Friday

Evergreen Grove

This week we received about 22" of snow.  Living on a mountain on the Wasatch Front pretty much guarantees that you will have a white Christmas.  Our backyard rests alongside a meadow that backs up to a forest of evergreens and oaks.  We have lived on this mountain for 13 years and have watched the row of pine trees in our yard shoot up to tower over all the over trees in along the meadow.


Evergreen Grove Embroidery Kit and Pattern

I always have hoops loaded with vintage linen and a Frixion pen in my bag, and this week as the snow fell, I decided to sketch what I saw from my living room window.  Three tall pine trees all bright in green with flakes falling lightly around them.  I am calling this embroidery pattern Evergreen Grove.  I so enjoy a simple stitching project and this one was a joy to stitch the past few evenings.


So fun to share this simple primitive style embroidery pattern in time for a week of rest!  We have Evergreen Grove available in kits that include everything needed to complete this project (including that darling oval hoop), or a paper and PDF pattern in case you want to get going tonight.


Save 25% on all orders this week!

We have a 25% off sale on all order placed this week!  Use code Shop25 and save at checkout in our online Shop  This includes all kits, frames, barn quilts and our delicious Prairie Paints that are finally back in stock tonight!  

We hope you are having a wonderful holiday week.  Remember to take some time in all the celebrating and dreaming to create and to rest.  I am hoping this project is just what you have been needing. xo




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Village Square Barn Quilt Pattern

One of our most loved barn quilts is the Village Square Barn Quilt.  We designed this pattern several years ago and have joyfully been commissioned to paint many of them for cities and friends around the country.  It is a perfect holiday barn quilt with the center town square shinning with a bright star, and little houses around with tall multi-colored pines in each corner.



One of the things I love about this quilt is the visual connection you see with each home all centered around a star.  I have mine hanging on my front porch through the winter and sometimes bring it out in the summer too.  It is colorful and bold, just as I like all my designs to be.  This original design is now available as a PDF or paper pattern in The Shop.  


Each of our patterns include step by step instructions for making your barn quilt just like we do here at our Tweetle Dee Shop.  They also include a Prairie Paints color list and pattern guides to help you complete your barn quilt.  Also in our shop are our Prairie Paints, brushes, aprons, and wood pallets if you want to get the complete materials list, we have everything you need. There are also kits for this barn quilt available.  

Use code Thankyou10 to save 10% off your orders in our online shop.  Happy holidays from our village to yours!



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Holiday Embroidery Patterns


We are so excited to add three new embroidery patterns to The Shop this week.  With our first now on the ground we are pulling out our most loved holiday embroidery patterns and kits.  Each of these pattern are available as a mailable color pattern or a complete PDF download.  Both have full instructions to help you complete the darling designs.

The Twig & Berry wreath is one of my all time favorite hoop-art designs.  It's simple twisted vines, leaves and berries all in black make it perfect for the holiday season and throughout the year.  It is quick to stitch and makes for a perfect gift to make.  We have kits available for 20% off this weekend and they are wonderful gifts to give to anyone wanting to begin embroidery.


Cold Twigs Warm Hearts is a simple applique pattern with instruction for fusing the fabric pieces together to create a winter wonderland sure to warm the heart.  If you can thread a needle and use an iron, you can whipstitch this cutie into you home.  

Next is Merry and Bright.  I love this little snowy-scape with the candy cane decorated cottage and a wish for a bright and merry holiday season.  This design is available as a pattern, or a kit with the frame included!  All of our kits are on sale this weekend with 20% off for using code Warmheart.  See the shop for all the new designs and let's get stitching!






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Tuesday

Snickerdoodle Cookie Day

Every year when the first snowflakes appear we make our Snow-Doodles, also known as Grandma Abby's Snickerdoodles.  I began making these for my babies when they were so tiny to celebrate the first snow and now that they are much bigger, when that first snow picture appears on my Instagram page, they call or message and ask if I'm making them and if they can come for dinner.  


These Snow-Doodles are light, soft and slightly crunchy on the edges...the perfect dunking cookie for hot cocoa or wassail.  Last night the first snow came in and it is still snowing outside on our pumpkins.  We love it, mostly because we know it will be gone by the weekend and we can still enjoy one last camping trip this weekend!  You will love this recipe!  The raw sugar makes them super sugary crunchy...just the best.

Snow-Doodle Cookies

Dough

2 Cups Soft Butter
3 Cups of White Sugar
1 Tbs Vanilla
4 Eggs
2 Teas. Baking Soda
4 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 Teas. Salt
6 Cups Flour

Cinnamon Sugar Dust

1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar
1 Tbsp. Saigon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter, shortening, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients to a separate bowl and sift into mixer bowl with the fluffy ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.  

