Such a busy day. I did get one more triangle finished this morning so will post that first – this is the 3rd of the 52 needed – I think I said I needed 48 the other day – wrong – 13 on each side, 4 sides makes 52. Long way to go. I have been quilting on the Christmas quilt too every evening and short spells in the day and although it is half finished there is a lot of quilting to do still.
3rd triangle
I love homemade granola for breakfast cereal. I know that I am not eating a ton of sugar first thing in the morning by eating my kind and not the store kind which quite often does have a lot of sugar in it. Sometimes I put dried fruit in it but most times I do not put dried fruit in it but add frozen berries to it instead along with the milk. I found this recipe quite a few years ago and I have cut the recipe in half.
Home Made Granola
5 cups of quick oats (recipe calls for quick oats but quite often I use whatever I have on hand which is usually not the quick oats most times steel cut and it turns out the same) (EDITED: I didn’t mean steel cut oats – I meant Old Fashioned - sorry)
1/3 cup oil – I use canola
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional – high in omega 3)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped almonds
if you add fruit like raisins or other dried fruit add what you want the recipe calls for about 1 to 2 cups (add the dried fruit after the baking process or they will get too tough)
optional: I have added 1/3 cup of coconut and that is good too
Put all in your mixer and mix for about 3 to 5 minutes until all is well coated with the oil and honey. Put in a high sided baking pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes – stir mixture about and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes until it s lightly browned. Let it cool completely and put in a large ziplock bag or a tightly covered container. With the nuts and fruit the mixture makes about 6 or 7 cups. Serving size is up to you – I use about a 1/2 cup with milk and fruit. (it is filling)
I love this stuff and eat it more for breakfast than any other breakfast food and rarely buy the sugary cereal from the store. I do miss this when we travel. I make a bag of it before we leave but I don't bother to make several bags as it will kind of go stale after awhile. When this runs out I will be looking for it in the health food isle as it is better (I think) than the cereal isle foods - less sugar) - but not as good as homemade.
It looks like our weather might finally be turning a little and we will be having cooler nights for the rest of the week. This will come in very handy for us while packing the camper and cleaning up the yard and the house before we go. The entire yard needs to be cut and that is best in the morning to do. I am having to water plants this evening. It has been so hot and I have not been paying attention to the plants. I noticed today that the bed the furthest from the house is drooping badly so I have put the water on it this evening and will let it go for several hours. Hopefully that will perk it up some. Maybe the hottest spell this summer has already happened? and from now on it won’t be so bad and we will get rain too? one can hope!
I made this pie for Father’s Day and I was going to take a photo of it to go along with the recipe and I didn’t – but sure enough if you search on google you can find anything. I had found this recipe in a magazine about 3 years ago and have made it several times – I need to make it more often – very easy!! Anyone can make it and it will turn out. I found a photo of it on google. (CJ this is the recipe I told you about that you wanted)
White Chocolate No Bake Cheesecake Pie
1 cup vanilla or white chocolate chips
2 packages 8 oz each cream cheese – softened and cut in cubes
1 carton – 8oz. whipped topping like Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust – or Chocolate Oreo Crust
1/3 cup English Toffee Chips – or Butter Brickle chips
In saucepan melt the chips, stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese until very smooth. Fold in the whipped topping and stir until all mixed. Pour into the crust – refrigerate and before serving sprinkle the chips over the top. Serves 6-8
(If you want to make it less calories and fat use the 1/3 less fat cream cheese and low fat Cool Whip – I did and tasted the same as regular)
the no bake pie - yummy - photo from a baking web site.
What a pain that experiment was. I put them in the dehydrator at 8 in the morning and last night at 11 I finally called it quits and shut it off. Some were dry, some weren’t. It was too hard to go through them picking out the dried from the juicy so they are laying in the freezer on trays and I will bag them all and store in the freezer. According to my book you are to blanch your berries before you put them in the dehydrator to split the skins and get the waxy shine off of the berries which prevents them from drying well. Because of that process the berries are too hot to handle very well for spreading out on the dryer racks. I rinsed them in cold water but it didn’t help much. The blanching makes them soft – hence harder to handle. But drying did reduce the size of the berries and I will still use them, just that they will be a mixture – but putting them in muffins and whatever I don’t think it will matter all that much.
this is about half of the berries in their dried/not so dried life -- some look like raisins and some don't 
next I will try apples - should be easier to handle!
the hydrangea bush that is producing several colors of flowers this year - really makes it interesting. Hard to see the colors on it in the photo but the flowers on the right side are the ones that have more lilac color in them - the lilies underneath will need to be moved as there being completely overshadowed by the bush now - it wasn't like that several years ago.
one the easiest Dear Jane blocks -- Row 13, Block 10. I am prepping block 11 this morning 3 left to make!
