Rhubarb Meringue Bars

On the farm in Kansas, my mom had many different "pets" she loved.  One particular pet I missed this weekend was Hector, the goose.

Geese are very protective, especially male geese.  Hector had a harem of about 5 females, and then little babies in the spring.  Hector did not like anyone getting close to his family, and if you got within an unsafe range, Hector went after you.  He could bite, break the skin through your jeans, and the big, black bruise would last for weeks.  He also aimed for your butt, or the top of your thigh.  Maybe that was because we were always running from him and that was the area he reached.

If Hector and the ladies were in the yard and someone drove into the driveway, they would honk the horn until my mom would come out and shoo them out to the pasture.  Hector never chased my mom, maybe because she was the one who fed them?  But Hector and his harem would waddle off and company felt safe to venture up the front walk of the farmhouse and come in for coffee.

I was missing Hector this weekend because Dave was at moose camp, and I am afraid of the dark.  It gets dark now, by 9:00 it is dark, so when I go to bed, the house creaks, the monsters in the closets shuffle, and the things under the beds wiggle just so.  The house is full of noises, and I don't sleep.  It doesn't help that Friday the 13th is this week and every other commercial on t.v. is about the next best scary movie coming out, and I am not allowed to watch those.

If Hector was here, he would lie quietly in wait.  He could be very quiet, and you wouldn't even know he was close, then he would jump up with a squawk and attack..those monsters in the closet wouldn't stand a chance.

So now, without Hector, I am tired.  So I made these rhubarb bars to give me a little pick me up.  I have lots of rhubarb in my freezer, thanks to Anita, and these bars will be a regular treat all winter.

Rhubarb Meringue Bars

from Bun on the Run cookbook

Crust:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups flour

1 egg white (save yolk for filling)

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cream butter and sugar together, add flour.  Spread into greased 9X13 pan, forming a 1/2 inch lip around the edges.  Brush with a thin layer of eaten egg white to glaze.  Bake on bottom rack until golden, about 15-20 minutes.

Filling:

4 whole eggs plus 1 yolk

1 3/4 cup sugar (these are very sweet, you might want to cut back on the sugar)

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

5 cups slices rhubarb

Whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, and salt.  Stir in rhubarb.  Spread evenly over pre-baked crust.  Bake until set and the top is nicely browned about 50 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

September 11, 2013   Daylight 13 hrs. 28 min.s 11 sec.    Temp. H 54/ L 43˚F

Stuffed Pork Loin

I'm telling old stories, so if you've heard this one, just skip to the recipe.

My mother in law is a lovely woman.  She comes to family dinner every week, and I really try to have something that will please her.  I love my husband, and one way I show it is to be very kind to his mother.

One family dinner, we had the whole crew, about 12 of us.  I made two, very large, beef roulades.  It was flank steak, pounded thin, filled with a savory filling, rolled and roasted.  When you cut it, you got this beautiful pinwheel of deliciousness.  We ate dinner, both roulades were eaten with the family and seconds, we visited, had dessert and then everyone started to go.  My dear mother in law was leaving and she said to me, "Well, Toni, it was a good try."

A good try....

Now, I'm sure it was because the meat would have been hard for her to chew, she is elderly and wears dentures, either that or she just didn't like it.  So I try not to make beef for her when she is here.

I made a stuffed pork loin for family dinner, it is easier to chew.  I filled it with a mushroom stuffing, tied it and roasted it.  My dear MIL at seconds.

I guess it was better than a good try.

Stuffed Pork Loin

3-4 lb. pork loin
1 lb. mushrooms (I get the boxes of sliced baby bellas)
1 onion
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, very finely chopped or ground
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
executive chef seasoning or your favorite steak seasoning

Cut pork loin: make a cut, horizontally, 1/3 down the roast until it almost cuts through, but don't cut through.  Flip it open so you have one thin end and one fat end.  Cut the fat end, horizontally, from the center out toward the edge, without cutting through, so that it is one open flat piece of meat.  You have just cut it in thirds, but kept it connected.  Pound until it is an even thickness.

