Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday morning tea...cookies....and sunshine....

Teatime

Jasmine Tea

Monday morning turned out to be a cuppa tea morning ...... and a batch of cookies to go with.

Almond Tea Cookies (gluten-free)*

Almond Tea cookies! They are the best!

Almond Tea Cookies (gluten-free)

Sprinkled with beautiful morning sunshine streaming in my windows.

You can see my recipe, here.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Tasting the Season

Did I mention before that I love Autumn! My oven has been running every day (more than once, that is). Well, my oven is on every day, but now it runs more than once. Cookies, pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chicken pot pies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin custard, you know, anything warm, bubbly, hot and flavorful.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (gluten-free)

The kids love to roll out cookie dough. It is oh so fun to dump over the contents of the cookie cutter box full of fun shaped cutters. Sifting through the pile of shapes, until they find just the right ones for the occasion. Yesterday, it was leaves, pumpkins, squirrels, mushrooms and gnomes.

Gluten-free sugar cookies

These Pumpkin Spice cupcakes didn't last long. Nothing better than homemade cream cheese frosting. It's the easiest thing to make.....cream cheese, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.


Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (gluten-free)

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin (I like Libby's brand, because it is gluten-free)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ginger (ground)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
dash of nutmeg
dash of cardamom


Mix all ingredients until batter is smooth. (I prefer to use my electric mixer) Pour batter 3/4 full into cupcake molds. Bake at 345 degrees Fahrenheit. 20-25 minutes.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Shop Update

I have put one of my favorite quilts up for sale in my etsy shop. It will be very hard to part with this gorgeous quilt, but I already have quite a few quilts stacking up around here. It is perfect for the upcoming cooler weather. It fits on a twin sized bed, or works for a cozy lap quilt......not to mention you can drape it over your favorite chair or sofa. The possibilities are endless.

Zig.zag quilt (front)

backside of quilt

quilt.draped.over.chair

upclose.zig.zag.quilt

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm enjoying (LOVING) the cooler weather!!!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Harvest Moon and Rustic Apple Tarts

Signs of the season......

Lovin' this October moon.

harvest moon

Yummy little rustic apple tarts made by the cutest little hands I know.

rustic apple tarts

gluten-free apple tarts

Even better yet, they are totally gluten-free!

yummy apple tarts, Mommy!

Bite, chomp, munch, swallow, bite, chomp, munch, swallow.....all gone! (Nevermind the fork, Mom!) They were soooo good. Next time we make them, we'll put a blob of whipped cream on top. Appley, cinnamony, goodness. Perfect little Fall treats. They are small, yet rewarding.... because, they bake quickly in the oven for little ones who are anxious to get snacking.

gluten-free rustic apple tarts

Friday, October 2, 2009

I just love Fall!

front.view

......... and I just love Laura Gunn's gorgeous Lantern Bloom fabrics, so much!

I've been making some Fall table runners, and having a lot of fun with her gorgeous fabrics. Laura is a brilliant painter and artist. Her paintings have been wonderfully printed onto fabric, and the depth, texture and feeling in these fabrics is amazing.

Lantern Bloom Table runner

Just look at the rich colors and depth. It wasn't hard to come up with a fun and playful pattern, to pull these fabrics into a delightful table runner.

Table runner

What shall I make next, with the left over fabric? I have several things in mind....a fun bag, another runner, and some little girls clothing. It means even more to me to have grown up in the same town as Laura, and graduated from the same High School. Yay! Going to put together a Fall bouquet of Lantern blossoms to go with the new table runner..........I saw some cut fresh cut blossoms at the grocery store, last night. They didn't look half bad! Has anyone ever attempted to dry them upside down and preserve them? In fact, I know where to pick some branches, that are grown locally.......I just might have to look into this! I told you I love this time of year. Crisp cool mornings, and perfectly sunny and warm afternoons. Just right. Just like Fall.