OLD-FASHIONED HERSHEY'S COCOA FUDGE

 ITS THE BEST OF FUDGES.  WHEN I SAW THIS RECIPE DONE ON YOUTUBE, I HAD TO POST IT FOR ALL MY FRIENDS.  ITS THE ONE I MAKE EVERY CHRISTMAS, THE ONE THAT MY FAMILY LOVES AND ALWAYS WANTS TO ENJOY.

IF YOUR FAMILY WANTS THE KIND OF FUDGE GRANDMA USED TO MAKE, THIS IS IT.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups Granulated Sugar

2/3 Cup Hershey's Cocoa (in the dark brown can)

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Cups Evaporated Milk

4 oz. Unsweetened Butter (1/4 Cup)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Nuts as desired.  

I HAVE TO ADMIT TO NOT USING A CANDY THERMOMENTER, PREFERRING TO TEST FOR THE SOFT-BALL STAGE IN A BIT OF COLD WATER.  

I AGREE ALSO, THAT DOUBLING THE RECIPE DOES NOT WORK.  I TRIED IT AND IT NEVER WORKED FOR ME.

IF YOU WANT A TERRIFIC TASTE OF OLD, TRY THIS FUDGE SOMETIME.  IT MAY END UP BEING YOUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE, LIKE MINE.

ENJOY!

NO-KNEAD EASY ARTISAN BREAD IN DUTCH OVEN

I wanted to post this video here so I can make this bread in the winter months.  Placing it here makes it handy.

You need an oven-safe Dutch oven with a lid, plus parchment paper in a 450* oven.

The ingredients are simply:

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon Yeast

1 teaspoon Table Salt

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 Cups Hot Tap Water

The video is from Living Traditions which is a homestead family with great ideas on cooking and growing your own foods, from vegetables and fruits to eggs and meat on the table.

You can find them on YouTube under Living Traditions Homestead.  They are worth following with their many good ideas and lifestyle.

Enjoy.

ARMCHAIR CADDY IS FINISHED

 I have needed a new armchair caddy to hold at least 4 remotes so I designed one for myself and finished it today.

Here it is.  It holds my TV remote, Cable remote, a/c unit remote and my fan remote.  I can also place my phone in the pocket where I placed a white card in this photo.  It also a couple more pockets for pens, pencils, emery board, 6" ruler, and whatever else I may need handy.

It finished measuring 9 1/2 " wide and 50" long so there's a nice long tail to bury under the sofa cushions.  

Years ago I bought one and the tail was so short it kept popping up from the cushions.  It also only had 2 pockets.  When you make one yourself, you can make a really long tail and pockets for whatever you desire.

This photo is of our rear corner section of yard behind our apartment building and taken from my living room window.  We still have fall red showing.  I was surprised there are so many leaves left on the little tree you see there since our windstorm was terrible, even knocking out power lines and cable.  The burning bushes are really red and beautiful.

The pale yellow building in the background is an old unused factory that the town will be tearing down starting next month.  Its been empty for years before I moved here.  

  

The tan building is the control building for the dam that controls the river just beyond the building itself.  Sorry you can't see that in this photo.

Their parking lot is gravel and has parking for fishermen to fish in the river.  I know its home to a female snapping turtle since I've seen her come out to lay her eggs before.  She has taken many a young Canadian goose chick in the past.

As you can see, it was a foggy day when I took the photo.  

Have a good day.

OUR MAPLE TREE

Its just coming into full color, the old maple tree in our backyard.

Right now its in yellows, golds, orange, and red.  Soon it will be mostly red.

You can't beat the fall foliage in Maine each year.  We get such lovely color.

Sorry about the reflection of the window.  I had to take it thru a window and it made its own illusion.

Have a good day.

I NEED A NEW ARMCHAIR HOLD-ALL

 My current remote holder on my sofa arm is looking bedraggled and worn and I have been thinking I want one with more remote access.

This is my current one.  I actually have 2 remotes for my TV (one for cable), plus I have 2 small remotes like the white one you see there for my floor fan and my a/c unit.  I also like to have pencils, pens, emery boards, ruler, etc handy to use at all times.

