The Old Featherbed

This old dirt road girl started out her life in Frankfurt, Germany. My Dad was from Ulm, Germany and my Mom was from Vienna, Austria. My Dad joined the US Air Force and was stationed in Germany when I was born. I was just shy of  2 when when he was transferred back to the States, but we spent lots of summers and Christmas Holidays in Germany. I have so many good memories from those days. I was quite the stylish baby. LOL.

                                     

One of the things I always loved when we visited was the featherbeds.  I felt like Heidi (a favorite childhood read) when I was tucked beneath those puffy feathers. It felt luxurious to snuggle into them, not unlike a nest. I remember reading Heidi, and later, Gone with the Wind, while nestled safely midst the downy warmth.

Anyone remember John Denver's song, Grandma's Featherbed?

Grandma's Featherbed

My grandmothers always believed that it was healthier and that you slept better in a cold room, so they both kept windows open at night. Winter, spring, summer, fall...the windows were at least cracked during the night. We still like to sleep in a cool room although open windows are banned when the mercury drops into the 20's.

I have 2 twin sized featherbeds  that my parents brought with them from Europe 60 years ago. 

 We lived in Colorado for 5 years and then Daddy was transferred to Texas where featherbeds were not needed, but they kept them packed away and passed them on to us when we married. 

 The little pink and blue  snaps were still in the little tub mom kept them in.  

They keep the duvet from shifting. So old school. So filled with memories. It transported me instantly back to Vienna.

                                            

It was -5 the other morning so a few days earlier, they were washed, aired out and back in business

                                  

When I pulled them out a few weeks ago, I wondered whether these featherbeds  ever wonder how they made it from the streets of Vienna and Germany to the end of a dirt road in New Mexico.

                                    

                                 

Sometimes I ask myself the same question about me. 😄

                            

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

 I was weeding through some recipes I had pinned and pulled this one to make on Friday. DH had gone to check on our cows, I had finished oiling the interior of the chicken coop with Linseed oil, and my cookie stash had been depleted. These sounded promising and I had all the called for ingredients on hand. As I took the last batch out of the oven, someone knocked on the door. We live very remotely. People don't just knock on our door. I wasn't expecting anyone, but turns out a couple guys drove out to pick up the dumpster we had filled. (Yes, we are still cleaning up things that we left behind by the previous owners.) They picked up one dumpster earlier in the week, and said they'd return to haul off the other next week, but 2 different fellas showed up unexpectedly on Friday. They must have sensed I was making cookies. 😉

So I sent them off with a couple of ziplock bags of cookies and then promptly copied this recipe and added it to my favorite recipe book.

Here's the link to the original recipe where she shares all the tips as well as a printable version.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C butter, softened

1 C creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

2/3 C cocoa (spoon the cocoa into the measuring cup - do not scoop) - I used dark cocoa because that's what I had.

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2  C sugar (divided - 1/2 C is for rolling dough in sugar)

1 1/4 packed brown sugar

*Cream butter and peanut butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Mix in brown sugar and 1 C of sugar. In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa together. Slowly add to wet ingredients and mix just until everything is well incorporated. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Form into small balls - roll in sugar - bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. They will set up more as they cool. The original recipe says to bake for 8 minutes, but mine needed a few more minutes.

                   

I love adding new keeper recipes to old family favorites!

Follow Your Heart Quilt

 Today I'm sharing my oldest UFO. 

I rarely buy kits, but I caved to temptation when I stumbled upon this one from Sweetwater on sale years ago. Looking back, it's been on my list since 2018.

It was the addition of the taupe to the red and white that lured me in. 

                                                   

I cut everything out a few years ago (May, 2022 - according to a blog post) and pressed the hearts to the blocks,

                                        

 but then everything was stashed back into the bin. I finally committed to this quilt last year, in April. I just sketch-stitched around each heart 3 times. I wanted a more rustic finish on the hearts:

The only thing I did differently was that I didn't applique hearts on every block - I left some of them empty, I used red thread instead of black, and I substituted a few fabrics from my stash. Oh, and I eliminated one size of heart that was included in the design. Jackie and Sandy quilted a design called Heart Fancy over it that's perfect, but difficult to see - this shot shows it the best.

I love the taupe print on the border

We're not done with winter here, but last week was unseasonably warm so I took advantage of the 70° weather and sat out on the deck a few days for a little while to work on the binding

Last year, I found this print for the backing that I thought would be a good fit

It's not very big at 70 x 78, but I I don't need every quilt to  cover a bed.

 I don't decorate for Valentine's Day but we have a partial wall in this house that separates the dining / living area from the entryway and I just hung it there

It's always fun to finish a quilt, especially one that's been sitting in a  bin for years. 

I'm quite smitten with this one

Rachel Cooks With Love Texas Chili

Are ya'll familiar with Rachel of Rachel Cooks with Love? I'm not a You Tube watcher, but somewhere, she crossed my path and my kitchen hasn't been the same since. LOL. 

I made this last Friday and it was a big hit. Now, I know there's an ongoing conversation about chili with beans vs chili without beans. It's just a personal preference. I grew up with chili made with ground beef and beans. DH likes this with a side of pinto beans (no beans IN the chili, please) so that's what I did on Friday. Rachel says this is an easy recipe. And it is, but it also does take some time. Don't let the ingredient list scare you - all those flavors absolutely come together in this winning recipe. 

                                           

Here's the link to her video, but I'm adding the ingredients here because I will print it and add it to my recipe collection. I'm still old school and like to have things in print.

Rachel Cooks With Love Best Texas Chili

4# Chuck Roast (cut into small cubes)

2+ Tbsp bacon grease

1 large onion, diced small

1 large green pepper, diced small

2# diced tomatoes (I used 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, partially drained)

2 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin

6 large garlic cloves, minced

4 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

3 Tbsp Ancho Chili Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Oregano

1 1/2 tsp ground Allspice

2 Tbsp chopped Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon (Beef)

1 Tbsp Maseca corn masa flour w/ 1/3 C water to make a slurry

5 C water

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

*Instructions - Please see above link.

Rachel's recipe calls for 3# of chuck roast and 1# of ground chuck. I just used 4# of chuck roast.

Now, I Do have a recipe for Black Bean Sirloin Chili that is a long-time favorite...chili with beans...LOL so I guess we're a family with a foot in each camp. But there is always room for one more outstanding recipe at the table.