For an Audience

Love stories are as varied as the people that make them. We didn't have farts at our engagement, but there was a fair amount of bird poop. Hubby proposed on an outcropping of rocks on the Ingonish beach. What's a few dead crab shells and a pound of poop to commitment?

I've spent the last few days devouring Gluten Free Girl and The Chef. More than a cookbook, it reads like a romance novel, minus the bad hair, pecs, and euphemisms. The subtitle does refer to the love story, and it is. A love story between two people, a love story of food and cooking. It is captivating, very funny, and full of the romance we all need in life. Even if you don't cook you want to read this book. Ask my girls, they've been flipping the page exclaiming YUMMY! at every turn.

Hubby has been home for 2 days now. That's 2 days of not working, a first for the last 6 weeks. This means he's exhausted and cranky. I'm bursting with the desire to talk about home renos, preschool gossip, and bedtime routines. Oh, and trying not to run screaming from the house to take a break. What we are doing is retreating, sleeping, and trying to find a little bit of rhythm again. Until he leaves again in another day.

One thing I've realized that with cooking for just me and the girls is that I really, really like cooking for my husband. He's an eater, not a cook. He's my audience.

When I can fill his belly with a warm meal that he didn't have to get from a crappy, small town restaurant I feel great. It isn't about being a good wife, I've already got that down. Food is love and I am totally guilty of showing my love with food.

Inspired by Shauna James Ahern and Daniel Ahern I decided to spend the weekend in the kitchen. Bolognese and cookies yesterday. Sunday, a Braised Pork Stew with Cabbage and Caraway from the book. I followed the recipe exactly this time - not something I do often - thus I'm not comfortable sharing it here. We were all filled with love, or just some lovely herbal, mustardy, and nourishing comfort.

If you want the fart reference and the recipe, then you best buy the book.

Book Review - Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again

This is the first week of a new series here at Naptime Quilter. I've been reading a lot of books, some old and some new, and I wanted to share them with you. There is a wealth of information in quilt books. Some are definitely better than others as well. These reviews are my opinion only. And if a book was given to me or I was invited on a blog tour I will certainly let you know. Otherwise I'm reviewing books I've either purchased, borrowed, or checked out from the library.

Up first is Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again, by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran. Published by Lark Books in 2009.

I'll admit that I've not read their first book, but I will be searching it out again. There is an energy to this book and their work that I've not read anywhere. It isn't just the incredibly bright and bold quilts. The sense of collaboration really comes through in the projects. They refer to it throughout the book and each have had a hand in writing chapters.

One of my favourite parts of the book is that there aren't actually any quilt patterns. Rather, they go over specific techniques or blocks in a section they call The Parts Department. Then, when they profile the quilts they reference which parts they used. They also discuss where the design came from and how they came to certain decisions.

Another interesting tidbit to each quilt discussion is a note about a traditional influence or similarity. That is definitely a nice touch to a book that is quite modern. It is fitting considering the subtitle is Freewheeling Twists on Traditional Quilt Designs.

My guess is that this is not a book for a beginner quilter. If you are just starting out the designs and concepts are certainly inspirational. But if you are still used to precise instructions and nervous about breaking out your own it might be tough to read. If all you want is to make "that quilt" specifically then you will have a hard time with this book. If you want, however, to take in some inspiration from both new and traditional quilts this is a fantastic book.

Two of my favourite quilts from the book:

Liberated Wedding Ring

Spikes

Are there any books you can recommend or would like me to review?

A Run-In, With Eggs

Every now and then you have one of those eerie, weird run-ins with your past. The kind that remind you of just how far you've come in life and how happy you are with that journey. And sometimes you just run into a friend's ex girlfriend.

Sunday morning I gave the girls their bread with butter and honey. That wasn't going to cut it for me. I was also facing a surfeit of eggs. Instead of my usual scrambled eggs with salsa I pulled out a memory from our long ago partying days. We still lived in Edmonton and would drive down to Calgary on a regular basis to go out drinking with friends. For a while there we would stay at the house of our friend's girlfriend. One morning she made us these scrambled eggs.

They were the best scrambled eggs ever.

Normally I shun from such platitudes that involve the expression best ever. More than once I've been disappointed. But I've been more frequently disappointed with bad scrambled eggs.

A's technique was also very simple and perfect for lazy, hungover people. Now, as I'm older and wholly unable to manage a hangover, it is still perfect. Perfect for lazy mornings while the girls sit, mesmerized by Cat in the Hat, and I sip tea. Perfect for long brunches with friends or little girls.

Eggs and butter on low heat. Stir a lot. Cook very slowly. Eat the creamiest scrambled eggs ever.

Now that I'm kind of getting the hang of the single parenting thing I can, without too much stress, take two highly energetic and dramatic girls to the farmers' market by myself. This week we faced our usual challenges of impatience and spilled drinks. But we also embraced the energy of the bouncy castle, meeting an Olympian, loading up on Honeycrisp apples and brussels sprouts, and dancing like maniacs to the buskers. There my kids were, one moving her hips like a 4 year old shouldn't and the other nuzzled into me because it was past naptime, when A walks by.

The same A that showed me how to make those scrambled eggs. We haven't seen each other in at least 5 years. The relationship with our friend long since ended and our two kids later, it was a somewhat shocking reunion. We chatted and shared a quick story or two. I found myself only mildly freaked out by seeing my history and my past all together there. Mostly I found that I was proud of where I was - a mom with a hardworking husband and my crazy kids. Pleased that I wasn't waking up hungover in a sort of stranger's townhouse anymore, but by two kids bounding in to cry about bad dreams and lost blankies and could I please turn on their shows?

I never told her that I'd made her eggs just that morning.

The Maybe Almost Best Scrambled Eggs Ever

Serves how ever many you want, just multiply the recipe accordingly. Your cooking time will increase with more eggs and you may want to use a pot accordingly sized to the eggs you use.

1 tbsp butter

3 eggs

salt and pepper

1. In a small saucepan on low heat melt the butter. As soon as it is melted crack in your eggs. Stir well with a fork to beat the eggs well.

2. Cook over low heat, stirring quite frequently with the fork. Total cook time may take anywhere from 20-30 minutes.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Optional - top with sauteed mushrooms, greens, or slow roasted tomatoes, if desired. Just please don't top with ketchup.

Love Bird

A little birdy told me that the next issue of Fat Quarterly is out. And guess who has a tiny project in it?

This is a sneak peak of a fussy cutting Design Challenge I participated in for the November issue. Take a favourite fabric from stash and create a block showcasing some fussy cutting. I then turned mine into a little wall hanging. The block, however, could work really well on a large scale as a quilt.

Go here to buy an issue, if you aren't already a subscriber.