Microwave Bowl Potholder

Several months ago when we were visiting my cousin Kim she showed me one of her projects.  She is a quilter, and it's always fun to see what she is working on.  That day she showed me a Microwave Bowl Potholder.  It was a quilted potholder in the shape of a bowl.  Its purpose was to hold a bowl of food when you put it in the microwave.  Bowls generally get quite hot when they are microwaved and can't be held with bare hands.  This is a potholder that wraps around the bowl so it can be taken out of the microwave without burning your hands.  It also keeps the food warm because the potholder helps retain the heat in the bowl.  I thought it was really cute.  Then one day when I returned home from shopping, I found two in my door.  She had made me a couple for a gift.  It was such a nice surprise.  I used them right away and now I will not heat up anything without them.  I wanted to make more.  I thought it would be a good kid project and wanted to make some with my granddaughter.  Her schedule is always so busy, so we never got around to it.  I decided to make some myself with the pattern Kim sent.

The microwave potholder my cousin made for me.

The pattern called for cotton fabric and cotton batting.  I have tons of fabric, but I wasn't sure which were cotton and which fabrics were polyester.  I learned that the easiest way to figure it out was to burn the fabric.  If it is polyester, the fabric will melt and leave a hard blackened piece behind.  If it is cotton, it will burn and leave an ash.  I took samples of fabric and burned them.  Apparently polyester will also melt in the microwave but I wasn't going to test it that way.  I found several all cotton pieces.  Next I had to find cotton batting.  First I found some sold in quilt size pieces but then I finally found some sold by the yard.  All cotton thread is also recommended.

If you want to make one, the first thing you do is cut is cut two squares of cotton fabric and two squares of cotton batting.  The size depends on the size bowl you use.  In my case, the potholder from Kim is a good size for a cereal bowl.  It uses a 10 inch square.  The potholder I made first fits a sauce dish.  That was made with a 9 inch square.

After the squares are cut, lay the batting pieces on the wrong side of the fabric squares and pin together.

Draw lines from corner to corner and center to center.  Stitch on the lines. 

Each piece has 4 darts that are made at the center lines.  I marked down 2 inches from the outside edge on this 9 inch square and 2 1/2 inches down on the 10 inch square.   Make the darts by folding on the line and stitching from 3/4 to 1 inch from the fold line, tapering to the dot.

Then trim the excess fabric from the dart and press open. 

Make two pieces the same way.  I used coordinating fabrics so the potholders can be reversible, but both pieces can be made with the same fabric pattern.

The darts make the bowl shape.

Pin both pieces with right sides together, matching the darts and the corners.  Stitch around the outside using a 1/2" seam allowance leaving about 3 inches open.  Turn the potholder right side out making sure the corners are pushed out.  Hand stitch the opening closed and top stitch around the outside edge.

Small 9 inch square for sauce dish.

It is amazing to me how much I use these.  My description of how to make them could be hard to understand, but an internet search has many different variations that may be easier for some to understand.

Love My Bluebirds

Whenever I do one of those Facebook activities where they determine your life in a video or a collage of the things or pictures you write about most, nature and bluebirds are always front and center.  Given the place and life I live, this isn't a surprise.  For those who read this blog regularly you will know I write to excess about the Eastern Bluebird.  So here I go again.  My last bluebird blog was written on August 2, 2016.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2016/08/happy-ending-to-our-bluebird-summer.html  If you search my blog for bluebirds, you are apted to get several posts. This last one talked about hatching four babies on the fourth try.  I thought that would be all until next Spring, but I was wrong.  Today the whole family came for a visit.  We had Mama, Papa and the four kids.  They ate a few mealworms and checked out the young ones birthplace.   I had seen them, off and on, in the woods for the past two months, but never together and always on the move.  A cold front is moving in this afternoon and it was likely they wanted to make sure their summer home was still there and ready for their return next Spring. Hopefully they will all remain healthy and can return.  There isn't room for everyone here but many of our neighbors have available houses. 

I recently read this poem on a Bluebird page I follow.  There are a lot of people who love to see them.

