Living the 100-Mile Life doesn’t mean giving up comfort food.
It means learning how to make it closer to home, simpler, and more intentional.
This familiar supper—sausage biscuits and gravy—slips beautifully into local living with just a few mindful choices.
What “100-Mile” Looks Like in This Meal
Sausage
Use locally made pork sausage from a nearby butcher or farm Leftovers are a gift — this meal shines because it started with leftovers
Onion
Red onion from a local farm stand, CSA, or fall storage bin Even a yellow cooking onion works — use what keeps well in your pantry
Seasoning
Poultry seasoning made from common herbs (sage, thyme, marjoram) If you grow herbs or buy dried ones locally, this is a perfect blend
Biscuits
Homemade biscuits using: Local flour (many Ontario mills are within 100 miles) Butter from a nearby dairy Milk or buttermilk sourced close to home Biscuit mix can still fit the spirit of the challenge if the base ingredients are regional
Gravy
Butter + flour + milk + salt & pepper All simple pantry staples, often available from local producers
Why This Meal Fits the 100-Mile Life
✔ Uses leftovers ✔ Relies on pantry basics ✔ Honors local farmers, mills, and dairies ✔ Feels abundant without excess
This is the kind of meal that reminds us:
local living isn’t about perfection — it’s about relationship.
A Gentle 100-Mile Reflection
Eating close to home teaches us to pay attention.
To seasons.
To what’s already here.
To the quiet satisfaction of feeding ourselves well.
This is a one-pan supper. It uses what you already have. It fills the house with that “someone’s taking care of me” smell.
Ingredients
2–3 cups cooked turkey, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced thin
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1½ cups chicken or turkey broth
½ cup milk or cream
½ tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas (optional but lovely)
1 can refrigerated biscuits, quartered (I used home made biscuits)
Directions
Start the cozy base Melt butter in a deep skillet. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
Make the gravy Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir 1 minute. Slowly pour in broth, stirring constantly. Add milk/cream, thyme, salt, and pepper. Let simmer until thick and creamy.
Add the turkey Stir in chopped turkey and peas. Let it bubble gently for 3–4 minutes.
Float the biscuits Nestle biscuit pieces right on top of the creamy mixture.
Cover & cook Cover skillet and cook on low for 12–15 minutes until biscuits are puffed and cooked through.
Serve hot Ladle into bowls and prepare for happy sighs.
Little Extras if You Want
Add leftover mashed potatoes on the side (yes please).
A sprinkle of dried sage makes it taste like Thanksgiving remembered.
A handful of shredded cheese melted over top turns it into pure comfort food.
If you’d like, tell me what veggies you still have hanging around — cabbage, potatoes, carrots, etc — and I can tailor another leftover-loving supper just for your kitchen 🧡
Some days, knitting is nothing but comfort. It is the soft click of needles. It includes the steady rhythm of stitches. It brings the quiet joy of watching something grow beneath our hands.
And some days… it teaches us patience.
Lately, I’ve been sitting with a sock project that hasn’t quite gone the way I imagined. The yarn is lovely, the pattern is beautiful — but together they’re asking more of me than I expected. There have been pauses. Frogged rows. A few deep sighs. And more than once, I’ve had to remind myself that not every project is meant to be easy.
At the same time, I’ve been finding comfort in working on my Northerly Blanket — a slower, gentler make that feels like wrapping myself in quiet winter evenings. It’s become my place of rest, the project I reach for when I need my hands to remember calm again.
These moments have reminded me that even “imperfect” projects have something to offer. They teach us new skills, stretch our patience, and gently invite us to grow. Every stitch — even the ones we redo — still carries learning, intention, and care.
So if you’re working on something that feels tricky right now, take heart. You’re not behind. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re simply learning — and that, too, is beautiful.
As the season grows quieter, I hope you’ll stay safe, stay cozy, and keep making with grace. Let your projects meet you where you are, and trust that every stitch still matters.
There’s something grounding about oatmeal cookies. Maybe it’s the way oats soften as they bake. Or it could be how the kitchen fills with that warm cinnamon-butter scent. It feels like home before the cookies even leave the oven.
These baked oatmeal drop cookies are the kind you make on an ordinary afternoon. There is no mixer drama, and no fancy steps involved. Just a bowl, a spoon, and a little pause in the day. They have a soft center. The edges are lightly crisp. They are just right with a mug of tea or coffee beside you.
This is the recipe I reach for when I want something gentle and familiar. It is the kind of baking that feels like a deep breath.
Why I Love These Cookies
They’re simple and forgiving
Made with pantry staples
Soft and comforting, not overly sweet
Easy to adapt with what you have on hand
These aren’t bakery cookies. They’re home cookies. And that’s exactly the point.
