Archive for January, 2012

I thought I’d share a little gift I gave my girls for Christmas this year.  The tomato pincushions are from a tutorial found here on Martha Stewart.  The embroidery scissors, while not the world’s best scissors, are a big step up for my girls.  They are great at cutting embroidery floss and yarn, which is just what my girls needed them for.  Plus they are super cute.

Our favorite part of their gift was the needlebooks, made from the fabulous tutorial from Amy of nanaCompany.

I just love when something useful can be so pretty.

You can individualize the style of your needlebook just as you please.

I am super tickled about this Union Jack needlebook I made for a friend.  She loves to quilt and all things British, so I hope she loves her book.

I made the back “X” out of stitched grosgrain ribbon, stitched carefully down each side using matching red thread.

I made the cross using a tiny polkadot fabric.  I cut the strips wider than I needed by 1/2 inch so I could press 1/4 seams, then stitched it down the sides using the matching red thread.  It made an easy Union Jack.

I cannot get enough of the Robert Kaufman leafy stem and bird print.  I have it in a charm pack and have purchased several colors.  It’s the sweetest fabric.

Her needlebook has a patchwork back.  This project is a great way to use up tiny scraps of your favorite fabrics.

Since she’s a quilter, I added a little flap of linen to hold her small quilting needles.

If you’d like to make a needlebook, you can find Amy’s tutorial here on her blog, nanaCompany.

My girls have loved their gifts and are already putting them to good use with their embroideries.

The other day our sweet neighbor girl and friend was visiting and saw Lily and Emma’s needlebooks.  “Oh!  I love those so much!  Are they hard to make?  I’m always loosing my needles!”

“I’ll help you make one.” I offered.  So I’ll be making several more needlebooks this next week.

They only take a few hours and couldn’t be easier or more fun to make.

First of all, for the random winner of Tanya Whelan’s beautiful book Sew What You Love: The Easiest, Prettiest Projects Ever

Congratulations Enid!  Send me an email with your mailing address so we can get your book sent out to you.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

And now to share my favorite Berry Cobbler recipe.  This cobbler is the perfect mid-winter dessert because it works so well with frozen berries.

It comes together in just a few minutes and with the help of tapioca in the berry mixture, it has a wonderful consistency and serves up nicely.

The flavor of the fruit is the show stopper here, with the crunchy top that compliments it perfectly.  In short, it’s absolutely delicious.

My neighbor who is allergic to gluten makes this recipe gluten free by substituting gluten free white cake mix for the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the topping.

Here’s how to make this yummy cobbler:

I’m starting today with frozen berries, since berries are LONG out of season.  This the blend of frozen berries from Costco, which are awesome for cobblers, smoothies and more.  They are a great price too.  Another smart option is to freeze your own berries when they are in season.

You can definitely use fresh berries for this cobbler and even peaches are great- just as long as you end up with 8 cups of fruit in a large mixing bowl.

Add 1/4 cup quick tapioca

and 1 cup of sugar.  This can be adjusted slightly if your fruit is really sweet.

Add juice of 1/2 a lemon.  I always squeeze my lemon in a separate bowl to make sure I don’t squeeze seeds into my cobbler.

Add a pinch of salt.

Give it all a good stir.

Spray your 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or rub it with butter.  Today I’m using a 9 x 13 casserole dish.   Pour in your berry mixture and spread them out evenly.

Now for the topping.  Chop up 1/2 cup pecans. 

Add sugar, pecans….

…flour,

and butter into the a large mixing bowl.  I like to chop up my butter with a knife to make it easier to cut into the topping mixture.

Also add in your baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter it in with a pastry cutter until it pea-sized.  If you don’t own a pastry cutter, no worries, you can use your hands to work the butter in… or two knives.

Add in the coconut and stir.  I missed this photo… but add in one egg and mix by hand.

Pour the topping evenly over the fruit mixture.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until golden brown, bubbly and crunchy.

You can serve it room temperature with whipped cream, but I love it most warm with vanilla ice cream.  This is comfort dessert at it’s best.

Here’s the recipe:

Mixed Berry Cobbler

8 cups fruit (mix of berries or even peaches) (may use fresh or frozen berries)

1 cup sugar

¼ cup quick tapioca

½ lemon (or lime)

pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl in pour into a 2 quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the Topping:

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup shredded coconut

½ cup firm butter

1 egg

Blend with a pastry cutter until crumbly.  Add egg and mix by hand.  Pour evenly over fruit mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.