I have redesigned a new one.  Here is the pattern and the 3 fabrics I have chosen for it.

It looks fine on paper and it will be extra long to tuck under my sofa pillows.  Ones you buy anywhere have shorter tails to tuck and come out all the time.  Mine never do since they are at least 24 inches long under the seat.  When anyone sits on the sofa, it holds the hold-all firmly in place.

I hope to get this one done within a week.   

Have a good day.

"The Crocheter" Wallhanging is FInished

 I finished the wall hanging I am doing as a gift to a friend.  "The Crocheter" finished at 13 1/2 by 18 1/2 inches.

I tried it on my apt. door and it looks okay.  I nearly forgot to add the crochet hook but now you can find it in red above her hands which makes it finished.

It will be a gift for a lady here in the building.  She works on crocheting afghans every day, even at 90.

Have a good day.

SOME PROGRESS ON LATEST WALL HANGING

 I worked on 'The Crocheter' wall hanging this morning.  I need to get it finished soon for my neighbor.  I have 'The Artist' on the drawing board waiting for action.

This is "The Crocheter" now bordered, layered and pinned.  There's not much more to do but I have other things planned for today that are not in the sewing room.

Have a good day.

WORKED ON 'THE CROCHETER' WALL HANGING.

Its been saved in WIPS (Work in Progress) box for a few months, but today I worked on "The Crocheter" which was formally named "The Knitter" since I think it will be a gift to a neighbor who crochets on afghans nearly every day.

Two reasons had it stalled.  One, it needed something more added for interest.  I decided to go with a painting.  I found just the fabric for that addition.  Second, should it be a knitter or not?  The scene certainly works for a lady busy crocheting so I changed the title.

Of course, though the satin-stitching is done, there is lots more to do before its finished; border, layering, quilting, binding.  For now I will set it aside so I can concentrate on doing some cooking this afternoon.

Have a good day.

I WAS ABLE TO HARVEST A LITTLE TODAY.

 I checked thru my garden plot today.  I actually tried to pull out my tomato stakes but not enough energy.   My son tells me he will do that for me this weekend when he visits.  He put them in for me and they are certainly solid.  Its nice to have a son who will do little things for me now and then.

Today I harvested a few things......

I was lucky to get 3 more tomatoes along with Italian parsley, thyme, and chives.  The thyme's aroma is so delightful.  I think that may be the last of the tomatoes.  But on a sweet note, I found 1 sweet pepper growing on each of my 2 plants.  They are still small and green.  I checked the weather report and we may be pretty close to frost temps next week, maybe even on Sunday.  If it looks like frost, I will quickly pick them.

My neighbor who has several Marigold plants posted a note for anyone to harvest what they like.  He will be pruning them out this week sometime.  I cut myself some to brighten my apartment.  They are colorful, but sorry to say they are not aromatic.  Still, its a nice fall look.

One vase of Marigolds.

Have a delightful day.

'GHOST IN A PUMPKIN' WH IS FINISHED.

 Thank goodness I finished another Halloween door hanging.  I have some others, but these are the newest and will be displayed this year with a couple of others.  "Ghost in a Pumpkin" finished at 11 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches so just the right size for my front door.

It always feels good to get another project finished.

Have a good day.

GHOST WH IS PINNED

I finished pinning my "Ghost in a Pumpkin" so next I need to quilt it.  This should measure about 12 by 18 inches when finished....

After this one is finished, I will venture into Xmas Holiday wall hangings.  I know Thanksgiving comes next, but what can you make beyond turkeys and cornucopias and I have enough of those.  My sketching hand is working on Xmas already.

Have a nice day.

MY '3 PUMPKINS' DOOR HANGING IS FINISHED

 Its finished, my "3 Pumpkins" wall hanging.  It measures 18 by 24 inches and is hanging on my apt. door right now.  I am all ready for Halloween.

It always feels good to finish a project.  Next will be another Halloween door hanging.

Have a good day.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER IDEA.

 I have been getting ideas for new quilt projects.