Bluebirds  
 by Ruth E. Goodwin, as published in Sialia vol. 12, no.1, 1990

All blue birds are not bluebirds, a fact you should know. You can’t always find bluebirds wherever you go.

The bluebirds are rare, and their numbers are small; In some places you simply can’t find them at all.

But when they’re around – oh, what a sweet sound! Just the sight of one somehow can make your heart pound.

They’re a pretty soft blue, with a rust orange chest; If you put up a bird house, they’ll pose for you best.

A bluebird’s a blue bird, that everyone knows. But not all blue birds are bluebirds, as you now know.

The Beauty of Fall 2016

It's Sunday October 9, 2016.  It's my oldest daughter's birthday.  There is no predicting the weather at this time of year.  It can be very warm or very cold.  We can have rain, wind or sleet or we can have warmth and sun.    Fortunately today is a beautiful sunny fall day here in Wisconsin and a lovely day for a birthday.  These cool crisp fall days can't be beat.  We haven't had a frost yet so we have all the beautiful hues of fall.  Everything is bathed in a golden hue with splashes of red, brown and green.  It's too bad the news and social media are lighting up with so much anger and conflict.  Hopefully after the American Presidential election is over, things will calm down.  As a distraction I am spending time outside walking our yard to see if I can find some of the beauties of nature.  There were many. I will publish some photos today and again in about a week when the tree color peaks. 

The milkweed pods are bursting and the breeze is spreading the seeds. 

Garden mums.

The Toad Lily is blooming like crazy.  I imagine it will freeze before all those buds burst.

Sedum

Tardeva Hydrangea

Limelight Hydrangea

I cut a few hydrangeas and they are so big they almost tipped the vase over.

My fern grew so large outside, I gave it a haircut so it wouldn't drag on the floor.

The leaves are gone from the poplar tree leaving behind this years Baltimore Oriole nest.

Pine straw and pine cones cover the yard.

I will post more fall photos another day.  I have a feeling that after tonight's debate, I will need another diversion really soon. 

Flip Flop Soled Slippers

Some time this past summer I saw a Facebook post about crocheting slippers using a flip flop sole for the base.  I thought it was an interesting idea because knitted and crocheted slippers are slippery.  Maybe that's how they got their name....slippers.   They also wear out on the bottom first.  I will find the link and post the free pattern at the bottom of this blog.  As usual, I changed the pattern a little bit.  Overall they worked up quickly and turned out quite well.

Crocheted Slippers with Flip Flop Soles

You start making these slippers with a pair of rubber soled flip flops.  This time of year in Wisconsin they are practically giving them away.  The flip flops should be slightly smaller than you would wear for your summer shoe. I wear a 8 1/2 shoe, so I bought a large.  The slippers are a bit too big.  The first thing you do is pull the toe separator out.  Just yank on it, and it pulls through the holes.  It leaves three holes, but that isn't a problem.

Throw away the toe part because you will just be using the sole.

The next thing you do is take a sharp pointed object to poke holes.  I used an awl from my husband's screwdriver set, but a knitting needle, darning needle or some other sharp tool would work.

I used this awl to poke holes in the sole.

Poke holes through the top and out the side.

Poke holes around the whole outside of the sole.  Don't make them too close together or the yarn will break through to the next hole when you start crocheting.  I made that mistake at first.  Then attach the yarn on the heel section and single crochet through each hole around.  I had about 100 stitches but that number depends on the size of the sole.   I used the cotton yarn used for dishcloths and used a size E hook because I like a firmer feeling slipper.  This pattern is pretty forgiving so use whatever feels right.  You could even make it big and loose with wool yarn and then felt it in hot water. 

It is a little awkward at first and your crocheting technique has to change a little bit.  Single crochet around and around the sole until you have 9 rounds.  At this point you put a marker in the center of each side and continue crocheting on row 9, past the heel and crochet to one stitch before the marker, slip stitch in next stitch then Chain 1 and turn.

Row 10:  Skip the first single crochet, slip stitch (sl st) in the next single crochet (sc), and single crochet around to one stitch before marker as before, slip stitch, chain 1 and turn.

Row 11:  Skip the first slip stitch, slip stitch in next single crochet and crochet around to 3 stitches before the marker, slip stitch, chain 1 and turn.

