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Bacon Maple Date Biscuits...

Did you know there are Dog Psychologists??  It's the only kind of psychologist that does more talking than the patient.  Lately, little Rosie and I have had several talk therapy sessions...where I expound on the virtues of going potty outside...I think she's starting to listen, I mean, she stares at me with her little eyes and I see her concentrating...I see her blinking in agreement...perhaps I missed my calling in life and all this time I should have been counseling dogs?!?  So our talk therapy sessions are going great...and while Rosie is taking her time, you know, coming to grips with her behaviors and how she needs to change, I'm strictly adhering to our routine...standing out in the rain every three hours, walking around with smelly dog treats in my pockets, going to Pet Smart every other day to purchase new toys, treats, beds, carpet spray, etc.$$$! 

 

One thing Rosie loves is being in the kitchen with me.  She sits on the rug in front of the stove and watches my every move.  She's learned that occasionally some little bit of something falls to the floor so the kitchen is her happy place...as it should be!

Making these biscuits will put you in a happy place - guarandamteed!  First of all, there's bacon.  Need I say more? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bacon.  Right there is one reason you should make these.  Need another?  Maple flavoring.  One more?  Dates...or you could use raisins, which I did the first time I made these and they provide just the right amount of sweet.  And if you are still looking for another reason, here you go, buttermilk...it gives these biscuits a slight tang that plays ever so nicely with the sweetness of the dates and maple...this one is a keeper my friends.  Tried, true and downright delicious.  (Do not judge...I didn't have fresh buttermilk on hand the first time I made these, so I used the packaged "buttermilk" - which does work in a pinch or if you're desperate and you have to make them immediately and can't run to the store because you're in your pajamas!)

I haven't told you about the glaze...the maple glaze that is brushed on top of each biscuit as it comes piping hot from the oven.  It's a game changer.  Sticky-sweet - you'll be licking your fingers with glee...and no one will stop you, it's the right thing to do!  Oh one more thing, these are easy to make and they freeze well...make a double batch - some today, some to give away (all 4 people I served these to asked for the recipe and then when I didn't sent it right away, they asked again! Now that should tell you something!) and some to enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday!

 

 

Bacon Maple Date Biscuits - Adapted From The Wandering Goose, Seattle, WA

5 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups (3 sticks) cold butter, diced

8 oz. chopped dates (about 2 cups or less if desired, and you can use raisins)

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup cold buttermilk

1 tablespoon maple extract

melted butter

Maple Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl and mix on low.  Add the butter and mix on low until the butter is the size of small peas, about 5 minutes.  Add the dates and bacon, and with the mixer running on low, add the buttermilk and maple extract.  Mix only until just blended, taking care not to over mix.  The dough will be somewhat dry and crumbly.  (Which makes for a very flaky and light biscuit!)

Place the dough onto a lightly flour surface, pat gently into a 1-inch thick round, and cut using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour. (Do not twist the cutter as you cut the biscuits as this will seal the sides and the biscuits will not rise as high.  Gather up the scraps and reshape into a disc to continue cutting until all the dough is used.)  Set the biscuits on a baking sheet and brush the biscuits with melted butter.  Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. 

For the Maple Glaze:  Combine the powdered sugar and syrup and mix until smooth.  If the glaze is too thick, thin with a few drops of water.  Drizzle over the cooled biscuits and serve. 

Makes 24 biscuits.

 

 

 

Maple Orange Pecan Waffles...

