WIP Wed: Not your typical "hexie"

It's Wednesday, so I'm linking up with Freshly Pieced WIP Wed today!

I've been spending the last of my kid-free time trying to get my molecule quilt blocks all ready to hand embroider.  This project has turned into quite a time hog, but I'm really really enjoying it!  Once again, it combines my nerdy science love with my fabric quilty love... a wonderful match for me!!  I don't have a ton of time (only 5 hours, 30 minutes left of school, but who's counting), so this will be just a few quick pictures.  I'll try to describe more of my process later, which may be a lot later, since we'll be doing some camping, and kids will be home 24/7, and we only have one good computer here...

I LOVE the background fabric I found... It's from Moda, and it looks like notebook paper!!  Perfect for this quilt!

I also got a few fabric postcards done for friends, and have all but finished my Sisters Quilt Show challenge quilt block.  I just need to stitch it down.  I loved the blue circle fabric, and as I was trying to figure out what to do, I thought about the Grateful Dead's lyrics "The sky was yellow and the sun was blue", from their song "Scarlet Begonias".  Do you think this will be the first Grateful Dead-inspired quilt block there? LOL  I'm a fan of theirs, and have been to 2 of their shows, in New Orleans and Eugene, OR, many years ago.  I was much more of a spectator at the shows than a participant, if you know what I mean, but love their music! Here's the before and after pictures...

Lastly, we ate our first food from the garden last night!!! Salad!  Isnt' it beautiful?!?!  Also, our okra started sprouting!!  This makes me so incredibly happy!  It's been so hard to get fresh okra ever since I moved away from Louisiana, and the best way is to grow it!!

If you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know that life is keeping me busy!!  Enjoy!

Fried okra

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE fried okra. It's my favorite vegetable. I probably could eat it every day. Unfortunately, living in Oregon, I rarely get to eat this treat. This year, though, we were able to grow some in our garden. Okra likes really hot weather and a long growing season. That's probably the main reason you don't find it outside of the South. But I have had some success growing it, both in Southern Oregon, and now in the Pendleton area. It doesn't get huge, and now that the nights here have gotten cool the production has screeched to a halt, but I grew enough with 20-ish plants to serve it maybe 4-5 times as a side dish for our family of 4. I hope to plant even more next year. I did spot some at a local growers market recently, but sadly, it was all way too big and tough. But I'm encouraged to see it. I have yet to see it in any grocery store here, but would on rare occasion see it in Southern Oregon when we lived there. If you're lucky enough to have it in your grocery store or farmer's market, give this recipe a try. These pictures are from what will probably be out last batch this year from our garden :-(.

First of all, you need to select fresh green small pods of okra, as pictured above. Okra is pretty fragile and bruises and browns (and molds) easily. It'll keep up to a week or so refrigerated if fresh. I start by slicing off the stem caps.

I grew up using a paring knife to slice the okra into rounds of about a 1/4 inch, but discovered that using a mandoline slicer makes the job quicker, easier and more uniform. I bought mine for under $20.
Once all the okra has been sliced, I "bread" it with equal parts flour and cornmeal. My mom used to put it all into a paper bag and shake it. I just add it to the bowl and give it a stir. Okra is naturally very sticky, so there's no need to add any eggs or milk to make it stick! I also add a small amount of salt, but you can add this once it's cooking to taste.

Next, I heat up about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. My grandma used to use bacon fat that made it SO good, but I prefer to use canola oil. Over medium heat, fry or saute the okra until it's tender and medium brown. I usually stir it frequently to keep it from burning... every minute or so, and it typically takes me about 15-20 minutes. My kids have learned (from me) the tradition of nibbling the okra as it cooks, so I always make extra for nibbling.
Some people like Tabasco on the okra after it's served, others, a little pepper. I just like it with a little salt, and we all fight over who gets the last bit from the pan, because all the fried breading crumbs that fall off are also yummy! Enjoy!