Dem Bones Sugar Cookies

Two years ago when I saw these cookies on the Sprinkle Bakes blog I knew I wanted to make them. So, I ran out and got the pan, put it away, and never gave it another thought until a couple of weeks ago when number one son came over to help me excavate the pantry, and there it was.

Thank goodness I got them made in time for Day of the Dead, even if I did come right down to the wire. Sadly, the bone pan is no longer available (Local readers are welcome to borrow mine.), but I had to post about these delicious cookies because this recipe from the back of the pan packaging is so good and such a dream to work with that doubtless you can use it for cut-out cookies or to fill another Wilton molded cookie pan. This dough and the glaze (and perhaps a sprinkling of sanding sugar for some sparkle) would work perfectly with the Wilton snowflake cookie pan, for example.

Dem Bones Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons white food color
1 tablespoon almond extract
Milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray pan cavities with baking spray.

Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in egg and extracts; mix well. Combine flour and salt; add to butter mixture. Beat just until combined. Press dough into cavities, filling each 2/3 full. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn pan over, lightly tap pan on counter and cookies will pop right out. Cool completely on a wire rack. Allow pan to cool before refilling it.

For glaze: Combine confectioner’s sugar, Icing Color, and almond flavoring in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and stir slowly with a wire whisk.  Gradually add more milk, a little at a time, until the mixture loosens and the glaze falls in a thick ribbon from a spoon. The mixture should not be so thick that it sits on top of the cookie and doesn’t run off the edges. Allow the cookies to dry (about 2 to 3 hours) before transferring them to an air-tight container for storage.

This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story

Deviled Spider Eggs

People will often ask me where I get the inspiration for blog posts. After nearly six years of blogging and close to 2,000 posts, that's a very good question. The answer is easy: everywhere!

Today's brief bit was inspired by, of all things, the cover of this mystery novel by Blair Merrin. Once I saw these darling little "spider eggs" on the cover I just knew I had to give them a try. They are super easy to make, and as versatile as your repertoire of deviled egg recipes. 

All it takes is a handful of large, pitted black olives, a sharp knife, and a dexterous hand. Use whatever recipe you and your family like, and get to decorating. One black olive makes one spider. Simply cut it in half and use one half for the body, and then slice the remaining half longways, and then make four slices across to make the eight legs. It's a fun project for the kids, make ahead, and sure to elicit smiles and comments at your next spooky gathering.

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Art of Homemaking Monday

Bats & Webs Potato Snacks

Did you ever notice how the people with money seem to be the people who never spend it? I'm guessing that's probably why they have money. My dad has a few pennies in his pocket, but even so, makes it his habit to shop at Aldi. Now, he isn't really a cook, but manages to eat quite well by shopping there. A couple of months ago after we had lunch out together, because he needed a few things, I suggested that we go to Aldi. After our walk-thru we met at the checkout, him with a few items in his hands, me with my cart full to bursting. What a place! I could not believe all of the goodies that they had. Wonderful, quality items, beautiful produce, and what prices! Now I'm a diehard fan.

While it may seem like it, let me assure you that this is not a sponsored post, I just love Aldi.  Today I'm popping in to tell you about the cutest, crunchiest potato snacks that are perfect for Halloween. Look at these! Fluffy and light and shaped like bats and spider webs, and check out the detail! I served these to my son the other day with barbecued beef sandwiches and ended up sending him home with the rest of the bag.

If you're looking for some last minute snacks to fill some Halloween goodie bags, or to serve for your party, swing by Aldi and grab a bag of these. They're in the Halloween candy section. Hurry!

Have a great weekend everybody.

Sharing the Teapot Love

I received so many wonderful comments about the teapot in this post that I decided to do a post featuring it alone. 

This teapot is called "Darby and Joan," and it's by Tony Wood. If you haven't seen Tony Wood teapots in the past, give them a Google, you will fall in love with them. 

They're relatively inexpensive, always nicely done, whimsical, and fun. 

The teapot that I featured is available on eBay, and for a very reasonable price. The last time I looked you could get this particular teapot for prices ranging anywhere from $25-$65. 

I never fail to get compliments every time I use it. No one is ever expecting to see an image on both sides, and that's what makes it fun.

I think this is probably one of my favorite teapots because the size is just perfect for two nice cups of tea, it's easy to handle, pours well, and always elicits a comment or two. I am completely enamored with his Sherlock Holmes Hound of the Baskervilles teapot, that continues to elude me, but if I find it available online, I'm going to pounce on it.

Thank you for all of your lovely comments about "Darby and Joan." Those of you who are interested in having one of your very own, head to eBay and good luck! If you get one, tell me about it, and post your wonderful display. Gotta run, time for tea.

This post is linked to:

Art of Homemaking Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
 Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Homestead Wednesday
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Home Sweet Home

Tablescape Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Weekend Linky Party

Grace at Home

Simple & Sweet Friday

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Share Your Cup

Wildly Original

Creative Ways Party

Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

Witchy Tea Time

I'm not sure what it is, but in the past month I have completely embraced cross-stitch.

Perhaps it's because I spent the last three years caring for Mr. O-P and wasn't able to nurture my creative side, but these days I feel supercharged with creative energy. I've already finished two counted cross stitch projects, am fully immersed in the third, and continue on with numerous other creative endeavors.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you've seen some of these projects come together. Interestingly enough every project I've done so far has inspired a table setting.

Today's cross-stitch project (and table setting) is the first piece of cross-stitch I've ever done on a piece of linen fabric. In the past, all of my cross-stitch projects were done on a grid type of cloth like aida cloth. I'm quite proud of myself for doing this project, not only was it a lot of fun, but it was a first for me, and I think it turned out beautifully. I considered framing it, but instead decided to turn it into a pillow, and I'm very happy with the results.

