Lemon Sunshine Muffins

Ingredients for the Muffins:

2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Ingredients for the Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or line the molds with paper muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used Oikos greek yogurt), eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir to blend. Don't overmix. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

5. For the Icing: Measure the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. 

Serve.

Hugz n Blessingz

*Elizabeth*

Walk In The Woods

I wanted to share a bit of what it looks like up here on the mountain in Cascade, Maryland.  I love our home and the surrounding countryside here and when it snows like this it just makes it even MORE magical! 

*hugz n blessingz*

Elizabeth

Nostalgic Dreams Owner

http://www.nostalgicdreams.com

Come Build a House with Me!

It all started in 1988...I saw the advertisement in the Ft. Belvoir Newsletter that they were giving a gingerbread house class at the community center.  I went, I saw, I conquered! lol  I had the best time making a house, and took a good friend with me and since then I have been making them almost annually for my children and others.  I would always send one to school for the annual Christmas party when my children were in elementary school.  I really loved seeing the faces of the kids when it was brought in and they could start breaking off each piece of the house and getting even their biggest sweet tooth filled.

Gingerbread houses are just magical, that's all there is to it.

Well, I decided to teach a benefit class here on the mountain this year.  I usually get folks together one week before Thanksgiving and give them the pattern as well as the recipes, then we get together again the first week after Thanksgiving-that way I don't interfere with their special moments with friends and family.  I want to share my recipe/pattern with you.  I have been making these houses since 1988 and have loved each and every one.  And...I have got the recipe perfected, well, in my mind it is anyway.  I hope you enjoy it.  I also hope that if you choose to take up this challenge to make your own house with friends or family that you will share your photos with me.  I would love to be able to share in your smiles and happiness.  If you have problems, please, call me at 301-241-4869 (EST during the daytime) or email me at admin@nostalgicdreams.com and I will be more than happy to do what I can to help out.  Have fun!

Gingerbread House Class

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR NEXT CLASS 

1.                  Pre-baked house pieces- enough to create one entire house.

2.                  Cardboard covered with foil- enough for house and small landscape area- around 14x14 inches.

3.                  2-3 batches of the royal icing: pre-made in an airtight bowl

4.                  Decorating bag with coupler and tips #3, #16, or #21

5.                  2 Kitchen towels

6.                  Spatula

7.                  Plastic Bag

8.                  2 bags of your choice of candy (please do not bring chocolate or soft candies as they don’t hold up well.)

9.                  Camera

Read Very Carefully

           The best way to start is to trace the house pattern pieces onto poster board, cut them out, cover them with taped down waxed paper.  You’ll need a front and back of the house, two sides, two eaves, and two roofs of the house.  When you make the house pieces out of dough, roll it out onto the cookie sheet lined with foil and trace around the pieces there.  Pull up the excess.  The moment you take the cookie out of the oven, transfer the foil to a flat, heatproof surface, trace around your pattern with a pizza cutter or sharp knife again and cut off the excess or the house will not fit together well.  Let the houses dry out on a wire rack for a day or so before assembling them.  The drier they are, the better they hold together.

            After you have made the royal icing, keep it covered in an airtight container with a piece of moist paper toweling between the bowl and the lid.

ROYAL ICING

 Remember that you need at least two batches of these made before class.

(Can keep up to a week in plastic ware in the fridge).

 3 level TBSP  meringue powder (available at Wal-Mart, Michaels, Joann’s and cake decorating stores).

4 cups confectioners sugar (1 lb.)

5-6 TBSP water (add one TBS at a time)

            Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7-10 minutes (10-12 minutes on high speed for portable mixer), or until icing forms stiff peaks.  Transfer to plastic bowl and cover with a lightly moistened, high quality paper towel and place the lid on top of that.

  

GINGERBREAD RECIPE

                         1 cup melted butter                                                   

                        1 ½ cups dark brown sugar                                         

                        1 egg                                                                          

                        2 TBS molasses                                                           

                        1 TBS corn syrup (Karo)                                            

                        1 tsp baking soda 

                        4-5  cups flour (depending on the weather)

                        2 TBS hot coffee

                        4 tsp cinnamon

                        3 tsp ginger

                        3 tsp cloves

                        2 tsp nutmeg

             Melt the butter on medium heat or in microwave, set aside the pan after it has melted.  Pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup and empty it into a very large bowl.  Add the melted butter and cream the two together with a wooden spoon.  Add 1 egg.  Add the molasses and corn syrup. 

            Mix the baking soda and the hot coffee together, ensuring the baking soda is dissolved, then add to the large bowl.  Add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.  Mix thoroughly by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed.

            Add the flour one cup at a time.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.  Dough will become stiff so the last dry addition may need to be blended by hand.  Work dough until it is smooth in consistency.  If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour.  Careful though, too much flour makes dough dry and hard.  When dough is easy to work, you’re ready to roll it out and make your house pieces.  If you’re not going to make your house right away, wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate (up to one week).  Be sure and bring it to room temperature before rolling (around three hours). 

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Place pieces on a baking rack for them to cool, do NOT put them in plastic ware or a plastic bag immediately.  They need to dry out before you put them in an airtight container. 

If a piece breaks into just a couple of pieces, don’t worry about it.  We can glue it back together later with royal icing “glue” when we build.  

