Sewing Sample

          Have you ever started a project only to get about half way into it to find out that your stuck? Whew...I'm glad I'm not alone here! I really think this stage of my life is going to be the hardest. I've never measured my life in stages, before now. I'm 50 and I don't need a blood test to tell me my body is changing and entering menopause.  This is not the direction I was going here but I'm hoping it will explain some of the new changes I'm dealing with, so if any of you BigM veterans have any ideas on how to handle the slip of memory here and there, second guessing myself, and lack of energy please share!

      Back to sewing. I love aprons but I must admit that I haven't made one yet, not a real from pattern apron anyway.  I've bought the easy kind only to find myself still confused, have they changed any of the apron technology in the last decade or two? Or maybe it's just the pattern directions, home ed. wasn't this hard, but then again, I was younger and my mind had more room to store all this knowledge? lol  But, I remain determined to tackle a pattern and make a apron from scratch, but cakes are so much easier!

      Eye candy from Ebay has sparked the creative gene in me, I won a auction for a retro 50's apron pattern, found some vintage looking fabric and I have all pieces cut out and ready to assemble, as  you can see above.  Now, to tackle and conquer the lost art of apron making, my way....slow but sure! Old age is not for sissies!

Giveaway Winner

           When your number comes up, you hope it's to win a giveaway!  So, who's number came up this time? Christa from Country Hearts at Home is my latest winner, congrats Christa! If you haven't visited her blog yet, hop over and pay her a visit, it's funny how karma works sometimes. Country loves country!

    Thank you all for following me, I love you all! As we approach June, were half way through the year already, how are you doing with the goals you set for yourself for 2010? I'm faithfully keeping  track of my daily happiness journal, and it's a wonderful way to end my day. One day, I'll look back, or a family member will find this journal and read all my little ways I found happiness, I'd like to think it might inspire someone. Or, they may just think and wonder huh? But, I'm a happier person today for recording what makes me happy!

     My hope for you, my readers, is that you all have a wonderful, long weekend and that you take a minute or two to pay respects for all the men and women of service who love and fight for our freedom and our country on this Memorial Day weekend. Stay safe, strong and faithful! Hugs to all!

Tasty Tuesday

        Have you ever thought about making your own condiments? I have made my own ketchup many years ago thanks to a huge bounty of tomatoes but I have yet to make homemade mayonnaise, until today.  I'm grilling hamburgers and corn on the cob for dinner tonight and I thought some homemade mayo just might be in order, plus I'm low on mayo.  Searching the internet for recipes lead me to think I could combine a couple of the best of the best and make my own with what I had on hand. So, here goes. Be warned first, you will have to have a strong wrist for all the whisking involved but what a little thrill to see it all coming together and resembling a gourmet spread and it has to be better for us, being homemade.

Creamy Homemade Mayonnaise

1 t. dry mustard ( or the real stuff if not on hand)
3/4 t. sugar
2 egg yolks (give your dog the whites, he'll love you!)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup oil ( I only use olive or canola)
1 t. salt
dash of pepper to taste

Mix together the mustard, sugar and salt. Add egg yolks and half of the lemon juice and whisk hard for about a minute or two. Add oil by the dropfuls, whisking all the time. Keep adding the oil slowly so it blends in well. As the mixture thickens, add the other half of the lemon juice and dash of pepper, keep whisking until all oil has been blended in well. Spoon into a clean jar or bowl and refrigerate till ready to serve. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

     Now, aren't you glad you stopped by today, now you can wow your guests or family with homemade mayonnaise and if you'd like to get real fancy, flavor it up by adding in crushed garlic or your favorite herbs to make a real tasty spread suitable for any burger or sandwich you create. My next batch will be garlic mayo, yum! Just two more days to entered in my giveaway so check it out below and don't forget to serve up this homemade mayo this weekend! Enjoy!