Sprinkle meat with executive chef, or other seasoning, roll up and put in plastic.  Let it set at room temp. while you make the stuffing (but no more than 30 minutes or so).

Chop mushrooms fine, I do this in my food processor.  Chop onion and garlic with mushrooms.

Heat sauté pan, add some oil and sauté mushroom/onion mixture over medium heat until well cooked and somewhat dry, about 20 minutes.  Add seasoned bread crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Open pork roll flat.  Spread mushroom filling within 1/2 inch of edges.  Roll up, jelly roll style, starting on the long end.  Tie with kitchen twine, every 2-3 inches to keep roll intact and tight.  Place on roasting pan.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until meat thermometer reads 145˚ in the center part of the meat.

Remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Remove string and slice.

September 9, 2013     Daylight:  13 hours, 41 minutes, 30 sec.    Temp. H 63/ L 43˚F

Raspberry Lemon Drop

It is September, hunting time here in Alaska.  My husband, his brother, and which ever boys are around go to moose camp for the month of September.  My brother comes up every couple of years to go hunt with them.  It is a family tradition, they really have a good time, and we get organic, grass (and twig) fed meat.  When our kids were younger, it was a good way to fill the freezer.  But, as the kids grew and left (and my husband and brother in law got older), moose camp has morphed into something a little more relaxed and vacation like.  I think there is a lot of beer and I know the food they take for those three weeks breaks my grocery budget for the month.  I'm not complaining, they have a great boy-bonding time, and I am left home alone.

Now, don't get me wrong (I know I've said this before) I love my husband, but I really love him in October, after he has been gone for a month.  I really need my alone time, cereal for dinner, read in my pajamas all day if I want to time.  And September gives that to me in a three week lump.  I look forward to Dave being in moose camp as much as he does (maybe more!).

This year Dave is only going in on the weekends.  He is saving his vacation time to go to Costa Rica with me in February.  I've been wanting to go for years, and have planned the trip a couple of times now, just to have Dave have a reason he can't go.  This year, I told him I was going and he was welcome to come with me, but I was going - with or without him.

He decided to go...at the expense of moose camp.  He is going in for the weekends, but my month of solitude is nonexistent this year.  I am trying to be cheerful about it, trying to stay kind, but it really is hard.  So, I just have to drink more.

Drink of the week is a raspberry lemon drop.  Fresh raspberries and real lemon juice make this special, don't use that bottled stuff.  I mix one of these as soon as I get home and start the second one when Dave gets home.  I know I can't do this every night in September (usually drink of the week is one drink a week) but I am going to do it as often as I need to so I don't get grumpy and Dave decides never to go on a vacation with me again.  Moose camp usually takes all his vacation time and I really am thankful for his sacrifice so I get some sun this winter, I don't want him to regret his decision by coming home to a grumpy wife.

Raspberry Lemon Drop
2 oz. good vodka
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
6 raspberries
2 tsp. sugar
splash of 7-up or Sprite

Muddle lemon juice, raspberries and sugar together in a shaker, add vodka and ice.  Shake until very cold.  Strain into a glass and top with a splash of 7-up.  Enjoy visiting with your husband.

September 6, 2013    Daylight  14 hrs. 1 min. 32 sec.   Temp.  H 57/ L 43°F

Canning Tomatoes

Beautiful Romas from Dart Farms in Manley, Alaska

I have a greenhouse but I grow just enough tomatoes for us to eat.  We never have any extra for canning.  I go to the farmer's market and buy flats of tomatoes from Dart Farms.  John Dart is a farmer in Manley, Alaska and uses the natural hot springs to heat the greenhouses and water the plants.  I've never driven out there to see it all, but I should.

John's wife, Chris, worked with me at the elementary school I taught at.  She is one of those positive, energetic people you love to be around.  She is retired now and I get to visit with her at the farmer's market when I shop there.

