To Infinity and Beyond...!

 I have been meaning to post this quilt for some time, but yeah, I didn't. My nephew turned 2 a little over a month ago! Wow, he is getting to be such a big boy and will be a big brother any day now. May the force be with my sister-in-law.

My nephew LOVES and I mean LOVES Toy Story. More specifically Buzz. He knows his Buzz. And what could a crafty aunty do but give in to the hype? I swear the Pixar marketing department would have beamed from head to toe if they could have seen this kid's birthday party. Toy Story plates & napkins, a Toy Story cake with Toy Story figures on top, 90% of gifts Toy Story (even the handmade one!), and the kid even had a Toy Story shirt on!

Forgive some of the rough pics. I was really pushing the deadline of getting this done before we hit the road to head to my homeland for the birthday party and forgot to take pics, so I had to rely on a mix of UFO pics and some from my sister-in-law's camera.

I worked out the pattern for this quilt from a pic I saw on flickr. Which I apparently didn't save, so I apologize for not linking to the inspiration.

And in the end this picture, this one right here, made all of the fussy cutting and extra runs to the fabric store worth it.

Yep, that's a Woody doll (I mean "action figure") under his arm and a Toy Story plate beside him.

Christmas Wrap-up

I post a lot about the stuff I make, but I'd like to wrap up Christmas this year with sharing some of those I hand made in love for. (This is a very picture heavy post. Bear with me.)



Layne and his Tucker Teddy

Grandma and her Summer Flies Shawl





Brooke sporting her French Press Slippers





Callie and her Sunset Beret

Brandon and his Hawkeye Pillows



Renee all toasty in her Aspen Mittens

Grandma with her quilt

Dad all perky in his Cambridge Watchcap

Grandpa and his new little buddy, Bramble Owl



Mom definitely not square in her Squared Set

And now, at long last, I get to make something from me.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours

As for me and mine...


We had a day that started with handmade flannel pants under the tree from Santa...

...mimosas...

 

...homemade cinnamon rolls...

...and snuggles (you're never too old for snuggles)...

I know Christmas is about many things. I am thankful for the love of God in sending His son to live and die for us.

But I'm also thankful our celebration includes a day out filled with love of those around as well.

An Owl on Memory Lane

I considered not posting this owl since I posted the one I made earlier this year for one of my favorite little guys. And in honesty, I think that first one turned out looking a little better. But this one has it’s own story, so it has it’s own post. Many handmade objects are fortunate enough to have a story that goes with them over time. (Well, many of mine seem to have a story about the ways they drove me crazy in the process!) This little guy was made for my grandpa for this Christmas to honor one of our stories.

As I’ve mentioned, I grew up sending my summers with my family in campgrounds. I’m not sure of my exact age in this story, but I assume 11 or 12 because by age 13 I was spending more time flirting with the boys in the campground than hanging out with my family. But this particular summer night I was bored and begging someone to take me on the “owl walk” the nature center was doing that night. My grandpa agreed. So off we went. I can remember driving up and down the hills to the other side of the campground in my grandpa’s truck, the windows down and the warm air blowing in. When we got to the trail where everyone was meeting it was a bunch of moms and their kids. My grandpa distinctly remembers being one of the few adult males over four feet tall when he tells this story. Together grandpa and I walked. Listening for owls and making memories that can never be replaced. And now, almost twenty years later (wow) he still tells my grandma about that walk every time he hears an owl. Sometimes he’ll even call me and tell me he heard an owl outside of his window last night.

Project: Bramble Owl Softie by Knitwits  [Rav Link]
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Needle Size: US8
Ravelry Project Page

And this time I used buttons for eyes instead of the knit eyes. I fully trust Grandpa to not chew them off and choke on them. If you look close you can see the owl seeing me taking a picture of him.

Also,  I’m pretty sure I’m now the crazy lady in the townhouse complex. Which is a hard fought for title around here. Hang out your back door and take pictures of a stuffed owl in the snow on your back step. I promise it will gain you some crazy ground.



Sorry for the side view.I can't get it to turn and these
days I just choose my battles.



Quilting Neophyte

This weekend my hot mama offically become a quilting neophyte rather than just a wannabe.

