I am a bit late in the discovery of Alexander Henry’s new addition of the ‘Ghastly Manor’ since it came out in May, but there is plenty of time between now and Halloween. I absolutely love the palette of the pink and greens mixed in with the traditional Halloween gloomy blacks and grays. I think it’s enough to merit a quilted runner for the table just for the occasion.
My clever husband came up with the fantastic idea of riding the Royal Gorge train for our 5th Anniversary. After getting over the shock of having 5 years already pass between us, the (4 legged) additions to our family, and the move that we made to Colorado…..we quickly started making a plan to check this one off the “to-do” list. Just like the accommodations on our honeymoon in Ireland, we booked a B&B in Florence, just a few miles out from the Royal Gorge train depot. We got into Canon City Saturday afternoon, and were a bit early so decided to stop off at the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, for some tastings before freshening up at the B&B. The vineyards were just breathtaking, and we discussed many similarities of the Abbey to the many Abbeys that we came across in the countryside of Ireland, it was truly nostalgic.
We made our way to the B&B, The Florence Rose, and were immediately taken aback by the well groomed and abundant garden that perfectly complemented the century old, two story Victorian as we pulled into the drive. We were greeted immediately and welcomed into the home by it’s innkeeper’s, Steven and Andy, whom both were as charming as the surroundings that they preserved. 
We were given a tour of the home and invited to the dining room for tea and cookies, it was such a refreshing reminder of how I missed great southern hospitality, I felt as though we were old friends that haven’t seen each other in ages. We were shown our room, which was decorated down to the silver brush and mirror set atop the antique dresser, just stunning for the history lovers at heart. Not a detail was missed when creating this home, from the thick base molding, operable transoms, original wallpaper, creaky hardwood floors and original bathroom porcelain fixtures, these marvels are amiss today in modern construction. We quickly got ready for our night ahead, and rushed out the door for dinner on the rails.
When we arrived to the train station, there was the conductor on the tracks, in true 1920’s attire waiting to welcome us to our car. As we stepped across the threshold into the dining compartment, we stepped back in time. I had been on many of European trains, but non with this much character and such hospitality (the crew had their greetings down to perfection). 
We were shown to our table and were ready for some sightseeing. Our Australian entertainer, Barry, played many popular songs on the accordion…..I never knew Willie Nelson could bring a tear to my eye coming out of such and obscure instrument, it was magical. After the exceptionally exquisite dinner, we headed out to the observation car which did not have a rooftop or sides so we could experience the black granite up close in the crisp Coloradan air. We soon stopped beneath the bridge, and as Barry strummed along to more classics and mused at the surroundings aloud, we looked up 1,000 foot high gorge and tried to fathom how the bridge was constructed (of course, one cable at a time…but the first cable had to be a doozey). The 3 hour ride just flew buy and I’m pretty sure I smiled for the entire journey, it was nothing like I had ever experienced.
We woke up the next morning to extraordinary smells of breakfast, and when we made it to the table it was indeed a full spread of fruit, slow cooked bacon, fresh coffee, and Andy’s special ‘French Bread Creme Brulee’ (of course I couldn’t leave without the recipe). We had the most in-depth breakfast conversation with the other guests from California and also the the surround Colorado areas. It was the perfect end to the perfect anniversary weekend. If you are ever up that way in the Banana Belt, I highly recommend it all for a trip well worth taking. We are so fortunate to have this practically in our backyard and this is definitely a task on our to-do list that we will have to revisit!
Thanks to a very trustworthy friend and a rainy weekend, I have now been able to introduce quilting to the KitchStitch shop. I’ll have to admit that I was intimidated with the beautiful quilts on etsy, but after picking out the fabulous modern fabrics with the mom-to-be at the local hip fabric store (Fancy Tiger), the design just came alive and I went straight to work.
I made each section out of 3”x6” squares, in a chevron pattern on the front and backed it with white flannel for a soft hand on the back. I am perfecting my skills to “stitch the ditch” but I must say, it didn’t turn out too bad for my first try. Hopefully there will be many more to come.
