June Classmate Dinner...

Back row (l-r): Dan, Brad, Deb B, Handsome and me Front: Bruce, Deb N, and Lisa

Handsome joined us again this month for dinner. As always, we had a great visit, and shared events since our last get-together.

One of our regulars, Cal had surgery last week, so he continues to heal. We'll see him again next month.

I made two dozen cinnamon rolls, and with the exception of the four I kept at home, sold almost all of them to my buddies. Deb B. was so enthused, she opened her duo and tore one apart to let everyone know they were tasty. 

I was originally going to bring one two-pack back home until our waitress asked if I had any left because they looked so good. She ended up purchasing my last pack, so I came home with an empty tote. Yay, me!

I'm going to work on my Etsy shop today. My plan is to update current listings, and add a new category or two. I should have new items up by the end of the day. 

Now I'm going to pour a cuppa, feed the birds, and then get busy. See you later!

 

Baking On A Rainy Day...

As I write this, there's a gentle rain falling on the fields surrounding Hickory Hill. The birds are singing, and the crops are lapping up every bit of it. The forecast predicts this will continue all day.

This photo is from a previous baking marathon day, but I'll be making more warm cinnamon rolls just like these.

This afternoon is our monthly classmate dinner, and it was requested that I bring more frosted goodness to sell. So, I'm already in the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee and cinnamon on my mind.

I wish you a day filled with wonderful things. I'll be back tomorrow with photos from my day today. 

Enjoying Life...

 

I'd love to think this could be me, but who am I kidding? In case you're curious, yesterday morning began with me in the kitchen making two dozen homemade stuffed oreos to take to the physical therapy staff. (They were a huge hit, too!)

When I opened the little fridge to put the dough in to chill for an hour, I saw the venison loin I put in there to thaw on Saturday...and completely forgot. Soooo, once the dough was in the fridge, I had at least an hour to deal with the venison.

I sliced it into medallions and then browned it with onions and placed them in jars. I didn't have time to run the canner before PT, but I wouldn't have lit up the canner for three pints. I put the lids and rings on them and put them in the fridge until I can properly can them after work today.

After PT, I ran to the grocery store. I needed a few things for something else I'm going to can so the pressure canner gets filled. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. 

Instead, I made a batch of cinnamon rolls last night. Two 2-packs are going to my coworkers, another 2-pack to Andy and Shelly, and a 2-pack for Handsome and me. It was a good day (and night).

I work until 4:30 today, and then I'm going to do my batch of canning. I can't wait to tell you what I'm making to fill up my pressure canner! See you tomorrow.

Oh, and maybe this image will be my life next year. For now, busy suits me just fine. 

Mondays Are For Baking...

After they cooled, I frosted the cinnamon rolls. Most are going to friends. A few will stay here. Bread for the freezer, and some for our neighbors.

Today, I'll be working my regular shift, so I'd better get cracking. See you again tomorrow. 

Cinnamon Rolls Recipe...

Cinnamon Rolls

As promised, today I'm going to share the recipe I use for the delicious cinnamon rolls I make here at the farmhouse. I cannot take credit for the recipe. It's the result of a post I saw from Elizabeth Lucenti on Instagram. HERE is a link to her channel (thehomemadefam), where you'll find lots of delicious things. 

All you have to do is click on the image to save it to your desktop or phone, and you can print it out from there.

Recipe Page2

Recipe Page 2

If you decide to make these, PLEASE let me know what you think of them. Fair warning: They're dangerously delicious! Also, you can see from my photograph that I love lots of cream cheese frosting. I almost always make a double batch for the rolls.

Haircut this morning, and then I'm going to relax and stitch all day. I'll see you again tomorrow!

MMM MMM, Good...

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

I baked four packages of four cinnamon rolls yesterday. I woke up early, and had them rising in the pan by 10:30. They bake for less than half an hour, so I only had to wait for them to cool enough to frost. I had that done by 2:00 pm or so.

One package went up the hill to Andy and Shelly, and two of the packages went to Kim and Teresa at work. That left these beauties for us. Handsome and I shared one after dinner last night. There's nothing quite like a fresh cinnamon roll.

I'll be canning today. I have all my recipes pulled, the jars are waiting, and I can't wait to get started. My first batch will be mushrooms. Then, I'll clean and cut carrots for the jars. Last project for the day will be canning Alfredo sauce. I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to quit by then. Photos on Monday!

The wind is blowing and we were getting snow as I write this. It's still so cold, but I bundled up when I went to work, and we're staying in all day (except that I think I need to refill bird feeders). I'll be back to chat on Monday, but of course, I'll share a scripture with you tomorrow. Be warm and safe, dears.

A Different Kind Of Commission...

I got an order this week, but not for anything even remotely related to needlework. I got an order for some of my baked goods. Granted it was for a relative, but still. It's a paying gig. The order is for two four-packs of cinnamon rolls, ten strawberry scones, and two loaves of bread.

I figured I'd do a little prepping because I don't know exactly when my surgery will be scheduled, but I likely won't be baking for a little while. So, I made four trays of cinnamon rolls instead of just the two ordered. They freeze well and I can frost them later. 

I also made extra bread, trying a couple loaves in round form. Then, I tackled the scones. I have to freeze them for at least ten minutes prior to baking, but they can be frozen longer, which was perfect. I made sixteen strawberry scones, which will leave some for us after I fulfill the order for ten. I also made white chocolate/raspberry scones (shown frozen in the photograph), and then I made an experiment...fresh rhubarb scones. I took two out of the freezer and baked those for Handsome and me to test after dinner last night. They got a raving thumbs up from my resident taste-tester. I'm glad I have six more of those, too.

Believe me when I say I was pooped by dinner time. I've had more than a few requests for my scone recipe, too. Now that I'm selling the baked product, I've decided to create a pdf file of the recipe and make it available in my Etsy shop for a minimal fee. I've been fine-tuning the recipe, so it will be ready some time next week - with photographs. Once I list it, I'll let folks know in case anyone wants to purchase it.

I'm frosting the cinnamon rolls and strawberry scones first thing this morning, and then I'll be driving out to deliver them. I work at four today, so I'll get back home toot sweet and put my feet up to relax and rest my knees until it's time to dress and report for duty. I can't believe it's already Friday again. Can someone please tell me where the heck this week went?

I Couldn't Help Myself...

I started my day hand mixing a double batch of farmhouse bread, and during it's first and second rise, I packaged my homemade brownie, cookie and corn muffin mixes. I was feeling quite accomplished already, and then I decided to make cinnamon rolls.

I made a double batch of rolls, and believe me, they're not all staying here! I'm going to surprise my overworked boss, Kim with some this afternoon adding a few extras for people I know will be at work when I drop by. (I don't work again until tomorrow.) I'm also taking some to Andy and Shelly when I drop off their bread, too.

The nicest part is that when I bake bread, I also make hamburger buns (believe me, they're not as big as they look in the photo!), and when the kitchen is finally closed after a full day, I can make a simple meal for Handsome and me using those rolls. Last night it was homemade hamburgers and American fries. 

All in all, it was a very productive and satisfying day. Even so, I never got to sit down to work on my bluebirds, so that's my plan for today. Sit and stitch. Period. Well, except that I'll take a break early afternoon to deliver cinnamon rolls to my favorite boss. I'll need to stretch my legs by then anyway. 

Happy May Day!!

 

March Classmate Dinner...

We had a larger group this month, and we celebrated the Birthday of one of our group. Dan (center front in the blue plaid shirt) turned seventy. Because my birthday is in December, I'm older than many of my classmates. We'll be celebrating more of them in the coming months, but yesterday was Dan's day.

One of the gals left before we got to taking our monthly photograph, but we managed to snap a few before the group broke up for the night.

I spent the morning and early afternoon making cinnamon rolls, and was extremely gratified that all of them sold, with the exception of one pack of two. The rest were packs of four. I stopped at work on my way home and gave my boss, Kim the last package. When someone asked her if it was her birthday, she said, "No. Donna just loves me." She's right. I've known her since she was six or seven and it feels like we're family.

Now that our party is behind me, I'll be concentrating on packaging up all the giveaway gifts, and the extra something I'll be sending to those who shared their mailing addresses. Once that's finished, I'd really like to try to do a little needlework. We'll have to see how that works out.

December Classmate Gathering...

Back Row (l-r): Ken, Donna, Jeff, Deb, Kathy, Dan, John and Jay. Front Row (l-r): Julie, Bruce, Janet, Deb, Brad

Last night, I went to bed happy tired. I got up early in the morning and made three dozen cinnamon rolls. I got them frosted just in time to drop off some rolls at work, and get to the restaurant for our classmate get together with the rest of them. Thankfully, I came home empty-handed. As usual, we had a great group, and we spent lots of time gabbing, laughing, and eating great food. I look forward to seeing them every month. 

I'll be busy with the elves today, so I'm going to keep this short. I have lots to do and plan to keep my blinders on for the next few days. You can count on me to share what I get done, and what's left to do. Nothing like waiting until (nearly) the last minute, right? I seem to work best under a wee bit of pressure. See you tomorrow.

