Friday, February 22, 2013

Winter comes again . . . .

Earlier this month, with all the mild/warm weather,
we thought that Winter was winding down -
This week, we discovered we were wrong - - - 

Tuesday morning
7:15am - my driveway
Huge feathery snowflakes  

7:20am - North bound Sara Road  
(those tiny lights are I-40 -- which was one giant parking lot due to accidents)


7:25am - East bound Reno Avenue
Just the kind of snow I like - pretty on the grass and melting on the streets.
Very light traffic - perhaps they were all on I-40?


Tuesday evening
First daffodil blooms -
Rescued the night before the snow fell.
Making me (and my little Garden Gnome) smile.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Baking as therapy

Total stress buster - baking bread.  May be good relieving stress - but for my waistline - not so much !  So, as soon as these loaves were cool, they went directly into the freezer.  Now I'm ready for any 'refreshment emergency' that comes my way.

FYI:  vintage cookie cutters found at an antique store in Piedmont, OK. There will be sugar cookie bunnies and chickens for Easter this year - with sprinkles !



BB Bread (Basic Banana Bread)

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter (cool for 10 minutes)
1 cup sugar (can be reduced to 3/4 cup if desired)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour loaf pan.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla.  Sprinkle baking soda & salt over the mixture; stir in flour mixture (and nuts) and mixm just until no more flour is visible.  Pour mixture into prepared pans and bake for 50-55 minutes.  Cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.  
Note:  If using smaller loaf pans, adjust baking times. I baked this bread in 3 of my small loaf pans and baking time was 35 minutes. 



Coconut Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan.  Mix together flour, salt, baking powder & soda and set aside.  In a large pan, beat together sugar and oil.  Beat in eggs, coconut and vanilla extracts.  Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk & coconut.  Pour into prepared pans and bake for 45-505 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool on racks for 15 minutes before removing from pan. 
Note:  If using smaller loaf pans, adjust baking time.  I baked this bread in 2 of my medium loaf pans, baking time was 45 minutes.



  

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sweet . . . . .



A box of sweet treats for my daughter -
 her favorite:  Blonde Brownies.



BLONDE BROWNIES
  • 2/3 cup butter
  • 2-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teasp vanilla extract
  • 2-2/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2-1/2 teasp baking powder
  • 1/2 teasp salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large saucepan, on low heat, melt butter; add brown sugar to butter and stir well.  Break eggs into a small bowl and beat lightly;  mix eggs into butter mixture along with vanilla. Add flour, baking powder & salt, stir well, batter will be thick.  Spread batter into a greased & floured 9x13-inch pan, sprinkle with nuts and chips.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or unitl the edges begin to pull away from sides.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack until completely cooled before cutting into squares. 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Love . . . . .


Love doesn't make the world go 'round'.
Love is what makes the ride worthwhile!
                                                      Franklin B. Jones 

Friday, February 8, 2013

This moment . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . 
{this moment} -. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 


Monday, February 4, 2013

Flannel + stitching + clipping = Fluffy !

Find a box full of flannel prints (left overs of pajama pant making for the grandbabes)
Can't bear to throw out or donate - cut into 10 inch squares. 
Stack two squares (wrong sides together)& sew an X through each set of squares.
Lay out squares into rows & stitch together in random pattern, using 1-inch seam allowance.
(I added a half-square to each row to off-set the seams)
Stay-stitch around entire quilt, 1 inch from edge.
Clip all seams and edges while watching Downton Abbey.
Throw in the dryer for 15 minutes.


Result:  Fluffy Ragg Quilt -
perfect for movie nights at MoMo & Papa Bill's!
Size:  65"x74"


On another note:   I barely knew which teams were playing yesterday -
but, I did contribute to the Super Bowl Sunday madness.
Purchased at my local quilt shop during their Super Bowl Sale -- 30% off !!