Summer Decorating Ideas

                I just love it when a good idea comes to me, and this one caught my eye over at  Poppy Talk so I thought I'd share it with you, because I know we all have hankies tucked away in a drawer which seems like such a waste.  Now, if you don't have any hankies, comb through your family treasures, thrift store, flea markets or even Ebay. They shouldn't be too expensive and the older the better, I say! Don't several framed and bunched together make a handsome wall art project! I'm in love with this idea and just so happen to own a couple that once belonged to my Mother in Love, so I think I will frame them just like these.

     In case you haven't read about my lastest giveaway, all followers of this blog have till May 27th to leave me a comment at that post, just scroll down a few posts. I'm celebrating you, my 300 plus followers with a nice giftie giveaway. So, please get your name in the hat, and if your not a follower but like my blog enough to become one, sign up and get entered too! I just ask that you tell me what you like about Country Pleasures so I can keep you happy. Good luck to all and enjoy your Sunday, as I am!

Tasty Tuesday

      

          Have I got a treat for you, Green Tea cupcakes is what I baked for Sunday School class over the weekend, but there was another reason for my baking day. As some of you know, I'm on Facebook and I've started a camera club called Sure Shots there, we have monthly challenge shots and May's challenge is a shot of something 90% green, so when I came across these cuppies, I was really killing two birds with one stone, not that I would ever kill a bird, but you get the idea. Although, my shot didn't turn out like I had planned, the cupcakes were a hit and a favorite of ours now. 

     Living in a small town, I was surprise to find green tea powder, but my favorite health food store it, but at a hefty price so I improvised, I bought a dollar's worth of green tea leaves and grounded them up at home in my mortal and pestal till it resembled the actual, expensive powder and I think it did the same job. Isn't the color just delish! 

Green Tea Cupcakes

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons matcha ( green tea powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
3. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs/egg yolks one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
5. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to batter and mix to combine.
6. Mix matcha in with the milk. Add to the batter and mix until combine.
7. Pour into prepared cupcakes liners.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

      There are several recipes in cyber space but this one looked like the easiest. All recipes used a cream cheese frosting with either food coloring or a dash of green tea powder mixed in. Give them a try soon and if you'd like to join us at Sure Shots, all are welcome you just need to have a Facebook page, so look us up! 

Thrifty Tea Idea

     One of the things I love about blogging, and there are many, that it brings the world to me. It's like my very own encyclopedia and boy have I used it, I do get my moneys worth! I came across a new to me blog that got me hooked by this post, tea in a jar. I'm sure you can relate to not having enough space in the fridge for ice tea, or wanting to try different blends over ice but don't have enough space? If this relates to you, check out Angry Chicken for her thrifty idea making a concentrated tea in a jar. I tried it over the 4th of July weekend last year because I knew I'd have little room with all the leftovers. I must say, it was the best ice tea I've had in awhile. And so easy too, I like easy!

All you do is place teabags in a jar, the number of teabags varies to how strong you like it. I used 8 in a quart jar filled with cold water, place in fridge overnight. The next day, squeeze out all the tea you can from the teabags, discard. Now all you do when you want a glass of ice tea is grab a glass, use several spoons of the concentrated tea, again depending on how strong you like it, add cold water, stir and top with ice. Refreshing, takes us less room in the fridge and is thrifty too! Thank you Angry Chicken, still not sure why you named your lovely blog that, but if your reading this, enquiring minds want to know!

P.S. I hope you don't mind a re-post, but with the warmer weather soon upon us, I thought this might be good to know and use! Enjoy!

I'm 300 Strong!

          Keeping my promise that I would host another giveaway when my followers reached 300, I'm happy to post that I'm 300 strong, thanks to all of you! Like so many, when I started my blogging experience, I had no idea it would become this huge part of my life, I'm so thankful it has. I can't begin to tell you how much your comments mean to me, the friendships that have formed, and the knowledge I've gained from your blogs! My daily reads are like opening up my favorite book each day! Blogging has made me a better person, so to thank my followers, this giveaway is for you! Just leave me a comment here, tell me what you like most about Country Pleasures so I can keep you happy! I aim to please and there's no reason to blog if no one is going to read it! I love to write and I want to share what you want to read, so comment away! This giveaway is open to just my followers as a way to thank them, if you really like my blog, you may become a follower and get entered in this giveaway, but please don't just follow me just to get entered, I only want true readers. I'll leave this open till the 27th. I have a nice surprise package in mind to celebrate this milestone of mine, again thank you all for giving me reason to write, share and learn!

