Egg Shaped Chickadees Made From Felt

Last week I saw these adorable little felt "egg chickadees" as I like to call them on Pinterest.  They were designed by Kata Golda and were featured on Petite Purls.  They captured my heart and with Easter right around the corner, I wanted to make them for our grandson's easter baskets.  They are so adorable!  They take a bit of time since they are hand stitched, but I am making them in all different colors.  Our 5 year old grandson LOVES little toys to carry around with him and he's going to egg-specially love these!   These chickadees will make a really cute keepsake and colorful addition to their baskets for the egg hunt!

I freehanded my own pattern and it looks like this.  The body looks like an egg shaped boat propeller.  Each "egg" is 3 inches long from the center point to the end point and 1 5/8 inches wide.  You could use an egg to trace your basic shape if you can't draw something freehand.    I drew the wing so it would fit on the body and the tail looks like a little pennant.

Sorry, I'm not very computer savvy or I would make it so you could download  and print it.

Here is what you need:

felt in any color
embroidery thread to match the color felt you are using
stuffing
sewing needles

I used this thread which I had on hand and it is a bit heavy, but worked okay.  Three strands of embroidery thread is what  you need to use if you have it.

Cut the pattern pieces out and pin them on a piece of felt.  Cut out one body, two wings and a tail for each chickadee.  Cut a tiny triangle for the beak.

Begin by sewing the face on.  Starting about 1/3 of the way down on one side, sew the beak on with tiny stitches in each corner of the triangle.  Be sure to knot your thread to begin and knot it off when finished stitching, making sure the knots are on the under side.

Next, make a french knot on either side of the beak for the eyes.

With the "face" side facing you, pull the seams together on one back piece and the matching front seam. Using a blanket stitch, stitch from bottom to top, making sure knots are on the inside.  When you reach the top, knot your thread on the back side of the piece.  Repeat with opposite seam.

Place a wing piece on each side panel so that it would look like a bird's wing and stitch with a running stitch.  (I used an over/under stitch which actually takes longer.  Don't ask me why.)

Now for the final seam.  Pull back seams together and stitch all 3 seams together at the bottom and continue to stitch up back seam about 1/2 inch using blanket stitch.  Fold the tail piece in half and insert in the back seam, attaching with a few tiny stitches.  Continue blanket stitch for another 1/2 inch.  Stuff your bird until it has an egg shape.  Finish stitching the seam closed.  Knot at the top and run the thread back down the seam  and clip it.

You now have one cute hand made felt egg shaped chickadee!  THEY ARE SO CUTE!  It's not that hard and so worth the effort.  These will make perfect little hand held toys, something to carry in their pocket or a thoughtful little gift.  Have fun with these!  Now, I have to get back to work.  Lots more chickadees to finish before Sunday.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

articles.latimes.com/1997-01-31/news/ls-23885_1_needle-crafts

Jan 31, 1997 – Medical studies have proved that doing needlework actually lowers your blood pressure as it calms and focuses you.

Bunny Napkin Folds For Your Table

Well, it's Monday again.  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  We sure did.  The weather was spectacular and we enjoyed every moment of it.  All of the in town family came over for breakfast on Saturday morning and I did an egg craft with the two older grandsons that turned out really cute.  The two toddlers played in the yard and the baby ate and slept as babies will do.  We had a grand old time.  We were just sorry our New York Grandson did not get to join us.

Since it's countdown to Easter Sunday, Grandma has a lot to do here at the little yellow cottage.  We will have a big old egg hunt on Sunday followed by dinner.  That means I started preparations today!  I wanted to finish things for the table first, so I did my bunny napkin folds.  There are lots of directions on the world wide web, but I found Martha Stewart's to be the easiest to follow.   Fortunately, I found some lovely pink napkins at World Market last week.  Whew, that was a close one.  Thought I was going to have to make them.

Before we moved to Nashville, I worked at the local casino at home as the floral designer and event decorator.  Therefore, I have folded LOTS of napkins.  The difference between a nice table and an outstanding table can sometimes boil down to the napkin fold.  It always made me so happy when a bride walked in to her reception room and was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of her beautifully decorated room.  It was lots of work, but well worth it.

Grandma likes to do things for all the grandsons to enjoy, especially for holidays.  We are making memories here.   Don't you have things you remember with great fondness?  That's what we are doing.  Someday, they will tell a story about a time at Grandma and Pawpaw's house and remember all the good times we shared.  Let me show you how to do these cute little bunny napkins.  You might want to make some memories too.

First, press all your napkins.  Then, lay one out flat on a table.

Grasp the two bottom outside corners and fold the bottom up 1/3 of the way.

Grasp the top two corners and fold them 1/3 of the way down, making a large rectangle.

Now, you need to find the center.  Fold the rectangle in half and "press" with your hand.  In sewing terms, that is called finger pressing.  This is where you find out your square napkin isn't very square.  So tug around until you get it as even as possible.  Good luck.

When you open the rectangle up, you will see a center fold.

Grasp the right upper corner and fold the napkin down along the center line.

Repeat on the left side.

Grasp the right lower corner, and fold the napkin up along the center line.

Repeat on the left side.

Grasp the right corner of the "diamond" shape and fold to center.

Repeat with left side.

Grasp the napkin tightly and rotate and flip.  Bottom to top and turn over.

See how you have two separate "ears" at the top and then a fold about 1/3 of the way down.  Perfect.  Now, fold the bottom point up.

Grasp the napkin tightly and turn over.  Martha suggests placing one fold inside the other.  We would have done that at the casino and that would have been fine.  We, on the other hand, have lots of little hands, so I have a trick to show you.

I have a package of colored hair pins from the Dollar Tree that I use to make hair bows.

I took the pink hair pins and placed one between the folds on the back of each napkin.

Push it all the way up, flat with the edge of the napkin.  Now, if a curious little hand grabs one, it won't come all apart before we eat dinner!   Turn the napkin over and turn the two ears to face you, instead of each other.  Now, Little Bunny Foo Foo is read to sit on the table.

Isn't he cute?  Adorable.  This may seem really complicated to you, but once you fold one, the others will be easy.  If you need further instructions, go to Martha Stewart and type in bunny napkin fold in the search.  They have sketches that show the folds.  This is how the table looks at the moment.

There are hand painted place mats with the Peep tree in the center sitting on an egg shaped platter.  Bunny napkins sit all around the table and just WAIT until I show you how to make those cute little "egg chicks" that are in the first picture.  They will be our Easter favor this year.  Come back tomorrow to find out how.  Talk to you later.

Every Day Donna

Things to Remember:

Thought you might find this interesting.

Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin? Why did Jesus fold the napkin? Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. 1. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.  2. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!" 3. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.  4. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.  5. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.  6. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,  7. while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side. Is that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........  The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

How To Make A Paper Pinwheel

If you read yesterday's post about my mantel banner inspired by kites, you know that there are also pinwheels on the mantel  They are made from scrapbook paper and are so easy to make.  Pinwheels are another favorite from childhood, especially if they were shiny.  I saw a poster recently that said some girls are born with glitter in their veins.  That would be me!  My motto has always been if it sparkles, it's good.

I tried to find some information about pinwheels and no one seems to know who first made or manufactured them other than they were made in the 19th century.   It's rare not to find more information about something on the web these days.  What I did find though, was there is an organization called Pinwheels for Peace and that pinwheels are also the official symbol for combating child abuse - Pinwheels for Prevention.  That is something I did not know.  There was an article from today's date that said Greenville, SC, has created many pinwheel gardens around their town to remind people to be aware of child abuse and the harm it does and to help work towards its prevention.  This is Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Now, there are two great projects that are using pinwheels as their symbol!  Pinwheels for Peace recommends writing words of peace on your pinwheels and displaying them in yards and parks.  I am all for that!  Any and everything to remind us to think peace and help prevent child abuse by using the pinwheel as  a symbol is awesome.  They are so beautiful spinning in the wind.  Every time I see one now, I will think peaceful and loving thoughts and send prayers to those who have been affected by abuse in their young lives.  I am going to have to work on some pinwheels for out of doors.  I like the idea of Pinwheels for Peace and Pinwheels for Prevention very much.  You may see pinwheels sprouting in a yard, garden or park somewhere near you soon.  We will all look at them differently now.

