Quiltin' 'n' bakin'

When it finally got light enough to look outside at the thermometer this morning, it was a mere 4 degrees. I heard the wind howl all night, so I imagine the wind chill factor was pretty low. Even though it was sunny, it was a good day to stay in, bake and quilt! I started sandwiching the Dear Jane Christmas swap quilt yesterday, so finished pinning this morning and got right to it.

Took a little break mid-morning to get the slow rise bread on its way to a second rise. I made this a few days ago and wasn't happy with the result. With new yeast, perhaps it would be better. We had it for dinner tonight, and I think I will move on to a new recipe. The beauty of this one was that it didn't need kneading and could rise for 18-24 hours before tipping it into a pan to rise and bake. No problem - I also made some delicious chocolate chip cookies! Here's the recipe:

(adapted from "America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book" by the editors at America's Test Kitchen)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (I actually had it at 350) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Melt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter. When cool, beat in 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. white sugar until smooth. Beat in an egg, an egg yolk, and 2 t. vanilla.

Add to bowl: 1/2 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt, and 2 cups plus 2 T. all-purpose flour. Mix very well and add 1 1/2 c. of chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, and bake 15-20 min. Allow cookies to cool slightly on baking sheets before moving them to a rack to cool completely (if you can stand to let them sit uneaten for that long). Makes about 3 dozen chewy cookies.


I did quilt on the Christmas Jane on and off all day, and even sewed the binding around. But I think it needs a little more quilting on the borders, which I will attempt tomorrow afternoon. Still, I am happy to be almost finished with the quilt I was hoping to finish before Thanksgiving!