Lemony Rice Pudding

1 cup uncooked rice
8 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
zest from 2 lemons
1/2 tsp. salt
vanilla
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

Bring rice, milk, sugar, salt and zest to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 25-35 mins. until rice is tender and most of the milk absorbed.  May add up to 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk the last few minutes if you would like a richer, creamier, sweeter rice pudding.  Add vanilla. Transfer to bowl and surface with plastic wrap to help prevent a skin from forming as it cools.  Rice pudding will thicken and firm up as it cools. You can use 2%, or whole milk, half and half or part cream or any combination of these.  Use no more than half cream.  I used half 2% and half whole milk but added about 1/4 can sweetened condensed milk.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

1 lb. hot Italian sausage

1 large onion, diced

4 ribs celery, diced

5-6 carrots, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chicken broth

4 potatoes, diced

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch swiss chard

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage, drain off most of the grease, add onion, celery, carrots and garlic.  Add 6 cups broth and diced potatoes and cook until potato is tender.  Puree 2 cans beans with 2 cups chicken broth. Add to soup along with the other 2 cans beans. Simmer 10 minutes then add the swiss chard, chopped and cook until the chard is wilted.

This is a spicy soup.  Can use mild sausage and add red pepper flakes to control the heat yourself.

Greg and Aurora's Wedding Quilt

It was only a year late but with a fairly quick wedding and sending Derek off to New Zealand I had to adjust the finished deadline to their first anniversary.  I tried my best to keep things only Japanese but know that a few "Chinese" fabrics snuck in, especially the backing.  Oh, well, we do the best we can :)

Some things I've Made

Strawberry Short-Cupcakes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I joined the Raley's Try-It Program.  This is what came in the mail this time.  I was excited to try the new cake mix.  It is very yummy.  Lots of vanilla bean flecks throughout.

We have been on a strawberry kick at our house lately so I thought I would play a little.

I made the cupcakes as directed and baked in the cute spring liners that came in the kit.

I used my melon baller to scoop out little wells for some finely diced fresh strawberries.

 I have large 16 inch pastry bags so to help fill them, I use this cylinder vase to hold it while I fill.

 I made a fresh strawberry buttercream to frost them with.  I added a little too much fresh fruit and could not get an icing stiff enough to retain its shape but it tasted delicious.

And here's the inside.  A bite of fresh strawberries, vanilla cake and frosting all in one.  YUM YUM!

A little whipped cream would have been good instead of frosting too.

Here's the scoop

Our New Beginnings theme was Here's the Scoop.

 The refreshment table.  All things pink and brown.

 Rice Krispy treat cones.

 Our New Beehives

 Tissue paper arrangement.  I was going for an ice cream sundae look but turned out more like a flower.

Three of the great ladies I work with!

Deja Vu Quilt

After making Derek's college quilt, I had enough blocks leftover to make a lap quilt.

I decided that since it was a scrap quilt I would quilt it myself.  I really like this chevron fabric, but oh what a challenge to quilt.  Each row took about 15 min, with having to rotate the quilt every 1 1/2 inches.  

I was going to quilt on the blue stripe but the way the chevron met in the middle just made more sense for spacing to do the white.

I'm happy to have it done.  It's not my favorite mostly because I pulled my favorite block combinations for Derek's quilt and was left with my not favorites.  It will still be a great TV quilt.