Recipes – Page 4 – Thimbleanna

Pinterest Paradise

40 Comments / February 7, 2012 June 22, 2013 / Recipes

Like many of you, I’m completely hooked on Pinterest. There’s so much inspiration there, but it’s easy to feel like it’s a huge time suck. I’ve decided I need to take action and actually put some of those ideas to work, or else, what’s the point? Hopefully, Pinterest Paradise can be a semi-regular feature around here — we’ll see if I can stay motivated.

A week or so ago, my friend Gail posted a link to a recipe for Custard Creams. The pictures on the recipe post looked so delicious that I decided to try them. I’m pretty much a sucker for anything that has frosting on it.

Due to our proximity to Valentine’s Day, I decided to make my little custard creams in the shape of hearts and tint my frosting pink. The original recipe said to use a cookie cutter that was 3 cm in diameter and I just happened to have a little heart cookie cutter that was just the right size.

The original recipe is from a site in England, so all the measurements are weighed. For those of you in the US that might not have a kitchen scale, I’ve done some conversions to this recipe. These cookies are D-e-e-e-licious and I hope you’ll try them. They’re nice and small too, so you won’t feel guilty when you have more than one. And I’m betting you WILL have more than one!

Valentine Custard Creams

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. + 2 Tbsp custard powder*
1/4 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Place the flour, custard powder, and powdered sugar into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add in the butter and vanilla and pulse until the mixture begins to come together. (If the butter is very cold you may need to knead it together by hand). Tip the mixture out onto a work surface and bring together into a flattened ball. Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the dough on a floured work surface and roll to about an 1/8″ thickness. Cut out small hearts, approximately 1 1/4″ in diameter and dock with a fork. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. While chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until just starting to color around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

For the filling:
Scant 1/4 c. (3 1/2 T) butter, room temperature
1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
2 T custard powder*

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Then, slowly incorporate the powdered sugar and custard powder and beat on high until smooth and fluffy. Add a few drops of pink food coloring and mix thoroughly. Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip and pipe onto half of the cookies.

*You should be able to find custard powder in the international foods section of your grocery store. If you’re in the midwest, Meijer carries it.

After your cookies are all set, you can have some fun with packaging. My little cookies fit perfectly into plastic pretzel bags.

Don’t forget to leave them in a place where someone you love is sure to find them!

XOXO,
Anna

Soups On!

30 Comments / January 17, 2012 June 22, 2013 / Recipes

With apologies to those of you in the southern hemisphere, I’m here to share a soup recipe. It is soup season, after all. When we had the Gingerbread Competition, I made this Kale and Kielbasa soup and MyDadLovesMeBestSister has asked me twice now for the recipe. I promised I’d put it here on the blog for her. And for me too — I love having recipes on the internet ’cause I can call them up on the iPad while I’m in the kitchen.

I didn’t realize that I loved kale until I made this soup. Sorry — the picture isn’t the greatest, but it’s the only one I managed to take on gingerbread night.

Kale and Sausage Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 large russet potatoes, about 2 1/2 lb total weight, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 lb kielbasa or other cooked sausage, cut into slices 1/2 inch thick
1 bunch kale, thick stems and ribs removed, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

In a large soup pot medium over heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and saute until lightly browned, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer. Add the potatoes, toss to coat, and saute for 2 minutes longer. Add the stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Add the sausage, cover and simmer until the sausage is heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook, uncovered, until it is wilted but still bright green, 3 – 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve and enjoy!

Oh, and did I mention that I did get my jammie day watching Season 1 of Downton Abbey? I’m officially hooked along with many of you. Raise your hands if you’re a fan! Susan at Plays with Needles, posted a link to these funny Top 10 Maggie Moments, which I’m posting again, in case you missed it. Isn’t Maggie Smith marvelous???

Only 5 more days until the next episode!
XOXO,
Anna

Cranberry Christmas Pudding

28 Comments / December 14, 2011 December 15, 2011 / Holidays, Recipes

Ooops, I didn’t mean to be gone for so many days. It was a busy weekend here — we got MeMum and BigDaddy’s big Christmas tree put up and then I did the decorating here too. Jane suggested that I needed a good dose of Christmas movies to get me going — instead I’ve been listening to Christmas music while I work. TheManoftheHouse surprised me with the Christmas CD from that Michael guy. It’s definitely putting me in the mood.

