Happy Halloween!

Snow In October

I don't care if you are a snow lover or not, there's just something WRONG about snow in October! I guess I shouldn't complain about the dusting that we got...some people not far from here woke up to over a foot of snow this morning!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

The cold, windy, rainy and snowy weather is not only good for quilting, but it is also good for baking! Last week I found a recipe for peanut butter sandwich cookies and being the peanut butter lover that I am, I had to try them. Let me tell you...they did not disappoint!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Cookies:

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup flour

Filling:

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the egg, salt, and peanut butter and beat until well blended. Put the oats in a blender and blend on medium speed until they are almost as finely ground as flour. Add the oats and flour to the mixture and blend well.

Pinch out small portions of dough and roll into 1-inch balls in the palm of your hand. Press these flat on ungreased cookie sheets so that they form 2-inch circles.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light brown around the edges. While the cookies bake, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl. When the cookies are cool, use a butter knife to spread a thin layer of filling on the flat side of a cookie and press another on top. Repeat.

Makes 2 dozen cookies or 1 dozen sandwich cookies.

*Don't let the fact that there isn't any baking powder or baking soda in the cookie recipe throw you off...follow the recipe as is and they will turn out perfectly. However, I did make a change to the filling and added a tablespoon or two of milk to make it easier to spread.

Trick Or Treat?

I guess fall is going to be over before Halloween even gets here this year. Snow in October is one of Mother Nature's worst tricks, but the treat is that it is perfect quilting weather!

Time To Get Busy!

Between a visit from my brother and battling a nasty sinus infection I haven't had much time to spend in the sewing room lately, but now it's time to get busy! Our fourth granddaughter is due in a little over a month and I have yet to start on her quilt. The theme for the nursery is "tea party" and I found this tea party fabric by Susan Branch last spring when I was in Lancaster and I think it will be the perfect base for this quilt. If all goes well, I hope that I will have a lot of tea party quilt updates to show you this week!

Wind Wrap & Sew

Here's a great video tutorial based on the book It's A Wrap by Susan Breier to help get you started on making a fabric bowl of your own.

Clothesline Bowl

Awhile ago my friend, Maryann, showed me how to make baskets and bowls by wrapping fabric strips around cotton clothesline and then zig-zagging the cord together to form a bowl. Today I finished my bowl and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. This could easily become a new obsession for me! It's a great way to use up leftover strips of fabric and the result is a really neat scrappy bowl!

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild 2008 Show

Thanks to Anya and our guild's webmaster, Nick, there is now a wonderful slide show of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2008 exhibit on YouTube! Enjoy!

Another Sugar Cookie

These cookies aren't what you would call "traditional sugar cookies". They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and wonderful with a hot cup of tea!

Crackled Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Granulated sugar for rolling

Cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and flour; mix well. Shape into walnut size balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked and sides are set (do not let edges brown).