Baked Oatmeal Drop Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned)
¾ cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat works beautifully too)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2–3 tablespoons milk (only if the dough feels dry)
Optional add-ins (choose what feels right):
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup shredded coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In another bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until soft and blended.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined. Add milk if needed for a soft, scoopable dough.
Drop spoonfuls (about 1½ tablespoons) onto the prepared baking sheet.
Freeze for 10 minutes (optional)
Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and centers are just set.
Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
A Few Gentle Baking Notes
For softer cookies: lean closer to 10 minutes. (I like them soft so yes, 10 minutes)
For a heartier cookie: use whole wheat flour and an extra spoonful of oats.
For crisp edges: lightly flatten the dough before baking.
Cozy Variations to Try
Maple Oatmeal Cookies: swap half the brown sugar for maple syrup.
Apple Cinnamon: add ½ cup finely diced apple and a pinch more cinnamon.
Breakfast-style Cookies: reduce sugar to ⅓ cup and use nuts + dried fruit.
A Small Kitchen Blessing
May your oven warm the room, may your cookies cool just enough, and may you remember — even ordinary days can be sweet.
If you bake these, I’d love to hear how you made them your own. Share a cup of tea, a quiet moment, and a cookie or two. 💛
by Grannie Doll, living the 100-Mile Life one gentle stitch at a time
Life gets loud, doesn’t it? The news hums. The to-do list grows. The phone pings. Suddenly, the whole day feels like it’s rushing past with no place to sit and breathe. But inside all that noise are tiny pockets of stillness. These are the soft places we create with our own hands.
For me, those quiet places almost always begin with wool.
Fibre arts aren’t just hobbies. They’re anchors. They’re soft rebellions against the rush. They’re the ways we gather ourselves back up when the world has scattered us thin.
🧶 Spinning: Stillness in Motion
There’s something almost holy about the whir of a spindle or wheel. Drafting fibre is like drafting breath — long, slow, intentional. As twist travels down the strand, my mind unwinds alongside it.
Spinning teaches me to come back to the present moment, one gentle pull at a time. It gives my busy thoughts a place to rest and my heart a place to settle. It doesn’t demand anything fancy or perfect. It just invites me to show up.
🧵 Knitting: Rhythm for a Restless Mind
Knitting is patterned peace. Stitch after stitch, the world slows. Even on the heaviest days, a few rows remind me that I’m still here. I’m still breathing. I’m still creating warmth in cold seasons.
Sometimes I knit complex patterns when my brain needs a puzzle. Other days, I return to the comfort of garter or stockinette. These are the simple rhythms that ground me. They help when chaos tries to take over.
🧺 The Fibre Basket: A Soft Sanctuary
Maybe it’s the colours. Maybe it’s the textures. Maybe it’s the connection to local farms and shepherds and the land itself. But opening my wool basket feels like opening a tiny sanctuary.
These fibres are dyed with food colouring and carded by hand. They are gathered from neighbours or small mills. They remind me that peace is found close to home. It is found in simple things. It is found in simple moments.
✨ 5 Ways to Find Peace in the Chaos with Fibre Arts
1. Slow Your Breathing With Repetitive Motion
Let the steady rhythm of knitting or spinning calm your nervous system. Hands first, heart follows.
2. Choose Colours That Soothe Your Spirit
Reach for rose, lilac, lavender, soft blues — the colours that whisper calm into your bones.
3. Keep a “Comfort Project” Ready
A simple, soft, no-pressure project can steady you on overwhelming days.
4. Create a Tiny Craft Sanctuary
A chair, a basket of wool, a candle. Let this small space become your quiet refuge.
5. Make Your Craft a Prayer or Meditation
Each draft and stitch can be a release. They can be a blessing. They can also be a grounding moment — a way to return to yourself.
🌸 Peace Not Perfection
Projects tangle. Yarn breaks. Needles go missing. Chaos creeps back into life and into our making. But somehow, the soft work keeps holding us.
Every imperfect skein reminds me: peace isn’t perfection. It’s the gentle choosing of calm, again and again, even when the day feels frayed.
🌼 A Cozy Ritual for the Hard Days
When life feels too loud, I make a little ritual of it:
A cup of tea. A soft lamp. My spindle or needles. A kitten who may or may not cooperate. And the colour that settles my heart fastest — usually lilac or rose.
In those moments, peace doesn’t arrive with trumpets. It arrives quietly, like wool slipping through fingers.
💬 Invitation to You
If the world feels overwhelming today, pick up something soft. Let your hands lead your spirit toward stillness. We’ll knit ourselves back together — one peaceful row at a time.
From my cozy chair to yours…
May your stitches be steady, your wool be soft, and your heart find a pocket of peace today.
