Sew God's Grace

I made this last year for Anna, and I never got a post up.  I used an old sweater of mine, so I felt sort of "thrifty."  Anyway, Anna had it on today, so I had to get a picture of her! I used the tutorial found  here .  I used an existing hat as a pattern. I simply cut the petals and center for the flower from felt using my pinking shears.  I made a line down the middle of each petal, pinned them in place, and sewed down the line using my machine.  I then folded the circle for the center of the flower to make it stand out a bit and hand-sewed it in place. This is one of those projects that should be quick and easy, and it actually was!  As a bonus, Anna is still wearing it a year later!

This was one of my favorite candies that we would make around Christmas when I was growing up.  It is so easy and delicious.  It combines peanut butter and chocolate, so need I say more? Tiger Butter 2 pounds almond bark 1 cup peanut butter (you can use smooth or crunchy) 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips Grease a 9 by 13 or 10 by 15 inch pan, depending on how thick you want the candy to be.  I usually make it in a 9 by 13 so that it is about an inch thick.  Melt almond bark in microwave or on stove top according to package directions.  Add peanut butter and stir until smooth.  Spread into prepared pan.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Let sit for a few minutes or until chips soften and begin to melt.  Use a knife to swirl the chocolate into the candy.  Cool until firm, then cut or break into bit-sized chunks. Note:  sometimes my chocolate chips don't melt.  When that happens, I just pop the pan into the oven at 300 for 2 minutes and then swirl.

Our church was preparing care packages for the college students for finals week, and I wanted to make something special to include in them.  I had been wanting to try making pies in mason jars for a long time, so I finally decided to give it a try.  I was inspired by this post here . First wash 12 four ounce mason jars, lids, and rims and dry. Then make one recipe of Aunt Joyce's Pie Crust.  Find the recipe here . Roll out half the dough into a circle and use the ring from your mason jar to cut the tops for your pies. Then press dough on bottom and up the sides of the mason jars.  Place on a baking sheet. Fill with filling of choice.  The recipe I was following recommended 1/2 cup pie filling per pie, but I found that I did not need that much.  I made the apple pie filling adapted slightly from Betty Crocker--8 Granny Smith apples, peeled & chopped, 1/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon each nutmeg & cinnamon.  (I had quite a bit of filling

We really like this pumpkin bread recipe, but the taste itself is not what makes it perfect.  The thing that makes it perfect is that it uses exactly 1 can of pumpkin!  I can't tell you how many times I have made a recipe that uses one cup pumpkin.  Thinking I will use the remaining 3/4 cup at a later date, I put it in a container in the refrigerator.  Weeks later, I pull out an unidentifiable substance that is covered in mold.  Oops!  Well, no penicillin experiments with this one!  Just throw the whole can in! Perfect Pumpkin Bread  (adapted from this recipe ) 1 15 ounce can pumpkin 2 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup canola oil 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2/3 cup water 2 1/3 cup white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour (I like white whole wheat flour) 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 teaspoon cinnamon & 1 teaspoon nutmeg Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.  Mix canned pumpkin, sugar, oil, appl

I had seen this idea on Pinterest, so when I saw these darling folk star cookies cutters at our local general store, I knew I had to give it a try. After I washed and dried the cookie cutters, I made up a batch of Grandma's recipe for easy fudge (recipe below).  I sprayed a small glass dish (since I was only making three of these) with cooking spray and also sprayed the insides of the cookie cutters. I carefully spooned the fudge into the cutters and used the spoon to level it out and make sure that the corners were filled. Yes, a little will come out of the bottom, but it will clean up easily later.  Then I covered these and refrigerated them overnight.  (The remaining fudge I placed in a greased 8 by 8 inch pan.) I removed the excess fudge from the bottom and used a paper towel to wipe the outsides of the cookie cutters clean. Then I placed them in a clear treat bag and tied it up with a raffia bow.  Easy enough.  I originally started with a Christmas-themed t