American Spirit and Friends

My Blog is Moving…

Cindy Goff — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:52:18 +0000

With the New Year, I’ve started a NEW blog and wanted to share. American Spirit and Friends will cease at the end of the month. If you liked this blog…I think you will like the new one too. Thanks for joining me on this new journey and hope that you will stop by often! http://www.weavingfriendships.blogspot.com

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Pumpkin Pie Cake

Cindy Goff — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:41:12 +0000

I’m not even a fan of pumpkin but this cake is awesome and a good alternative to pumpkin pie. My friend and customer Sue F shared this at Weaving Friendships last week. o so yummy!

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Lower Layer

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin

Upper Layer

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter melted

Mix ingredients for lower layer and pour into ungreased 9 x 13″ pan. Mix yellow cake mix and shopped pecans and sprinkle mixture over pumpkin mixture. Drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until knife comes out clean. Enjoy and thanks Sue!

Bakeware like no other...that's Longaberger!

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Everyone is talking about…

Cindy Goff — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:41:51 +0000

The new 8 in One Entertainer! It has 8 known uses (thus the name) but we know there are so many more out there. Click on this link to see a fun video of the best ever Pottery piece you are going to have to have! Available in ALL the Pottery Colors. I got mine in CHOCOLATE!

Roaster
Relish Tray
Cake Pedestal
Divided Server with Bowl
Pizza Stone
Small Bowl
Covered Dish
Large Bowl

Specs: Large Bowl 10 1/2 “d x 5 1/4″h; Capacity: 156 oz., Small Bowl 5 3/8″d x 3 1/4″h; Capacity: 18 oz. Platter: 11 1/4″d x 1 1/4″h. Vitrified-safe for use in microwave, oven, dishwasher and freezer. Fits nicely in the Social Gathering Basket.

Strawberry Cake made by Beverly

Filled with tortilla roll-ups in the divided plate and taco sauce for dipping.

I used the Large Bowl as a lid to "cover" the roll-ups while in the fridge. Then pulled it out and filled it with Taco Chips.

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Another Fill-It Idea for Baby

Cindy Goff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:34:46 +0000

Last night we had a “meet and greet” our new grandson, Hendrix. Fun to have the baby already here to introduce him to family and friends.

Let's get this party started!! Crazy hat from Aunt Chris. Isn't it cute?!

Liz and Hendrix. He started smiling a few days ago! So fun!

Animal Cracker and Gumballs as the center piece. I used a black checked wool car blanket for the table.

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Fill-It Hurricanes

Cindy Goff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:55:05 +0000

Oh my goodness! We had such fun playing with the Fill-It Hurricanes at Weaving Friendships. The possibilities are endless! The cool thing is the bottom and top are separated by a round metal disc. You can either leave it in or take it out for the look you are going for. We were definitely going for a fall theme and can’t wait to see what we come up with for Christmas! Enjoy!

Mini beeswax pears fill the top of the Small Fill-It Hurricane

Mini wood pumpkins in the bottom.

Medium Fill-It

Black marbles in the bottom - Small Fill-It

Medium Fill-It with apple and pears in the top and fall leaves in the bottom.

: The next day I was at Bev’s for an Early Shopping Event and we left the metal disc out of the Hurricane and filled it completely up with fall seeds, gourds, pumpkins and apples.

Love this one...at the Early Shopping Event, I filled it with ice in the bottom and added mini cream puffs in the top.

Longaberger just makes for such a beautiful, warm feeling in your home.

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Utensil Crock

Cindy Goff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:07:24 +0000

Don’t let the name fool you. October brings this awesome Utensil Crock for just $25! It’s vitrified so it can be frozen or heated, put in the microwave or oven. Even goes in the dishwasher too. At last night’s “meet and greet” with our new grandson, Hendrix, I filled it with whipped cream for our awesome pies from Willamette Valley Fruit Company. (bought them at EZ Orchard)

I placed it in the freezer a couple of hours before the party. Added the whipped cream and it stayed cold all night long!

Available in all 7 color choices.

There has to be a gazillion uses for this:

holds long pretzels or bread sticks
straw keeper
bottle of wine
ice bucket
fill with beans and add knives to it
curling iron/flat iron in the bathroom
paint brushes or craft supplies
any more?