I bought a flat of tomatoes, 11 lbs, roasted them and canned them.  I added roasted garlic.  We will enjoy the tomatoes in our tomato soup, with this Cioppino, and this bakes shrimp and tomatoes.

Roasted garlic cloves in each jar.

I don't know what it is, but I love a shelf full of canned goods, I prepared myself, and I know we will have some delicious meals ready for the winter.  Now, I am under no hallucination that this is cheaper.  If I figure it out, tomatoes are $6.00 a lb. at the farmer's market, and I got 9 pints of roasted tomatoes.  So, if I did my math correctly (that is always a gamble), the cost was $7.33 a pint, and that doesn't include the cost of energy and my time.  I figure the jars are reusable, I don't figure the cost of energy or my time when I shop, but this makes these tomatoes about three times as much as I would pay at the grocery store for the organic brand I usually buy.  I justify it by knowing my footprint is smaller for these tomatoes, I know where they came from and how they were processed, I know they are organic, and I am supporting a local farmer.  It is a total win as far as I am concerned.

Packed jars ready for lids and bands and to be processed in the hot water bath.

Canning Tomatoes
11 lbs. Roma Tomatoes (this made 9 pints for me)
Garlic
Lemon juice

Cut tomatoes into fourths, cut out stem.  Lay tomatoes and garlic cloves in single layer on cookie sheets.  Roast at 425° for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill canner with water, add jars and lids, bring to a boil.

When tomatoes come out of the oven, remove jars from boiling water, fill jars with tomatoes, leaving about 1/2" head space, packing snugly.  Top each jar with one or two cloves of garlic with papery peeling peeled off.  Add 1 tsp. lemon juice to each pint jar.  Top with lid then screw on rings.  Place back into canner and bring to boil.  Process for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

September 4, 2013  Daylight 14 hrs, 14 mins, 56 secs   Temp H 61/L 41°F

End of the Garden

 Happy Labor Day!  I never figured out why we celebrate the American Labor force with a day off?  Shouldn't we be at work, with like, free cake and ice-cream from our employers?  I don't know about you, but now I have 5 days of work to squeeze into four for the rest of the week.  Not fun.

 But, what I will be doing today, is putting away the garden.  The frost got the zucchini last week, and yes, it is still in the ground (give me a break, I was out of down for work 2 1/2 days last week).  The lilies are all bloomed out and need to be cut back and covered for the winter.

 Even the marigolds are tired and have begin to droop.  They can take a couple of freezes, but they are tired and ready to be pulled.

 We had a gorgeous, hot summer.  I just didn't water the hanging planters enough, so they look like crap!  Time to pull those puppies and put them away until next spring.

 I planted strawberries in pots this year.  They grew beautiful plants, but no strawberries.  I'm not sure why, but I won't do it again next year.  Even the strawberry plants are turning color.  The chickweed is also taking over the planters.  I didn't do a good job cleaning it our when I realized I wasn't going to get any strawberries...you don't take care of me, I don't take care of you...

 The frost got into the greenhouse this week.  I need to cut all the tomatoes and cukes, clean out the beds, and have it ready to store all the gardening crap treasures and pots for the winter.  I'll put the green tomatoes into a box with a banana and they will ripen.  They won't be as good as if they could ripen on the vine, but I don't heat my greenhouse anymore so this time of year, my season is done.

 The last of the cucumbers.  The vines are a tangled mess.  I'll cut the cukes, and then pull the vines.  It is kind of like a treasure hunt, I always find giant cucumbers at the back that I never saw because of all the giant leaves.

Dave is in moose camp, so the dogs are being really naughty.  This was the last cabbage I had growing in a whisky barrel by the green house.  Of course, I checked on it in the evening, it was fine, then went to cut it the next morning, and the dogs had eaten it.  Damn.

