Allietare Clue 4 scrap soup and linkup

Linking up for Clue 4

I am making Allietare 2/3 size so I only needed 20 guillotined geese sets in the red, neutral, black colors.  Got them done yesterday. I used the specialty rulers, and my accuracy gets better and better. I am crazy enough to "proof" each of these little sub-units and trim them just a hair if necessary.  I can never do bias seams 100% perfectly, no matter which method. Here are my sets.  I was worried I didn't have enough black, but I just poked around further in my not-very-well-organized stash, and came up with enough of everything. I feel like I am running low on small print neutrals though, this could be a problem in this quilt or in future ones.

I also re-purposed a kitchen tool that I rarely used in the kitchen. If you have one of these, it is very handy for sweeping the little trimmies off your cutting mat.

Lastly, as part of my ongoing kitchen cleanup (years overdue, but I'm retired now, so no excuses left)  I am trying to use up stuff in the pantries.  Felt like some soup, and didn't want to take away from sewing time to go to the grocery store for any additional ingredients, so I made a scrappy black bean soup. I have to say, my mom and grandma have always been very good about serving up a tasty menu from whatever is on hand, so it's part of my Italian heritage.

SCRAPPY BLACK BEAN SOUP

1. Sautee two or three slices of chopped bacon
2. Throw in  some chopped celery, onions and carrots for starters.
3. Dump in a quart of chicken broth
4. Add about 3/4-1 cup of dry black beans
5. Bring to a boil, simmer til tender
6. Reserve about a cup and half of the beans and veggies and bacon
7. Use a stick blender to puree the remaining stuff in the pot
8. Dump the reserved stuff back in
9. Toss in some baby spinach leaves and wilt (I hate overcooked spinach!)
• I had just a little left in a package that I had to use up
10. Season with a dash of chipotle powder, cumin and salt to taste.

Had this for lunch with a toasted cheese sandwich and got back to work on my blocks for the rest of the afternoon.  Plus lunch for a few more days already made.

We are enjoying a fairly mild week here in the northeast, and were happy to catch some friends on the trail this morning.