CLOSED: Harry Potter Craftalong - Midsummer 2021

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Class or Challenge Title: Iron Chef - Appetizer
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Lactose-Free (But Not Dairy Free) Pimento Cheese
Brief Description: The South loves its pimento cheese. Here in TN, in the Nashville area, it’s on all the menus, in all the trendy restaurants, and all the down-home joints too. But it’s a food I’ve never tried, because I’m lactose intolerant. The other day a food podcast I listen to, Savor, covered it as a topic, and I decided to try making my own, safe-for-me version, and I’m so, so glad I did. It was amazing. I’ve included my recipe below. Please note it is not vegan, only lactose free.
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Lactose Free (But NOT Dairy Free) Pimento Cheese
1 8oz block Cabot aged sharp cheddar (Cabot’s cheddars are naturally lactose free)
1 8 oz container vegan cream cheese (I used Miyokos, which is made from cashews and it was great!)
1 4oz jar pimentos
3-4 T mayonaise
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
several dashes of Tabasco sauce (about 1 tsp)
pinch of cayenne
salt & pepper to taste

Let the vegan cream cheese come to room temperature on the counter, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. It doesn’t have to sit out long, just a few minutes should help it soften. Meanwhile shred the cheddar on the side of a box grater. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, and add in the shredded cheddar, pimentos, mayo, spices, Tobasco, and salt & several grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix with the paddle attachment until combined. Place in a container in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors really come together. Serve it on crackers, crusty bread, or on fried green tomatoes. Dip veggies or pretzels in it. Or change your life forever by making a grilled cheese sandwich with it.

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

A new Hermione’s Book Club prompt has been posted!

Meanwhile… Please forgive your Headmistress. I’ve been late posting these last few Book Club prompts, and so the dates have drifted off course a bit. To remedy the situation, this prompt lasts nearly 3 weeks, to try to get me back on track with Monday updates.

@MistressJennie

~ Hermione’s Book Club ~
Chapter 2: Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake June 30th-July 18th
Harry watches the morning news with the Dursley’s, and hears that dangerous convict named Sirius Black has escaped custody, but the news fails to say where he escaped from. Uncle Vernon announces his sister Marge will be coming to visit, and Harry promises to behave ‘normally’ in front of her, if Uncle Vernon will sign his permission slip to go into Hogsmeade on weekends. On the final night of Marge’s visit, she calls Harry’s mother Lily a ‘bad egg’, and father James ‘a lazy good for nothing drunk’. Harry loses his temper, and control of his magic, accidentally inflating Marge. As she fills with air and rises to the ceiling, Harry grabs his school trunk, and runs away, certain he will be expelled from Hogwarts for accidentally doing magic outside of school.

Please share something that escaped your control, or blew up out of proportion. The couple of dish cloths you intended to knit that turned into a stack of 20. That cookie recipe you thought you’d double, only to end up with dozens and dozens more than you needed. Alternately, you may ‘escape’ from your everyday chores, and ‘run away’ to hide somewhere to craft something you truly desire, in your stolen time.

[CraftsUntold (Brittany)]

Class or Challenge Title: DETENTION - Stash 1
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: Curling MIst-stress of Evil Socks
Brief Description: Used up some stash yarn to make the Curling mist socks by Helen Stewart.
Yarn is Desert Vista Dyeworks in her Zom-Mistress of Evil colorway, with a solid black mini skein for the cuff.
Ravelry project page: Ravelry: CraftsUntold's Curling Mist-ress of Evil

My crafting hasn’t been very adventurous or complex lately. If it’s not baby knits, it’s socks.

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[imera (Connie)]

Class or Challenge Title: Headmistress challenge
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: quilled rose earrings
Brief Description: I chose to focus on the flower rose and made quilled roses which I turned into earrings.
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Class or Challenge Title: iron chef
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: butternut squash and goat cheese appetizers - adopted from this recipe-
Brief Description: i could have made it a large pie but I wanted to make it small instead. Great as appetizer even if it was a little bigger than I wanted it to be.
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[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

That app looks amazing!!

[AntBee (Jen)]

~ ADVANCED STUDIES PROPOSAL ~
Project Name: Flag bunting for party and bedroom
House: Slytherin
Brief Description: I am really going to stretch my comfort zone here for something that I’ve really, really wanted to do but have been too intimidated to try. Sewing. Real sewing- not just a mend or a button- and maybe even on a machine. Maybe.
I have wanted to do a triangle flag banner for a long time as part of my reusable party decorations and of late for my daughter’s room. Her 3rd Birthday is in September so I am challenging myself to make it/them in time for that. I have chosen the main fabrics (and I have, of course, been hoarding fabrics for YEARS so I don’t even need to buy more to fill it out).

[tendstowardschaos (Erin)]

Class or Challenge Title: House Unity Challenge
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: Gryffindor Sleeveless Tunic
Brief Description: I picked this pattern out to use a gorgeous length of linen in Slytherin Green, and I made this mock-up in Gryffindor red. And, I hate how it looks on me. Great pattern, though. It would make a fabulous maternity top. I even took out some of the fullness and it’s still too much. I can see it working with a drapey jersey knit, but Summer-weight wovens are a no-go. Might try that some time in the future…woven fabric for the yoke, jersey knit for the rest.
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Class or Challenge Title: Stash Challenge
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: ‘Bloody Baron’ handspun yarn
Brief Description: I’ve had this wool in my stash for about a year. The dyer didn’t completely exhaust the dye in this lot and, when I tried to split the roving, pigment went everywhere. I knew I could salvage it, but put it on the back burner. Once the weather permitted, I took it outside and gave it a thorough rinse and let it dry in the sun. That did the trick and here is the first skein of finished yarn. Still needs a bath, so I’m not sure of the weight or yardage, but it’s about 100g of chain-plied, and will probably end up close to DK-weight.
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Class or Challenge Title: Arithmancy
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: Silver Handspun for a sweater
Brief Description: I have four colors of roving from SSS that I bought to spin for a sweater…still unsure as to which colors will ultimately be used. That will really depend on how consistent I am able to spin them! Getting better, but I’m still all over the place.
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[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