Isn’t it fun to work around the house, listening to music and think about Christmas? Christmas past and Christmas traditions. I love to hear all about what other people do for their traditions too. You know, stuff like … do you open your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? {A little of both} Big dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? {Christmas Day} Turkey, Ham, or Roast Beef? {Turkey} And what about those traditions that must be repeated every year … or if you don’t there will be mutiny among the troops? (I love watching the making of the Christmas Cake and mincemeat pies on so many non-US blogs. What fun traditions!)

One of our favorite traditions is the Christmas Pudding that MeMum has always prepared for our dessert after our big Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. We all love it so much that we save it until the end of the day — long after all the dishes are done. I hated it when I was a child, but I LOVE it now — most of us do love it. This isn’t a creamy American pudding. It’s a British kind of steamed pudding — more like our cake. Served with a “gorgeous sauce” that is fabulous. The more gorgeous sauce the better. Drown that pudding in gorgeous sauce!

MeMum has a great steamer pan. I just have a little pudding mold that MyDadLovesMeBestSister gave me years ago but it works great. You just have to be able to cover the batter (MeMum’s cake pan doesn’t have a lid so she ties brown craft paper over the top with some twine and it works great). Here’s a picture of my little cake pan — it’s sitting upside down on our stove.

The cake pan can’t be sitting on the bottom of the steamer pan. It must be placed on a rack in the steamer. I don’t have a rack, so I suspended my cake pan in the steamer by using some wire. It worked just fine, but I really need to get a rack.

Ok, so here’s the recipe:

Cranberry Christmas Pudding

Pudding:

2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Add soda to molasses. Stir in the water and dump in a large bowl. Sift flour and baking powder in separate bowl. Toss cranberries in flour mixture and then add to molasses mixture. Add nuts, if desired.
Grease small cake pan. Pour pudding mixture into pan and cover — with lid or tie brown paper over top of the pan with some twine. Steam in 2″ water for 2 1/2 – 3 hours. (Check water level every now and then to make sure water hasn’t boiled dry.)

Serve by breaking bits of pudding into a bowl and pouring gorgeous sauce over the top. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream. (I didn’t get a picture of the whipped cream — I was scarfing it down before I remembered to take a picture!)

Gorgeous Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter

Cook sugar, whipping cream and butter over boiling water for 5 minutes. Serve.

Yum, Yum, Yummy — I can’t wait until Christmas Day!
XOXO,
Anna

Peach and Blueberry Crisp

37 Comments / October 25, 2011 October 26, 2011 / Recipes

It’s tiiii-iiiime! It’s fall quilt market time and I’m almost ready to go. Kellie is already in Houston — I spoke with her this morning and it was so fun to hear that Australian accent again — I can’t wait to get there. I’m really sad that Jan won’t be joining us this fall — but she has a fabulous excuse. She and her family are in London for a few months! Lucky Ducks! That means Kellie will be bringing us a new Australian partner, so it’s all very exciting. There will be a full report when I get back. ;-D

I’m leaving tomorrow, and as usual, I won’t blog while I’m at market. Instead, it’s been awhile since we’ve played recipe roulette, so I’ll leave you with one of my favorite recipes. I got this recipe several years ago from a friend in my old book group and it’s delicious. Since it’s fall, you could just as easily substitute apples for the peaches. And don’t worry about the sugar and butter — it has blueberries and pecans (superfoods) so they cancel each other out (ha!).

Peach and Blueberry Crisp

Topping:
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 c. old fashioned oats
3/4 c. chopped toasted pecans
Fruit:
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 1/2 lbs. peaches, peeled and cut into wedges
1 1-pint basket blueberries or 2 1/2 cups frozen, thawed

For Topping:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Mix sugar and flour in medium bowl. Add butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in oats and pecans. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead — cover and refrigerate.)
For Fruit:
Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add peaches and blueberries and toss to coat. Transfer fruit to prepared dish. Sprinkle topping over the top of the fruit. Bake until topping browns and filling bubbles, about 45 minutes. Cool. Serve with ice cream.

Enjoy! Be good while I’m gone, and I’ll see you on the other side!

