Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

 

Every year we have what we call 'Cookie Day', we spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving gathering at my mom's house and baking cookies. It's a tradition that we started years ago! My boys were little! I always looked forward to baking that day with my sisters and nieces. I always make the same things, caramel, dipped pretzels and peanut butter yo-yos. This year I bought some special frosting Santas and penguins to decorate my peanut butter yo-yos with. I also got some cute snowman carrot noses to make snowmen! I also purchased some cute boxes and bags to package things in. Most everything I make is an almond bark dipped item so that my nieces and sisters can use the oven. Mom's oven sure gets a workout that day! It's always a fun filled day full of visiting and baking. 

I make six batches of caramel and I'm also so appreciative when I have help wrapping it all!

Microwave Caramels

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light Karo Syrup

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk.

Combine all ingredients. Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes. Stir and pour into lightly greased dish. (I butter a glass pan.) Let cool. Cut, wrap in wax paper and store in airtight container. My mom's microwave takes 10 minutes. I check the caramel using my grandma's method. Dropping a little of the mixture into a glass of cold water, if the caramel can be formed into a soft ball, then it's done. 

DECEMBER 4

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence

Songbird Designs

Words & Stitches

DesertSky Quilting

Quilting Gail

Days Filled With Joy

For The Love Of Geese

 

DECEMBER 5

Selina Quilts

Just Because Quilts

Karrin's Crazy World

Quilt Schmilt

Domestic Felicity

Happy Cottage Quilter

Nettie Sews and Lucky Quilts

 

DECEMBER 6

Hill Valley Quilter

Beaquilter

Crazy'boutquilts

Bumbleberry Stitches

That Fabric Feeling

Homespun Hannah's Blog

 

DECEMBER 7

MooseStashQuilting

Ms P Designs USA

Quilt Doodle Designs

Quilted Snail

Sew Many Yarns

Just Sew Quilter

The Life of Grammy

I have a notebook that I have been keeping recipes and photos in over the years. I love flipping thru it and remembering all of our cookie days and how our kids have grown up. They are now starting to have families of their own. I hope that this becomes a tradition that is passed down to their families too. I know that the recipes will!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope that you find time to listen to some holiday music and do some baking for the loved ones in your family. The complete list for the hop is above... stop on by and show some holiday love!

Happy Baking,

Cindy and Josephine

Peanut butter yo-yo cookies

12 Days of Christmas Day 6

Day 6

Welcome to the sixth day of the Quilt Doodles 12 Days of Christmas. There are still lots of projects and other fun goodies to share with you over the next few days. Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite recipes. In fact I'll be making some of these today. We'll be hosting my husband's family for Christmas this weekend and I need to make some cookies for a cookie platter for dessert on Sunday.

This is another super easy cookie that is oh so pretty on the cookie platter. It's sure to be a family favorite! I know my nieces and nephews really like them. What's great about this recipe is that it uses simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry or cupboards. I didn't do a very good job shaping wreaths or Christmas trees. I just used a cookie scoop and blobbed the marshmallow cereal mixture onto wax paper and then decorated with the cinnamon candies. They still turned out really cute. They fly off the cookie platter regardless what 'shape' they are! They are also one of Santa's favorites too.

Merry Christmas!

Happy baking,
Cindy and Belvedere

12 Days of Christmas, Day 4

Day 4

Welcome to the fourth day of the Quilt Doodles 12 Days of Christmas. There are still lots of projects and other fun goodies to share with you over the next few days. Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite recipes. I love meringue cookies and usually make a mint chocolate chip meringue cookie for my guys but I love this recipe too! This is a festive cookie for your cookie tray. What I enjoy is that you whip up the meringue, put the cookies in the oven and then go about with your other items on your Christmas to do list. I know we all have one of those! Mine is still quite long.... uggg.

Peppermint Meringues

from: allrecipes.com

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

2 peppermint candy canes, crushed

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle with salt and cream of tartar; (I also added 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract);  beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased foil lined baking sheets; sprinkle with the crushed candy.  (I also sprinkled red edible glitter on the cookies) Bake at 225 for 1-1/2 hours.Turn off heat; leave cookies in the oven with the door ajar for at least 1 hour or until cool. Store in an airtight container.  I doubled the recipe and got about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!  Happy Holidays!
Cindy and Belvedere

Llama Love and Brownies!

