Tea Towels--Finished, Finally!

Okay, I know it's been such a long time since I've said much of anything here at all, stitchy or otherwise. So here I am, finally with a finish!

The last eleven months have been monumentous. A move, a goodbye to an old house, a hello to our new home, a dear family member's medical struggles, projects here at the new 'old' house, family fun, and work, work, work.

That being said, I finished these towels for my daughter, and gave them to her on her birthday. It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish them, but that's how it goes. Life has been very busy, with little free time to pick up a needle.

Here they are. In case you're wondering, my daughter chose the words herself.

Love this one, nom, nom, nom!

This one makes me want to whip up a cake. Well, almost.

Yearning to find a timer like this one. Remember these?

The patterns are from Sublime Stitching. Aren't they fun? Now I need to pull out one of my VOPs and get to work. (very old projects) Soon, yes, soon!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Sublime Stitching Towels- Done!

Sublime Stitching Patterns- Tea Towels, a photo by Loves2Stitch2 on Flickr.

Such a thrill to finally be done with something! More to come...

A Great View

Dana Point, California, a photo by Loves2Stitch2 on Flickr.

Sunset

Sunset, a photo by 2011Stitcher on Flickr.

Please, don't give up on me! I promise to return here soon with a stitching update. In the meantime, Happy Summer to All!

Springtime

Patio, a photo by LovestoStitch on Flickr.

So glad that springtime is here! I love the flowers, the jacaranda trees, and the feeling in the air. What do you love about spring?

I haven't been stitching much in the last several months, and I miss it terribly.  I did finish one small stamped embroidery project, and hope to get to more soon.  Soon I'll take a photo and share it here.

Rum Cake

 

Yesterday we celebrated a birthday in our family, and I was called upon to bake the requisite cake. In my family, you don't buy one. You bake it, and preferably it should be something beyond just a mix and frosting. The birthday gal requested rum cake, and I couldn't wait to try and bake one. It turned out nicely, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. If you want to give it a whirl, here's the recipe:

RUM CAKE

Cake
1 Cup Toasted Pecans (to toast them, spread them on a cookie sheet that's been sprayed with a vegetable coating, like Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for about five minutes. The toasting brings out the flavor, or so I read.)
1 yellow cake mix
1 1.75 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum

Glaze
1/2 cup butter (Don't use margerine!)
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle the toasted pecans into the bottom of the Bundt pan. Combine all the cake ingredients and beat on high for 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for one hour. (Mine was done after 55 minutes, test with a toothpick.)

Towards the end of the baking (after it's baked about 50 minutes), prepare the glaze. (see below) After the cake has been removed from the oven and cooled for five minutes, pour 1/3 of the prepared glaze on top of the cake. This way the cake gets very moist and flavorful. Let the cake cool five MORE minutes, and then invert it onto your cake plate. Pour the remainder of the glaze on top of the cake. This cake gets better with each passing day. Enjoy!

Glaze Preparation


Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in water and sugar, and bring to boil while stirring. Boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. There will be a lot of steaming, so be careful to not burn yourself!

A Good Memory

 

Mexican Lasagna

Today I decided to try a new recipe, and I'm happy to say it turned out quite well. Our guests enjoyed it, as did everyone else here at the house. Even the picky eaters enjoyed it, and that's saying something. The sour cream added right at the end of baking seemed to make the dish fluffier and smoother.

Mexican Lasagna
2 pounds ground beef
1 16 oz. can of refried beans
1 4 oz. can chopped mild green chiles
1/2 envelope taco seasoning
4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
12 ozs. lasagna noodles - cooked, cooled (and laid out on wax paper so they don't stick together)
1 jar mild salsa
1 cup water
2 cups sour cream
1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained
4 green onions, chopped

Cook ground beef in large skillet, drain fat. Stir in the beans, chiles, taco seasoning. In a greased 9 X 13 pan, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with one cup of cheese. Repeat layers two times. Combine salsa and one cup of water, pour over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Top with 2 cups of sour cream, olives, onions, and the remaining cup of cheese. I put olives on only half of the dish, since some in our house don't like olives. Bake five minutes more, uncovered this time. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

If you want more spice, add more taco seasoning and also include a few tablespoons of hot salsa (some like Cholula brand) when you throw in the beans. I skipped that part as we are wimpy about spicy food.

I hope you enjoy this fun lasagna!

A Gorgeous Sampler

Happy Day sampler done, a photo by Gina2424 on Flickr.

I found this sampler by Gina2424 on Flickr recently. Don't you just love the colors and free form feeling of it? Fun, fun, fun!

Orange Cookies

My wonderful Auntie always baked these cookies for us when we visited her home during the summer. They are among the best cookies on the planet. Enjoy, and Happy 2012 to you!

Orange Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup margerine or butter

(you may use 1/2 cup shortening with 1/2 cup butter or margerine if desired)

2 eggs

1 Tbsp orange rind

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk (add after eggs)

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange rind, and then add the buttermilk. 

Add the dry ingredients, mix well. Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookies sheets. (They get a lot larger, so don't make them too large or they'll be huge.)

After they are cool, ice them with this icing:

1 Tbsp orange rind

3 Tbsp butter, softened

3 Tbsp orange juice

3 cups powdered sugar

Makes about 40-45 cookies. 

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Glad To Be Back

I am sure this is the longest I have gone in not posting at all on this little blog.

Here I am again, and I wish I had stitching updates to share. The truth is that I haven't stitched in months now.  I hope to start stitching again soon, however, and I am ever hopeful of that!

We have moved to a new city, so that has been a huge undertaking.  We lived in our old home for 22 years, so it was emotional to sell it and move on to a different place. We've been here now a month, and it is beginning to feel more like home.  I loved our former home,  but we now are happy its new owners are so elated to be there. Time now to make more wonderful memories in a new space.

I am now a commuter, and for the first time in 26 years my husband has but a short drive to work. That makes me happy, as it's so much better for him.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll be making chili for Christmas Eve Dinner, and homemade bread pudding for dessert. Today I prepared candied orange peels that I will use to garnish the cake for Christmas Day.  It's a Norwegian Orange Cake.  The cake includes bits of rich, dark chocolate. Delish!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and hope to come back soon with a stitching update.

Lovely Photograph

Bora Bora Mont Otemanu, a photo by xaviermaire on Flickr.

I stumbled upon this just now and had to share it here. Wouldn't this be a beautiful sight to behold. Bora Bora--what a place!

Thanks, Xaviermaire, for a gorgeous photo.