"I started photographing my domestic world and writing not just about what I had made,
but why I made it, examining the thoughts that accompany creativity and the act of making."
Jane Brocket from The Gentle Art of Domesticity p. 189 UK edition

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Flowers and Formulas for Fun

First Joseph's Coat climbing Rose of 2016

First Geranium blossoms on the two plants I wintered inside and transplanted outside

A pretty clump of purple Petunias I planted in the front flower bed this week


This past week has been filled with normal routines punctuated by the joy of seeing the first Joseph's Coat climbing Rose of the season in bloom. Isn't it a gorgeous combination of colors?  I am excited that the Geraniums I wintered inside are flourishing outside and producing pretty pink blossoms, and I'm enjoying a clump of purple Petunias I was given for Mother's Day from my youngest daughter and her husband.

Because I prefer drinking from glass or stainless steel I have at various times lugged around old juice jars as water bottles.  The last one I used I crocheted a cotton cozy for so I could lug it around more easily.  This past week I found a ceramic glass that can be used for either hot or cold drinks.  I decided to make it a cozy for added insulation and to hide the logo on the glass.  I used some of the leftover Lion Brand Homespun yarn I used to crochet a bag for my granddaughter, Joy.

Crocheted Glass Cozy (US terms)

chain five and join with a slip stitch
chain one and crochet 16 single crochets into the ring
chain 2 and double crochet in each single crochet

 At this point I set the ceramic glass on the round I had crocheted and 
determined that it was large enough for the bottom of the glass,
but you could easily add or decrease stitches for whatever 
sized glass you want to cover.

For my sixteen ounce ceramic glass I crocheted a total of 11 rows
before cutting the yarn and weaving in the end.

To try out my new glass cozy one afternoon I made iced tea and cookies. My mom's mom, Nana, had a big old pickle jar in her pantry. She kept the jar full of ginger spice cookies~~~ a heady perfume wafted from the jar as I remember it from my little girl days when my nose led me to her pantry.  My dear friend, Donna, who was twenty years older than me, shared a super simple spice cookie recipe with me.  I loved to eat the cookies she made from it when she served them while she trounced me in our numerous games of Scrabble.   I have fiddled around with her recipe and am pleased with the results.  If you want to try the recipe, here it is.

Almond Flour Molasses Spice Cookies

Mix Wet Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup molasses
then add 3/4 cup coconut sugar 

Mix Dry Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 generous tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves

Add the dry ingredients to the wet. 
 If the mix looks thin or wet add
more almond flour until the mix is
very stiff.  Stick it in the refrigerator.

After the mix is cooled, form it into
balls the size of walnuts or half that size
and bake in an oven on parchment
paper at 350 degrees for ten minutes.

Tips:

*Measure your oil first then your molasses in the same measuring cup. The molasses will slide out of the measuring cup easily making the clean up fast.  

*The cookies should spread and have a crinkle cookie texture, chewy inside and crisp outside.  If you prefer a ginger snap drier texture you can cook them a bit longer. 

* If the cookies still look like balls after cooking for ten minutes just take them out, pat them down and let them cool.

*While I have not tried agave nectar in place of the coconut sugar I think it would work, but you would have to add more almond flour. 

*I have kept the mix in the refrigerator for some days, just making a few cookies at a time. 

Please tell me if you try the recipe and tell me what you think about it.
Be honest.  I can take it...I think... 

For those of you who celebrate Mother's Day May 8th, I wish you a happy one.  Such days can be fraught with feelings of all sorts, I know, but I am hoping that the strongest will be Love. 

Gracie xx





25 comments:

  1. Pretty, pretty blooms . Love the crochet and that yarn like the flowers is a glorious colour. Your cookie sound delicious. Hugs Anne x

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  2. Love those petunias Gracie, I can almost smell them. CN x

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  3. Beautiful blooms, such vibrant colours the rose is stunning. Plants are always such a great gift and bring back so many memories from season to season. Hope you had a lovely Mothers Day.