The pinwheels on our mantel are merely decorative, they are not attached to a stick so they can spin.  They are so easy to make.  You could use construction paper, two sided scrapbook paper, or one sided decorative paper like I used.  How cute would they be for a baby or wedding shower?  You could attach them to colorful drinking straws which would be inexpensive and display them in vases, or make small ones and put them on toothpicks to decorate cupcakes.  They can be made in any size.  I had a major idea just now to use them for napkin rings by gluing small pinwheels to a colorful ponytail holder and wrapping it around napkins for the dinner table.  There are so many creative and colorful ways to use pinwheels.  Here is how you make one.

First, you need paper cut in a square - any size square, the principle will be the same for all sizes.  Mine are cut in 6 inch squares.  I had a piece of cardboard that size that came out of some kind of package, so I used it for my template.  I traced around it on the back side of the paper so it was easier to see the lines and cut out my squares.

Next, you fold the paper corner to opposite corner forming a triangle.   Crease the paper.

Now, open the paper up and fold the other two corners together so your paper will look like this.

See how you have 4 distinct triangles?  Now, cut each fold about half way to the center.  If you feel more comfortable, mark the exact same place on each fold line before you cut.  I just eyeballed it.
Now, turn you paper over, and start by folding the  point of a triangle to the center of the paper and hot glue the point in place.

Continue around the square, folding the same edge of the triangle all the way around (right or left), bringing it to the center and gluing it down.  DO NOT CREASE THE EDGE OF THE TRIANGLE, you want it to be rounded so it would catch the wind.

Now, how easy was that?  And talk about inexpensive!!  All you need now is  a center.  You could use buttons, brads, or beads.  I used my left over 5 mm pearls that I had used on another project.  I simply hot glued them to the center.  They look adorable.

These took only a few minutes to make and were just the added touch I wanted on the mantel.  I used paper I already had, so they didn't cost me anything extra.  There is a piece of green polka dot ribbon that I had put on the mantel for color, so I randomly placed the pinwheels and some easter eggs with the ribbon and that made the finishing touch for my mantel display.  It is so fun and festive and the grandsons will love it.  Here are a few more pictures.

Now, the mantel is done and I am thinking about making a couple of big pinwheels to use in the sun room.  They would be so springy and cute.  I might even made a wreath to put on the door.  Yes, I like that idea!

I hope this tutorial will inspire you to make some cute and inexpensive decorations for spring.  Perhaps  you have a wedding in your future, or need a Bible school project.  This is certainly an easy and inexpensive project since it's basically paper.  You might try using a glue stick instead of hot glue if you are going to let children make these.  Do not let children use a hot glue gun!   A push pin or pearl head straight pin placed through the center of the pinwheel would allow you to attach it to a pencil or small dowel rod.   Just place a small bead on the pin between the pinwheel and the stick so it will spin.  Wouldn't they make cute magnets?  Just glue one on the back of the paper pin wheel and place in on your fridge.  You could use a small picture of your child or grandchild in the center.  Adorable.

Now, I have a hundred ideas running through my head.  Hope you do too.  Let's get creative  Let me know any super cute ideas you come up with for these pinwheels.  Have fun!!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Pinwheel Symbolism

pinwheels come in all shapes, colors and sizes

Did you know that the symbolic meaning of a pinwheel is “to turn one’s luck around?”  Chinese culture believes the pinwheel is an instrument to turn obstacles into opportunities and as such they are a revered symbol during Chinese New Year festitivies.

Pinwheels are found world-wide all over the globe and basically have retained their simple, recognizable shape and function from culture to culture.  Their symbolism is really quite profound representing such diverse concepts as childhood innocence, unseen energy, wish fulfillment and transformation.  In many parts of the world, pinwheels have a deep spiritual significance as well.

pinwheelgirls.com

Spring Banner Made With Kites

What are the things that take you back to your childhood in springtime?  For me, it's jump ropes, hula hoops, jacks, roller skates, marbles, bubbles, pin wheels and kites.  Remember playing on the playground at recess when you could bring your jump rope to school?  Everyone lined up waiting their turn to enter the rope being turned by two playmates, chanting all the rhymes.  "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around.  Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground."  I have spent hours untold jumping rope.   I have probably roller skated around the world - twice.  Hours were spent mastering the hula hoop and all the tricks that could be done with it.  Those were the days when you spent every possible moment playing outside.  There were no video games, we made up our own games.  We didn't spend all our time in a car going from this team to that lesson to another team.  We played whiffle ball and kick the can in our back yards until dark.  We caught fireflies and headed home when we were called.  I have to say, those were some awesome days.

