Holiday Baking

I had time this holiday season to do some baking.

I played with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten free flour.  Most of the time it behaves just like regular flour. It's a straight replacement and works well for people who must avoid gluten.

I can't eat grains without alarming my auto-immune but gluten-free grains are easier on my system than wheat flour.

This is an amazing flour for Biscotti. I made lemon biscotti and the 1 to 1 flour gave them the perfect dryness.  I just used the first recipe I found online - they are nearly all the same. 

I drizzled mine with dark and white chocolate and they were perfect for dipping in our morning coffee. 

My next cookie is an old Betty Crocker recipe that goes by the name of Cream Wafers. 

My sister discovered this cookie when she was baking for a wedding a long time ago. These are little bite-size cookies that melt in your mouth. The wafers are like a pie crust with frosting between. I will say Bob's red mill 1 to 1 flour made them super melty in your mouth.

You roll them out as thin as you can and then cut with 1 to 1 1/2 inch cookie cutters. Then you sluice them through some granulated sugar and lay them on a cookie sheet. With your biggest fork, prick them like saltine crackers. Bake for just 7 minutes.

However, half of them were so fragile, they broke just moving from the cookie sheet to my counter. I made the frosting as loose as I could but still had some serious airplane disasters. The poor little gingerbread men lost legs and heads at an alarming rate.

I had made a couple of batches of chocolate chip cookies with this gluten free flour and noticed that my cookies were drier than usual. More crumbly after a few days. Someone suggested adding more butter, so I kept this in mind when I made the Cream Wafer dough.

The stars lost their pointy bits

 The pile of broken bits were eaten up anyway. This little cookie is a holiday favorite. I get requests all the time. Next time, I might try half Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free flour and half regular wheat flour and see it this helps keep them less fragile but still delicate to melt in your mouth. The ones that survived were a fantastic texture but too delicate for me being in my usual hurry.

 I also made my traditional Danish Puff Pastry - also from an old Betty Crocker cookbook but lost the taste for playing and used regular flour instead. It's difficult to experiment, especially at holidays where the pressure is on to have the usual tried and true delectable treats.

It was fun to play with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1  flour with several recipes back to back. I have a good sense of how it works for me now. And it's way better than the old gluten free method of combining four or five different flours to get the texture you want (plus the xanthum gum...).

Both my kids came home. I like to think it's my danish puff that brings them home but it's probably the lottery scratch off tickets that Santa gives out in the Christmas stockings.

 In other news, my dear sewing friend Kyle, made a month by month calendar featuring her bags she has sewn in the last few years. I love this idea and the thoughtfulness of sharing. What better way to acknowledge what we make than to celebrate it.


I'm still working long hours after a co-worker suffered an on-the-job injury that the supervisor is trying to bury under the rug and not do workman's comp paperwork.

 
I'll leave you with a beautiful Oregon coast photo that my son took the day before Christmas.
Both of my kids really enjoy photography and get very creative.

Holiday Candy Dish

 I had a small ball of clothesline left over from my last rope bowl. As I was sewing a medium sized gift last Saturday, I kept bumping into it. And then I saw a rope bowl online that used small strips of fabric wrapping to provide color and Voila!  --- another 20 minute gift completed.

I used one- inch strips of fabric from my scrap basket. I originally pulled whatever colors that got my eye and then as I was sitting down, ruminating on the purpose of this gift, I decided to just do red strips.

These strips are between 4 and 5 inches long - little pops of color on the neutral base.

Finishing off, I did  a little loop with the intention of doing four more. My process is very organic. As I was marking those four spots for the loops, I decided it was such a small candy dish size bowl , that it just needed two loops, which organically, ended in the spiral thingy.

While photographing the bowl for this post, the candy dish looked slightly "off". In a massive "Aha!" moment, I stitched that weird spiral down against the side and now I am very happy with my newest rope bowl.

Styled with my beautiful persimmons. I am waiting for the persimmons to become ripe which actually occurred slightly after Thanksgiving last year. The yellow will  become more orange and there will be a slight give to the fruit when you handle them.