Make dough into golf ball sized balls, and roll in sugar cinnamon mixture.  Place on parchment lined baking sheets.  Place unused dough into fridge to chill in between batches.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges turn light golden brown. Remove from baking pan and place on a wire rack to cool.  

Enjoy with hot cocoa or warm wassail.  Makes 3 dozen perfect cookies.

Happy Snow-doodle Day!





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Friday

Pumpkin Apple Rhubarb Galette

Happy October!  I love the month of October when the temperatures cool and the leaves turn gold and red, and the pumpkins are ready to harvest....and my Rhubarb too!  Today to celebrate the beginning of my favorite month I am making a rustic galette with Pumpkin Butter, Rhubarb and Apples. 


I love galettes because they are so quick to put together with whatever fruits or savory filling you can dream up.  Never heard of galettes?  Let me tell you why these pies are my favorite to make.  They are pies made with one crust, open on the top and are rustic in the folds of the dough.  They can be made with pie dough or my favorite is puff pastry dough.  Out of my freezer, thaw for a few and roll out into a circle.

Add your favorite fruits or even a fabulous thick stew, bake for 45 minutes and you have a pie that looks amazing and was soooo sinfully simple to make.  So, now that our base is covered, lets start with today's fall celebrating by making the Pumpkin Apple Rhubarb Galette.


What you Need

1 Pkg Frozen Puff Pastry Dough, thawed
2 Cups Pumpkin Butter
4 Stalks of Rhubarb or 3 extra tart apples +
3 Large Apples
1/4 Cup Cold Butter
1/2 Cup Flour
2 Tbs Cinnamon
1 Tbs Ground Ginger
1 Cup Raw Sugar + 1/4 Cup for Dusting
1 Egg, beaten for brushing on dough
Parchment Paper for lining


1.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Wash and chop rhubarb, and apples.  I like to leave my apples in large slices with the skin on, you can peel them if you wish.  

2.  Place the rhubarb and apples in a medium bowl and add the flour, spices and sugar.  Toss well.  

3.  Unwrap the puff pastry dough and lay in the center of a flour dusted parchment baking paper that will fit on a large baking sheet.  You will use the parchment paper to lift the pie to and from the baking sheet.  Use a rolling pin to stretch the square dough into a rough circle about 12" around.

4.  Take one cup of the pumpkin butter and spread it in the center of the rolled out dough to make a circle about 2" inside the edge of the dough.

5.  Place the fruits in the center and spread out over the pumpkin butter.  

6.  Use your fingers to fold the dough up over the edges for the filling and lightly fold it in creases to make a circle edge up over the filling.  Brush the egg wash on the edges of the dough.  

7.  Cut the cold butter into cubes and dot on top of the filling.  Sprinkle the entire pie with raw sugar.  This adds extra crunchy sweetness!

8.  Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees.  Lift the pie into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread an extra cup of the pumpkin butter over the pie and return to the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

9.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipping cream, your favorite ice cream or a good slice of cheddar.  





This recipe is a perfect way to celebrate the new month of October.  All the aromas of fresh apple and pumpkin pie in one rustic farmhouse inspired pie.  Did you miss the recipe for the Farmhouse Pumpkin Butter?  I will be posting it soon.  


It is so easy to make and makes a perfect kitchen & hostess gift for the holidays, so I like to make a big batch and preserve it.  You can watch in my Instagram stories or find the write up on the blog.  

Happy October friends!

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Wednesday

Western Star Barn Quilt

When you get commissioned to design a star to represent the western rancher you look at colors and shapes of the old ranches around you with new eyes.  I was thrilled to have the chance to design a barn quilt and fabric quilt for this project and am so happy to bring to you the Western Star Barn Quilt.


I love the western skies at night with the big expanses so I knew one mighty star needed to be the focal point.  I choose the Prairie Paint colors of Cattle Drive Coffee for the frame and the star, one because I love how dark it is and secondly, it reminded me of the old weathered oiled barns I have seen in my travels through western ranch land.


The golden color of Hay Down represented the waves of grain and dried grasses bursting out of the barns.  The gaps of Simple Cream are the mixed into the star which shows the light coming through the barns beams.  The Pigeon Cove grey is so beautiful in this barn quilt.  If you have seen the western sky with the sun fading into the rest of the day it most often has shades of light blue to soft grey.  The Pigeon Cove was perfect mix of sky colors and set off the browns and golden hues so well.