One of the things I loved to do most in the springtime on a nice windy day was to fly a kite.  When I was a child you could buy a paper kite for a dime and a ball of string for a dime.  That twenty cents could make for an entertaining day.  All you needed was a good brisk breeze which didn't cost anything.  There is something so amazing about watching a kite lift into the air with it's beautiful tail swaying in the wind, sailing above the ground tethered to the earth by only one thin line and you acting as the anchor.  Letting the string out so it could go higher, pulling it back in to keep it from spinning out of control.  Beware of kite eating trees!

A kite can be a simple diamond shape made from paper, two sticks, a tail and a string.  That's it.  And yet, that simple paper kite can soar with eagles.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to do that?  Soaring above the earth on a beautiful spring day, going where the wind would take you in the glorious sunshine, floating in the breeze, letting your mind drift - if only.  No, we are the one holding the string on the ground, but that is okay.  We can imagine the glory of sailing like that kite.

I wanted to make a spring banner for my mantle, so I bought four "fat quarters" in colors that I liked together.  When I sat down to make it, I realized I didn't want pennants, I wanted kites.  Nothing is more representational of spring to me than kites.  So I made a pattern and cut out kite shapes.  They are 6 inches long and 5 inches wide, cut in a diamond shape.  Then, I put ModPodge on the front and let it dry, then on the back and let it dry.  This gave it some body.

Now a diamond shaped kite has to have cross braces made of some kind of thin wood.  To represent that I used some silk cording I had bought for jewelry making.  I drew perpendicular lines with a pencil to make it easier to follow.  I used hot glue to place the cording.

As a crafter, I have all kinds of supplies on hand and I was very fortunate that this cording worked very well with my fabric.  I ran a bead of hot glue down the vertical line and placed a piece of cord on the glue and then did the same with the horizontal line.

Diamond shaped kites have a tail to keep them stable when flying.  The tail is string with fabric or rags tied on it.  I didn't want to use string because it would be too limp.  I wanted to be able to "shape" the kite and the tale, so I found some 20 gauge wire that I had from Lowe's.  Perfect.  I cut 12 inch pieces, one for each kite.

I used my needle nose pliers to twist the ends into curly cues like this.

I made two turns on each end.  That way I would be able to hang one end on the rope I used on the mantle and the other end would be long enough to make the tail.  I then ran a bead of hot glue down the back of the kite and hung the kite on the wire using the top curly cue.

To make the ties on the tail,  I used different colored ribbon that I already had and cut 1 inch pieces of it, 5 pieces for each tail.  I put a little dot of hot glue in the middle of each piece and pinched it together to make it look like a bow.  I held it until it dried and then hot glued each piece to the wire.  Love the way they look!

After I made 9 kites for the mantle, I placed them on a piece of lavender colored nylon rope that I had and hung the kites on it, spacing them out until I was happy with the look.  I hooked the end of the top curly cue through the rope so it wouldn't move, then bent the kites in different directions to make them look like they were flying in the wind.

Next, I cut 6 inch strips of the fabric used to make the kites and tied them on the line in a random pattern so they looked like the tail of a kite.

Oh, they make me so happy!  They say springtime and childhood memories and the joy of a perfect spring day.  If you look closely, you will see the paper pinwheels I made also.  We'll talk about those later!

Now, I want to go buy kites for all our grandsons and take them out to an open field and spend the splendor of a perfect spring day with them flying kites.   That would be quite a memory.  


Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly!  Lauren Bacall

Baked Cheese Cake Supreme And It's Worth The Effort

In yesterday's post I mentioned a cheesecake I made for our cookout on Sunday.  This is it and it is terrific - Jack said so.  He said it is one of the best he has ever eaten, so now you know how good it is.  And, it really is.

Have you been to a Cheesecake Factory?  Do you love to go to the Cheesecake Factory?  I mean, seriously, who doesn't?  Even though they have a ginormous menu of every kind of entree you can think of, everyone really goes there for cheesecake.  Duh.  You may not have a Cheesecake Factory in your town, or even be within several hours of one, but you can enjoy fantastic cheesecake.  Just try this recipe.

