I wouldn’t say we are hoarders, but everyone has several dozen T-shirts from significant life events and places that they cannot part with, right? Discovering Project Repat was an affirmation; if an entire company exists to repurpose old T-shirts into quilts, we must not be the only hoarders in the world. I am grateful to Project Repat for sponsoring this post, and I recently received my own personalized quilt, wrought of the many shirts representing the many places and stages we’ve been through in life. I love it!!! The first thing that struck me when I opened the package was, WOW, this is the first time I’ve ever received a gift that bears my musk. The shirts retained the subtle smells of me and KP–a priceless memory-conjuring feature, and something that surprised me.
Izzy is particularly pleased that she gets a centerfold feature, the classic “Where’s the Cheese?” t-shirt Dave gave me one Christmas (but which I have since pitted out and rendered unwearable).
I urge y’all who also have bins of old shirts to put nostalgia to cozy use in converting them into fleecy blankets. There is still time to rush order these for the holidays, if you get your shirts to them by November 14th. So great!!
These shrimp cakes are a variation on a Creole classic, great for fall breakfasts!
Shrimp Cakes
Adapted from a recipe on a Prosecco bottle, curiously enough
½ cup mayonnaise
1 TB hot sauce
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, chopped
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
2 large eggs
3 TB finely chopped scallions
1 tsp lemon zest
¾ tsp paprika
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup EVOO
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the hot sauce.
In a large bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with the panko, eggs, scallions, lemon zest, smoked paprika, 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper. Form the mixture into 8 ¾ inch thick cakes.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. In batches, add the shrimp cakes and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve with the spicy mayonnaise and lemon wedges. And snuggle up with your old T-shirts and/or the person who used to wear them…
Oh this is fantastic, my dearest Rachel! I love your observation about how the quilt amazingly retained your scent, a phenomenon I’ve noticed too upon pulling out long-forgotten shirts that have become squashed and hidden in the back of my dresser drawers 🙂 And what marvelous illustrations of the many, many adventures you and KP have had in your beautiful lives! XOXOXO
Haha– I think my Mom is going to make one for my brother with all of his pajama pants from over the years. Funny item to collect, no?
Aww, I love it, a new trend in the family! Maybe Izzy will be the next family member to have her very own personalized quilt, made out of things she’s partially chewed up? 😉 Also, what a sweet and industrious mom you have, making a pajama pants quilt for your brother! And yes, pajama pants are a funny thing to collect, but I can see how they could hold deep meaning and value 🙂
haha!!! oh pajamas are perhaps the most precious and storied of all that we wear, yes?
I very much agree! Many of our most treasured moments take place in that comfiest and coziest of all attire, our pajamas 🙂