"Trader Joe's-Inspired" - Cookie Recipe

Our nearest Trader Joe's is about a twenty five minutes to a half hour away, so visiting often is not something I get to do.  However, my wonderful mother sent me a TJ's gift card and made my Christmas (smile) One of the items I purchased was a package of Trader Joe's California Thompson seedless raisins.

There were several to choose from, golden, organic etc.  I just got the ones shown and loved the way they felt so soft and plump in the bag. 
 I knew right away that they would not only make a great snack but were definately going into a batch of homeade oatmeal cookies.

   I don't like super flat cookies nor do I like ones that bake up like tiny dry cakes.  I like them to be chewy from day one to the last crumb on the plate. 

Here is the recipe I used:

In your Kitchenaid or large mixing bowl:
2 sticks of softened salted butter *
1 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
    = Mix sugars and butter together, then add eggs and vanilla and mix until well blended.
Dry ingredients:
3 Cups Old Fashioned oats (these I place in a food processer and pulse until the flakes are half their size. (few good pulse hits ought to do it - the point is to not turn them into powder but not keep them whole either)
Toss oats into a mixing bowl with 1+1/2 Cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp apple pie spice
(* if you use unsalted butter, use a pinch of table salt in here with the dry ingredients)
Mix all your dry ingredients together, add your raisins (I used 1/3 of the 16oz bag)
to the sugar/butter mixture as well as the mixed dry ingredients and mix until throroughly blended.
Drop by Tablespoon full, onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and place into pre-heated 350 degree oven in middle rack  - set timer to 8 minutes, remove cookies from oven and slide paper
(cookies and all) onto cooling racks.

I had a TJ's tote to giveaway when I posted this on the 9th -
However, after promoting it on two facebook pages and posting it here, there was not one
single comment or like in three day's time so I have removed it.
Appearently I need a better item to giveaway ;)
(sorry you missed it.)

 

A new FaceBook Page & Fundraiser Fatique...

Well what's not to say?
Wev'e all been there right?
Sewing and gluing, folding, piecing, crafting to the sound of birds going to sleep and then right on up to the morning songs and sunrise....
Pack up the totes, boxes, crates, after what seems like 10 minutes of sleep the night before.
But it's a Fall/Holiday craft show so surely someone is bound to find something you've made that they just have to have -

Fumble for the car keys, grab the to-go coffee mug - one last frantic look through the doorway...
Wait a minute.  Think....    Do I have everything?
Calculator, receipt book, tape, pins, paper, pen-pencil, sweater, money for change, all the totes, bags, boxes ....?

I must. 
So, lock the door and try driving without taking the corners too fast - crap - forgot something, back I go.  Now I'll be late (when will I learn?)

Ok, back on the road, in a bit of a hurry - mind the speed limit but - hurry!
Wha???  Arghhh!  Took that corner too fast - what the heck was that?
Oh I can't wait to see the rear floor of this vehicle when I get there (yay)

Get in and set up, omg, I still need to label all of these?
I thought I had this priced already?!
Wow, this looked better in my head, maybe if I set it up this way....

Ok, come on people, start arriving.
And, they do.
Doesn't seem to matter if it's a slow day or a good crowd.
We ALL have had those days where people barely give your wares and offerings a second glance as they stride right past and even WORSE - when they pick something up and put it back down just as quickly without looking at another single thing you have in your space!

And the day lags on.
You smile as they pass and if you are anything like me, blurt out things like (make me an offer) or (half off) and the insanity just balloons the closer you get to the end of the show as you see other vendors start to pack it in.  Holding on to those last few moments even though you know it's probably a mute point at that hour of the game.

Tired but still smiling, especially at your fellow vendors and crafters - you pack the car lacking the excitement and enthusiasm you'd had when heading out this morning.

You think to yourself about the stock pile of goods you now have and if ANYONE on Etsy, eBay or otherwise, will appreciate your work for what it is.  Now what?  Do you look for another fair/show?
Do you go to bed for 3 weeks occasionally getting up to use the bathroom or grab some pizza rolls and Ben&Jerry's?  Do you load Etsy and have a heck of a sale?

Me?  I loaded Etsy, marked things down and started a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/NCsewingNOOK

I thought I'd share with you some other folks thoughts and experiences through a link to a wonderful blog that I found when I was discouraged earlier in the year off the heels of - yep - another craft fair.

Check out all the comments below her post as well....  See, you're not alone.  ;)
http://sweetmariesewing.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/learning-from-failure-craft-fair/

November 1st 2013

And the smell of burlap fills the air...

Have you tried one of these yet?  I saw one in the floral department at our local craft store and went nuts for the rustic raw look that burlap just naturally lends to whatever you use it for.

I didn't want a totally "Fall" wreath, nor a "Christmas" wreath either as my first one - so I figured I'd go with the prim as with the craft fair items I've been working on for the past couple of months.

Prim is year round afterall ;)  I have listed it in my Etsy store and made sure to note that the heart with ribbon tie is removable, thus allowing the 22" wreath to be tied and or decorated to accomodate seasons and occasions.

Don't know how well it will be received but I was happy with the end results and the day was perfect overcast for the pictures to come out great!

 

 

My Finish it Friday... A little "hairy"



yup.

she needs some hair on her head because she's been sitting here with that sad puss on since I saturated and baked her this week.  So that's what I'll be doing this morning since the laundry is finished.

I was going to set up my booth at the arts festival tomorrow but it will be close to 90 degrees and after a lengthy family visit, I never had time to figure out how to display all the nifty Fall things I'd been working on - plus I fell way behind on making my sunny sunflower faced magnets.

So I'll be staying in and hopefully getting some sewing done.
Wishing it were a lot cooler outside ;)


She finally got her hair and a new home courtesy of Etsy...

Fall is knocking at the door...

Especially in the evenings.
The weatherman says gone are the 90 degree days and fast approaching is a colorful Autumn with a nice crisp chill in the air.

Sounds good =)

And with that comes some volunteering for the band.
Selling donuts and this weekend, some kind of county fair activity involiving a chicken.

Meanwhile, I've been staining my fingernails and skin (not on purpose) by tea-dying and baking up a mess of primitive and cheery sunflowers and pumpkins.

Even tried my hand at painting a Ball mason jar with some chalk paint and it just seemed natural to add the flowers I'd finished.

 

 

 So then I made some larger sunflowers and finished a cute Fall wreath
and next I'll be finishing a watering can with - yep, more sunflowers and a crow....