Weekend Sale!

Hi everyone!

To celebrate my mom's 70th birthday December 1st, I'm offering 15% off everything in the shop!

Coupon Code: MOMSBIRFDAY

Here's some of the NEW items in store now!

Craft Show Countdown

How did this year fly by so fast!!
Oh; where are my manners...?!?!?  Happy Thanksgiving to all my American pals! Yay! Eat, drink & be merry; I miss you all! (Sorry ...translated for my LA family, I miss all y'all!!!)

So yeah. Craft show time. The Second Annual Crafty Creations Festival. Yay. Here's hoping this year is as fun as last year! But no midnight sewing sessions for me, oh no. Not again. (Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh right say all the sewists out there.)

Here are some photos of where I'm at today and stuff I'm working on:

 

More later, going down to the Cave to sew!

 

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies!

YUM

I found the easiest fastest yummiest little sweet treat recipe the other day; courtesy of Sallys Baking Addiction....

 I like her title for her blog as I seem to also have a slight addiction to baking....and now sprinkles too!

 These little gems are  "Cake Batter Sugar Cookies"

They're teeny, they're tiny, they're delicious!

Recently I've noticed the trend of "cake batter" in a lot of baking recipes. And hey; who doesn't like licking the cake batter during the mixing stages right off the spoon? (Please tell me it's not just me) 

 These cookies are tiny; and rich, and buttery and yes, cake batter-delish. The only thing I had a hard time finding was the butter extract; I had to go to Bulk Barn as it was the only place I found around here that carried it.

Side note: I love the Bulk Barn. Those of us in Canada that can't find things easily like corn meal, grits, soft wheat flour, buttermilk powder, butter extract.... THEY carry these things!! Yes! 

The only thing they don't have is "Bakers Joy" spray; which I love love love and can't get in Canada. Boo-ums.

(Maybe that's what I should ask for for Christmas...a case of Bakers' Joy,  a case of Jif,  lol...oh, and a Rebel DSLR Camera, and a pony......)

But I digress.

Sally's blog is a fab resource for lots and lots of fun recipes to try; and so far I've made:

 

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Now; I liked these; but I found they were  (gasp) too sweet for my taste. They involve actual cake batter in them; and next time if I were to make them I'd be sure to use semi-sweet chips - and I might use my whoopie pie pan cuz these lil fellas sure do like to spread as they bake. (Boy. Did THAT ever sound naughty!)

Birthday Cake No Yeast Cinnamon Minis

THESE were yummy. The best part? They were SO SIMPLE to make and since trying  This Recipe  

I've tried several variations including just cinnamon & sugar and butter and YUM. 

I just love using the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (we call them Pokas in my family it's a long story) AND they were on sale last week so I grabbed a bunch. :)

So go visit Miss Sally over at her Blog; but DON'T blame me when you immediately start craving sprinkles on everything and gain 15 pounds!!

Another Side Note:

A few years ago; I invested in a KitchenAid stand mixer (The Artisan One...ooOOoo) and I absolutely love it.

It's like when you sew and you get a serger; you wonder WHAT you ever did before you had one!!!

You can whip up cookies like these in oh, 10-15 mins or so and then be eating them 10 mins later.

Mine's the red one top left. They didn't have the Pink in the Artisan.

( If you don't have one, and you bake a lot; I'd say....do it. Go for it. Yes, it's a lot BUT - if you're going to use it all the time well then that justifies it. And; oftentimes you can find refurbished ones that are a fraction of the price; or even big box retailers have pretty good sales from time to time....anyway...this isn't an ad for KitchenAid. Sorry. I just love mine!)

This recipe is courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction Blog;

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies
makes  24 adorable cookies - triple this for more people; these cookies are tiny and will go fast!!!

• 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
  1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp butter extract
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup colorful sprinkles
• 1/4 cup sprinkles, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.  Set aside. Pour 1/4 cup sprinkles onto a plate to use for rolling.  Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat in egg yolk, butter extract, baking powder, and salt.  Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.  Dough will be thick. Gently mix in sprinkles.
Roll dough in teaspoon size balls.  Make sure that the balls are tall, rather than wide.  The taller the cookie dough ball, the thicker the cookie will be.  Roll the dough balls into the reserved sprinkles and bake for 9-10 minutes. Watch them closely at the 9 minute mark to assure they do not brown.
Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

Hearty Beefy Onion Soup

I must be really attuned to my Inner Furry Woodland Creature Instincts. That's gotta be it.

