Recipes – Thimbleanna

A Little Catch Up

7 Comments / July 19, 2020 July 19, 2020 / Chat, Recipes

My Oh My. I seem to have lost my blogging mojo. Or desire to be online. Or will to live LOL. These last few months have been somewhat painful and I’m sure a lot of you have been feeling it. I’ve been plenty busy, but just haven’t really wanted to blog about it much. Plus, when I spend time online, I want to be inspired by beautiful projects but this last little bit it seemed like so many blogs and instagram pages turned into their version of the news and it was just too much, so I just turned it off for awhile. Just call me an ostrich. Life is just too short, and the older I get, the shorter it gets, so, I followed Nancy Reagan’s advice and Just. Said. No. LOL.

We’ve tried to have as normal as possible spring/summer here, considering we can’t go really go anywhere. I spent most of the spring in the yard – cleaning out flower beds and then spreading 15 yards of mulch around. I love the years we mulch because after all the hard work, the beds remain relatively weed-free. My little Etsy shop has kept me busy too — who could have predicted what covid would do to the fabric industry? Thank you SO much for your orders – lots of new fabric has been arriving and my third order/restock of Liberty in just a few months is due later this week. There must be a lot of beautiful Liberty masks out there!

I’ve been spending lots of time with the grandbabies (now that we aren’t isolated from them), trying to help SweetiePie and give her a break now and then. Those three little girls are busy! When I look back over my iphone pictures, I realize we really have been having fun. We’ve had some pool days (luckily, we’re in a small neighborhood with an uncrowded pool), lots of games and puzzles (seeing FinallyAnotherGirl learn how to play Hide and Seek is just too cute!), walks and bike rides (my favorite are the walks after the sun goes down to beat the heat), and even a day at the Zoo when they were letting members-only sign up for time slots so it wasn’t so crowded. Feeding the “giraf-fez” is ALWAYS a hit!

In the kitchen there have been the usual cupcakes and cookies, and because it’s summer, I’ve tried a few batches of ice cream. A friend gave me some fresh peaches, so I made some peach ice cream. The ice cream wasn’t very good (WAY too much cream) but I made some ice cream sandwiches with it, and the cookies for the sandwiches were a big hit.

A U-pick berry farm has popped up along the route between our place and TheFirstChild and SweetiePie’s home. I’ve watched it the last few years, wondering about it, and this year, I decided to take FinallyAGirl and check it out. We picked little baskets of the most beautiful blackberries and we’ve had blackberries running out of our ears. (Because it doesn’t take long to pick them and we kept picking more because we were having so much fun. ;-D)

FinallyAGirl and I made blackberry freezer jam (using my favorite recipe and substituting blackberries for raspberries).

I thought the jam would use most of the berries but didn’t even use half of them. So, I decided to make some blackberry ice cream which turned out great. There are still blackberries left, so I think I’ll be making another batch of jam. (And I’ll definitely be making these Almond Raspberry Bars using blackberry jam instead of raspberry jam, making them Almond Blackberry Bars ;-D).

On the sewing/quilting front there have been several projects. A few masks, of course. And a few little girl dresses which didn’t get photographed before they were treated to a trip to the beach. I spent most of early spring working on a wedding quilt for CuteNiece1. I completed some applique and 80-or-so blocks. I can’t really show much of it, but here’s a peek at the applique:

And then, Covid struck and the weddding has been postponed until next year, so there will have to be some unpicking. I was just getting ready to sash all the blocks when the postponement happened, so I’ve lost my steam and the project now sits as a UFO. What’s the hurry? I have a year left, and I work best under pressure LOL. I’ve also been working on FinallyAnotherGirl’s baby quilt. When I finish the current row of quilting, I’ll be a little over half-way finished. I’m hoping to have it done by her second birthday in September. We’ll see!

So, that’s probably enough for now – hopefully I’ll be back before too long with a little sewing. In the meantime, I hope you are all having a good summer (or winter, as the case may be) and staying safe!
XOXO,
Anna

Cookies I Don’t Want to Forget

18 Comments / April 24, 2017 April 24, 2017 / Chat, Cookie Monster, Recipes

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was short and sweet. Mostly cleaning and doing odd jobs around the house, but I did squeak in a little time for sewing. And if a girl’s going to clean and sew, she needs some sustenance! I was cleaning out the pictures on my iPad and ran across a picture of the recipe for some iced oatmeal cookies and they hit the sewing spot!

Usually, when I try a new recipe and like it, I tell myself it’s a keeper and I’ll make it again soon. The problem is, when “soon” comes around, I can’t remember where I found that really good recipe. So, I’m trying a new trick. I’ll file it here on my blog … and hope I can remember that that’s where I put it when the time comes. (Unfortunately, I have no idea where I first saw this recipe, so, if it’s yours — Thanks LOL! No, really, tell me in the comments and I’ll give you credit!)

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until soft and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, mixing until combined. Stir in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients, scrape the bowl as you go, and mix until just combined. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Using a standard, medium-sized cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp.) drop cookies onto a baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between for spreading. Bake for 10 – 11 minutes or until edges start to turn a light golden brown color. If you like a crispier cookie, leave them in a minute or so longer. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cookies are completely cooled, drizzle with the icing. Store in an airtight container.

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
Whish together until combined completely.

And, next to having a cookie (or three) while you’re sewing, there’s nothin’ better than cookies in the cookie jar!

