Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, laughter and blessings. Yes, lots of blessings.
Where does the time go? Please, if anyone knows I'd appreciate you telling me! I was so determined to post every few days, but it has been over a week!
I have bags of apples everywhere here, and I am putting them up as fast as I can! To help me do this I use my, oh so faithful, Kitchen-Aid mixer and attachments! I'm sure many of you have the mixer, they are ubiquitous now, but when I received this as a high school graduation gift in....(drumroll please) 1983! I felt like one of the few who was so lucky to have such a wonderful device. I have really used it so much over the years, I don't know what I'd do without it, especially the attachments.
This is the "Fruit and Vegetable Strainer" attachment. It makes the smoothest applesauce. I've also used it when putting away squash for the winter. I cook the squash, then cut it up in smaller pieces, and put it though the vegetable strainer. It comes out very smooth and no "stringy fings" (things) says that four year old boy of mine!
After I use the "apple corer, peeler and slicer" sometimes some of the core pieces, skin or seeds get into the sauce, and is a real pain to get out unless you use a hand crank food mill or sieve. Using this saves time, and a sore arm from turning a crank for hours!
Anyways, after I run the apples through the corer, peeler and slicer, I cook the apples for about 10 minutes until they are a little soft. Then I put them through the food strainer. After this I put the pot back on the stove and add cinnamon, and gently cook it for about 30 minutes, until it is thicker. Pour into jars, lids on top, then in to the freezer. If I have time I will can it, but this year it was about speed. You know what I mean?
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Unrelated News:
1) my first shop update in a very long time will be tomorrow, noon. Stay tuned for a few Christmas gift goodies.
2) I think I really need this "Joy" necklace
3) This little boy here is my real attachment... *sigh*
Colin's little cousin had his third birthday last week and I made him a super cute theme gift. I started with a superhero doll. I created the pattern (trial and error) myself, and decided I will never use stretchy bathing suit fabric again for a dolls cape and hood. After a couple hours of swearing (under breath, and away from little ears) I finally came up with this little cutie. He is stuffed with real wool and I used some fun "superhero" fabric that I got from Joann's a while back.
So popular was this little fellow, Colin immediately started playing with him. And he immediately said, "Mom, now you have to make mmeee one!" Of course how could I resist that sweet child of mine, so here is the "cousin superhero". They're handsome little fellows are they not?
Needless to say, everything I made for our sweet three year old cousin, was very much "Colin tested" before we wrapped them up and mailed the whole package! Also, in keeping with the "superhero" theme, I made a cap and cape for the "big superhero", and a handy bag to keep it all together!
Here is my little ham modeling for me. I think I need to send him back to the cute factory, he's too cute. *sign* I just love that boy.
Have a good night!
Well, last night didn't happen with this post ...crazy computer problems. I swear, it's a love hate relationship with these computers!
So, oatmeal cookies. I've used so many different recipes for these cookies, and I always go back to this dear recipe. It brings back so many memories for me. When I was young, Grandma and Grandpa used to come over to the house and help us do things around our small farm. Grandpa usually headed for the garden to see how things were growing, and Grandma went to the kitchen to help mom. Each week they would make 5-6 dozen cookies for our family to snack on, school lunches, and desserts. One of my favorite desserts was homemade peach ice cream with these oatmeal cookies, oh yum! The best "smell memory" (am I the only one who has these?) I have is coming home from school, and walking into the house and smelling either cookies or homemade bread baking, so comforting, so "home".
This recipe is one of many cookie recipes I remember really loving a lot. I think what makes them so special is the coconut and pecans. That combination is so good! When I make them now, unfortunately there is a person in this household who doesn't like pecans OR coconut (we won't mention who, ahem... Mister) Any way, I replaced those ingredients with 2 1/2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips, and they are so very good. Then again, I also LOVE them when I keep in the pecans and coconut and add the chocolate chips. Now, goodness, that is heavenly! Anyway you decide to try them, this recipe is a definite keeper.
Oatmeal Cookies
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 c. oatmeal
1 c. coconut
1 c. pecans - chopped
* 2 1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)
Cream butter, sugar and eggs in mixer. Measure flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a sifter. Sift all ingredients at once into the creamed mixture.
Stir in the oatmeal, coconut, and pecans into the dough. *Or 2 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Chill for about a 1/2 hour. Form into balls (about walnut size) and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press down to flatten a little.
** (at this point you can freeze these for about 2 hours, and store in airtight, freezer-proof container for later eating. Just take out how many you need and put on a cookie sheet, bake 350 degrees for about 15 minutes)
Bake 350 degrees until lightly browned. From 10-20 minutes. I usually start with 15 minutes, and sometimes I need a minute more. It depends on how hot your oven is.
At the bottom of the recipe my mom wrote, "Very old recipe from Mrs. Runge - when I was a little girl - Grandma and I would visit her down the road."
Enjoy!
Having picnics and lounging in the hammock are two of our favorite things to do in the summer. Of course for these very special activities you need a very special blanket.
