Flour, Sugar and Butter, Oh my!

Oh the Holiday Season! We over eat, over spend and over enjoy. I think I have already gone though 2 bags of flour and used up at least 1 bag of powdered sugar. I made of a batch of some of the softest, smoothest shortbread dough, then rolled it out into these Cranberry Cutouts.
The recipe came from the box of cornstarch and this was the one my Grandmother always used. Want it? It's very simple.

1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 powdered sugar 1 cup flour 3/4 cup soft butter

Mix together, chill dough. Roll out and stamp or roll into 1" balls. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. They will look golden around the edges.
As you can see, some of mine look more golden than others. I figured out too late that I wasn't getting them get golden enough. But they still tasted great. Hubby thinks they are pretty close to those Chessman cookies in the bag, made by petridge farms?

I also took a can of jellied cranberry sauce and added 1/2 sugar and 1/2 ts cinnamon and let it melt together in a saucepan. Let it chill and than frosted the bottom cookie with it. Yummy!

Have any of you ever had Sticky Toffee ice cream? It is good! So I made a Sticky Toffee Pudding to test it out and see if it was as good. Talk about Yummy!

This was after one bad day and my niece told me to eat some cake to get in a better mood. After thinking "yeah give the fatty more sugar" and woke up the next morning ready to bake. I have to tell you, this cake has healing powers! It really did lift my bad mood and boy is it good while warm! So I guess I'm still learning from the young. Those whipper snappers are sometimes wise beyond their years!

Take care, Brandie

Ho-Hum

I'm Back! After a brief illness, lack of energy and BAD mood, I'm back. I caught the grumpies and didn't want to do anything, which is exactly what I did! I know that part of the grumpies came from being cooped up and not getting out of my house. I also didn't have any decorations up, so there was no cheer to be seen.

Then I rummaged through my scraps and made up some new coasters.
This helped bring in some Christmas cheer. Very simple and they used up more fabric. I love that! I'm becoming a very scrappy girl.
But the best stress reliever, my early gift. I'M MOBILE AGAIN!
Nothing fancy, just a little Ford Focus. But it runs and it goings in all the gears so I can get out of my driveway. It has a couple of problems... 1: it's white (I said "anything but another white car" 2: it's a manual, so if you see me driving around, give me a little room so that I don't roll into you.

Funny thing is, 21 years ago I learned to drive a stick while my son was a toddler in a car seat. This last weekend, my little boy re-taught me to drive a stick. Ain't that sweet?

My wish to you all, is no grumpies and no more stress during this season. I was down in the dumps and yet you still talked to me. I just love the blogging community! So keep up your spirits and Thank you all for caring. Thank you Lori for the card, it came when I needed it.

Take care (I mean it), Brandie

Just a little update. I'm feeling almost back to normal, which is good. My computer is not. Hubby says it needs a new video card. So for the last few days, I've been lurking out here in blog land by using the Wii. Not a very effiecnt way to surf the web or to replay, but we got to do what we got to do. Today, Hubby set up his extra computer, the itty-bitty Mac. This little guy makes my old tower look like the sears tower, compared to a Honda Civic. But boy is the keyboard a dream and it's such a cute and pretty little thing!

I have been working on some quilting, but slowly. The first day I felt a little better, I made new coasters for the coffee table, but that was about all I could handle. I also made a little quilt to cover my messy shelf, that took me 2 days to make a 34 X 32 quilt. Ridiculous!

So why aren't I showing these things to you? Well the Mac hasn't been introduced to my hard disk and that is where all my pics are. Hopefully this weekend we will sort out my computer problems and maybe my car...
Not have my car work is the most difficult thing to get use to! My list to santa is a biggy this year!

So take care you all, and just remember, I may still be out there lurking so watch what you say!
Brandie

Quarantine

Whatever I caught, I seem to have given my computer. So until it sees the computer Dr, I'm out of commission.
On the plus side, I'm feeling much better, but still have no voice.
Take care, Brandie

Brown Bag Show

I woke up today still without a voice and I think I need to admit, I'm sick. I'm as weak as a kitten, tried as a dog and really don't have the will to go on.

