Sunflower Sisters

A gal contacted me recently and asked if I could make her some special Sunflower pins for a quilting retreat she's attending up in Washington State next week. She and her friends call themselves The Sunflower Sisters! The seeds in the photo are Mammoth and I'm growing them in my yard this Summer. Some of them are reaching as high as 10 feet so far!

Triple Layer Vanilla Cake with Pink Icing and a Garden Rose Pin Topper

I love it when someone orders a pin from me and they say "Can you make me something special?"

My answer is always Yes! I've only made a triple layer cake slice one other time because it's a bit time consuming but I'm happy to say I'll kindly do it again.

I sculpted the rose in white and then painted it after it was baked so it ended up with a little more detail than usual.

The Mad Hatter Pincushion available too in many color combinations! I'm working on a dark gray schemed one for Fall. More pics coming soon.

An Old Fashioned Favorite

A Birthday Girl requested Old Fashioned Home Made Chocolate Chip Cookies for her birthday CAMP OUT last night. My mom was an amazing baker back when I was growing up. She loved crisp light cookies the best. In the recipe following I've adapted an American Icon's classic Blue Ribbon Recipe ~ Mrs. Debbi Fields!

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar (Mrs. Fields uses 1/2 c. sugar)

1/4 flaked coconut (Mrs. Fields omits coconut)

2 sticks of butter (salted & softened)

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. chocolate chips (Mrs. Fields uses 2 c. of chocolate chips)

1 c. chopped walnuts (Mrs. Fields omits walnuts)

Has anyone ever heard about baking cookies SLOW & LOW before? I swear it really does the trick.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, blend sugars and butter to form a grainy paste. Scrape the sides of the bowl down. Add eggs and vanilla just until blended ~ DO NOT OVERMIX!

Add the flour mixture, chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts at low speed ~ again do not overmix! Drop the dough by rounded Tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-22 mins. I usually bake at 18 mins on the dot but some ovens are different. Transfer immediately to a cool surface or wire rack.

Quick n Easy Black Bottom Banan Cream Pie

Good morning friends~

I came up with a twist for a very easy Banana Cream Pie yesterday! Just wanted to share with all of you.

In a food processor pulverize 9 graham crackers (usually one sleeve) + 6 T. melted butter + 1 heaping T. granulated sugar. Mix well and press into a pie plate. Bake at 375 for 7 mins. Let cool.

 

Here's the twist: melt 1/3 c. chocolate chips (I used bittersweet) + 1 T. milk ~ spread over bottom of the cooled crust and let cool again.

Prepare a 3 oz. box of vanilla or banana pudding with 1 3/4 c. milk ~ spread over chocolate bottom.

Slice a LARGE banana as thin as possible and lay them down on the pudding. This particular banana gave me just the right amount!

Whip a pint of heavy whipping cream + 1/2 vanilla extract and 1 T. powdered sugar and spread in a pretty design over the top of the bananas.

Top with a pretty flower from your garden!

This pie is best chilled very well.

Enjoy with a favorite cup of coffee or milk! Yummy!

Hello Friends~

Well it's been a very long time and to be truthful I'm a bit embarrassed lol. I'll try and post more regularly starting......NOW!

Tomorrow in the UK my little pins will featured in LOVE Patchwork & Quilting issue #10! I can't wait to see it in print. So far all I have is the proof page here:

I love all the colors and how they came together on this page : )

When they contacted me there wasn't enough time for me to make and send them actual pins so the gal asked if they could use existing pictures from my Etsy shop. Whomever edited my pic did such a good job don't you think? Here's the pic I submitted:

If you're reading this post and you just happen to place an order please convo me and mention "LOVE Patchwork & Quilting" and I'll send you a FREEBIE PIN with your ORDER!

Until then Friends, I bid you adieu, Annie

Post Halloween Quiche - fresh from the Wicked Witch of the West Coast's oven!

Post Halloween Quiche - fresh from the Wicked Witch of the West Coast's oven!, a photo by Pinks & Needles (used to be Gigi & Big Red) on Flickr.

Really Easy and so delicious! I made up this recipe and want to share : )

Ingredients:

1 Pilsbury pie crust (room temp)
4 eggs
1 c milk
1 dollop of sour cream
2 c fresh broccoli chopped pretty small (do not use frozen)
1/2 c + 1 more cup finely shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack/Colby mix)
1/2 small yellow onion minced
1 clove pressed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. press your pie crust into a pie pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork.
2. sprinkle 1/2 c cheese into bottom of pie crust and put in oven for a few mins to melt the cheese while the oven is preheating. This step creates a barrier so your crust doesn't get soggy. Take it out of the oven and set a side once cheese is melted.
3. Saute onion, garlic and broccoli until almost soft. Spread evenly in pie shell.
4. Mix eggs, sour cream and milk until well blended. Pour over broccoli mixture.
5. Sprinkle remaining 1 c. of cheese on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 30 mins or until middle of quiche doesn't wiggle : )
7. Let rest for about 10 mins before cutting into slices.
8. Enjoy with your favorite fresh fruit and homemade muffins!

Breakfast of Unicorns

Breakfast of Unicorns, a photo by Pinks & Needles (used to be Gigi & Big Red) on Flickr.

It feels like rain this morning but it's hot out....hmmmm...what to do....what to do?
Oh I got this! Gather round little unicorns and join me for a spell. I know lollipops don't grow on trees but hotcakes do!
Super Easy Recipe:

Any ole pancake mix will do, just separate into however many colors you want in your rainbow stack.

Add food coloring as desired. I prefer the gel colors ~ they seem to be extra vibrant.

In a large skillet melt some coconut oil or olive oil and cook your cakes as low as possible to avoid turning your rainbow into mud.

Stack with yogurt spread or buttah and drizzle some maple syrup over the top.

Smiles guaranteed : )