Mother's Day recipes to try

Read down a little further, to see some tasty recipes.

Please don't forget to enter my Linky Party Giveaway #3, click this link to enter - "Reap What You Sew Sundays"simply enter with a link to something you made that is green, add yourself as a follower and put my linky party badge somewhere on your blog. Sundays are my planned days to announce a winner and start another one.Thanks to all that have participated so far, make my blog your weekly stop on Sundays!

Well we are finally welcoming spring, with all the rain and high winds! I am grateful for the end of winter, though today was one of the worst days on record for tornadoes, especially in Alabama. 

 We had winds around 60 miles/hour last night, and as usual we wake up to this a big cleanup!

And I am optimistic about a beautiful and thrifty garden again this year, I got my first crops started.  My veggie garden was completely started from seed last year, so I am planning on a bigger one this year.

There is hope!

And now, a few pics of a great recipe I cooked for Easter, but any spring time occasion, like Mothers Day would be a great time to prepare this easy 7 Herb Stuffed Leg of Lamb and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes! Recipe follows.

Hubby broke out the electric knife to carve into slices, to reveal the yummy stuffing.

Dessert was an easy Angelfood mix and sweetened strawberries and whipped cream from a can!  My family loved it!

Roast Leg of Young Lamb with Seven Herbs

Roast at 350 degrees Makes 8 servings


1 leg of lamb, about 7 lbs – boned and rolled


Seven Herbs stuffing


2 T Olive oil


1 small green pepper, halved seeded into strips


½ c finely chopped carrots, onion, celery


2 cloves of garlic minced


2 cans condensed beef bouillon


¼ c all purpose flour


½ c cold water


1. Remove strings from rolled leg of lamb, carefully and unroll meat. Spoon seven herbs stuffing onto surface. Re-tie lamb, following butcher’s original ties. Season outside with salt and pepper.


2. Heat oil in a rectangular heavy roasting pan or heavy skillet; brown lamb on all sides. (Takes about 15 minutes) Transfer lamb to oven in the heavy roasting pan or transfer form skillet to regular roasting pan.


3. Roast in moderate oven (350) about 60 minutes. Stir pepper, carrots, onion, celery and garlic into pan drippings.


4. Roast 35- 60 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer registers 140 for rare or 150 for medium. Transfer meat to a heated platter and keep warm.


5. Place roasting pan over heat and add beef bouillion. Heat to boiling; lower heat; simmer 5 minutes. Strain liquid into a medium-size saucepan and discard veggies. Skim fat from surface of liquid. Heat slowly to boiling.


6. Combine flour and cold water in a cup to make a smooth paste.


7. Stir paste slowly into boiling liquid and continue to stir until mixture thickens and bubbles 3 minutes. Keep warm until serving time.


8. Carve part of lamb into slices, removing strings as you carve. Arrange lamb and slices on heated serving platter, arranging veggies. Serve with hot gravy.


Seven Herbs Stuffing


½ c (1stick) of butter or margarine


¼ t of each of the following: leaf marjoram, dried mint, leaf basil,oregano,sage,rosemary


1 bay leaf crumbled


1 t salt


¼ t pepper


1 ½ c soft white bread crumbs (3 slices)


1 T lemon juice


1. Stir butter or margarine with a wooden spoon until soft in a small bowl.


2. Combine all the herbs by pulsing in a food processor, till pulverized. Add to softened butter with bread crumbs and lemon juice, blending well.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes recipe here 
Looking forward to seeing all your great projects, I will be picking a random winner on Sunday night, till then!

Sew much fun, Guest Blogger Karen and Linky #3!

Sewing, for me a lot of fun... 

I mentioned how I have been on a sewing jag lately.  I made 2 teen skirts, a blouse, and a wrap skirt with several outfits cut out waiting for me to attack them.  I am posting this, because while I am a sewist, I enjoy the process, I go in spurts.  Making clothes today is really a form of making practical art.  And if you choose wisely, your garment will be an expression of your creativity and thriftiness.  But not always!  Fabric, and notions are so expensive today, it is why you see me using thrifted garments and searching for vintage lace and buttons.  I have made quite a few giftable items and practical hanging kitchen towels.  Those items don't need the care to be the right size or style, so I have been sewing clothes less often.  And the hardest part is getting the fit right, mainly for me. 

The blouse is cute, made of calico bought on sale.  Vintage buttons, and I got to run the serger a bit.  But, as usual the fit is rather tight, and unless I shed some pounds fast, I will have to start buying plus size patterns.  Sigh...just a reality check...Last year I tried Curves, and it gave me some courage for a while, to take charge, but here I am a year later, the same size only I feel larger than ever...achy hips keep me from doing much more.  I try to walk with hubby and the dog, but it is a chore as the cold still keeps me from mobility. 

 As I write this, I am aching still from alot of walking we did on a 2 day trip to Chicago. Hubby has a yearly meeting there, and we again took my daughter and this time a friend, Rachel. We hit the Sci and Industry museum, Cheesecake Factory restuarant, Navy Pier and of course the Water Tower Place 7 levels of retail therapy!  Some sites here, as well as a quick visit with my Auntie Helen and Cuzzin Janet. 

 

Cheesecake Factory Dessert of course!

 



cheerleading competition at the pier, the younger division, so cute!



Good times, (its water, don't worry!)

Along my travels across the blogosphere, I have met some very crafty and creative people.  One gal, in particular, Karen at SewManyWays.blogspot.com.  She revealed her very "green" sewing room redo.  I couldn't help but ask her if she would guest star on my blog; we seem to have alot in common, her thriftiness in particular, caught my attention.  I have asked her to intro herself, and due to an extremely busy holiday weekend, I have her permission to intro her from her "about" section on her blog. 