I wide variety of things today – first the Dear Jane blocks for “Insanity Revisited”
Row 13, Block 8 why can I never get the lighting right LOL
Row 13, Block 9 made this one today the other one last night. Next one is so easy I just might make it tonight - a simple 9 patch - what was Jane thinking - maybe she got tired of the hard ones after all these many blocks that came before it?
From my nice big blue hydrangea bush - but they are forgetting they are supposed to be blue - the soil conditions have changed I do believe - last year I had a couple lilac color flowers on it, this year a couple more of a pink tone and about 1/3 of the flowers are lilac color - I love the mixture all coming off of the same bush!
a close up
Now on to the blueberries. First thing – well almost first thing this morning I got the blueberries ready for the dehydrator and they have been in it ever since. The book says 10 to 18 hours and it has been 12 hours and they are still going. I have a feeling I might be up late tonight. I do not want to go to bed with them still drying as I do not want them to be hard as rock when I wake up in the morning – hopefully they will be done in a couple more hours? I was hoping it wouldn’t take that long!!
my dehydrator - 4 shelves and they are all full
what the shelves look like full
cheesecake - I cheated instead of completely making it from scratch, I had pie crust in the freezer left over from what I bought for Thanksgiving and thought I better use one of them, a refrigerator carton of cheesecake filling - but the blueberry topping is homemade!
Blueberry muffins -- I have been busy the last couple of days
I do have one more block prepped and ready to go but today was taken up with other things. Blueberry picking first thing this morning. I met CJ at 7 and we headed out to my brother’s farm. We had a great day for berry picking. Neither of us had “fixed” ourselves up we assumed we would be hot and sweaty with hats and bug spray. We were pleasantly surprised when the weather stayed at a comfortable 70 (?) and very cloudy. Here are photos of the farm – caught CJ in a couple ( but not close ups – not when we aren’t fixed up )
part of the blueberry farm, that is CJ walking up to the shed
another part of the farm - those are rows of blueberries. I should have taken a close up of the berries but didn't think to do so - lots of ripe ones out there.
and more blueberries - I have no idea how many rows and plants he has - I will need to ask him sometime. Doesn't he have a pretty view
My brother Jeff and his daughter Lily busy at work. Lily helps out every summer and does a good job. Back of CJ.
a gallon of fresh clean blueberries - and they are all mine! (Mike doesn't eat many of them)
Instead of starting the dehydrator with blueberries today seeing as it stayed nice out I was working outside instead. The berries are washed and I will start that process tomorrow. Also the plan is to make fresh muffins and a cheesecake with blueberry topping.
Tonight I will get back to work on a Dear Jane Block – number 8 I believe it is I prepped it last night so it is ready for stitching. Last night I got to work looking through the Red and Green Applique blocks and picked out two that I will start prep work on. I have the patterns traced out on to freezer paper and will need to get those pieces cut out and then I will glue baste the design down so I will not need to bring the overlay with me on the trip – just no room for something like that. After I get these two blocks glue basted down I will look and see if I want to do another 2 blocks to bring also – sometimes they really go quickly. I still need to draw the quilting lines on the small quilt I plan to quilt on the road also. Too busy!
Continue reading about No Blocks Today – Blueberries instead!
This past weekend my sister who was visiting and I got to reminiscing about cake recipes that we used to love and hadn’t made in a long time (the desert table was long at times holding all kinds of goodies which sparked the conversation!). We both remembered the Tunnel of Fudge Bundt cake recipe that we used to make. Back in the 70’s there was a dry frosting mix that came in a box that was the main ingredient in the cake. It is no longer made so for a long time we weren’t able to make the cake.
Awhile back after searching the mighty land of internet I came across a recipe for a new tunnel of fudge cake that was proclaimed as good as the old recipe so I thought I would try it out and sent the recipe to my sister as well. I was talking to my friend Regina earlier today and she said I needed to take photos and put the recipe on here – so here it is
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
1 3/4 cups unsalted butter – softened (this recipe doesn’t call for any salt – I think it needs a little and if I make it again I will put in either salted butter or 1/2 teaspoon of salt – you do as you wish)
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners)
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 cups chopped walnuts (essential)
Preheat oven to 350 – grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan (I used the flour Pam spray – works just as well and is easier)
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Gradually add icing sugar. Blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup (this is an important step since too much flour results in a dry cake). Level off. By hand, stir in remaining cake ingredients until well blended. Spoon batter in to prepared pan, spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Cool upright in pan for 1 hour or longer. Invert onto serving plate. Ice if desired.
my heavy bundt pan
the cake - with no icing - plenty sweet enough without it!!!!
the fudge center - the cake even though cooled off for an hour was still a little warm - the center firms up a little more the cooler the cake gets.