We've had some really cold days here in Minnesota, I'm so happy to see a warm up in the forecast. With the cold temps, Belvedere and I are still boycotting the weather and staying inside. I have been busy doodling and sewing in the studio. It's been very relaxing. Belvedere, being the puppy that he is looses interest with my sewing space and let's me know quite loudly that he's had enough and wants to go back upstairs where his favorite window and sunny spot is. During one of these breaks I discovered a long lost (aka misplaced) cookbook that I have been searching for years for. It was in the guest room/office on the bookshelf. Who'd guess it was on a bookshelf.... oh well, to continue on with the story.... it was a treasured gift from my grandparents. I've cooked just about every bar and cookie recipe in this Cookie Cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens. But I have some favs that I love. I've been craving Tri-level Brownies. My absolute favorite brownie recipe! I've been making these since 1983 when I first was given this book.

So while Belvedere was napping in his sunny spot by the fireplace, I whipped up a batch to share with you along with the NEW mug rug design I've come up with. 

I have a niece who is in love with llama's so I certainly had her in mind when I drew this design up. My dad- way back in the day worked for the Llama Registry in Minnesota after he retired. He loved it, he also worked with my sister there. Another reason why he loved working at the registry! I thought of the sweet memories and stories he'd share when I stitched this up. It's a fun design to make. I was able to get it done in an afternoon. I made my llama's white and cream, but you can have fun and make your's any color combo! There are so many different types and colorings for llamas.

Something I wanted to share that is a little different then I normally do is, instead of sewing with brown or black thread. I used a cream/tan variegated cotton thread for a softer edge on the design. I really like how it turned out.

I hope that you have fun with this pattern. I sure had fun making it. I have PDF patterns available in my Etsy shop and also on the Quilt Doodle website. You can also buy the PDF pattern instantly by clicking the 'Buy Now' button above. It is a great project to work on for Valentine's Day. Well, I'm off to grab a brownie and a cup of coffee and go back to do some more stitching. 

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Cindy and Belvedere

The Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop

            I love to bake and with the Holidays just around the corner, my kitchen has been a busy place. The smells of chocolate and vanilla have been warming my home. The Saturday after Thanksgiving is fondly known in my family as 'Cookie Day'. My mom started this tradition years ago after grandma passed away. My grandma loved to bake and is fondly known for all of the goodies she used to make. We loved her mocha bars and have yet to find a recipe that lives up to hers, hers wasn't written down, she cooked from memory as many good cooks did in her time... Cookie day is when my sisters and I all get together and bake at mom's house. (I have four sisters... so it's a houseful!) We all gather with our shopping bags of ingredients, mixers, baking pans and recipes. It's a marathon of baking! We get sooooo much done and it's such a thrill to see my nieces and nephews help with the baking and cookie decorating too. I am known for my caramel and that is the first thing I always make. I make 8 batches and my nieces and nephews help me wrap it all. Of coarse there's complimentary caramel tasting as they wrap. For many years I would toil over the oven stirring my caramel, praying to god that it wouldn't scorch. If it scorched, I'd throw in pecans. Needless to say, I had many batches with pecans. A few years ago I found my Microwave Caramel recipe and I love it! It doesn't scorch! A perfect batch every time!!! You may have to adjust your microwave time depending on the strength of your oven. For my mom's microwave I add 3 minutes...

I don't shape mine as wreaths, they are just a pretty blob of goodness. They don't last very long on the cookie tray. The kids love them! I like them because they are quick and easy to make and with so many bakers at mom's house, I try not to have 'baked' recipes so that the oven is free for my sisters and nieces. 

~Cookie Day 2016~

Christmas goodies are always good with tea and served on a mug rug! Wouldn't it be wonderful to surprise your family and friends with an adorable holiday mug rug and some homemade goodies like my Microwave caramels!

Tea with Frosty mug rug is also a fun secret santa gift. Wouldn't it be delightful to surprise your secret santa with a sweet treat and a special mug rug for their coffee? The PDF pattern for Tea with Frosty can be found in my Etsy shop and also on the Quilt Doodle website as an instant PDF download. 

I'm also having a little giveaway, leave a sweet comment about your favorite Christmas Cookie. Follow me for a second chance. Winner will win a PDF copy of a pattern of their choice from Quilt Doodle Designs. (You can check out the Quilt Doodle Website or my Etsy shop for ideas)

I hope that you have fun hopping around! So many wonderful recipes!
I get to share today with these lovely ladies!

 December 7

 Quilt Doodle Doodles

Kris Loves Fabric

Life in the Scrapatch

Home Sewn By Us

For The Love Of Geese

Stitch Days

Val’s Quilting Studio

Tu-Na Quilts
It’s A T-Sweet Day!

Just Let Me Quilt

Here is the complete list of Virtual Cookie fun!

