Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Really Random Tuesday #96: Daisy's New Sweater, the Mystery Collection Winner, and Homemade Nut Butters

Argh!  I haven't posted a Really Random Tuesday post in nearly ten months!  Since I have a winner to announce, I'm back with a RRT post.  But before I announce the winner of the books, here's Daisy . . .

My blogging friend, Naida from The Bookworm, crocheted this adorable, super soft sweater for Daisy, and also these over-sized potholders/hot pads, which I adore.  These handmade items are absolutely fabulous. 


Daisy is stylin' now!  The sweater fits her perfectly. Thank you very much, Naida!

********************

The winner of a box set of the Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Books 1-3  is  Lisa Brown.  Many congratulations to you, Lisa!  Special thanks to award-winning author Barbara Venkataraman for offering this generous giveaway to my readers.

If you didn't win this time, please check the right side of my blog for other giveaways.  If they seem scant now, don't worry.  I add book giveaways to my sidebar on a regular basis.




********************

Until recently, we suffered with loud blenders that never worked well.  I usually ended up hand-mixing ingredients, and having extra dishes to clean, too--I was not a happy cook!  Finally, we bought a deluxe Vitamix as a family Christmas present from CostCo at the end of last year.  Among other things, I've been having fun making fresh nut butters, such as cashew butter, almond butter, coconut butter, and peanut butter. They are super flavorful and healthy, the real McCoy.  (Some of you may have seen these photos on Instagram already.)


Cashew Butter
Almond Butter
Peanut Butter
Coconut Butter

My favorite so far has been almond butter. The flavor is very "almondy" and intense.  I even tried making sunflower seed butter.  Surprisingly, it took quite a long time to make this type of butter.  I used raw sunflower seeds, and the tiny seeds took their sweet time releasing their oils.  (Raw nuts and seeds take longer to release their oils than roasted ones.)  My patience was rewarded, eventually.

Sunflower Seed Milk

The bonus is the milk you can create from what's left in the container after the butter is scooped out, by just adding some water and turning on the Vitamix for a few moments.  It helps clean out the container, and gives you a special, flavored milk, which you can use as you would any other type of milk. 

********************


Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. Often I announce my book giveaway winners in these posts.  If you have miscellaneous book news to gather up and are inspired by this idea, "grab" the button for use on your own blog, and add your link to the "master" Mister Linky on the Really Random Tuesday page.  Thanks for stopping by!  Your comments are welcomed.

20 comments:

  1. Congratulations to the winner. That doggie coat is real cute and the nut butters sound delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by, Terra, and for leaving a comment. :)

      Delete
  2. Congrats to Lisa, I listened to the books a few weeks ago, quite enjoyable. I love Daisy's doggie sweater, so cute, and what a little ham posing so cute too. I wish I lived close to you, I would be dropping by often to sample all your nutty butters...Enjoy the fun of making your own butter butters, homemade is always better than bought.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting, Gig Ann! Enjoy your reading this week. :)

      Delete
  3. Hi Susan, Daisy looks so cute!! I am very happy the sweater fit her, purple is her color :)

    I have seen pics on Insta of your making good use of that Vitamix. It sounds great and the butters look yummy! I love almond butter and how neat that you can make milk with it afterwards too. I don't drink cow milk myself so that is perfect.

    Congrats to the winner and happy Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Naida! The purple sweater does seem to go well with Daisy's brindle coloring. As you well know, I post a lot of food pics on Instagram. Have a terrific Tuesday! :)

      Delete
  4. Congratulations to Lisa.

    Daisy rocks! So does the sweater that Naida made.

    My wife and I cook a lot. One must have a good blender.



    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations to Lisa! Daisy certainly looks stylish. The sweater looks like it fits her so well! She is adorable! Your vitamin creations sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing all your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How lovely of Naida, Daisy looks so cute.

    Loving the sound of all those freshly made pastes, especially the cashew nut butter .... yum.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a thoughtful thing Naida did. I love the sweater, purple is my favorite color, and Daisy is adorable!

    Those butters look so good. I have a Vitamix that has been MIA for a while. It may be stored away but I'm sure when we move we'll find it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That sweater is adorable, and Naida does great work. I love her crochet projects. Daisy is adorable too! A perfect pairing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful post! I love Daisy's new sweater! She is a good dog model! Your butters are utterly enticing too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Daisy's sweater looks too cute on her! Naida is really great at crocheting- I wish she could teach me. LOL! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Isn't Naida so talented - your pup is styling' -- so cute! Those butters look amazing. We bought a vitamix recently too and I think I have to tell my husband he needs to make some of these. I would be willing to be a taste-tester :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I suddenly feel hungry after reading your post! The almond butter sounds especially tasty. I love Daisy's sweater!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make this site lively! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I value each one, and will respond to questions.

If you're entering a giveaway, please leave your e-mail address (or a link that leads to it).









Some of the books featured here were given to me free of charge by authors, publishers, and agents. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

BLOG ARCHIVE

Blog header by Held Design

Powered By Blogger