Summer Happenings, SewJo to CroJo, and Recipes!

This past week involved one of my favorite things - reorganizing! My sweet DIY guy built me some floating shelves for all my fabric, and I am so happy with them.

Here is a before and after shot of my fabric storage

So the day after I posted my lengthy Q3 goal list, I lost my "sewjo". I'm blaming it on the weather. Although our area has been relatively cool (low to mid 90s) compared to other areas of the country, the lack of a good soaking rain has a lot to do with my malaise. Stormy weather fuels my energy, and this summer has been seriously lacking in a good thunderstorm. To solve this, we should move back to Oklahoma! (Wishful thinking.) We only received 1.86 inches of rain during July, so we are in a bit of a drought.

What I am happy about is that although I lost my "sewjo", I did regain my crojo! I'm almost finished with this half double-crochet afghan. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Wheat.

I have more projects in the works, such as another afghan using Lion Brand Mandala Thick and Quick in Seaglass, and a crocheted scarf, using Patons Sock Yarn in Blue Striped Ragg. I've started the scarf and am doing it in single crochet, maybe with a row or two of double crochet thrown in for fun.

I won a pattern - yay! All I had to do was enter a giveaway from reading a newsletter from Myra at Busy Hands Quilts. I've made one of Myra's patterns, and she is the best pattern author! I had a hard time choosing from among her patterns, but I chose her Castle Dreams pattern and will probably make a fall-themed quilt with it.

One of my January 2019 resolutions/goals was to participate in quilt-alongs and sew-alongs and to post monthly and quarterly goals. I really enjoyed the events, and they helped keep me on track to accomplish many of my goals. But now I am feeling a bit of burnout. Knowing myself as well as I do (hah!), I have removed the QAL and SAL buttons from my sidebar and will simply do things as I'm inspired for awhile, with no pressure.

One of the quilt-alongs I began was the Crochet quilt-along on Instagram. I made one block and posted it and have only completed 4 blocks out of 16 so far. When finished the blocks will resemble a crocheted blanket. I chose to make mine Christmas-themed. The colors will make more sense all together when it is completed, but I've chosen reds and greens, along with pinks and aquas.

I'm sharing two good recipes I recently tried. The corn dip was delicious; I made half the recipe, and we ate every bite in one sitting. The bread is made with sunflower seeds and was seriously good. It is great for sandwiches and makes good toast too!

Cheese Corn Dip
Serves 6-8 (I halved for the 2 of us)

2 – 15 oz cans corn, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
Small can green chiles (I did not drain)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
4 green onions, diced

Spray small cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Combine first four ingredients and thoroughly mix. Fold in 1 cup cheese, bacon, and onions. Spread into skillet. Top with remaining cheese and bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve warm.

Sunflower Honey Oat Bread
Makes one 8x4 loaf

1-1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons melted butter
2-1/4 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole grain flour or combination of flours
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup dried cherries, diced (optional)

Heat milk to just warm; stir in yeast, honey, and oats. Let sit 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir in butter. Pour into mixing bowl.

Whisk together flours, salt, and cinnamon and add gradually to liquids, mixing on low. Once all flour mixture has been added switch to dough hook. Add sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and dried cherries and knead about 5 minutes. (You may also mix and knead manually).

Place dough in greased bowl (I spray mine with baking spray), cover with a dish towel, and let rise until doubled.

Shape dough into loaf and place in 8x4 baking pan, which has been prepared for baking with cooking spray. I also put a narrow strip of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a dish towel and let rise until slightly above rim of pan.

Bake 350 for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove to wire rack.

I'm joining the linky party at Busy Hands Quilts Finished or Not Friday.