Clothesline Baskets

This winter we went to visit Elkins, West Virginia.  I found some clothesline baskets in an artist's cooperative.  I decided to try making my own.  I went on line to the library and ordered some books that I thought might help.  One I liked so well I bought a copy from Amazon, to keep around for reference.

 
I bought some clothesline from Walmart.   Then I cut some strips from fabric left over from other projects. 

 

The book said to cut strips 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide.  I found the smaller size worked better.

Put some glue on the wrong side of the end of a fabric strip and glue it around the end of the rope.  Place the rope in the middle of the strip so that you can fold the fabric over and cover the raw end.  I also cut the hard melted bit at the end, so use lots of glue to hold everything together.  Then wrap, on a diagonal, around the rope for about 5 inches and glue it again.  Keep wrapping for about 2 feet, gluing every 5 inches.  Make sure you always wrap in one direction.  Changing directions causes lumps. 

 

Sew straight down the middle of the first five inches of wrapped clothesline.  It helps to have something to hold or push the covered clothesline through the machine.  I used a large seam ripper.  Don't sew your fingers. 

 

Now you can start to sew.  You will need a zigzag foot and thread to match or contrast with the fabric.  Make a coil about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and using a straight stitch, sew an X to hold it in place.  Use the bit of tail to fill the center and fold it as you coil it so the wrong side does not show.  Don't allow any gaps or holes.  Then sew a zigzag stitch all around the circle.  Keep the clothesline end on the right hand side of the project.

I found it hard to go all around the center.  I did as much as I could and then sewed the rest when I was all done with the basket and didn't have to deal with the huge hunk of clothesline going around in circles.

 

Then just wrap and sew until you have a base you want.  I chose to do about 4 inches.  Mark this spot with a piece of tape. 

 

Keep stitching, but hold the left side of the flat bowl base up about 1 finger width off the surface of the base of the sewing machine.  Sew one complete circle and when you get back to the tape, do another circle holding the left side up four fingers worth.

As you sew, you will need to grab another strip of fabric as you will have run out.  Glue the end and wrap it around the rope.  Then pin in place.  Glue the beginning of the next strip and wrap it to cover the cut end of the last strip.  Re-pin to hold the two strips in place and keep going.  When you get to the pin, remove it and sew.

 

All this gluing of fabric with a raw edge will get glue and bits of fabric on your fingers and fabric on the glue stick.  Stop every once in a while and wash your hands and wipe the top of the glue stick.

 

When you finish the second circle, hold the base up against the left side of the machine as you sew.  You have the beginnings of a basket. 

 

Make it as high as you like and then cut the  clothesline about 1 1/4 inches longer than you want. 

 

Cut that section of clothesline lengthwise on a diagonal so that it gets narrower as it reaches the end.  I had a lot of fluff from the weave around the cord, but just discard that.  Glue enough fabric to wrap that section and then another 1/2 inch. 

 

Cut the fabric and wrap it tightly around the cord and tuck in the end of the fabric.  Sew it with the zigzag stitch. 

 

Go once around the top of the basket and you are done.

 

I chose to put a stripe on mine, by changing colors at the tape and then stopping when I reached the tape, after a few times around.  And I played around with handles.  Next time I may do all one fabric or scraps that go together.  Or I may go crazy and mix and match it all up.  The book has a lot of ideas and I also want to try a purse.

 

I just went to Walmart and bought 4 more rolls of clothesline!!! I have a lot of scraps to use up.

Chocolate Hazelnut Croissants

I saw a recipe to make chocolate croissants from purchased puff pastry.  It sounded super easy.  So easy that I decided I could remember it.  Oh, foolish me. 

I found some other recipes and remembered quite a bit of the one I had read.  So I decided to experiment and make a few different versions.  If this worked it would make a superb addition to the breakfast treats I make for my guests.

Of course this meant that I had to try all three versions.  In the interest of my blossoming B&B business.  Necessary, really...I do have two different groups of guests coming this weekend.  It is a struggle to be such a committed innkeeper...

 

Chocolate Croissants

Pepperidge Farms Puff pastry  If I can find it in Daleville, you can find it where you live.  In the freezer section.

Nutella
raspberry jam, preferably seedless
Lindt Lindor Chocolate Hazelnut truffles, I found them in Walmart
1 egg
water
flour for dusting

 

Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight.  There are two sheets of pastry in the package.  I removed one and put the other back in the freezer, after wrapping it in a Ziploc freezer bag.  Set the thawed puff pastry on the counter to warm up a bit while you get everything else out.

 

Heat the oven to 350°.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat.  I needed to use two sheets.

 

Make an egg wash.  I found many recipes for this.  Come on people, it is water and an egg!  I used 1 egg and 2 Tablespoons water.  Next time I will use 1 Tablespoon water, but still others said 1 teaspoon.  I doubt it makes a big difference.  Use 1 Tablespoon water and whisk it with an egg in a small bowl.

 

Dust the counter with some flour.  Divide the puff pastry along the fold lines  I wanted to make some mini croissants and two full size croissants.  You never know what you need to use for guests and I needed to try them all.

For the mini croissants, I divided the two of the strips in half, widthwise.  Then I divided the short strips into triangles.  I set the other strip aside for later.

 

It seemed to help to roll the triangles a bit wider with a rolling pin.  That gave more room to add the fillings.  In some I used about 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella.  Leave the edges clear to brush on the egg wash.  I put the egg wash on some first and then I put the Nutella first and the egg wash last.  Do what works for you.

What you shouldn't do is put the egg wash covered knife back in the Nutella jar.  Use a spoon to get some out and a knife to spread it. 

