A Little Baking for the 4th. And 1st.

A newer tradition in our family is to have 4th of July breakfast at the Eggers'.  Dave made eggs, bacon and biscuits and gravy -- what more could you ask for?  Bloody Marys?  Mimosas?  Baked treats, you ask?  OK!

Jenny gave me some fresh raspberries from her mom's patch on Thursday, so I made scones.  The great recipe is here from Creme de la Crumb.  They were very good.    

I also made Clay's favorite, Blueberry Buckle.  The recipe is from our good friend, Joan, via her mom, Norrene.  Like Florence's Peach Cobbler, it's a great one preserved in the 1991 St. Ambrose PTO cookbook.  (You know -- before Pinterest.)  We made two cakes -- one for the morning, and one for Maggie's last evening, and I got several requests for the recipe, so here it is!

Blueberry Buckle

3/2 c. sugar                                              1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg                                                         1/2 c. milk
2 cups flour                                               2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt                                               2 cups well-drained blueberries

Cream first 3 ingredients; stir in milk.  (I use a hand mixer.)  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; stir into butter mixture.  Carefully blend in blueberries;  spread batter in greased and floured 9" square pan.  Mix ingredients for crumb mixture:

1/2 cup sugar                                             1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon                                      1/4 cup soft butter

Sprinkle on top of batter.  Bake 45-50 minutes at 375 until toothpick stuck into center comes out clean.  Serve warm, fresh from the oven.

Just one more.  Since the 1st was Canada Day, and since Grandma Olive was from Canada, and since we were having a family supper, I made this:

It's just angel food cake, torn up in the bottom of a 9x13.  Then, I chopped up some strawberries, mixed them with a little sugar and spooned them over.  Cool Whip on top (yes, I do prefer whipped cream, but there are some Cool Whip lovers in this family, and it's really just easier, isn't it?).  More crushed berries on the sides and a raspberry maple leaf (can you tell that's what that is?) in the center.  O, Canada!

Peace,

David and Goliath Go to the Dominican

My friend, Linda, is going on a mission trip with her church to the Dominican Republic, where they will be teaching Bible School for lots of kids.  It sounds like great fun, and I know it will be a rewarding experience for her.

(I have the happiest memories of Bible School at Bethany Baptist Church in Crothersville.  I would get to spend the whole week at my grandma's, and every morning she would hold my hand as we walked into the sanctuary, where we'd say the pledges to the American and Christian flags and sing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The B-I-B-L-E".  Grandma would go down to the basement to make the grape Koolaid and set two cookies on a napkin for each kid to enjoy after our lesson, games and crafts.  CRAFTS!  It was the greatest.)

Anyway, Linda asked me if I knew of anyone who made puppets -- the mission team wanted David and Goliath puppets.  I didn't, but thought I could probably figure out how to make them for her.  My one big puppet-making adventure was many years ago, when I worked on the Bookmobile and made a Thanksgiving-dinner-swallowing puppet to go along with the book I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.  She was pretty adorable, and the kids loved stuffing the felt turkey, potatoes and pie into her big old mouth -- I wonder if they still use that little old lady?  

Anyway, I started at Pinterest, and found this blog that had great directions for puppets.  I also googled some images of David and Goliath, and ended up with these:  

David was made exactly from the pattern on the blog.  For Goliath, I used a compass and increased the head and body pattern by about an inch all around.  I just fooled around with his arms and legs until they looked big and fierce enough!  

The only purchases for this project were 3 beigey-tanny t-shirts from the Goodwill.  Everything else I had in my workroom.  David's tunic and sandals are felt; Goliath's tunic is old sweaters -- the skirt of his tunic is scraps from a Gap sweater I've already made into a purse.  His sword, shield and breastplate are cut from an old Cricut mat and covered with silver vinyl.  Their hair is yarn and David's slingshot and G's sandals are leather lacing (Yes, I do have a lot of crap in my workroom.)

Wine bottle make excellent puppet stands.  But maybe not at Bible School ....

G's feet.  I thought they were cute.

 David could easily be transformed into any number of Biblical people -- a young Jesus, Zacchaeus, Isaac.  Goliath?  Well, he looks a lot like that caveman on the insurance commercials ....

Peace.