No quilting today but lots of cutting and sewing . . .

I finished my crazy quilt, last night, and decided to take a break from quilting and cut out three aprons today. They are holiday aprons with an applique of our Lady of Guadeloupe on the front. I've had orders for them and decided to get several more on hand for people who come up with a last-minute need for a gift to give.

It was nice to do more than just sew straight quilting seams today. The weather was perfect for staying indoors and sewing. I got the house cleaned in the morning, baked the crumb cake cookies, and got my sewing out while they cooled on the counter. Seems to me the scent of cookies beats any air fresheners you can come up with!

Yes, Southern California woke up to overcast skies and drizzle. Not much actual rain but enough dampness coming down to wet the streets and pavement. Our dog was most disapproving.

The rain is supposed to last through tomorrow and then the temperatures climb back up, again. I won't complain too much as the sunshine is ripening the last of the tomatoes out in the garden.

My pledge to finish off this day is to finally order our vitamins before we run out . . . as we are in danger of doing since I was supposed to do it last week!

Almond-Chocolate Roca Bars

This bar cookie smell like festivities approaching as it bakes! It is easy to make but looks like you fussed. Can you imagine it with a cup of hot coffee and good company?

Almond-Chocolate Roca Bars
1 cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Two cups dark chocolate pieces
½ cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup toffee bits

Mix butter, sugars, flour, and extracts, and press into 11x15 baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and set. Melt chocolate and spread over cookie dough. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and toffee bit. Cut into bars while still warm.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies depending on size you cut them.

Ideas . . .
Instead of almonds, you can sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the melted chocolate.

Parental Warning . . . :-)

God said, "Stop asking Me to make your child into the person you want them to be. Start asking Me to make you into the person they need you to be."

The second quote is much too close to the truth right now!

"Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius."
-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them."
-- Paul Valery

STAINless steel . . .

When we started eating healthier, my husband decided that we should eventually replace our chipping Teflon pans with stainless steel ones. If you have ever priced stainless steel pots and pans, they are VERY expensive. Just a pasta pot could cost you $50 or more depending on the quality. While browsing through one of those wholesale card member stores, we saw a complete set of stainless steel pots and pans being offered for sale. The price was unbelieveable so how good could they be, right? They were heavy, had the copper core, and came with lids. The frying pan was big enough for my needs and the pasta pot was just what I always wanted. Having done a lot of research on the subject, my husband had no hesitation in purchasing the set.

When I got home, I had another great event . . . the steamer basket from my old set of pots and pans fit the new one which hadn't come with one in the inventory. The glass lid from my now-discarded frying pan fit my shiny new one. I've had these for over four years now and just about rejoice in using them for all my cooking.

I was sharing my delight with a friend who was rather bemused about my happiness. She said that although she would like to replace her Teflon pans with something else, stainless steel would be too much trouble. I asked what she considered the problem and she said she didn't want to think about food getting burned on them or stains never coming off. She didn't want to have to soak pans to get them clean.

I assured her that I've never had a problem and if something does grill itself on a bit, a soak while I wash the rest of the dishes soon dislodges even the most stubborn stuff. Not about to give up, she came back with, "So . . . how do you get the STAINS off, huh?" I said that I never got any stains on my pans. She looked at me and almost snarled, "Why would you expect me to believe THAT?" Trying to keep my grin to myself, I replied, "Well, because it  is . . .stainless steel." That's the last conversation we ever had on pots and pans!

The End Result . . .

I revived the broken cake disaster of Saturday and tried the cake crumb recipe I posted over the weekend. The cookies didn't spread out but were perfect little bites of a cake-like cookie confection. I tweaked the recipe with the addition of chopped almonds, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries. Either my teenage son is very, very hungry or the cookies taste pretty good. I have more cake crumbs left and am thinking of crumb cake cupcakes next. As they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade . . . When life give you cake crumbs, make cookies!

Thought to begin the day . . .

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

- Albert Einstein