Hooray for Giveaway Day!

Giveaway day is finally here, and I’ve made it just in time! Huzzah! :)

I love SMS giveaway days, and I look forward to them every year. Things have been hectic here lately, and I just thought to check for December’s start date. Lo and behold…!

I’ve won some awesome things in giveaway past, and I’m super excited to be participating both as a giver and a givee (?) this year.

I’m also very excited about launching my new website. So in conjunction with the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway prize, I’m attaching a second (well, third) prize.

They’ll be in two different posts for ease of commenting.

Go here to find Giveaway #1.

Go here to find Giveaway #2.

Thank you so much, you guys, and have a blast finding new blogs to read and new giveaways to win! :)

Cheers,

Sara

EDIT: There appears to be some confusion, here. This is NOT the giveaway post - follow the links (above) to the two different giveaways. They describe the prizes in depth, and you can comment there.

Giveaway #1

WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! :)
First winner is Sarah (#34), and second is majorasue (#61).
Congratulations, and thanks everyone for entering! :)

Welcome to Sew, Mama, Sew’s December Giveaway Day! (Week?)

The first giveaway will have two winners, each of whom will win a set of four handmade cloth napkins in their choice of (mostly) upcycled fabric.

Choices? Ready, set, go:

If you need a closer-up photo should you be a winner, just let me know. :)

SMS Giveaway Day rules apply: comment on this post up through December 16^th (well, I’ll choose the random winners when I wake up on December 17^th, so you may be able to sneak some comments in before then). Tell me something interesting, post a recipe (or link to one), tell me your favorite homemade gift idea… if you want. :) I'm happy to ship internationally.

For a second entry, jump on over to my website: www.quiltededge.com

Leave me a separate comment, here, and let me know what you think…

And pretty pretty please, enjoy the rest of your Giveaway Day! :)

Cheers,

Sara

Giveaway #2

WE HAVE A WINNER!
The winner this morning is Henria O. (#19).
Thanks everyone for entering, and happy holidays! :)


And once again, welcome to Sew, Mama, Sew’s December Giveaway Week!

My “Hooray-Website!” giveaway will go to one person, who will win 50% off anything from said brand-spankin’-new website (hand quilting, wedding signature quilts, memory quilts, or something custom). And besides, anyone who comments on this post during giveaway week can claim 10% off, forever.

Same rules (“more like guidelines, really”) apply: Comment on this post up through December 16^th, and the morning of December 17^th I’ll pick the random winner with our good friend random.org. Tell me what service you need, and tell me the the story behind your quilt – who is it from? Who would it be for? Quilts are about stories, after all.

Thank you so much for visiting, and enjoy the rest of your giveaway days! :)

Cheers,

Sara

Recipes - Cookie bonanza!

The first holiday cookie installment of the season was so hectic that I got absolutely no pictures while it happened... but pictures of the aftermath were abundant (both in content and number). The champagne, unfortunately, was not for us.



These cookies were mainly spelt cookies, for the gluten-intolerant on MDB's side of the family. These are all old family recipes -- none of them mine, and none I've had before -- but they were all delicious. *grin* The lineup went like this:

Choco-Mint Snappers, (thin, wide, and crispy), which are my favorites even thought they have corn syrup in them:

1 package semi-sweet mint-chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 package mint chocolate chips over hot (not boiling) water. Remove from heat.

Combine butter, sugar, and egg in mixer, and beat until creamy. Blend in melted chocolate and corn syrup.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually stir into wet mixture.

Shape dough into balls, using 1 level tablespoon for each. Roll balls in sugar.

Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for about 15 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

***

Sour Cream Rolled Cookies, a sugar cookie variation:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cream shortening and sugar in mixer. Blend in unbeaten egg and mix well. Sift dry ingredients and gradually stir into cream mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Roll and cut. Decorate with icing once they have cooled.

Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes.

***
Chocolate Cinnamon Bars, thin cinnamony bar cookies:

Bottom layer:
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 egg - separated

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

For bottom layer, mix wet ingredients in a mixer (save out one egg white) and blend in dry ingredients. Turn onto lightly-greased baking pan (with edges) and spread evenly with spatula.

Beat egg white slightly; brush over mixture. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

***

Snowballs

1 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra to roll in
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 finely chopped nuts

Mix first three ingredients thoroughly; stir in other three ingredients.
Bake on ungreased baking sheets for 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees. Do NOT brown.
Roll in powdered sugar while warm, and roll in it again when cool.

