Holiday Baking

Yesterday I spent about 7 hours in my little kitchen.
I made 2 pumpkin rolls which are in the freezer.
I also made about 12 dozen of my grandmother's Orange Cookies.  I didn't really count them all but each batch makes about 5-6 dozen and I made 2 batches.
Most of the cookies are in the freezer with the pumpkin rolls but I had to leave some out on the counter for us to eat right now (no - I mean there was no more room in the freezer so I had to leave some out - yes, that's right).

Here's the recipe if anyone wants to make some:
 

Grandma’s Orange Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I substitute 1 T lemon juice mixed into 1 cup whole milk)
3 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large navel orange - see note

Mix sugar and shortening until well blended then mix in eggs one at a time.

Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately to the sugar and egg mixture and mix by hand.

Note:
Zest the orange and then juice it.
Reserve 3 T of zest and 3 T juice for the frosting.
Add any leftover grated orange rind and orange juice to the buttermilk (if there is more than 3 T of either from one orange).

Edit:  drop by spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

FROSTING: Mix all together
1/2 cup soft butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 T orange juice
3 T chopped orange rind
3 cups powdered sugar

These freeze very well.  I usually freeze them on a cookie sheet after they are frosted.  Then I stack them in large containers with wax paper between the frozen layers.

Visit the Stitching Bloggers 2016 Cookie Recipe Exchange hosted by Stitching the Night Away
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

Home of a Needlworker Too finish

I am so excited to have finally stitched this LHN chart - Home of a Needleworker TOO.  I must have started it 3 or 4 times but I couldn't find the right floss and/or fabric to get it to feel right.  I set it aside thinking I would either have to order the recommended floss/fabric combination or never stitch it. 

I started thinking about a CCN chart called Liberty Lane that Rita/TX had stitched with her floss conversion - CLICK HERE to see her Liberty Lane finish.    The recommended floss creates a much softer, less patriotic look that you can SEE HERE

I tried RitaD/TX's floss colors for this chart and I couldn't stop stitching because I was so happy with the results.

This is stitched on 18 count White aida (don't ask me why it looks blue in the picture).  The Crescent Colors to DMC floss conversion is as follows:

Bamboo is 3865
Razzleberry is 3777
Old Blue Jeans is 3750
Brandied Pears is 420
Cocoa Bean is 3031
Hickory Sticks is 3371
Weeping Willow is 3052

Now that it is finished I think I should have used a little bit lighter brown instead of the DMC 3031 - there doesn't seem to be quite enough contrast between it and the 3371 but overall I am still very pleased with the end results.

Thank you so much to RitaD/TX for the idea and go HERE to visit her blog and see all of her pretty stitching.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]