Bee's Hive

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Shabby Houses

It was chilly in Texas today after the huge storm we had. I watched a movie and then looked for something to do.

 I have been printing out a shabby house block of the month. I'm trying to get away from making large bed size quilts now. I still have one to layer and quilt and that's enough for right now. I recently bought a cotton flannel sheet blanket for the warmer summer weather. I thought I'd make a foot blanket to dress the bed up and some pillow cases and shams.

In my scraps bin I had one piece of Kona white. This will be the center of the foot blanket. It's needle turn applique and embroidery. I don't have my tiny iron or applique glue to work with so I did a lot of pinning today. I did find my case of silk thread. So here is my start. I'll be adding some kind of blocks. Maybe pin wheels or stars or log cabin.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Fresh ground meat....Review

The first thing I noticed was the color of the raw meat, something I remember from Philly when we went to the butcher shop and he ground it in front of you. There was no red liquid running all over. I made a small burger just to see if it tasted different.

I didn't have any "gunk" oozing out of the burger as I fried it. The meat was flaky and tasted GOOD, instead of the rubbery meat we have been eating for who knows how long.  Yes, I see a big difference!

Today is Dave's last dental appointment. We will go shopping for more meat to grind today. I have a vac sealer which is great. The meat doesn't get freezer burn. I'm going to grind packages of one pound and burgers. If I can get organic veal and pork, I'll make up meatballs. It feels great knowing we won't have any Pink Slime in our house!
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REVIEW

Sherry, I have that mixer but if you read the reviews on Amazon, that grinder has a problem. The gears shed metal shavings sending gray stuff into the meat. Those who have complained to kitchenaid were told it's safe to eat. After I read the reviews, what stuck in my mind was a mother who said she just didn't want to feed her family metal shavings.

When I lived in Lancaster I had a hand grinder and loved it. Now, with my hands always ready to stop working, it wouldn't be a good idea to use one. But they do work great! This electric grinder surprised me. I never expected it to grind the meat cubes in seconds. It was a little expensive, but Dave and I shared the cost. It will pay for its self in the end. By buying a large piece of meat we figured it cost $3.79 a pound compared to $4.59 for extra lean already ground with pink slime. The directions did say you can use stale bread to clear the grinder but I had no trouble cleaning it without the bread. It came with a recipe book. You can also grind vegetables, fruits and also make sausage.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Meat Grinder

Friday the meat grinder arrived. We bought a 2 lb. piece of organic beef on Saturday. Today I ground the meat in less then one minute!

 I usually do the main shopping for the month and write a plan for meals. After thinking about meals I realized I use more ground meat then I thought.  Stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, hamburgers, meatballs, meat loaf, chili mac, lasagna, manwich sandwich, etc. I also use ground veal and pork in my meatballs and ground ham patties when we have leftover baked ham. I love this machine!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Pink Slime

I flew to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for my doctor visit. There are new drugs that have been approved by the FDA but haven't been on the open market long enough to really know how they are effecting the masses. My Doctor will start me on one of them when I am back in Pennsylvania where he has more control in case something goes wrong.

As interesting as my flight was, it took a back seat to what I came home too. Dave had posted something on his facebook that has us both sick. Here is the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/pink-slime-choice-schools-230530972--abc-news.html

And...here is a look at what it looks like                   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
We have been eating this. How long I don't know. We threw out all hamburger in the freezer and ordered a good meat grinder.

Friday, March 2, 2012

March Chicken

Funny how I used fabric together that I would never use if I had a choice. Working with one box of scraps and a few FQ's opens new doors to thinking about color.  I just noticed the first chicken and this one both have orange wings..that won't happen again. I wanted them to all be different.