This one is "Ghost in a Pumpkin" all tacked down.

This one is "Helpful Moose" with 2 Xmas balls dangling from his antlers which he is bringing to help decorate the Xmas tree.  This caption may read, "Can you use these?"

I made a moose wall hanging a couple years ago which I enjoyed making.

I took a different route this time.  This big guy got himself in trouble.

I have also been thinking about little houses in winter.  I have one which I really like so thought a few more wouldn't hurt.  They will work well during winter after Xmas is behind us.... like this one......

Winter can be long and drawn out here is southern Maine.  I could use more winter subjects.  I am thinking also more birds wearing muffs and hats, too, like this one which are chickadees but maybe something in cardinals or blue jays......

My mind is clicking today.

Have a good day.

FALL IS HERE. SEWING AND CLEANING UP THE GARDEN.

 It's been cooler the last week or so.  Temps here in southern Maine are ranging in the 50s and 60F daytimes and nites drop to 50s and 40s now.  It's just lovely outdoors.  To date I do not see red leaves on our trees.  We usually see lovely color by the 10th to 15th of October, unless we have lots of rain.  That seems to put the brakes on having good leaf color.

I worked in my garden lately cleaning it up and getting it ready for bed for the winter.  Pulled out all the cucumber plants and most of the tomato plants that have given up the ghost and put the cucumber cages in storage.  I got 3 cukes before pulling them out and a few tomatoes.  Today I harvested 7 nice carrots.  My thyme, parsley, and chives are still doing just fine and my sweet peppers are still trying to grow some fruits.  They are tiny so far so I don't think they will get much larger before we hit a frost.

With the garden becoming a thing of the past, I have started back into sewing again.  With Halloween coming up soon, I drew a couple of Halloween pictures.

Here is "3 Pumpkins" all satin-stitched.  I still have the layering, quilting, and shading to do (eyes, crease shadows), along with adding the binding.  This will finish around 18" by 24" when it's done.

I also drew a 2nd sketch since I also love ghosts, the friendly and cute ones, not the horrid ghouls.

This one is titled "Ghost in a Pumpkin" and will be much smaller.  I hope to get them both finished before Halloween rolls around so I can have something cute for my front door.

The rest of my life is rather dull.  I clean house a little, cook a little bit and share with an older neighbor who does not do much cooking these days, and do lots of TV viewing, reading, and there's always the jig saw puzzles and crossword puzzles.  Once a week I am the Bingo caller here in the complex.  I enjoy doing it.  I do not do my own grocery shopping since I live daily with vertigo to some degree, some days better than others, so my darling son shops for me twice a month.  I could order my groceries in but he says he likes to do it so he can come visit with me a couple times a month.  I think I will keep him.  

My daughter, thank goodness, gets me to doctor appointments.  Thankfully they only happen every 6 months so though I get to see her now and then, it's not often. 

My life as I live it is pretty good.

Hope you are having a good day.

3 PUMPKINS DOOR HANGING STARTED

I am finally getting back to my sewing.  I started a new Halloween project, an 18 by 24 inch door hanging.

This is the sketch.....

I named it 3 Pumpkins.  

This is it as of today.  I managed to sew some of the parts to the background.  I still have the black cat and the fence to add and maybe something more when my little brain thinks about it.  

It feels good to be sewing again.

Have a good day.

JUST A QUICK CHECK IN

 Sorry I haven't checked in lately.  My routine has become rather dull of late.  

I check my garden daily to pick any fruits.  I have been getting enough tomatoes and cucumbers to share with other residents in my apartment house and with my family.  Also a few carrots since my plot was only a 12-inch square.  But darn they were tasty and super fresh.

                           A little of this and a little of that.

For herbs I have thyme and Italian parsley planted so those have been harvested the last few weeks as well.

Our Maine weather has been marvelous.  Our days have been from the high 70sF to the high 80s for the most part.  We only got a couple of hits at 90 plus this year so far.  That's a blessing.  I have not had to water my garden too often since we get rain at least weekly, and most of the time at night.  Living alongside the river, even on hot days we get a beautiful breeze which is so welcome.

