Summer, we hardly knew ye

It’s getting harder and harder to ignore Winter, especially when I have to drive in this ugly stuff every day. In the morning before I go to work, I brush the snow out of the bird feeders and replace the lids that the wind has blown off overnight. Repeat when I come home from work, plus go look for the garbage can and rescue it from wherever it has blown to. Okay, I’m ready for Spring.

I decided to try a different FMQ design on my little cabin in the woods – something simpler and smaller, more suitable for a small piece. I also changed the foot from a darning foot to the clear plastic crosshatch foot which goes over seams much easier. The darning foot kept catching on the seams. I was making some headway yesterday morning when the bobbin ran out of thread. Sigh.

In my last post I forgot to include a couple of recipes that I made for our Thanksgiving supper back in October. The U.S. Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday and I’m sure new tried and tested recipes are always welcome: Wild Rice and Apple Cider Pilaf and Crustless Pumpkin Pie. The pilaf included apples from our backyard tree and it was soooo good. And so was the pumpkin pie – all the pumpkin taste you want in your pie in a delicious creamy – and firm – base. I’m not a big fan of crusts, or bread or anything that uses flour. I don’t have any unusual problems digesting it. It’s just not my cuppa tea. I also make a wonderful crustless quiche. So, on to the recipes.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into 9-inch pie pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes; reduce temperature to 325 F and bake for 45 minutes more. Pie is done when knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Wild Rice and Apple Cider Pilaf
2/3 cup wild rice
2 cups unsweetened apple cider
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 fresh apple, peeled, cored and chopped

Wash wild rice and drain. Combine with the cider and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover. Simmer until rice is tender, but still firm, 30 to 40 minutes.
In large skillet, melt the butter; add the almonds and raisins. Cook, stirring, until almonds are light brown, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped fresh apple and the wild rice. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Serve warm.

You can use brown (or white) rice instead of wild, although wild rice looks more interesting and has a very nice texture in the mouth. A great dish to serve up on a cold night.

Until next time,