Pages

▼
▼

Monday, February 29, 2016

Easy Cherry Crisp and Cheery, Cherry Gifts



My cheery, cherry tea is featuring some beautiful, handmade gifts that I received from my sweet blogging friend Stephanie, from The Enchanting Rose.  Just look at my pretty apron, and guess what?  It's reversible, too!  Stephanie is the Queen of Embellishments, and her handmade items always have her special touches.  I love the apron's old-fashioned charm, with the pretty doily, and the soft rose trim.  Aren't I lucky?

 This pretty mug rug is perfect for my teacup and a snack.  I moved my bowl of cherry crisp, so that you could see the beauty of the design.  In the background is a darling fabric bowl, all embellished to match the apron and mug rug. 



My Mary Engelbreit teacup, from my friend Bea, looks so pretty on the mug rug, don't you think?

Here's my easy cherry crisp that I whipped up for the occasion.  There's plenty, as you can see, so please join me, won't you?


 

 Now let's enjoy a bowl of easy cherry crisp, and we will drink some Black Forest Tea, that my friend, Margie, sent me, and  oh my goodness, is it ever good!


Easy Cherry Crisp (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

  • 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish (I just used a pie dish).  Pour pie filling into the dish, and spread evenly.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon.   Mix in melted butter.  Spread over pie filling, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.



This lovely apron goes perfectly in my kitchen.  Thank you, Stephanie, for your handmade gifts for me!  If you'd like to participate in Stephanie's next teacup & mug exchange, the information is below.   You need not have a blog to participate.  It's such a rewarding experience, and you can read testimonies from several ladies, by visiting  here.


 

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:


Thank you for your visit!  xo


at 52 comments:

Monday, February 22, 2016

Apron from My Late Beloved's Shirt

 I would like to take you on a little tour of my sewing room today.  The chest above was from my childhood bedroom set, which was maple and I painted it white to brighten up the space.  My daughter covered the SEW letters in scrapbook paper for my special space.  


 My late beloved hubby put together two kitchen cabinets, back to back, for storage for my supplies, and for a large cutting area.  I put two cutting mats on top, which comes in handy.  On the side of the cabinets, I used beadboard wallpaper to cover up the seam of the cabinets that were put together. 


 I hung this quilt that I hand appliqued and quilted over thirty years ago, when my youngest child was a baby.  A group of us in Columbus, Ohio, had a small quilting group, and we would meet every few weeks in each others homes. 


 In my sewing room, I have double doors on a closet.  My hubby and his friend built a shelf for my sewing machine, shelves on  the sides, and they put up a pegboard, with a fluorescent light above.  I can close the doors over to tidy things up.

 

 On one side of the doors, I hung these shelving units to hold stabilizers, sprays,  and other items.




I have had my late beloved's shirts, knowing that I wanted to make an aprons from them.  After two and a half years, I finally was able to bring myself to make some over Valentine's weekend.   There are plenty of tutorials on the internet on how to do these.  A ruffle, some trims, eyelet in the top pocket and a cherry applique adds a decorative touch. 


 Basically, you cut off the sleeves, and the front from the back at the yoke.  You leave the collar intact, but cut around the back edge of the collar, from one side of the yoke to the other.    I sewed the bottom of the shirt together to close the gap. 


 I drew a line from the collar down to underarm, and then cut that off.  You then press that edge twice and sew the edge. I pressed and sewed the side seams, but you can just cut them at the seam.  Most shirts have a a very nice french seam on the side.  I'm just picky and wanted the seam enclosed. 

I cut the sleeve off to make a pocket on the front of the apron, and sewed on some trim, pressed the pocket and then pinned and sewed it on.  I used the back of the shirt to make the ties and also sewed together two strips to make a ruffle for the bottom edge of the apron. I have several more aprons to make for loved ones in my family.  Sh-h-h-h it's a secret!

After all that sewing, I'm going to have a some tea in this beautiful cup that my daughter gave me for Christmas.  Doesn't it look so pretty in my sewing room?

Won't you share some strawberry chocolate cake with me and some yummy tea a sweet friend sent me?  I will share the recipe for the cake soon.

 

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:
Foodie Friday
Weekend Potluck
Dishing It! & Digging It!                                                                                   I was featured:




 

Thank you for your visit!  xo




at 77 comments:

Monday, February 15, 2016

Lasagna Soup



 I have to share with you one of my very favorite soups!  Even though I'm not Italian, I do LOVE Italian foods.  This Lasagna Soup recipe is perfect for warming your heart and soul.  I hope you try it!


I'm using my Olde English Countryside teacup, by Johnson Brothers.  Do I really use all these pretty teacups?  Yes, I really do!  Every evening I drink a cup of Sleepytime tea, which is so soothing.  

 

Lasagna Soup: from Cuisine Magazine
This soup is really quick,  and oh so flavorful!  The surprise of fresh mozzarella cubes in the bottom of the bowl gives the soup a cheesy richness.

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, diced
2 cups button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 T. garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1  (14.5 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup mafalda (mini lasagna) pasta or campenelle or  mini bow ties
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
Parmesan cheese and sprigs of fresh basil

Directions

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-heat heat.

