Pumpkin Muffins & Printable

"It is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder ~

Our family loves these

sweet & simple pumpkin muffins!

I made the recipe into an 8" x 10"

image for instant kitchen art...

Some tips & advice:

1.  Only grease the bottoms of the muffin tin.  Skip the sides.
2.  Fill an oven-safe dish with 1" or so of water, and place in the oven while preheating.

3.  Preheat your oven for 15 or 20 degrees hotter than the recipe states, then reduce to recommended temp when muffin tins go in.

(The tips above help batter rise & peak quickly ~ topping off the muffins nicely)

4.  Did you know muffins freeze really well?
        After they've cooled, place in a large freezer bag.
        To reheat, pop in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
        To send in lunches, place in a sandwich bag and they'll thaw by lunchtime.

Here are the free graphic & font
sources used to create the printable:

*Lost & Taken*
Grungy wallpaper texture

*Knick of Time*
Chalkboard texture

*Bumble Button*
Theater program border(4th image down)

*Dafont.com*
Freebooter Script

Take time to enjoy the sweet,
simple things in life today!

Vintage Strawberry Tags

"Note on Kitchen Table"

I will be back soon to bake some bread,
But now I'm picking wild berries instead,
Out in the meadows, under the sun.
I know I'm leaving my work undone,
But the wind was soft on summer grass;
The trees stood up tall for me to pass;
And the blue sky smiled and bent down low.
So what could I do but laugh and go?
 
~ Mary Martin Palma ~

   
"Wild Strawberries"

Heavy the air with a fragrance rare,
Strawberries ripe in the meadow,
Luscious & red where the vines are spread
Thickly in sun and shadow.

~ Jean Blewett ~


Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:

*Vintage Images*
Strawberries

*Lilac & Lavender*
Vintage recipe card


Hope you enjoy these cute
Vintage Strawberry Tags!
Thanks for stopping by!

Honey Spice Cake & Caramel Icing

"The bee is more honored

than other animals,

not because she labors,

 but because she labors

for others."

~ Saint John Chrysostom ~

Hello again!  Not long ago, I shared a story about

a few recipes given to me by my neighbor, Glenna...

well, here is another one of those vintage recipes!

I would've just scanned the original card and embellished it

with honey bees, but as I was making this recipe myself the

other day, I realized there was something kind of important

missing from the ingredient list.  Can you see what I mean?

(Click on the recipes to enlarge)

  No measurement for flour... and I already had

everything else mixed up.  That, my friends, is why it pays

to read the entire recipe through... beforehand!  So I was

not going to let a full cup of honey go to waste, let alone

the other ingredients.  I added one and a half cups flour first.

The batter seemed too thin... so I added another

half a cup for 2 cups...

It worked!

I chose to make cupcakes ~ here's how they turned out.

(By the way, I wish you could've smelled my kitchen!)

The last thing it says on the card is...

Honey cake does not need much frosting -

a thin layer of caramel icing is best.

Here's the original recipe for Caramel icing:

and here's my version:

If you make either recipe,

let me know how they turn out!

Thanks so much for stopping by...

have a sweet day!

Box of Treasures

My children and I stopped by

for a visit with our neighbors,

and came home with

a box of treasures...

I was thinking we should stop by and visit our neighbors,

 and then as we drove by their home, Glenna happened to be

 out in the garden... smiling and waving at us.

It was my sign to take the kids down for a visit!

We walked down the strip of grass between the pasture and road connecting our properties, and soon had dogs barking at us... Glenna was back outside, smiling and ready to give out hugs!  We sat on a front porch glider and talked as my kids played with their dogs...

 Inevitably, the kids (and dogs!) were thirsty, so we made our way inside to the big farmhouse kitchen.  Olivia motioned to a small cardboard box, and Glenna told her it was full of old recipes.  

She looked at me and asked, "Do you want them?  I was going
to bring them to you, but since you're here..."  She told me they were from one of her long time friends, and neither one had use for them.

As you can see, I happily accepted her offer!

Later, we said our goodbyes and walked back home... me with my treasures, and the kids with theirs (candy, of course!).  Once in the kitchen, I began sifting through the hundreds of recipes... a labor of love... much like the effort it took to create the cards in the first place. 

Most are typed, others hand-written.  In fact, mom says

the hand-written ones remind her of my grandma's handwriting... very pretty.

I've included 3 recipes in this post,
but anticipate sharing more soon.
For now, I'll leave you with...

 Here is the back...

I also scanned a plain lined recipe card,

and added aged, torn paper texture

I made with an image from

The Graphics Fairy:

For fun, I added a collage I made a while back...
French script and white roses...

... and a yellow Catherine Klein rose.

Hope you enjoyed your visit here!

Have a great day!!

Cookie Inspiration

Baking Christmas cookies is one of our family's favorite holiday traditions.  You probably have a few go-to recipes, recipes handed down through the generations, or maybe a few you'd like to try out.  I've posted two cookie recipes on here that I came across in a little red recipe box.  The first is for Molasses Sugar Cookies, and the other for Vicki's Chocolate Crinkles.

I happened to see Gooseberry Patch's Recipe Round-Up, where they're featuring cookies, and shared the Chocolate Crinkle recipe there.  If you're looking for cookie-baking inspiration, head on over.  You're sure to find something that strikes your fancy!

Hope you'll check it out...   

Merry Christmas, and happy baking!