2 small quilted table runners

So thankful for my church friend to have given me these fabrics, I am in awe. I selected a few out of the bunch to make these.

I just completed these 2 small quilted table runners. Both designs are almost identical with a few minor differences. This time around, I believe I stepped up a little to a touch bigger quilt than my previously made quilt items. These are 2 small table runners, they are still small quilts, but hopefully these are practical items to my recipients.

Interestingly, I used some of scrap pieces and made a push pin custion , can be an ornament too. Take a peek :)

Push-pin cushion

managed to squeeze a few mins out (here and there) from my hectic schedule to put this together -- fun stuff -- 'push-pin cushion'. Now, I have so many ideas to make little ornaments or pin cushions as Christmas gifts!

Updated and added several more varieties below.

Please check out my other bigger project, 2 small table runners here here.

Here are 3 completed ornaments / pin cushions. 3 down, 15 more to go, my goal is to make 18 ornaments of sort by the week before Christmas. This is going to tough to make the deadline since not only are these tedious (though I am having a lot of fun sewing them). I will be sewing different patterns. As of now, I am done with this designs. I have a few other ideas and my next batch will be some kind of squares or half cubes, checker board pillows to name them.

As of today 11/2/2013, here are what I have accomplished ... should I stop now .... maybe ... nah.. we'll see. I have other projects I need to work on. Ok, ok, I will take a break .... to be continued.. until next time.

Artisan Bread

Plain artisan bread. It looks pretty nice, right? and guess who made this, yup I did it.

My first Artisan bread.

3 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cup of lukewarm water
3 1/4 flour.

In a mixer, stir together yeast and lukewarm water, let mixture stands for 5 minutes.
At a slow speed, gradually add in flour and mix into all flour is incorporated, this will take about 5 minutes. Dough will probably be sticky, either transfer dough into a big bowl or leave dough in the mixing bowl. Let dough rise in dry warm area. Dough will rise over double, punch down dough.

Cut dough into half with a knife. Fold dough into a ball shape, using a sharp knife cut/slit 1/4 inch deep cross line on the ball of dough. Set dough aside for 30 minutes.
Heat up oven at 450 degree for 20 mins, placing a pan with an inch of water at bottom rack of oven when you turn on oven.

Once oven is heated up after 20 mins, put dough on middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes and there you have it your Artisan bread.

Banana bread, 2 different versions

These are loaf breads, sprinkled with lots of coconut banana bread.

Updated:
6 weeks later, as I wanted to bake for office party, I made these banana breads, instead of sprinkling with coconuts, I dripped syrup over the bread top. Taste testers love them. Both versions are winners.

Potato Cranberry Braid

Freshly baked from the oven. Smelling good and tasting good too.
Found this recipe from the Bread Experience blog. Girl, does she know bread. I just found myself a real bread treasures. I modify her recipe (of Pumpkin Cranberry Braid ) with potato and fresh cranberries. She does not use any liquid. I add 1 cup of almond milk and some changes here and there which I noted in my recipe below.

Recipe:

A.
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 cups flour
1/3 cup  + 3 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/3 oil
1 cup almond milk ( you can use water + 2 tbsp milk powder ), luke warm

B.
1 big potato ( cut in small cube, boiled separately till soft and tender, then mash with folk, add 2 to 3 tbsp of milk to soften mixture ).
3 to 4 cup flour
1 cup fresh cranberry (or frozen or 1/3 cup dried cranberries or 1/3 raisins) ... optional.

1. In a electric mixer with a hook ( or manually in a big bowl ), stir up all the items on A. except the milk, then add milk and mix it well.
2. Gradually add more flour from B to the mixer.
3. Add mashed potato to mixture, mix well.
4. Add in cranberry, mix well.
5. Continue to beat on medium speed for a total of 15 mins. (max)
6. Place dough in mixer bowl. Cover, let rise in a warm place until double.
7. Punch dough down. Cut dough into 6 pieces, form each piece into long strips.
8. Braid 3 strips to one loaf, makes 2 loaves. Let rise in a room temp or warm place for about 30 minutes.
9. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

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Egg Coconut Jam aka Nyonya Kaya

My mom used to make Kaya for us when we were growing up. We loved them with toast. It was a big favorites of school kids back in those days, just like peanut butter and jelly sandwich here in US.

There are many of other uses of Kaya. I can come up with just few here:
Kaya Bao - Kaya filled bread rolls or steam bread rolls
Pulut with Kaya - sticky rice topped with kaya.
Kaya Puffs - kaya filled (instead of cream) puffs

Here is my Bread Rolls filled with Egg Jam.

Actually, I am thinking of using Kaya on Sushi next, well I know this is sweet stuff and not seafood. Hey, I just come up with something new.

I am making Kaya this morning. As I don't have pandan leaves and I will not be make the Kaya with caramelized coloring, I opt to add vanilla extract in place of pandan extract and a drop of food coloring.

Here is my Kaya recipe:
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1 drop of green color
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
 1.Beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer (which I use) or hand whisk till sugar has dissolved.
 2.Add coconut milk, color, vanilla extract into egg mixture.
 3.Put egg mixture into the double boiler and keep on stirring.
 4.Continue stirring the egg mixture till it has thickened. This process will take about 1 to 1.5 hours.
 5.Remove from double boiler and cool thoroughly.
 6. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Bread Rolls of Fun Varieties

Before I lose these pictures with the 'other pile' of things I have on my  to do list, I thought I would post a couple of photos of some home made bread rolls from recipes I recently tried out.

These rolls shown below were filled with lightly sweetened mung beans. We like them with coffee in the morning or hot tea at tea time in the afternoon.

I made these next rolls to go with some hamburgers we grilled on our deck. They paired up really well and complimented the burgers nicely. Sure beats store bought hamburger rolls! I hate those dry, store bought hamburger rolls.They kill your cookouts.