If you don't have a spring form pan, go get one because you will need it to make a cheesecake.  That is the only way you can really remove it from the pan in one piece without the crust and everything sticking to the pan.  While you are at it, get at least a 10 1/2 inch spring form pan, otherwise it won't hold all of this filling and you don't want to waste one drop of this filling!  Once you have a spring form pan, you will discover many uses for it, so don't think you won't ever use it.  You will.  It also helps to have a stand mixer because it takes a lot of mixing for this recipe - 30 minutes worth.  I happen to have my beautiful yellow Kitchen Aid which was a Mother's Day gift from my daughter.  It has changed my baking forever!  If you don't have one, ask for one as a gift, go buy one, or hope and pray someone gives you one.  You will see what a difference it makes.

This recipe is one of the creamiest, most delicious cheese cakes I have ever eaten.  The recipe comes from one of those composite cook books that organizations use as a fund raiser.  It is from the Temple Adath B'Nai Israel Sisterhood in Evansville, Indiana and is called Years of Tradition Continued.  I bought it in 1991.   It's a really awesome book because it explains many of their rituals, definitions of terms, blessings and holidays and I have learned a lot from it.  AND, it has the best cheese cake recipe ever in it which I plan to share with you.

Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

Crust

3 cups graham cracker crumbs  (I use Rice Chex to make it gluten free)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Filling

5 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened  (you read that right)
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups diary sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
juice of one lemon (I leave this out)

For crust, mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar and melted butter.  Press into bottom and up sides of 10 1/2 inch spring form pan.

For filling, in a large bowl at medium speed, beat together cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs for 15 minutes.  (This is where the stand mixer comes in handy so your arms don't fall off)  Add sour cream, vanilla (and lemon juice if using).  Beat an additional 15 minutes.  Pour into prepared spring form pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.  Turn off oven and let cheesecake remain in oven for 2 hours.  (Try not to open oven to peek).  Remove and cool on counter.  Serves 12 - huge servings!

After the cake cooled, I put a can of cherry pie filling on the top and decorated it with home made whipped cream.  (Instructions for making whipped cream are in the post about Strawberry Frozen Pie from yesterday).  You don't need any topping, or you can use blueberry, strawberry or anything you like.  Your choice.  When you are finished decorating, refrigerate.

Not only is this a  pretty dessert, it tastes FANTASTIC!!  Reminder:   if you are taking this dessert somewhere don't forget the bottom to your spring form pan is under the cake.  Do NOT let it get thrown away.  This is the voice of experience speaking.  

For those of you who have to eat gluten free, I make this cake so our son in love can eat it by using crushed Rice Chex in place of the graham cracker crumbs.  That's all you have to do.   Makes a great crust and you have a fabulous dessert that is gluten free!   Just thought I'd mention that.

Anytime you need a dessert or have to take something to a pot luck, give this recipe a try.  It takes a little time for the baking and cooling, so give yourself plenty of time.  It serves a lot of people and will get rave reviews!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Strawberry Frozen Pie with Vanilla Wafer Nut Crumb Crust

Happy Monday to you!  Hope your weekend was a wonderful one.  Thankfully, it rained just enough on Saturday to wash away some of the pollen that has been plaguing me and half the population in Nashville.  I have never seen as much pollen as we have this year.  Guess that's the payback for a mild winter, but I am willing to make the trade off.   Yes, I am having allergy symptoms, but I will deal with those for the time being.  The warm beautiful weather and beautiful blooming trees are worth a few boxes of tissues.

Our first born daughter and her family moved here in December, right before Christmas, which thrilled us all!  Her in-loves made their first visit this past weekend and we all had a cook out Sunday evening.  The entire Nashville family was there.  The weather was stunning, the grandsons all got to play outside to their heart's content and we got to catch up with Alma and Jack.  I play board games with Alma on FB just about every night, but we haven't seen each other in person for many years.  You know how you can pick up with some people right where you left off - never skip a beat?  That's how it is with them, they are such wonderful people.    We had a great time catching up AND they asked us to visit their summer home on the Maine coast which would be awesome.  Perhaps we will get there one of these days.  We definitely look forward to their return visits to Nashville, that's for sure!

