Life really can be a picnic!

Everyone loves a picnic! This blog is about some of the things I love the most, and the term "picnic" just about covers them all. First of all, a picnic has to include food; simple food that is easy to fix. Next, you need someplace fun or different to visit; a nice, peaceful location. And of course, you always need to take along a good book to read and a well-used quilt to spread everything out on. So, there you have it! Easy recipes, good books, fun quilts along with some interesting, down-to-earth places to visit. You can even take your family or a friend or two if you want.



Monday, November 26, 2012

Happy Cyber Monday!

"If you are too big to do little things, you are probably too little to be trusted with big things."--Amish Proverb


     If there is anything that I dislike, it is probably Black Friday.  I really hate it when it encroaches on Thanksgiving Day.  I think I would rather pay triple the normal price for an item than to go out in crowds of unruly, greedy people to get a "good deal".  However,I kind of enjoy looking online on the Monday after to search out the free shipping and other sweet deals there in the privacy and solitude of my own home.


     I just finished reading a good book.  It has the components of all the things I love in it.  It's about Amish people; it's a mystery and it involves a quilt shop and quilting.  Who could ask for more?  It's called Falling to Pieces by Vannetta Chapman.

 
 
This little table topper quilt was fun to make.  It's called "Nine-Patch Charm Table Topper".  The pattern is in the Art to Heart book called Cider Mill Road.  You make four normal nine patch blocks and then you slice them in half vertically and then horizontally and then rearrange all the blocks to your liking.

 
 
Have you ever heard of the children's book called Cranberry Thanksgiving?  It's a sweet little book that kids love to have read to them.  It also has a recipe for cranberry bread in it.
 
 
We love cranberries at our house and here are a few recipes that we like that highlight cranberries.  They can be used in any recipe-including main dishes, desserts, breads and salads.
 
 
 

Cranberry Chicken
 

Brown 6 to 7 chicken breasts.  Place in greased 13x9’’ pan.

Mix:

                        1 can whole cranberries

                        1 package dry onion soup mix

                        1 cup French or Catalina dressing

Pour over chicken.  Bake at 350° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, uncovered.
 

 
 
Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups flour                                                      1 cup sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder                                    1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. baking soda                                           2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

½ tsp. salt                                                         2 eggs

¼ tsp. ginger                                                     ½ cup orange juice

¼ tsp. nutmeg                                                   1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries

1/3 cup butter                                                   ½ cup slivered almonds
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, combine first 6 ingredients.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla.  Add orange zest, eggs and orange juice until well combined.  Gradually add orange mixture to dry ingredients.  Mix until just moistened.  Fold in cranberries and almonds.

Pour batter into a well greased 9x5” loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, or for mini-loaves use three 5x1/2x3” mini-loaf pans and bake for 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool at least 2 hours before cutting.
 

 

Cranberry Jello Salad

 
1 large 6 oz. pkg. cranberry or raspberry jello
2 C. boiling water
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

One or more of the following ingredients

1 medium can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 to 2 unpeeled, cored and grated apples
1 C. chopped celery
½ C. chopped walnuts

Prepare jello following the directions on the package adding only ½ to 1 C. cold water to help the jello set.  Add the whole berry cranberry sauce and the other ingredients of your choice.  Refrigerate for several hours.
 

 
Apple Cranberry Pie

Pie:                                                                               Topping:

6 medium apples, peeled and sliced                               ¾ cup flour

1 ½ cups cranberries                                                    ½ cup brown sugar

½ cup brown sugar                                                       ½ cup butter    

1/4 cup corn starch                                                       ¼ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg                                                   1/3 cup sliced almonds (optional)

¼ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

pie pastry for a single

    crust pie
 

     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line pie plate with pastry.  Combine all the pie ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Turn filling into the pastry lined pan.  In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon using a pastry blender.  Stir in almonds and sprinkle topping over filling.  Bake for 45-60 minutes.
 
 
 

     Since I love quilting, when I found this spool ornament at Bennion Crafts in Ogden, I knew I had to make some.  In fact, I put together kits so each of my family members could make their own.  I passed them out at Thanksgiving.
 

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