A Cinnamon Roll Day...

"Christmas In The Wood" by Philip Vinton Clayton (1865-1946)

I'm sure you can understand why I love this image so much. I'd like to think that this sort of shenanigans take place in our "habitat" when I take treats down to feed our resident critters. We still don't have lasting snow on the ground this season (but we're supposed to get 3-5" on Thursday), so I have only taken down apple, carrot, corn, and a couple other fruit/vegetable snacks so far. I won't be putting down anything that will attract the resident coyotes any closer to the farmhouse than they already come.

I'm hitting the ground running today. I have three double batches of cinnamon rolls to make and frost by 2 pm today. I have our monthly classmate dinner at 3 pm, and a couple four packs to drop off to two of the gals at work on my way to the restaurant. Of course, there have to be some for here, and a four pack for our neighbors.

I'd love to chat, but I have a lot to do. Enjoy this image and I hope it makes you smile as much as I did. I'll be back tomorrow with our monthly group photograph. 

Baking Day...

Baking Day at Hickory Hill Farm

It was a very productive day. Handsome took this photograph before the cinnamon rolls were cool. I frosted them about a half hour later.

No. We won't eat all this ourselves. We share bread with Andy and Shelly next door, and the rest of the loaves freeze well until we need it. We'll only keep four of the cinnamon rolls. One batch goes up the hill with bread, and the two trays in front are sold. The rolls are for a couple burgers tonight, and the rest will freeze, too.

We did get a lot of blowing snow yesterday, so it really was nice to stay indoors and warm. The "barn" girls (yeah. Not so much anymore.) didn't want a thing to do with the white stuff. They chose to stay indoors, but as we have no Labrador litter box, the big girls went outside. Bella greeted the snow like an old friend. She ran around like a puppersnapper. Carly, on the other paw, just wanted to do her business and get back inside. That's okay. Handsome didn't want to hang around outside either.

I'm delivering cinnamon rolls to Fond du Lac this morning, doing a little grocery shopping, and dropping off baked treats for our dear neighbors. Once back home, I'll stitch some more on the bluebirds until it's time to put in my three hours at work. I'm not going to share my needlework until I get more done than I have so far. Probably Monday.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Baking Day...

I've seen where the weather temperatures are going to slowly rise into the near 90ºF range by midweek next week, so I wanted to get my bread baked while it would still be comfortable for me to light the oven (to 400ºF) in the farmhouse. Yesterday was the perfect day.

I also had a few orders for fresh cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, so I added those to my list. By the end of the day I'd baked six loaves of farmhouse bread, and these three trays of homemade cinnamon goodness. They were delivered to my customer late day.

Handsome and I sat with our calendars yesterday, so I now know when I'll be running him to doctor and physical therapy appointments over the next month. It's going to get busy. He has appointments every day next week.

His brother was originally scheduled to come into town on Saturday, but called yesterday to let us know he's ill and won't be traveling until he's in the clear. Thankfully, one of our sons is able to help out on Tuesday. I work that day, and I could change that, however I really don't like driving down to Milwaukee, so he's going to stand in for me for that office visit. I owe him one!

We have an appointment this morning, and I'll work at 4:00 today, but that leaves the middle of the day for me to sneak in a little needlework. I'm going to try to complete something I started a little while ago. If I finish it, I'll share a photo (or at least a sneaky peek) tomorrow. 

See you Saturday!

June Classmate Dinner...

Our monthly classmate dinner has become quite a hit, with more people joining each month. There were twelve of us yesterday, with another classmate who saw us jumping in for the photograph.

L-R back row: Al, Claire, Janet, Max, me, Bruce, Mary, and Dan  L-R front row: Karen S., Julie, Karen C., Deb B. and Brad.

Brad recently had a birthday and Bruce had been coveting my cinnamon rolls since seeing a post I put up on Facebook last month, so I baked a tray of 15 rolls for our gathering (plus a tray of 6 for home) in the morning. I frosted them about a half hour before heading to the restaurant. I was quite gratified when everyone tucked into theirs after dinner. They were a huge hit, and I even have orders (they're going to buy them from me!) for next month. Actually, there were four rolls left at the end of our meal, and Bruce snagged those to take home, handing me money before we parted. I may be onto a little side business here!

We love taking these photographs each month to capture these moments in time. Hard for me to believe that we range in age from 68 to nearly 70. We sure don't act or feel like it (most of the time). When we get together, it's like we go back in time for a little while and forget all our cares. It's really nice.