XOXO,
Anna

Edited to add: Ohmygosh! I totally forgot to mention — if you’re going to be anywhere near Lehi, Utah on November 18th and 19th, you should check out Pamela’s Cool Quilt Retreat! She’ll hook you up with food and all the necessities — you can spend all your time SEWING! You Utah girls get ALL the fun!!!

Better Late Than Never

61 Comments / March 25, 2011 March 25, 2011 / Chat, Recipes

Well, how did the week go? It was a stressful one in ThimbleannaLand. Big layoffs at work yesterday and it was very sad to see some of my friends lose their jobs. Especially in this economic climate where it will be hard to find a new one.

So, it’s in that frame of mind that I’ve read several posts on several different blogs about the “Dumbing Down of Quilting”. I’m too lazy to look up the links, but I’ll bet a google search will get you there. I think both sides of the argument have valid points. I get that a lot of what we see on blogs seems simple and without challenge. I even roll my eyes when I see another “pattern” pop up for a square-in-a-square quilt. And I get really frustrated when something appears with the idea that it’s a new concept. There’s really very little that’s new in quilting. Our grandmothers nailed most of the geometric shapes out there, a long time ago. (Although part of the original complaint may have included “art” quilts, that’s not what I’m talking about here.)

On the other hand, someone, somewhere made the statement that we need to push ourselves and do something more challenging. If we’ve made tons of quilts with half-square triangles, we need to move on to applique, or something like that. Really? Do I NEED to do that? I love a good challenge….I like to make different quilts….but is it required that I do that? If I’m perfectly happy to just make big ol’ one-patch quilts for the next three years then shouldn’t that be ok? (The simple quilts are still some of my very favorites.) I’ve been sewing a long time — I’m pretty sure I have the skills to make most of the more “challenging” quilts. So, I hope if I make an “easy” quilt that it will be ok. Or if I make a quilt with a fat quarter stack, that that’s acceptable. It’s not that I don’ t enjoy picking my own fabrics. I LOVE scrappy quilts and almost all of my quilts have been scrappy. I do understand that using precuts seems lazy and dumbed down — I’ve even complained about it before. But sometimes, a collection comes along that I love so much, I just want to have fun playing with that collection and only that collection (re: Bliss. And if I could come up with something, The. Pips.)

Well, that’s my two cents worth. I could ramble on, but in the big picture, I think we’re all just taking ourselves a bit too seriously. Quilting should be whatever you want it to be, but most of all FUN. If you can sell a pattern for something that I can draw up with a little graph paper, then more power to you. I might roll my eyes, but you go girl LOL!

Ok, at the risk of dumbing down our cooking, I have my late entry for Randi’s Recipe Box Swap. I love a challenge in the kitchen, but after a long day at work, I want something simple. My good buddy Gurney (who is a fabulous cook — I’m so lucky that all my quilty peeps are awesome in the kitchen) gave me this recipe years ago and it’s become a family favorite. It’s unbelievably easy and in about 30 minutes(during which time, you can be watching tv or whatever), you can have a delicious dinner. (Btw, Randi requested main dishes, but this recipe is the whole dish — main and sides. Also, Disclaimer #1: This recipe calls for frozen green beans and I didn’t have any, so I didn’t add them to this recipe. We still ate green beans, but they were canned. So….this is a case of “do as I say, not as I do!” ;-) )

Skillet Pork Chops and Rice

4 to 6 lean pork chops
1 – 6 oz. package Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice mix
9 oz. frozen, cut green beans

In large skillet, over medium high heat, brown pork chops on both sides; remove and set aside. In same skillet, combine rice mix ingredients and water according to package directions; bring to boil.
Place pork chops on rice mixture.

(Disclaimer #2: Your pork chops sitting in the wild rice mixture won’t look exactly like this — I inadvertently added too much water. Not to worry though, I siphoned the excess off, and as you can see in the first picture, it all turned out just fine.)

Reduce heat; simmer covered 20 to 25 minutes or until pork chops are tender. Arrange green beans around edge of skillet. Cover; simmer an additional 7 to 10 minutes until water is absorbed and beans are crisp tender.

Thanks for a great recipe Gurney!

Have a good weekend …
XOXO,
Anna