Lady Skills

Learning techniques that women used to do regularly from canning to knitting to quilting.

Dinner Party Tiramisu

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I really enjoy having friends over for dinner. I like being a hostess. I would prefer to have nicer plates & actually make a pretty table like they do on TV but have never invested in it. Regardless, I enjoy having company, planning a menu, making sure everyone has what they need, and that they are enjoying themselves.

A long time ago, in another life I like to say, I used to have friends over for dinner often. Roughly every other weekend I would have people over. One of those people was my guy. At that point in time though we were friends. We were on the verge of transitioning into where we are today.

One night I had an Italian themed dinner. I had planned a menu of parmesan encrusted chicken breasts with roasted red pepper sauce, some sort of side that I can no longer recall, and tiramisu for dessert.

I have always loved tiramisu but had never made it before that dinner party. My trusty cookbook had a recipe so I thought I would give it a go. It did not turn out pretty but tasted fantastic. As I was making it & reading the recipe, it said to cut it into thirds. I cut it into 3 pieces in the pan. Whoops. It meant cut the whole cake into thirds so that you’d have cake, filling, cake, filling, etc. I didn’t care too much. I found it more funny than anything else so decided to just keep it and have it be super tall. It would be an excellent conversation piece if anything else.

I was finishing as much prep as I could do before people arrived. They were running late which didn’t bother me cause I was running a bit behind too. I went into a cupboard to grab a mixing bowl and managed to knock out the bowl of my food processor onto the floor. I stepped back to get it & stepped on what I though was a rock. I looked and saw it was the blade of my food processor. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I had stepped on the plastic part that attaches it to the bowl or so I thought. I took a few steps to put it away and turned around & realized I was not as lucky as I thought. There was blood everywhere. The blade was so sharp (honestly it had never been used) that it had sliced my foot super clean so that I hadn’t known I had gotten cut.

I saw a roll of paper towels on the counter, grabbed it, & hit the floor putting pressure & the towels on my wound. In my head I was thinking that this couldn’t be happening. I was having friends over for dinner in a matter of minutes. This is all their fault. If they had been there they would have seen what had happened & yelled at me to not step back.

Of course I knew that it wouldn’t have really been that way. If anything I would have still stepped back & rolled on it from them trying to warn me & probably cut myself a lot worse. By the time they arrived it had been a few minutes. I was wanting to hold it tight for a bit to see if I could stop the bleeding. I didn’t know how deep it was & didn’t really want to look. I finally did & they joked that they wanted to see. I went in the bathroom & unwrapped my foot & knew that the dinner would have to go on without me as I needed to go to the ER.

I was such a good hostess though. As I was getting ready to leave I told everyone where I was in the dinner process. Where they could find all the ingredients, the recipes, & any miscellaneous items. I left. My guy (well not my guy at the time but you know what I mean) came out to watch me leave & I waived goodbye.

I ended up with 10 stitches. I had never had a stitch in my life. My first one (or ten) happened when I was almost 27 years old. I did not pay attention to my doctors advice to not drink. I actually took a shot of whiskey in the parking lot after being picked up. I lived in wright county at the time so I’m sure there was at least one other person doing the exact same thing. My friends had been having fun in the 3 hours that I spent in the ER. They managed to make dinner and saved me a plate. They waited to have the tiramisu until I got back. We hung out & I didn’t have to get up once.

That part of my life seems so long ago but it’s really only been 6 years. It’s amazing what can change in 6 years. In that time my guy and I figured out where we wanted to be in terms of our relationship. We moved to Almost Canada. We got married & just celebrated our one year anniversary. We have a whole new life.

We actually hosted an Italian night with friends we have made up here. Of course I offered to make the tiramisu. It made me remember my first tiramisu & how horribly ugly it looked. I wish I had a photo. When I told my guy I was making tiramisu for dessert all he said was… ‘make sure you cut it correctly this time.’ I guess he never forgot that evening either or at least the tiramisu.

I did make this one appropriately with the exception of doing 2 layers instead of 3 as I don’t think my knife skills are up to par to make thirds. That’s OK though. It was fun hosting. Everyone seemed to enjoy the tiramisu & I didn’t end up in the ER. I’d call that a success.