Even though it is cold, rainy, and overcast, I'll try to enjoy the day because this is what I'll be waking up to in just a few weeks.  We are down to a little over 14 hours of daylight and we are losing over 6 minutes of daylight a day.  Time to break out the full spectrum "happy" lights.

**Hmm, I must be in a really pleasant mood today, rereading my blog I've used crap twice, damn once, it was all I could do not to say we were moving "back into the frozen hell-hole of winter" and I wanted to call the dogs "shit heads" for eating the cabbage, but I try not to cuss on my blog.  Good thing Dave is out of town.

Happy Labor Day, I'll be laboring in my garden.

September 2, 2013  Daylight 14 hrs., 28 min. 21 secs.   Temp. H 59/ L 48°F

Cob Salad and Putting up Wood

The rule at my house is that there has to be more wood put at at home than at moose camp.  Those boys really like their fire out there.  Since they leave for camp on August 31 and stay until about Sept. 25, or until they get the moose they want, they do go through a lot of wood.

Well, it is that time of year and I began to whine about the woodstove, so the "boys" spent several weekends getting wood cut, split and stacked for the winter.  We went through about 8 cords of wood last year, and I don't see us going through any less this winter.  They worked hard for several weekends, and now we have about 1/2 the wood we are going to need.

Dave is cutting the logs, the son and brother in law are splitting and stacking.

They were satisfied with our stock, for now.  They promise me I have more wood at home then they have at camp (I am doubtful).  But I don't go to camp so there is no way to prove it.

Our oldest son and brother in law in front, my husband in the background.  Hard, dirty work.

At the end of the day they were tired, dirty and hungry.  I  made Cob Salads with grilled chicken and made them eat on the deck.  No need to bring the woodpile in the house (or any part of it) any sooner than we really need to.

Cob Salad with Grilled Chicken

4 chicken breasts
3 heads of romain, chopped
4 hard cooked eggs, sliced
2 carrots, grated
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
6 strips bacon, fried until crisp and chopped
1 avocado, sliced
4 small Roma tomatoes (there were from my greenhouse *big smile*), sliced

Pound chicken breasts until uniform in thickness.  Season with salt, pepper and other favorite seasonings (I like Mrs. Dash tomato-basil blend).  Grill on med. heat until cooked through.  Let rest.

Plate lettuce on 4 plates, dividing evenly.  Top with carrot, blue cheese, avocado, egg, and bacon in stripes across top of salad.  Slice chicken and place one chicken breast on top of each salad.
Serve with blue cheese dressing or favorite dressing.

August 28, 2013  Daylight 15 hours, 2 minutes, 2 seconds   Temp. H 61/ L 46°F

Rhubarb Muffins

It froze last night.  We got our first good frost for the Fall.  That is the end of the zucchini plants.  They were really the only thing left in the garden.  Dave cut the last of the zucchini and I pulled the wilted plants for the compost bin.

Winter is inevitable, I told Donna we should just embrace it, it is going to come.  But I'm not really feeling it either.  I am not looking forward to the cold mornings, the cold trip to work, plugging in the car, building a fire every, every evening, the snow, the ice fog... nope, I'm not into it yet.

So to save off the cold in my kitchen this morning, I made rhubarb muffins.  The oven warmed the kitchen, the muffins filled the house with the scent of cinnamon, sugar, and oatmeal.  The muffins were sweet with a tender crumb.  The tart rhubarb was delicious next to the sweetness of the brown sugar in the muffins and the raw sugar crunch on the top.  I could pretend that it was still summer and winter was not knocking on the door.

Rhubarb Muffins
adapted from Bourbonnatrix Bakes

In a small bowl wisk together:
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Make a well int he middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until evenly combined.

Fold in 2 cups chopped rhubarb.  Fill paper lined cups 2/3 full.  Top with sugar in the raw (optional).

Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins

I linked to Homemade Mondays.

August 26, 2013   Daylight 15 hrs, 15 min. 34 sec.   Temp. H 66/ L 36°F

Happy Homemaker - Drink of the Week

There really isn't much to say.  It is Friday, I am home, that makes me happy.

