Rain's Thursday Art Date - Signs of Spring

Photo

scanned version

I did an ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") featuring spring nail art for Rain's Thursday Art Date.  I am showing a photo and also the scanned version.  My scanner turned the real pink colour of the flowers painted on the nails into purple which is fine too.

Here is the answer to yesterday's riddle by the way. It is c) daughter

A Riddle

This is a cute riddle to solve. You can google the answer if you give up! I did get it right the first time (for once).

Its Famous Meatballs

Ikea recently shared the recipe for its famous meatballs. They want to cheer us up during the COVID pandemic.  You can also get the recipe from  Freshdaily Inc here.

Image via Ikea

Ikea Meatballs at Home

Serves 4 (16-20 meatballs)

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 500g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed or minced)
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons of milk (whole milk)
• Generous salt and pepper

For the cream sauce

• Dash of oil
• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 150mL vegetable stock
• 150mL beef stock
• 150mL thick double cream
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method

For the meatballs

1. Combine beef and pork mince and mix thoroughly to break up any lumps. Add finely chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mix. Add milk and season well with salt and pepper.
    
2. Shape mixture into small, round balls. Place on a clean plate, cover and store in the fridge for 2 hours (to help them hold their shape whilst cooking).
    
3. In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. When hot, gently add your meatballs and brown on all sides.
    
4. When browned, add to an ovenproof dish and cover. Place in a hot oven (180°C or 160°C fan) and cook for a further 30 minutes.

For the Swedish cream sauce

1. In frying pan, melt 40g of butter. Whisk in 40g of plain and continue cooking, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes, allowing the flour to cook through.
    
2. Add 150ml of vegetable stock and 150ml of beef stock and continue to stir.
    
3. Add 150ml thick double cream, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Bring to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken. Continue to stir.
    
4. When ready to eat, serve with your favorite potatoes – either creamy mash or mini new boiled potatoes. Enjoy!

Long Eggplant Melt

Eggplant melts are becoming a favourite dish of mine. This time I used the long eggplants that were on sale. I simply sliced them in half, baked them for half an hour at 350F with olive oil, salt, pepper and basil. Then it was the fun part of topping them like pizzas. I like to use chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, hot peppers and finally slices of cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes at 350F.  They tasted good with everyday cheddar cheese this time.

They are filling and low carb.

Banana Pancakes

My sister in California shared this banana pancake recipe from All Recipes. The very next day DeniseinVA also shared it. I had to try them and they did not disappoint. They taste like banana fritters except they are not fried, lovely banana taste.

And here is the solution to yesterday's puzzle for those who didn't get the answer:

Give yourself one minute

So can you find the zero in this puzzle, give yourself one minute!

I will post the answer tomorrow.

Paint Party Friday - Jellyfish pattern

Welcome to Paint Party Friday. This is a jellyfish pattern I did on Instagram a few months ago for @alexandrasillos. I had so much fun contemplating nature's patterns.