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  4. Happy mother's day dear Gracie. May you have a lovely day. Hugs, Pat

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  5. That is a very vibrant rose, Gracie, I can see why you like it. Bravo for wintering over that pretty geranium, Dayle will be very proud of you! He brought out all his wintered over geraniums and we're watching them fill in. I like your drink jacket and might just have to make one for my ice water stainless steel mug. ❀.•❤•.✿.•❤ Happy Mother's Day! ❀.•❤•.✿.•❤ to you and enjoy your day! It's Travis' 40th birthday today.. when did I get that old? LOL! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  6. Gracie, what is "coconut sugar"?

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    1. It is sugar produced from the sap of the flower buds of the coconut palm tree.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_sugar
      I think many forms of sugar will work in this recipe, but I happened to have coconut sugar on hand.

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  7. Your flowers are gorgeous Gracie, and that recipe sounds wonderful. Happy Mother's Day my friend. You make me smile.
    Meredith

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  8. I like the idea of a big jar full of cookies in the pantry. Wishing you a lovely week. x

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  9. Beautiful blooms Gracie. I tried to overwinter my geraniums this year but they died. Only ugly sticks left by the end of winter. I'm going to have to ask you, (and Dayle), for tips next winter. The cookies sound delicious and I really like your cup cozy. For the most part I quit baking cookies when the kids moved out. I eat them all myself if I bake! Happy Mother's Day dear Gracie. I've had a wonderful one with Alex here. I'm going to miss him terribly when he goes home. The house will be too quiet once again.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  10. Hope you had a nice Mother's Day. Lovely flowers you have. I like your cozy living room and the cover for you tumbler is a fun thing. Cookies and tea go well together! Have a good week, my friend!

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  11. Your rose is just beautiful! What a lovely Mother's Day you've put together! I love your cozy, but wonder if the crocheted bottom makes the cup easier to spill -- guess why I ask!

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    Replies
    1. Hmmmm so far no spills and I just bopped it gently to test its stability and it stayed upright :) Maybe the weight of the ceramic glass helps it to be more stable...time will tell?

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  12. Morning Gracie, Our garden is springing into life too, such a special time to be thankful for. Jo x

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  13. Flowers, cookies, crochet and a cool drink. No wonder I like coming here :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  14. Your cup cozy turned out really nice, Gracie. Thank you for sharing your pattern as well as the recipe. The cookies sound very tasty. I hope you had a good Mother's Day! Have a good week too.

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  15. Here in my climate, I was able to over winter both geraniums and petunias outside--it must have been a mild winter.
    The rose is beautiful!

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  16. That rose is such a fantastic colour, it is lovely to see a rose again, it will be another month before any are blooming here. I share your dislike of drinking out of plastic bottles it just doesn't taste the same! Your biscuit recipe looks wonderful, I will have to try it when I have been time and are not trying to reduce my calories! Sarah x

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  17. Lots of great things you've shared here -- crochet and cookies ... lots of lovey blooms ... especially the pretty rose. Sadly, our season of growth will come to an end with the heat. And unfortunately, my 17 year old boy did not water the plants while we were away like I told him to, so many of them did not fare well. I was not a happy camper when we came home and I discovered most everything was withering away or dried up. :(

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  18. Oh Gracie...your words always bring me comfort! I come here to your blog, and always feel such peace. Why is that? I can only imagine how it would be, to be in your physical presence. Perhaps one day, I shall be. I want to thank you for your very kind words on my blog. I know that I have a formed a kinship with you, Betsy, Teresa, and Tacie, that, despite the distance, is one of great comfort and pleasure. I thank you.
    Love,
    Kris
    PS You asked about the sock tutorials. The pattern is called Learn to knit magic loop socks, by Very Pink knit

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  19. Oops, that fired off accidently! Very Pink Knits is the pattern author. And she has some very good video turorials to go along with learning the magic loop method, step by step. But I will say, for this newbie, she goes too fast. I had to watch, and watch, and rewatch!!!

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  20. Such beautiful blooms, especially that gorgeous rose. Your cup cosy is a great idea and looks a perfect fit. The cookies sound delicious...thank you for sharing the recipe...love your description of your grandmother's big cookie jar too. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day dear Gracie.
    Helen xox

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  21. Love the flowers - absolutely beautiful pictures! And those Molasses cookies look yummy! :)

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  22. I stink at baking. I accept all baked good s from friends HAHAHAH

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  23. The flowers are gorgeous! I think I like the photo of the rose the best. The molasses cookies sound delicious. It's been awhile since I made some!

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