Hello and welcome to my all time favourite blog hop. This one is being hosted by Carol from Just Let Me Quilt. I’ve lost count of the years I’ve taken part in this hop, but it seems fitting that this is the one that we get to celebrate Carol and Joan retiring from hosting these hops. We’ve all enjoyed the fun of meeting their challenge to fulfill the theme each month. If you’d like to see some of my past hop projects just do a search of the Blog Hop tag.

For this hop Carol gave us a challenge:

“Challenge: You don’t have to bake anything for this, but if you have a favorite recipe or tradition, that’s what we’d love to see. Share a Christmas project with mean ole’ Mr. Grinch or a past/present quilt you’ve made.”

I will start by reminding you all my DH is a Grinch so I don’t get to decorate or celebrate the holidays the way I used to. I do sneak it in in bits and pieces!

For my project I usually share the items I’ve been making for the Christmas hampers that our local food bank does for our local low income residents. This year they asked specifically for items for seniors that are home bound so it’s right up my alley.

I finished quilting and binding 3 of my UFOS ( I’ll share a photo of the finished quilts before I take them to the Guild to be donated. I’m not sure how many will be completed before the Sunday deadline 🤔), and then I remembered a stash of Christmas themed fabric I’d put aside after doing some other projects.

I didn’t have a pattern but was inspired by a photo I’d seen. It was fun to see if I could come close to the photo I remembered.

It’s been a bit crazy and hectic here these past few weeks with DH needing to see doctors and go for tests so I haven’t managed to get to the studio to visit my long arm, so I don’t have this project finished. The flimsy is done and I will confess Jack got a workout on this one:

My backing is ready to go:

Samantha is telling me I need to get busy and finish this up. My deadline to donate to the Hampers is Dec 8th!

I’m also just finishing the sweetest pattern test. I can share some photos of some of the blocks I’ve made but will have to wait to show off the quilt when it’s completed and the pattern is released:

Now I do have a recipe to share. It’s not cookies, but is a favourite of mine that I make for celebrations or sometimes just because 🤗. I can say that my resident Grinch (DH) really enjoys it.

Dark German Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups hot water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom and sides of a deep 14×17-inch baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
2. Sift sugar, flour, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; whisk dry ingredients together on low.

3. Whisk milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and mix at low speed until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. Gradually add hot water while mixer is on low speed until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan for about 1 hour.

It looks way too liquid when you mix it, but it works and is so nice and moist.

Once it cools I will glaze it with Chocolate Ganache, or serve it with whip cream on top. DH thinks he’s been extra good when he sees this come out of the oven 😉

Now once again I am sharing the full list of participants so you can easily pop around to visit and please, do show some quilty love by commenting on everyone’s posts.

December 2

Just Let Me Quilt

Beaquilter

Quilt Doodle Designs

Songbird Designs

Quilted Delights

 

December 3

Quilting Gail

Ms P Designs USA

Just Sew Quilter

Words & Stitches

Selina Quilts

 

December 4

A Quiltery

Karrin’s Crazy World

Inflorescence

Homespun Hannah’s Blog

Quilt Schmilt

 

December 5

MooseStashQuilting

Bumbleberry Stitches

Sew Many Yarns

Days Filled With Joy

I’d like to thank Carol and Joan once again for all of the fun I’ve had participating in these hops for the past 5 years (I think 🤔) and to all of the amazing creators who join in. I’ve made a lot of friends through these hops, been inspired by so many of their projects and will miss seeing them every month. I will still continue to read their blogs since I follow them and enjoy seeing what everyone is doing.

Thank YOU for taking the time to visit and if you comment I’ll reply with a huge smile on my face.

I wish you all a joyous Holiday Season. May your homes be filled with family, laughter, good food and some fabric fun. Merry Christmas to you all.

🤶🏻 Carol 🤗