 

Roll up the triangles from the wide end.  If they seem to stick, use a pastry cutter to lift the end.  As you roll, gently press the egg wash edges to the pastry to seal it. Place the croissant on the prepared cookie sheet and curl it in a crescent. Brush the egg wash over the top of the croissants.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

If you want to try Nutella raspberry croissants, place a scant 1/4 teaspoon or so of seedless raspberry jam on top of the Nutella.  Spread it with a different knife.  Do the egg wash and rolling thing.  Then the egg wash thing on top.  Once again, bake until golden.
.
And here is the MAGICAL croissant.  The others are good.  Seriously good.  But these are Magical.

Take the remaining strip of puff pastry.  Roll it a bit wider.  Remember to keep adding a dusting of flour to the counter.  And don't roll out the dough where you have done the egg wash.  It might stick.

 

Cut the wider strip into a triangle with a pastry cutter or a pizza cutter.  Spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of Nutella on the triangle, leaving the edges for the egg wash.  Get out a Lindt Lindor truffle.  The chocolate hazelnut flavored kind.  I cut mine in half.  It just looked too big to fit.

 

Place the cut truffle in the wide end of the triangle and roll up, pressing gently on the edges to seal.  Form into a crescent, brush the egg wash on top and bake.  It might need a bit longer, because it is bigger.

 

The little ones are cute and have a nice little spot of Nutella.  The raspberry is delicious, too.  But the truffle one??  Oh, my.  SOOOO good.  Seriously.  Make yourself one...or more.  And you can keep the ingredients for months and pull them out to impress your friends. 

 

"Why, yes.  I DID make these delicious chocolate truffle hazelnut croissants!"

 

Salad Kits

  

Lately I have discovered salad kits.  This doesn't mean that I have quit cooking/baking.  It means that the cooking/baking necessitate salad only meals.  So lots of times all we have for dinner is a salad from a kit.

Now, don't feel sorry for Lee.  He is frequently the instigator of these meals.  He doesn't see the point in eating three meals a day and if we eat out for one of those meals he claims he isn't hungry for hours.  Sometimes even the next morning.  I am not starving the man!

  

The nice thing about salad kits is that they have a mixture of greens, veggies, topping and dressings.  One bag is just right for the two of us.  Which is good, because they do not keep well.  Once the dressing is on you have to eat it.  They become a soggy mess overnight in the refrigerator.

  

They would also work for a family if there is a main dish.  Add a casserole or a protein and you are good to go.  We sometimes add in frozen pre-cooked chicken and then it is like a fancy restaurant salad.  Well it is no longer frozen when we add it of course.  Let it thaw and then heat it briefly.

  

These are from Walmart, but you can also buy some very nice ones at other grocery stores.  They can't compete with the salads from Trader Joe's, but they are a great idea for us.  We get a delicious salad with a lot of variety without having a bunch of produce go bad in the refrigerator bin.  They are inexpensive and not too bad on fat and calories. 

I like to add extras sometimes, onions are always good for me, cucumbers, shredded zucchini.  Use whatever you have.  You can even thinly slice a bit of leftover steak.  Let your imagination run.

New Camera

I am so excited!  I have been unhappy with my camera for some time.  I even bought one of those fancy, new Samsung phones in the hopes it could replace my not so good camera.  Unfortunately, I can't load any of the beautiful pictures it takes.  I have gone in to Verizon, twice, to get help and even THEY can't get them to load on my blog.

I have been researching various cameras.  Even when it is working well, my camera won't take close ups with any clarity.  The telephoto will zoom in on a subject but there is a loss of clarity there, also.  After seeing some of the beautiful shots from two local bloggers ( http://bluecountrymagic.blogspot.com/ and http://www.theblueridgegal.com/)  I wanted to do better.  My $69 camera from Walmart was no longer good enough.  Granted, when I started this blog I didn't know if I was going to like it and I didn't know whether I would stick with it. Now that it appears to be a new obsession of mine, I want to step up my game, as it were.

I am not extremely proficient with a camera.  Back in my journalism student days, and that is a LOOONG way back, I took a photography class.  Then I dropped out of said photography class, so don't blame Cal Poly for my expertise, or lack thereof.  In fact, I dropped out of Cal Poly all together, so we can neither blame nor credit them with much of anything related to my writing.  And while I regret not finishing there, my move led me to FedEx and my husband so I can't regret that.

The point of this ramble is I don't want a fancy camera with f stops and shutter speeds to worry about.  I want clear close ups and gorgeous landscapes and that is about it.   I want the camera to do the thinking. 

Yesterday we ended up at Target to do a bit of shopping and I stopped by the camera desk.  I wanted to see if I could learn any more in my research on what kind to get so I could let Lee know what I wanted for Christmas. A sales person offered to help me.  Do you hear that???  A SALES person.  Wow.  That doesn't happen very often.

   

But he was personable and more important knowledgeable.  He takes a lot of close ups in his hobby of model building and puts them on YouTube.  He showed me a Sony camera that was similar to his.  He knew how it worked and could explain it to me.  And it was on sale.  Done.  I got me a new camera.

I have only had it for a day.  And part of that day was spent in charging the battery...and sleeping.  I am having fun learning about all the fun things it will do.

   

Crystal clear distance shots. 

   

And still clear when you zoom in.

   
    
Check out these close ups, Mr. Demille

   

 I love this one.


     

 

Panoramas

   

and black and white.

   

 

Don't you just love this effect?

   
   


   

I can't wait to make a new recipe and get some really clear pictures of delicious food.  So that you will drool on your keyboards.

This is going to be so fun!