Sewing with a Travel Plan...and a Lemon Curd recipe

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After 5 days of driving and visiting with family and friends along the way we are back home in SW Florida.   That means it's time for me to unload fabrics and patterns that I've purchased over the summer that might deserve a home here in the sunshine.  This year is a little different, however.  We are planning a big trip in mid-winter so I'm putting together a sewing plan for that vacation.  We'll be doing a lot of hiking and outdoors time and I have a regular wardrobe of LL Bean and ExOfficio to get me through the days.  What I'll need are garments for travel days, some sightseeing in town and evening meals with the group.

I'm making brown my base color and will work from there.  I've never done an official SWAP on Stitcher's Guild or Patternreview.  I wear everything I sew and never cared about coordinating so many items since I don't need a work wardrobe at this time of life.  But when I travel I definitely do pack with a color theme.  Here's the initial selection.  I see a brown stretch denim jeans jacket and a brown knit jacket as my "third layers."  Then a dark brown knit top and several brown prints which will go with brown jeans already in my wardrobe.  A brown knit skirt and a print skirt will round out the ensembles.  Some fun chunky jewelry, a scarf or two and I'm ready to go.

Not much sewing going on here yet so I will share a recipe.  I make jam, jelly and caramel apple butter for our use and for hostess gifts throughout the year. We also empty our refrig and freezer in both places so I'm always using up ingredients.  This one used up eggs, butter and lemons.

Lemon curd with meringue cookies and gift bags

Lemon Curd and Meringue cookies  (Gifts for our neighbors and friends who watch our home)
Best ever curd recipe because it does not require straining the curd.

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

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In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Here's the link to the Fine Cooking recipe with pics.  Fine Cooking lemon Curd recipe

Make meringue cookies with the leftover egg whites.  Spoon some lemon curd onto those light little cookies, ymmmm.