Here she is with her very first quilt block. Isn't she cute?

To illustrate my belief my parents set an unreasonably high bar for marriage, when I texted this picture to my Dad after 28 years of marriage he replied "Isn't she so cute?". On a sidenote, if this blog isn't updated again my mother hunted me down and severly maimed or possibly killed me for putting up a picture of her in her glasses. With crazy hair and no makeup. She was so distracted by finishing her first block she didn't think to take them off for this first picture. After a weekend of sewing in my poorly lit spare bedroom turned craft room, she returned home to her amazingly converted from my brother's bedroom to her pimped out sewing room, handmade cabinets by Dad and all.

They grow up so fast. There may or may not have been a meltdown with some possible tears at the craft store. But look at her beam with pride.

I was also accused of sucking all of the cool out of my hot fun mom. Hey, she came to the dark side willingly.

Other accomplishments of the weekend including making a puff pastry comeback after my former fail. Never say die.

Rollin' With My Homies

I hit the kitchen to ensure there would be no lack of freshly baked breads to nourish my family while camping last weekend. I literally came with about half a paper grocery bag full. (And four were left at the end of the weekend.) And I’m just now telling you about it, I know, you hate me. You were just dying to know this. It’s okay, these wounds will heal.

We were camping, so we of course needed some hamburger and hot dog buns. Now, I know it’s tempting to just pay the damn $.99 at the store for some buns instead of waiting through the rising and kneading for ten minutes and all that fun stuff. But I promise you, pinky swear on a double dog dare that these are worth it. Even my brother who turns his nose up to anything that defies Pillsbury kept sneaking these.

Hamburger Buns & Hot Dog Buns Worth the Work

Not Quite Right, but Still Yummy Potato Rolls

My parents were raving about potato buns and were so sad the Amana bakery doesn’t make them anymore. So I decided to surprise them and make up a batch. I was confident I nailed it. Turns out I didn’t.Even though I went to the work of using locally grown potatoes and all the process of boiling and mashing by hand, I still didn't. Apparently the bakery used potato flour to make an amazingly soft and fantastic potato roll. This led to one of these conversations with my grandpa I will cherish forever as he shared baking secrets with me such as the ratio of potato flour to put in bread to give it some extra softness and that malt will do amazing things to the flavor of white bread. We talked for at least an hour around the picnic table and I wish my memory had a record mode so I could relive it for years to come. He shared tales with me about experimenting with bread doughs for better recipes, long hours in hot bakeries, rebuilding bakeries from the group up, and the good times with family over the years of a part of the Amana heritage my family has had a key role in. I was enthralled and I don’t know that I’ve ever felt such a tie with my grandpa before.

Hamburger & Hot Dog Buns Worth the Extra Work
 
The original recipe was from allrecipes.com, but I did some changes to this and I think it made for a tastier bun. The original didn't allow for rising time, which I feel would have made for a much denser bun. I like some fluff.
 
Ingredients
 
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast  (2 1/4 t.)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
 
Optional:
1 egg plus a little water to make an egg wash
Sesame seeds
 
Directions
 
1) In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120 degrees F (50 degrees C).
 
2) In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, transfer to a large bowl coated with oil. Turn dough once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour. (Or half an hour in my oven like sewing room!)
 
3) After dough has doubled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
 
4) Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. (At this point I coated the buns with an egg wash and sprinkled the sesame seeds on top.) Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.
 
5) Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly, and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake as above.
 
Calories per bun: Apx. 230

A Midsummer's Night

Tonight is the first night I've made it out camping with my family. It's been a long time coming and summer is getting away from me.

Growing up we lived at the campgrounds. The rangers all knew us as we sped around on our bikes, playing by the lake, sand castles on the beach, all of the trails memorized like the streets of our hometown. We had our little campground gang of kids who considered the campground a second home like we did. We knew what made good firewood, how to catch crawdads, and after our parents went to bed we could fling flaming marshmellows with deadly accuracy.

These are the frames of the reel of my youth. As I got older there were stolen kisses outside the reach of the firelight and giggled confessions with friends under the thin veil of a tent.

