Tuesday, November 30, 2010

♥ Tea on Tuesday: Cranberry Lemon Sandwiches ♥

Ingredients:
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup shortening
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup dried cranberries

FILLING:
* 2/3 cup butter, softened
* 2-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1-1/4 teaspoons grated lemon peel


Directions:
* In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, lemon peel and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
* Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
* In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

Yield: about 4-1/2 dozen.

~~yummy recipe and photo from: Cranberry Lemon Sandwiches published in Best of Country Cookies~~

Saturday, November 27, 2010

♥ Crochet: Vintage Crocheted Apron ♥

original photo from Star Book Gallery of Crochet and Knitting
This free pattern and photo originally published in Star Book Gallery of Crochet and Knitting, No. 89.

Material:

"PURITAN" CROCHET COTTON, Article 40 (2 balls White, 1 ball Pink, 1 ball Nile Green)

OR "DE LUXE" CROCHET COTTON, Article 346 (2 balls White, 1 ball Pink, 1 ball Light Green)

Size of Needle: steel 7

1 ¼ yds. ⅞" ribbon.


WAIST BAND: With Pink, ch 14, 2 d c in 6th st from hook, ch 2, 2 d c in same space, ch 3, skip 3 sts of ch, s c in next st, ch 3, skip 3 sts of ch and work 2 d c, ch 2, 2 d c in last st of ch, ch 5, turn.

2nd Row. 1 d c, ch 3, 1 d c shell in center of shell, ch 5, 1 d c, ch 3, 1 d c in center of next shell, ch 5, turn.

3rd Row. 2 d c, ch 2, 2 d c shell in ch 3 loop, ch 3, 1 s c over ch 5 loop, ch 3, 2 d c, ch 2, 2 d c shell in next ch 3 loop, ch 5, turn.

Repeat the last 2 rows until there are 67—ch 5 loops across side of band, ending with the 3rd row, cut thread.

Attach White in 23rd loop, ch 3, d c in same loop, ch 2, 2 d c in same loop, * ch 5, 2 d c, ch 2, 2 d c shell in next loop, repeat from * 3 times, ** ch 5, 3 d c, ch 2, 3 d c in next loop, * ch 5, 2 d c shell in next loop, repeat from * 4 times, then repeat from ** twice, ch 5 to turn each row.

2nd Row. * 1 d c, ch 3, 1 d c shell in next shell, ch 3, s c over next loop, ch 3, repeat from * 3 times, 1 d c, ch 3, 1 d c in next shell, ch 5 (lace section), skip 1 d c of next 3 d c shell, 1 d c in each of the next 2 d c, 1 d c in next loop, ch 2, 1 d c in same loop, 1 d c in each of the next 2 d c of same 3 d c shell (solid section), ch 5, repeat from beginning twice and complete row to correspond. There are 4 lace sections and 3 solid sections in row.

3rd Row. Work 2 d c shells with ch 5 between shells in each shell of lace sections and work solid section same as previous row.

4th Row. Repeat 2nd row.

5th Row. Repeat 3rd row for lace sections and increase in solid sections as follows: 2 d c in 2nd d c, 1 d c in next d c, 1 d c in next loop, ch 2, 1 d c in same loop, 1 d c in next d c, 2 d c in next d c.

The 3rd and 4th rows of lace pattern are followed for en-tire apron and will not be referred to again. Following directions given are for the solid sections only.

6th, 7th and 8th Rows. 1 d c in 2nd, 3rd and 4th d c, 1 d c in loop, ch 2, 1 d c in same loop and next 3 d c.

9th Row. 2 d c in 2nd d c, 1 d c in each of the next 2 d c, 1 d c in next loop, ch 2, 1 d c in same loop and 1 d c in each of the next 2 d c, 2 d c in next d c.

10th, 11th and 12th Rows. 1 d c in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th d c, d c in next loop, ch 2, 1 d c in same loop and next 4 d c.

Repeat the last 4 rows, having 1 more d c on each side of each solid section every 4th row until there are 40 rows made. There should be 12 d c in each side of each solid section. Increasing in same manner, work 18 more rows in the following color scheme: 2 rows each of Green, White, Pink and White, 4 rows Green, 2 rows White, 4 rows Pink and 2 rows White. Press apron and lace ribbon through waist band.