Project Apron

**Woops!  I just found this blog that I wrote a few weeks ago and never pubished...

I've been a terrible blogger lately but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping busy. I've been sewing up a storm and trying out new recipes.

I had some extra fabric that I didn't know what to do with so I decided to whip together some aprons. I think they came out pretty cute. I'm not sure how useful this type of apron is, but oh well! I didn't have enough fabric for a full apron.

What's Baking: Red Velvet Cake

Admittedly I never understood what all the hype was about Red Velvet cake. The few times I tried it I was definitely underwhelmed. They always seemed too dense and the cocoa flavor was a little too strong. I'm going to come out and say that this cake changed my life! I had previously tried Paula Deen's recipe and I absolutely hated it.

Husband and I were sitting around on a Friday night when we both had a cake craving. He loves Red Velvet so I decided to indulge him, especially since he was willing to go to the store to get the missing ingredients. I found this recipe from Pinch My Salt and you must all try it ASAP! The only modification I did was not not use as much food coloring as the recipe called for. I only had two 0.25 vials of red food coloring and I really think it was plenty. I might even skip the food coloring next time.

(If you're not greedy like I was, let your cake cool fully 

before you frost it. It'll be a lot prettier!)

Here's the link to her recipe: http://pinchmysalt.com/2008/11/10/red-velvet-cake-recipe/

I don't like my cream cheese frosting too sweet so here's what I used:
2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar (maybe less...I usually taste it after each half cup addition).

Go bake it now!

What's Cooking: Bacon, Spinach, and Cheddar Quiche

My friend Christine gave me a beautiful tart pan and I knew I wanted to use it right away. I had some left over crust and after a quick look in the fridge saw that I had enough ingredients for a quiche. It came out beautifully and was so delicious.

The crust recipe is the same as my apple pie one. 

For the filling I kind of made up my own recipe:

4 eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
4 strips of bacon
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 white onion finely diced
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Par-bake your crust for about ten minutes covering it with a sheet of parchment paper and a layer of dry uncooked beans to keep the crust from puffing up.

Mix the eggs, cream, and 1 cup of the cheese together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice the bacon into small pieces and cook in pan until crispy. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat. Throw in your diced onion and cook until translucent. Add baby spinach and cook until just wilted. Add the bacon back in and mix well.

Layer the spinach and bacon mixture onto your crust and then pour the egg mixture on top making sure to not overfill (trust me, it'll make a huge mess and you'll never get your quiche out of the tart pan).

Bake 30-35 minutes or until the quiche is set.

Let cook for about 10 minutes and remove from tart pan. Slice and enjoy!

I served mine with a salad but forgot to take pictures since we devoured it immediately!

xoxo,
K

Project: Watson Baby Quilt

I actually made this quilt before the striped baby quilt but didn't want to post about it until I gave it to our friends. I did the disappearing 9 patch method. I really like quilts where things aren't perfectly perfect. I like patterns that are mixed and matched. I love the colors I used in this one too. I can't wait to have a little girl! 

Project: Zig Zag Quilt

I've been trying out different quilting techniques and trying to master them. This one was a lot of work, but I'm so in love with all the colors and the pattern. I chose the colors to go with our living room. I really wish I had made it bigger though...Maybe I'll make another one using the same fabrics.

Project: Stripe Baby Quilt

IMG_1433
Originally uploaded by krystin.rader

I had a bunch of leftover fabric scraps that I thought would be perfect for a little baby quilt. I love how it came out it was a really quick project.

Project: Baby Quilt 2

I guess I'm kind of on a baby quilt kick! I used the leftover project from the bunting project that I did. I was so in love with the fabrics. I think I get way too attached to all the baby blankets I make! I wanted to try the hand tying method. I think it looks pretty cute. What do you guys think?

Project: Mini Quilt

I'm working on a big quilt for our king-sized bed but had some leftover scraps of fabric so I decided to make a baby quilt out of it. I didn't have too much of a plan going into the project so I just made adjustments as I went along. The black border on the front was completely unplanned but was a last minute necessity if I wanted this blanket to actually be able to cover a baby.

I really loved how it turned out. I kind of feel like I should keep it since I'll have a big quilt that matches it (whenever I manage to finish that one). I also realized that I love making baby quilts because it's a pretty quick project.

Project: Baby Quilt

One of my friends is going to have a little girl (any day now!) and I thought it would be great to make a quilt for the baby. Not that I've ever quilted before. I bought a kit from Joann's and figured that it would be difficult to mess up on with a kit. I think it turned out really cute. I liked the fabrics that were included in the kit and the directions made it easy enough. I've actually really gotten into quilting now. I started on a quilt for our king sized bed and finished another baby quilt (pics to come).

OOTD: Alpine Dreaming

I have to admit that I have an unfair amount of love for my Anthro pieces, probably because I don't own that many of them. I loved this skirt the moment I saw it, even though I'm usually not drawn to light blue. The deal was made even sweeter since I scored it when it went on a second markdown. I can't wait to style it for the fall and winter, particularly since it is a billion degrees here.

Odille Alpine Dream Skirt

White ruffle tank - Gottchalk's (from years ago)