Do you love to quilt AND love to read? I invite you to join the free, online Quilters' Book Club. Each month, we read a book, discuss it through comments on my blog posts, and then make a quilt block to go with the book. I find the patterns free on the internet, making it easy for everyone to access. Each member can choose the block or blocks they'd like to make.
To join, become a follower of my blog so you won't miss any blog post. To make it super convenient, you can also sign up for my posts to be delivered right to you via email. It is never too late to join and begin reading and sewing along with us.
Our book to read and discuss during December 2013 is The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. It's a quick, fun read. Get the book from your local library or bookstore and join us!
In the book, it's a Bergstrom family tradition to make Aunt Gerda's Apple Strudel every Christmas. If you'd like to make a quilt block to represent this tradition, here are some free block patterns:
Apple Quilt Block
Broken Sugar Bowl Quilt Block shown above
And if you'd like to make Aunt Gerda's Apple Strudel, here's the recipe!
Aunt Gerda’s Apple Strudel
3 large assorted apples,
like Macintosh and Golden Delicious, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 3
heaping cups)
½ cup raisins
¼ cup plain toasted
breadcrumbs
¼ cup light brown sugar,
loosely packed
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 large sheets phyllo
dough (14 x 18 inches)
5 tablespoons unsalted
butter, melted
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon
confectioners’ sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees
Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a baking
sheet.
2. Place the apples, raisins, breadcrumbs, brown
sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a medium bowl and toss to
coat evenly.
3. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough and brush
with butter. Top with a second sheet of
phyllo dough and brush with butter. Repeat
with the remaining phyllo and butter, creating a stack of five sheets of phyllo
and ending with butter. (You will have a
little bit of butter remaining.)
4. Arrange the apples in a strip about one-third
up from the bottom, leaving about 2 inches on either end. Lift the bottom of the phyllo over the top of
the apples. Fold in the sides, and
continue to roll up the apples tightly.
5. Place the strudel, seam side down, on the
prepared baking sheet. Brush the top
with the remaining butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden
brown, about 15 minutes. Cool to room
temperature. Sprinkle with
confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Serves 8 to 10.
If you can only find
small sheets of phyllo (9 x 14 inches), simply divide the apples and make two
small strudels, each using five sheets of phyllo.
From The Quilter’s
Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini
Is there a recipe that your family always makes every Christmas? Inquiring minds want to know! Please answer in the comment section below. If you're reading this via e-mail, you must click on the title of the blog post in order to comment or to read the comments of others. By commenting, you are entering your name in this month's give-away. Plume Books has generously offered a December give-away of two more copies of Jennifer Chiaverini's just-released book, An Elm Creek Quilts Companion.
The Quilters' Book Club selection for January is The Healing Quilt by Lauraine Snelling. Get the book from your local library or bookstore and plan to join us!