Christmas Bell Curve Theory

Boy ! Am I glad that's over. I feel I missed the entire Christmas season this year. I worked over 60 hours each week at the day job. Mgmt hired a retired clerk to help out but blew it by immediately throwing her into 12 hour workdays. WHO does that? You have to ease people in. Needless to say, she quit after two days of that nonsense.

Everyone and their grandmas are ordering presents via the world wide web thingy. Resulting in twice as many packages transiting compared to  last christmas season. All the big package companies were blown away.

I don't order much - I try to hand make most of my gifts.  I did participate in Amazon's madness guarantee by ordering a couple of items the Saturday before the big day AND receiving them on Tuesday. We're not big fans of Amazon where I work - can you say that we feel grateful to work on Sundays in addition to the other six days a week? Mgmt says we should be grateful for the hours.

Not to mention that Sundays are a big fubar with no one wanting strange vehicles in their driveways on Sunday nor did the customer ask for it to be delivered on Sunday = losing money at my workplace. Lots of overtime being paid out to deliver on that day.
I vaguely recall a Tom & Jerry on Christmas Day - God bless that brother-in-law.

Here's my Christmas season Bell Curve Theory: Picture yourselves a bell curve starting at the beginning of December and ending just after Christmas. It's easy to see the most volume of packages are during the 15-20th of the month. At the start of that bell curve, you have all your new hires trying to stay afloat in the chaos. At the end, you have experienced workers who can sort like nobodies business. I rarely ship at the beginning, nor do I even think about it at the height of the bell curve (60+ hours/wk). I ship the last week. You do have to have an attitude of it doesn't matter if it gets there by Christmas and you get bonus points if people should be grateful I sent them anything at all - they all know I work in this crazy environment. All my packages arrive before the big day - with those experienced workers - with them still employed thru Christmas - with that attitude.

This doesn't include international packages - customs was blown away also with the deluge of packages going to foreign parts. They take their sweet time during this holiday.

Making a few little somethings today. Yesterday, at work, I must have looked even more deathly ill than usual. I was given the day off today so I get two days off - in a row!. Exciting, isn't it?

Here's a couple of microwave bowls that a friend requested.  I used my new Yoko Saito fabric that my dear friend in Japan sent me for Christmas (arrived Christmas Eve!) and I thought they turned out pretty useful. I don't microwave too many items other than cold coffee. Once she gives me feedback, I'll tweak the pattern.

Yoko Saito fabric

When you heat something up in the microwave, the outer container/bowl also gets hot. This is a bowl hotpad so you don't drop hot things when you take them out of the microwave.

These are two squares of fabric with batting inside. The batting is sewn down with an "X" and then darts are made at mid-point along the sides. Then the two squares are sewn together, turned and top-stitched. Just like making hot pads but with a fiddly dart to sew around. These are reversible too.

My son has been making handmade leather gifts for his friends this year. I will try to get photos. He already gave away the leather-covered journals he made. He has made one wallet so far - I think I may be able to get a photo tomorrow.

If you recall, he made a flannel quilt a few years ago and a coffee table about seven years ago. Seriously awesome creations!

I look forward to way less day job hours so I can get back to creating.Happy, Happy New Year Everyone.

Happy 4th of July

Is this not the best hairstyle ever?


Had to take this photo. His mom did the dye job.

 

I  stopped at the store  on the way home from work to pick up some 4th of July goodies. There's a fountain at the stop sign back by the movie theater.
With a hawk on top of it.


The fountain is drilled so water seeps over the front of the big rock.
I rolled down the window (air-conditioning on - HOT) to take some photos.

I didn't manage to capture it but this hawk was playing.

He rode the water down over the edge of the rock, then he would flap his wings to "climb the escalator" back up. He did it once more.
See that slope in front with the dedication words? He was skateboarding!

Then I must have scared him. He flew off.

Too funny!

