September 2025 - Old Capitol Quilt Guild Meeting

                                         Old Capitol Quilt Guild                                        

                        September Meetings

                              Morning - September 8, 2025

                              Evening – September 11, 2025

 

We started a new year for the Old Capitol Quilt Guild.

We were greeted by our president, Chris Ann Jensen. 

She told us about some fun things planned this year. Here are a few of the things we will be doing:

• We will continue having our On-time drawing each month.
• Suzanne Hillestad will have a block of the month. This year's theme will be "baskets."
• Tafta Watson, joined by Karen Jordon this year, will help us with Tips, Tricks, and Techniques.
• Ellen Harmon will be in charge of our Bingo Cards. Fill in your Bingo card with activities you want to accomplish this year. As you complete your activities, cross them off. When you have 5 in a row, you get Bingo. For each Bingo, you can fill out a ticket. At the end of the year, one ticket will be drawn, and the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from Mom's Fabric in Delta, Utah.

On-time Drawings

   This month's on-time drawing winners each received a cute key fob.

 Morning - Elva Robins  

                                                Evening – Anna Weidauer

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

by Tafta Watson

Tafta presented ideas about “How to Find Time to Quilt.” There was a lot of class participation. It was interesting to hear your ideas on how you find time to quilt.

        Ideas to Help You Find Time to Quilt

1.               If possible, keep your sewing machine out.

2.               Have an organized space.

3.               Have project boxes.

4.               Make sewing a priority.

5.               Set realistic goals. (Bingo)I

6.               Use a sewing planner.

a.      Calendar/notebook, sketchbook, graph paper

7.               Plan meals.

a.      Add some quick dinners into the meal rotation or plan for leftovers.

b.     A few quick recipes are included at the end of this entry.

8.               Keep hand sewing handy. Take it with you.

9.               Stay on task.

10.               Take a quilting class.

11.               Use each moment. Use a timer (Karen Brown, Just Get It Done Quilts).

a.      Pin 1 seam, sew a seam, cut one piece, etc.

b.     5 minutes at a time.

12.               Clean or put things away for 5 minutes. Again, use a timer.

13.        Give yourself permission to quilt.

           What do you do to find time to quilt?

 

Show and Share

Morning Guild

Judy Womack

 Karen Jordon

This is the quilt she made from her Blocks of the Month from last year.                         

Karen displayed her quilts in our morning and evening meetings.

Evening Guild

Shelly Richardson

 Morning Meeting - Salad Bar

To celebrate the beginning of a new year for our guild, the morning guild had a simple salad bar. We all enjoyed it very much.

Quick and Easy Recipes 

to use on a busy quilting day.

 

Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken

 Author: Beth Moncel, Adapted by Tafta Watson

 PREP 20 mins         COOK 40 mins         TOTAL 1 hr.

 Ingredients

•                 1 large onion

•                 2 green bell peppers

•                 1 red bell pepper

•                 20 oz can pineapple chunks

•                 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.25 lb.)

•                 2 Tbsp cooking oil

•                 1/4 tsp garlic powder

•                 1/2 tsp ground ginger

•                 Salt and Pepper to taste

 Sweet and Sour Sauce

•                 1/4 cup ketchup

•                 1/4 cup brown sugar

•                 1/3 cup rice or apple cider vinegar

•                 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce

•                 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch

•                 3 green onions, sliced

•                 6 cups cooked rice

 Instructions

1.     Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2.     Cut the onion, bell peppers, and chicken breasts into one-inch pieces.

3.     Drain the pineapple well, reserving the juice for the sauce. I have used fresh pineapple. (TW)

4.     Place the onion, bell pepper, chicken, and pineapple chunks in a large bowl.

5.     Drizzle the cooking oil over the ingredients on the sheet pan, followed by the garlic powder, ground ginger, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Toss the chicken, bell peppers, onions, and pineapple until they are evenly coated in oil and spices.

6.     Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

7.    Place ingredients on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Use two sheets, if needed, to prevent the chicken and vegetables from piling on top of each other. They need a little room to brown correctly.

8.     Bake the chicken and vegetables in the oven for about 30 - 40 minutes, or until they are slightly browned on the edges.

9.     Stir halfway through the baking time to redistribute the heat and allow excess moisture to evaporate. Watch the ingredients that they do not overcook.

10.     While the chicken and vegetables are baking, prepare the sauce.

11.     In a small sauce pot whisk together the reserved pineapple juice (about 1 cup), ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.

12.     Heat the mixture over medium flame, stirring often, until it begins to simmer.

13.     When it begins to simmer the cornstarch will begin to gel and thicken the sauce.

14.     Once the sauce has thickened to a glaze, remove it from the heat and set it aside until ready to use. You can use purchased Sweet and Sour Sauce, if you would like.

15.     When the chicken and vegetables have finished baking, remove them from the oven and pour the prepared sauce over top. Stir until everything is coated in sauce.

16.  Serve the sweet and sour chicken over cooked rice with sliced green onions sprinkled over top.

 Notes:

•                 You can use purchased Sweet and Sour Sauce if you would like. It will save time.

•                 Watch veggies and chicken carefully so they do not overcook.

•                 I like to add thinly sliced celery to the veggies. (TW)

•                 You could also add sliced water chestnuts.

To prepare this meal quickly on the day you want to eat, you can cut up the chicken,               prepare the vegetables, or make the sauce the day before. Just put them each in a separate zip lock bag. You can even cook the rice the day before.

Quick and Easy Dinner

By Karen Jordon

• Quick. Drive to the store.·       
• Peruse the freezer section. Find a yummy looking dinner.      
• Buy enough for your family. Quickly, get in your car.·       
• Get in your car, head home.·      
• Turn on your oven to the designated temperature.·       
• Cook your dinner.·       
• Eat and enjoy. 
• If you want dessert, head over to the bakery, the cookie isle, or the ice cream freezer.. 
• Buy one of those desserts. Of course, maybe you want to get one of each.
• Ah-h-h, wasn’t that easy

·        Notes: 

 1- This can be done the day before or even a week before your busy quilting day. 

- You can even keep a supply of these dinners in your freezer at home.

-   - This is a very versatile recipe. You can make any kind of frozen dinner or choose from any dessert the store offers.

 

If you have a favorite quick and easy dessert, please send a copy to box423@gmail.com, and we will share it with others.

Happy Quilting!