Best of My World This Week, through 3/5

I'll go ahead and apologize now. This is going to be short edition, despite the fact I played hooky on my best of post last week. My blogging/web browsing habits took a hit last week, when our house was broken into while we were at work. The hoodlums stole my laptop, our tv, the Hubz's digital camera, ipod, and old laptop. I can't really say that we felt violated by the experience, like most people assume. We know our house isn't exactly Fort Knox (but now, at least, it has a security system). We've been more irritated than anything else, since we now have to deal with the insurance company, do the research to replace the stolen items, etc. All of it seems to be eating into the small amount of free time we have. At the end of the day, however, it's just stuff. And they didn't touch my sewing machines or the Hubz's nice computer (with all our financial info on it), so we're trying to keep everything in perspective.

Here are some links I've seen and loved lately...

CRAFTINESS

• Gobble Chain Tutorial - Ever since I saw a photo of this quilt posted in the flickr pool for the Gobble Gobble challenge, I thought: "I must make that quilt." Luckily, Natalia read my mind and posted a tutorial for it. She also has lots of other fun tutorials using Moda pre-cuts linked in her sidebar.
• Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along - Announced about a month ago, this quilt along got started last week. It's not too late to grab a jelly roll that has no plans attached to it and make the 1st block.
• American Jane pattern - I didn't save the name of this pattern when I bookmarked it, but it's available from Sandy Klop's website. I bought one of those 60 degree rulers for a class I took about a year and a half ago. I'm always on the lookout for quilts where I can use it again.
• Knock-Off J.Crew Ruffle Tee - This might be slightly above my skill level (which tends to stall out at 1/4" seams), but it can't be all that hard, right?

FOOD

• Chicken Cacciatore Risotto - I've become gradually accustomed to not eating meat, since the H is a vegetarian. Then I see recipes like this that make me miss it.
• Almost No-Knead Bread - You cook it in the oven in a dutch oven, and it doesn't seem to require much tending. I'm intrigued.
• Macaroni & Cheese from the Pioneer Woman - In my mind, Ree is the queen of all comfort food. See her interpretation of my most favorite comfort food, EVER.