The mister coughed.  One little cough. But If you're married to a hypochondriac then you know one little cough is not what it seems...nope, it can be a thing of joy for them...because it could lead to another and another and possibly a full-blown sneeze which would require immediate time on the couch.  So the mister coughed...and it was his lucky day because he coughed again...and a minute later, another cough.  Since I'm not a hypochondriac I knew it was just a cough so I grabbed my water glass and walked out of the kitchen, headed for the stairs even though he was still coughing.  Half-way up the stairs I was hit with a tiny shard of pity so I yelled back to the mister, "Everything okay?"  Knowing it was,because I watch doctor shows on TV, I continued on my way. I walked into the bedroom, turned on the TV and experienced a bit of joy that I remembered how to work the remote, since I'm so rarely allowed to touch it.  A few minutes later the mister walks into the bedroom and he glares at me, which made me smirk...you give me a glare, you're gonna get a smirk, that's how it works around here.  But I couldn't hold my smirk as long as the mister could hold his glare so I started to laugh and that set him off...and he angrily spouted, "I was choking and you left me!  I could have used the Heineken Maneuver and you just walked out and left me to choke to death!!" 

Me:  "You needed the Heineken Maneuver???  The Heineken???" 

Mister: "Yes, I was choking!"

Between fits of laughter than outdid his fit of coughing I managed to say, "If you needed a Heineken you could have reached into the fridge and got one yourself."

With that the mister got into bed, shut off the lights and turned off the TV, all to the sounds of me carrying on like a hyena...a good loooooong belly laugh is the best sleeping pill.

 

 

We don't have waffles very often but when we do, these have been the ones we love the most.  Maple flavoring is added to the batter along with the zest of two oranges, which will brighten every forkful.  Then there's the toasted pecans, which add a meatiness to these waffles - I'm telling you straight, these are dang good - so good they made watching the Seahawks lose easier to swallow. Ba-dump-dump!

 

 

 

 

Our waffle maker makes four large Belgian-style waffles so I only cooked three batches, making a total of 12 large waffles.  While the waffles were cooking I made the syrup by adding a bit of orange juice to maple syrup...and right there folks, you've got yourself a 5 danger breakfast!

Putting the waffles onto a baking rack and then into a warm oven keeps them crisp and hot while the rest are cooking.  We expected the boy and his bride to come for brunch and to watch the game, but they were no-shows, so I wrapped up the extra waffles between sheets of waxed paper and put them into a Zip-lock plastic freezer bag.  The next time we want waffles I'll just take them out frozen and pop them into the toaster and they'll be as crisp and tasty as if they were just made.

Maple Orange Pecan Waffles - Adapted From Family Time

1 1/2 cup pecan pieces, divided, lightly toasted

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 fresh orange zest, grated

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups Sprite or 7-Up

Syrup:

1 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup orange juice

Heat waffle maker.  Put pecan pieces into a small skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat.  Stir and cook until pecans are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn.  Remove from stove and set aside to cool slightly. In a food processor or blender, combine 1 cup of the toasted pecans (set remaining 1/2 cup aside), flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and process until pecans are finely ground.  Transfer pecan mixture to a large bowl.  Stir in orange zest.  In a small bowl whisk eggs and melted butter.  Add egg mixture and Sprite to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Stir in 1/4 cup of remaining pecan pieces (reserving last 1/4 cup for topping waffles).  Cook waffles on a hot waffle iron until browned on both sides.  Keep warm and crispy by placing cooked waffles on a wire rack in a 180 degree oven. 

Whisk maple syrup and orange juice together and heat in microwave until warm. Serve waffles with Maple Orange Syrup and sprinkle remaining pecan pieces on top.  Makes 12 large waffles.

Meet Rosie Ann...

Kids grown and gone.  The mister off to work each day.  My time is my own except for Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog, who needs weekly trips to McDonalds and visits to Pet Smart to buy new toys and a lap to rest in.   That was the beginning of a post I wrote almost two years ago now.  I was going to tell you about Caesar and his new trick but before I could finish the post, we found out Caesar was sick and his time would be short.  I just couldn't bring myself to type those words, to even say them out loud was difficult for me.  Caesar went downhill pretty quickly and just a few short weeks after we learned he was sick, at age 14, Caesar Beezer passed on to his mansion in Heaven...where I'm sure he bites and chases and rules whoever dares to enter.  He was a naughty dog but we loved him dearly and we have missed him every. single. day. 

