Monday, March 28, 2011
Wondering . . .
A friend shared a First Communion picture with me today of a relative in her white dress. Contrary to the rules at the parish, the little girl's dress was sleeveless. The pictures were done by a professional and the family had spent over $50 to get her hair done. It was a nice hair arrangement . . . for an 18 year old not a seven year old. The little girl was plied heavily with eye and lip makeup and the pose the photographer struck was not one for a child receiving a sacrament. My husband happened past while I was looking at the picture and he remarked, "Are you checking out a soft porn site?" in great surprise because he knows I wouldn't do such a thing. I wonder if the mother of the child would be offended seeing as SHE allowed this take place? What on earth was she thinking?
Egypt and cotton . . .
Even if you feel the conflict in Egypt is far removed from your state in life, it has been felt all over the world - the price of cotton has gone up and that trickles down to what yardage you buy at the fabric stores. I came up against this increase at the fabric warehouse today. What used to be $1.96 a yard is now $2.49 a yard. Sure, it is still way below store prices but it does cut down on how much you can, in good conscience, buy for yourself.
Never the less, the trip to the fabric warehouse was productive and I got some real bargains and picked up a few lengths of fabric I had been looking for lately. I always get inspired around miles and miles of fabric and today was no exception. Since this is a fabric warehouse or a last stand for some fabrics, you buy what you want when you see it or it might not be there another time. Fortunately, I found two fabric patterns I had wished I'd purchased more of earlier in the year and they were in the 'stacks' today and marked down! A win/win situation.
I always have my format for finding fabric. First, I go through the stacks of flat fold fabric which are either outdated or end of bolts. I was blessed to find some good-sized lengths which I needed to finish off the backs of some quilts in progress. Next, I went through the more 'formal' line up of fabric with the slightly higher price tags. I only splurged on two more expensive ones. The rest were going for $3.99-$4.99 a yard. I'm excited to start planning some new quilts this week. Yes, yes, of course, I WILL finish the current one in progress . . . I'll just keep telling myself that and avoid the temptation of cutting into new fabric!
I also kept my ongoing promise to my husband. I can buy what I want within reason but it all has to fit into my fabric cupboards and the doors have to close ALL THE WAY! Well, the doors aren't TOO ajar and all new purchases on in place.
Never the less, the trip to the fabric warehouse was productive and I got some real bargains and picked up a few lengths of fabric I had been looking for lately. I always get inspired around miles and miles of fabric and today was no exception. Since this is a fabric warehouse or a last stand for some fabrics, you buy what you want when you see it or it might not be there another time. Fortunately, I found two fabric patterns I had wished I'd purchased more of earlier in the year and they were in the 'stacks' today and marked down! A win/win situation.
I always have my format for finding fabric. First, I go through the stacks of flat fold fabric which are either outdated or end of bolts. I was blessed to find some good-sized lengths which I needed to finish off the backs of some quilts in progress. Next, I went through the more 'formal' line up of fabric with the slightly higher price tags. I only splurged on two more expensive ones. The rest were going for $3.99-$4.99 a yard. I'm excited to start planning some new quilts this week. Yes, yes, of course, I WILL finish the current one in progress . . . I'll just keep telling myself that and avoid the temptation of cutting into new fabric!
I also kept my ongoing promise to my husband. I can buy what I want within reason but it all has to fit into my fabric cupboards and the doors have to close ALL THE WAY! Well, the doors aren't TOO ajar and all new purchases on in place.
Custard Crispy or what to do when the milk is gone!
Whenever I get a craving for a custard sort of dessert, naturally, I don't have milk in the house! Nothing worse than coming into the kitchen with a beautiful, soft custard in mind only to discover your beloved child draining the last cup of milk left in the refrigertor! The milk is gone but not your desire!
I found this recipe in an ancient cookbook someone gave me once. I tweaked it to my own specifications over the years but do not mind sharing it. It makes a nice dessert or even something sweet to go with your coffee in the morning. Hey, remember WE don't need excuses! We're the moms!
