Elm Creek Quilts [13] The Quilter's Kitchen Read Online Free

became engaged, all the bride-to-be’s female friends and family would gather for a quilting bee, where the thirteen pieced and appliquéd tops would be quilted and finished.
    “According to Gerda’s memoir,” Sylvia added, “the men attended, too, but for the food and festivities rather than the quilting.”
    “You can’t have a gathering of quilters without food,” Anna said cheerfully. “The men wouldn’t want to miss out on that, even if they weren’t willing and able to help the bride finish her quilts.”
    “Contemporary quilting bees are no different,” said Sylvia. “Quilters come for the companionship, the laughter, the sharing of confidences—and to swap patterns and recipes with friends and neighbors.”
    Anna resolved that whenever the Elm Creek Quilters launched their own quilting bees, their guests would find the refreshments as well as the needlework equal to any quilting bee the Elm Creek Valley had ever seen.
    Gorgonzola Basil Dip with Radicchio Leaves and Zucchini Spears
    Yield: about 1½ cups
    1 cup (about 11 ounces) Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
    ¼ cup cream cheese (regular, not whipped), at room temperature
    1 / 3 cup light cream, whole milk, or buttermilk
    2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
    ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    1 / 3 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
    ¼ cup chopped lightly toasted walnuts or pine nuts
    Finely chopped fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
     
    1 head radicchio leaves, for garnish
    2 zucchini, cut into spears, for garnish
     
    Place the cheeses and light cream in a mixing bowl and combine with a fork. Add the lemon juice and pepper and mix again. Add the basil and nuts and add very gently (if you overmix, it will be totally blue). Set aside, covered, for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.
    Serve garnished with the additional basil surrounded by radicchio leaves and zucchini spears.
    Thai Chicken Peanut Satay
    Serves 8 to 10
    For the marinade:
    1 / 3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
    ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
    3 tablespoons canola oil
    2 tablespoons peanut oil
    1 tablespoon curry powder
    1 tablespoon minced gingerroot
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
    3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken tenders, trimmed of fat and pounded
    For the peanut sauce:
    ¾ cup good quality peanut butter (no sugar)
    1 cup boiling water
    2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
    2 garlic cloves, peeled
    2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
    2 teaspoons light brown sugar
    1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
    ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    1 / 8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
     
    Chopped peanuts, for garnish
    Chopped fresh basil leaves, for garnish
    Chopped scallion greens, for garnish
     
    To make the marinade: Place the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oils, curry powder, gingerroot, salt, and cayenne if using, in a nonreactive 3-to 4-quart bowl and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
    Add the chicken to the bowl and mix until it is completely immersed in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
    To make the peanut sauce: While the chicken is marinating, place the peanut butter and the boiling water in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until the two ingredients come together. Gradually, while the processor is running, add the remaining peanut sauce ingredients and process until creamy. Transfer to a container and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
    Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler. Have ready 12 wooden or metal skewers.
    To cook, remove as much marinade as possible from the chicken, thread the chicken on skewers, place the kabobs on a grill, and cook until the chicken is deeply browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately garnished with the chopped peanuts, fresh basil, and scallion greens, with the peanut sauce on top or on the side.
    Crab Cakes
    Serves 8 as