The Sew Knotty Quilters

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Well, here we are, getting ready for dinner the day before the retreat.  Melody, Barbara, Evelynne, Elaine and Gail.  One of these days I will come out from behind the camera.

 



We started our meal with warm goat cheese salad.  I'll have to post the recipe at another time since I don't have it in this computer.

Fast forward to breakfast out on the deck this morning.  Almost everyone had arrived, but we didn't wait too long before we dug in.

 

 

We had lots of fresh fruit, croissants, and Orange Coffee Cake.

 



 

Orange Coffee Cake

¾ cup sugar                                                                            

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 (11 ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
½ cup melted butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice

-    Combine sugar, nuts and orange rind in a small bowl.  Separate each biscuit; place a cream cheese square in center of one half, and top with remaining half, pinching sides together.

-     Dip in butter, and dredge in sugar mixture.  Stand each biscuit on edge in a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan.  Drizzle with remaining butter, and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.
-      Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately invert on a plate.
-      Combine powdered sugar and orange juice and spoon over warm coffee cake.

 

Over breakfast we decided we needed to come with a name for our group.  Barbara came up with Sew Knotty Quilters.....and collectively we decided that was us.  Let the sewing begin!

The kitchen island turned into a great cutting station.

This was a real sweat shop.  It was 99 degrees outside and 86 degrees inside!  The cabin doesn't have air conditioning.....so we quilted, talked and drank lots of water.

 

 

Diana was doing her impersonation of Marilyn Monroe in front of the floor fan!

 



Before we knew it, the time had arrived for appetizers before dinner at Snowflake Lodge.

The marinated cheese was a big hit!

Marinated Cheese

½ cup olive oil

½ cup marinated rice vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, chilled
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, chilled
Garnish:  fresh parsley sprigs

-      Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously.  Set marinade aside.

-    Cut block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise.  Cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices; set aside.  Repeat procedure with cream cheese.  Stand cheese slices on edge in a shallow dish, alternating types of cheese.  Pour marinade over cheese.  Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
-     Transfer rows of marinated cheese to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion, reserving marinade.  Spoon marinade over cheese slices.  Garnish, if desired
-      Serve with assorted crackers.  Yield:  16 appetizer servings
 

It's about 10:30pm.  It was a great day.  A nice mix of ladies, a nice mix of projects and the food was great.  It is a quilt retreat that turned into an eating retreat!  We did walk 1/4 mile to dinner and 1/4 mile back.....so we got some exercise in, other that talking and quilting.

Tomorrow is day two of the retreat.  Breakfast starts at 9 on the deck while it's still nice and cool.  Join us to see the parade of projects.  Knock on wood.....we didn't blow a fuse!  The happiest part of the retreat for me is the girls are already making plans for another retreat next year.  Same time, same place, same people, different projects.

Soon,
Lynn