GIVEAWAY: This Little Kitty Needs A Home

This is George. George would love to be adopted by you. And he's bringing his pumpkin harvest with him.
All you have to do is go to Ginger Creme Hollow and enter Becky's Giveaway for George.
He's cute, quiet and doesn't eat much (well, nothing reallly). And look at that sweet face!
Warm Regards,
Susan

Want To Be Part Of A Huge Online Christmas Craft Show?

Contact Kim at Old Road Primitives for information and to sign up. Crafters and their customers will both enjoy this. Remember all the fun we  had during Christmas In July with The Olde Country Cupboard and Samantha's Accessories?
There is already a big list of crafters signed up and Kim will also send you tutorials on how to decorate your blog and install PayPal Buy Now Buttons, Christmas music, backgrounds and even "snow".
Go check it out before October 5, 2011. Kim would like everyone signed on by then.
You will sell your items for the show on your blog November 11, 12 and 13th.
See you there!
Susan

Before The Samplers Are Stitched: The Story of Linen

All photos copyright The Fabrics Store
Colonial Linen: A Step Towards American Independence

Read this very interesting story about linen. We stitch our samplers on it, we wear it and we really don't think about how easy it is to obtain
it from the store or online. I think you will enjoy this tiny trip back in
time.
Warm Regards,
Susan









All photos copyright The Fabrics Store

What We Had For Lunch: Carmelized Onion, Walnut and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I love chicken salad, prepared several different ways. The roasted chicken in this recipe is nice. I don't care for cilantro (too much "bite" for me) and the lime juice so I left it out. (The omission  didn't spoil it!) Also, I only like chicken breast white meat so I didn't use chicken thighs. Mr. Glen Oaks wanted bacon on his sandwiches (yummy). Mom used the end product chicken broth stock to make her own Chicken and Rice Soup.                                                     p.s. for a treat the "boys" (aka Puffy and Biggy) got some of the box chicken broth before it went into the recipe

Caramelized Onion, Walnut, and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Makes: 4 servings

Prep: 35 minutes Cook: 16 minutes Slow Cook: 7 to 8 hours (low) or 3-1/2 to 4 hrs. (high)

ingredients

• 1
  Tbsp. butter
• 1
  cup chopped sweet onion (1 large)
• 2
  cups Shredded Chicken Master Recipe (see recipe below)
• 1/2
  cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4
  cup sliced green onion (2)
• 1/2
  cup mayonnaise
• 1
  Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
• 1
  Tbsp. lime juice
• Salt and ground black pepper (optional)
• 10
  slices sourdough bread, toasted
• 10
  slices tomato
• 3/4
  cup baby spinach leaves
• Pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)

directions

1.In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered, for 13 to 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes more or until golden.

2.In a large bowl, combine onion, chicken, walnuts, and green onion. Add mayonnaise, cilantro, and lime juice; toss to coat. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.Place about 1/2 cup chicken salad on each of five bread slices. Top each with two slices tomato and some of the spinach. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices. If desired, secure each sandwich with a skewer and garnish with an olive. Makes 5 servings.

Shredded Chicken Master Recipe:Place 4-1/2 to 5 pounds chicken thighs, skinned, in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. For bouquet garni, cut an 8-inch square from a double thickness of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Place 4 thyme sprigs, 4 parsley stems, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves garlic, halved and 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns in the center of the cheesecloth. Bring up corners of the cheesecloth and tie with 100 percent cotton kitchen string. Add bouquet garni to slow cooker. Pour 1, 32-ounce box chicken broth over all. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. Remove bouquet garni and discard.Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a large bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Using two forks, shred meat. Add enough of the cooking juices to moisten meat. Strain and reserve cooking juices to use for chicken stock. Place 2-cup portions of chicken and chicken stock in separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6 cups.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 4 servings
 
• Calories518
 
• Total Fat (g)32
• Saturated Fat (g)6, 
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)3, 
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)17, 
• Cholesterol (mg)78, 
• Sodium (mg)555, 
• Carbohydrate (g)36,
• Total Sugar (g)4, 
• Fiber (g)3, 
• Protein (g)24, 
• Vitamin C (DV%)20,
• Calcium (DV%)6, 
• Iron (DV%)18, 
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

photos and text recipe copyright BHG 2011 Meredith Corp.,all rights reserved

Pumpkin Primer

Tip Of The Day from Better Homes and Gardens:
 to extend the life of your pumpkins, clean them
 with soapy water and bleach. The bleach kills
 bacteria and germs that can cause the pumpkin
 to rot. Also, only buy pumpkins with the stems
 attached. That can also delay rot.

A Simple Little Sewing Roll

This is a very simple sewing supplies roll. You can make it entirely from cotton calicos or all wool felts. It works up very quickly and can be a nice last minute gift or an item for your selling blog. You can cross stitch where the flap

is if you want.

Some More Free Projects and Simple Felting Wool Instructions

Here are some projects that I'm working on this weekend. The Wooly Sheep and Flowers appliques were shown as projects for small photo albums, but I think I would use them for needlebooks instead. In my next post, I'll be showing the free project for a cute sewing roll that only takes a fat quarter and a scrap of felted wool. It's so easy and I see a lot of pinkeeps and sewing rolls on prim blogs so I like to find free designs and put my own spin on them.
You can click on the instructions pages and patterns to enlarge them and right click to save them on your computer, and print them out. Enlarge them more if necessary on your printer settings.

FELTING WOOL

When wool is felted, it shrinks and becomes so tightly woven that it will not ravel. This is one of felt’s most appealing qualities, because you don’t need to turn under the edges as you appliqué it.
To felt wool for appliqués, machine-wash it in hot water with a cool rinse cycle and a small amount of detergent. You can use fabric softener if you wish. Dry in a dryer on a medium setting, removing promptly and checking the filter often. Steam-press lightly if necessary.
This variance in temperatures, along with the agitation, causes the wool to felt. Hand-dyed wool does not need to be felted before use because the dying process also felts the wool.
TIP: If you want to felt wool from a piece of clothing, cut it apart and remove the seams so it can shrink freely.

I'm Making My Way Back

Hi, Primmies, my epidural shot was cancelled this morning so here I am. I'm a little better than yesterday, at least I can type today. I have a freebie and a giveaway  and some links to some great new blogs I found.
First, the cute free pattern from Teresa at Aunt Polly's Blog :

Isn't it cute? She would enjoy seeing any of your finishes.
A cool blog I found is Sew Many Ways. Karen has so many great ideas to share and she's got a huge following.

There's a Giveaway going on at
Click Here to go to World of Charity Stitching for a chance to win two $25.00 Gift Certificates to VeenandCo
Cross*Stitch Designs. The quilters and cross stitchers at World of Charity Stitching do wonderful work and
for example, they just finished two quilts for The Ronald McDonald House.
I'm taking it easy today, so it will just be a day of hunting for freebies and giveaways.
Thanks for being here...
Susan