December 5 

 Creatin’ in the Sticks

Creative Latitude

Gray Barn Designs

Domestic Felicity

Pieced Brain

Quiltscapes

Ms P Designs USA

Cynthia’s Creating Ark

 December 6

 Sew Incredibly Crazy

Freemotion by the River

Moosestash Quilting

One Old Goat And Her Little Farm

A Little Bit of Everything, from Mike & Alisa

Hazel’s Daughter

Patchouli Moon Studio

Bumbleberry Stitches

Selina Quilts

 December 7

 Quilt Doodle Doodles

Kris Loves Fabric

Life in the Scrapatch

Home Sewn By Us

For The Love Of Geese

Stitch Days

Val’s Quilting Studio

Tu-Na Quilts
It’s A T-Sweet Day!

Just Let Me Quilt

Happy Hopping! and Happy Holidays!
Cindy and Belvedere

September's Block

I just can't believe that September is already here! Summer is slipping away... there are tell tale signs that fall is right around the corner. The evenings are getting cooler, days are getting shorter and the leaves are just starting to change on a couple of the trees in my yard. This month, I have only one block for you, a watering can full of summer blooms. Coneflowers to be exact. My coneflowers usually bloom towards end of July and August. They are one of the last flowers to stick around and bloom up until fall. As I've mentioned before, my love of flowers and gardening comes from my grandma Lydia. She had such a green thumb. I just had to include a watering can full of flowers. Grandma had one of those big ol' tin watering cans on the farm.  I usually will pick a huge bouquet of flowers right before the first frost. Gathering summer's last hurrah...I always think of grandma when I come in the house with a huge bouquet of home grown flowers... now,
let me share a couple of sweet pictures from my family's cookbook of my grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa

(Lydia and Stephen)

This is one of my favorite recipes from grandma.

I love a wedge of this with a cup of coffee, it's wonderful for breakfast.

This is total comfort food for me.

Now onto this months design! I have one block for you to complete, next month is the last block for the quilt. I made my coneflowers a combination of pink, blue and purple flowers. 

This month's design will be put on the background white/cream fabric on point.

Find the center of your 12 1/2" square...

I used scraps of fabric leftover from my Dresden plates for the flowers. I had to dig thru my stash of fabric for some grey fabric for the watering can.

I have all my pieces cut out and ready to place on my background fabric.

All ironed in place and ready to be appliqued!

Machine stitching around all of the pieces.

~Watering Can~

I have been working on two versions of this quilt.

An applique one and embroidered one. I can't wait to show them both to you in a couple of months!

Patterns can be found on the Quilt Doodle website and on Craftsy (Not until the 1st of the month). Did you miss a pattern along the way? The past monthly patterns can be found in my Etsy and Craftsy shops for a small fee.

Last month I 'mislabled' August's block so there was some confusion. So August's block will be free the first week of September so that everyone can print up their free copy.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's watering can full of coneflowers.

My favorite picture of grandma and I, taken in front of her flower garden.

 I hope that you have a wonderful week. I'm gonna go run out to my garden and pick some flowers. I'm also busy canning tomatoes. So much to do, but so grateful my garden did so well this year. Happy September and back to school everyone!

          Let’s have some quilty fun!
Cindy

Embroidery...

I am still trucking along with my embroidery. I have noticed that my backstitch is starting to look a bit better. I guess practice makes perfect. I am on my way to quilt retreat this weekend. As I write I am wondering what in heaven's name am I going to work on. I have a list of things that I want to do. As you read this, I should be all snuggly warm in front of Colleen's fireplace stitching away listening to the hum of everyone sewing on their projects. I am really looking forward to spending the weekend with my mom and sister. I know I'll be bringing my Mystery BOM that I'm doing in embroidery. I'm happy to report that my stitches are starting to look better. Not quite as nice as my mom's or Colleen's but I'm pleased with my progress.  My mom will be starting the Quilt Doodle BOM this weekend. She's never made a Dresden plate so she's asked for me to help her out. I'm sure she'll buzz along and get all caught up this weekend to where everyone else is at. It's fun to watch my mom follow along with the BOM. I think she enjoys it. My mom is doing embroidery for the designs since she's not a big fan of applique. So here are my embroidered plates for this month... shhhh don't look too close....

Soft Ginger Cookies ~ Grandma's recipe

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon ginger

 1/2 teaspoon cloves

4 1/2 cups flour

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix soda in buttermilk. Then mix all ingredients together. Roll our and bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes. Frost with the following recipe...

Frosting: 1 package gelatin, 1/2 cup cold water, mix and set aside. Boil 3/4 cup water and 2 cups sugar, boil until it spins a thread. Add to the gelatin mixture and whip until stiff enough to spread on cookies.

Grandma made several dozen of these for my wedding. They are still one of my favorite cookies. I have been searching high and low for this recipe and then remembered, it's in the old church cookbook. I thought it would be fun to share with you. It's one of those old timey yummy recipes.

Remember this month's blocks can be found HERE. Past blocks can be found in my Etsy shop as an instant PDF download.

Hope you have a wonderful day and find some time to do some stitching.

Happy quilting,

Cindy