I made some coordinating pillows too….
Hopefully I’ll have more quilts to follow soon!! This one was a joy to make.
So, the tech-savvy husband is at it again! Setting up the KitchStitch Blog to automatically post to the KitchStitch Twitter page via Twitterfeed….
….ummm, what? :)
Anyhoo, how about some cool “Twitter Themed” Etsy stuff?! Check out these awesome items, and the shops they’re featured in!
(found in LoveandDream’s Shop)
(courtesy of toybreaker’s shop)
(available in ksickle’s shop)
I knew this was my husband’s favorite cake of choice, and maybe that’s why I’ve been intimidated all these years to make Tres Leches from my own kitchen. It just seemed so complicated, there’s cake….the perfect whipped cream on top….and getting the milk to soak just right….perfect ingredients for disaster. After moving north, and leaving the native Texas soil, (good) Tres Leches became very hard to come by, so I had to step up my game. My friend passed along this recipe from Relish Magazine just in time for Cinco de Mayo. My husband didn’t mind being the guinea pig, before I unleashed this sweet & soggy concoction to party goers, but his standard is pretty high especially when it comes to sweets. Well, I must say this passed his test with flying colors, it was absolutely amazing….I can’t believe that my non-baking hands could create such a delight.
So, of course….I have to pass this fail-safe recipe along, for those of you that have ever wanted to try it (or have already tried it) this recipe is definitely one to make your summer events and turn a few taste buds. A few tips, I chose to top ours with rasberries which added a nice tartness to the sweet cream topping, and we also discovered that this was actually better the next day….the cake achieved the perfect soggy consistency (and if you don’t like soggy cakes, bread puddings or custards, you may want to pass).
Tres Leches Cake Recipe:
Ingredients
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 5 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup whole milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened- condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon of rum or liqueur
Fresh berries for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
2. Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture slowly and beat well. Spread batter in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
4. Stir together milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Pour 3 cups over cake. Reserve remaining milk mixture to serve with cake. Refrigerate cake.
5. Combine heavy cream, remaining ½ cup sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla and rum. Beat until thick and spread over cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Pour leftover milk mixture onto dessert plates. Slice chilled cake into squares and place on dessert plates. Garnish with fresh berries, if using. Serves 16.
Recipe by Robin Noelle, a food writer in San Diego, Calif.
As soon as I heard my best friend was expecting, I started scheming on what the perfect diaper bag would be. The hardest part was narrowing the fabric down to one selection to match her colorful personality, and the rest was a cinch. The original design of this bag is from Amy Butler’s ‘Nappy Bag’ pattern but I’ve rearranged a few pockets since making my first nappy bag a few years ago. I love that it’s a simple hobo tote on the outside for the hip new mom, but inside is filled to the brim with pockets; 8 total of all sizes, with a single main compartment.
The exterior fabric is by one of my favorite textile designers, Joel Dewberry. It’s a geometric floral that would go well in any season. Now I just need to fill the pockets and ship it off to the mommy-to-be!
The transformation is complete!! With new paint, trim, a hard clean and brand new table, the new studio is ready for spring orders. I made the table from the Target closet organization collection (end caps), and the top is out of MDF from Home Depot…..nothing fancy but exactly the spread out space that I need. It’s also at stand-up height (36”h), but I also have an IKEA barstool for the intense, pattern tracing moments. On the back wall I installed a peg board to hold thread, bobbins, ribbon, scissors, and all my little knick knacks. I brought our outdoor chairs in (Pier 1), so on a cool spring morning we can open up our french doors and enjoy some coffee and conversation, but my little Azure gets first pick on the chairs.
Before:
After:
I’ve already started a few cushion and pillow projects to break in the new space. The cushion is for my sis-in-law’s bedroom bench at the foot of her bed. She picked the fabric (I love the bold, large pattern) and I accompanied it with a small geometric, silk blend for the backing. I’ll be able to make plenty of throw pillows with the left overs for the bed.
