Are You Ready For Flannel Day 2009?

The Slip Stitch

Are you ready to get cozy?
It's only 16 days until Flannel Day.
Some of you may recall my new holiday.
I declared it last year.
You can read about it HERE.

Then come back here and
see what our BBEST Friends
have to contribute to the coziest
celebration of the year.

Talk about your comfort food.

Get your flannel house pants on everybody.
It's FLANNEL DAY!
Lounge. Eat. Drink. Be Merry.
Scottie Acres Boutique

Whip up some dip. Open a big bag of Ruffles.
Come on. It's Flannel Day. Go Wild.
fehustoneware

Indulge yourself.
Sip some wine or champagne.
{Hey. Psst. It's flannel day.}
GlitznGlass

You can browse your BBEST Friends' shops for gift ideas.
Or you can just get sparkly yourself.
Flannel and glitz go together perfectly.
katzskreations

Flannel Day says: All Things Soft & Toasty Warm...
Sassalynne

...Perhaps sit by the fire and knit.
the knotty sheep

Jill's Treasure Chest

Shop from your favorite spot
on the couch or in your overstuffed chair.
Isn't Flannel Day just plain yummy?

However you spend it,
treat yourself special, won't you?
And you'll be relaxed, revived and ready for the Holiday Season.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends.
Have a Wonderful Weekend.
I am thankful for you all.

Food, glorious food!

Is it worth the waiting for?
If we live 'til eighty four
All we ever get is gru...el!
Ev'ry day we say our prayer --
Will they change the bill of fare?
Still we get the same old gru...el!
There is not a cust, not a crumb can we find,
Can we beg, can we borrow, or cadge,
But there's nothing to stop us from getting a thrill
When we all close our eyes and imag...ine
Food, glorious food!
Hot sausage and mustard!
While we're in the mood --
Cold jelly and custard!
Pease pudding and saveloys!
What next is the question?
Rich gentlemen have it, boys --
In-di-gestion!
Food, glorious food!
We're anxious to try it.
Three banquets a day --
Our favourite diet!
Just picture a great big steak --
Fried, roasted or stewed.
Oh, food,
Wonderful food,
Marvellous food,
Glorous food.
Food, glorious food!
What is there more handsome?
Gulped, swallowed or chewed --
Still worth a kin's ransom.
What is it we dream about?
What brings on a sigh?
Piled peaches and cream , about
Six feet high!
Food, glorious food!
Eat right through the menu.
Just loosen your belt
Two inches and then you
Work up a new appetite.
In this interlude --
The food,
Once again, food
Fabulous food,
Glorious food.
Food, glorious food!
Don't care what it looks like --
Burned!
Underdone!
Crude!
Don't care what the cook's like.
Just thinking of growing fat --
Our senses go reeling
One moment of knowing that
Full-up feeling!
Food, glorious food!
What wouldn't we give for
That extra bit more --
That's all that we live for
Why should we be fated to
Do nothing but brood
On food,
Magical food,
Wonderful food,
Marvellous food,
Fabulous food

* * * * *

When the BBEST team did a challenge last month we were asked to list our favourite seasonal foods on our Member’s Board; the words from Oliver sprung to mind!  Well, we might not be little ‘Olivers’ but one thing this great team has in common….. the love of food, glorious food!

I often used to close my postings by describing my menu for dinner.  Unfortunately, due to heavier commitments this has not appeared lately.  However, this does not mean we do not eat in my household!  Far from it, we still love our food.

In fact, the other day, I decided to make some sausage rolls.  The idea of this recipe and the way I shall present it came from another team member by the name of Joon.  Now, if you know Joon you will know her name is synonymous with every type of recycling.  Check out her shops on Etsy, joonbeam.etsy.com, joonE.etsy.com, flyinghousewife.etsy.com Now, in her blog she details her recipes with pictures which makes it so easy to follow. So, I thought I would take a leave from her – thank you Joon!

Homemade Sausage Rolls!

All I used for this dish was a pack of puff pastry which was ready to roll, a pack of sausage meat, an apple (grated), harrissa seasoning (used in Moroccan dishes with couscous to add a little hot spice), tomato concentrate and a mix of herbs.

The joy of this recipe is that it changes every time you make it!  Just add what you have in your kitchen cabinet and fridge and… create!  Here you will see the bowl in which I have mixed all these ingredients.

Next!

Now to collect the ingredients to make the pastry. You can make puff pastry from scratch but these days what with time constraints, ease of use etc etc we like to make life as easy as possible.

So, open the packet of puff pastry, flour your kitchen surface, roll the pastry into manageable rectangles of roughly 4” x 6”. Take a teaspoon of meat mixture and make a ‘sausage’ to place in the middle of this rectangle.  Sometimes, you can add a little more or a little less.  Then, take your egg which you will have beaten, a pastry brush and smear/paint the edges of your pastry rectangle.  Pack a parcel of your sausage meat and make sure your edges are well sealed.  You will see what happens when you don’t do that in the last picture!

All ready to roll, or cook in the oven at 180C for about 25 – 30 minutes.

Oooooh, the anticipation and the yummy smells that start to emanate from the oven as they start to cook!!!!!

 

The moment of truth!

See what I mean about not sealing the edges properly?  Doesn’t detract from the taste at all.  Mind you don’t burn yourself as these are sizzling hot!

Oh yes, I forgot to say, I got around 12 sausage rolls out of this batch but it will vary according to how large/small you make them.  And, the beauty is that you can freeze them at this stage and just heat them up for 10 - 15 minutes in your oven when you need them!

Bon apetit!

Food, glorious food!  We BBESTers know how to celebrate this!  Often you will find some of our super talented team will be listing something related to food on Etsy such as …

Vintage Golden Shred Marmalade by

Herons Treasures

This image is one that I grew up with in UK but is now no longer PC to create.  A shame as the fellow used to make a lovely, comforting toy doll for kiddies – quite apart from delicious marmalade to be eaten on hot buttered toast!

 

To make us feel a little more chaste about eating healthily what about this image?

 

Juicy Watermelon by Artsy Clay

What tastes better in the summertime than a slice of sweet juicy watermelon?

Well you can dream, can’t you?

 

If you can’t eat these delights, you can certainly taste them when you slide these on your lips!  Yummy Lip Butters by AJ’s Country Cottage’s Shop

Packed with lots of great ingredients such as cocoa butter, shea butter, and soy, these yummy lip balms give your lips just a hint of glossy shine without all the calories!

A great favourite and often a hot topic for BBESTers is that of ‘chocolate’! Here is a delightful image from the Neighbourhood Girl Series by Six Sisters

Chocolate by Six Sisters

A wonderful ACEO hand painted showing one of our favourite comfort foods.

There!  I have said the magic word, ‘chocolate’!!  All feels so much better, it always is such a comfort too.

 

 

And so, my friends, I hope you enjoyed the culinary journey.  Remember to visit to find out more about us and see what is on the menu now!

Just around the corner....Thanksgiving!

People are talking about how close Christmas is and the stores are hauling in all the Christmas stuff. We are bombarded from all directions by it with just a small section left for Thanksgiving. I know...it is an American holiday. For me it conjures up images of turkeys. Here's a cute one from Sweet Rice. Cute little turkey planter that could be filled with some of those autumn flowers or maybe a bunch of colorful leaves! The first Thanksgiving probably did not have turkey but goose, codfish and lobster!

I remember making cornucopias when I was a kid. It was another tradition for Thanksgiving. We used a big horn shaped wicker basket and arranged all of our favorite holiday fruits and vegetables. It was referred to as a horn of plenty or horn of abundance. This is a pretty depiction by Clinging Images.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to be the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. We think of the colonists dressing in clothes similar to these cute candles found at By The Wayside.

On the table might have been found bowls made from gourds such as this one from Yarrow1, probably not as pretty but just as useful.

Fall harvest brings us lots of pumpkins! The Lord's Living World has this nice pumpkin basket that can be used throughout the fall season.

 

And from Aroma Fields we can get this great candle to fill our homes with the smell we associate with Thanksgiving...pumpkin pie!

You might think about sending a package to someone, thanking them for being a part of your life. A good one to start with might be this from Vintage Legacy Studio. What a lovely thing to receive in the mail!

We all have memories of Thanksgiving growing up. Sixsisters has this ACEO depicting one of her memories of Thanksgiving. Why not share one of yours with us on the thread?

Take a few minutes and browse the BBEST shops. Be thankful for living in a time where we can so quickly share our thoughts with others, can sell our wares to the world and never leave our chairs.