Row 12:  Skip the first slip stitch, slip stitch in next single crochet and crochet around to 3 stitches before the marker, slip stitch, chain 1 and turn.

Row 13:  Skip the first slip stitch, slip stitch in next single crochet and crochet around to the spot on the heel where you started.  Fasten off.

From this point you can either follow the instructions from the Ravelry link below or attach your yarn near the instep.  It will be the point where you want the top of the slipper to start.  I chose about an inch toward the toe from the marker.  Chain 15 and attach on the opposite side with a slip stitch.  Chain 1, skip a single crochet on the side and slip stitch in next stitch.  Turn your work, chain 1 and single crochet in the chain stitches across and attach on the other side in the same manner.  Decrease stitches to fit as you work toward the toe and finish off.  These instructions are kind of a free form method.  If you want specific instructions, here is the link.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flip-flop-slippers

To finish it off, I did a reverse single crochet around the edge.  If I ever wore slippers, I might like these.

Note:  Be sure to note which side of the sole is facing the bottom.  If you flip it and crochet on the wrong side, you will end up with two left feet or two right feet.  Don't ask me how I know this, but I bet you can guess.

An Amish Sawmill

Sometimes the answers to questions are right in our own backyard.  It is really important to pay attention.  I touched on that briefly with the Monarch butterfly blog.  If I hadn't been aware, I would have missed the beautiful metamorphosis.

  
It all started with a project my husband has been working on for most of the summer.  Some of you know he is constructing a garage-like structure for his old pickup truck.  I will write all about that when it is done.  In the meantime, I was trying to say to anyone who would listen that I don't want the building to look like a tin can or a metal shed.  I want it to look like our other structures, hopefully with logs and rough cut boards.  Many ideas were suggested, but none really struck my fancy.  I am not a carpenter, but I know what I like.  My main criteria was to look out my kitchen window and see something pleasant.

One day we had a carpenter stop by who had done some work for us.  My husband mentioned the problem he had (probably mentioned me in the conversation).  He told the guy that we had been to one of the big box lumber stores to look for siding ideas.  We saw some log siding and despite the higher cost, that was what I wanted.  My ears perked up when the term "Amish Sawmill" was mentioned.  We had heard of these, but we never knew where they were or anything about them.  That is strange in itself because we live very close to Amish country and have visited other establishments many times like greenhouses, bakeries, furniture stores and food stores.  We thought it was worth checking out before we made a decision.  The carpenter asked my husband if he wanted to check it out and he actually took my husband there first.  They came back with enough log siding for our job at a very good price.   The siding is of much better quality.  It is thicker and is made from local trees as opposed to trees from different climates.

I was happy.  Maybe this project wouldn't look so ugly after all.  As everything progressed, it was time to build the window frames.  My husband was going to use 2 x 4's.  We all know by now that a 2 x 4 isn't 2 inches by 4 inches and that it is really 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches.   As a result, the siding was too thick, and we needed 2 inches and not 1.5 inches.  This project has become a figure it out as you go project, so we went back to the sawmill.  This time I went along and took the camera.

This sawmill is called D.W. Sawmill.  It is on County Road JJ near Westfield, Wisconsin.  It was a bigger operation than I thought.  As we drove up, the first thing I noticed was the house.  It was your typical white Amish house with clothes on the line and a buggy parked in the yard and another buggy in an old barn.

We saw a woman and two little children but I didn't feel comfortable photographing them without their knowledge.  Next door was the wood product operation.  They had a lot of lumber made out of all kinds of woods.   They had all dimensions plus beams, shiplap, tongue and grooved, wavy siding and log siding.  It could be rough sawn which we wanted or planed smooth.  I don't know exactly where the logs come from, but we were told they were local.  There was the smell of wood smoke and a whirring sound in the air.  One of the building was used for kiln drying the wood and another building was the sawing area.

There was an office and behind it a little building that looked like an outhouse.  We found out that this wasn't an outhouse at all.  It was where the cellphone was kept.  Amish don't have landlines but apparently they are allowed to have cell phones.  They get power from gasoline engines so maybe there is a little generator in this building to charge the phone.  I didn't ask.

