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!

Strawberry Almond Chicken Salad

When I was at the grocery store recently I did my normal shopping. A lot of produce, meat and dairy. They also had rotisserie chicken on sale again, so I always get a couple to divide up to have the meat in the freezer. When it was supper time I gave my boys each a leg off the chicken with some veggies and yogurt. I was trying to decide what to do for myself...I came up with this and it was one of the best salads that I've made at home.

What you need:

1/2 cup romaine lettuce

1/2 cup red leaf lettuce (frankly any lettuce you have would work, I always get romaine)

1/4 cup strawberries

1/4 cup diced apple

tbsp slivered almonds

1/2 cup shredded chicken

2 tbsp strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (I had this on hand, I am going to try and make my own next time...)

 ENJOY!

*This is a serving for one, of course you could make a larger portion if you are making this for a crowd!

Blueberry Almond Scones

The idea for this recipe came from The Pioneer Woman recipe for vanilla bean scones. Looking at the recipe I thought these would be amazing. However, vanilla beans are very expensive (around $10.00 each) and the recipe called for 2 of them. So, I decided to adapt the recipe using things that I had. I figured they would be equally as yummy! Blueberries and almonds are something I always have in my freezer, so I thought I would give them a try. I have to say that they turned out just delicious. The tart blueberries, the crunch from the almond, the flaky biscuit, and the sweet glaze are a perfect combination!

What you will need....

 Scones:

3 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla

What to do:

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add chunks of the cold butter (I just  sliced both sticks into 8 slices).

If you have a pastry cutter this would be the time to use it, however I do not but I just used a whisk (it worked just great). What you are looking to do is to incorporate all the butter into the flour and sugar mixture, almost until you can't tell the butter is there.

When everything is mixed will, combine the cream, vanilla and egg together.

Make a well in the dry mixture and pour the wet into it. Use a fork to combine everything together.

After the mixture forms a ball and comes together add the almonds and blueberries. At this point I used my hands to mix, the blueberries are delicate so you don't want to mix too hard.

 On a floured surface dump dough and roll out into a 1/2 inch rectangle and cut into desired shape. I did triangles, but you could use a cookie cutter if you want a more perfect look (I like the rustic look)!

 Bake on a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown and let cool on a cooling rack.

While the scones are cooling mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together to make the glaze.

 When scones are cooled dip them into the glaze and put them back on the cooling rack and let them set! If you want to omit the glaze they are very good without as well! ENJOY!

Happiness....

I just wanted to share this great book that I just started reading....

The little extra time I have to myself I try and read. Since being back in school that time has been even less. However, reading is really important to me and it helps me to unwind at the end of a long day. I try to only read things that are positive because my reading time is usually right before bed and the positivity makes me happy and helps me sleep.

I picked up a book recently at Target that just jumped out at me. It's called The Happiness Project. I am certainly very happy with my life but I am under a lot of stress and I have so many things going on at one time. It really got me thinking, "am I as happy as I could be." This is the exact thing that the author asks herself, and her reason for writing the book. I am only a couple chapters in but I really feel like it will change the way a look at a lot of situations and will help me in life.

More to come on this after I finish!

Banana Bread

This is the best banana bread recipe. If you prefer nuts in your bread omit the chocolate chips and add nuts, but seriously don't omit the chocolate chips.

What you need:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 mashed bananas

4 eggs

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1 package of chocolate chips

What to do:

In a large bowl mix  all the dry ingredients together along the the chocolate chips( this is so the chips don't settle at the bottom of the bread) and set aside. 

In another large bowl, cream together the shortening and the sugar.Add eggs one at a time until blended. Add mashed bananas and mix well.

In batches add the dry ingredients into the wet until everything is mixed well. 

 Butter and flour pans that you are going to use or make into muffins. This recipe makes 4 mini loafs and 12 muffins or 24 muffins or 2 large loafs. you choose, they are tasty either way.

 

Place in a 325 degree oven and bake between 30 and 45 minutes until golden brown and a tooth pick comes out clean. ENJOY!