Happy New Year

I hope this Sunday evening is finding everyone doing well.  I had a good and fairly uneventful weekend-just the way I like it!  We put away our Christmas decorations and I put out all my snowman stuff.  Every year I try to make some things to add to my collection.  This year I will be making a snowman table runner for my kitchen table.  Actually that is in the works.  Today, I stitched a cute little pillow hanging I saw in a magazine. 

It is made of felt.  I used 4"x4" squares for the front and back and just traced a very simple snowman onto white felt. I used blanket stitching and basic embroidery for the features to finish him up.  I love the button color I used.  I had some satiny black rope trim that I used to hang him up and there you have it.  I can't remember what magazine I saw this in, but I recalled how cute I thought it was and thought it would be quick to make. 

He fits in quite nicely with all my snowmen!

I also found time to get in the kitchen this morning and make a yummy coffee cake.  It is a pecan cherry coffee cake and it was easy.

 Turn your oven to 400 degrees and spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.  Melt 5 1/3 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan.  Pour that melted butter in the bundt pan and swish it around up the sides.  Sprinkle the melted butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar, 6 oz. whole maraschino cherries, and 1/3 cup pecans.  Set aside and prepare your batter: 2 cups Bisquick, 2 Tablespoons white sugar, 2/3 cup milk, 1 egg and 2 Tablespoons very soft butter.  Mix it by hand until smooth and spoon it over your sugar mixture in the bundt pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Immediately flip onto a plate.  Cool for a bit and glaze as desired.  As you can see from the picture, I desired much glaze! 

I have a tip for you about Bisquick.  A long time ago, when I was single and didn't bake as much as I do now, I went to make a Bisquick Impossible cheesecake for a party at work, and discovered my Bisquick had become "buggy" in the cupboard.  I had to run out to the grocery store and purchase a new box to make my cheesecake.  I talked to my Mom and she shared with me that she had experienced that once with oats so she kept her oats in the fridge from then on.  I decided to keep my flour, oats and Bisquick in the fridge and have done it ever since!  It has never affected the performance of any of these ingredients, and I feel better using it.  I used to keep my Bisquick in a clunky plastic container that poured and I usually made a mess trying to measure it for a recipe.  Well, I found something better!

This container is made by Oxo and I found it at my local Bed Bath and Beyond.  It was kind of pricey but it has been a lifesaver!  Measuring out my Bisquick is easy and mess free.  I just keep it on the bottom shelf of my fridge-right next to the canister of flour and the cardboard container of oats!

I also wanted to pass along a killer hot drink idea I found on another blog. 

  This is a picture of a hot caramel apple cider float and it is beyond good!  I found it on Shaken Together and had to give it a try.  I am not a coffee drinker and due to my newly discovered chocolate allergy, I had to give up hot chocolate.  I love my tea and my chai but sometimes you need something special to warm you up.  This is it!  The only problem I had is that I wanted one every night!  Proceed with caution-you will be hooked! 

I have several projects in the beginning stages, so I hope I have time this week to work on them.  It has been wintry here which is different from last winter.  It makes curling up in the evening and watching tv really cozy.  I suspect I will want to knit and crochet more instead of sewing.  The snowman table runner I am making should entice me back into my sewing room!  Stay warm everyone and take care.   Nancy