Have a slice!

I have had some requests for my sour cream raisin pie. It's one of my favorites! If it weren't for making it myself or when I would go home to get some, I would never get a piece as it's something not found in Ohio. I decided to make one today and it is oh so good. If you were to search on the internet, you would find several with different variation as to how many eggs, or yolks only, spices, etc. Traditionally it has merange but since I prefer whip cream, I make it to suit me. I also don't like lots of raisins so I cut it in about half and double the sour cream. I also like fresh grated nutmeg.

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

1/2 to 3/4 cup of raisins
1 cup of water
2 eggs beaten
1 cup of sugar
1/2 to1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups of sour cream
2 Tbs. of corn starch
1 prebaked pastry crust ( I like the Pet/Ritz)

In a sauce pain put in 1 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of raisins. Heat to boiling and let simmer for 10 min. to make them plump then drain. In another sauce pan add the rest of the ingredients and stir until thickened. Add raisins and then pour into a baked pie crust shell. Cool and then add an 8 oz. container of coolwhip on top. Grate some fresh nutmeg on top. Refridgerate and serve.

Feeling At Home!

Two of my quilting friends and I went off to ND, not to just visit family, but also to go to a retreat at our friend Jan's house. Sherry came to my house and we left for Chris'. We had a fabulous smorgasbord for supper and she made a wicked sausage pie for breakfast!



The difference between her pie and mine, is that she makes hers with bread and layers it different than mine. Mine starts with cheese on the bottom! Instead, I use bisquick in the egg mixture. Both are excellent dishes that it would be hard to judge!

Here's my favorite recipe.

Healdsburg Inn Quiche

5 eggs
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup of bisquick
2 cups of grated chedder cheese
1/2 Tbs. of olive oil or cooking spray

oil the bottom of a baking dish and layer cheese on the very bottom. Sometimes I will mix grated parmesean cheese in this or another flavorful cheese. Then you can layer your favorite ingredients. It could be ham, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions or any other favorites. In another mixing bowl, I mix the eggs, the bisquick and the milk. Pour over the top of the other ingredients and bake 45 to 50 min.


I will post Chris' when she gets settled. I must say that I have had the most wonderful food this whole trip. Jan loves nothing better to do than bake, entertain and sew! Jan also sent us to many a quilt shop along the way! My favorite was one in Rogers, Mn. It was fabulous! I got some of the yummiest batiks there for half price! What a find! Fayes' Henhouse in Maysville ND was also a great one to shop at!



When we got to Jan's we barely settled in and I did a workshop of doing doll faces, so by the time I went to bed, it was after midnight. I was the last to go to bed and the first to get up in the morning. It's somehow always more exciting when you are elsewhere. Jan made a fabulous breakfast and then I prepared to get ready to teach the purse class. Here are some of the guests.



Here is one of those quick noodlebox purses they made. This one was made by Babe. She raises peacocks and used this batik fabric. By the time I went home, she gave me the most lovely bunch of peacock feathers! What a treasure! I LOVE Peacocks!!



Three of the girls worked on the same quilt. Gail is on the left, Jan on the right and Chris in the middle. What fantastic work, girls!



Jan was so sweet to let me use her vehicle for me to make the extra 2 1/2 hour trip to go visit my middle sister, my mom and my niece. I hadn't been home in 4 years. Time sort of gets away so was glad to have the reunion. My niece, Jenifer and her husband Terry are expecting their first child in Sept. I found out the day before I left that it's going to be a boy! The viking outfit will be just perfect!!! We had a mini shower since I won't be able to go back and it will give her a chance to put other things on her baby registry.



Jenifer and Terry


My niece Jenifer and her mom (my sister, Veda) in the background.


Mom hates getting her picture taken, so had to grab the shot when I could. lol



My mom. She loves to bake too! You can just bet that I didn't leave home hungry!

Mom has a few cats and a couple of cockapoos. I really didn't much care for two that she had while growing up, but this sweet little guy loves every body. His name is Buffy. He loves his treats and is spoiled rotten!




This gorgeous cat is Manny.



Below is his sister, Patches who also lives with my sister. She's beautiful but a fiesty thing!



This gray guy has the best personality, a true favorite and loved to sleep with me. His name is Furbie.



My mom also has a day care center so I helped sit for some of the kids when I was there. What cuties! I sure miss small kids being around.



This Native American girl's name is Ayana. She's 3 and loved cuddling up to me watching cartoons:)



This little guy's name is Hunter. He is just the happiest baby!