On with the show...

My quilt... stupid blogger!

stupid...
stupid...
Broken dishes, Marley and me.
Shipping news, cant' remember, can't remember, No pocket Katy.
My friend Gail's quilt
Some others, I think you can guess some of them.






Ok, too tired, off the die on the couch.

Take care, brandie

Kitchen Goodies

Today I've woken up with out a voice. This happens about once a year and there isn't anything I can do about it. It's very frustrating not being able to make a noise above a squeak, hopefully it will clear up by tonight, before our Guild meeting. Oh well!

I'm also a little late today, because I was trying to get some light to my jam. I wanted you all to see how wonderful the color is to this jam. Since daylight savings, I keep waking up in the dark and we all know the you can't take as good of pics in the dark.

Then I put said jam on my bread and Voila! Isn't this the most beautiful color? Bet you'll never guess what kind of jam it is?
I slaved away in the kitchen all day yesterday. I made a pot of jam, several loafs of bread and gallons and gallons of turkey soup, which hasn't given me a voice. Hmmm, myth?

I had a HUGE and I mean Huge bowl of leftover mashed potatoes (which is unheard of?!). We had been eating them with every meal. Pork chops... and mashed potatoes. Stuffing, gravy... and mashed potatoes. Just mashed potatoes. And something that I'm not proud of, hamburger mixed with cream of mushroom soup, over green beans and topped with creamed... mashed potatoes!

It was getting ridiculous! Then I had an epiphany. Potato Bread! So I have made about 2 loafs each day and have frozen 13 cups of mashed potatoes! Each loaf uses 1 cup of potatoes so in no time I'll have used up those potatoes.

Now don't laugh at my loaf, this was the best looking one. I feel asleep while they were rising on the mantel. The worst one had grown up and over the sides and left a groove that made it very difficult to remove for it's pan. We eat that one with our turkey soup and it still tasted great, just looked funny.
If I had turned this loaf over, you'd see the pan rim also. I think I may have bouced it into the oven and that's why it is a little deflated in the middle.

Back the that jam. Figured out what kind yet? Carrot!
That's right, carrot. It was a french confiture. It also has lemon zest and juice which makes it taste a little more lemony than of carrots.
I like it and so does my dog and that's all that's important to me!

I know that sounded a little like sour grapes, but I really do think it is good. Hubby said "Its' OK". Great way to crush my spirit! And he even liked my white trash shepherds pie. I think I need to retrain him to like the french food not the WT food!

Take care, Brandie

Something New

Thank you all for your well wishes about yesterdays post. Life is difficult enough without the thought of something happening to our children. Car accident happen so fast and can cause so much damage. I will forever be Thankful that this accident was minor. And the sad thing is that this is not an isolated incident. Many of us have gone through the same thing lately.

They say things happen is 3's. I'm hoping that the quota is filled for us all!

On the quilting front, I have been madly finishing up that "Brown Bag Challenge". As the head of the project, I would feel ridiculous not having my own quilt done. Especially when I started so early and then got side tracked on something else. Tomorrow is or mini show at our regular meeting. We are going to hang all the quilts that come back and have the viewers choose several winners. It has been a fun experience and I hope everyone else had fun too. I'll try to remember to take pics to show you all on Friday morning.

I did break down and I started something new. But it was a small something, so I don't feel too bad. I needed something to do to calm my nerves and this foot the bill.
Over a the http://therabbitfactory.blogspot.com/2010/10/our-new-free-pattern-series.html. It was a free download and a quick finish. They are doing a four mouth quilt starting in November and finishing in February. I looked this morning, but they don't seem to have block 2 up yet, so keep checking.

I'm also debating about Christmas decorating. I love to see everyone's displays but I'm in a ho-hum mood. With all that has been happening in this household, Christmas will be very low keyed. Then I remind myself the Christmas is not about gifts, it's about family and friends. So we will be going back to old-fashion ways and make all our gifts. And you know me, that will involve a lot of sugar, flour and love!

Wishing you all a Wonderful Wednesday!

Take care, Brandie