purple linen loveliness

When Joann's had linen on a very good sale a while back, I picked up four or five pieces of linen for dresses.  Since then, there have been shirts and quilts that I taken precedence.  After I got the Pixie quilt finished, I made myself a dress out of the purple piece.

It does not really take me that long to put a dress together anymore.  At least for the ones I like.  Even if I were to make a class sheath for business, most dresses take only a couple of hours.  This one became even more simple because I have really liked the weekend dress I modeled after a picture I saw of a French dress.  The one that cost me less the $10 to make that the were selling for $200 Euros.  But this way, the arm length is what I want and so is the skirt length.  

This turned out to be so comfortable.  I also really like the length.

Too my toes!  If I put my boots on, I do like someone who should be on the frontier.  Not a bad thing and it makes me smile.  Smiles are good.

the chocolate chip cookies my family is asking for

So these are the chocolate chip cookies my family is asking for.  They bend when they come straight out of the oven and get crispy when cool.  My Beloved asked for more of these when there were the ones from yesterday still in the cookie box.  The Tall Short person could not tell they were gluten free.  Pretty cool, huh?  She also really liked that you could bend them into tubes when they are warm. 

So here is the recipe.

Gluten Free Bendy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (40 grams) almond flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (40 grams) sorghum flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (40 grams) teff flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (40 grams) arrowroot flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 to 1 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life are gluten free, this is dependent on your taste.  My family likes the 2/3 cups)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together.  Add the vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.  Add the flours, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until incorporated.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  

On cookie sheet that have been coverend with silpat or parchament paper, drop a teaspoon of dough.  You will only be able to get six on a sheet as they spread.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Let cool a minimum of five minutes before trying to take off the sheet.

Eat.  See if you can save some for tomorrow.

gluten free toll house (chocolate chip) cookies

I have been craving chocolate chip cookies.  The funny thing about that, is when I crave something it usually only takes three weeks for me to get around to making them.  My Beloved has asked for gluten free again so I decided to modify my go to recipe.  My go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies is the cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag:  Toll House cookies.  Not that we should really eat those chocolate chips because they are not guaranteed to be gluten free, but it is the go to recipe.

So I fussed with the recipe.  These are the cookies that I was thinking about.  The "mistake" batch are the one that my family is requesting to be made again.  I have actually had multiple requests from my Beloved and the Tall Short Person.  The Tall Short Person says the Pixie really likes these.  He does ninja dances when she eats these in her tummy.  Both versions are very good but I will post the "mistake" batch tomorrow.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon almond flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon sorghum flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon teff flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoon arrowroot flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 to 1 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life are gluten free, this is dependent on your taste.  My family likes the 2/3 cups)

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together.  Add the vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.  Add the flours, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until incorporated.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  At this point, if you can wait, refrigerate overnight or up to 36 hours.  The flavors will meld better that way.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare cookie sheets with a silpat or parchment paper.  Drop the dough by teaspoon on to the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

These are a gluten free, whole grain cookie that does not taste good for you in any way, shape, or form.  But between the sorghum, almond, teff, and egg, the protein content is high and the whole grains give much fiber.

Eat cookies for breakfast (hopeful look).

pixie quilt completely done in time

I got the quilt done in time for the shower!

The stitching and moving of safety pins seems to go on forever.

But finally, all there is left to be done is the binding.

And once the binding is done, the quilt is done!

The front, bond and quilted.

The back, bond and quilted.

I know it was a hit because of the Tall Short Person's excitement.  As well as it is already in the Pixie crib!

berry crumb tart

I was reading the Smitten Kitchen's, and she had a recipe for a hazelnut plum crumb tart.  It looked very yummy and not pie, which I have come to admit that I am not the fondest of.  The plums I come across lately are just not very good.  They are not allowed to ripen so there is really not enough flavor.  I also never have hazelnuts in the house.  That is what I get for growing up with a hazelnut tree.  So, I took her suggestions for the cream part of the tart, changed the fruit, changed the nuts, and changed the spices and came up with this.  Very yummy!

Berry Crumb Tart

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup almond meal

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound blackberries and raspberries

1 tablespoon flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 ounces room temperature cream cheese

1/4 cup hempmilk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 9 inch square pan or a 9 inch springform pan. 

In a medium bowl, mix the butter, almond meal, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together.  It will be a crumbly mix.

Press half this mixture into your pan.

Cover with berries.

In another bowl, mix the 1/3 cup sugar and cream cheese together.  Mix in the flour, eggs, and heavy cream.  Mix in the hempmilk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Pour over the berries.  

Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture over the berries.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.  There will be golden bits.

Very good warm.  Very good cold.  I am definitely making this one again.  I am thinking with strawberries at some point.  Maybe with balsamic vinegar.

I also need to work on a gluten free version which should not be that hard.  Might need to find testers since I am eating less sugar....