Earlier this summer I made this picnic blanket and it has gotten a lot of use so far. I used a fabric called "The Hungry Caterpillar" from the Eric Carle book. I love this fabrics as much as I love Eric Carle's books!
We like this blanket so much, we've even used it for breakfast picnics! I think it makes my little guy quite silly!
What a georgous weekend it was! It was all about "batman" around here though ... for the past three weeks that is! My little guy was soooo into Halloween this year! Mostly the costume, and, thankfully not so much the candy. I started making the costume in early October, and just finished up the day before Halloween! No, I don't have too much time on my hands, do I?
See, batman was everywhere! Those pointed ears and flowing cape.... scary, very scary! The best thing about the costume is that I made it out of a black sweatshirt and sweatpants, then used Wonder-under to iron the batman logo on. The hat was made of polar fleece and I used this "Martha" pattern which, by the way, I plan on making a few more of those hats for him this winter. This pattern is just so cute! Maybe I'll even make one for myself.
And, so starts the giving season around here. I've been looking at a few Etsy shops this weekend, taking notes on gifts ideas. Here are a few I am looking at right now:
I will also have a shop update, finally, by the first week of December, so keep a look out for that. Have a great day!
taking walks ... reading magazines ... helping dad fix things ... snuggling ... family hugs ... snacking ... playing ... bicycle rides ... learning to do "daddy things" ... kicking the ball around ... fort building ... more hugs ... i love you's ... together. Happy Father's Day to all the dads in your life!
Today would have been my Grandma's 105th birthday. She passed away 10 years ago June 20th, 1998. The photo above was the last picture I have of us together, taken in 1996. Actually there are three generations here including my mom and myself. As I write this I am fighting back tears, not really knowing how to write about this wonderful woman that so completely impacted my life in so many ways. I certainly wish right now that I was a more eloquent writer. This is the woman who taught me to finger crochet, then "regular" crochet, embroidery (making many embroidered green felt bookmarks), sewing, cooking, baking, taking time to read, and much much more.
Grandma was always there for all of us. Even when she and Grandpa moved to Evanston in the early '70s, so Grandpa could start a new job, she wrote letters and called weekly. Grandma and Grandpa visited several times a year as well. For us kids the waiting for their arrival was so painful! Waiting and waiting for their car to turn into our road and down the hill to our house.
"When are they going to be here, mom?"
"Soon, two hours to go."
"Is it almost time yet?" "Oh, wait! I see their car! They're here, they're here!"
We would all run out into the yard and wait for them to pull up in the drive. Then we would help them unload the car really fast because we knew what was coming. The packages. Yes, throughout the year Grandma would make clothes for me, my brother and sister. Beautifully made, using the latest fashion patterns. I loved all the clothes she made for me. From my favorite pullover flannel top (above) to matching Easter outfits (below) for all of us, sometimes including my mom! Year after year, for a long time! My favorite gray wool flannel pants (below), skirts, tops, and of course the annual Christmas nightgown.
I never, ever saw Grandma in anything else but dresses that she made for herself. In the pictures you see of her here, she made the dresses that she was wearing. They were usually a in a blue floral print, calico or a solid blue. Blue was her favorite color.
Above (left) was my very favorite, what I called, my smock top. With, get this, "Holly Hobby" printed fabric! Oh yes, my favorite. I loved Holly Hobby and that smock top!
Oh my, so many, many memories. I wish I could just capture them all and lock them in a box. Even to this day, right now, if I close my eyes and think back, I can still feel the velvet softness of her cheek when we hugged. If I am really still, and think really hard, I can still hear her say certain things, and I can hear her laughter. I still can smell the perfume she wore. Either Youth Dew or Chanel no5. Not just smell it, but how it smelled on her. Oh, how that lovely perfume takes me back. Warmth, security, unconditional love. The little gestures of her love. When I was in college she and Grandpa would come to visit me once a month. Gram would pack a care package in a large brown paper bag (no plastic grocery bags in the '80s). In the package were granola bars, my favorite crackers, a Harlequin Romance (she would read them and pass them on to me, I'm the other romantic in the family) and sometimes a Lazy Daisy Cake. And on really special occasions, she would bring me a bottle of Chanel no5 perfume. Mmmm.
Grandma wrote letters to me when I was away at college, and when I moved to Vermont. The older she got, the fewer letters I received. I still have those letters, but I haven't been able to read them again, yet. Someday I will. She would always end her letters by writing "Well, hush for now. Love, Gram K."
In honor of Gram, today I am going to make the Lazy Daisy cake and I am going to share the recipe with you. Many recipes of hers I still use today, and will share them down the road with you. A little bit of Grandma for us all.
Have a good day friends, and "hush for now".
Lazy Daisy Cake
350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
Grease and flour an 7" x 11" pan, set aside.
Beat: 2 eggs in medium bowl
Add and Beat:
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp.salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Beat In:
1 T. butter, melted in a 1/2 cup boiling hot milk
Sift Together:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Combine all and pour into prepared pan.
Broiled Coconut Topping
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
2 Tbs. milk
Combine and cook, stir constantly until sugar melts. Spread on top of warm cake. Return to oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
