I Like Thursday # 149 ~ The Taste of Summer

 

The Taste of Summer

A toasted tortilla with  home grilled chicken and 

homegrown veggies.

Add homemade lemonade and fresh cut watermelon 

(sorry ... not shown ... I ate it all before I realized I did not get a photo.)

It was yummy! 

A simple and easy lunch at its best. 

Our summer lunches during the week are made 

from the weekend grilling by my Mr. Scrapatch. 

It may be chicken breasts, beef brisket, pork loin, even fish fillets,

whatever looked good at the butcher shop or fresh fish shop.

It is all good.  

For our summer grilling, I make a salt-free rub that is kept in a jar that my hubby reaches for whatever meat he is grilling.  He rubs this on meat that he has patted dry and grills. 

It also gets added to veggie packets of whatever summer garden vegetables like summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, scallions with onions, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, mushrooms ... whatever we have on on hand. 

It even sometimes gets sprinkled on grilled corn with feta cheese.

This seasoning is our taste of summer ... and there is no actual recipe.

When the jar is near empty I make another batch.

Here is approximately what is in the jar:

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 or 3 tablespoons of garlic powder and/or granules (no salt)

2-3 tablespoons of onion powder (again, no salt)

1 tablespoon of mustard powder

1 or 2 tablespoons of paprika

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

fresh ground pepper

That is the base "recipe."

Then I add in a half teaspoon to a teaspoon seasonings 

like tumeric, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, red pepper flakes

 and about a half-teaspoon of nutmeg. 

I have even been known to add a bit of espresso powder. 

Mr. Scrapatch does not like it too spicy.  

I probably add a touch more spice than he realizes.

I make to taste every time and it always tastes yummy.

Linking up today with my blogging friends for

I Like Thursday @ Not Afraid of Color 

May you have a Happy Thursday! 

Stitch Sew & Show ~ 2022 ~ Week 32

 

Welcome to Stitch Sew & Show ~ 2022 ~ Week 32

This week I am continuing my purple crochet shawl project.

I finished the border on Purple Shawl ~ Back Block

early in the week and now am working on adding the two sides to the block

to make the shoulder sections. 

The stitch I have chosen for the sides is the 

Tunisian Knit Stitch (TKS).

This is a very easy stitch.

This looks much like a regular knitting stitch and is achieved by inserting the hook into the space between the front and back bar (also called the legs) of the stitch, front to back and pulling up a loop onto the hook. 

Tunisian Crochet Knit Stitch How-To Video @TLYC

Click on the link above for video instructions for this stitch. 

I need to make progress fats on this shawl. My friend's birthday is next week.

Hopefully I will have time to finish the shawl.

What are you working on this week?

Please Share! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Rainy Days and Tuesdays

 

It rained today! 

I  opened the windows and the back door 

and even went out to stand in the nice cool rain. 

I has been in the triple digits with the heat factor for so many days

that the house has been closed up and the air conditioners running night and day.

It has not even cooled off at night. 

A steady healing is now a cause for celebration.

In truth, I have always loved summer rains and in my younger days would take a walk in the rain.

Today I just opened my door and enjoyed. 

Hope the rains that fall on you are gentle and healing. 

Monday's Stitching

Today I worked on the edging border 

of the back block for my purple shawl project.

For this part of the project I used my regular size K 6.5mm hook started by working a single crochet in every stitch on all four side of my block.

On the side edges of my block I worked three rows of single crochet

and on the top and bottom where I cast on and off, I added only one row of SC. 

Then I worked around the block one more time adding a Back Post Single Crochet (BPSC) to finish the block border. 

Now my block measures 20 inches square and I am ready to start the sides of my shawl tomorrow with my Tunisian Crochet Hook.

As I said, this is a design as I go project.

So far is is looking just as I had hoped. 

It was so oppressively hot and humid today,

 I stayed inside most of the day 

and was very thankful for my window air conditioners. 

The daytime adjusted temperature was in the triple digits all day. 

Is it as hot where you are?

How are you staying cool? 

Slow Sunday Stitching ~ Tunisian Crochet

 

My Perfectly Purple Shawl is progressing. 

I have completed my planned part one in this design as I stitch project.

I last showed this project in my 

Stitch Sew & Show Linky Party

The link for this particular version of the stitch is in the link above.

After I started stitching, I made a personal variation in my long stitches from what is given in the instructions. I pulled through the first two loops and then the single loop as it felt more natural to my hands.  I think I also was able to keep my elongated stitches looking straighter and neater this way.  When following a pattern, I always find what works best for me and go with that. 

I found video for a very, very similar stitch called

Framed Block Stitch by Hobby Stash

The only difference is an extra yarnover loop on the long post stitch. 

Hobby Stash

is a wonderful site for people who quilt and crochet.

I also found this virtual treasure trove of

52 Block Sampler Tunisian Crochet by HobbyStash

That would be one block a week!

I may make this a yearlong project for 2023. 

After completing 63 rows of 63 stitches across, I measured my block using my largest quilting square.  Since Tunisian crochet has a natural tendency to roll at the beginning rows and the ending row, the ruler allowed me to flatten it and get an accurate measurement.  I was very happy to find that my gage is perfect in this block.

I used a Tunisian Crochet Hook size K  ~  6.5 mm.

I really love the texture and look of this stitch.

Here is the front and the back of my block.

My plan is to add a narrow border to this block 

and set it on point for the back of my shawl.

I will start part two of my shawl design tomorrow.

Tonight I am linking up with all the lovely creations at

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

May your weekend end well 

and your new week be a happy one!