 

 

I have TWO DAYS off in a row and it's too hot to do much. I usually take in the parade (at 2pm). This year, Benjamin Franklin will speak at Wait Park (11:30) and of course, there is the library book sale (big score last year). Three hours in the sun (95') - I don't have a good feeling about this.

I'm thinking I will stay home, put the fan on, and sew. Maybe take a nap in the afternoon before the neighborhood 4th of July party. And those lawn tractor races, along with the home brew contest. Not to mention the city sparklers going off just a half-mile away.
 It's a full moon too.

Putting Together A Puzzle

I started this Thanksgiving Day
 - it's about to implode and take me with it - where I can't stop fitting puzzle pieces until I'm done.



The journaling had become one more thing to do and I had to take some blogging time off.

My work schedule is a bit better next week. I don't have to go in until 11am - I have all my mornings on a consistent schedule. Next week will be different.


Thanksgiving turned out way better than expected. Daughter is in Guatemala for the winter so I had to make do with the son. He was lavished with 10 dz chocolate chip cookies amongst other food items (when do you get over thinking that your child might starve if you don't provide goodies?)


I did manage to meet Pencil Girl at RCT Fabrics in Portland recently. She had a quarter beef for me to put in my freezer. We looked at fabrics, discussed projects, caught up on our busy lives, and then went to coffee.


We both bought this burn out knit, me in the lightest pink, she in the brown. This is the store example with the brown knit 'piping'.



The day job has included too much overtime since June (again) and now we are starting the Christmas rush.

We moved my Mom & Dad this summer - all 45 years accumulation from their 3500 sq ft house on the hill down to a  much smaller single level 1300 sq ft house. They not only changed their address but also their phone number. They are in their 80's and this was a Herculean task.

They insisted on moving the pool table from the basement for the use of the two grandkids who visit once a year from Minnesota. There was a moment when I told my dad, "You are crazy".
Very stressful but their old house sold in 7 weeks, they are ensconced in their new house and finding their way. My sis, the MN whirlwind, came a few weeks ago and helped hang pictures, figure out furniture placement and help meet the neighbors.




I did manage some of the local christmas bazaars.
 
 Above: Paper cones swirled into an ornament.
Below: Magnets made of old maps, origami folded.

I didn't buy much - just looked and enjoyed.






I pinned this folded star trivet and planned on making two for Christmas presents.

 I managed to make one for my MN Sis so she could haul it back in her luggage - (saves me the shipping). So - one more to go.
 
Too busy to snap a photo but it is in similar red and aqua colors.




 
I have ideas on what I want to do with this Sashiko stitching.

 I made two of these! The first one was completed and lost over at my friend's house this summer. She has now found it and will send it to me.
I liked the design so much, I ordered another and it was much faster to stitch the second time around.


Going to camp out in my sewing room this afternoon. Got another pendleton pillow to sew.

$79 Dollars

Great holiday bazaar yesterday. I am always overwhelmed with how creative people are. One gal made the cutest purses re-purposing a hard-back book cover. Lined inside with a pocket and bag handles attached- darn cute. There were quite a few jewelry designers who had some pretty pieces. I am intrigued by the Day of the Dead trend. You either love it or can't quite figure out the allure. These showed up at several jewelry tables.

One vendor had the most gorgeous felted garments. I got distracted and forgot (again) to take photos of the other vendors {'cause it's all about me, you know}.

A few of us vendors were cashing in on the Beaver/Duck---everything I own shouts to the world I am a seriously needy fan.
I sent postcards to friends and family letting them know I was selling my 'stuff' so I was one of the few with customers. A new location hindered the drawing in of customers. Since it was free to be a vendor, it was still a win-win event for me.

Kaleidoscope of stained glass mobiles.

 (private) Janine alert: Guess who showed up and bought you a present?

Now it's time to clean my house and (mutter,mutter) clean up the sewing room so I am ready to do my next projects.  I've got most of my gifts planned out except for my kids (20's) who are still too young  to appreciate new pretty hot pads.
If the work schedule cooperates then I am spending time with my mom and the local library hoping the ladies there can entice my mom into wanting a Kindle.  Once she figures out the font size on the screen is adjustable, I know she will want one . But until she wants one, there is no use buying one.