Custard Crispy
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
Grated rind of one lemon, optional
3 eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut 1/2 cup margarine into 1 cup flour until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoons water over flour mixture; mix. Gather pastry into a ball, divide into halves. Pat each half into rectangle, 12 x 3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet. Rectangles should be about three inches apart.
Heat 1/2 up margarine and 1 cup water to rolling boil; remove from heat. quickly stir in extracts and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about one minutes; remove from heat. Add eggs, beat until smooth and glossy. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle. Bake until topping is crisp, brown and slightly cracked, about one hour; cool on rack. Topping will shrink and fall, forming the custard top. Dust with powdered sugar or with a thin glaze.
I found this recipe in an ancient cookbook someone gave me once. I tweaked it to my own specifications over the years but do not mind sharing it. It makes a nice dessert or even something sweet to go with your coffee in the morning. Hey, remember WE don't need excuses! We're the moms!
Custard Crispy
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
Grated rind of one lemon, optional
3 eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut 1/2 cup margarine into 1 cup flour until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoons water over flour mixture; mix. Gather pastry into a ball, divide into halves. Pat each half into rectangle, 12 x 3 inches, on ungreased cookie sheet. Rectangles should be about three inches apart.
Heat 1/2 up margarine and 1 cup water to rolling boil; remove from heat. quickly stir in extracts and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about one minutes; remove from heat. Add eggs, beat until smooth and glossy. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle. Bake until topping is crisp, brown and slightly cracked, about one hour; cool on rack. Topping will shrink and fall, forming the custard top. Dust with powdered sugar or with a thin glaze.
Morning Sickness and Almond Biscotti!
I heard from a friend today with the news that she is expecting number ten! She is a hardworking, homeschooling mother with eight girls and one boy. I'm guessing they wouldn't mind number ten being another boy as would the one son! She has been very ill with morning sickness which makes life difficult in a family of that size but it sounds like her older daughters are helping out wonderfully. I have to sympathize with her as my pregnancies provided me with lots of upset stomachs the first three or four months. Food would visit me but never stay long.
Anyway, her letter put me in mind of the one thing that did seem to calm down my morning sickness way back in the day. Thought I'd share the recipe with you today.
Almont Biscotti
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 ⅔ cups toasted almonds, roughly chopped*
Place flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Depending on how dry your flour is, you may either need an extra egg or more flour. The dough should hold it’s shape and you may find mixing and kneading it with your hands easier than with a spoon.
Grease two baking sheets. Divide the dough into quarters. Shape each piece of dough into a long, somewhat flattened loaf. The dough will spread in baking so keep some space between the loaves. Shaping the dough directly onto the baking sheets is easier than trying to move it from the board. The dough is sticky and spraying your hands with vegetable spray helps a lot. There will be two loaves on each baking sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325. Cool the loaves slightly and cut diagonally into 3/4-inch slices and lay them cut side up on the sheets. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Cool on racks.
*Toast whole, shelled almonds on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool before chopping and adding to your dough. Do not blanch the almonds.
Variations:
1. Instead of almonds, use chopped walnuts or pecans, tablespoon off grated orange rind.
2. In place of any type of nut, add powdered ginger, cloves, cinnamon and lemon rind according to taste.
3. Use chopped walnuts and ¼ cup cocoa powder or two tablespoons mocha mix.
Anyway, her letter put me in mind of the one thing that did seem to calm down my morning sickness way back in the day. Thought I'd share the recipe with you today.
Almont Biscotti
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 ⅔ cups toasted almonds, roughly chopped*
Place flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Depending on how dry your flour is, you may either need an extra egg or more flour. The dough should hold it’s shape and you may find mixing and kneading it with your hands easier than with a spoon.
Grease two baking sheets. Divide the dough into quarters. Shape each piece of dough into a long, somewhat flattened loaf. The dough will spread in baking so keep some space between the loaves. Shaping the dough directly onto the baking sheets is easier than trying to move it from the board. The dough is sticky and spraying your hands with vegetable spray helps a lot. There will be two loaves on each baking sheet.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325. Cool the loaves slightly and cut diagonally into 3/4-inch slices and lay them cut side up on the sheets. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Cool on racks.