Here are the house piece patterns, just print them out as a "photo" from your computer and you will have the exact dimensions that I use.

Here are a few pics of my house.  Still have to make the tree in the yard but you get the idea.  

 

 

And here are a few pics from the final class last night.  I only got one pic of houses before everyone skidaddled out but we had fun!

 

 

Well, It's Official!

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/NostalgicDreams

I have finally gotten my booth up and running on a wonderful site called "Bonanza".  It hasn't been easy and I have gone through a couple of other options in order to open an online store, but this one I believe is good, and once the site gets going, I think I will do okay.  I installed a "widget" at the top of this page so you can see some of the items that I have for sale.  I still have other things to do on the page such as shipping and other specifications, but I am getting there.  I spent the morning on the phone with UPS.  They are really awesome with their service and go the extra mile to assist you in starting your business.  My rep's name is Jeremy and he is just the most wonderful guy.  I look forward to growing my business with them and also with my customers over the years.

I started Nostalgic Dreams as a bed and breakfast which we will be reopening in the fall of 2012.  We are adding another room for rent that will be called the "Rustic Room".  I thought with us being this close to the Appalachian Trail and us having the occasional hiker, it would make them feel at home while they are "on the trail".  It will take awhile to complete it as we are looking for just the right accessories for the room.  

I also want to include a gift shop with Nostalgic Dreams that will not only house my gifts and crafts but some items that might be able to be used on the AT for some of the hikers that might stay.  I have loved meeting each and every hiker through the years, they are all so different but yet the same...they love nature and they have set their goals to accomplish a task.  Most want to finish the Maine to Georgia stint before they stop...and a couple have already accomplished this once but are on their second attempt.  

So...that being said, please, take a look at my Bonanza store above and let me know what you think about it. I am getting organized slowly and moving down the road of getting my full-fledged business opened to the public.  I love constructive criticism as it helps me to grow.  It will be awhile before I can open the gift shop here in the house as I have to do so many things that will take funds that aren't yet available, so I figured in the meantime I would go toward my goal from another direction.

Have a great rest of the week and God Bless.

Elizabeth

Summer Yummies

Here's a little more Susan Branch for you.  She sent out these yummy recipes on her Facebook page.  I am heading out for strawberries and blueberries!

*hugz n blessings*

Elizabeth

Beginning again

I don't know if you know or not, but I have been attempting to get my doors open here at Nostalgic Dreams for the longest time.  It has been a dream of mine since I first set out to get Grandma's Attic started back in 1991, along with some friends.  I love to craft, I love to create but being in the military always seemed to complicate things.  Once my daughter moved out a few years ago I thought I would be able to find the time, but alas, no, and the funds did not arrive either so I have put it off.  Well I am off on a venture to at least get the Bed and Breakfast open in the fall of 2012.

I have so much to learn, do and create but I have been doing things slowly.  It hasn't been easy, and luckily I have had some wonderful friends to help.  With God on my side, I was able to get the BnB opened a few years ago but I had to work a full time job for awhile and it made it just impossible.  Well, since I have been laid off for several months now, I have been proceeding down this neglected road...again.  I have drive and ambition and remember the words of my father ringing in my ear..."Anything worth doing Sis, is worth doing right...and it's going to be difficult".  So I persist and plan.  My mom has been my best ally in all of this, helping me by looking over paperwork, etc.  It is nice to have someone in the family that can lend a positive ear.

Well, I am so grateful that I have been given this opportunity and hopefully, since my last young one is out the door this fall to college, I can promote my time to finishing up my new guest room (The Rustic Room) and pushing forward.  I look forward to sharing this with you and hope that you will continue to give positive input on things that might help me along.

I won't be able to open my gift shop immediately, however, I have decided to jump in with both feet into the bazaar arena again and move slowly into the "gift shop dimension" in the near future.  If you have questions, comments or concerns, please, please let me know.  I can use all the help I can get!

*hugz n blessings*
Elizabeth

Warmer Weather

Hope your Memorial Weekend went "swimmingly"!

It is the last day of May and difficult to believe it is May.  The weather has been in the 90s lately and we don't usually rate that temperature until August.  We broke out the air conditioner this weekend so that we could be comfortable after working outside on the patio/in the yard. 

We had a good bit of luck this weekend off of http://www.Freecycle.org as well.  If you don't know what Freecycle is, you are in for a treat!  It is a world-wide organization dedicated to keeping things out of trash bins and into the hands of folks who will use them.  For instance, on Friday I found a table that needed a little tlc and responded to the person who offered it.  We went to pick it up at the pre-arranged day/time, put it in the van and headed home.  Jeff went to work immediately on it by scraping some of the rust off/sanding the frame, painting the primer on it and finally the top coat.  It looks brand new!  Freecycle is a wonderful place to either announce that you have an item or you would like an item.  You can find anything on there except for live critters (or husbands ;-) lol  A date and time is set up by the responder/announcer and the item is picked up.  I have had wonderful success with Freecycle over the years and think it is magnificent but the best thing about it is, everything's free!

If you need any info or help setting up your Freecycle log-in, send me an email at: admin@nostalgicdreams.com and I will be more than happy to help!

*hugz n blessings*

Elizabeth