Welcome back, dear friends, to another day of Vlogmas/Spindlemas! Today’s little adventure was all about choices… so many choices. If you’ve ever stood in front of your fiber stash and thought, “Well now, which woolly friend is calling my name today?” — oh goodness, I was right there with you.
Vlogmas Day 12 had me pulling out fibers like a kid digging through a treasure box. Every one of them whispered something different, and honestly? I just wanted to spin them all.
A Burst of Sunshine: The Yellow BFL Blend
First up was the happiest little braid of sunshine you’ve ever seen — a golden yellow Bluefaced Leicester blend. And here’s the fun part: it gets its gorgeous colour from gold food dye. Yes… food dye. Who knew something from the baking cupboard turns fiber into pure sunshine? This one feels lively and warm in the hands. The kind of spin that instantly lifts your mood.
Soft and Steady: The White-Gray Shetland
Next came a fiber that feels like home for me — a gentle white-gray Shetland I had carded and hand-batted. There’s something about Shetland that always feels right. Dependable. Cozy. Honest. This particular batch is destined for mittens, and I’m already imagining how soft and sturdy they’ll be once knit up. Truly a joy to spin.
A Luxurious Treat: Merino–Cashmere Blend
And then… a little luxury. A merino-cashmere blend that practically purrs when you touch it. I’m planning to spin just a bit of it. It’s not for a big project. I want to do it simply for the pleasure of changing pace. Like dessert spinning. Rich, decadent, and exactly what you need when your creative spirit wants to wander.
A Surprise Helper: The Kitten Cameo
And because no Vlogmas day in my house is finished without a little mischief, the kitten made an appearance. She hopped into the frame, ready to supervise, critique, or steal fiber — still not sure which. (I didn’t leave that in the video lol) But goodness, moments like that add such sweetness to the work. Life with wool and whiskers just feels right.
Closing Thoughts
Some days spinning is about a plan. Other days — like today — it’s about delight, surprise, colour, texture, and following whatever fiber feels like joy.
If you’re spinning along with me this Spindlemas, I hope today you choose something joyful. Let it be something that makes your heart do a little happy dance.
Thanks for coming by, dear friends. See you tomorrow for Vlogmas Day 13 — and may your fiber choices be just the right kind of overwhelming.
Advent always asks something of us, doesn’t it? It’s a season of preparation, of tending our spirits, of giving and sharing. A season where the heart gets stretched just a little wider — even when our calendars feel like they’re bursting.
Here in my little corner, it’s also Vlogmas and Spindlemas, which means I’ve been spinning every single day. Last time I chatted with you, I was working on that delicious red Shetland. I still can’t get the camera to capture it nicely. And yes, I can’t believe I said “y’all.” But here we are. I now have two sweet little cops of that red, and it’s sitting happily beside me.
But yesterday, I didn’t dig into my usual basket. To be honest, I know it won’t carry me all the way through December. Instead, I reached for something special. A bit of colour. A bit of chaos. A bit of joy.
I save tiny tufts of everything I spin throughout the year in a little jar. On Distaff Day in January, I card them all together into what I call my mystery batt.. That was the mystery I was spinning yesterday. It is a mix of fibres that probably shouldn’t work together. Somehow, they do. Perfect mitten yarn, I think. And I spun it on my tiny drop spindle, the one that feels like a friend.
Sock Knitting, Christmas Colours… and When Things Don’t Go as Planned
And then there are the socks. I’m knitting the Crazy Sock Lady’s Heel Toe Do-Si-Do pattern, marking each 12-row repeat. I’m on the final repeat now — foot nearly done, toe up next.
This yarn was supposed to be Christmas red, but it came out more pink-with-a-dash-of-green than holiday festive. You know how it goes… sometimes the dye pot has other plans.
So what do we do when things don’t turn out the way we pictured?
Do we fuss? Do we stomp our feet? Or do we pick up the needles and make something lovely anyway?
These socks not be Christmas socks — but the ones on my feet definitely are. My West Yorkshire Spinners Grinch Socks, knit last year, still make me grin. Warm, cozy, a little mischievous — everything December should be.
Grandsons, Slippers, and the Joy of Making
I also found out today that both my grandsons want slippers. One is a Kobe Bryant superfan — all basketball, all the time. The other is a Buffalo Bills devotee — blue and red.
So guess who’s knitting slippers? Granny is. I can make a pair in a day or two once I get these socks off the needles. And honestly? I love that they asked. There’s something special about knitters being capable of wrapping love around the feet of the ones they adore.
Advent, Expectations, and Embracing the Slow
We’re ten days into Advent now — nearly halfway — and I wonder if you’re feeling the tug too. The rush to “get there.” The impatience for the holiday to arrive already. Or maybe the wish for everything to slow down just a little.
