Texas Quilt Gal: 2022 Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

It is Day 3 of the 2022 Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange, and today is my day along with six other bloggers - see below for a list of others participating today and tomorrow. A big thank you to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt for hosting this annual fun event! Today I am sharing rag edged Christmas stockings and two recipes, so grab a cup of hot cocoa and come on in!

Rag edged Christmas stockings for my daughter and The Littles!

My daughter often sparks my creative juices, and she recently asked me if I could make Christmas stockings like some she had seen on Amazon. This is her first Christmas as a single Mom, and I know she wants to make Christmas as homey and fun for The Littles as she possibly can, so I said "Yes I can make those for you!"

Stockings pictured on my 2021 SAHRR quilt

The company that carries the stockings is Jubilee Fabric. They also sell homespun fabric, so I ordered a yard of each of Jenni's choices, downloaded a pattern, and got busy.

I cut two pieces each for the front and back, sewed a piece of batting in between each, then quilted a simple crosshatch using variegated King Tut Holly and Ivy by Superior Threads.

I have never made a rag edged quilt and was glad to find instructions on their website on how to fray their homespun fabric. Front and back were sewn together with 5/8 inch seams. I clipped the edges with scissors every 1/2 inch, taking care not to cut into the seam. The instructions were to launder the stocking in order to agitate the edges to fray. I was nervous about the fabric shrinking too much, so I only wetted the edges and tossed the stockings into the dryer on delicate. There are still some un-frayed pieces, but all in all the edges frayed pretty well, and it has the "rag" look I was seeking. They were so easy to make!

I bought three designs of 1" wooden buttons, and one will be sewn on each stocking after my daughter decides which of the three she likes best. She will hang a wooden initial letter on each button, and I hope to post an updated photo with them on her fireplace mantel!

Chocolate Toffee Bar

Today I am sharing a toffee bar recipe I first made in 2012. I found the recipe on Lynda's Recipe Box and showed my husband the photo. Twenty minutes later they were in the oven - lol! These bars have a buttery crust and a layer of caramel in between the crust and the chocolate topping. The original calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips but I use the whole 12 oz package (of course!). If you do not use salted butter (my preference in baking), be sure to add a pinch of salt to the crust and to the caramel. I use dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar.

Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup salted butter

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Caramel layer:

2/3 cup salted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

Topping:

1 - 12oz bag milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place crust ingredients in food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan and pack very firmly and evenly to form crust.

Cook caramel layer ingredients in saucepan over low to medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Pour over crust. Bake 18-22 minutes, until entire caramel layer is bubbly. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Let set for 2-3 minutes, then spread melted chocolate chips with knife or offset spatula. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, pressing nuts gently into chocolate. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Hash Brown Casserole

I decided to share a "savory" recipe too, just in case you need something to balance the sweet! If you want a good breakfast casserole for Christmas morning, this cheesy crumb-topped one is your recipe - it is tried and true at my house. You can find the recipe here on my Recipes page. I have made it for my family and for large crowds at church, and every last bit is always scraped out of the pan. We like it with sausage - my favorite is maple sausage - but it is good without meat too.

Click on these links today and tomorrow and see some fun Christmas projects and recipes! I've already found so much squirrel-spiration and yummy recipes!

Today

Inflorescence

Crazy'boutquilts

Patchouli Moon Studio

Texas Quilt Gal - that's me!

Pinker n' Punkin Quilting & Stitching

December 8