Monday, November 1, 2021

Posies BOM block 11 and weekend cooking...

 Wow, we're almost at the end of this year's free block of the Month, "Posies'!

Have you been stitching along all year or did you find this project further into the year? 

Please note: the patterns will only be free to download until December 31st. 

Now let's have a look at the November block...


If you've seen the completed Posies quilt, you might be wondering 'where' is this block, right?


It's on the bottom right corner, and yes, it looks a bit different there! That's because I made this quilt late last year in preparation for 2021, and when I was piecing the blocks together my eye couldn't escape how out of place the fabric border was when sitting beside all the other blocks. 

So I removed the border and replaced it with this sweet Tilda star print...


A change of fabric can make all the difference to the overall finish of a pieced quilt, or a patchwork block.

I was so happy with the final outcome and very glad I decided to make a change.


This project was a scrappy one, as I have a big tub full of Tilda bits and pieces collected over 12 years and wanted to give them some time to shine. If your Posies blocks are scrappy bordered like mine, perhaps you can lay them out today and decide if you're happy with how they blend together when placed side by side - and if one or two aren't right, just remove the borders and sew new ones. 

UPDATE...

POSIES was free until January 1st 2022.

The complete 2021 POSIES quilt pattern is now available from my ETSY Shop.

When I designed this little block my mind was taken back to when I used to display flowers in an old cookpot which had become unusable for the oven. Sitting in the middle of the table on a fringed doily it gave the house that wonderful comforting and homely atmosphere. I'm not sure what happened to it, no doubt given away as we prepared for one of our 23 moves...but I'm inspired now to find another and fill it with small flower pots for the table again. 

Simple things like this really do add a 'welcome' feeling to our homes when others drop by, or when our family join to sit around the table. Even when there's just two of you. 

THE KITCHEN

Over the weekend we enjoyed a different fragrance through the home - a slow cooked brisket with vegetables, and savoury scrolls with home-made tomato pesto.

I've not cooked brisket before, but I often do corned beef in the slow cooker as it's my husband's and Blossom's favourite get-together meal. 

All I did was fill the base of the slow cooker with onions, celery, carrots, potato, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary and fresh parsley.






Then I rubbed a little olive oil, salt and pepper, over the brisket before tossing in plain flour and browning the brisket for 4 minutes each side in the frying pan with a little oil. 




While it was browning I mixed together 3/4 cup of beef stock, 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. 
I removed the brisket from the pan and placed it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, then poured the beef stock mix into the frying pan to deglaze it and gather all the flavour from the brisket. Last step was to pour this over the brisket in the slow cooker and cook on low for 9 hours until the meat came apart with a fork. 
Unfortunately, I forgot to take an after photo as we were very hungry and the aroma filled the house, so when it came time to serve we simply couldn't wait to sit down at the table and enjoy every mouthful. Bonus, my husband absolutely loved this meal so it's going to be a monthly fixture in our menu plan. 

I also baked some savoury scrolls that day as I thought they'd be perfect for lunch on Sunday and could be popped in the freezer for hubby's work lunches some days as well. 

While the dough was rising I made my favourite Tomato Pesto recipe (you can find it here). You can use any bread dough recipe for this. Usually I bake these scrolls with multigrain flour but I'd run out.



Just like with my Cinnamon Scrolls (recipe found in the free Homemakers Heart magazine issue 3 HERE) you just roll the dough (after the first rise) into a rectangle about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick and then spread with the pesto and any other filling you want.



Roll up and cut into 12 equal sized scrolls. Place in a parchment lined baking tray and allow to double in size before baking in a hot oven (200c or 400f) for around 18 minutes.



There's pesto, cheese and salami in these scrolls, but I didn't realise we were low on cheese or I would have scattered a cup over the top of the scrolls before baking (which I normally do)...but they were still yummy split in half and spread with butter. 

Obviously cheese and multigrain bread flour have been added to this week's shopping list now!

Finally today, I wanted to let you know that I won't be publishing another free issue of The Homemaker's Heart this year as it's incredibly time consuming and I really desire a break from that pressure. Many of you have read the first 5 issues and are stitching the 'days of the week' tea towels, hoping to have the full set this month.