*Toast whole, shelled almonds on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool before chopping and adding to your dough. Do not blanch the almonds.
Variations:
1. Instead of almonds, use chopped walnuts or pecans, tablespoon off grated orange rind.
2. In place of any type of nut, add powdered ginger, cloves, cinnamon and lemon rind according to taste.
3. Use chopped walnuts and ¼ cup cocoa powder or two tablespoons mocha mix.
Have to agree with them all!
"I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts."
-- Mark Twain
"Either I've been missing something or nothing has been going on."
-- Karen Elizabeth Gordon
"Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
-- E. B. White
"Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier."
-- Blore's Razor
-- Mark Twain
"Either I've been missing something or nothing has been going on."
-- Karen Elizabeth Gordon
"Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
-- E. B. White
"Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier."
-- Blore's Razor
My favorite treat!
My favorite treat isn't edible! My favorite treat is a trip to the fabric warehouse! Yes, there is such a thing in existence and it more than satisfies the quilter in me!
When I first got interested in quilting, I didn't have too much choice in fabrics as the small, quilting shops were expensive. If I was going to spend that much on fabric, it had better be for something practical like dresses for my then little girls. Someone told us, one day, about a place about an hour from us that that discount fabric. It was seconds or marred factory discard stuff. It was perfectly good, quality cotton fabric ideal for quilting. The reason for the discount as it was last year's designs! Uh, I don't care if the rose pattern or whatever, isn't 'with it' for this year. I chose fabric by what I like and once you cut fabric into various squares and put it into a quilt, who really knows that it was last year's vintage?
The first time I walked into the place, it was a few minutes before I could move as I was in shock at all the temptations in fabric lined up, row upon row! I always start in the 'stacks' first. This is comprised of about eight aisles of flat fold fabric that's 'with it' factor is older than the bolts in the mail area. It is piled about five feet high and there are plenty of quality bargains there - you just have to dig and at $1.69 a yard . . .
After my husband and I have exhausted the stacks, we go into the general area with the nice bolts of fabric going for $2.99-$3.99 a yard. For a treat, we go through the $6.99-$8.99 and MIGHT get a yard of two of something really unique or special.
My husband's only rule after a trip to the fabric warehouse is that I get it all into my sewing cupboards and the doors SHUT! I just have to restrain myself from starting a new project with today's finds and finish the quilt I have at hand. So unfair! : - )
When I first got interested in quilting, I didn't have too much choice in fabrics as the small, quilting shops were expensive. If I was going to spend that much on fabric, it had better be for something practical like dresses for my then little girls. Someone told us, one day, about a place about an hour from us that that discount fabric. It was seconds or marred factory discard stuff. It was perfectly good, quality cotton fabric ideal for quilting. The reason for the discount as it was last year's designs! Uh, I don't care if the rose pattern or whatever, isn't 'with it' for this year. I chose fabric by what I like and once you cut fabric into various squares and put it into a quilt, who really knows that it was last year's vintage?
The first time I walked into the place, it was a few minutes before I could move as I was in shock at all the temptations in fabric lined up, row upon row! I always start in the 'stacks' first. This is comprised of about eight aisles of flat fold fabric that's 'with it' factor is older than the bolts in the mail area. It is piled about five feet high and there are plenty of quality bargains there - you just have to dig and at $1.69 a yard . . .
After my husband and I have exhausted the stacks, we go into the general area with the nice bolts of fabric going for $2.99-$3.99 a yard. For a treat, we go through the $6.99-$8.99 and MIGHT get a yard of two of something really unique or special.
My husband's only rule after a trip to the fabric warehouse is that I get it all into my sewing cupboards and the doors SHUT! I just have to restrain myself from starting a new project with today's finds and finish the quilt I have at hand. So unfair! : - )
The Rise and Fall of Rome isn't an isolated incident!
“Great nations fail because they turn their backs on the principles that made them great."
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