I’m sorry no calorie count was given or sugar grams or fat grams — most likely figured we would all of course not eat it if we knew what we were eating — and if you believe that LOL enjoy! (a very sweet cake)
EDITED: 7:06 PM – the cake is good but I think the original was better.
Today is a cold, dreary day. We have had snow flakes spitting off and on all day. It is the type of day where you really don’t go outside unless you are really and truly an outdoors person or if you need to run and errand – like go exercise (which I did). Now though it is time to just sit back and enjoy the inside and hope tomorrow will be warmer. I will tune in to the Olympics sometime today or this evening to see how it is going, I haven’t watched it today yet.
Yesterday we ran to Little Rock to meet up with daughter and her hubby to go to the Arts Center – the exhibit was nice but much smaller than I thought it would be and no gold and glitter among these Egyptian pieces. All pieces were more of the ceramic and bead jewelry type of items and a couple of mummies. Everything was great to look at although my husband and I both thought that the cards all of the information was written on could have been larger – is age creeping in here I hope not!
When we got done with the exhibit we left the kids (kids to me – not to them they are in their late mid-30’s) and headed over to Sam’s Wholesale and Barnes and Nobles for a quick look before we left for home – wouldn’t believe the weather – snow flying everywhere – and it had been in the 50’s the day before – it was melting as fast as it was hitting the ground so no worries about travel.
At Barnes and Noble I always look through the quilt magazines to see what is new. Now and then they will have an overseas magazine and I always look through them to see what is going on in the quilting world away from the states. I found a great one from New Zealand — and the best – it had a quilt border in it that I love and I think I will use that one for the Little Brown Bird quilt instead of the one that comes with it as it is one of the main parts of the quilt that I thought was just a bit too fussy for my taste. (saying that I should actually mention although I love the quilt I find a lot of it a bit too fussy for my taste and I intend to change it a lot – when I get done it most likely won’t even look that much the same as the original as I am planning on substituting some blocks for others that I have found and making some of my own design also). The magazine I found is simply “New Zealand Quilter”.
this issue has such a simple quilt on the front of it I was surprised - most magazines tend to put something a bit flashier on the cover. I'm glad I opened it up to look at it and found the border inside.
The is the border I liked. It is from an award winning quilt by Margaret Matthews (2007) called "Roses for Me" and in the magazine it was the final of a 10 part series. I'm so glad I happened to pick this issue up, it has the pattern pull out included.
So that is news on the quilting part of my day (yes I have been busy with my applique border and I have 1 1/2 borders left to do). Today was a baking day also.
Blueberry, Banana, Walnut Muffins
1 cup of quick oats
1/3 cup oil (I use canola)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small carton of vanilla yogurt (6 oz)
1/2 cup milk
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 cup blueberries
Mix all ingredients together except the blueberries. Stir them in after all is mixed. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 21 small muffins (this depends on the size of your containers).
some of the muffins - as you can see I use a variety of containers, the ones in the back are the aluminum foil toss away and the red ones are microwave/oven proof silicon rubbery things I found these awhile back and wanted to give them a try and they work great. You kind of just pop the muffins out. I had six more baking when I took this picture and they are in a muffin tin. I have very large blueberries frozen from my little brother's berry farm as you can see in the photo - a couple berries and you have enough in each muffin! I have only about a cup of frozen berries left from the crop in June.
my afternoon snack - my very nutritious blueberry muffin and a cappuccino - of course I went and spoiled the nutritious part by having some chocolate afterward can't be perfect LOL after all I was hungry I had gotten in an hour of exercise after lunch!
I know I already did one post today, but I thought I would do another. I think we are going to be home bound for several days to come with the ice storm fast approaching our area of Arkansas. I thought I would get an applique project ready to work on. I have the Christmas Quilt on the frame but if we loose power the room that the quilt frame is in is far from the fireplace so most likely I would not be back here working on it all that much. I will have to put one of the space heaters back here if I do quilt.
I posted of the Red and Green Traditional Applique by Jeana Kimball at this post I had not gotten started on it although I did get the background fabric last month. I thought it was time. I think what I will do is alternate between the Little Brown Bird Quilt and the Red and Green. I won’t get bored that way I hope.
My first block, I am in the process of glue basting in place. When that is all done it will be ready for me to bring into the living room where I can applique in the comfort of the fireplace in the living room if the power goes out.
With the cold weather approaching I thought it was a good day to bake some bread. I love the smell of bread baking don’t you all? I made some modifications to a recipe I had – yes I know I do that a lot –
Mixed Grain Bread
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups of warm water (110 degrees about)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
4 cups white flour +?
