hearty breakfasts

I love breakfast, especially anything with eggs. Here are some nice ones I've enjoyed recently. From the top, the veggie skillet at Cozy Corner (Thanks Allison for turning me on to the wonders of the skillet!), duck confit hash and eggs at Marigold Kitchen in Madison, and baked eggs with oil preserved tomato, cured tuna roe, and creme fraiche at Blue Duck Tavern in DC. Finally, Jon and I love to eat at Lula here in Chicago, where they always have a delicious farmer's market hash with eggs on the brunch menu. It's always different, using whatever veggies are in season. So, anyway, I decided to make my own with what I had on hand: sweet potatoes, onion, brussel sprouts and delicious Cedar Valley bacon. (And, of course, a poached egg!)

First Post and First Quilt

So, I thought I would start taking pictures of the things I make and start a blog, both to keep a record as I go along as well as to motivate myself to stay creative. The last picture is actually just my breakfast, but I wanted to share a picture of the beautiful marmalade my dad made. He and my mom received a minature orange tree as a wedding gift 29 years ago and it is still going strong, producing tons of tiny oranges every year. Recently, he decided to make use of all that fruit and has been making this heavenly marmalade. It is not at all bitter but has a nice floral kind of a flavor. Super yummy with some fresh goat cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, IL.

Also, I finished my first ever quilt (a Sea Creatures Quilt) yesterday. It is a lap quilt, measuring about 44" x 60". There are 6 blocks, each a different traditional patchwork pattern. All 5 fabrics I used have sea creatures on them, hence the name. I especially love the school of fish pattern which I also used for the backing. (first photo) All these wonderful fabrics came from the Needle Shop here in Chicago. I made this almost entirely by hand, including the piecing and quilting. I did use the machine to attach the lattices etc. once the blocks were done. I loved making it and I can't wait to do another...a big one this time!