Now temps are cooler with days in the 70s and nights in the 50s.

My pepper plants did not do well this year.  I only got a couple of sweets and so far, only one hot pepper.  There is one hot Surena growing now but am waiting for it to turn red.  My son loves hot peppers.  I won't touch them with a ten-foot pole.  I have no idea why I had a problem with peppers this year.  They did fine last year.  Maybe some pathogen in the soil from the store-bought Black Cow compost I added to my garden bed this spring.  It seems that end of the bed did not produce well at all.  Even a couple of tomato plants and the chives in that area did poorly and one cuke plant gave me only a few fruits this year.  Yup, there is something wrong in that half of the bed.

With cooler days coming all my plants will be slowing down to a crawl and I will soon have to put my little garden plot to bed for the season and hope for a better year in 2023.

With fall coming I will be back to making quilted art projects.  I have a few ideas burgeoning in my head and will work on them when it is cooler.  There is no a/c in my sewing area so I rarely do any sewing in the summer.

I hope you all had a good summer and wish you a better fall.

MY FIRST CUCUMBER

My first cucumber harvested today, July 18th.

This is a Bush Pickle cucumber and my first off the vine.  I am thrilled to have it and will enjoy it at lunch today.

As for my tomatoes, the first ones ripening are the Gold Nuggets as you can see among the green.  

This will be my first nice salad with my Bush Pickle cucumber and a few Gold Nugget tomatoes, the first of my season.

My garden is very green and looking good.  We are expecting t-showers this afternoon so I did not water my garden this morning.  

Another item to share with you is the wooden knife block I purchased online from Wayfair last week.  Originally, I had to keep my large knives in a drawer which made for difficult choosing and keeping them sorted.  This knife block eliminates that problem.  All the knives I had fit perfectly.  I love this block.  I can even slot my steak knives but have a smaller knife block for those.

Have a nice summer day.

EGG BITES RECIPE

 This recipe is being passed around my quilt group with good results.  Everyone that has tried it likes it and you can freeze the results, so it's never wasted.

Ingredients:   Makes 12

3 Slices bread, your choice, crusts trimmed away, cubed in 1 inch pieces

1/2 Lb Pork Sausage Meat, cooked.  Or frozen sausage patties or links, cooked and cut into small pcs.

4 Oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated

8 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Milk

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Options:  Cooked hash brown potatoes in small bits, small pieces spinach, or any veggie of your choice, cut very small.

Preheat your Oven to 350 degrees F

Use Silicone muffin pans or Silicone liners.

If you use non-stick pans you need to spray them well, otherwise your pans will be difficult to clean.  With silicones, even without any spray or oil, they pop right out.

 First..... Distribute the bread pieces on the bottom.

Next, add some cooked Sausage to each cup.

For the next step I added some Hash Browns but you can eliminate those or add some veggie your prefer, like spinach.

This was topped off with the grated Cheddar cheese.

Next is the Egg and Milk Mixture....

In a measuring bowl break 8 eggs, add 1 1/2 Cups Milk, also the pepper, salt and onion powder.  Whisk well to incorporate fully.

This is poured over your muffin cups evenly, but leave a little space at the top because the milk mixture will rise as it cooks.

To finish, place muffin pans in 350*F Oven for 25-30 minutes to cook through.

The result in a dozen muffin-sized Egg Bites.  You can freeze these to use later.  Just allow to defrost overnite in the fridge and microwave 30-60 seconds before enjoying. 

Or you can save in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Enjoy.

GARDEN UPDATE.....

 ITS BEEN A NICE COUPLE OF DAYS AND HAPPILY WE GOT A LITTLE RAIN LAST NITE, NOT MUCH, BUT A LITTLE MORE THAN A QUARTER INCH SO THAT'S GOOD.  MY GARDEN IS LOOKING GOOD.

My Bush Pickles are now covered in blossoms and many little cukes starting to grow.  

This Golden Star pepper has a nice one growing with several little ones to come.  It will turn golden when its ripe, but of course, one can pick peppers at any stage and they are good eating.

