Rhubarb Bars

This is one of my favorite times of year because there is an abundance of rhubarb. I wanted to come up with another way to use rhubarb other than the typical pie, jam, or sauce. So this is what I came up with. Who doesn't like bars?

 What you need:

Filling:

2 cups fresh rhubarb

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 sugar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Crust/Topping:

1 1/2  cups flour

1 1/2 oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 tsp baking soda

Chop rhubarb into medium sized pieces.

In a medium sized pan combine sugar, cornstarch, water, and rhubarb. Cook until it becomes thick (about 10 minutes), take off the heat, and add vanilla.

 In a mixer combine butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and baking soda. Mix until it comes together and it is about the size of peas.

Gently press 3/4 of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Then add the rhubarb mixture on top of the crust. Finally evenly top the rhubarb with the remaining crumble.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. ENJOY!

Meatballs

I think this is my son Jonah's favorite thing that I make hands down. Whether we have meatballs and gravy or spaghetti and meatballs it doesn't matter, he eats them like it's his last meal. I always make a big batch of these because they freeze and reheat very well for those nights that I don't feel like fussing in the kitchen.

What you need:

1 lb ground beef ( I always get 93% lean)

1 lb ground turkey (your family will never know the difference)

1 small onion

2 stocks celery

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs ( I use panko, they are Japanese bread crumbs and have a great texture)

2 tbsp ketchup

salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

To make Italian meatballs also add:

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

What to do:

In a food processor, chop the celery and onion very fine. Since the celery and onion are not cooked they are mixed into the meat, you really want the vegetables to be small pieces so you don't bite down on a piece of raw onion. After you do that, put the celery and onion into a large bowl.

Add the eggs, ketchup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix together well. This part does not look appetizing at all but trust me it pays off in the end.

Add both meats to the wet mixture and combine until everything is just mixed together. DO NOT over mix, that will result in tough meatballs. I always use my hands to mix, they are your greatest tool!

Finally add the parsley and roll into balls. Out of this batch I got 25 meatballs, you can make them smaller or larger whatever you like. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Chicken and Rice Soup

There is nothing better than a big batch of soup on a rainy or a cold day. Chicken noodle or chicken rice is always a hit in our house. If I have egg noodles it will be chicken noodle, if I don't it's chicken rice. Sometimes it turns out to be just chicken and vegetables. Anyway you make this it is delicious and super easy!

What you need:

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups cooked chicken

1 medium onion

3 stocks of celery

5 medium carrots

1 cup rice (sometimes I use brown rice, lately I have been getting organic jasmine rice. It's very good)

2 tbsp butter or oil

salt and pepper

What to do:

 Dice all vegetables into about the same size pieces and saute in the butter or oil in a large stock pot (the pot you will be cooking the entire soup in) until tender. Add salt and pepper.

While the veggies are cooking shred the chicken into bit sized pieces. This is another use for the rotisserie chicken that I keep in the freezer!

When the veggies are tender add the rice to the pot. Cooking the raw rice directly in the pan will give it a toasted flavor which is very good in this soup.It only needs to cook for a couple of minutes.

Finally add your stock and the chicken. Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, just until the rice is tender. It can certainly cook longer but it doesn't take very long. 

 Season again with salt and pepper. Serve with a sandwich or some crusty bread! ENJOY!