Folded Paper German Star Tutorial

One of my favorite projects and by far my most popular post.

 So, I thought I would re-post for those interested in making some of these very pretty paper stars this year.

(early enough to give you plenty of time)

Click this LINK to take you to my step-by-step video tutorial.

(Link is also on my sidebar)

Blue and white stars decorating my white feather tree.

Pretty in blue

Bright and cheerful colors

 The video shows you the entire process and since you can pause it, giving you time to complete each fold and turn, you will be able to make these stars too.

Waxed stars displayed outdoors on my porch

Even covered with snow the stars survived :)

 The finished Stars are delicate and beautiful just as they are.

For longer lasting stars, they can be dipped in wax and sprinkled with glitter for a shimmering look.

The finished stars were traditionally dipped in paraffin to help withstand outside elements and make them more durable.  Follow this LINK to see how I dipped my stars in wax.

Linking to Hope Studios Tutorial Tuesday

Show & Tell Friday and Quilt Party ~ Amish Inspired

Dayle of

A Collection Of This And That

is having a Link-up party called

The Airing of the Quilts

It is for quilt lovers or collectors or creators or designers or quilters or anyone who just loves quilts!

I didn't inherit the passion and talent for sewing that my mom did and therefore it is not a favorite past time.
(You all know I'd much rather be in the kitchen)
It has been a long time but I have made a few quilts.

The one I am sharing today is a wall hanging that was made in the mid-1980's.
It hung in my stairwell for many years and measures 36-inch square without the tabs.
After researching Amish quilts I came up with this design.

I quilted it with black thread using interesting patterns that complimented the spaces.

To see more beautiful quilts, be sure to stop by Dayle's lovely blog!

Also linking with Cindy @My Romantic Home for her fun
Show & Tell Friday!

French Toast Bread Pudding

Our first Barefoot Bloggers recipe from Ina Garten's new cookbook

Barefoot Contessa

how easy is that?

Sometimes I don't like bread pudding ~ I think it is a texture thing.
This recipe set-up very nicely and was very good.

It begins by slicing and arranging challah bread tightly in a pan.  The recipe calls for five cups half-and-half or milk.  I used a can of evaporated milk and regular milk.  With just a few tablespoons of honey you will definitely want the sweetness of added Maple syrup.

Placing the pan in a larger roasting pan, adding hot water and covering tightly with foil for the first half of the baking time produced a beautifully puffed bread pudding.

And to appease my sweet tooth, next time I am topping with a fruit compote!

Perfectly browned top

Topped with a pat of butter and drizzle with maple syrup, this photo shows the nice texture and how lovely it baked

A while ago I made Ina's Croissant Bread Pudding (below).  The recipe is here.

French Toast Bread Pudding Recipe can be found on page 18 of Ina's new book.

Look-A-like Baby Doll

I found a sweet baby doll this past weekend at a garage sale.

Guess you can tell why I couldn't pass it by.

I wasn't surprised that Ella named her new doll, Baby Ella

I provide childcare for this little sweetie 3-4 days a week.

She is my No. 1 spatula and beater licker in the kitchen.
Tomorrow we are making pumpkin pies!

♥

Peanuttiest Blondies ~ TWD

 John and Abbey were eating these even as I was cutting them and gave high marks for these sweet and chewy Blondies.   Abbey said she thought she would like them made with walnuts instead of the cup of peanuts called for in the recipe. John suggested I put this recipe in the make-again file.
He loves these, a lot!

Butter, chocolate, peanuts and my favorite, peanut butter... always a great combination in my book.

I needed to bake a bit longer than Dorie suggested to get the center done.  The center sunk lower than the outside edges but stilled baked evenly.

Peanuttiest Blondies
Dorie Greenspan Recipe

• 1 cup all purpose Flour (5 oz)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (5 oz) Crunch or creamy - not natural
• 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter (2.5 oz)
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar (6 oz)
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar, Packed (6 oz)
• 2 Large Eggs (4 oz)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Chopped Salted Peanuts (5 oz)
• 6 oz Semi-sweet or Premium Milk Chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 C chocolate chips

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil and put the pan on a baking sheet. [I used parchment to line an 8-inch pan instead.]

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add both sugars and beat for 1-2 minutes until well incorporated into the butter.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each goes in. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer to low and add in the dry ingredients,  mixing only until they disappear into the dough; the dough will be thick. Add the peanuts and chocolate and give the mixer a few turns to stir them into he dough. If the chunky ingredients are mixed in after a few seconds, just finish the job with a sturdy spatula-don't over mix the dough. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan.

Bake blondies for 40-50 minutes, or until they turn a deep honey brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

When its completely cool, carefully lift the blondies our of the  pan using the foil edges as handles, and turn them out onto the rack. Peal away the foil and invert onto a cutting board. Use a long knife to cut into 16 bars, each roughly 2 1/4 inches on a side.

Mosaic Monday ~ Our Saturday

The fun part: The mail lady brought a surprise package for Raider.

He has a special affection for cows and Abbey ordered a new one for him. It met with his approval. She calls it her 'I'm glad you lived' gift :)

 

 The hard part:  This mountain of leaves that covered the yard is just one of two that Jared and I raked and corralled. We used a giant tarp that we raked the leaves onto and then drug it to the curb.  Many a tarp-full were lugged to the curb which probably accounts for my aching back.  The yard is clear but will be totally covered again as the second half of the leaves fall from the trees.  Parking on the street will be limited until the township comes through with their big vacuum trucks.

A Spooky version just for fun.

Joining Mary @Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Remembering my Dad

Today would have been his 89th birthday.

  Baby Jill and Pop-Pop Shelley (1981)

October 31, 1921-May 15, 2006

♥

“He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
-Clarence Budington Kelland