 

Beer Cozy

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About two years ago I was in the process of buying a house and thus had no money for presents, or rather, not a lot of money for presents. I wanted to buy my guy something special since he had been so good to me during that stressful process.

I decided to try and make a gift. I was searching online for homemade gifts which is how I found the idea for a Beer Cozy or Coozie, Koozie, Coosie, or any other spelling you prefer. I thought, I could make that. I didn’t know how to knit in the round at that time, but they don’t have to have a bottom, they could be sleeves. So I figured out the measurements and went to it. Basically you just figure out how big of a rectangle you need (long enough to cover the majority of the can and wide enough to wrap around it) and knit as normal. Once completed you just thread some yard through the edges to cinch it tight.

I bought four different types of yarn so I could make a few. I made two for bottles (or large cans) and two for regular 12oz cans. For the bottles I went with a camo & blaze orange and the cans I made a cozy that resembles a football and did one in the Vikings colors. I am quite pleased with how they turned out. Some fit better than others but overall I think they turned out quite nicely considering I hadn’t knit in a long time.

They don’t get used much during the summer months but now that the weather is cooling down and football season has started, they are actually being put to good use again.

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Spicy Pickled Green Beans

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This is my second summer in Almost Canada. My first summer I was able to have a very small garden. This year it has quadrupled in size. I ended up planting green beans & wax beans where my garden was located last year.

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Right now I am trying to deal with a surplus of beans.

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I have eaten them raw, roasted, blanched for salads, and even frozen some for later when my garden is covered in snow. I don’t have a pressure canner or cooker so my canning abilities are basically non-existent (at least for low acid foods like green beans). I decided to try and pickle them. They turned out fantastic. These can be eaten a week after processing and have plenty of flavor or should keep for about one year.

While they are delicious plain, they are amazing in a Bloody Mary.

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Spicy Pickled Green Beans (Recipe is for 2 half pint jars or 1 pint sized jar. Adjust as needed)

  • 1/2 pint or pint sized mason jars & lids
  • fresh garden green beans, trimmed & washed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & lightly smashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1-2 dried hot peppers (chili, serrano, etc)
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp honey

In a large pot bring enough water to cover jars to a boil. Submerge jars and lids in boiling water and boil for 12 minutes to sterilize (keep pot with water for processing later). Remove jars & lids with tongs. Fill jars with green beans that have been trimmed to the size of the jar (leave at least 1/4 inch space to the top of the jar).

Meanwhile, bring all other ingredients to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Poor brine (including garlic & peppers) over green beans in jars. Leave 1/4 inch headspace to the top of the jar. Apply lids and wipe rim clean. Screw metal band on tightly.

Place sealed jars back in the pot of boiling water (make sure jars are submerged at least 2 inches but are not covered). Boil for 10 minutes. Remove with tongs and place in a cool & dark place. Once cool, check to make sure all jars have sealed properly*. Open in as little as 5-7 days or jars will keep for about 1 year when properly stored.

*Note that if a jar does not seal correctly place it in the fridge and use within 2-3 weeks.

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My First Quilt

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I am not a crafty or creative person. I never have been.  I also never learned how to sew or do anything of that nature.  Lady skills I call them.  I always wanted to learn mainly because of my grandmother. My Grandma Nellie has been quilting her whole life.  She has a room stacked full of quilts. They used to be stacked almost to the ceiling.

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Over the years as family members took them home from visits, they started to dwindle down as she did not quilt anymore due to old age.  Her quilts are amazing (I’m slightly biased to be sure), and I wanted to learn that skill. I live in Minnesota after all. One needs many quilts in the winter or anytime if you are a cat.

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A few years ago, I bought a quilt kit. And this past Saturday, I finally finished it. Why the delay? Well, there is quite some back story that won’t be gone into but the point is I finished it. I cut the fabric, pinned it, sewed it, and put a back on it.

My first quilt. Sure, it was a kit. I just had to cut the fabric, assemble, and sew. There isn’t even any batting, but you have to start somewhere. I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as my grandma, but I can try. This is only the beginning.

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