Why else as soon as Fall hits do I have this incredible urge to gather & preserve food for the winter?

So yeah, that must be it.

Last week was the Gumbo this week it's Soup. Warning; there may be more posts to come.....:)

This recipe is yummy, smells great whilst cooking, and is unbelievably easy. And especially take advantage of your local farmer's markets as fall staples are SUPER cheap right now. Perfect for chopping and preserving/freezing.

You'll need.: Large stockpot with lid, sharp knife, cutting board.

4-5 large shallots

4-5 large onions

1-2 red onion

2 containers beef stock (I used Campbell's reduced Sodium)

4-5 big ol' carrots

5 celery branches

Black pepper, hot sauce, garlic (all to taste)

Burnt Caramel sauce

cooking sherry

1/4 cup butter

3 tsp brown sugar (if you want more of a savoury soup, omit the sugar, but I like the layer of flavour.)

Prep:

Have all onions chopped in 'rings' about 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch wide.

Shallots chopped in rings 1/4 inch.

Chunky cut your carrots & celery.

Over medium-high heat, melt your butter. Add your shallots & onions, stir, put on lid. Reduce heat to medium if it starts to burn.

After about 5 mins, stirring occasionally, add a few dashes of caramel sauce, a good sousing of the sherry, and the sugar. Stir well, add lid. Watch and stir occasionally.

After about ten minutes, add the celery and carrots, again stir well. Add in the pepper, garlic, and a dash or two of hotsauce, stir well. Replace lid. If you haven't yet, reduce heat to medium.

After veggies have turned 'bright' (after about ten mins) add the stock; stirring well.

Bring it to a boil, with the lid on, and then let it simmer for a few hours. 

Before serving, reheat to medium & stir; the butter may be separated but as you reheat and stir it will go back 'in' to the soup. Serve with crusty bread!

Yes, it's THAT good!

HappyThyroid Soup

...........Or, as I like to call it ""What was in the Cupboard and about to Expire Gumbo"


In any case; after my radiation thing to work on my Graves' Disease, I am now one of the millions of folks struggling to live day to day with an underactive thyroid gland; I'm now Hypothryoid.

And what fun, as the medications have to be adjusted so your mood swings are legend, your hands shake, your hair falls out, alternating sweating like a pig or freezing like an iceberg....oh and the weight gain, and don't forget the lethargy & depression.....oh yeah. It's got it all.

BUT there's hope and that's the main thing. Time. Proper care. Good diet. Right levels of Meds.


There's a lot of great books out there about hypo/hyper thyroidism , and  a few deal with the weight issues. This soup is by no means a doctor okayed thing or anythhing; but I went by the guidelines in Mary Shomon's book; "The Thyroid Diet" about foods to try, foods to avoid.

 And it's yummy. Like, really yummy. And good for you. So here's the basic recipe. I think you could add whatever you wanted really, and simmer it, and it'd be awesome. But this is my version. 


As per David's request; The HappyThyroid Soup.


 1. Diced Carrots, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Celery, garlic - a lot, like 2-3 cups
Cut up Okra 1 Package
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 cup soy beans
2 containers (6-8 cups) sodium/salt reduced chicken stock
1 lg can chopped tomatoes
1 cup basmati rice (or more)
3 cups water (maybe)
3 handfuls fresh spinach
peppercorns - 15 or so
garlic powder - lots
turmeric - lots like 3 tsp
chili powder 3 tsp
ancho chili powder 2 tsp
dash or 5 of hot sauce >> I like it spicy so I add more
black pepper lots
bay leaves - 2

In a big ol' stock pot, and I do mean big - heat some olive oil and saute the items in row #1
Add in Okra, saute a bit longer, a minute or two, stir lots
Add beans, tomatoes and stock
Stir well. Let this cook for a minute on medium heat
Add everything else except for rice, bring heat up to med-high
stir often, bring to boil
add rice and water, stir
add all spices to taste, keep tasting, add more 
reduce to simmer, cover

You could add more veggies if you like, whatever you have on hand. Remove from heat. 