About Me

Hi...my name is Karen and I want to welcome you to Sew Many Ways. My life is filled with so many wonderful things, I wanted to share some of it with you on this blog.
I have been married to my husband for 23 years and love him to pieces. We have 2 beautiful daughters who make us proud every day. Our home is quiet now, because we are empty nesters. Both girls are away at college, but thankfully they are both at the same university! That eases our minds that they have each other, but boy do we MISS them!

I love to quilt, sew, craft, blog, drink tea, rearrange furniture and organize. I also love to shop at fabric stores, thrift stores and believe it or not...hardware stores. My most popular feature is a weekly post called Tool Time Tuesday where we always think outside the box for ideas. Join me on this blogging adventure and I will share all my tips, tricks and tutorials with you!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I can't wait to get to know you better,

~Karen~

Thank you Karen, I hope your family enjoys their Easter and I want to wish all my followers and visitors Happy Easter, and Happy Holidays for all of other faiths.  It is our most joyous time of year as Christians, I extend warm wishes to yours from our family.

Linky Party #3 Reap What You Sew Sundays...begins on a Sunday, ends following weekend.

Please post a link of something you made recently that is a "green" idea, one which recycles or repurposes or save the environment and add yourself as a follower.  As a courtesy, spread the word, grab my "Reap What You Sew Sundays" badge on top right of my blog.  I am reoffering a choice of gently previewed crafting books, (see previous post)  I will choose a winner by Random Generator next Sunday, at 6:00 pm. 

Spring Break Amusements and Linky Giveaway #2

Spring break came and went last week.  Daughter was increasingly bored, espcially with our wintry cold weather. Since I was also on break, I committed to spending a few days with her, shopping of course, museums, check, and wedged in were a few projects clogging up my sewing space.

 

A few pics from her day at the Great Lakes Science center, which is just a stones throw to the Rock Hall of Fame.  I couldn't talk her friend into going there, even though daughter has never been.  At $23.00 per ticket for adults, I didn't argue too much. 

Today's Tutorial: I had this super size picture frame, left to languish in a friend's basement, with a ghastly fakey floral picture in it. Picture shows process of being painted.  I taped off the pretty brass decorative design next to the fake mahogany

 I had bought a couple of pieces of styrofoam insulation a while back, thinking design or inspiration board,  and a striped shower curtain, and picked up for $2.00 at Goodwill. My current sewing room is somewhat neutral with Dove Gray paint, and deep blue carpet, all the better to see threads on of course! (the former tenant, daughter had 3 different bright colors on her walls, it took 3 coats of Benjy Moore paint to neutralize! ) I have a number of vintage pieces of furniture including a neat 1920's metal topped table that makes a great base for a smallish ironing board. When I saw the stripes, with all of my favorite colors, I just knew it had to be a statement. 

Here are the steps in pictures.

I painted the frame with leftover trim paint, and roughed up the edges a bit with sandpaper.
What do you think?  I love pinning up my future projects and bits of lace and doily for inspiration.

Another pursuit during the week was to cut out patterns, and sew up a few creations.  Pictured here is my daughter's friend Rachel, modeling a simple gray gathered skirt, that I made at her request.  She later made me take off the rick rack around the pockets, too cutesy...for a 14 year old.  My daughter's is made with the exception of hem, I need her to try it on before I finish it.  I had bought so many patterns and fabric at the going out of business sale at Joanns nearby, I have been sewing clothing almost exclusively.  Spring is supposed to spring, on Sunday this week, after cold and rain...in Cleveland, we are usually the last to feel any warm weather, or see our bulbs bloom.  But it will be worth it!

 

 

Well my first linky party giveaway (last post) snagged 13 people, and a few new followers! Thank you to all who participated!  I am hoping to make this a regular event, if I don't get too busy.  I had a job interview on Friday today for a Family and Consumer Science position (Home Ec)  in a nearby suburb, that I am so excited about.  Jobs like this don't come up very often, and since I lost my job due to budget cuts back in 2008, I haven't had a steady paycheck or benefits.  I have been asking everyone to pray for me to be considered, and I take great comfort in knowing that if the Lord wants me in this position, He will guide me to make a good impression.  I am bringing brought with me as many letters of recommendation that I can carry, from the schools I sub in, and plan to have more emailed as soon as I obtain them.  The interview went well, but I was asked some very strange questions, not typical to job interviews I have been to in the past.

LINKY PARTY #2
 I am offering a choice of gently viewed books again for this next linky party!  Comment which one you'd like and why...!

For those of you new to Linky Parties, first of all I think they are alot of fun!  You get a chance to show off what neat stuff you made recently, and we all get to click the link to check it out.  I only ask that you reference my linky party in some way on your post, or side bar, comment and become a follower if you haven't done so yet.  I have code you can cut and paste at the top of my side bar, "Reap What you Sew Sundays".  Party closes on Sundays evenings, since I got a late start posting this, it will end Sunday April 17th. Check back to see who won, comment/post and to check out the great stuff people are making!  Email or post if you have any issues...have a creative week! Linky party here:

Winner of my first Linky Party!

Reap what you Sew Sundays - #7 came up when I ran the Random Generator.  Tried to copy the site here, but it doesn't show properly.  Anyhoo, I am a few people short of my 10,000th visitor, but one of you tonight will do the honors! Congrats to: Bobylyn at http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/  She has a lovely site, and lots of great ideas, stop by and visit her!

Stop back each week to enter my linky giveaways, with last day on Sundays!  Until next post, here is a sneak peek of my next project tutorial, using a vintage picture frame, styrofoam insulation and a shower curtain! Stop back soon!