I Like Thursday # 116 ~ Seasonal Spice is Nice

 

"G"  is for Gingerbread!

Welcome to I Like Thursday on Friday again.

On Thursday, my I like Thursday blogging friends

get together to share the things in life that make us smile:

I Like Thursday @ Not Afraid of Color

It has been a busy week. 

I have been happy this week stitching this fun new pattern from 

They have two other gingerbread patterns in their etsy shop:

Stitching With The Housewives

and I may have to stitch them all. 

I purchased the 

Gingerbread Cookies Cross Stitch Here at Fat Quarter Shop

There are some other cute Christmas cross stitch patterns here from Pricilla and Chelsea that I would also like to stitch.

For now I am just going to try to get this one done before Christmas. 

I really like the attached letter script in this pattern. I made a small adjustment to the small "r" to make it look more like the cursive letter I was taught to write. 

This is the first time I have stitched on a black background and it is a challenge to keep my white stitches looking uniform. 

Yesterday the weather was balmy and sunny so I was able to work outside and open the windows on the south side of the house for my stay-inside kitties to enjoy birdie-vision. It is probably the last day the windows will be opened this year as it is much colder today and they are battened down again.

For my inside break I enjoyed putting in a few stitches and snacking on ginger cookies and tea. My favorite year round ginger cookie treat is

Anna's Swedish Ginger Thins.  

I often have a couple of these with a cup of tea. 

At this time of year I love to track down my favorite ginger cookie,

 Walker's Stem Ginger Biscuits, 

which have pieces of candied ginger and crunch oats in them.  Delicious! 

If you cannot find them locally, they are available on Amazon. 

One of my favorite Amazon purchases this year as been this 

French Style Butter Crock

It keeps butter soft in winter and fresh in summer.

It is two-piece and the butter goes into the "bell" top and the cold water in the bottom keeps the butter soft but not oily. I change the water once a week with cold water from my refrigerator.  No more rancid or hard to spread butter! 

On Wednesday, I got together again with my three best friends for lunch and the request for dessert was rice pudding, my friend Elaine's favorite.

I made an easy slow cooker version of this old fashioned dessert ... 

Slower Cooker Rice Pudding

½ cup unsalted butter

5 cups milk

1 cup light cream

2 cups uncooked medium grain rice

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Additional ½ cup light cream (reserved)

Melt the butter in slow cooker on High. Pick out any dark grains of rice.  Add to melted butter and stir to coat rice.  Add 5 cups milk and 1 cup light cream and stir.  Add sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and stir until well. Place lid on crockpot and turn to low. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until rice is soft and all liquid is absorbed.  Turn off slow cooker and let set for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the additional cup of light cream … or more, if rice is very thick.  The additional cream adds a nice creamy texture and flavor.  Serve warm or cold.  Store in sealed container in refrigerator. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe may be doubled in large slow cooker.

Variation: Add ½ cup  or more of raisins ore dates, if desired.  

I like to add them in the last hour or so of cooking time. 

May you and yours have a happy healthy weekend!