themotherboards

Apr 3

4 Basic Tricks of the Trade | Sewing Pillows

I was so tired of this winter and even more tired of my unfinished living room. We’ve been in our house 3 years now and our living room is the first thing you see when you enter. It just needed a little push to bring it from boring to I’m-not-embarrassed-to-open-my-front-door-anymore! I started with pillows for the couch. I thought I would share in this post a few of the sewing tips I have learned over the years.

By: Janet Read more

Apr 1

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Simple DIY Pocket Square | Sewing

Sometimes you have a shirt that, for whatever reason (collar and cuff frays, etc.), cannot be passed along to Goodwill, but still has some life in the material. If your husband (brother, friend, neighbour) is a dandy like mine, they’ll appreciate it when you transform that garbage-bound shirt into a dashing pocket square.

By: Jodi
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Mar 27

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DIY Jewelry Organizer

A favorite gift of mine (to give and receive!) is jewelry. Now, I’m not really a fine jewelry person. In fact, the only pieces of fine jewelry I own are my wedding ring and my engagement ring, and the necklace my husband gave to me as a gift on our wedding day. My husband knows that I change my jewelry as often as the the weather changes in Franklin (read: often. also read: it’s happening this week).

To keep up with the shifting jewelry winds in my world, I discovered recently that I was just throwing these bobbles about to and fro with no real “home” in mind for them. Thus, I determined that it was time for a jewelry solution, especially for my earrings. The result? A fantastic, do-it-yourself jewelry organizer that was super-duper easy to make!

Submitted by: Ronda Waters

Mar 25

2 Comments

Cooking Secrets from moms’ Moms | Recipe 1: Maria’s Dutch Applepie

When I was a little girl Saturday was baking day and my mom used to alternate for years between delicious fluffy cake and the best apple pie in the world. She still bakes that pie on a regular base and since I don’t live in Holland with her, I miss out big time. I begged her to share the wealth, so here is my moms apple pie recipe.

Applepie from Holland with love,

ingredients crust:

300 gr. regular flour (of 150 gr. regular flour + 150 gr. whole grain for a equally tasty, but slightly more healthy option)
200 gr. melted butter (or margarine for a healthier option)
160 gr sugar or brown sugar
1 kg (2lb) apples, a sour type like Granny Smith, peeled and cored and cut in small squares (1/2 inch)
1 egg
sprinkle of salt

ingredients filling:

50 gr sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnemon
75 gr raisins
1 kg (2lb) apples, a sour type like Granny Smith

Preheat Oven: 180 gr C

Instructions:

Soak raisins in lukewarm water for 15 minutes, pat dry with paper towel
grease pie springvorm with some butter and sprinkle some flower over it
add softened butter in mixing bowl and mix in the sugar
mix in flour, salt and 2/3 of the egg (at the end I knead the dough by hand)
filling: in a separate bowl mix apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon and raisins
Use 3/4 of the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pie pan
Add the filling, press gently into the pan so its tightly filled
Use the rest of the dough to roll and cut into strips to decorate the top of the pie of add some flower and crumble to create a crumbled pie crust
Use the remainder of the egg to lightly brush the strips on top of the pie.
Bake in pre-heated over at 180 Celsius for 75 minutes and leave standing for an hour to cool down before removing the xx.

Tips

feeling a little nutty: add a handful of chopped walnuts when mixing together the pie filling
Add a thin layer of jam or marmalade to the top of the pie after it has cooled down!

I wish all Canadian bakers good luck and enjoyment of this recipe from the Dutch kitchen.

Maria