Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger

Can you believe this concoction???  It is one of the things that we DID NOT try at the North Carolina State Fair...We went with the intention of eating our way through the fair and looking at the Quilt entries.  Well we did both...We hightailed it to the Giant Turkey Leg vendor first thing (We planned to get there around lunch time..because we are SOOO disciplined when it comes to a healthy diet!)...So, Giant Turkey Leg...check.  Then (because we are so health conscious) we needed to add a vegetable to that lunch...Huh, what do you know, there is a roasted corn vendor...Vegetable..check.  And that is just about where our health kick came to a screeching halt..After that we had Honey Cotton Candy, Maple Cotton Candy, Scuppernong slushie, roasted peanuts, hush puppies, chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick and hold on now....fried bacon dipped in chocolate...please. don't. judge...  After all, we did have the resistance to turn down the Kool-Aid dill pickles (evidently they are sour and sweet) and we didn't think twice about forgoing the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger (although we were hypnotized by it just a little, o.k. maybe a long time.  It was like a train wreck and really hard to look away). 

Doodle Here!

So, today it is doodles turn to chime in on the doodle moochie page...
Moochie & the Mayor have come to visit us in the FAIR land of Cary for a few days.  The Sheriff and I have welcomed them into our humble abode -- giving them the luxury of a blow up mattress in our living room floor (the only floor space we have that is big enough to host the fancy bed).
The most exciting thing about the visit is that we get to go to the NC state fair tomorrow!! How will we start our binge?  -- fried pecan pie, fried oreos, fried cheesy mash potatoes... -- For our main dish we will also be enjoying a savory (and GIANT) Turkey leg with some roasted corn (covered in salt and pepper and BUTTER). -- For dessert we will have some chocolate covered bacon, a caramel apple, some cotton candy, kettle corn, and maybe even a krispy kreme burger (wait? is that dessert or a meal?).

The second most exciting thing is that we get to go QUILT SHOP SHOPPING!! YAYYY!! I have no one around here who would be able to enjoy a day of fabric comparisons, pairing and criticism like the Moochie can! So glad she is here.  And whats even better? The Mayor will  be tagging along! He must truly love us!

Tonight, the Sheriff and I will be introducing Moochie and the Mayor to Venison steaks...  We think they are better than a filet of beef... but, I wouldn't be opposed to a prayer for our guests to enjoy them, too.

The Distracted Blogger

   Yes...that is me...Moochie, The Distracted Blogger.  Doodle called it irresponsible.  I say that is waaay too harsh, so I will call it 'Distracted'.  So I have been shamed by the Town Council into this mornings blog.  A lot has gone on since my last entry..I won't bore you with ALL of the details..but I WILL give you enough info to get you updated and maybe become more 'responsible'..I mean less 'distracted'.
   Angel Baby has passed his kidney stone and is now deep into mid-term exam studying.  Unfortunately, Angel Baby (and I think all of my children) has inherited my ability to be distracted.  He has ask me to help him stay on track by questioning his study habits, paper-writing status, and project building progress...ME?..the distracted one!!...I will do my best.  It will be difficult though, to gently nudge without seeming 'naggy'....There is a fine line (I am told).
   I have conquered a bushel of apples.  What was I thinking, buying a BUSHEL of apples???...They yelled at me all of one weekend, 'Do something with us!  You paid perfectly good money for us!  We are crowded in this bag and beginning to get bruises from being packed in here so tight.  Help! Help!  We are going soft.  Help us!'  And I could not escape those apples.  Mainly because there was one bag in the hallway, where it was plopped down (that many apples are heavy you know?) and then there was a bag on the kitchen table.  When I sat in the den to check emails, or watch t.v. or get caught up on my knitting the 'hall' apples would plead with me.  Racked with apple-guilt I would get up and go to the kitchen to do something productive...and yes, there they were...the evil siblings of the 'hall' apples...the 'kitchen' apples..The 'kitchen' apples...always jealous of the peeling of potatoes, or stirring of the gravy, frying of the chicken..jealous, JEALOUS 'kitchen' apples.  Finally it was more than I could bear so I put my behind in the car and went on the hunt for an apple peeler.  Yea, Bed Bath and Beyond...a whole display of apple peelers...a heavenly light shining down on the display.  I snatched one, drove home and VOILA!...The pantry at Town Hall now holds 17 pints of applesauce!..No more apple guilt for me!...By the way, the 4 ounce jar of pickles still sits in my pantry..just waiting...and waiting...

Cupcakes, Quilts, and Kidney Stones

Well I have finished four customer quilts this week!  Hip, hip, hoo-Ray!!  Really four does NOT sound like a lot for a week with seven days in it.  But...one was giant..AND I not only cut and sewed the binding together for this quilt, I also sewed it on the front of the quilt and then finished it by hand on the back..It was Karen T's first quilt and I think she was relieved and satisfied just to finish the top.  So I finished the rest and on Wednesday she will meet me at a predetermined exchange location (I feel the need to buy myself a snazzy trench coat and some giant sunglasses) to get her first quilt creation.  Then I will be on the look-out for my second contact of the day...Judy.  She will pick up a baby quilt that took almost as long to quilt as Karen's first, giant quilt.  The baby quilt was a custom job and turned out really nice..I'm sure a spit up stain here and there will only enhance the beauty..(hey, as long as Judy was willing to pay for custom, who am I to judge?..Spit away, baby!)  Judy will also be picking up a quilt that she made to raise money for a local women's shelter..she is donating the quilt...so I will be donating my quilting (so much for the extra dough earned on the custom job)   :o(    Then there was the quilt for Sue.  Sue is such a gentle, sweet client and friend.  I custom quilted a giant quilt for her and she was thrilled with the result.  Have I mentioned that custom quilting takes a huge hunk of time?? and you can't just walk away from the machine!!  you have to pay close attention..and do MATH.  Did you HEAR me??  M.A.T.H   I do not like math.  Math is NOT my friend.  Alas..only four quilts completed this week.  Hopefully the bottleneck is unclogged and the quilts will flow freely this week

The Mayor's Cupcake!

The mayor of DoodleMoochie Land decided that he would do some baking yesterday and I have to say the results are really, REALLY GOOD!!..He made chocolate cupcakes and cream cheese icing.  After a crash course on how to use a piping bag he iced all 24 cupcakes and even cleaned the kitchen.  We experimented in the cupcakes a little.  We scooped out a bit of the center of two cakes and put in a chunk of banana, then piped on the cream cheese icing, sprinkled a little mild flavored salt and raw sugar.  OH MY GOSH!!  It was about the BEST cupcake that I have EVER had (note the past tense).  My birthday is next month and I am going to request (maybe call a town meeting and demand) these cupcakes for my celebration.

On another note..Angel Baby is home for the Labor Day weekend and is taking the whole 'Labor Day' thing at face value.  He is trying to 'birth' his third kidney stone.  Poor baby.  He has now had two ibuprofen, one pain pill, and a flo-max..and he is REALLY chatty..I mean really chatty.  Oh now, this should be interesting..Angel Baby (on drugs) teaching the Mayor how to use the Espresso Machine.  More to come later!

TA-DA!!

Well, faithful followers of the Great Pickle Process in DoodleMoochie Land..Today was THE day!  You know the first blog I wrote was the beginning of The Process and I also mentioned that I was working on a quilt for 'Candy'.  Today was closure on both accounts. 

My mom came over and helped me pack and process the cute little cukes.  She wasn't discretionary at all.  She just stuck her hand in the crock, grabbed a fistful and slammed them in a jar.  No consideration at all of who they had been floating next to for the last 13 days.  No feelings for the relationships they might have formed..just crammed them in whatever jar was closest.  Well, I guess that is the way things will have to be.  It is their cucumber...ah-hem (pickle) destiny.  They now reside in 18 pints jars and 6 half-pint jars and one 4 ounce jar.  The 4 ouncer is for someone I don't really care for, who I suspect is not really going to enjoy the fruits of my labor.  It is for someone that I only feel obligated to share my pickles with...A 'necessity' if you will.  So look out.  You DO NOT want to be that person.  That person will want more and have none.

notice the 4 ouncer, right up front.... ;o)

We held out a few to eat with our sandwich at lunch...and yes, they are just THAT good.  Aunt Cleo would be proud.  I think I will take my cousin, Aunt Cleo's son, a jar of these pickles..and it will NOT be the 4 ouncer.

I also finished 'Candy's' quilt.  Actually I finished it last week.  But she teaches school in a nearby town and could not make it until today to pick it up.  She excited to have something that her Grandmother had started and we had finished for her.  Candy doesn't sew and so (sew and so..Ha) we finished it, binding and all.  Bed ready.  I am sure that her quilt will bring many generations of fond memories.  Well, now that 'Candy's' quilt is off the frame a new one is on...Look out Sue!  Yours is next..Another custom job and it is turning out beautifully.
Pictures are posted of the Great Pickle Process Production and of my mom.  I think it was safe to post the picture of her since she will never see it..she doesn't have internet.  If she does see it..I will have my brother to thank..and I WILL not thank him.
Until next time...

Vinegar!!!