Here is to a happy, restful weekend.  What will you be drinking doing this weekend?

The Happy Homemaker

1 oz. coconut rum
2 oz. pineapple juice
lemon lime soda (I use Fresca)

Add rum and pineapple juice to shaker with lots of ice.  Shake until very cold.  Strain into glass top with about 2 oz. soda.  Enjoy, and be happy.

August 23, 2013   Daylight 15 hrs. 35 min. 56 sec.  Temp H 54/ L 45°F

Lemon Bars

I am tired.  Not the "I stayed up too late one night" tired but the tired to your bones and the "I can't deal with anything that throws me for a loop right now" tired (feel very sorry for my husband).

School is starting, so it is a very busy time at work.  There are a couple of really big frustrations at work with technology not working properly, so that makes it even worse.  We are working really hard to have everything up and running for students, and then technical difficulties get in the way. I left work Friday very frustrated after a long week, and very tired.

My mom had a special dinner request and I was also planning a dessert, very ambitious for a Friday, but they were leaving soon and I didn't want to disappoint her.  I ran into the store for a few things on my way home.  One of the things I needed for dessert was graham crackers.  I went to the cracker aisle and found the grahams.  There were two brands to choose from, the regular brand I usually buy and the store brand.  There were two flavors to choose from, honey and cinnamon sugar.  Well, I didn't want honey or cinnamon sugar so I looked and looked for the regular plain graham crackers.  There were none to be found, only honey and cinnamon sugar.

Well, that was it.  I had it, and I started to cry.  Nothing went right all week and now I couldn't even find stupid, plain graham crackers.  At this point of my upset, I began to have my own tropical vacations (a.k.a. hot flash, I am 51), and started stripping off as many clothes as I could and still remain somewhat decent.  There I stood, pulling off clothing, dripping sweat and tears, and muttering to myself about honey graham crackers.  At one point an older woman stopped and asked, "Are you o.k.?"
"Yes," I muttered, "just frustrated."
"I understand."  she stated and kept walking.
I left the cracker aisle and finished my shopping.

When I got home I checked my old box of graham crackers.  The brand is Honey Maid and on the box in small yellow letters it says, "honey grahams."  The new box has a big yellow honey comb that says HONEY.  Yep, they are the same, just a newly designed box.  Holy Cats.

So, I didn't make the recipe I had planned, I made lemon bars instead.  This recipe comes from the Bun on the Run cookbook my friend Katie gave me at Christmas, and while I will still go back and get the honey grahams for that other recipe, these were so much better than what I had planned.  These have a bright, in-your-face lemon flavor.  They are not for anyone except for those who love a good lemony-lemon bar.  You might cry when you eat these, but they will be tears of joy.

Lemon Bars
from Bun on the Run Cookbook

Crust:
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 3/4 cup flour

Filling
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of one large lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line 9X13 inch pan with aluminum foil, leaving handles hanging over short ends.  Butter foil well.

Cream butter and sugar together, add flour and mix thoroughly.  Press into pan forming a 1/2 inch lip around the edges. The crust will be thin.
Bake about 13-14 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs and 1 1/2 cup sugar.  Add lemon juice and lemon zest.  In a separate bowl mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour.  Add flour to the lemon mixture.  Stir to remove all lumps, but do not beat.  Pour into pre-baked crust until set, but not browned, about 23-25 minutes.

Cool completely.  Remove bars from pan with aluminum foil handles, cut into squares.

August 21, 2013  Daylight 15 hrs. 49 min. 33 sec.  Temp. H 61/ L 40°F

Oatmeal Cream Sandwich Cookies

I had very difficult pre-teen and early teen years, I know most of us did.  But, did you have braces, not such a big deal these days but back then yikes! And a mother who was obsessed with Afros?  Well, I did, and being the skinny white girl with braces and an afro...you get the picture.

