"Embrace your Journey ...1 Stitch @ a time in 2024!"

 Hey y'all...hope your holidays have been filled with memorable moments. I'm excited about the New Year approaching. I've realized this year to embrace what life has given me...whether it be good or bad. I'm thankful for my blessings and hoping the difficult times has made me a stronger person. I'm looking forward to a year of sharing my designs and hoping to inspire others as well. I love cooking....sharing sewing & quilting projects with y'all. My designs for this coming year are a bit simpler and maybe that will inspire you to take a few moments for yourself and do what you love. Life is hectic and we need downtime. I always say, "I'm no good to help others if I don't take the time for myself too." I'll be sharing quality items in my projects this year from Missouri Star Quilt Co. plus offering a monthly discount as well. So, keep following each design and project will have a link for your convenience. I thank y'all so much for following and wishing us all a joyous New Year stitched with love!

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Christmas Eve Blessings!

 Hey everyone....hope your weekend is going great. It's hard to "believe" it's Christmas eve. I love this time of year cherishing the true meaning of the season. I'm blessed to have "family time" this year which makes this a memorable one or best Christmas ever! Now my grandson is older & traditions are a bit different but still memorable. Seems like yesterday he had his first pic with Santa and now he's 13. I'm definitely cherishing his pics displayer throughout my daughter's home. I love Christmas so much that I'll by doing Quilt-Mas Cheer all year on my quilt blog. I'll be featuring "Scrap-a-longs" all year for you to get a jump on your holiday gifts for next year. We'll have fun home decor projects so don't put away your Christmas fabrics. I'll also be featuring a discount with Missouri Star Quilt Co. for your sewing/crafting or quilting needs. I do wish y'all a Blessed Christmas and thank you so much for following.

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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"Tis the Season 4 Cookies!"

 Hey y'all....hope all has been well and enjoying the Holiday Season. Life has been a bit crazy for me, but we still keep doing what makes us happy. For me...no matter what life brings me health wise being with family and making cookies is still my fav :-) Although traditions are still wonderful, but I have to admit recently I did a "flash back." Yes...I bought that Sugar cookie roll. No judging...they make the best sugar cookies and so easy to decorate. I've been trying to make some fun Christmas gifts and saving time with this slice n bake dough has been a game changer. I'm also sharing with y'all my recent purchase from Thyme & Table. I purchased the silicone baking mat. Y'all I love this mat. Not only is it great for baking but on the back, it's designed for pastry dough as well. It's just wonderful having a great quality silicone mat especially when your baking Christmas cookies. Plus, if you're still needing an inexpensive but great gift then this would make any baker happy. If you pop on over to my quilting blog you will also find some fun gifts that you still have time to make. The Christmas season is so wonderful but remember it's the small things that are still wonderful like making cookies together. I hope to share more recipes this coming year and design tips. I'll be sharing "Quilt-mas Cheer all Year" in 2024 on my quilt blog so please keep following. I'll be incorporating fun home decor projects as well. I hope this silicone mat brings you as much cookie joy as it has me! Thanks for following!

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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"No Tricks w/this Appetizer!"

 Hey y'all...hope you're having a "spook-tacular" Halloween!. Celebrating this day is a bit different for me now but I still love doing some fun decorating and snacks. I usually decorate the kitchen a bit and change out my seasonal pillow to something Halloween-ish :-) I have a fun & easy pillow tutorial on my quilt blog were I 'hack" a kitchen towel. It's a bit late to make one for this year but you can totally use the same concept with any season. One thing I especially love is receiving everyone's pics of their costumes...candy etc. it brings back fun memories of my daughter dressing up. Well truth be told she still dresses up due to working as a school counselor. I always say..."you're never too old to enjoy life's simple moments1" Trust me as I've aged "gracefully" it's those special moments that keep "us" going. :-) Well, I wanted to share this fast but d'lish recipe with y'all. My time in the kitchen is a bit limited these days with my back issues, so I love a fast recipe that is also practical. When I get a "thumbs up" w/out asking it's a win-win in my book. Let me tell you the funny story of how this recipe developed. I was feeling a bit 'whoozy" on meds but dinner time was approaching. I should have gone grocery shopping earlier but didn't feel like it...I know we all go through it...so, I decided breakfast for dinner. I love the concept of breakfast for dinner but wasn't in the mood for eggs. I wanted pizza but not enough time. So, my brain went to a spin-off of my pizza bites that I love to make for snacks. Needless to say, I'm a true believer of having a jar of spaghetti sauce on hand. So, I started playing with biscuits for a "pizza pocket" idea. These "pizza pockets" were so easy and fast that I'm planning on making them anytime. I will say they would be great for an appetizer when entertaining....a great snack before 'trick-or-treating" or just when you're in a rush. You can totally add your favorite family's ingredients but just remember not to "stuff" them too much or they will seep out. Mine did a bit with the cheese but that was fine with me :-) Oh and definitely use 'parchment paper" on a baking sheet. This helps when stretching out the biscuits as well. I hope y'all enjoy this recipe and have a safe and wonderful "Trick or Treating" eve. 

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

Follow me on Instagram...Facebook & Pinterest...links on upper right of blog.

Here's all you need...

* Can of Pilsbury Butter Tastin' Bisquits (your desired amount)

* Jar of Classico Pizza Sauce Traditional Sweet Basil (reserve some for dipping)

* Pepperoni slices...I use Turkey :-)

* Grated Mozzarella cheese

* Dried Italian seasoning (opt)

* Pinch of garlic powder (opt)

Here's all you do...

* Preheat oven to temp on biscuit can.

* Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

* Carefully stretch each biscuit to about a 5" circular if possible. It gets a bit sticky :-)

* Spread about a tablespoon of spaghetti sauce over biscuit being careful of not getting on edges.

* Sprinkle a bit of Italian seasoning and garlic powder if desired.

* Layer pepperoni slices on one side (see pic)

* Sprinkle grated cheese over pepperoni slices.

* Carefully fold over biscuit to form a half-circle.

* Using your fingers...carefully crimp the edges to enclose the 'pocket."

* Carefully make a few slits on top.

* Garnish with some seasoning if desired.

* Bake as recommended on biscuit can or until golden in color. 

* Dip in spaghetti sauce and enjoy!

Note...Normally you would do a bit of an egg wash to secure edges, but I did not. I think the butter in the biscuit actually helped to keep edges together along with the crimping of edges. This would also be a great recipe to get the "kiddos" in the kitchen!

Enjoy & talk soon,

Cat

How to Make a Quilted Ottoman - Free Project Tutorial

Hey y'all...hope all is going great. I had to share this super fun design with you. We all love to customize our home and what better way to say "welcome" than a "ottoman" to relax on. Missouri Star Quilt Co. Misty Doan is sharing a fun & fabulous ottoman tutorial. I love watching her techniques and designs especially from the comfort of my own home. It can't get any easier than that! I hope y'all enjoy this tutorial and break into your own stash pile to create your own. I thank y'all so much for following and check back soon for more tips & holiday recipes. Talk soon!

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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Quilt blog: https://ihearditthroughthequilt-vine.blogspot.com (link upper right)

Cats Tip of the Day!..."I got your Back"

 Hey y'all...hope your Friday is going great. I wanted to share a few products that I absolutely love when sewing...quilting...crafting. I recently received these two products from Missouri Star Quilt Co. The Omnigrid 360 rotating cutting mat has been wonderful along with the ergonomic rotary cutter by Olfa. Sometimes we don't realize how much we bend/stretch when rotary cutting which puts pressure on our backs. I for one know it's so frustrating to do what we love while in pain. You can pop over to my "quilting blog" to read more. I also have a link on my quilt blog for MSQC website. They have daily deals for you as well. I thank y'all so much for following especially during my downtime of surgeries. Talk soon!

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours.

Cat

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www.ihearditthroughthequilt-vine.blogspot.com

Cats Tip of the Day!..."Time-saving Meal Prep!"

 Hey y'all...hope all is going great for you. I'm recuperating from one of my surgeries and I wanted to share this time-saving tip with you. It seems everyone's daily life schedule is hectic and not enough hours in the day. Plus, for some odd reason "dinner time" is a task instead of a time of togetherness. Looking back, I wish we would have sat together at the table more. We all had busy schedules and dinner time during the week didn't get the attention that it should have...hmmm. Sundays were always a day of Church and family time around the table. But during the week it was a grab & go,,,sit up at the kitchen bar.... eat in the living room...boy I could go on with the statement. Sad to say now that everyone is grown, I noticed that my routine is still the same. My dinners now are pretty simple but still delicious due to my limits. Gathering around the kitchen and less around the dinner table. I'm going to challenge myself and maybe y'all to have more family time around the dinner table if you haven't already. Our daily lives are so crazy, and I honestly don't know how y'all do it with kiddos activities. I am proud to say that my daughter does carry on the tradition of weekend togetherness at the table. As a designer I feel the "trend" from sitting at the table to congregating around the kitchen island is because we started designing the huge kitchen island. But I will admit it's so convenient. :-) I'm"guilty" of decorating the table especially for the Holiday's and don't want to mess it up in the meantime. Ridiculous right? My step-grandson even said last Christmas "Gege which towel can I use?" Oh, my word that was embarrassing but led me too how obsessed I am with everything being perfect. Your lives need a little break. I can't add more time to the day for you, but I can share a fast and convenient meal prep to help you with your hectic dinner time meals. I'm still trying to lose weight and I eat a lot of "ground chicken." But for me chicken is pretty bland. Seasoning is a bit more challenging for me now that I'm older and watching my salt intake. So recently I saw a pkg of "Herb ox" sodium free granulated chicken bouillon. I grew up with the cubes, but these are individual season packets and sodium free. Oh my gosh y'all...adding a pkt to ground chicken when cooking has been a dream come true. I also add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. I cook one pound of ground chicken and season as above then divide in half for two meals. Of course, I'm just cooking for 2 but you could do the same and just adjust to how much meat you are cooking. Taking a few minutes and prepping ahead will definitely help you throughout the week, I love to make soups...chili...tacos...enchiladas...casseroles...etc. with this meal prep. It's convenient and you'll be surprised at how much you don't waste by prepping your meals. I wish everyone a less-hectic week but in the meantime, I hope you try this time-saving tip. Enjoy!

Blessed Cooking from My Home to Yours,

Cat

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www.ihearditthroughthequilt-vine.blogspot.com

Here's all you do....my weekly meal prep includes...one pound of ground chicken...cooked with a half of a bell pepper and seasoned with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and one packet of sodium free chicken bouillon. let cool and divide into two freezer-friendly containers. 

Thanks for following and talk soon!

Cat