Do not despair! I shall still share the final two tea towel patterns, but I'll do that here on the blog. Drop back here on Wednesday and I'll have the 'Saturday' tea towel pattern for you, and later this month I'll share 'Sunday'. 

Now I'd best be away and hang up some washing, vacuum the floors, and bake some biscuits (cookies) for my beloved! Tomorrow I get to spend the day with Blossom and the children as we're off to purchase Cully May's school uniform for term 1 in late January - she's so very excited!  I'm also going to drop in to Spotlight as they have DMC embroidery threads on sale 10 for $10 (which as my fellow Australians will tell you is almost half price).

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.
(2 Peter 1:2)

Hugs

12 comments:

Anorina @SameliasMum said...

Your scrolls look absolutely delicious! My kids love scrolls for their school lunch boxes, so even with the best of intentions, they only get scrolls for a couple of days as they get eaten while their still warm. We like sweet chilli and cheese or vegemite and cheese at our place. Hope you enjoyed your visit to Spotlight. Can't believe your little lady is off to school already!!

Ondrea said...

Such a lovely post to start the new month. The posie is so pretty and I love the new borders. It is best to change things if we are not happy. Have fun tomorrow with your girls and Charlie. Enjoy shopping at Spotlight( I am not yet feeling secure to venture into shops).

Joanne said...

Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for Posies 11 ! November has started !
Those scrolls look so good !
You made a very wise decision about The Homemaker's Heart :) Stick to it and walk with lighter, positive steps :)
Enjoy your shopping day and all the lovely new colours :)
hugs, take care,
Joanne

Lin said...

Pretty posie block Jennifer. Your brisket sounds delicious! Not a cut we get here in France so has to be appreciated on trips to UK. Those scrolls look so scrummy. Enjoy your shopping day. xx

Donna P. said...

Your brisket looks amazing and sounds delish! May I ask how much it weighed?
I think all of us understand the need to cut back on things, including your homemaker's magazine. It has been much appreciated by many, if not all of us. I will be working on the daily tea towels after Christmas.
Thank you for all you do - God Bless, Donna

Robin in New Jersey said...

Thank you for block #11. I love it! I will be heading to my scrap bin and get ready to trace the next block.

We love "pot roast" as we call it here. I use a bottom round roast and put it in my crock pot with carrots, worchestershire sauce, fresh ground black pepper, bay leaves, water, and sometimes tomato paste or a can of petite diced tomatoes. Later in the day I add diced up potatoes since they don't take as long to cook. My husband likes it with frozen peas added. Yours sounds delicious!

Happy November, everyone!

Sandra J said...

Thank you for giving us such a beautiful stitchery to work on all year long. Every month I always think, "this is my favorite!" I understand completely your need to step away from the publication of "The Homemaker's Heart" magazine. Know that I have read and reread every issue. They have spoken to my heart in so many ways. Blessings to you as you take time to rest and rejuvenate your soul.

Susan said...

Thank you, Jennifer, for this month's posies block. Your brisket looks good. I am sure my husband would love it. I probably would too, but I have a problem digesting beef due to lack of an enzyme needed to digest it. The scrolls sound and look delicious too.

Julie said...

Oh Jenny those scrolls look just Soooo delicious ... I wish I could reach into my screen for a bit of a taste test!!! I love the new fabric that you have chosen to surround the quilt block - perfect. I can hardly believe Cully May is off to school next year - where did those 5 years fly to!! It's lovely to have you blogging a bit more often again. xx

sjaoce said...

Thank you, Jenny, for another wonderful posie and an inspiring post. Blessings!

Jeanneke said...

Jenny, yesterday I made the scrolls using shop bought Italian red pesto and the other ingredients I had at hand.
They turned out great, looked and tasted delicious. And oh, how quickly they were gone...shared with six of my dear ones who live nearby.
Love and blessings from my home (kitchen) to yours,

Jeanneke.

Susan said...

Your meal sounds delicious! Thank you so much for the 11th block and for keeping the older ones where it's easy to find them.