We had to drive 30 minutes to the town with the orthodontist, there weren't a lot of choices in rural Kansas.  We would go to the "city" do some shopping and stop by a Woolworths lunch counter for a burger before my orthodontist's appt.  After the adjustment I usually went a couple of days eating only soup and pudding, so my mom wanted to get some meat into me before the fast.  One of the things I loved about this particular Woolworth is they had a bowl of individually wrapped cookies at each booth.  You ate what you wanted and then just told the waitress what you ate so she could add it to the bill.  I usually ate about 6 of the oatmeal cream sandwiches.  This was a time to load up, and my mom never once said anything about the quantity of cookies I was eating.  I loved those cookies.

While I have outgrown the braces and the afro, I have not outgrown my love of oatmeal cream sandwich cookies.  These are my grown up version with a soft oatmeal cookie and a Nutella-mascarpone filling.  The best part about these is I can eat them as often as I want and I don't have to suffer with a sore mouth after.  Now, this is a walk down memory lane I can live with, no afro required.

Oatmeal Cream Sandwich Cookies
adapted from Perfecting the Pairing

Cookies:
 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

Frosting:
from Cook Like a Rock Star, Anne Burrell
1 1/2 cups Nutella
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until completely combined.

In another large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Combine with a whisk.  Stir in the quick cooking oats.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two batches until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cookies onto the lined baking sheets.  Lightly wet the bottom of a juice glass and press down on the cookies to flatten them into a disc.  Bake 10-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.  Watch the cookies closely.  Remove from the oven when the edges start to brown but the middle is still slightly soft.  Allow to cool completely on racks.

Meanwhile combine Nutella and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl beat the heavy cream to soft peaks.  Add a spoonful of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and stir until you don't see any streaks.  Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the remaining whipped cream into the Nutella.  Repeat this process two more times with the remaining whipped cream.  

When cookies are cool spread frosting between two cookies.  Continue until you have sandwiched all of the cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to eat. 

*I would recommend filling the cookies on the day you will eat them.  Otherwise keep them separate.

August 19, 2013   Daylight 16 hrs. 3 min. 13 sec.   Temp. H 65/ L 49° F

Rhubarb sauce

Wow!  How did half of August get by me?  This is a very busy time of year, but yikes!

My parents have been here most of the summer.  They used to live here full time, now they are snowbirds.  One of the things my mom loves is rhubarb, and she misses having a freezer full for the winter.  Rhubarb grows rampant in Fairbanks.  It is not the spring treat it is in the real world, but a summer and fall treat.  Then we freeze as much as we can to get through the winter.

One year I canned some and sent it to her for her birthday.  This year, they came up in a their motorhome and while they don't have freezer space, they do have storage space.  So, I spent one afternoon canning rhubarb sauce so I don't have to mail it my mom can take it with her (I'm thoughtful like that).  I filled 12 jars so they have one for every month of the year and had some left over.  I made rhubarb crumble bars with this recipe, subbing the rhubarb sauce for the blackberries.  It was so delicious we were eating too fast to take pictures.  And the boys across the street took the rest home.

My mom likes tart rhubarb, so the sugar is slim in my recipe.  You can add more if you like a sweeter rhubarb, but leaving it tart was perfect against the sweet crumble crust and topping.  I also like it tart and swirl some into my yogurt in the morning.

I've made a couple of batches of the sauce, I froze some of it and I have a jar in the fridge for yogurt.  I also have bags frozen now.  I'll pull those out in the middle of 40 below and make a pie, some muffins or a cake with it and dream about the summer.

Rhubarb Sauce
12 cups rhubarb, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix rhubarb, sugar, and salt in large stock pot.  Let sit for a couple of hours to draw out some of the moisture.  When some liquid is in the bottom of the pan and the sugar had dissolved some, place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until rhubarb is soft, sauce-like and at the consistency you want.

Use this rhubarb for these crumble bars, or keep in the fridge for your yogurt, toast, or other treat.