We set our date before parting ways and are looking forward to seeing each other next month. I wish all of you could join us. We're a really fun group of friends to hang around with.

We woke up to overcast and cool weather yesterday, so I knew it was a perfect day to spend baking. I began with farmhouse bread, and while the loaves went through the process of rising, folding, repeat, I made the dough for the cinnamon rolls.

No. These aren't all for us. I definitely know my boundaries, so we share. Some will go up the hill, and this time I'm also sharing with a couple friends from work. One of the gals bartered venison and halibut for some of our canned delights. I'm adding baked goods when I see her today. I do love bartering!

I work from 10-7 today, so I'll be away most of the day while Handsome and the girls hold down the fort. This weekend, I'll be setting up the last of the frog brooches to make into scissor fobs and brooches. It's time to send them hopping to their new homes. I'll probably set them up on Saturday so I can start on them right away.

Did you notice the fresh lilacs in the background of my picture? The blossoms are just beginning to open up. I think that means there will be lilac jelly in the near future, too! If you've never tried it, you don't know what you're missing. I don't make it "perfume" strong, so it only has a lilac hint, but served on pound cake with a little whipped cream is heavenly. Yes. I'm sure there will be lilac jelly again this year.

Are you ready for the weekend? Do you have plans for Mother's Day? Are you creating something fun right now? I'd love to hear about it!

My Concept...

This is the template for my latest idea. I'm going to take the Corgi from my For The Love of a Corgi logo and label to create a coordinating goldwork brooch to offer for sale. As with all FTLOAC items, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to CorgiAid.

As I was contemplating the design for the brooch, I first went with the idea of a corgi profile. Then it hit me. Why not at least attempt to recreate the logo dog for my goldwork piece? So, this will be my next project. (Fingers crossed it works) I'm at work all day today, but will definitely be putting needle to fabric on Wednesday!

My day of baking was fun. In addition to bread and hamburger buns, I also made my first batch of cinnamon rolls, which was shared with Andy and Shelly. Feedback from Shelly and Handsome was that they were success. I'll be making those again, too!

Well, I'd better pull myself together. I'll be at work by 9:45 and put in a full (for me) day. I'll be back tomorrow to visit. I hope you have a great day!

Buns In The Oven...

Brynwood Needleworks - Baking At The Farmhouse

 

Actually, they're rolls. I just couldn't resist the funny title for my post. hee hee I started the day with coffee and baking. I made two loaves of bread for the freezer, and then a HUGE pan of homemade monster cinnamon rolls. The recipe came from my bread making classes at the technical college last year. This was my first attempt to make my own, and all we could say was "YUM"!

I actually mixed up a batch of the cinnamon toast topping that Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) uses on her "Cinnamon Toast, The Right Way" recipe (for recipe click HERE) as the filling. I added Hickory Hill Farm hickory nuts to half the batch, and it was even better.

Brynwood Needleworks - BIG Cinnamon Rolls

 

Handsome and I have been watching episodes of Food Paradise on the Travel Channel lately. We've seen some fabulous places across the country that we'd love to visit (to try their cuisine, too). One of the restaurants they featured made the biggest cinnamon rolls I've ever seen. So, I decided to make my version extra big, too.

 

The restaurant even puts out containers of "just frosting", because they believe a person should be able to top their cinnamon roll with as much frosting as they want. I made extra, too! Half this pan headed up the hill to Andy and Shelly, and of course, I added a container of "auxilliary" frosting to the delivery. I hope they're a hit. 

Handsome and I split one to make sure the quality and taste was up to snuff. There were lots of yummy noises...and someone's beard was delightfully full of frosting. (I'll give you a hint...It wasn't me! He had to scrub up after he was finished!) We really laughed like little kids enjoying a forbidden treat.

My baking took up the morning and into mid-afternoon. We sat a bit, and then went outside to mow the lawn. I'm having a surgical procedure today (no worries. I'm fine), so I wanted to help before I'm sitting around for a while. Did you know I love mowing the grass? I use our small riding mower, and Handsome uses the big mower, so we finish in no time at all.

I have to be at the hospital by 6 am, as I'm the first surgery. I'm probably already out of the operatory by the time you'll read this. They expect I'll be home early afternoon...as soon as I'm out from under the general anesthetic (and not drooling on myself anymore). 

My plan is to take it easy through the weekend, and just stick to working on my new Strawberry Sachets. Maybe I'll even get waited on a little bit! Handsome always takes great care of me. I'll be back tomorrow with an update. I probably won't be cleared to handle needles today, so I'll likely spend more time sleeping and recuperating - and get back to stitching tomorrow. See ya later!