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Tami’s Birthday

Cindy Goff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:44:25 +0000

Today is Tami Longaberger’s Birthday. She is such an inspiring person and a wonderful advocate for all women. Read her autobiography Weaving Dreams, The Joy of Work, The Joy of Life. available at Amazon or any fine bookstore.

Welcome to the 50's Tami! This beautiful Celebrate Family Basket is available for just a short time (Oct 23rd).

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Apple Dumplings

Cindy Goff — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:47:35 +0000

This recipe from Pioneer Women is making the rounds. I made it at Weaving Friendships last week and it’s to DIE for! Easy to make and even better to share. I have to admit that Dave and I finished off the pan after everyone left for the night. O so good!

Thanks Betsy for sharing this from her home show hostess.

Apple Dumplings

2 sticks butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 granny smith apples
12 oz mountain dew
cinnamon

Peel and slice your apples into 8 slices each. Wrap each slice in a crescent dough triangle and place in a sprayed (greased) pan. Longaberger’s 9 x 13 Baking Dish works perfect for this. In a bow, melt your butter and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Pour over top the the wrapped apples…or spread on top with a spoon. Pour the Mountain Dew all around and sprinkle with Cinnamon. (I added the cinnamon to my sugar mixture) At this point you could add as much or as little cinnamon as you like. I used about a 1/4 of a tsp since I’m not really fond of cinnamon. Place in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot with ice cream or whipped topping.

Most packages of crescent rolls have 8 rolls in them. So two packages will make up 16 dumplings.

It sounds crazy to add the Mountain Dew but it really was awesome. I'd like to try it with diet Dew next time. lol...at least that would save me a few calories!

Don't they look yummy? Everyone loved them and they all went home with the recipe.

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Pumpkin Hollow

Cindy Goff — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:46:35 +0000

Emily and Sue always know of the greatest places to go. Pumpkin Hollow is definitely worth the trip. They are open until October 30th. Another awesome day with the Ansel women and their friend Sue from back east. Thank you very much.

Arrived at Pumpkin Hollow.

Already looks wonderful...

Love. love. love the picket fence!

Giant bee skep. It has it's own house.

pumpkins everywhere!

Now you know where I got my pumpkin ladder idea. Had seen it several years ago in Country Living but this is what really got me to thinking about doing it. Put my old ladder to good use.

Old fashioned wheel barrel and of course a pumpkin.

Looks like a lttle shed...and it's filled with all kinds of warmth and primitives.

The inside was just as delightful as the outside.

Full of whatnots.

Shaker boxes and crocks.

Grubby homemade candles.

Big mason jars.

Butterchurn and fireplace broom.

I can spot a basket anywhere. Love this vintage BIG one.

Dried pod flowers in an old barrel.

I bought these little beeswax pears that are made locally. Aren't they cute?

I’m looking forward to heading back to Albany for their Christmas Season beginning on November 11th. You can follow them on facebook at Pumpkin Hollow. Happy Pumpkining!

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Pumpkins make me happy!

Cindy Goff — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:24:41 +0000

okay. I surrender. It’s finally fall here and I just had to go get some pumpkins. I’m just not an orange girl but between my Denver Bronco’s and the Orange Crush, the color of orange is becoming more appealing to me…and pumpkins are just so fine this time of year!

My impatients are looking pretty tired. Time for some PUMPKINS!

You can barely see the Wrought Iron Halloween Lantern but it's a favorite I bring out every year.

Made my trip to EZ Orchard on a Monday to avoid the weekend traffic. These giant mums are beautiful!

I even managed to pull my cart beyond the corn maze to the pumpkin patch so that I could pick out my own. Maybe coming on a Monday and not the weekend wasn't such a good idea. No David Dear to help me. lol

Every year I say I'm going to plant sunflowers and pumpkins. Hasn't happened yet!

Did I mention that EZ Orchard has the very best apple cider donuts?! O Yum! I had 3 for breakfast, 2 for lunch and lucky David Dear got the last one!

Pumpkin ladder and my scarecrow greets everyone at the front door. I need to find the picture of him with a basket on his arm.

Got this old couch spring from another creative crafter, Judy. Looking for more....

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