Two years is a long time for a dog lover to be without a dog.  After looking for a dog/puppy on line for over a year, I finally decided we were ready.  Well, the mister is never ready for anything but he did give me a head nod, which I took as a yes so off I went to find my FURever new love, little Rosie!

 

Rosie is 3/4 Poodle and 1/4 Shihtzu, so she should be smart and sweet...a combination we've never had before!  And sweet she truly is...she loves to cuddle and the first day we had her she didn't go potty in the house at all!!  Surely she must be a genius, to have caught onto the potty biz so quickly, I thought!!

Well, well, well...guess who wasn't potty-trained in one day??  I know, it's ludicrous to think that would happen but it's been a long, long time since we've had a puppy in the house and I was just hoping, you know?! 

If you call me and I don't answer the phone, it will be because I'm out standing in the rain talking to a 3 month old puppy about the virtues of going potty quickly so one can stay dry! 

Quilts of 2015...

Eleven quilts. Not my record in a year, which is 17, but not bad considering I'm practically working full-time and half my brain has been compromised and I spend far more time in the kitchen than I do my workroom!  That's going to change this year...at least I hope so!  Now, just because I can, let me show you the quilts I managed to piece together in 2015...some are still in the condition they were when I posted them earlier in the year...so saying I made 11 quilts is not entirely true...yes, I made them, but some were not finished...they are still somewhere in the "aging process" and maybe 2016 will be their year?!?  We'll have to wait and see!

This is one of those that's still aging...I finally sewed the pieces together last February and was so excited that I had made so much progress I ran straight to the fabric store to buy the backing...and now the backing is in the aging process, too!  One day, Grasshopper, one day!

This was the year of the baby quilts...and thank Heavens!  Baby quilts are quick and easy to make so when I want to quilt but have little time, this is the answer!  This was made for a friend's daughter, Baby Luke, who is now about 5 months old, I think, and so dang cute! 

Two more baby quilts, both for my niece Gabby.  I made these for her "gender reveal" party last spring...Gabby had a girl, Baby Rylee, and she is so darling.  Rylee has blue eyes and plenty of sweet little blue dresses so her little blue quilt will come in handy!

Speaking of Baby Rylee, she kept me busy all summer long sewing her nursery bits and bobs.  I made the quit for her crib and the dust ruffle, bumper, etc., which was all very fun and thankfully everything turned out great, including Baby Rylee!

Another circle quilt...I think I have to make at least one per year to keep my membership in the crazy-circle-quilt-lady-club up to date!  This one was for my sister for her birthday...and because she redid her house and decided orange would be her accent color...it was a very wise decision!

Venna's quilt.  I purchased the center blocks at a quilt show and pieced everything together with a border for Venna's 91st birthday...but as usual I was 6 months late in giving it to her or else 6 months early for her 92nd!  I was reminded of Venna when I saw the blocks and it goes perfectly in her home...win/win!

One for us...another family quilt made with the help of my quilting friends.  When it was my turn to have blocks made I asked my quilt group to help me make these blocks...I was inspired by a quilt Stephanie had made for her son.  I love this quilt, mainly for the fact that my friends helped me make it.  It's a great snuggling quilt!

I had to include this quilt..even though I didn't piece it...I did quilt it and it was a buggar!  Antique blocks that needed to be pieced by hand with extra blocks made to fill in the holes...Rachel did that but her machine broke so she asked me to quilt it for her - for her grandmother - who's mother made those blocks - and how could I say no to that!?  It was interesting working on this quilt, it was also difficult - there was a lot of puckering and places where only sewing it down seemed to help!  My only consolation about how this was quilted is I know that the older people get the worse their vision is...I'm counting on Rachel's grandma having bad eyesight!

The last quilt of 2015 is probably my favorite...it's wonky and nothing really matched up - but I love the blocks and the colors and that fact that I finally finished it after it had been sitting around for THREE YEARS!