You'll probably want to add more water as you reheat and use . Serve and eat it with whole grain crusty bread. It's yummy.
Did I mention that yet? It's yummy.

I'm freezing well over half of it in ziploc baggies. Ejnoy!!!

Chilly Mornings

This morning I went outside to enjoy the morning sunshine and have my coffee on the front porch;  and it was actually CHILLY!!!!
Uh Oh.
The End of Summer is Coming! I love summer. I love warm. I love the sun.  But after years of working/living in the southern US and following summer around; I did really miss the fall.

I love the colours and smells and feel of Fall; October has always sorta been my favourite month, with July a close second.

So let's see here. What's new and exciting....OH...I know....a few days ago in a clearance section of a local shop, I found a Whoopie Pie baking pan. YAY.
This is exciting news because I made some last year at Christmas time and they kinda spread in wacky shapes without the containing pan.....they were still quite yummy though.

BUT THEN I came across the NEW Donut Baking Pan...and I'm SUPER excited to try this bad boy out...."Michael's" store link  and even though it only does six at a time ...well... can't wait. There's THIS one recipe....   

Can't wait. After work I think........

On the sewing front...keeping the house tidy for showings etc has been a challenge on its' own. Yes, the townhouse is STILL up for sale, a steal really,  but as everyone reminds me, this is not a good time to be trying to sell. But I have faith. This has been a happy home for years and a small family or a couple starting out would be PERFECT for it.....and I happen to know you can fit a LOT of stuff in the basement....laugh.
But I can't start any big projects really, well I could, but I'd have to clean up after every time..eeeeesh.

So I starting working on small things, bits and pieces of scrap blocks, as I noticed that the THREE mini bins I had were completely overflowing and out of hand getting quite full and in need of some trimming. I've got a few finished and will be working along on those. Plus too I have some blue and white Irish Chain blocks to assemble;  and various other little projects to work on. I *really* want to make some of these Sprocket Pillows from the FABULOUS Cluck Cluck Sew  ,  one of my all time fav blog reads.

Okay. Time to go get ready for work! Enjoy your day...it's a beauty out there!!!

It rains, and then pours

Well Hi!
**This was a draft I had saved and forgot to post from June 9th**

It's been a bit since I've last posted; let me tell ya; when it rains, it POURS. 

Life can get away from you sometimes, and even with the best of intentions all my fav and wonderful crafty things have to get put down and put away.

SO let's see: After the HBBA (Home Based Business Association - GREAT group) Home & Health show in May; I needed to step back for a bit from sewing. A little too much for too long. 

THEN... I got a NEW job! Yay! Full time, the only downer was it's a 40 min commute; but...recently I was transferred BACK to my area and now my commute is FIVE (count 'em) FIVE minutes. YAY! And I'm really enjoying it. Won't say the name, but it's a Canadian retailer and successful and so far, I'm having fun.

The big kicker is, our house is up for sale; and so sewing like I tend to do - looks rather like a tornado of thread and fabric and needles etc landed in the Quilt Cave - isn't really possible at this time.

But I did finish off a lil' giftie for one of my Best Pals Ever...A super cute Kitty Cat Quilt to thank her for being one of the Best Pals Ever.

Currently working on a King Size (UGH) Irish Chain for my Dad; they're getting married this weekend ...wait...scratch that...in 5 hours....June 9th and so um, they'll get their quilt later in the week. Heh. Or now, since it's July....mmmm soon. Ish.

So much like yours, I'm sure, life is Good...but busy. And that's okay. Keeps me outta trouble. 

But there's some WIPS down in the Cave...I can hear them once again startin' to call my name....mostly thought I have to go clean.....

So there's the update! 

 Here are some completely non-quilt related pics; our small town has a local fair that comes once a year and it is a much awaited for event for the under 12 set. Heck. Who am I kidding...who doesn't love a good fair?!