Gimme something happy, like a colorful quilt. Bright and summery even though lounging under it sounds a little…hot.

I finished the summer twin to the winter color way quilt I shared a few posts back. It’s a blend of two workshops I often teach, Magic Numbers and Improvisational Triangles.

The background is just a mix of gray from stash with a speckle of almost-solid print incorporated in. I love myself a toss up of the textures and it’s fun to revisit some fabric bought for another purpose.

Cat or dog, regardless they are smack dab in the middle or everything.

I wanted the back to matchy-match its twin so went with another large star.

I couldn’t decide whether to go with red or purple for the binding so I chose both by layering my regular binding over a flange binding. I learned this technique from Jaybird Quilts and it really couldn’t be any simpler. The only change I make from her tutorial is I cut my flange to 7/8″ since I liked it a little subtler. I love the frame it adds.

I used the same aqua color thread as I did in my last Wonky Snowball quilt and as usual just went with a simple run off the edge straight line for the quilting.

I think I’ll start washing my quilts before photos, I loved it even more when I pulled it out of the dryer.

The zinnias are blooming and haven’t made it into a vase yet, but I’ve cycled through a lot of the other bloomers.

We were certainly pushing up daisies around here.

A rainstorm took some of the cardoons down for me.

With the exception of the food garden, I give the yard a once over weeding in the spring and then wish it luck. Considering the changes we’re likely to see in our weather and most of my yard is west facing I rarely plant anything that requires much water.

Though it does get watered, just like the yard the window box on my potting shed got a once over in the spring. I didn’t really like it at first and it’s still a little too symmetrical for me, but it’s filled in nicely and adds some color. It’s fun to see year after year how it’s looked.

My kitchen appliances finally showed themselves mid-July, moving us somewhat out of our glamping style kitchen phase we’ve been in since the beginning of covid.

Cutting a hole in your roof for a vent is as unnerving as watching your spouse walk in flip-flops on it.

What could possibly go wrong?

To say I’m over the moon to have a hodge-podge kitchen would be an understatement. If only you could have read my thought bubble when I realized I could make rice AND a stir-fry at the same time;)

Sorry I have no great photos since it’s still in process, but way more functional and I bought some FLOR tiles that I’m loving.

Hang in there with me. I’ve got food to show in no particular order. Here’s the stack. Links are affiliate if you find yourself craving anything mentioned.

Shrimp & Grits is straight out of PCC’s Cooking From Scratch. It’s the same cookbook that the most delicious ground turkey chili on the planet comes from. Double up your grits or polenta to have the next morning with eggs and some sautéed greens (and for sure check out how to cook it in your pressure cooker or IP).

I fit into the category of people that believe frozen phyllo and spinach are staples, so add some leftover chicken and feta and I instantly have this pie in the oven. Chicken and Egg is full of that kind of kitchen cupboard food.

As usual Roan requested ice cream cake. Contrary to its name there is no cake. I’ve adapted its original recipe over the years to really become a hot fudge sundae complete with a layer of bananas. Roan joked that this year’s almost took the cake;)

I don’t know why every time I make a ganache I’m so surprised by how easy it is. This particular recipe came from Icebox Cakes which contains a lot of similar ideas to this “cake” with a fun seasonal flare thrown in.

I have 4 waffle irons…yes FOUR waffle irons. We don’t mess around when it comes to our assembly line style. Most waffles immediately go in our faces, some make it to the toaster the next day and if we’re lucky there might be some for the freezer. Sarabeth’s Good Morning Cookbook waffle recipe caught my eye because there are no egg whites to whip. I’ll make again.

Every summer post I mention this Spinach salad from Cookie & Kate. Spinach is sometimes switched out for arugula and the fruit and nuts vary from what’s in season, but the basics remain. Make it, I’m sure you’ll be in love too.

Jefe’s a pie guy. Since we were deep into July blueberry nectarine seemed to be the answer to his birthday dessert wishes.

Kate McDermott’s Art of Pie (she’s a PNW lady) lent me a hand, as did the pie crusts I already had in the freezer. A few friends of mine and I have a lunch date here and there to mass produce pie crusts. It’s a fun thing to get on the calendar before the holiday schedule gets full and plays double duty of being productive to prepare for the upcoming events.

Every neighbor had a bumper crop of berries this year, and the alleys were abundant in raspberries and blackberries so I had to make my annual lemon curd whip cream tart. I’ve fallen in love with the lemon curd from Daisy Cakes and subbed that.

The Northern Irish side of the family were here as are my folks. It has been so very delicious in every way. The family always requests grilled jalapeños stuffed with feta. Since the grill was out of gas we cooked them the way they’ve adapted it in Northern Ireland. We preheated the cast irons under the broiler and then popped them on the hot surface until the jalapeño somewhat softened and the cheese browned. Worked great.

I crave dishes this time of year that can be eaten the next day as a cold salad. I love being able to add some fresh veg crunch the next day.

Field of Greens bok choy udon and Milk Street’s chicken poached in broth fit perfectly into the salad crunch category. Plus the broth from poaching the chicken makes an excellent soup stock or liquid to cook some rice for the salad in. If I cook them around the same time I pop the shiitake stems from the udon dish into the chicken broth.

Field of Greens also has a grilled potato green bean with basil vinaigrette salad I take to summer gatherings. I always add some feta or goat cheese. My cherry tomatoes and basil are currently out of hand so everything gets some, and the green beans from my neighbor put the last I bought at the store to shame.

My dad Rog turned 89 so he gets whatever he wants, thus I made my first German chocolate at his request. It turned out amazing even if my idea for the numbers didn’t. I teased him he has to make it to 90 so I can get it right.

Since the German chocolate cake was so good, and the rootbeer chocolate cake is already in rotation from this cookbook I thought we’d try the fudge malt cake for my sweet friend and neighbor’s birthday. I love a dense old fashion white or yellow cake and the added malt with the fudge frosting was all that.

It’s good we’ve eaten our fill since we’ll be taking the kitchen’s ceiling and the walls down this next weekend for our electrical stage.

Sounds like the perfect time for me to have something else to do. Anyone else going?

My newest finish and I will be there;)

Boss continues to live up to his name.

Goof.

He is no doubt living his best life.

Even this side of the family is shacking up with us for a couple weeks.

Well when I started this post in the spring we were rolling in rhubarb, lettuce and kale, now here I am pulling blackberries during our alley walks and seeing the plums fall from the trees.

Blackberry gins with cassis and tonics are in our present, but plum torte, boots and quilts are in our near future.

Happy end of summer peeps, xoxo Katie

P.S. Improv Paper Piecing with Triangles and Quilt As You Go: Straight Line Quilting Basics are on the calendar along with other options.