The Communique Layout
Popularized by Rhonda Dort, who uses the layout in her classes, the Communique Quilt Layout works for both featuring large fabric and panel pieces, as well as a basis for multiple block designs.
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About Me
Welcome to Mouse in My Pocket! I'm Andrea, a web developer living in rural America with her husband and daughter. I'm excited to share my life with you as I explore some of the great things about living in the middle of nowhere. Be sure to check out the blog below to see a few of the things that are speaking to me right now.
On the Blog
Time to Garden?
The last 2 days have been beautiful here in Southern Indiana. It’s been a balmy 70 degrees with bright sunny skies. It makes the best time for people to sort their gardens out. In other areas they may be more focused on saving their furniture and decks from termites or other pests. Probably a job…
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My Funny Bone Still Hurts
Last weekend (March 9th, 10th and 11th) was the Gibson County Theatre Company’s production of The Foreigner. As a member of the board, even though I wasn’t acting or a member of the production team, the show’s director (and our fearless leader) Fred, kept me busy. I did (almost) all the artwork and marketing for…
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Tempering Chocolate
Tempering chocolate is taking real chocolate, such as eating chocolate and preparing it for use. There is no need to temper chocolate if you will be using it for baking, but in cases where you will be using it as a decorative garnish, or as a coating, it is highly recommended that you temper your…
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What kind of Chocolate?
I’m always getting questions about the types of chocolate I use in my baking and finding myself telling people that they should try a different type of chocolate for theirs. This is the sort of thing that you’d learn at one of these short term bakery courses in delhi and that is why so many…
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It’s a sparkly cookie sort of day.
So… it’s about an hour after lunch, and I feel like something sweet. Granted, I’ve got some Girl Scout Thin Mints I could snack on. But that’s not what they are for. They’re for making homemade blizzards – if Matt doesn’t eat them all first. That’s why I’m always super glad to have cookie dough…
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GCAMA’s Annual NATPA Pull
Last weekend was GCAMA’s Annual NATPA Pull. Wow! That’s a lot of acronyms – but it’s much faster than saying Gibson County Antique Machinery Association’s Annual National Antique Tractor Puller’s Association Pull. We host our NATPA sanctioned pull each February. Each year since the building was completed, the club has hosted their pulls inside the…
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Double-Dutch Chocolate Holiday Cookies
This recipe for chocolate-y cookies originally comes from the December 2011 Taste of Home publication, Gifts in a Jar. I love recipe in a jar cookies, because I can prep cookies and display them in a pretty jar until I’m ready to make them. Now, that being said, there’s no reason that you have to…
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Molten Butterscotch Cakes
This recipe for Molten Butterscotch Cakes comes from the September 2007 edition of the Betty Crocker Fall Baking publication. It’s a good recipe, and a nice variation on all of the molten chocolate cake recipes out there. Ingredients: 6 teaspoons graham cracker crumbs 1 cup (6 oz) butterscotch chips 2/3 cup butter 3 eggs 3…
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Chai-Spiced Almond Celebration Cookies
I originally found this recipe in my December 2008 copy of the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies publication. I like this recipe because it starts from a cookie mix. I’m not normally a big fan of using mixes – it takes some of the home-made out of home-made, but it makes my life super easy when…
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Browned Butter Cookies with Caramel Frosting
These browned butter cookies take a little time to make, since they require heating and cooling before they are even baked, but they are well worth the trouble. My mom and I originally found this recipe in the December 2008 Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies publication. They are super amazing, just make sure not to over-bake…
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Zucchini Cakes
This recipe for zucchini cakes is super good. It comes from my KitchenAid Recipe Collection – though there’s not a thing in this recipe that really requires a mixer. At my house this recipe is super great this time of year, because with Lent, Matt & I aren’t supposed to eat meat on Friday, and…
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Cinnamon Cookies
These cookies were originally titled “Cinnamon Cardinal Cookies” in the December 2008 Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies publication. I’ve retitled it here, because these cookies look cute decorated as more than just cardinals. Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1…
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