As I sit here in a lounger between my mom and grandma, "shooting the shit" with my grandpa, it becomes easier to let the hard lessons of feeling my way out in the scary world of "being a grownup" melt away. Life just feels so much more simple here.

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Raspberry-Almond Rolls & A Flashback

I was born with baking in my blood. As I have mentioned, I come from a rural area of Iowa called the Amana Colonies. My great-grandfather immigrated from Germany and at family reunions I would hear German being spoken in the background. Later I would hear German being yelled from the kitchens of restaurants I worked in as a teen and college student. While the Amana Society Bakery is in fact owned by the society (after the colonies chose to move away from being a closed society in the 1930's the society took control of the communal property such as the farms, the woolen mills, and also the bakery), my family has managed this bakery for as long as I can remember. As a child I would go with grandpa to pull sponges (pre-fermented starter dough, consisting of flour, water, and yeast) for orders. My brothers, cousins, and I would play in the dark bakery. Flour would be in the air and made for an awesomely slick service to slide on. We would play among carts, cooling racks, and in the loading dock and try to stay out of the way while the grown-ups handled the hot bread. My mom would tell me how she used to like to play in the area with the frosting when she was little.

When I got a little older my first job was at the retail shop. A place called the Stonehearth Bakery, also owned by the society and managed by my grandpa. I didn't get to play with the pasteries, I was a retail girl. We would snatch warm cookies off the cooling racks, have fresh baked bread with locally made jelly for lunch, and have to go home and wash off the sugar, flour, and sweat that coated our bodies before going out for the night.

However, it wasn't until this last year in my 27th year of life that the baking that is in my genetic code really took hold of me. I had dabbled in making sweets, but nothing too serious. However, when I made my first yeasted recipe this last year the smell of the yeast wafting up at me suddenly brought me back to being a child as my grandpa hugged me. He always smelled like yeast. A rush of memories overtook me and I was in. So now it comes as no surprise to me that yeasted recipes are my favorites.

Raspberry-Almond Rolls adapted from bhg.com

This week's bake-a-long is around almonds. The recipe I decided to try for Raspberry-Almond Rolls has you starting your dough in a bread machine. I do not have a bread machine, so I decided to adapt this recipe a bit. Below you'll see directions to make this sans a loaded kitchen. And there is just something about the satisfaction of a wooden spoon in hand...

You'll need:
1 c. water
1 egg, beaten
2. T of margarine of butter, soft
1 package of active dry yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. almond extract
3-4 T. raspberry jam
1 (8 oz.) can almond paste (for best results the original recipe recommends you use a paste without syrup of liquid glucose)

In a large bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients (water, egg, butter, yeast, sugar) with a large wire whisk. Let this mix set for 15 minutes. Next mix in the almond extract.

Add the flour about a 1/2 cup at a time. Add additional flour if needed (you want your dough to be soft, but not so sticky it sticks to your fingers). Butter a large bowl with a lid. Place your dough in the bowl and cover with lid.

I have a trick for you! Put some towels in the dryer for 10 minutes or so. TURN OFF YOUR DRYER and nuzzle your covered bowl in the towels. DO NOT TURN THE DRYER BACK ON! This cuts your time in half (and there is the perk of seeing family and friends faces as you head down to put your bowl of dough in the dryer!). If you use the tip, it should take about 20-30 minutes for your dough to rise. I did not use my trick, as I was trying to get supper going and needed to buy some time, so it took me an hour with the bowl on my counter in my little toasty kitchen (it was 80 deg in there last night!).

Once your dough has doubled in size, punch it down a bit to get any air out. Lightly flour your counter and put your dough out. Roll your dough into a 12x10 inch rectangle.

Next spread your jam on the dough. It works best if the jam is room temperature. The original recipe called for 3 T, but I put 3-4 because you want your dough to have a thin coating, but not so much jam it will gush out when you roll it. Next crumble your almond paste into small pieces and sprinkle it over the dough.

Roll up the dough into a spiral; starting from a long side. Be sure to pull the dough in a bit as you roll so you can be sure to have a snug roll. Seal the seams.

Slice into 1 inch thick slices. The recipe said 12, but I actually got 16. Just make sure to keep them at about 1 inch.