The Iron Chef Challenge for July will be…

Salad or Soup

The classic idea is to relate your soup or salad course to the season. It’s always smart to avoid anything too hearty so guests don’t fill up for the rest of the meal. Try out a coconut lime chicken curry soup, a Caesar pasta salad, or even an ultimate summer salad.

[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

You can do it!! Your AS proposal has been added to the project log!

[seeuudee (Gini 🇬🇧)]

@CraftsUntold

Zom-Mistress of Evil

That has to be the most fantastic of names ever!!

And the socks are fantastic

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Class or Challenge Title: Quidditch - Bludger
House: Gryffindor
Project Name & Page Link: Pat’s Star Quilt Block (pattern)
Brief Description: This block was a little tricky. I think half the problem is that the directions are 3 pages long, and put the cutting requirements at the bottom of page 3, but start page 1 with you cutting down those cuts into subcuts. Basically starting at the top with Step 2, going all the way through to the end, then ending with Step 1. I honestly didn’t bother trying to read their badly written directions. Instead I laid all the pieces out according to the picture, then sewed together sections in the order they obviously had to go in to make it work. Annoying pattern, but I love the resulting block.
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Class or Challenge Title: Quidditch - Goal Hoops
LC Contest: Summer Site Wide Challenge
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Summer Shells & Sea Glass Wreath
Brief Description: This round wreath is perfect for summer!
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[AntBee (Jen)]

I love that wreath idea and the tutorial is great!

I notice that one may have 2 Advanced Study Projects going, so in the name of procrastination I present my second proposal:

~ ADVANCED STUDIES PROPOSAL ~
Project Name: Christmas Countdown Garland
House: Slytherin
Brief Description: I am going to make a countdown calendar of (probably) knit stockings to use each year in my house. The project will include at the least 24 small knit stockings and some means of stringing them up and possibly also tokens with letters/symbols on them. The goal is to mix up the tokens each year and wrap seasonal books that are labeled with corresponding design/letters/whatevers so we open up and reveal a new one each night. The books might get mixed in with activites written out or small gifts, not sure yet I’d have to count my books.

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

A new Headmistress Challenge has been posted!

@MistressJennie

~ Headmistress Prompts ~
July: Challenge
July is the 7th month in the Julian & Gregorian calendars. It was named by the Roman Senate for Julius Caeser. July begins with the sun in the astrological sign of Cancer (the crab), and ends in the sign of Leo (the lion). July’s birthstone is ruby, and birth flowers are Larkspur & Water Lily. It includes American Independence Day and Bastille Day in France; Shark Week, National Blueberry Month, National Fried Chicken Day, and even Beatle’s Day, which celebrates the day the Beatles returned to Liverpool following their US tour, in anticipation of the opening of A Hard Day’s Night . Please craft something inspired by one of the many aspects of July.

[CraftsUntold (Brittany)]

Thanks! Yeah, Desert Vista does a lot of popculture theme colorways, and “zombie” colors. So , this is her Zombie Maleficent-inspired color.

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Class or Challenge Title: Quidditch - Seeker
House: Gryffindor!
Project Name & Page Link: Peach & Raspberry Jam Breakfast Bars
Brief Description: I’ve been searching for the perfect breakfast bar recipe. Something healthy, and tasty, that’s not a sugar bomb, and contains some protein and whole grains. Sadly, these were not good. The base & crumble topping (which are the same batter) kinda tastes like dense, pulpy cardboard. Looks like I’m still searching for my perfect breakfast bar recipe.
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[CraftsUntold (Brittany)]

That sucks. I know the goal was healthy, but can it be salvaged by topping with some whip cream or vanilla ice cream?

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Good thought, but no. I’m lactose intolerant, and working really hard to lose some weight. I’m down 20 lbs, and the not-being-able to eat dairy is certainly helping keep calories down for now.

[CraftsUntold (Brittany)]

Oh that makes it tricky to salvage. But congrats on the weight loss!

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Yeah. I tried one again this morning, before heading to the pool for my workout. I thought ‘They couldn’tn be as bad as you remember. Just power through.’ I got through half of one, and it was a struggles. So then ended up in the trash today. I hate wasting food, but they were just sooooo bad. And I’m a person who always alters recipes to be a little more healthy. Swapping out some oil for apple sauce, some of the AP flour for whole wheat, cutting back the sugar called for. None of that bothers me at all. Not sure why these were so flippin’ terrible. LOL!

[tendstowardschaos (Erin)]

Class or Challenge Title: Iron Chef Ostara Cook the Rainbow Challenge - July: Salad or Soup
House: Slytherin
Project Name & Page Link: Cowboy Caviar
**Brief Description:**This is one of my favorite Summer salads! I made it for our family’s Independence Day get-together. I do mix up the recipe just a little, so I’ll post my typical ingredients list, depending on what’s available at the grocery store. I left out the jalepeno this time around, and used yellow bell peppers instead of red/orange.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp dried cilantro

Veggies:

• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 2 or 3 roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 jalepeno pepper, minced
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