Pumpkin cake recipe

It's just tuesday morning. We started on saturday and see what's left now. Here is the recipe, the difficult is with the measurements that here in the USA they use cups. But I found a very good cooking conversion table you can use to translate it to European measurements.


Here is the recipe "Pumpkin Bars"

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin (cooked)
3/4 cup melted margarine/butter

Measuring cups, it's very easy you fill the cups, you don't have to weight them.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325` F.  Cream eggs and sugar.  Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given.  Beat until well mixed.  Pour into a greased 11" x 17 "
jelly roll pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes (until set).  Cool and frost.

Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups powdered sugar.

Beat with an electric mixer until a spreading consistency.

with kind regards of the cook Marne, and Caro who ate most of it.

Quiltstuff

Two quiltshops "Gathering Fabrics" and "Keepsake Cottage Fabrics"  and a quiltbookshop "Martingale". Not bad for a monday.

No pictures of Martingale (publisher of quiltsbooks) because we weren't allowed to make pictures of the quilts, because some of them will appear in new books that hasn't been published yet.
But it's so fun you're just walking through their offices. Everybody is busy working, and we got a tour.

In every office you can find several quilts of other stuff. All the offices looks very cosy.  No cleandesk policy here, like I have at home in our office ; ).

I bought a ' few' fabrics so that can keep my busy while I'm here. I will show you the pattern tomorrow.

The loot of the day.

For Mies

Our Mies

We had some time left before lunch with the CTA-ladies, so we went to a nearby garden centre. It was really fun, and we didn't get any further then the dog section. And to be true it was of course the most interestingpart ; ). Amazing all those dog outfits, and what about the cookie collection.

I did buy Mies a nice Sinterklaas present. But I can't show you yet ; ). It has to be a suprise.

Rescue outfit for Mies.

Having a hard time in Seattle (day 3)

My first Seattle project, a little chocolate lunch bag.

Piles of quilting magazines to inspect. Decide what projects to start. Buying fabrics in big fabrics stores. Eating pumpkin cake (the recipe will follow). We have to hurry today between our activities today. At 9 a.m. the gym, go home, get changed and jump in the car for a lunch with Marne's CTA - ladies (Clothing and Textile Advisors) and then a guided tour through Martingale. A show-and-tell of the quilts in their new books, we are having the "first"  preview. And after that you can do cheap book shopping. It will be so fun today. 

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Welcome to Seattle "Sinterklaas" (day 2)

 The Seattle Dutch Club welcomed Sinterklaas today. No discussion about 'zwarte piet' here.

We had a fun afternoon, singing Sinterklaas songs and eating speculaas, banketletter and ..... rookworst (saucage). I'm sure that the rookworst is normally not on the menu of Sinterklaas.

and a very special welcome ....

Safely arrived in Seattle

I watched 5 episodes of the Danish serie Borgen, read two magazines (from Diana, thank you), did a little bit of sewing, had lunch and breakfast and then I was in Seattle.

My suitcase is emptied.

Now I can fill it with my shoppinglist.

 What's on the programm:
Sunday: Sinterklaas at the Dutch Seattle Club
Monday: Martingale (the bookshop)

Thanksgiving quilt for Marne and Elaine

Seattle here I come, 6 more nights ....

.... today I started getting all the stuff in my suitcase. Presents, more presents, friends that are going to bring presents, the AH-shopping list from Marne and Elaine. There is hardly any place for my clothes. So I think they have to schedule an afternoon clothes hunting.

It's the fifth time, I was just going through my blog. The first time was in september 2008, after Marne and I met each other in The Hague. In 2009 I bought my first antique quilttop a logcabin. In march 2010 we had the "mutsenreis" with Dieuwke and Willemijn. In march 2011 was the last time. And if you're thinking I'm quiet and relaxing. No way, I feel just as exciting as the first time.

And I finished a long forgotten little quilt. It's hanging next to our front door. So you're welcome if you're in the neighbourhood, just follow the smell of the dried lavender.

Quiltfun in Dalfsen

Joke and her birthday present

Rain and wind all over the Netherlands this weekend. The temperatures aren't so bad.



The quiltdepartement "The Hague" is leaving the west to drive "far east". Two are three times we are having a quiltbee in Dalfsen. Dieuwke's aunt lives here, and she is also a quilter.

I think I'm a little bit jealous, isn't it great to have aunt as a quilter. And you know what's even better? Her husband is great cook, and made us a lovely dinner, so we had lots of quilting time. So the four of us (Dieuwke, Joke, Willy and me) had a great time in her wintergarden, sitting around the stove with food, a glass of wine and a quiltproject.

I worked mostly at my Spakenburger windmills. One more row, then the quilt is 7x7 blocks. It's a very intriguing quilt. Here is our "show and tell":

Willy loves bright colours.

Dieuwke and her patchwork shawl.

Family gathering

In the last weekend of October there is always time for a family gathering.

Both my parents are celebrating their birthday. So all the children and grandchildren are there. It doesn't happen many times, because we are living all over the country, have busy jobs.

Sophie walking Mies, like Cesar Millan would say: Calm and Assertive.

And although the Netherlands aren't the biggest country of the world, we aren't exactly neighbours either. So it's good to see each other,  in our house were we grew up, and catch up.

 It's amazing how beautiful the weather still is. Saturday we sat outside drinking coffee. Well sunny days are over for this week. A south-west storm is going to hit the coast. So if you can, just stay inside and quilt ; ).

Granddad with Promise and Christian, the two youngest grandchildren.

 

The girls

The boys.