Vintage Table Setting

Vintage quilt for a tablecloth 

I'm not too fancy at my house but I love vintage and one of a kind decor. My aunt recently visited with a great idea for a unique setting for the dining room table, use a quilt instead of a tablecloth. I loved it!! For the holidays I am using a vintage quilt from Mom. Even though we are a family of "spillers" (every meal someone spills something) I figure everything can be washed. But if you do get nervous about spilling, etc., you may not want to use the vintage quilt, maybe something less sentimental, like from the store. Mom gave me a set of her white china so I am using that, then of course I always use the ball jars for drinking glasses because I like to mix the fancy with the not-so-fancy. I always use cloth napkins so the girls folded them in the shape of a rosette. This is really simple. Start with a square cloth napkin and lay it flat so it looks like a diamond shape. Take the point at the bottom of the napkin and bring it to the point at the top of the napkin. Now you will have a triangle with the folded end closest to you. Start rolling the folded (bottom) edge to the top. It'll look like a round tube. Begin rolling the left side toward the right side until you have a pinwheel looking circle. When you get to the end, tuck it under and place your beautiful rosette in your cup. I used different colored napkins because I like variety!

Fold cloth napkin into a rosette

Have a Merry Christmas and wonderful Holiday season!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

No Bake Marshmallow Bars

Chocolate peanut butter marshmallow bars

My holiday baking marathon has begun! I decided to use a few recipes this year that I haven't made for years and this was the first one I found. I had forgotten about these yummy bars but back in the day, they were a favorite from our family friend Delores. She was our neighbor, an excellent baker and had a heart of gold. During the holidays I find myself getting distracted by taking a little time to reminisce about those no longer with us. The happy memories are so heart warming and the kiddos love hearing the stories from the past. So I smiled when I found this recipe that our Grandma S. had received from Delores and of course Grandma (the teacher) had dated it, 11/15/1978. It made me smile. The great thing is that these are also gluten-free so everyone in our family can eat them. And we all like the part that they are easy to put together, no baking!
Marshmallow Bars Ingredients:
1 bag chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, the 11.5 oz size)
1/2 bag butterscotch chips
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 c peanut butter
Melt these ingredients together in a double boiler. I don't have a double boiler so I used a medium size pan filled halfway to the top with water and placed my ingredients in a glass bowl over the pan of water. I turned my stove on medium low. You don't want to heat them to quickly. When the ingredients have melted add:
3 c Rice Krispies (I used gluten-free)
1 bag mini marshmallows
Stir all ingredients together and spoon into a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
Cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and cut into bars. Makes 24-30 bars depending on the size you cut them. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to serve them at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Kitchen Organizing Tips

Use file folder holder to organize kitchen bowl lids

I'm not sure why in the middle of shopping, quilting, baking and a million other things happening during the holiday season, I choose to reorganize my kitchen cabinets. Well, that's just what I do!
To keep it simple, I donated any containers that I didn't use and only saved my favorites.
I used a file folder holder for my lids. I also decided to store my blender under the cabinet instead of on the countertop. The biggest hurdle for me is deciding what to keep. This year it was simple, if I use it, I keep it, the rest of the stuff has been given a new home!
Happy organizing!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Apple Spice Bread

My favorite scents and flavors during the fall and winter transition are the spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. I recently purchased some Teavana apple spiced cider tea that was absolutely my most favorite tea ever! I'm pretty sure I will have to add it to my Christmas giving list because I want to share it with everyone! I also baked some apple spice bread that filled the house with the most wonderful smell (oh and tasted great too!) It's a simply delicious cake-type bread that only takes a few minutes to put together. It was a perfect little addition to our first snowfall in the Midwest and a busy family project weekend!
Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2/3 c sugar (I use organic cane or raw sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c buttermilk (add 2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar to 2/3 c white milk if you don't have buttermilk and let it sit for at least 5 minutes)
2 medium apples, I used honey crisp, peel and chop into small pieces
Topping is 3 T brown sugar, pinch of cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon (mix it together with your fingers or a fork)
Directions:
Beat (on low speed of mixer) butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix for about a minute. Add dry ingredients and combine until mixed together. The batter will be fairly thick.
 

Add the buttermilk while mixer is on low speed, it likes to splatter. Stir the apples into the batter with a spatula. Use parchment paper or your favorite grease/flour method for your loaf pan. I used a 9x5 glass loaf pan. Add your batter to the pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with the brown sugar topping.

Bake 350F for about 45-50 minutes, depending on your oven. I always use grandma's method and insert a toothpick into the bread, if it comes out clean, it's done. If not, try another 5 minutes until it's ready.
Enjoy your wonderful apple spice bread and don't forget to enjoy the scents of the season!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi