trader Joe's as usual.
Fall tulips!

Adorable baby mums, in fancy styles.

I love the little stripey button mums.

This year I did them in my spatterware/ graniteware buckets instead of in crocks.

Good food ideas too. Look at these tiny butternut squashes, what a great idea.

Actually called Honeynut squash. Did not try mine yet, I'll let you know if they're tasty.

And I couldn't resist this pasta and sauce.  Usually I don't buy premade sauce in a jar, bu this looked so different and good.

And these tiny pumpkin shaped pastas!

Perfect for a fast meal some fall evening. I got another pasta that is tiny beggar's purses, like crimped tortellini, filled with prosciutto and cheese. Yum!

Hope you have a good weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Goldenrod Days

Hi! Good news, my doctor has stopped my physical therapy for now and instead he is in favor of daily short walks. I was so thrilled and of course all I heard was ''walking is a good plan'' and off I went to the beach. I had not been to the beach since late April, maybe the longest no-beach period in my life since I moved here. It wasn't the most beautiful day, quiet and grey, but oooh, the air! All my cares, worries, aches and pains just roll off my shoulders, I can feel myself relaxing, as I walk.

I was careful, did not go far. The beach is huge right now and I didn't go all the way to the water's edge. It's probably a little more than a half mile from my house to the low tide line, I think.

Let's look, anything new and interesting?
Some smart person has marked the dune path entrance. In the winter it can be hard to find from the beach side.

Boardwalk looks good! It is being taken up though now, to save it from winter storms.

The dunes are high and covered with rolling green and amber grasses.

The goldenrod is just starting to bloom.

The dark line in the sand is the high tide mark from last week's flood tides. [No treasure!]

The summer shorebirds are gone except for the gulls,

and the tiny footprints left in the sand.

Back home I put out a couple of my favvorite Autumn quilts. Just to, you know--get things started.

And yes today, my hip joints hurt, but not terribly! So worth it.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

a small PS about the Oystercatchers: It seems they fly south to Florida and the Caribbean. I hope my birds safely weather H Matthew as they fly south.

And remember I mentioned that they seem to live in birdie ménages à trois? This is from the Audubon webpage. See I don't make this stuff up! LOL.

my threesome that nest to the west edge of my beach.
they've been coming for maybe 10 years?

still courting each spring

Nesting/ American Oystercatcher

First breeds at age of 3-4 years. Sometimes may mate for life. In areas with high populations, may form trios, with one male and two females attending one nest or two nearby nests.