Grandma's Shortcake Biscuits

Growing up, these biscuits were not a Sunday dinner staple; they were something to be turned into a wonderful summertime treat. My mom would load up strawberries and vanilla ice cream between one or two of these little cakes and top it with whipped cream. At breakfast the next morning we would beg for more, and if there were any biscuits left we were allowed to enjoy an encore, this time with strawberries and milk, because that's Healthier, of course.

The texture of this biscuit is more that of a scone. I'm positive that adding dried currants, shaping them into triangles and sprinkling them with sugar would make any scone lover happy.

Mary Nichols' Shortcake Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 f.

Sift together into a large bowl:

4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Cut in with pastry cutter or 2 knives until a coarse meal forms:

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. unsalted butter (Grandma used Crisco, I use butter. You choose.)

Form a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in:

1 1/3 cup milk

Mix well with your hands until combined. Turn half dough out at a time onto a well floured surface, sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough.

Roll out to 1/2" thick. Bake on a parchment lined sheet at 400 for 10-13 minutes.

Makes 18 delicious morsels.

Ma Petite Fleur

Petite Fleur

This little beauty is great on a bobby pin, barrette or brooch, clustered together on a wrapped present, sewn to a t shirt, I could go on and on.

Crocheted Petite Flower Instructions

With Color A: ch 4, join w/ sl st to first ch to form ring.

Round 1: ch 1, 10 sc into ring, change to color B during join to first sc.

Round 2 (with color B): ch 1. 1 sc, 3 dc, 1 sc into same st as join. Skip 1 st ( in next st, work 1 sc, 3 dc, 1 sc, sk next st) 4 times. 5 petals complete. Join with sl st to first sc. Finish off, weave in ends.

Happy Birthday to Me

My son, a precocious kindergardener, decided we need to make a garden cake for my birthday. Boy did we ever. It is a standard carrot cake with caramel cream cheese frosting, topped with soil made out of crushed chocolate animal crackers and marzipan veggies.

I think one of the best things about having a child is how much inspiration they bring to your daily life. Sure I would've made a cake for my birthday because I love to bake and fiddle around in the kitchen, but I seriously doubt I would have come up with this little bit of horticultural festiveness without such a convincing muse by my side.

Lego Cake

Our son requested a Lego Cake for his 5th birthday.  When asked what flavor, he said he wanted strawberry cake. Do you know how hard it is to find a good strawberry cake recipe that does not require strawberry flavored Jello?

After exhaustive searching, I found this wonderful recipe at A Dash of Sass.  It was tender and delicious and so stinkin' easy!  

I wish I could say as much for the construction of this bad boy.  The icing is a standard cream cheese-buttercream with about a gallon of food coloring.  So much for keepin' it natural.

Trees need love, too

The "Big Snow" of 2010 happened here in North Carolina this past weekend.  Some chose to go sledding, some chose to go on walks through the winter wonderland.  I chose to sit on my butt and crochet like a fiend.  Many visits to Lucy's place over at Attic24 had inspired me to bring some color to the cold, harsh gray.

Deedle Dee Baby Hat

I'm having so much fun with this cute, ribbed hat pattern.  Below I've presented the basic instructions for a 0-3 month baby hat.  

What you do to embellish it is all up to your imagination.  

Deedle Dee Baby Hat

1 skein Vanna's Choice Baby in color (A) of your choice

1 skein in complementary color (B) for embellishment

size J hook

Special instructions:  After foundation row, all stitches are worked into back loops only

Pattern is worked vertically.  The sc stitches at the one end will provide the shaping for the top of the hat.

Body of hat

ch 23

row 1: dc in 3rd ch from hook, (counts as 1 dc). one dc in next 18 ch.  1 sc in each of last 3 ch.  

 ch 1, turn

row 2: working in back loops only from here on out, 1 sc in first 3 sc.  1 dc in each dc to end.  ch 3, turn.

row 3: 1 dc in next 18 dc, 1 sc in next 3 sc.  ch 1, turn.

Repeat rows 2 & 3 until 23 rows are completed.

Finish off, leaving a long tail, approx 24"

Using a running stitch, cinch up the top and then whipstitch down the side.  Weave in both ends

Curly PomPom: (worked in complementary color)

round 1: ch 9, 3 sc in first ch from hook and in each ch to end.

round 2: ch 9, 3 sc in first ch from hook and in each ch to end. sl st anywhere into base of the curlycues.

Repeat round two 3 more times.  Finish off, leaving a 12" tail.

Sew pompom to top of hat.

For extra cuteness, blanket stitch around bottom.  

Creamsicle Cookies

I found this recipe somewhere on the web in the spring of 2005. I was 7 months pregnant and craving pastries and cookies, particularly anything lemon flavored.

I have since adapted it and have found that it is most sublime when orange zest and orange juice are used in place of the lemon zest and juice. It tastes just like a yummy Creamsicle!

Preheat oven to 350

1 c. butter (2 sticks) softened

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

zest of 1 small-medium sized orange

2 Tbs. fresh orange juice

2 Tbs. milk

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar

Cream butter and powdered sugar.

Add juice & zest, egg yolk & milk. Mix until mostly combined.

Add flour at slow speed and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough will be stiff.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Form dough into 1" balls and dip into granulated sugar. Place balls sugar side up on the cookie sheet. With the bottom of a drinking glass, gently flatten each ball to a thickness of 1/3".

Bake 11-13 min. @ 350 until cookies are slightly golden on the bottom.