Travel

Best. Cookie. Ever. and other assorted brilliance.

I present the best Oatmeal, Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie.
DSCF0615 They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.  The cranberries present a lovely tang when balanced against the dark chocolate and the brown sugar dough.  Not too many chips or craisins and the oats aren't all up in your grill, either.  They are in a word, perfection.  Don't you want some?  You do?  Okay, here's the recipe:

Oat Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies by me.

2 sticks butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. castor sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 - 1 1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
3/4 c. craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries)

ovens at 350 f    please.
 cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.
In theory, you should sift the dry, but I never do.  Mix in flour, salt and soda until a good dough forms.  Fold in oats, chips and craisins.

Bake 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven.  They tend to burn quickly, so watch the first tray or two.  Cool on a rack and eat!

But what to store these little treats in?  Oh, I know!!  An awesome cookie jar that I smuggled back from the UK in my suitcase. How could a cookie jar be awesome you may ask? Because its a retro, ceramic (not that cheap, plastic crap you see making the rounds), Dr. Who TARDIS cookie jar - hell yeah! And it was only a tenner!   Bask in it's glory, internets!
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Checklist

Finish the back panel of Jemima.....check!
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Sew an obscene number of Buck-A-Block squares (as I was horribly behind on them)......check!
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Plan a delicious and well deserved Valentine's Day mini break someplace lovely (like here)......check!


See, I do get things done....sometimes.
See you after V-Day!

Back From SAFF

I am back from a wonderful and exhausting weekend in Asheville, NC at the South Eastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF for short).  It was great.  I bought beautiful yarn and got to see Rachael who I hadn't seen in four (yes, FOUR) years.  Good Stuff!  Here's what the place looked like:
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Here is a shot of our combined yarn haul (at least half from Brooks Farm):
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Here are a Lama and two angora bunnies:
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We ate at the BEST restaurant, Rezaz.  Seriously, when in Asheville, eat there.  So good.  really.  wow.
Good Food, Farm animals, Good Friends - much fun was had by all!

This Weekend

No Saturday torte this week.  In fact, no more posts until next week,  Why you may ask?  B/c I leave the day after tomorrow for SAFF!!!  YAY!  I am meeting my friend Rachael and we're going to have a yarn good time (sorry for that awful pun).  Lots of pictures to follow.

See you all at SAFF!

NJ/PA Weekend Extravaganza

Well, we have returned from our trip to Ocean City, NJ for J's niece's Bat Mitzvah.  Much Kohr's Brothers was eaten by all.  We got to go into Philly for the day and talk to all of our friends at B&N and meet a few more people for dinner that night.  So that was good.  I got to stop by Loop (eh, not worth it)  and we had drinks at Caribou and dinner at Vietnam, both excellent.  But the BIG FUN THING is this:

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Yep.  J's mom taught
me how to quilt and
she gave me her old
machine, a Bernina
1230, which I am
told is super bad ass.

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And she helped me
make this for a friend of mine
who just squeezed out a baby girl.




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Then she bought
me this so I could
make a new handbag.
So Good!!!

Raleigh, Here We Come

Friday morning we're off to Raleigh, NC for the weekend.  We'll return on Sunday. 

See you then!