Daughter #1 asked if I would make dessert.  Me?  Why of course!  Thanks for asking.  You know how I love to bake.  Because it has been so warm, I was in the mood for something summery and super delicious so I decided to make this Strawberry Frozen Pie which is outta sight!  I have been making this pie since the first year we were married (1969).  The first time I made it was for Dan's grandmother when she came to our house for dinner.  She loved it and I have been making it ever since.  It is actually a combination of two different recipes.  The crust is from a similar recipe, but it has egg whites in it and I don't trust serving raw egg whites, so I always used the filling from one recipe and the fantastic nut crumb crust from the other.  Here is what you need to make this excellent frozen pie:

Ingredients:

Crust

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
1 stick melted butter

Filling:

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, or 2 10 ounce pkgs frozen strawberries with syrup
1 cup sugar for fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar for frozen strawberries


Whipped cream or cool whip for topping (I made fresh whipped cream)

If you are making your own vanilla wafer crumbs (which I do), place about 1/3 box of vanilla wafers in a gallon sized zip lock bag, squeezing all the air out.  Roll with a rolling pin until you have small pieces - enough for 1 1/2 cups.  (I don't like the crumbs to be like dust, I like very small pieces, about the size of the chopped nuts).  I chop the pecans in my nut chopper.  If you don't have a nut chopper, use a knife and chop into small pieces.  Place vanilla wafer crumbs and nuts in a bowl.  Melt 1 stick of butter in microwave and add to vanilla wafer crumbs and nut pieces.  Press in the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch pie pan.  I use my trusty corning ware pie plate that I got for a wedding gift.  I realize it is now an antique.  Sigh.  Put in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Cool before filling.

Using a mixer, blend cream cheese and sour cream  in a mixing bowl until well mixed.    Mix 1 1/2 cups sliced berries with 1 cup sugar and stir.  Add to cream cheese mixture.  (If using frozen berries, thaw berries and add 1/2 cup sugar and mix.  Add to cream cheese mixture.)  Blend with a mixer to break up strawberry pieces, don't completely pulverize.  You want some strawberry pieces in the filling.    Pour into crust.

 Freeze until firm.  I usually freeze overnight.  Remove from freezer about 5 minutes before serving and decorate with whipped cream.   That strawberry in the middle of the pie  in the picture is HUGE.  Kroger had giant California strawberries on sale and I do mean GIANT!  They were delicious.

How to make whipped cream:

Put 1 pint heavy whipping cream in a deep bowl and beat with mixer on medium high until it starts to thicken.  Add about 2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Beat until it forms stiff peaks.  Don't over beat or  you will have butter.  It should look like this.

I piped the whipped cream onto the top of the pie by placing it in a gallon sized zip lock back after cutting a corner off the bag and placing a large star tip in the hole.  Fill the bag with cream and pipe on however you want.  Now, this is a lot of whipped cream and I actually used part of it for the cheese cake I will write about tomorrow.  Just thought I'd let you know.  You could actually use about 1/2 of a pint of heavy whipping cream.

Now, let's discuss this pie.  Description?  Heavenly!  Delicious!  Amazing!  Fantastic!  Awesome!  Divine!!  And, it's really super easy.  Our 8 year old grandson doesn't like strawberries much, but he said it was the best pie he had ever eaten!  Today's endorsement from the world's pickiest eater.  Made me smile.  Jack and Alma raved about it - especially Jack who likes fruit type desserts, so it was definitely a good choice.  (Wait till we get to the cheesecake).  