I am so in love with this new Western Sky Barn Quilt!  It is simple and so striking, which are honestly my favorite kinds of quilts.  I am currently sewing this up into a fabric quilt and can't wait to show it to you soon.  For now, the pattern, barn quilt kit and already painted barn quilts for this newest Tweetle Dee design are in the shop ready for orders.  

We hope you love this design as much as we we did.  Designing a custom is such a treat and we can't wait to see this design painted in the many colors of our Prairie Paints.   Hint - Christmas colors would be gorgeous in this design!!!  Just sayin.




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Saturday

Sugar Maple Barn Quilt


Our new fall barn quilt design is the Sugar Maple and it is by far my favorite fall barn quilt I have ever designed and painted.  At each step of the process I fell more in love with the simplicity of the design, but the repeat pattern brought even more depth, and then the color!  The Prairie Paint 2021 Fall Collection was amazing on this barn quilt.  

The Simple Cream was the base, with it's warm white and the deep pigment, it set off the colors of Sugar Maple and Sweet Potato Pie.  Then the border or frame, we usually stain our frames, but for this one I painted the cedar with the Cattle Drive Coffee paint prior to stain and it's color is amazing.   It's a deep brown with undertones of black that trick the eye into an illusion of questioning whether it is a brown or a black or is it ebony stain?  It is an amazing paint color and was perfect to frame the Sugar Maple Barn Quilt.




For my barn quilt addict friends who like to paint your own barn quilts, we have a large kit for this design.  The kit measures 33" square with the frame attached.  All the paints and brushes are included.  We also released the pattern this fall so you can paint this design now.  The pattern is available in a shippable paper format or as a PDF download.  

We hope you enjoy this design!  It is in our shop for orders in three gorgeous sizes and will ship by October.  The kits, paints and patterns are ready to ship now.  If you are purchasing this Labor Day weekend, be sure to use code Labor20 for 20% off your order.  

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Thursday

Fall Prairie Paint Colors

 

Our new fall Prairie Paints are in The Shop and ready for all of your fall inspired projects.  We are so in love with the warm tones of fall and even more in love with these four rich, vintage inspired colors.   There is Sugar Maple which is shown in the above photo.  It is a deep, warm gold that was inspired by the large golden Sugar Maple leaves that grow and fall in our forest.  Their color lights up with the autumn sun and this color will bring that same glow to your home.


Simple Cream

Simple Cream is a beautiful creamy warm white.  It is now my absolute favorite of white.  In fact, I may be repainting most of my white furniture in it before winter sets in.  I painted my newest fall barn quilt design in it and am more in love than I can handle!


Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie looks like sweet potato pie filling with the subtle browns of spice.  You will love this color for barn quilts and home projects too.  It is especially rich when sealed in stain.  I love my oranges when they have hints of dark undertones.   


Cattle Drive Coffee

Oh man, this color is amazing!  It is my deepest brown ever.  What I love about it is how true it is to it's name.  It has such a deep brown color you may think it is black, but trust me, it is a deep and rich as a pot of slow roasted and fire roasted coffee.  I used this color in the frame of my new fall barn quilt which releases on Friday and oh boy it is gorgeous!


So there you have it!  Our Fall 2021 Prairie Paints colors.  They are the very best of the light and warmth of autumn.  They have inspired me to repaint furniture and a few of my traditional designs for a new fresh fall look.  You can find them in Our Shop in varying sizes.  So, you can paint as much as you like!  Be sure to send me pictures of your completed Prairie Paints projects.  Happy Fall y'all!




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Monday

Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup


This weekend we ventured into the garden to see what was ripe and ready to harvest.  We were surprised to find huge, red Roma Tomatoes and the prettiest little peppers.  Our herb garden was also busting over the box, so we decided to make Sunday our annual Harvest Dinner by making a big pot of Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup!


Smoky Creamy Tomato Soup

4 slices of bacon chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 yellow onion
2 Sweet Peppers
5 large carrots chopped
8 to 10 large Roma tomatoes chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, basil)
1 Teas of Smoked Paprika
Grey Salt and Fresh ground Pepper to taste
2-3 Cups Coconut Milk
Cheddar Cheese 
Sourdough Croutons


This is the most simple 20 minute soup you will ever make!  In a pot, brown bacon, rendering the fat.  Add chopped garlic, carrots, peppers and onion.  Sauté until soft.  Add the tomatoes and sauté till soft.  Add chopped herbs.  Heat till wilted.  Add the chicken broth and simmer for ten minutes.  


Add seasonings.  Use an immersion blender or processor to blend the vegetable and broth smooth.  Add coconut milk and blend again to make extra smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm (feeds 6) and garnish with basil, cheddar cheese and sourdough croutons.