I used the colors from the pillow to inspire this “witchy” table setting. If you struggle to come up with a theme for a table, look around your house, observe your favorite things, and see if you can't put those together as a centerpiece or as inspiration for a lovely table.

I don’t really have anything green, so grabbed a couple of those wicker plate holders and spray painted them lime green. Don’t you just love the way they look?

Everything else on the table has been used before (And I’m quite proud of that because I am really, REALLY -- I mean it -- trying to control my passion for tableware. Really.), with the exception of a couple of pieces of Mr. O-P’s mother’s tea set, part of which you first saw here. The fact that the silver is well worn on this antique set just makes it more appropriate.

Placemats, napkins, brown and amber plates – Pier One

Skull Plates and Placemats – Three French Hens (last year)

Tablecloth – Antique Farmhouse

Books and Skull Cookie Jar – World Market (last year)

Skull Mugs – Williams-Sonoma (last year)

Glasses – La Rochere

Witch Candy Dish - Fitz & Floyd (last year)

This post is linked to:

Art of Homemaking Monday
 Dishing it and Digging it
Amaze Me Monday
Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Homestead Wednesday
Thoughts of Home on Thursday

Tablescape Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Weekend Linky Party

Grace at Home

Simple & Sweet Friday

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Share Your Cup

Wildly Original

Creative Ways Party

Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

Gingered Apricot Granola

Someone asked me the other day why it is that every fall we seem to happily embrace pumpkin spice. Honestly I don't know. It's become quite a thing in recent years, and I see huge displays of pumpkin spice items in the grocery stores. Not that I'm complaining. I've fallen on the pumpkin spice bandwagon myself, but it is puzzling that we just tend to go for it in the fall months; pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin are available year-round.

I feel the same way about soups, stews, and homemade granola. It's not all that often that I make these things during the summer, but once fall hits, I'm making them like crazy. Homemade granola is something I absolutely love, not just as a cereal for breakfast, but also as a topping for quick breads and coffee cakes, a mix-in for salads, as a crunchy ice cream or yogurt topping, and, if it's chunky enough, to eat as a snack on its own.

Making granola is very easy once you have a basic recipe. Essentially oats, a sweetener, and a binder are pretty much all that you need. I like to experiment by building on these things, throwing in different fruits, nuts, and spices that I like, to see what I end up with.  You can seriously go crazy with all of the combinations that are available. Consider, for example, pumpkin pie spice and Pepitas in place of nuts for a pumpkin spice granola. If you prefer apple pie, make an apple pie granola using chopped dried apples, walnuts, and apple pie spice. You're limited only by your imagination, so take this recipe and run with it.

This week I came up with a maple syrup-sweetened apricot and crystallized ginger variety that is quite an eye-opener for breakfast in the morning thanks to its peppery ginger addition.

Nothing is easier than throwing this together. You can do it in a couple of minutes, bake it up, give it a stir halfway through baking, let it cool, and serve. I keep glass jars on the counter in the kitchen filled with different cereals, one of which contains homemade granola. You’re going to want to give this recipe a try.

Gingered Apricot Granola

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 8-ounce can mixed nuts

½  teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup crystallized ginger, diced fine

1 3-ounce package Melissa’s dried apricots, diced fine

 
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spread mixture evenly in a large shallow 1” deep baking pan and bake, stirring and halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Cool granola in pans on racks for 15 minutes, and then stir in ginger and apricots.

This post is linked to: Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Coffee and Conversation, Share Your Style, Thursday Favorite Things, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Food with Friends, the Art of Simple Gatherings, Reviewed

In order for me to like a cookbook it has to have three things: an attractive layout with beautiful and plentiful pictures, be written from the heart with personal experiences interlaced with tasty and unique recipes, and it has to be inspiring. So, Food with Friends, the Art of Simple Gatherings by Leela Cyd, meeting the above criteria should be a five-star book...but it isn't. Don't get me wrong, I like it, I like it a lot, but I am a member of the food blogging community and a "foodie," so the biggest appeal for me were the lovely layouts, and wonderful text. The recipes were secondary.

Now, normally, this wouldn't bother me because while they did not inspire me, the layouts, the Anything-Goes Breakfast Board, and section called "Tiny Takeaways" on treats to make, beautifully package, and give to friends did. But the inspiration came more from the photos than the food.

Now, it's just a guess, but I think most people buy cookbooks for the recipes more than anything else. In this book you will be offered things like Sweet Tahini Buns, Raw Vegan Cacao and Coconut Hearts, Socca Cakes with Labneh & Fennel, Rose Flan, Matcha Egg Cream, and Orange Blossom Hagelslag on Toast.

The title is also a bit of a let down in that there is nothing simple about the recipes in this book. Okay, the Maple Kettle Corn was simple, and it was good, but ay-yi-yi, most of the recipes require a lot of time, a decent bit of skill, and some oddball ingredients. And, if I can be honest, there was really no recipe in this book that I wanted to make. I'd like to think that the reason for this is because the recipes in this book lean more to the sweet than the savory, and I prefer the latter, but, really, while they all presented beautifully, none of them really sounded good.

This book speaks to a specific audience, and while I thought I'd be a member of that group, I simply wasn't. But don't let me discourage you. Give it a look at your local library to see if it is the book for you and, if it is, dive right in and buy a copy. If you enjoy reading cookbooks as much as I do, you will be well entertained. If you prefer to cook from them, you might just feel this one falls short.

Three and a half out of five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.