Quilt Group Christmas Gift Exchange...

I think everyone in our quilt group looks forward to our annual Christmas meeting - some with a bit of trepidation maybe, over what to give as a gift...and I know I stress a bit over it but only because the gifts are so outrageously great!   This year was probably one for the record books as there were FOUR quilts given away as gifts!!!  Crazy!  We started with a delicious brunch at Stephanie's Christmas-home-in-the-woods...it's just what you would expect a Christmas-home-in-the-woods to be and more!  There was so much food and so many goodies, I know I waddled out the door!  After eating, we drew numbers, went over the rules and off we went!  I'm going to show you my gift, the one I came home with, first, because it IS amazing!!

Could you have guessed what it was if I only showed you the picture on the left?  It's a giant ironing board and it fits right on top of a regular ironing board...genius, no?  I LOVE it!  Now when I iron a quilt top (because that's the ONLY time I do iron) or maybe a tablecloth, I can get almost the entire top across across the board, making it so much easier!  Marsha brought this and she had it made and I just can't sing her praises enough - or this new gift - it really is great!  IF you have room for one in your laundry room/work room, then you're going to want this!  Marsha said Home Depot will cut the wood for you to size, so now you've got no excuses!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first quilt that was "won"...I think it went to Neva and I'm sorry but I can't remember who made it and gave it away!  That's probably a good thing that they remain anonymous because if you find out there's someone crazy enough to give away quilts you'll be after her for sure!

This got a lot of ooohs and aaahs...and it's much prettier in person!

Terry made this felted wool pillow - so adorable and it was fought over...but after three trades it's dead.  You can barely see her stitches they are so small!  So cute!

Jenny brought in this quilt as her gift to give and it went home with Denise...don't you just love that flying geese border?  This is definitely a Northwest quilt...and I didn't even get a chance to steal it!  No one wanted my ironing board...and I was happy about that but I might have given it up to steal a quilt! 

Stephanie made this felted wool framed picture...and it was finished BEFORE our meeting!  It is merry and happy, just like Stephanie...can't remember who went home with this but I hope they leave it up year round!

This is the 3rd quilt that was given as a gift!  Amazing, no?  It was pieced from several other projects...like those sock blocks on the bottom, those were from our Lost Socks group project - it was fun seeing those again!  And that row of trees was from another quilt project - all made by Barbara.  The Santa in the sleigh is a panel and it just sets off everything so nicely!  How fun to take a Christmas quilt home at Christmas! 

Denise made these framed pictures, one with paper quilling, and they are beautiful.  I would have loved to have opened those!  I have a small collection of framed art projects that I've been lucky enough to "win" at our exchanges over the years and I love seeing them altogether!  Alas, I didn't get those...but I do have my ironing board!!!

Another adorable gift - hand-stitched and framed and a perfect Christmas message.  The person who brought this gift said she bought it, so hand-stitched by someone in China maybe, but who cares?!?  It's wonderful!  Our rules for gifts are they have to be hand-made OR store bought!  So as you can see there are no rules...oh, they do have to be quilt/sewing related...no problem there!

This is hard to see but look closely, it's a scissor keeper and a pin cushion...or a button bag?  Oh dear, I can't remember, but whatever it is IT'S dang cute!

This is the last quilt that was given as a gift - it's small but sweet.  This picture does not do it justice, the lighting was not the best and I should have taken the quilt to the other side of the room!  But it is wonderful!  Kareena made this and I don't know who took it home but leaving with a quilt of any size is a good thing!

Well that's it...oh, my gift?  I should have taken a picture of it...I found a vintage, red-knitted Christmas stocking that I filled with goodies, including 3 spools of Aurafil Thread and a vintage Christmas hotpad and a box of "snow"...and something else but I can't remember!  It was cute...nothing to write home about but I was desperate, out of time and that was the best I could come up with!

Happy 11th Day of Christmas!