Best of all, we got what we wanted in the size we needed.  You can't get that from the big lumberyard in the city.  The prices were awesome.  Even with the 11% off come on event at our big box store, we got a much better deal at the Saw Mill.  Helping the local economy is another bonus.  From now on this will be our go to lumberyard if it is possible.

Bye, bye...see you soon.

Air Fryers

As many of you know, I love my pressure cooker and write about it often.  I have another small appliance that I like but until recently it never occurred to me to write about it.  It is called an air fryer.  It is an appliance that looks like an old fashioned egg shaped hair dryer.  Young people won't know what I am talking about, but the older generation will have seen them and some of you have actually used them.

This is my GoWise air fryer.

Hair dryer from the 1960's

Almost ten years ago I had pelvic radiation as part of my cancer treatment.  As a result, I am unable to eat fried foods.  Fortunately I don't like deep fried or greasy foods.  My husband, on the other hand likes fried fish, french fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks.  He also likes to have fried potatoes and bacon with his eggs in the morning.  I usually don't make this for him but several days a week he cooks this kind of breakfast for himself.  Needless to say, it isn't that healthy and the stove gets splattered with grease.

After seeing demonstrations on TV, we decided an air fryer might be just what we needed.  We all know that deep fried foods require a big pot of hot grease.  You heat the oil to a certain temperature and lower the food into the oil.  You cook the food until browned.  Then you have to drain the hot grease from the food and eat right away.  A lot of the fat remains on the food and smells up the kitchen and your clothes.  Even pan frying foods leaves a lot of fat in the food.  Air fryers don't use extra oil or very little depending on the food.  It heats the air in the fryer and circulates it really fast around the food.  It causes the naturally occurring fat in food to brown.  Most frozen foods already have fat on the surface so none needs to be added.  Homemade recipes may need a little oil added.  I have a sprayer from Pampered Chef.  I just give the food a little spritz if it needs it.

Put your own oil in the bottle and spray.

To use the fryer, you just put whatever food you want to make in the fryer basket.  It looks a little like a deep fryer basket, but there is no pot of grease. This is digital so you can choose the preset food you want to cook or manually put in the time and the temperature recommended by a recipe specific to the food.  You press the start button and it will beep when it's done.  If you want to check as you go, you just pull the pan out and when you return it to the fryer the timer starts where it left off.

My husband is really liking the result.  We often make sweet potato fries and onion rings.  They are hot, dry and crispy on the outside without being greasy or soggy.  If you put the food on a plate or paper towel, there will not be a grease spot. Grilled cheese turns out perfect.  It is heated and melted all the way through and is crispy not greasy.

Grilled ham and cheese.

Air fried onion rings from frozen.

Sweet potato fries and homemade chicken nuggets.

The air fryers come in different sizes.  I have the smaller 3.7 quart size which is perfect for the two of us.  They also come in a 5 and 10 quart sizes.  My husband can put in a cup or two of frozen hash brown cubes sprayed with a little oil and some bacon, push a button and have his favorite breakfast.  This fryer is also very easy to clean.

This is the pan after making a grilled sandwich.  Nothing to wipe out but a few crumbs.

There are Facebook groups and hundreds of recipes on Pinterest.  People rave about the chicken they make that tastes just like the rotisserie chicken they buy at the grocery store.  I haven't tried that.  The chicken nuggets I showed in the picture were made by dipping the piece of boneless skinless chicken breast into some melted butter, and then into the flavored crumbs.  I just placed them in the fryer and fried for 15-20 minutes.  They are crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.  You can also grill food or bake a cake without heating the oven or a frying pan.

People say they don't have room to store all these small appliances but because of these two appliances, I have eliminated my rice cooker, egg cooker, the George Foreman grill and other gadgets.  I think it's worth the money and cooking at home and controlling your ingredients is always a better option for many reasons.  You may have a different experience, and this is only my opinion.  I would say if I didn't like it and I am not recommending any specific brand.  You will have to research the features and the price.  As with everything the price varies a lot.  After using my Amazon and Ebates points it reduced my cost to $29.  If it didn't work out I didn't have a lot invested.  I'm glad I took the chance.