Happy Birthday Jack!
My teen is another year older, good thing I'm not. I have told him about my trying to weed through my cogillion recipes - oh, and I found a file folder with more!!
Back to Jack! I asked him to pick out of the dessert section of my overflowing cookbook a recipe he would like for his birthday cake - and he did a nice job!
I had clipped this way back when my four kids were little and it was time for Jack's birthday cake. He picked the one I had picked for him! I clipped this one because not only is ice cream cake Jack's favorite - but this one is super easy! And, a whole lot cheaper than one from the ice cream parlor.
Line a bread loaf pan with parchment or freezer paper. Beat together 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar until soft peaks form
Place three ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of the pan - cut to fit if necessary.
and spread half of the cream mixture on top. Top ;this with chocolate chips or crushed candy bar
Add the remaining 3 ice cream sandwiches on top, spread the remaining cream mixture and top with more chocolate chips or crushed candy bar. Cover and pop in the freezer for at least one hour. When ready to serve, pull up the paper and with a spatula move it on a plate.
That was easy!
For Jack's 
birthday dinner,
we grilled steaks, purchased a baguette from the bakery and the ice cream birthday cake for dessert. Vegetables? I've been drowning my family in salad and tomatoes these days so, knowing Jack likes cucumbers best - I made this
It's from Cooking Light Magazine and I don't know why I had wrote it. The recipe is from 2007 - maybe I took it out of the library?!
The ingredients are all good - except one! It was too hot from the red pepper flakes!
I had to go back to the kitchen and microwave a bowl of peas to swap out the cucumber salad! I ate it, but the family was right - too hot!
Since I liked the flavors I am going to keep the recipe but with one minor change!
:-D
Onward with the Autumn Quilt!
I pinned the fall quilt up on the current quilt to see and test quilt patterns
This is the current quilt for the spring and summer. I hope I can hang the fall quilt ssssoon!
I've layered the backing and batting together and topped it with the quilt
This is the backing fabric - I love it! The smoothing out each layer and then pin basting is something I far from love
No kitty!
The problem with a small house is finding a good place to layer and baste - it's a nice day, outside kitty cat!
on to pin basting. The smoothing and basting is so important, but it's the worst step!
But now that it's done - I can play around with some quilting ideas. I have a book of patterns and I think I found a match
That sunburst I used to quilt the Autumn quilt I made for my daughter in Arizona - it seemed fitting!
I am going for a leaf vine to quilt down in between the blocks, and this adorable pattern in the borders
Well, it isn't a pattern but Mary Covey included the bear and tree motif in her book, so I am going to use that!
How cute is that!
In the book is also a stag deer motif - I thought this would be good to practice with free motion quilting.
I traced it onto quilting paper
I made another quilt sandwich of fabric and batting. If it comes out, I'll turn it into a pillow! If it doesn't, well it's good exercise. For free motion quilting you need to find your rhythm and the speed you are comfortable. I've always got to go find it again!
The paper was suppose to rip off easily - it did and it didn't. If my stitches were more constant this might have worked better, some of the stitches pulled up. And by making a sample with contrasting thread I could see the good and the bad easily. 
and I found a thread tension problem!
When your thread pops up in loops on the back of your quilt - and my sample it did - it means you have to tighten the upper thread tension. Good to know before I go in.
Before choosing a thread, I've got to mark the quilt - I am going to play it safe and use chalk!
Sew on and sew on!
Pam
Pam