This is Gracie. She's 2 and Hunter's sister. Just a sweetheart!



This is Zeus! He's 3 and 100 % busy boy!

The funny thing is that when I was there, they all called me grandma! LOL Just too bad I wasn't! I would claim them all in a second!

Finally the day came when I had to go. Mom felt I was going to starve to death and showered me with 3 boxes of canned food items. I also stopped by the processing plant and got some of the best sausage that I remembered from home. I also picked up a couple of packages of bison burger. I can get it in Ohio, but for some reason, this is so much better, so it must be the feed in the rich dark soil. Our trip lead us back through Fargo where all the flooding still is. I took several photos along the highway and to believe that all of this water isn't even the river photos! The whole area still stands with water everywhere!





Even though the land is very flat where I live, and even with distruction about, I still couldn't feel but a little homesick. Maybe not for the land as much as it was the family. I will just have to go home more often.... or when the waters receed! I only had an hour with my youngest sister in Fargo, but that perhaps gives me another excuse to go back again soon!

The Vikings, The Packers or the Ark

I have spent the past couple of days getting the stroller and carrier ready for my niece's baby. Certainly a transformation from the plaid in the previous post. I also found a Minnesota Vikings outfit! She's going to flip! I originally went looking for lavender Minkee fabric to use in the pieces, but none could be found in Columbus anywhere! Seems to be pink, dark pink, yellow, blue, green, navy, red, brown and white, but no lavender! I did find I could get some on ebay, but not enough time to order it and get it done in time before I left for home, so I decided I needed to be frugal anyway and I had an old chenille spread and some yellow orange sheets that were like t shirt knit fabric that needed to be recycled. I figured if I found any lavender anything I would be doing good, so settled on this slight tie dye fleece. It happened to be on sale for $4.99 a yard for 60" wide so decided to get 3 yards. There was a yard and 5/8's left on the bolt, so the clerk told me I could have the rest for half off of that even, so sure, why not! I covered both pieces and had enough to make a baby fleece and a lap fleece for momma. The old sheet was backed with flannel and I ran yellow serger thread around it to make several burp cloths. I serged the blanet fleece with yellow thread. I also made a crib bumper pad! (not shown) In spite of the dark photo, it all really does look good. If I have time, I would like to make a ruffled lavender piece under the bonnet and just hand sew or hot glue it in.

Well I hope all fits well in their Minnesota Vikings themed room. My niece and my daughter are the same age. My daughter and her husband like the Green Bay Packers. She saw a mobile with teddy bears with footballs and Green Bay shirts and helmets, She was thinking of getting it for them as a joke. LOL Personally, since my niece and her husband live in ND, I think that it would have been appropriate to have gone with a Noah's Ark theme with all of the flooding ! hee hee

Well, I have to do some packing before I go home to visit. I feel badly for my youngest sister dealing with the flood issues in Fargo. She has been stranded on a "island" since the 21st of March. I am hoping that she will be able to get out soon. I think one needs to do a Survivor show of Fargo. Sis says she is out of underwear. hmmm..... I wonder if we could send in a helicopter for a drop shipment? lol

April Fool!

It was 30 years ago, that I was sweating this day out. My daughter was due and I couldn't think of a more cruel day to be born than on April Fool's Day. All I could think of was her birthday and getting presents with nothing in them and other prankster tricks, so I crossed my fingers and my legs! lol She was actually born on the 10th of this month and that will be Good Friday this year. I can't believe my baby will be 31! Hubby will be 59 two days before that. Just where did the time go?



This is daughter Kristi with her cat Murray.

Spring is a good time to be born, when things are starting to bud and the weather is getting warmer. As for more births, I have checked Ivy's nest. We are up to 16 eggs now! I have read that muscovy's can lay up to 16 eggs, so I am thinking she is done unless she decides to play an April fool's joke on us! lol I guess we will find out tomorrow!



Speaking of babies, guess who wants to be the baby?



That's Herkamer James Lewis AKA Herky. Don't ask why, the name just sort of grew. We call him the pot belly pig with the pipe cleaner tail, because he eats a lot and usually has his tail curled around my wrist when he sits on my lap. Anyway I found out my niece is having a baby so I bought this carrier and stroller at a yard sale, so I am taking it apart and going to sew a new cover in it's place. We have no idea if she is having a girl or a boy yet until next week, but she is thinking soft pastels of yellow and lavender and they love the Vikings, so I will either have to get a Vikings boy outfit or a baby cheerleader outfit to fit in. lol I will post the updated piece later, without cat hair! lol