Aug 31, 2010

Tasha Tudor Day 2010



It is said... Better late than never.
 My dear bloggy friend Clarice over at
 Storybook Woods
 Celebrated Tasha Tudor Day August 28th... In Tasha's memory I too am celebrating a wee bit late. I have been a Tasha Tudor fan for many years now, her timeless illustrations and her simple life on a farm. She is lovingly adored and greatly missed. We decided since Tasha herself enjoyed her tea and goodies..... We would have a special tea party in her honor.

 



 Much of her life consisted of gardening...
 Which she had always surrounded herself with beautiful flowers.
 We decided to make homemade Rose Jam and Cream Scones for the tea party.
 Yummmy!
Below is the recipe I used for the Rose Jam.
 

Ingredients


8 ounces fresh rose petals, white base trimmed off

2 cups white sugar

3 cups water

lemon juice

1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin

Directions

1.Toss the rose petals and sugar together in a bowl until evenly coated.
 Cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight.
2.The following day, bring the water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the rose petals and all of the sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, and return the mixture to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in the pectin, and boil for 1 minute. Pour the jam into 4 sterilized half-pint jars. Seal with rings and lids, and store in a cool dark place

 
 

The Cream Scones turned out delightful, perfect with a dab of butter and topped with the Rose Jam...
it was perfect together. Here is the recipe for the scones too!

Cream Scone Recipe:


2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup  granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
 Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.


In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.

Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round. Then, using a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.

Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 10 - 2 1/2 inch  round scones.

 
 

I hope you enjoyed having tea with Tasha and me.
Happy Tasha Tudor Day!
Late!!!

Aug 30, 2010

Adding A Little Pop !



I love simple things.
 My SIL Lori came for a surprise visit last weekend!
 So, we packed up the kids and went down to Old Town to browse around the Antique Shops.
 It was so HOT...We decided to treat ourselves to some POP at The Soda Pop Shoppe.
 They have every kind of soda you can think of, and some of their
 bottles look like the old vintage ones we love so much.
 We sat on a bench sipping our pop, and did a bit of people watching while we were at it.
 It was a great day spent with my very special Sister.


So, what to do with those cute bottles you ask???
 
 Simple really....
I put flowers in them and set them on my table, creating a little POP in my kitchen.
Simply sweet!

Aug 28, 2010

Somewhere Over The Rainbow......



We were inspired by
 Whatever
 to make a Happy Rainbow T~shirt.
 We picked up a T~shirt from Dollar Tree and put
 some fabric scraps together making a rainbow....
 I then appliqued it onto the shirt....
Voile!!
 A new fashionable " T"  for the school year!
 And....it only cost me maybe $ 2.00!!!


It is so cheery!
 We love cheery colors!
Don't you?
I have set my rainbow in the clouds,
and it will be the sign of the covenant
 between me and the earth.
Genesis 9:13

Aug 25, 2010

Cherry Aebleskiver...



Welcome!
I decided to join in Rednesday this week...
 Hosted by
It's A Very Cherry World!
And...since it has been a while...
This morning Freckles and I made Danish Cherry Aeblesiver for breakfast.
Yummy!
We had to separate the egg whites from the yolks first,
 so I used my trusty vintage chicken egg separator to do the job...
 I love kitchy tools like that. Not only is it cute but it's also quite functional.


We then mixed all our ingredients
 using my red mixing bowls!

 


Here is the recipe!!!

 ~ Danish Cherry Aebleskiver ~


2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

Cherry preserves or filling of your choice

powdered sugar

1. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

2. Separate the eggs, the yolks from the whites. Set the yolks aside. Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy and soft peaks form.

3. Add the egg yolks and the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

4. Grease your aebleskiver pan with a spray dispenser or with butter (spray your pan again as needed). Heat the pan over medium heat. When hot, fill each cup one-third full with batter. Add a small amount of cherry preserves filling to each. Cover with an additional one-third batter. (Try using our Medium Quick Release Scoop to cleanly drop the batter into the cups.)

5. Cook for one to one and one-half minutes before turning. (You can turn your aebleskiver with a toothpick or skewer.) Cook for another minute or until done. Remove to a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.


I used our Cherry Jam Preserves which
 we recently made a few weeks ago.
Yummy!
 It was so stinkin' good!


Of course we used our cherry Mary Engelbreit plates
 for this special breakfast occasion.


Then it was all washed down with a nice cold glass of milk...
In a cheery cherry glass of course!
 

They were absolutely divine little puffs filled with delight!

You know when it's good and it's all over your face!
Have a Happy Rednesday!!!

Aug 23, 2010

Summer Hiking Through The Sierra's...



A group of avid hikers, including my son took a 9 day trip
to the Sierra's for some hiking, camping, and fellowship 12,000 feet UP.


they hiked 40 miles through the meadows, hills, and cliffs....
Camped under the stars & galaxies and witnessed
 the majestic views of God's creation.



 

The first couple of days they had a bunch of mules
 carry their pack to a higher elevation.
 
He said every where he turned it was beautiful!
 He was in awe of the greatness of the creation we live in.
Look close in the next picture...
it look's like a handprint!!
Amazing!!!

 

Here is the man behind this awesome hike they went on. Mr. Winslow.
 He has been doing this hike for 35-40 years with youth.
( Please do pray for him and his wife though...
Mrs. Winslow had a small heart attack while up on the mountain before they got home...
She is recovering!)

 
They cooked every meal up in the mountains.
 My son said they ate well with all the meals!

 

For a few days of hiking they left food up in the trees,
to relieve some of the load they were carrying...
then they would go back later for it.


They would also leave stones piled up
 ( called a duck) to help the stray, slower hikers find the rest of the hikers)


They also swam in a few lakes. He said it was sooo cold.
But felt good, especially since they wern't able to shower!
Look how clear the water is!!!
 

They also enjoyed fresh fish which some of them caught for dinner.
Yum!




Every day each young guy did a devotion from the psalms and A Wonderful Tree by Vos.
 On Sunday Mr. Winslow lead their Sunday worship from Hosea 14.
 

Look they even found a Sasquach print. LOL!!!

 
 

The last couple of days my son and 5 others climbed the peak and ate lunch there.
 How cool is that!
 
 
  
They hiked, they conquered!
 They had a life changing experience!


Would you believe...
After 9 days of hiking they came down and went straight to the beach!!!
 Let's talk about one extreme to another.
It was a memorable, magical experience for my boy...
 He wants to go back next year!!!
Yahoo!!!
Thanks for stopping in to see all the pictures!