And it also time to get these unsold pretties into the etsy shop.

One last note: On the way home yesterday, I dropped my daughter's chairs off that we used in the bazaar set-up and drove out Killingsworth to get to I-5. Passing the Florida Room - the sign said (something like) "Hey Portland - Occupy this building". (lol)
I almost turned around and took a picture and should have because then the camera would have been out in order to get the photos of several Santa gaggles. I passed three groups of people dressed in Santa-esque costumes walking along Killingsworth - on their way to a Santa fling on a Saturday night?  There was definitely a Wish to be Santa in the air.

Bunny Hoppalong

Inundated with vacation advice.
Thanks for all the lovely ideas.

 I think running off to the beach for the day is a wonderful vacation break.

My dogs think it is heaven to go play in the ocean.

Course, we're spoiled here in Oregon. The beach and the mountains are all less than two hours away - easy to get to, leaves time to play.

I also think that because of my seriously 'odd' work situation, I won't be doing anything but  day trips until all of the stress dissolves after July 16th.
But I do have a weeks vacation scheduled (however, my leave slip is not signed) for the last week of July.

I would like to go back to Diamond Lake and spend some more time at Crater Lake and also along the Santiam River. It was so gorgeous last summer.

If money was not an issue, I vote for Costa Rica or at least anywhere near the Caribbean. If I could get 2 weeks in a row, that would obviously be better.

Well - the Aland Islands between Finland & Sweden and visiting my host families there would be more than lovely.

I was intrigued with the gal who was taking the train from Portland to Glacier Natl' Park. But then we've done the train to Seattle to watch the Mariners and 4 hours is good for me on a train.

I'd rather be on the water somewhere.

Too many ideas, now to get cracking  on the details of WHO WON the BUNNY?

I utilized a random number generator thingy on the internet and came up with:

#28  ---Cherie said...

What a cute bunny! We just had a new baby so no vacation for us this year but we may go on some day trips. We live in Connecticut so maybe New York City, New Hampshire, Maine, etc."   Congratulations Cherie. You've won the cute bunny.

Holiday Baking

I'm a big fan of Amy Karol's blog, Angry Chicken. She lives here in Portland and her pre-holiday gift idea is worth borrowing.
She likes to come up with basic recipes and enhance them as she makes the item. One of her spice mixes caught my eye: Pumpkin Pie Spice. The blog entry is here.

 Cook's Vanilla is my favorite brand of vanilla. I started buying it at the grocery store  many years ago and then bit the bullet and now I order it once a year from the web site. I also like their lemon extract, peppermint extract and their vanilla powder. You can use the powder in Orange Julius's and in frosting. It's an off-white powder so it won't add color to whatever you are making.  

 

I thought how fun it would be to get some of this vanilla and make some pumpkin pie spice for friends and family who like to bake. Imagine how lovely it would be to get into the holiday baking spirit with a small package in the mailbox.

The most difficult part of making a quantity of pumpkin spice mix is converting tablespoons into cups, etc. Just to make sure, I hauled out my Betty Crocker cookbook with the cook's glossary. 4Tbsp. = 1/4 cup. Just so you know.

I had some little spice-type bottles but not enough. I finally found some on the bottom shelf at Fred Meyer's where they sell the kitchen gadgets. That was my biggest expense other than the vanilla. I bought the spices in bulk at Winco in their bulk foods department. They constantly turn over their stock so I feel assured of the quality.

For labels, I went very simple as  I really needed to post these to arrive before Thanksgiving. You can be as fancy as you need to be. I printed out these labels (after I changed out my color cartridge). I then hand-wrote the name of the spice, the year, a couple things you could do with the spice. Then I cut them out and glue-sticked them onto the jars.
---Here's another label idea from Martha.

  

Here's a sneak peek at what else I did this weekend.