But wishing won’t change the calendar. Christmas will come, and Christmas will go. The solstice will arrive — the longest night — and winter will settle itself in.
So what if… just for a moment… we leaned into the slowness?
What if we allowed ourselves to prepare gently, instead of scrambling for perfection?
What if the blessing is actually hidden inside the quiet?
These are big questions, I know. But maybe you’re feeling them too — the pressure of family, gifts, budgets, expectations. The worry that you won’t get it all done.
Let me offer you this little truth:
It is not necessary to run yourself ragged. It is not necessary to give beyond your limits. What is necessary is love — for your neighbour, for your family, and for yourself.
Smile at someone today. Give yourself grace. Let the cookies stay unbaked if that’s what your body needs. Let the gifts be simple. Let the joy be quiet.
Tonight I thought about filming a behind-the-scenes video for DollCanCreate and my 100 Mile Journey. Instead, I’m here with you — in the quiet. I’m grateful for warmth, for family, and for friends. I appreciate the little electric fireplace humming beside me. I’m thankful for the simple gift of being able to turn on the oven and make supper.
A Question for You, My Friend
On this 10th day of Vlogmas:
What are you doing for yourself? What can you let go of? And what might you gently pick up to bring joy into your life?
Hold those questions close as you settle into the evening.
And remember:
You are special. You are blessed. You are loved.
This is Grannie Doll, living the 100 Mile Life one day at a time. Happy Advent. God bless. Until next time. ✨
Week One: Fear of Change Theme Scripture: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” — Luke 1:30 When God interrupts our lives, it can feel unsettling. Yet, within every divine disruption lies the seed of something holy. This week, we’ll walk with Mary as she learns to trust God through unexpected change.
Day 1 — When God Steps Into the Ordinary Scripture: Luke 1:26–29 Reflection: Mary’s story began on an ordinary day in Nazareth. Then Gabriel appeared, and the world changed. God often enters our everyday moments with quiet surprise — a whisper, a nudge, a turn in the path. Change can feel like loss, but sometimes it’s God’s invitation to a larger story. Practice: Light a candle and pray, “Lord, make me ready to notice Your presence in my ordinary day.”
Day 2 — Holy Interruptions Scripture: Luke 1:30–31 Reflection: Mary’s plans for marriage, home, and family were suddenly interrupted. Divine interruptions rarely come at convenient times. Yet what feels like disruption may be grace in disguise. Practice: Write one interruption you’ve faced this week and ask, “What if this, too, holds God’s purpose?”
A simple, sweet-savory winter side dish made with local goodness.
There are certain vegetables we grow into over time, aren’t there?
I grew up eating boiled cabbage, and let me tell you — I did not enjoy it one bit. Limp, pale, and overcooked…it left an impression.
But cabbage, when treated with a little more love, is a different thing entirely.
Add apples. Add the warm sweetness of maple. Add a skillet instead of a pot. Suddenly this humble winter vegetable becomes something comforting, fragrant, and downright delicious.
Cabbage is one of those gorgeous, versatile staples that carries us through the colder months — a true winter workhorse. Packed with nutrients, easy to store, and budget-friendly, it fits beautifully into a frugal, local, slow-living kitchen.
This simple dish brings out everything cabbage can be: tender, flavourful, slightly sweet, and deeply cozy.
🥬 Ingredients
1 small green cabbage, thinly sliced 1 large apple (local if you can), thinly sliced 1 medium onion, sliced 2 tbsp butter or local oil 1–2 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Optional: pinch of caraway seeds or thyme
🔥 Instructions
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the sliced cabbage and cook until it begins to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add apple slices, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Stir well. Continue cooking 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender and apples are soft. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs if using.
Serve alongside roasted meats, sausages, perogies, skillet dinners, or even with a simple baked potato.
🍏 A Note From My Kitchen
I grew up avoiding cabbage — it was always boiled and bland.
Cooking it this way, with apples and maple, feels like redemption for a childhood vegetable I never quite warmed up to.
Now it’s one of my favourite winter sides. Funny how that happens.
How do you enjoy this winter vegetable?
Do you have a childhood cabbage memory too — good or bad? Tell me in the comments!
🍁 100-Mile Life Notes
Cabbage is a winter staple that stores beautifully in a cold room or fridge. Apples, onions, and maple syrup are easy to source locally all year in many regions. This dish is frugal, nourishing, and firmly rooted in seasonal local eating.
If you make this recipe, tag me at #DollCanCreate — I love seeing your cozy kitchen creations.
And if you’re exploring your own 100-Mile Life journey, this is a beautiful place to begin.