Tasty Tuesday

       This week, I cheated and copied a recipe from Taste of Home and I'm dying to make these, don't they look good, oh so good.....I've never really mastered a cinnamon roll from scratch, but then again, I haven't tried in over a decade but these deserve my full attention, so I will put my baking skills to the test here!

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 3/4 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  FILLING:
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 
  ICING:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons cappuccino mix
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the warm milk, buttermilk, sugar, butter, salt and 4 cups flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down; turn onto a floured surface. Roll into an 18-in. x 12-in. rectangle; brush with butter. Combine the brown sugar, coffee granules and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges.
• Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 slices. Place rolls, cut side down, in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 22-28 minutes or until golden brown. Place pan on a wire rack. In a small bowl, beat the icing ingredients until smooth. Spread over rolls. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

   Now, they don't sound too hard, so I'm up for the challenge! Yesterday would of been the perfect day for baking, it turned cold on us with rain and wind, even had to turn the heater back on just to get the house temp. up to 68. What a weird year for weather, I hope it all evens out soon. If you have any tips or trade secrets to making cinnamon rolls, please share, I could use all the help here I can get! Enjoy! 

A Mother's Love...

        Wishing all the Mom's a wonderful day full of flowers, love and family time! Your first true love is that of your Mom's. The greatest thing I ever did was to become a parent, I am truly blessed! Happy Mother's Day!

Pray Today, Everyday

          Today marks the 59th annual National Day of Prayer, but like Earth Day, this day is also a daily event with me, something that we can't afford to give up, like the Goverment would like to enforce. No matter your faith or beliefs, know that I have prayed for you, because I care. I care about the human race, our country, my family and friends. I care, period. Why? Because I am free to do so, free to pray and free to live my life as I see fit and believe what makes me comfortable in this big, harsh world. Peace is what I find when I pray. I'm still learning the word of God but I have the grace to reap the comfort from my sins being washed away.
I can't expect God to use me different from the way he created me, so I go forth and tend to my merices, one by one.  I can only pray that my right be to faithful never expires......

        My relationship with God is personal, so I keep it close, but every now and then, my words will speak of my faith but my love for our creator will always shine through me! Politics will hardly ever arise here but if they do, know that it's something pretty powerful for me to post about it, as with the National Day of Prayer, something that could be slipped under the rug if our Goverment cleans house! Pray today, pray everyday!

Tasty Tuesday

    Poor rhubarb gets a bum rap, doesn't it? You either like it or you hate it but have you ever thought outside the box and used it in other things than pie? It really has a wide range of possibilities , but I have to admit, we like it best as pie..... or crumble, crisp or cobbler!  Here's a super easy recipe for a quick pie and if you can't eat it straight, mix in some frozen strawberries for a extra sweetness.

Rhubarb Pie

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
• 1 egg, beaten
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Pour rhubarb into the prepared pie crust. Combine flour and sugar; sprinkle over the rhubarb in the crust. Cover with top crust making sure to cut 4 steam slots into the top of it. Brush the top with egg.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Cool. 

     And for those who REALLY love rhubarb, it's one of the easiest garden plants to grow and harvest, so keep that in mind if you want a bounty for the freezer or dessert.  I'm going to plant some next year, got to be too late for us here but you can be sure, I'll have a rhubarb plot next spring. So, don't be shy and give it a try, and don't feel bad if you don't like it at first, not too many people do, that is why I look for other ways to use it, mixed with another fruit cuts down on the tangy taste with strawberries being the favorite choice, makes a nice jam too! Let's hear all about rhubarb!