My love affair with a bowl of Smoky Cream of Tomato Soup will last the rest of my life.  It is the truest of all comfort foods.  The homemade sourdough croutons tossed in olive oil, Everything Bagel Seasoning and Parmesan cheese - toasted to crisp, made the one bowl feel like I was dipping a premium grilled cheese with each spoonful.  One bowl comfort food!  If you do not have fresh Roma tomatoes, use canned.  It will be just as yummy.  

So, this years Harvest Dinner was epic, simple and just what we needed on a quiet Sunday night.  I hope you love this recipe and share it with your friends.  Sending love to you this week!  


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Wednesday

Ginger and Peach Cream Pie

A couple of years ago I was asked to create a recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt that would highlight the last hurrah of summer for their Made With Chobani Summer Series.  In Utah one of the last fruits of summer is the soft, fuzzy, golden juiciest of all fruits...the peach!  You can't say goodbye to summer without enjoying a bushel full of them!


I created recipe for a Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie using orchard fresh peaches and the creamy deliciousness of Chobani's Greek Yogurt.  This pie has a ginger crumb crust that my taste testers said was yummy enough to eat alone with a glass of cold milk.  It is the perfect cradle for the large slices of fresh peaches and the vanilla custard that make up this oh so fabulous summer pie!!!  Here are the step by step instructions for the Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie....


Ingredients to Gather

Ginger Snap Cookies 
1 Cup Softened Butter
9" Pie Plate

3-4 Large Fresh Peaches
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon 
1/4 Granulated Sugar
1/2 Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Soft Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Blended Greek Yogurt
1 Teaspoon of Real Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Large Egg

 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar


To begin the crust place about four cups of gingersnap cookies in a food processor and pulse them until you get a course consistency.  You want small pea sized crumbles mixed in with the crushed cookie.  If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or a good ole fashioned rolling pin.  Crush away!  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Pour your gingersnap crumbles into a medium sized bowl and using your hands gently mix in 1/2 cup of softened butter.  Mix until the butter is incorporated.  The crumble mixture should be able to hold together when pressed.



If the mixture is too dry, add a little more softened butter until it holds together.  
It should look like the consistency in the picture above.  Once the crumbles are ready, butter your pie plate.
  

Buttering the pie plate first gives the crumbs something to stick to.  
Press a slight rim edge, slide and then the bottom until firm. 


Once your crust is formed, place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to 
set it prior to baking.


Now that the crust is frozen and set, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
 Remove when finished and let cool on a baking rack.  


While your crust is baking, you can prep the peaches and get the custard ready. There are several kinds of peaches.   While Rosa's are the sweetest for eating, Alberta's are the best for baking.  They are sweet, tart and take the heat without turning to mush.  I used the Alberta's for this recipe for this reason. I wanted firm and sweet bites of peach in every bite of this pie.


To prep the peaches, place the peaches (whole) into a pot of boiling water for just a few minutes. Carefully scoop them out and shock them into a bowl of ice water.  
This process will loosen the skins so they come off super easy!  


Once the skins are off, slice in half and remove the pits and slice into 1" slices. 
Put into a bowl and add the granulated sugar and lemon juice.  
Lightly toss and set aside.


To make the custard, add the brown sugar, softened cream cheese,
Chobani Vanilla Blended Yogurt, real vanilla, Saigon Cinnamon 
and egg to your mixer.  Whisk together until smooth.  





To assemble the pie, pour a small amount of the custard into the bottom of the ginger pie crust.  Place the peaches one by one into the custard beginning in the center and circle outward until the pie crust bottom is covered with peaches.  It takes a couple of rows.


Pour the remaining custard over the peaches to just below the crust edge. 
 You will have the large pieces of peach peaking out and that is perfect!  
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 325 degrees until the custard is set.  
Test the center with a toothpick to make sure it is set.  


Let cool for 2 to 3 hours on a cooling rack.  
Serve slices with a dollop of fresh whipped cream at room temperature 
or my personal favorite...chilled!


To make the whipping cream, add cold heavy whipping cream to a cold mixer bowl. 
 Add the powdered sugar.  Using the whisk attachment, whip on high until stiff.  
Add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice!


I hope you enjoy this Ginger & Peach Cream Pie!  Our family has LOVED it!!! There is nothing better than getting the perfect bite of peach, cream, custard, and crunchy ginger. This is my last hurrah to summer!  for even more creative ways to use Greek yogurt in recipes, go ahead and check out Chobani's great healthy recipes!  



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