XOXO,
Anna

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Rustic Carrot Cake

24 Comments / June 13, 2016 June 16, 2016 / Recipes

Boy, I was sure hoping I’d have big baby news to post by now! Our little baby doesn’t seem to be in any big hurry to put in an appearance — she seems perfectly content to stay right where she is. The latest plan is that she’ll be here no later than next Monday/Tuesday, whether she wants to come out or not! ;-D

In the meantime, I’ll console us with cake. Carrot Cake.

You probably have a family favorite carrot cake recipe — I know our family has one. But, a few weeks ago, when we were in Utah for Quilt Market, we stopped at the little German restaurant in Spring City for lunch. My cousins were raving about the carrot cake, so we all split a piece (because, after one of their delicious lunches, you don’t really have room for dessert.) The carrot cake was chock-full of nuts and raisins and coconut and was really moist. And delicious! So, a week later, when I needed a birthday cake for a friend at work, and just happened to stumble upon this similar recipe, I decided to give it a try. {Swoon. And insert the eyes rolling in the back of head emoji here.} Everyone who had a piece LOVED it. Our old family favorite Carrot Cake recipe is still really good, but it’s much more “refined” than this recipe (i.e., not as chunky). If you like your cake all loaded with the goodies, you’ll love this recipe!

Rustic Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 – 8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rustic Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 (8-inch) or 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with oil and flour and set aside. (I love 3 layer cakes, but I only have 2 8-inch pans, so I made 2 9-inch layers. I almost think the frosting to cake ratio would be too sweet with three layers — and that’s really hard for me to say, because I have a huge sweet tooth! )

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add oil and eggs and beat at medium speed until well blended. Stir in shredded carrots, pineapple, coconut, pecans and vanilla. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 – 40 minutes, or, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove to wire racks to let cool completely.

4. Frost between layers and on top and sides of cake with Rustic Frosting.

Rustic Frosting

2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in coconut, raisins, and pecans until combined. (Since I made the two layer version of this cake I had about a cup of frosting left over.)

Enjoy! And don’t blame me for the extra poundage you’re going to gain — just plan on extra workouts the week after you make it!

Have a Great Week — and Think Baby ;-D!
XOXO,
Anna

Easy Oven-Baked Beef Stew

16 Comments / December 18, 2015 December 18, 2015 / Recipes

WooHoo! Here we are with less than a week to go — are we all pulling our hair out yet???

I still have a ton of stuff to do — same as every other year LOL. And every other year has taught me that it will all get done. And I guess what doesn’t get done wasn’t that important anyway. I still have baking, decorating the real tree, and wrapping to do. How ’bout you?

I was checking my blog and it’s been a loooong time since I had a recipe here and I have a perfect one for this busy time of year. Several years ago I stopped into our very cool little used book store here in town and found myself in the cookbook section. They had a copy of a Southern Living Christmas Cookbook and the recipes looked so good, I just couldn’t pass it up. Most of the recipes are for the special occasions that we celebrate during the holidays, but there are also a lot of recipes that are fairly quick — for those days when we’re just so busy that there’s not a lot of time to cook.

I found an interesting recipe for beef stew in the “Easy Everyday Meals” section of the cookbook. I almost didn’t try this recipe because the ingredients just seemed too basic (and frankly, a little weird) for a beef stew. But I’m so glad I did. I make it a lot now during the winter — I put it in the oven around lunchtime and it’s ready just in time for dinner. And, it’s perfect for a day of gift wrapping or tree decorating!

Oven-Baked Beef Stew

2 pounds top round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 stalks celery, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6 small round red potatoes, quartered
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 cups chopped onion
1 (7-oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca, uncooked
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a roaster (a cast iron pot or Le Creuset pan works great), stirring well. Cover and bake at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Serves 6.

We love to have ours with a cheddar biscuits. There are lots of recipes for cheddar biscuits out there, but, since I usually make this stew on a busy day, we like to use the Red Lobster biscuit mixes — I hope you can find them in your neck of the woods!

Ok … good luck! Hope you have a very productive last weekend before Christmas!
XOXO,
Anna

The Aunts’ Quilt — Month 7

18 Comments / May 15, 2015 May 15, 2015 / Cookie of the Month, Recipes, The Aunts' Quilt

Yipes! No time to blog these days. I didn’t even get to tell you about our fun Mother’s Day weekend. We escaped to Chicago for an overnight and had a great time. Everyone made it except for TheSecondChild and MeMum and BigDaddy. The kids in this family sure are a lot of fun now that they’re all grown up.

Anyway, I’m busy busy at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis, but I had to pop in to give the monthly Aunts’ report. We were to do 4 inset triangles this month. Even though it was a light month, I barely made it!

I wish I hadn’t cut the triangles out before I appliqued on them. It would have been just as easy to applique onto a big square and then cut them out later. I worried a lot about stretching out those bias sides while I was handling the blocks. And the pattern shows legs on the birds, but I’m undecided on that. We’ll see.

And, we certainly couldn’t forget the Cookie of the Month. This month, I had a craving for our old family favorite, Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. MeMum has been making these since ~~the dark ages~~ I was a little girl and they’re particular favorites of mine.

Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 lb. raisins — Cover with water and boil. Let cool.
1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
4 c. flour
4 c. oatmeal
4 eggs
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
3 t. soda added to water and raisins
1 t. vanilla
salt
1 c. chopped walnuts

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs. Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together. Add to mixture alternately with milk. Add oatmeal. Drain a little water off raisins, then add soda. Add raisins with water to mixture. Add nuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies and they freeze beautifully. They’re also great for breakfast! (Just sayin’!)

Ok — back to the fun. Sorry I don’t have more time to chitchat — hopefully things will slow down a bit in June. I wish you were all here!
XOXO,
Anna