Let's Go Patriots!!!

To cheer on our beloved team the New England Patriots, we decided to make some cookies with some team spirit. We cut out cookies in the shape of footballs and team shirts:)  And with the best recipe from Grandma Ruth, these are sure to be a hit for the big game.  And yes, we are amateurs at decorating....

Grandma Ruth's Cut out Cookies

2 c sugar
1 c shortening (I used butter)

Cream together. Then mix:
1 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
5 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Refrigerate till chilled. Roll out, and cut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Let cool. And have fun frosting.  :)

Doll Clothes

For my very special niece, I decided to make a few outfits for her American Girl Doll for Christmas.  I scored some 18 inch doll patterns at Joann's, 5 for $5 and got to work. I also had been collecting bargain fabric, remnants at Joann's throughout the year for this specific project.   I decided I should make Alexa a matching dress as well.  I love the pillow case dress for little girls, and it's so easy to make. I also used my Serger Machine for the hems, which worked great.  Hopefully as my sewing skills get better I can move along to more complicated patterns.  

Here are the patterns I used for the dresses and apron:

Pillow Case Dress, Size 6: Simplicity2391

18inch Doll Dress: Simplicity 7083 **

18 inch Doll Dress, Pillow Case: Simplicity 2302

18 inch Apron: Simplicity 2761

** This dress took some time, so allow accordingly and plan to "step away" to destress!  

I think she enjoyed them! What do you think?   

Thanksgiving Summary

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you and your family did as well.  Our turkey was delicious and the the desserts to die for!  It was worth all the calories.  We did Thanksgiving Trivia this year for dinner conversation and it turned out great! Everyone enjoyed the interesting facts...something I may have to do again next year.

I really feel like this year's thanksgiving was a year of collecting food. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall I had been preserving fruits and vegi's from our CSA.  It turned out great. Everything we made was from our local farm....Carrots, green beans, apples, potatoes, squash.....

Here are the recipes for the desserts I made this year.  Absolutely Amazing!

Mom's Apple Pie

6-7 thinly sliced apples
1 1/2 c sugar
3 T flour (I used 4 T flour, apples were frozen)
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg

Mix together. Put in 9" unbaked pie shell.  Put pat of butter on top. Then top with top crust.  Brush with a little milk and sprinkle sugar on top of crust.  Bake at 350 for 75 min.  Watch the crust and place tin foil around perimeter if starting to brown.


Pumpkin Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can pumpkin
1 c. sugar
1 c. dark corn syrup
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 T melted butter
1 c chopped pecans (for topping)
9" unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients well, except nuts. Pour into pie shell and top with nuts.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling


This delicious recipe is from Martha Stewart...you can find it here

The only change I would make is to decrease both the ginger and cloves in the recipe from 1 T to 2 tsp.

Sewing Project: Reversible Shopper Bag

I've been on a bag making kick and totally love Amy Butler's Style Stitches. For my special friend Michelle, I decided to make the Reversible Everyday Shopper bag for her birthday....

It was very simple to make and took about 4 hours including cutting, interfacing, and sewing. Compared to the Cosmo bag, this one was super easy and less time consuming. I love the versatility of the bag and the fact that it is reversible. I was surprised how big the bag was once completed, but I think it would be a great overnight bag, beach bag, craft bag....endless options. I hope she likes it!

Happy Birthday Jon!

For my husband's birthday, he requested his favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I stumbled across a recipe with a little twist from MS Everyday Food magazine.

Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, and Pecan Cookies

Here is the recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lg egg

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat butter and brown sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scrapping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

2. Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake cookies until puffed and golden around edges 15 minutes (for my oven 10 minutes was perfect). Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes 44

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Brady!

Our puppy is 5 today! I can't believe it! To celebrate Brady's 5th bday, I've pulled together some of my favorite shots. We love you bub:)

Brady at 8 weeks old

Brady and his sister Trouble, 3 years old

Car ride home from the beach, 2 years old

Mommy being silly! 2 years old

Mommy being silly part 2, 2 years old

Ready for the rain, 1 year old

Brady, 8 weeks old

Brady and his best friend Tedy hanging out 4 years old

Brady, North Conway 3 years old

North Conway, 3 years old

Christmas Blizzard in Iowa, 3 years old

New England Fall, 2 years old

Brady 15 weeks old

Dad being silly, Brady 2 years old

Brady meets "Island Jonny, 4 years old

Train Wallet

My nephew Carter loves, loves, loves trains. For this Christmas, to go along with the trains we got him, I decided to make a train wallet to carry his trains.

With 2 coordinating fabrics, and black felt for the tracks, cut the 2 big rectangles to size. Then cut the felt 1 inch for the cross tracks and 1/2 inch for the long rails. Pin and stitch the tracks in place on to one of the rectangles. Then cut the pocket, allowing 5 inches deep and the same length of the rectangle. Attach the pocket to the other half of the rectangle. Allow 3 inches width for each pocket for each train. After attaching the pocket, stitch the 2 rectangles together right sides together, allowing for 4 inches open to turn right side out. Then slipstictch the 4 inch opening together and iron it flat.

As you can see he loves his train wallet:)

Christmas Gift: Aprons

For my nieces this Christmas, I decided to make them each an apron. My niece Ellie inspired me as she has been taking a cooking class at school, as well as they all love to cook with Grandma Pat! So I went to work, finding a cute cupcake fabric. As a guide, I used the Martha Stewart Pattern from her Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. Each apron has 3 large pockets and their names embroidered. They turned out so cute! I hope they enjoy them for years to come!

Christmas Aprons

This year I've been trying to make the majority of our Christmas gifts. For my Brother in Law and his Wife, I decided to make matching Christmas Aprons to go along with the crock pot that we gave them this year. The aprons turned out really cute. I used the Amy Butler pattern from her In Stitches book for my sister in law's and a basic simplicity pattern for my brother in law.

They look super cute in the new aprons, I hope they enjoy them this holiday season and many more to come!

First Ever Double Layer Cake

I decided to get a little creative with the cake department and attempt to make a double layer cake. The recipe was pretty simple, yellow cake with very yummy chocolate frosting. We were very happy with the chocolate frosting however the cake itself was a touch on the dry side....I guess that only means that more practice is in store for me in the baking department. Which I'm sure my husband would be happy to live with:)

To check out the recipe, visit Martha Stewart. If you decide bake this cake, please make sure to leave feedback for me! Enjoy!

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

Sunday the 27th was my birthday. Unfortunately, I had to work a 12 hour shift, however my friends and husband made up for it before and after! Craig and Jenna hosted us over for a wonderful BBQ on Friday. It was perfect. We ended the evening with a campfire and of course wine:) But the best part was I received the Martha Stewart Cupcake recipe book from Craig and Jenna!!!! There have been sooooo many times I was at a bookstore and picked up the book, looked at it, and then put it back. :)


So on Tuesday, my lovely hubby made me homemade pizza and because I was soooo excited to use my new cupcake recipe book, I made myself birthday cupcakes.

We started the evening with chips and homemade salsa from my mom. It was a special occassion, and I absolutely LOVE my mom's salsa:) But because we have to ship it from Iowa, we try to savor it and save it for special occasions:)
Jon made the pizza dough with 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white flour. The pizza sauce was awesome with honey and brown sugar added. We topped the pizza with 1/3 fresh basil from our garden, 1/3 green pepper and onion, and 1/3 cheese. It was amazing!


Isn't he the cutest:)
The finished pie:
And now for the best Strawberry Cupcakes. Made from scratch with fresh strawberries. Yummy!
Topped with homemade whipped cream (never knew it could be so easy!)


Bon Appetit!