***

Lithuanian Mushroom Cookies, awesome spicy cookies that look just like mushrooms:

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2-3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sour cream

Frosting:
Poppy seeds
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water

Heat honey over medium heat until it bubbles around the sides of the pan. (And it will go a lot faster if you remember to turn on the correct burner... unlike me.)
Remove pan from heat. Stir in sugars, butter, spices and peels. Whisk in egg so it doesn't poach itself.
Pour honey mixture into a mixer. Measure flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Slowly mix dry ingredients into honey mixture, alternating with sour cream.
Turn onto lightly floured board. Knead until dough is easy to handle and not sticky (about 5 minutes). Dough should be firm enough to hold finger impression. Allow dough to rest 20 minutes. (This is a good time to mix up something else and get it in the oven.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into 4 parts. Use the first part to make the mushroom stems: shape into two rolls, each 25" long and 3/4" in diameter. (The easiest way to do this is to roll them between your palms like playdough snakes.) Cut rolls into 1-inch lengths. Place the "stems" 1-1/2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake about 7 minutes. Cool.
Use the other three parts to make the mushroom caps. Roll dough into 3/4" balls. while the ball rest in your palm, make an indent in the top with a finger. Place caps indent-side-down on cookie sheet, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake about 12 minutes, and cool. while the cookies are cooling mix the powdered sugar and water into a glaze.
Now comes the fun part! (And it really is fun.)
The indents you made will pretty much have baked out, so take a paring knife and scrape out a new hole in the bottom that's just big enough to fit the top of one of the stems. Dip the top of the stem in glaze, and wedge it into the hole you made in the mushroom cap. When that glaze has dried sufficiently, pick up the cute little mushroom by its stem and dip the cap into the glaze. Sprinkle each mushroom cap with poppyseeds.
And voila! - Christmas Mushrooms. :)

***

Cranberry Date Bars

Filling:
3 cups fresh cranberries
8 ounces dates, snipped

Crust:
1 cup butter
1-1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats, uncooked

Glaze:
1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange juice

In 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook cranberries and dates until berries "pop". Let cool.

For crust, cream butter and blend in sugar and vanilla. Gradually add sifted flour, soda, and salt. Stir in oats. Pat slightly-more-than-half of the mixture on a buttered 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan. Spread filling evenly over cookie crust. sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Beat the ingredients for the glaze together until smooth. When bars are cool, drizzle glaze over the top. Cut into 3" x 1-34" bars.

***

Exquisite Chocolate-Mint Sticks

Base:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Mint Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cream or milk
1-1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 or 3 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Glaze:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch baking dish. In a double-boiler, combine base chocolate and margarine. Heat over hot-but-not-boiling water until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, melted chocolate mixture, and peppermint extract. Add flour and salt, beating until blended. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased dish. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Do not overbake. Cool in pan.
Prepare mint frosting, and spread on top of cooled brownie base. Refrigerate until frosting is firm.
Prepare chocolate glaze. Drizzle glaze over frosting; tilt dish until glaze covers surface. Refrigerate 10 minutes, then cut into sticks. Store in refrigerator.

***

And me? My one contribution was Sneakerdoodles, which are fabulous. They make MDB moan and groan every time he eats one. :)
Here's the link:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Sneakerdoodles-Snickerdoodles/



So as you can see, we got a LOT done in one day. We started mixing at 9:30AM; we didn't get the oven turned off until 8PM. (You can also see the effects of having the mixer right next to the coffee maker. *grin*) But what a lot of cookie fun!
And there will be another batch, with another bunch of family secret recipes, in another location... coming soon...

Enjoy these.

Cheers,
Sarita

Siggies II

Hello!
This weekend has been killer... hours and hours of group presentation work, deep in the bowels of the university computer labs, while outside it's nearing a beautiful 80 degrees (very rare here)...
Anyways! Once the quarter's over, it's off to two and a half weeks of straight summer vacation-camp-roadtripping fun with Michael!
Here's another set of siggies for posting:

Siggy update!

So when I was still using the LiveSpaces blog feed into my webpage, I said I would post all the siggies I've gotten so far... and never got around to it: one, because it was so hard to get photos up on there, and two, because there was no way to do a sort for "siggies"... you'd just have to browse through every pst I'd ever made to find them. Yuck!

So I'll start putting them up now, about ten at a time (or so).

For those who don't know, the International Signature Swap is a one-on-one swap with people for all over the world (over twenty countries at last count): you send them a 4.5" x 4.5" signature block, and they mail you one back. A HECK of a lot of fun. *grin* I've been collecting siggies since the beginning of December 2008, so most of these are super old, but I do think it's important to have them up, both to interest new swappers, as well as to let "old" swappers see who else they may want to swap with! I'll be starting from the very beginning.

If anyone finds this and is interested, here's the link to Annelies' (the swap mother's) blog, form which you can contact her:
http://quiltsandsiggies.web-log.nl/quilts_and_siggies/siggies/index.html



Cheers! :)

Test blogpost

Testing, testing!
(There's my super neat "band" CD cover from that viral facebook thing that was going around a while ago... love it! *grin* ...First picture I found for the test.)