2 tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)
In a large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt, oil and wheat flour, oats, 1 cup of flour and the egg. Beat until smooth. Add as much of the flour you can with the mixer you use and beat until smooth. Turn onto a floured surface and knead in a little more flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. You might need more than the 4 cups of white flour total. If you are a bread baker you will be able to judge this ok.
Cover and let rise in a warm area until the bread is double in bulk. About 1 1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and divide the dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place into 2 greased bread pans and let rise again until double in bulk.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool.
Don't they look good! I think I am almost ready for an evening snack - some butter and jam will make it perfect
Stay tuned – I’m sure I will have photo’s of our winter storm over the next couple of days — thank goodness for our generator! I don’t know how we would survive our winter storms without it. Maybe we won’t loose our power – one can hope!
I have been pondering what kind of border to make all day for the circles and squares quilt. I have finally come up with a plan for it. I will wait until I get going on it before any pictures. In the meantime while I was thinking I worked on a Dear Jane block for the Insanity Revisited quilt.
This is block 3 from Row 10, it was a very easy block to make. The curves are done with reverse applique.
Another thing I did today was make some soup again – winter weather brings out the soup in me I don’t eat it all that much the rest of the year. This one is made from Butternut Squash.
Classic Butternut Squash Soup
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cups diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped carrot, celery, and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash and thyme. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in the chicken broth and season with the salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash and carrots are fork tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender. Make sure to only do small batches at a time or it might splatter somewhat (yes I put too much in the first batch and had a little mess – just a little LOL )
The soup is quite tasty! Just enough pepper – I put in a quarter teaspoon.
Classic Butternut Squash Soup
Our weather forecast does not sound good!! On Thursday we start with rain and the temperatures are supposed to drop. Possibly ice at night or Friday morning. Right now they are saying 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of ice and then several to five inches of snow. Of course who knows if we will get both. This upcoming storm though will be exactly one year since northern Arkansas had a really bad ice storm last year. Some people were without power for weeks – some of my family included. We had missed the worst of of it but still had some ice one day. Keep your fingers crossed that we don’t have it bad once again. Just to be prepared I am going to have Mike move the generator up to the porch and have gas for it. No since not being prepared, we already have the wood rack full for firewood.
Overall a very busy day! I felt like I was running around in circles though! I got a very easy Dear Jane “Insanity Revisited” block done this morning. A start on row 10.
Dear Jane, Row 10, Block 1, woops I forgot to press this one before I took a photo.
I got a couple more circles done and I transferred all of the circles to another empty Ramen Noodle box to store them in so they won’t get wrinkled before I get started piecing.
200+ circles
I was busy on my Star Crazy quilt also. I got my half square triangles finished for this first months assignment. I hope to get busy on the stars tomorrow. I ran in to further problems and will not be making the half square triangles with the paper method — it messes up my tension in my sewing machine too much. I am not a sewing machine person as a lot of you know. Sewing machines hate me! No kidding I have never been able to adjust the tension properly on a machine, no matter what machine it is. This one (Janome Jem Platinum 720) is the best I have had and is an easier machine to work with than others I have had (cheap) but every time I have tried to use the paper piecing method I have tension trouble. Finally I decided it was easier to go without the paper and draw the lines on the light color fabric instead. It works for me.
On to the stars tomorrow. I don't want to fall behind. All stacked up and ready to go.
I have a wonderful tomato soup recipe I want to share. I don’t think I ever posted this one. This is full of flavor. Little bit of spice and thicker than the stuff you get in a can. Full of veggies too.
Hearty Tomato Soup I believe I got this recipe off of Giada, Every Day Italian I believe.
Hearty Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic or a couple tablespoons from the jar of minced
1 15 oz can white navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to your taste)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until the veggies are tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth and seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat then reduce to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender. Remove the bay leaf first!! Return to the pot to heat back up. Be careful with the blender this is a hot mixture.
Very good recipe and wonderful flavor. Enjoy
I was very busy today. I made it to the fitness center – second day this week – very good workout, I am starting to build back up to what I used to do. I hope to keep it up. I forgot the grocery list though and completely forgot that I was going to go to the grocery store until I got back home so after a short time at home I hopped back into the car for the 20 minute drive back to town and the grocery store. I got all my stuff fairly quickly but was held up at the check out line. Got into a really, really slow one. I actually read part of a magazine and copied out a recipe into a notepad that I keep in my purse (only thing in the magazine I wanted ). Also read through the soap magazine and got caught up on all the soaps that I don’t watch and don’t want to!! But I would rather get interested in a magazine at the check out then get mad at standing in line so long think positive thoughts you know (but man was that checker slow!! LOL)
