Ancient Gratin

This learning-to-cook a la Alice project is starting to pay off. Tonight I made Ancient Gratin, a vegetarian entree of my own invention, based on some potatoes, cauliflower and butternut squash that had to be used up now. I mean NOW. I sliced, floretted, parboiled and layered with some shredded gouda in there somewhere. Salt and pepper. A little cream poured over the top. Convection baked at 375 for 30 minutes. Pressed down with a spatula. Baked for another 10 minutes. Goodness, it was delicious! Randy made a salad to go with.

I sewed all day, making serious progress on the current UFO by figuring out the details of the sashing. Started in 1996 for heaven's sake, it's not a quilt I would ever make today, but I somehow managed to make 36 appliqued heart blocks and this is probably the only hand-applique project I'll ever make, so I'm determined to finish it. You'd laugh to see it. Pink and red, light blue and dark blue, it's all hearts and flowers with that nauseating country feel. It's about one step away from pale blue and dusty rose country geese. Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad. But it does remind me of Texas. Need I say more....

While watching "Dancing with the Stars" (the worst season ever, by the way), I finished hand quilting, primitively, a small wall quilt. Everything except the binding. It, too, is one of those strange things in the UFO pile. Plaid. "Primitive." Lots of buttonhole-stitched applique, depicting the 4 seasons. I remember making one for a small quilt auction, and apparently decided to make one for myself, too. Well, it will go somewhere. Like, somewhere on the planet.

I continue my reading preliminary to the Iliad. Like Cliff Notes. Seriously. Whatever it takes.