Well, well, well.  Here we are on day 10 of the Great Pickle Process!!  And just exactly what does that mean?  To be specific, it means one heaping teaspoon of whole cloves, 4 sticks of cinnamon, 10 cups of sugar and 20 cups of vinegar.  The mayor of DoodleMoochie Land hefted the cuke filled crock to the sink and we gave them their last wash of fresh water.  It's good-bye, cruel world for these babies.  They are now floating in a wonderland of a spicy, sugary sweet heaven.  It smells so good in my house.  I know, I know.  Not many people would find the smell of vinegar pleasant.  But I do.  And apparently so does my oldest son, Mahoney.  He says it smells just like Aunt Cleo pickles..and they were the best EVER!  The vinegar smell makes me think of the time when my Aunt Cleo was still with us.  She and my mom would hack up the cucumbers, laughing and reminiscing all the while.  The smell of vinegar also reminds me of Easter egg dyeing time, long ago and far away.  Before the time of fizzing color tabs and droppers of oily paint that float on water.  I miss Aunt Cleo, but I sure am glad my mom is still here to share.  She is coming over in a few days when it is time to divide the cukes into their own little cuke condos (also known as Mason jars).  I am unsure of this process and still don't have good technique, so she will be here to drop some nuggets of wisdom and cheer me on.  I am excited about the whole thing. Mahoney and I couldn't wait and we snuck a slice while working with the pickle syrup tonight...and we were so pleased that we delivered one to the Mayor.  All in agreement.  So far the Great Pickle Process is a very good thing!

Day 7 of the Great Pickle Procedure!

So today is day 7 of the Great Pickle Procedure..and let me tell you I have had my share of scum skimming and mold removal...EeeWEeeee.  But it did not smell bad at all..go figure.  When the mayor of DoodleMoochie Land came home today he flexed his muscles and showed them pickles what-for.  Yessireee, the Mayor hefted that 5 gallon crock filled with hacked up cucumbers and salt water effortlessly to the sink.  He dumped them in without spilling or splashing a drop.  It was kind of like a pickle ballet.  Then I gave them a shower of tepid water, ever so gently rinsing away the saltwater bath and refreshing them with some clean, clear water.  I tenderly lifted the cukes by loving handfuls and laid them ever so gingerly into the once again clean crock.  You could almost hear their sigh of relief.  You know girls, like when you get a perm and the stylist finally tells you 'it's time' and they put your itchy, tight head of hair under that cool stream of everlasting loveliness we call..water. And then....HaHAhaaa..I covered the little suckers with BOILING water!..Again..don't judge me..It is what the recipe called for.  I had to leave the room.  Cucumber screams are just more than I can bear.
I found refuge in the quilt studio.  Today was DOPU day at DoodleMoochie Inc.  You know ..drop off, pick up day...Silly you, you didn't guess what DOPU stood for, did you?  I had two quilts picked up and six quilts dropped off.  A pretty good balance!  I am currently working on the binding for Candy's quilt.  It is almost finished, Praise the Lord!  That quilt has been a thorn in my side.  The mayor of DoodleMoochie Land just made the comment..'Do you ever have a quilt that is smaller than a football field?'..Well, I did three wall hangings yesterday and am about to load a baby quilt.  Then you guessed it, back to quilts for elephants. I personally believe that any quilt worth having is a quilt that will cover your toes and tuck under your chin.  Apparently a lot of people think bigger than me.  O.k...I should get back to the studio..and back to work (if you can call it that)..because I LOVE it!

Pickle Update

So today is day 2 of the 14 day Great Pickle Process.  The hacked up cucumbers sit in the crock drowning in a sea of salt water...'You know, Levi is going to drink out of that' says Angel Baby...'Not after the first lap' says my Mom.  (You see the water is 3 cups of salt to 2 gallons of water.)  'The only person that would drink out of that is Nan' (my Mom) says the mayor of DoodleMoochie Land.  My mom loves salt SOOO much that we are thinking of having her headstone carved from a salt block when the time comes.  I taped the recipe for these particular pickles on the wall behind the crock and dated it with notes about the day and approximate time that the Great Pickle Process began..otherwise, as my mother so tenderly reminded me, I would forget and the Process would turn into A Great Disappointment.  I can just see the poked out lip, the quivering chin, the single tear rolling down the cheek, when one of my children went to the pantry only to return from pickle retrieval duty empty-handed.  Now I can't have that kind of grieving going on in this house...NO!  So dutifully I taped the recipe behind the crock...safe and sound.  Maybe I should take it down and make a copy of it...  Maybe I should put it in the recipe notebook.  Hey!  Maybe I could snail mail it to myself..would the post office keep me from A Great Disappointment??  Now wait..what did I say I was going to do with that recipe??  Have you seen my cell phone?  Have you seen my car keys??  ArrGGhhhhh!

Maiden Blog

Thanks for visiting the 'maiden voyage' of Quilt with DoodleMoochie! We are so glad you decided to join us. I was inspired to start this blog after meeting Pat Wyse of Silver Thimble Quilt Company at our local guild meeting, discovering the Free Motion Quilting blog, CraftFail, and of course watching the movie Julie and Julia. I am inspired by ALL of these ladies!