To can, fill hot, clean jars with rhubarb sauce, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe edge of jar and cover with lid and ring.   Process in hot water bath at a full boil for 15 minutes.  Start timer when water returns to a boil.  Remove from hot water and cool completely.

August 15, 2013   SRise 5:39 am SSet 10:09 pm  Temp H 82°/ L 54°F

Blackberry Crumble

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE dishes.  I have dishes for almost every holiday (Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's day, Fourth of July...) And I have dishes for some months and some seasons.  I have Summer dishes, fall dishes, January dishes, February dishes, and Spring dishes.  Then I have a couple sets of china that get used once or twice a year, a 12 set of Noritake (we call the basketball dishes because my husband used them with his J.V. basketball team while I was out of town), my high school china (where I grew up, all the senior girls buy china from this traveling salesman that visits all the high school Home Ec. classes since those farm girls "just get married and move to the farm", I had to get pulled from wood shop to purchase my set and then I moved to Alaska full time for college). And I'm not even going to start listing the depression glass pieces I have. So you see, I love run-on sentences and dishes!

My depression glass is beautiful and functional.  I use it all the time.

In my defense, I did not purchase all these dishes.  My husband has purchased three of the above sets (Noritake, January, and February) and now these.  They are stamped "occupied Japan"  I had to do a little research on these.  They were exported between 1945 and 1952 while Japan was occupied by the Allies.  It is a 12 piece place settings, with a dinner plate, cup and saucer, bread plate, dessert plate, fruit bowl, soup bowl, covered soup tureen,  gravy boat and three serving plates!  It is so awesome.

Dave needed a reward, so I made these blackberry bars (really, I just needed an excuse to bake that day).  The original recipe was for blueberry bars, but I had blackberries in my freezer.  They were so good, I'll be making these on a regular basis.  Now, when anyone says I have an illness for dishes, I remind them that Dave is in on it too.

INGREDIENTS:

adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

For the Crumb:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg

For the Blackberry Filling:
4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (I used frozen)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

2. Make the Crumb: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and then the egg (the dough will be crumbly). Press half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently fold in the blackberries to coat evenly with the sugar mixture. Spread the blackberry mixture evenly over the crust, drizzling any excess juice in the bowl over the filling. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the blackberry layer.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

July 31, 2013   SRise 4:49 am  SSet 11:03 pm (-6min. 57 sec.)  Temp. H 81/ L 56ºF

Blueberry picking

Our berry bounty, we had 6 pickers and about 2 hours.  The round tubs on the left are gallon tubs.

We went blueberry picking over the weekend.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day.  We met some friends, went for a 4-wheeler ride, and then picked blueberries, I came home with a gallon. So the end of the story is a success, but the beginning is a major fail on my part.

First, I knew we had to leave at 9:00 to meet our friends at 10:00.  I had it all planned, lunches made, only had to change my shoes once and was in the car at 8:49!  Dave had been very grumpy all morning so I proudly announced, "See, I'm 10 minutes early."

"Early?  You are 20 minutes late.  You knew we needed to leave at 8:30, you saw the text from Kathy."

I had kind of seen the text, I saw it was about the trip and I just handed my phone to Dave.  I didn't know we had to leave at 8:30. And, we had to stop to gas up.  FAIL

Also, I went to use my camera two days before and the battery was dead.  I couldn't find the charger right away, so I figured I would find it later.  At 8:45 the morning of the trip was when I looked for it.  Couldn't find it, so no camera for the trip.  FAIL #2

My perfect picking spot.

But, we made it in plenty of time, were not even the last ones to arrive and get unloaded.  Kathy had a camera (although my plan was to have pictures of everyone else, not me), it was a very fun day with friends and I got berries.

A little wind-blown on top of the hill.

I cleaned my berries and got them in the freezer.  I hope we go again for blueberries, and in September for cranberries.  Now to start planning how to use them.

July 29, 2013   SRise 4:42 am  SSet 11:10 pm (-6min. 56 sec.)  Temp. H 79/L 55°F