Place rolls, cut side down , 2 inches apart on a baking sheet that is either greased or has parchment paper on it. I actually only baked off six of my rolls and put the other six in the freezer. For the ones that went to the freezer, we're all done. The night before I want to make those I'll put as many as I want on a baking pan and let them sit overnight. These will rise as they thaw out.

Some to bake                                          Some to freeze for later

For those you'll be making now (which can be all if you wish), cover these and let them rise until they are nearly double in size, about 30 minutes.

After they have risen back these in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. This will be about 18 minutes for individual rolls or 30 minutes if you put them in a roll pan. When they are golden brown you can put them on a rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Next step is the frosting. You want to make you're own. Why then, keep reading.

Powdered Sugar Icing

In a medium bowl stir together 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, 1 T. of milk, and 1/4 t. of vanilla. If you need it runnier, add a bit of milk. Thicker? Add a bit more sugar. You want it to be of drizzling consistency,

Drizzle the frosting over the rolls and you, my dear, have an amazingly delicious treat.

Things were a bit crazy for me as I was making these and trying to make my supper. Luckily, I have an amazingly attentive helper who never leaves my side.

A few steps away keeping a "watchful" eye on my baking.

Transitions

There are times I have felt bad for having lots of STUFF. It has made me feel a bit too material of a person. I have accepted that poverty is not a spiritual gifting of mine. And my materialness is a part of my personality in that I tend to be a fairly symbolic person. My in-laws are antique dealers and a result of this is that my husband always insisted on accumulating lots of, well let's be honest, lots of junk. I don't want lots of junk, but I do think some things some things have a meaning that lives on for me. For instance, the other day by grandma gave me this beautiful antique egg for Easter. For me the beauty in it is thinking about what it has meant to people in my family over the generations. How many Easter tables has this sat on? In all honesty, I don't know the great aunt who owned it, but she is a part of my heritage and now I have this tie to this part of my family. Something from their life lives on in my home. I don't just collect random junk, it has to be a part of my story.

A part of my family's story, even if the pic won't go rightside up. :)

I know this is part of the reason why I am a crafter. Yes, crafting helps me to make sense of my world, it helps me to feel competent in a world that seems to spin away from me and stop making sense right when I think I get it, but there is more in my quilting. Quilting has always been a way I have worked to capture a moment in time. Through quilting I am able to create a transition in my life bridging the now and the space I am heading. As I am working through accepting change you can see when I am really working to internalize the change when I start on a quilt for the occassion. Not all of my quilts represent a transition, but all of the transitions that were important to me have a quilt.  It is a way for me to start to imagine myself in a new space. I can feel the space I am moving into out while still in a space I am comfortable. At times in my life this space was a physical space. When my husband and I decided we would buy our first house and we found the perfect house I started a quilt. This is how he knew I really was on board for the move. The master bedroom was done with maroon carpet and curtains so I went out and bought fabric in maroon, bright yellow, and a pink batik. However, things got crazy and I never got around to making this quilt.

After months of struggling I finally got to my wits end and decided I needed to leave. I started making a quilt . This quilt wasn't only for the new physical space of the apartment I would be moving to, but I was working through accepting the new space I would be occupying apart from my husband. But this quilt never got finished either.

After a year of being separated I started to accept that life was going to be changing even more soon. So once again, I started a quilt. This quilt I made in colors and fabric that my husband would never want to decorate a room with. They were fun and funky and they were for a space I would occupy as a single. After the papers were filed and "the day" loomed in my future I finished the quilt. As I was working on it the quilt represented a new life. My friends and I teased about quilting in phrases that would hidden. These were not phrases to be shared in pleasant company. :)

The finished single quilt.

 Now I am thinking of another transition. The work is hard, but I'm working on accepting it. So last night I got out my trusty chart notebook, a pencil, and crayons (I prefer using crayons when laying out a quilt because I can still see the grid lines through the crayon). And I drew for hours. Working and re-working the dimensions to see how I could make things work out. Much like I am doing in my life. I hope to show you pictures of this quilt sometime in the future. And I hope in the pictures I am in a space that brings me peace.

Working and re-working the dimensions.

The big picture.

