A Bit of Quilting and a Cookie Recipe

A Beginning Quilter 

Before I get to the cookie recipe in this post, I simply must show you photos of some work by a first time quilter. Seriously, first time! Amazing work. My first quilts are meant only to be hidden away and forgotten.

Deb had never sewn until she recently inherited a sewing machine that she didn't even know how to thread. So what does she tackle first? A quilt with traditional piecing, paper foundation piecing, fusible web applique with blanket stitching, and free motion quilting. What a way to jump in head first, and what a learning curve. Unbelievable result!

 

And this is what she's making for her second quilting experience. Can't wait to see it finished. An amazing quilter has been born. Who knows what the future holds.

My Latest Obsession

Even though I'm in the midst of a Christmas baking frenzy this week, with flour flying and the kitchen looking like a hurricane went through, I can't get the idea of a quilt along row quilt out of my head. I keep chasing to the table between cookies going in and out of the oven to design different rows. As you can see, my table is covered in graph paper and other drawing paraphernalia!

It's starting to come together. I think.

My tabletop quilt isn't nearly this bright! Strange photo.

I seriously need to get back to my holiday preparations. I don't have time to play! Gingerbread cookies are waiting to be decorated, there's a cookie exchange party next Friday, the house hasn't yet been decorated, no gifts have beeb wrapped, and on and on!

Cookies

Along with the special Christmas cookies, though I did take time to bake up a batch or our favorite everyday cookies. I hope these will deter some of the early snitching of Christmas cookies as I'd like to save those until Christmas Eve.

The humble recipe I'm sharing has been a staple at our house from the time my children reached the cookie monster age. I chose early on to focus on making even their sweet treats as healthy as I could. The oatmeal, raisins, and walnuts in our family cookies provide a bit of nutrition along with the inescapable sugar and butter!

These have been our favorites for half a century now.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes 3 - 4 dozen cookies depending on size. I make them small, so I easily get 4 1/2 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t soda
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves
• 1 c chopped walnuts
• Additional sugar for cookie tops

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment.
3. Put water and raisins into a pot and heat just until the water reaches a boil. Save 6 tablespoons of the raisin water. Drain the raisins and set aside to cool.
4. Place the flour, salt, soda, allspice, and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir to mix.
5. In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar until smooth.
6. Add eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Blend well after each addition.
7. Add dry ingredients to the large bowl and beat until smooth.
8. Mix in raisin liquid alternately with oatmeal. 
9. Stir in raisins and walnuts.
10. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in water. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sugar on the top of each cookie.
11. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned.