Constantly Stamping

Perfectly Preserved Neighbor Gifts

One of the reasons I love the Perfectly Preserved and Friendship Preserves stamp sets is that I do a decent amount of jam making each summer.  Every Christmas my neighbors have come to expect their Blackberry Jam with some different and clever packaging. This year I have a little surprise for them...not only did I make yummy blackberry jam, I also made a big batch of pear preserves. This is what some of them will receive this year.

This is one of the projects that I made with the gals at my last class. I did some simple sewing to make the burlap bags. I measured the circumference of the jar and added two inches. This gave me a 1/2" seam allowance and a little wiggle room for the jar. I also added about five inches to the height of the jar so that I would have just enough room to stitch the bottom piece closed and have some leftover at the top to tie shut. We stamped and paper-pieced the jam jars to create a fun tag. They really had fun making these and now they have one of their Christmas gifts all ready to go. 

Lots of Pears

Last night we were out working in the yard, cutting down a tree damaged by a recent storm. Our neighbor walks over and asks if he could borrow the chain saw to cut down a bothersome tree in his yard. Next thing I know they are dragging the branches over to our burn pile and they were loaded with these...tons of pears. He said that they were hard pears and not really good to eat raw, but it just killed me to see all of that beautiful fruit go to waste. Surely they are good for something? One of the other neighbors said that his brothers wife had made some delicious preserves with pears from this same tree. So now what do I do with over six gallons of pears? I make blackberry jam every summer and I would love to make pear jam or some other yummy delight, but I don't even know what variety of pears they are or how to prepare them...if you have any thoughts, I would love to hear from you.

A Day at Watermelon Moon Farm

I try not to share too much stuff on my blog that isn't related to stamping, but I just had to tell you a little bit about the fabulous experience I had at Watermelon Moon Farm this past Saturday. My husband's step-mother, Ellen, and her friend, Sue, invited me to join them for lunch at Watermelon Moon Farm. The farm, bed & breakfast, and gift shop are nestled away in the country just about a 25 minute drive east of Nashville. I have not had the opportunity to spend the night, but I can tell you that this was my second visit for lunch and it was heavenly. The owners, Emily Steinberg & Harold Cash, were so excited that I wanted to share about my experience on my blog, that they graciously gave me their recipe for their fabulous grape salad to share with all of you. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for the recipe.

  

Watermelon Moon Farm is listed on the National Historic Registry as the Wm. Washington Seay House and was built between 1835-1845. We visited the farm on Halloween, but Emily made sure to let us know that on November 1st the Autumn decorations were coming down and they were transforming the farm for their Christmas Open House on Saturday, November 14 (10:00 AM-4:00 PM) and Sunday, November 15 (1:00-4:00 PM). Guest author, Candy Paull, will also be also be signing her new book, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

  

To make your reservations, get directions, and receive more information, visit their website at www.watermelonmoonfarm.com. The dining room only seats 18, so if you are looking for a fantastic place to bring a small group of ladies for a wonderful lunch experience, you definitely want to make your reservations well in advance. I am sure you will love your Watermelon Moon Farm experience as much as we did!

Carrol's Grape Salad

3 lbs. red seedless grapes

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup toasted nuts, chopped (pecans, walnuts, or both)

Wash and drain grapes in colander. Place half of the white grapes in a flat Pyrex dish. Slice the remaining grapes in half and add to the whole grapes.  In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the cream cheese and blend with a fork, leaving some small chunks. Pour over the grapes and toss to evenly blend the sauce mixture into the grapes. Sprinkle the brown sugar and toasted nuts over salad. Cover and refrigerate for several hours until ready to serve. Makes approximately 15 servings. Delish! (Note: They served this delicious salad over a small mix of salad greens. Yum!)

  

Perfect Setting Bigz Die

Did you know that the cupcake wrapper from the Perfect setting Bigz XL die also fits those clear plastic 9 ounce tumblers that you can get in the party supply section of most grocery stores? I borrowed the die from my mother-in-law and played with it for a few days and now I need one of my very own.

 

Now you can customize your tumblers for any occasion and fill them with drinks, nuts, condiments...the possibilities are endless. The best thing is that it is on sale right now as one of the Deals of the Week.

 

So click the "Shop 24/7" in the right column and get in on this limited time offer now!

Deals of the Week #2 - no limits and no minimum purchase required - offer ends Oct. 19, 9:50 a.m., MT)

 

Perfect Setting Bigz XL die (Item #115961)

Special Price: $25.99 (regularly $42.95)

Other Deals of the Week include:


Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die (Item #116760)

Special Price: $25.49 (regularly $39.95)

Flower Burst Embosslits die (Item #114515)

Special Price: $5.99 (regularly $11.95)

What is a Razzleberry?

I know that most of you probably don't care, but I just had to know if there is such a thing as a razzleberry...so I googled it and this is what I found:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Razzleberry is a pie made with raspberries and blackberries. It is very popular and is the most common (and sometimes the only) flavor of pie made without added sugar.^{[citation needed]}

Reference is made to razzleberry (dressing) in the 1962 Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol.

Super Easy Rich Razzleberry (Blackberry) Cobbler Recipe

You know blackberries are on my mind these days so I thought I would share with you my super easy recipe for delicious blackberry cobbler. Yes...those blackberries remind me of the beautiful Rich Razzleberry CS in the new catty! Which raises the question...is there such a thing as a Razzleberry? Hmmm :)

Easy & Delicious Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

1/4 Cup Butter or Margerine (1/2 stick)
9"x9" Glass Baking Dish

Put butter in baking dish and preheat oven and dish to 350 degrees F.

While dish/oven is heating mix the following ingredients in bowl.

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Self-rising Flour
3/4 Cup Milk

2-3 Cups Fresh Blackberries

Mix sugar, flour and milk by hand until most of the lumps are gone.
Remove hot dish from oven and pour batter into hot dish. Evenly spread 2-3 Cups of fresh blackberries on top. Sprinkle top with 1/4 Cup sugar. Return dish to oven.
Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Remove from oven and serve warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream (optional).
Yum, Yum!