Add onion and carrot; saute' 3 minutes.

Stir in mushrooms and garlic and saute' another 3 minutes.

Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

Stir in the pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes (or according to package directions).

Add the spinach and cook about 1 minute or until wilted.

To serve, place cubes of mozzarella in each serving bowl, then ladle soup over and let sit briefly to melt the cheese.

Garnish with grated Parmesan and a sprig  of basil.


I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Thank you for your visit!  xo


at 50 comments:

Monday, February 8, 2016

Red Velvet Scones

 How about joining me for a Valentine Tea Party with some Red Velvet Scones?  My sweater-clad bear is hosting today, and he's basking in the warm glow of candlelight.


 This picture of my late beloved and I, was taken when we were so young.  Yes, we were high school sweethearts.

 

 My pretty teacup was given to me by dear Celeste, from Southern DayDreams, in Stephanie's last teacup exchange.  Doesn't it look so pretty with the black background on my tablecloth  that I made several years ago?

 

 The recipe for the Red Velvet Scones comes from the 2015 February issue of Tea Time magazine.  I made a mock Devonshire cream to serve with the scones.  There's one for each of us!

 

Red Velvet Scones

  1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  3. ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  4. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  5. ½ teaspoon salt
  6. 6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces
  7. ¾ cup cold heavy whipping cream
  8. 1 tablespoon red liquid food coloring
  9. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  10. 1 tablespoon white sparkling sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Spray wells of 2 (6-well) heart-shaped baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.  (I used one heart shaped pan, and then patted the rest of the dough out and cut the scones with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.)
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, whisking well.
  4. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
  5. In a liquid-measuring cup, combine cream, food coloring, and vanilla extract, whisking to blend. Add to flour mixture, stirring to combine. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is uniformly moist.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms and is evenly red.
  6. Using a levered 3-tablespoon scoop, divide dough evenly among wells of prepared pans. Pat dough into wells to create a level surface. Sprinkle scones with sparkling sugar.
  7. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 15 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove scones from pan.
  8. Serve warm with Mock Devonshire Cream (recipe follows).

Mock Devonshire Cream (recipe is from Oxmoor House,  at My Recipes):

I've never had the real Devonshire Cream, therefore I don't know how to compare it, but this was really good with the scones, and also on top of fresh berries.

1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold in sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.


This is one of the old-fashioned prints on the tablecloth.  Don't you just love these nostalgic Valentines?

Happy Valentine's Day!! xo

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:
Tea Cup Tuesday                                                                               

I was featured!
Roses of Inspiration 
Cooking and Crafting with J & J 
Table It! 

at 60 comments:

Monday, February 1, 2016

Linzer Sandwich Cookies


 My sweet bear that my sister gave me almost 27 years ago is hosting the tea today.  The napkin that I made came from some fabric that I kept from a pillow I had made years ago.  It's hard for me to part with scraps of pretty fabric.  The roses came from Target and for $5.00 I was able to get three vases full of roses. Today I'm having some Black Forest Cupcake tea, another yummy tea from Margie, at Tea In The Valley.  This is my favorite, Margie!!


 This Royal Albert Polka Rose teacup is one of five from a set,  that I received from my youngest son and daughter-in-law for Christmas.  Aren't the roses so pretty inside the rim of the cup?  There's also one in the bottom of the teacup.  

Here is the set of teacups in a hatbox from Royal Albert, "Celebrating 100 years of English Craftsmanship".  Aren't they beautiful?


 I added a string of pearls to my bear for the occasion.  Can you see her rosy checks?  She's held up well for 27 years, don't you think?


My friend, Debbie, from  She Graces Her Home In God's Beauty,  sent me the linzer cookie cutter awhile back, and it makes such pretty cookies for teatime.  Debbie is the mom of sweet Stephanie, from The Enchanting Rose.  Here's the recipe if you'd like to try the cookies:


Linzer Sandwich Cookies:

2 cups flour
2/3 cup finely chopped almonds (2 oz.)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (I used homemade raspberry jam that has seeds, recipe found here)
confectioner's sugar

In a small bowl, combine flour, almonds, and cinnamon.  In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; mix well.  Add flour mixture, mix only until incorporated.  Divide dough into two pieces; press into discs, about 1-inch thick.  Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two  hours or until firm. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On floured, roll out one disc to 1/8" thick (keep  remaining dough chilled.) Cut half of the dough with the chosen insert (this is the top cookie); cut an equal number of rounds with the cutter without the insert (this is the bottom cookie).  Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.  Dough scraps can be formed into a disc, chilled for at least 30 minutes and rerolled.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes; remove from sheet and cool completely.  Invert bottom cookies, spread with about a teaspoon of jam.  Dust the top cookie with confectioner's sugar, and gently sandwich cookies together. (Oops, I dusted the top with the jam!).

Recipe says that it makes about 20 cookies, but I got about 32 cookies. 

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Tea Cup Tuesday                                                                                              I was featured!
Roses of Inspiration 
Cooking and Crafting with J & J 
Table It! 

                                                                                          

                                                                                                                     



at 56 comments: