Cranberry Almond bread

That time once again.  I love making new things and it's perfect because I can take what I make to work and use my coworkers as my taste testers.  Lucky for me so far they have not eaten anything they didn't like.  There was one who didn't like coconut, oh well her loss.  Can't remember what it was that I made but when she bit into it she immediately spit it out.  LOL  Not to worry she didn't offend me because it was just her opinion and everyone else enjoyed it.
 Printable

Ingredients
1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. apple juice (or orange juice)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg, beaten
2 c. coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
sliced almonds (optional, to taste)
Instructions

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom only of 9x5 bread loaf pan with shortening; lightly flour. In small bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg; blend well. Set aside.
In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in apple juice, butter, vanilla extract, almond extract and beaten egg until well blended. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Spoon half of batter into pan. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter and swirl batter with a knife a few times (to swirl the cream cheese through the batter). Sprinkle almonds over the top (optional).
Bake 65 to 75 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

Tea Bag Dispenser

A couple of weeks ago my friend Patsy and I went to some craft stores in KC.  They had one of these on display and Patsy really wants to make one for a friend of hers so I went searching for the dirctions, which I found on You Tube.  Love that site, so many things you can learn.

Well I went to the drawing board and made this.  think it came out really cute.

side view

and top view

The paper flower was a bit of a pain to make but when I finally got it together it looked cute.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna

Non Traditional Wedding Card

Recently I went to a wedding that was very non traditional.  They were married on Halloween, all the bridesmades were dressed in black, each having a different dress. (which I thought was really smart, because I would think if they picked out the dress they would for sure wear it again.)  I didn't want to make a normal all white card so decided since they had lots of black I would play off that.

Here is the card which I made the design on my eclips.

and here is the insde.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things You L♥ve.
Donna

almond shortbread bars with Blueberry Jam

I made this for my Monday work treat.  It was really tasty but in my opinion it didn't have enough jam, so next time I'll use about 3/4 cup  or a bit more.  It is a quick easy recipe and I will for sure make it again.  These would be a great addition to Holiday baking.  Also I cut my squares a bit smaller and got 22 bars.

Adapted from "the Chew"
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup blueberry (or jam of your choice)
1 tablespoon almond-flavored liqueur
1/2 cup slivered almonds


Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, with an overhang on two sides for gripping and removing the bars after baking.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and almond extract and beat until smooth.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix on low just until the dough comes together. Flour your fingers and press about two-thirds of the dough into the prepared pan. Put the crust and remaining dough in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together the jam and amaretto. Spread over the chilled crust, leaving a ½-inch border. Sprinkle the almonds over the top, then crumble the remaining dough over the almonds. Bake until the jam is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack. Use the foil to lift the whole thing from the pan and cut into 12 squares.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna 

Butter Toffee Cookies

This is one of the easiest cookies to make and are so tasty.  I made these for my Monday work treat.  I've added this recipe to my Holiday Baking list.  It's a must try.  

3/4 cp butter
sugar
1 lg egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup toffee bits

Heat oven to 350°F.
Combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda; beat at low speed until well mixed. Stir in toffee bits.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten to 1 1/2-inch circles using bottom of glass. If glass sticks, dip glass in sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned. Do not over bake. Sprinkle with sugar while warm. Cool completely.  Makes about 3 doz. cookies.

Thank for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time To Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.

Donna