And no matter what happens in the end I have a physical something that lives on as a part of a time in my life. A part of my story. And maybe someday I will be able to pass it on and let it live on through someone else. This little part of me. And I like that.

Easter and Food, Lots of Food

I deduced at a table surrounded by food today that I do not gorge myself with food on Thanksgiving. It is really and truly Easter. See, I'm a German chick from an area called the Amana Colonies in East Central Iowa. We believe in a food concept called family style. For those unfamiliar this means that huge bowls of lots of food are brought to the table and they are passed. And then when they are empty they are refilled and passed AGAIN. This keeps going until you can no longer move. I grew up with eating and working in these restaurants (and smelling of saurkraut) and for Easter this is how we celebrate (along with going to my home church at 6:00am Sunday morning, which my brothers get up for because you only get breakfast if you go to church.). It is delicious, really. Words like "diet", "low cholesterol", and um, portion size are not in the vocab. Best of all is breakfast Easter morning. Swedish style pancakes (but we don't talk about the fact these are not really German. For us they equal the Amanas) with CORN COB SYRUP. What you, say. Did she have a sugar high and mistype?  Nope. This is amazing. I promise.

Speaking of promises, I mentioned some lemon crumb muffins. I made them. Also amazing.

The recipe for the Lemon Crumb Pancakes Muffins is from Taste of Home. Light, delicious, and did I mention amazing? I made up the batter before heading the shelter on Friday night and pulled it out when I got up Saturday to mix up a batch before heading to the parents. Topped with stresuel and lemon sugar glaze, did I mention amazing?

I could actually just lick the muffin paper clean right at this point.

But self control means I get to have some with glaze and they really are
better this way. So go with self-control.

Sewing has taken a bit, umm, longer than planned. More on that soon.

"Family style" after the family style.
Now back to appropriate portions till next year!

A Visit

This weekend my mom came up to visit with me in a pre-birthday celebration. We had our weekend of good food and hours of crafting. This weekend featured breakfast pizza, pj pants, a new recipe, and lots of eating out. As my birthday present to my blog, I share our recipe for breakfast pizza, along with some pics of the rest!

Breakfast Pizza

Pizza Crust
1/2 lb sausage
8 bacon slices, cut into pieces
nacho cheese
3 eggs
mushrooms
Colby Jack Cheese- 1 1/2 cups

We just go ahead a buy pre-made pizza crusts from the store. We like this to be a nice and easy breakfast and there is a quite a bit on this pizza, so these seem to be able to stay nice and crisp. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. First off fry up your sausage and bacon. We just put it all in a pan together.

While the sausage and bacon are cooking we spread the cheese onto the crust. We actually used jalapeno chedder for this weekend because we couldn't find plain nacho. It has a bit of a kick, but tasted great!

Next you are going to put on your sausage and bacon and top that with mushrooms. Up to you how many mushrooms. We are a hardcore mushroom family, so we toss only the whole freaking can. Beat your three eggs together in a small bowl, it works best if you have a little spout to control your pouring. You are going to SLOWLY pour the egg over the pizza. Be very careful not to let this egg go over the edges. It will cause your pizza crust to stick to that pan like mad.

Next you are going to put on the cheese on. Now the pizza is ready to put in the preheated oven!

Cook until the top is nice and bubbly. We only cook this at 350 to ensure the eggs get done.

Now enjoy. I promise-amazing.  It also reheats nice if you just put it back in the oven for 10 minutes or so back at 350! (I'll be having some for breakfast on my day off tomorrow!)

After breakfast and a bit of shopping we set out to make some pajama pants. Time to time our sewing projects lead to some cursing. I am not a very good sewing instructor and I feel the need not to have the swearing bouts as I would on my own in an attempt to not cause mom to panic. Here is a nice action shot of me making sure things are going okay.

And after a few hours of diligant sewing we had some new kickass pajama pants! Mom thought they were a bit baggy, but I was in love. Yeah, they definitely aren't something I will dare to ask the question of "Do these make my ass look big?", but love rarely makes sense.

Proud new pajama pant owners.

And to cap off the day we tried out a new recipe I found at bhg.com for Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna. Delicious.

As always an excellent visit.