Put this recipe in your arsenal and pull it out when you want something quick, easy, fantastic and special.  Summer is just around the corner and this pie is so good for warm summer days.  Think about making it for Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day.  You will get requests to make it again.  The nut crumb crust is maybe the best crust ever and so much easier than a traditional pie crust.  The filling - well I could just eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl - it's somewhat like ice cream or frozen yogurt only better.  The combination of the crust with the filling - they write novels about those kinds of things.  That's all I can say about it.  You will just have to make one and eat it to understand.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Good friends are like stars.....you don't always see them, but you know they are always there.  author unknown

Not Your Traditional Sweet Potato Casserole - Sweet Potatoes, Pineapple, Coconut, and Pecans

Someday I may learn how to take a "food" picture that looks as good as the food tastes.  It would be so nice if there was a way to take a picture on your kitchen counter or table that looks like one from a magazine.  Unfortunately, it doesn't because I took this casserole right out of the oven ready to put on the table for dinner.  Do you know how hard it is to set up a shot in a hurry while people are waiting to eat?  It is not easy at all, especially when it is in a casserole dish or some sort of pan and you are looking down at it.  This one kind of looks like a pizza, but it's not.  It is a truly amazing sweet potato casserole with pineapple and coconut.  To that mix, I also add pecans.  Why?  Because I like them of course.

I then tried to take a picture of it served on a plate and I won't tell you what it looked like, so I nixed that picture.  Sorry.  The words dog and food come to mind.  It just did not look appetizing in any way so use your imagination and think about how wonderful it tastes because it does.

Do you like sweet potatoes?    We sure do, especially baked with some butter and a little cinnamon on them.  Yummmm.  Or, there is the standard sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top and it is really, really delicious I am not denying.  It's the one every mom made for Christmas and Easter when we were growing up.  But, there are more casseroles and recipes out there, and this is one of my favorites.  It is out of my Saint Louis Days, Saint Louis Nights Cookbook and I have been making it for years.

Do you know the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?  You know how some people call them yams?  I looked it up (of course) and it seems that they are two totally different plants botanically.  Yams come from Africa - sweet potatoes are grown here.  There are two varieties of sweet potatoes and one remains hard when cooked and the other is soft.  The canned ones in the grocery that say yams are actually the soft variety of sweet potatoes.  The soft sweet potatoes were called yams by African slaves because it reminded them of the ones they knew and that is how we came to call them yams.  Now, does that clear that mystery up?  Did for me.

Sweet potatoes are very nutritious!  Here is some information I found on the web that might actually shock you.  I knew they were nutritious, but not THAT nutritious.  Check it out.

According to nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the single most important dietary change for most people, including children, would be to replace fatty foods with foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes.

CSPI ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

Sweet potato baked 184  next highest vegetable
Potato, baked 83

Now, are you shocked?  It is the MOST nutritious vegetable that you can eat.  The next vegetable to it is a plain potato.  Who knew?  Now we all know and that is amazing because they are versatile, delicious and nutritious.  Yay for the sweet potato!  At least it's not something like Brussel's sprouts and only a select few of us seem to like those.  

We were having company for dinner last night and I decided to bake a ham.  There is something about spring that says it's time to eat ham.  Maybe it's because so many people serve ham for Easter, I really don't know.  So, I needed some sides and when I bake ham, I think sweet potatoes - they just seem to go with ham.  That meant pulling out one of my favorite recipes - sweet potato souffle with pineapple and coconut.  Don't panic, it's not like a traditional souffle.  Not really sure why it's called that, maybe because of the eggs in it.  I will tell you this, it is fantastic and easy.  Here is what you need.

8 medium sweet potatoes (or 2 32 oz cans, drained)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup  brown sugar

2 well beaten eggs

2 tsps baking powder

1 cup drained, crushed pineapple

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Wash sweet potatoes and bake, covered with foil at 400 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes until fork completely penetrates potato.

Cool, peel and put potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Mash potatoes until smooth.  Stir in butter and both sugars.  Add the eggs and baking powder, pineapple, and salt.  Mix well.  Transfer ingredients into well-greased 2 quart casserole.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover with coconut and pecans.  Bake an additional 10 minutes.

(Because yesterday was volunteer day for us, I used canned yams drained.  They worked fine.  I do think fresh sweet potatoes are a little better, just depends on how much time you have.)

Ooooooooooooh my, this is good.  Our daughter said it's like eating dessert for dinner and it is.  Even her 2 year old gobbled it down.  Now that is an endorsement!  

This is an excellent side dish to serve when you are looking for something different and it makes a lot - great for a crowd.  Also, keep in mind just how nutritious sweet potatoes are (just don't tell your children).   Let's all eat more sweet potatoes.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Sweet potatoes are not just for holiday meals!  Enjoy them anytime.  They are good for you and taste good too.