Little Napoli tomato is a small variety in size, but gives lots of nice normal-sized plum tomatoes.  There are many little toms growing and lots of blossoms to come.

Ruby Crush tomato is doing very well with its grape-size tomatoes starting to form.  

I am very happy with everything in my garden.  I harvested a couple of Romaine lettuces this morning and gave one to a neighbor who was walking her dog nearby.  She was pleased to get super fresh lettuce.  I will use mine for more BLTs for lunch today and tomorrow.  Its a good way to use up fresh lettuce.

Our temps have lowered from the 80 and 81 of a few days past.  We are back in the 70s days and 60s nites which pleases me, though peppers are not as pleased with those temps.  They grow best when its hotter. 

Happy gardening.

MY VEGGIE GARDEN IS COMING ALONG NICELY.

 My garden bed was a little dry this morning so I watered everything.  It's looking pretty good so far.  I see several baby tomatoes and some peppers sprouting on the plants.

Here is a long view of my little garden bed.  The cukes in the front cage, Straight 8s, are smaller plants than the Bush Pickles on the far side but doing well.

This is my Beaver Lodge plum tomato showing some fruiting.

My Little Napoli tomato is at the top and my Thyme plant is at the bottom.  I harvested some of the Thyme this morning.

With Ruby Crush, a tasty grape tomato variety, you can see some little grape-shaped tomatoes beginning.

In the pepper category, here is Golden Star, a sweet pepper, beginning to show some fruits.  Those are Romaine lettuces in front of the peppers. 

Sad to say, the hot peppers are not doing as well though I still hope to see some Surena hots this summer.  The Habanero is still stunted.

Among the lettuces, the Romaine and the Thom Thumb are still doing well so I harvested a nice Thom Thumb this morning.

Thom Thumbs are crisp and small, only 6 inches across.  I find it a great size for a large salad for one.

It will make a great salad today with some steak I have defrosted.

Have a good day.

STARTED ANOTHER DOOR HANGING TODAY.

 Today was a good day to begin some sewing projects.  

This will probably finish around 14" square when it's done.  Though I added a border, I still have layering, quilting, and binding before its finished.

I also pulled out a pattern I have had for years.  This one is The Knitter.

This is one of several patterns dealing with sewing activities.  This on shows The Knitter at work.  

I pulled several fabrics I think will work well with this one but have not started the sewing yet.

  I finished my first one, Quilting Bee, in 2008 which measures 28" by 31" and hangs in my bedroom for inspiration.

Above is the first project from those patterns, Quilting Bee, which was done in normal applique, long before I discovered I enjoyed Replique (upside down applique) much better.

Tired a bit from the sewing and so forth.  Will spend the afternoon watching the reruns of Downton Abbey on our PBS station.  It' a favorite of mine.

Have a good evening.

I AM STILL WORKING ON MY 'PINK IRIS GARDEN' DOOR HANGING

 It's been a slow time for me lately.  I have my little garden to tend and I am loving it.  So far the blossoms are thriving on my tomato plants and the cukes are looking strong. 

Look at all that greenery.  I made some Irish Spring soap baggies to hang around my little plot to deter the deer.  I understand we have at least one doe that comes thru our back yard in the evenings.  This trick worked in saving my young fruit trees at the house before I moved here so will try it again.

In the front Hosta garden, they are growing well and a couple of Hydrangeas are blooming.

The Pansies and chives in the patio pot are doing well, too.

My Pink Iris Garden door hanging is coming along.  Right now its very rough and unpressed.  

I added the dragonfly, the rest of my irises, the butterflies, and a fairy.  The next steps will be doing my satin-stitching around all the subjects so they stand out. Its rather hard to make them out as they are right now.

Then there is the mini-quilt I plan to make and use as a door hanging as well.

These are the blocks.  I will arrange them to suit me and get started on them in a day or two. The finished product should be around 14" or 15" square. 

Then its decision time again.  I want to make another door hanging but for now, I have no idea what subject to choose.  My fingers are itching to draw something.  Til then, I will have to make do with sewing and garden chores.

Have a good day.