The Communique Layout
Popularized by Rhonda Dort, who uses the layout in her classes, the Communique Quilt Layout works for both featuring large fabric and panel pieces, as well as a basis for multiple block designs.
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About Me
Welcome to Mouse in My Pocket! I'm Andrea, a web developer living in rural America with her husband and daughter. I'm excited to share my life with you as I explore some of the great things about living in the middle of nowhere. Be sure to check out the blog below to see a few of the things that are speaking to me right now.
On the Blog
Burbon Street Beignets
For those of you who have never heard of them beignets (pronounced “been-yea-s”) are basically fancy homemade doughnuts (meaning we’re not going to make them out of canned biscuits. This is a recipe from the KitchenAid collection. Ingredients: 1 package dry active yeast 1/4 cup warm water (105° – 115° F) – yes this recipe…
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Orange Cake
This is my step-mom Carolyn’s recipe for orange cake. I like this one, because it starts with a cake mix, making it ultra simple. This recipe has it’s own frosting recipe, but it’s also great with cream cheese icing. Cake Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix 2 eggs 3/4 cup oil 1 (11 oz) can…
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Spinning a Yarn
The 7th and final chapter in our book, Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life is entitled Spinning a Yarn. This chapter of the book covers: Carding and spinning yarn Natural dyes How to make a flower press How to make a corn husk doll Making rag rugs Making candles Quilt patterns…
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Marinated Pork Chops
Ingredients: Pork Chops Italian Dressing Instructions: Put pork chops into zip-loc bag. Add enough dressing to cover. Refrigerate 6 hours, or overnight, turning occasionally. Grill. *Throw out unused marinade because of raw pork exposure.
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Maple Glazed Chicken
This recipe for Maple Glazed Chicken came from the Disney Family Cookbook. It’s one of my favorite ways to have chicken, assuming I get the chicken cooked thoroughly. That seems to be my biggest problem. I guess I really should follow instructions and only use fully thawed chicken (meaning defrosting the chicken in the microwave…
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French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients: 3-pound fresh beef brisket (not corned beef) 1 package (1.3 oz.) dry onion soup mix 1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed beef broth 8 mini baguettes or sandwich buns Instructions: Place beef in 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Mix dry soup mix and beef broth; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low…
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Mushroom Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients: 1 T vegetable oil 4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (about 1 lb.) 1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup 1/4 cup water Instructions: In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chops and cook 10 minutes or until brown. Set chops aside and pour off…
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Jambalaya
I found this recipe in an edition of Favorite Food Brand Recipes, entitled Grama’s Sunday Suppers (from March of 2002). This has become one of my favorite recipes to make year-round. Ingredients: 1 T vegetable oil 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks 1/2 lb hot Italian pork sausage, sliced (I often substitute smoked sausage)…
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Farmer’s Daughter Pate Sucree
This pie dough is a sweet dough, which is great for tarts. It has a lot of butter, so it’s harder to handle than all-purpose doughs. Ingredients: 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour pinch of salt Instructions: In a medium bowl,…
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Pasta and Pig Guts
While this isn’t the prettiest dish in the world, it certainly is one of the yummiest. Is that a word? Yummiest? If it wasn’t it is now. If you want to dress up your version of the dish and make it a bit prettier, you can sprinkle extra mozzarella on top before you finish the…
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