Rhubarb Crumb Squares

It can't get much simpler than this!  This was originally my Aunt Kay's recipe...it was called 'apple squares' and was made with tart cooking apples.  A crumb mixture is packed into a pan to form the base...with reserved crumbs sprinkled over the fruit. If you still have rhubarb in the garden, you might want to try these simple rhubarb squares.  If not...wait for the early apples (coming soon) and whip up some apple crumb squares.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• sprinkling of sugar
•  dash of nutmeg

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and butter and mix to form uniform crumbs.  
2. Use slightly more than half the crumbs to form base, pressing into a greased 9" x 12" pan.
3. Top with a layer of rhubarb.
4. Sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg.
5. Spread remaining crumbs evenly over rhubarb.
6. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.
7. Cut in squares and serve.

*Substitute chopped or sliced cooking apples for the rhubarb and sprinkle with cinnamon instead of nutmeg.

Spring Salad with asparagus and green beans

On a recent trip to Denmark we were served a lovely salad at a "Taste of Spring" Buffet. It was beautifully garnished with tiny edible red flower petals. I've substituted the more available finely chopped red pepper.  

If you have edible flower petals available use them. 

I think it would be a lovely addition to a summer BBQ as you can prepare the vegetables ahead and assemble it at the last minute.

Here is my version of this spring salad:

• 1 shallot very finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 20-30 fresh green beans
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• packaged spring salad greens or red and green leaf lettuce
• 1/4 of a red pepper, chopped finely and blotted dry

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup good virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Place shallots in a small bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon oil. 
2. Stir to coat and let sit for about 1/2 hour.  This will remove that sharp raw taste from the shallots. 
3. Trim green beans and cut into 1 1/2" lengths.
4. Blanch beans for one minute in boiling water and immediately plunge into ice water. Remove as soon as they are cool.
5. Snap ends off asparagus spears and break into 1 1/2" pieces.
6. Blanch asparagus as you did with the beans.
7. Blot vegetables dry and set aside in a bowl.
8. For Vinaigrette: Mix oil, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and seasonings in a blender or shaker.
9. Add shallots to beans and asparagus in a bowl.
10. Pour about 1/2 of the dressing over beans and asparagus and toss to coat. Let sit until serving time.
11. Arrange salad greens on a large serving platter.
12. Using a slotted spoon, arrange beans and asparagus on salad greens.
13. Scatter with chopped red pepper.
14. Finely chop 2 of the hard boiled eggs and arrange over salad.
15. Cut remaining eggs  into narrow wedges and garnish salad.
16. Serve with remaining dressing on the side. 

Serves 10-12 

Peach Melba Pancakes

Who wouldn't want to come to the table?

 Take advantage of all the fresh fruit available throughout this season. Fresh raspberries and sweet ripe peaches are a tasty pair and add nutritional value to a stack of pancakes. Make your raspberry sauce ahead of time and have your fruit cut up so that everything is  ready when the pancakes come off the griddle.

Ingredients: (makes 10-12 pancakes)

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tbsp melted butter

Method:

1. Stir together dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl beat egg slightly with a fork and add buttermilk and melted butter.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated. 
4. Lightly spray griddle and heat. Using a 1/2 cup measuring helps to make pancakes uniform. Pour onto hot griddle until bubbly on top side, flip and cook several more minutes.

Warm Raspberry Sauce:

•  2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Place frozen berries in a microwaveable bowl.
2. Sprinkle with sugar and cornstarch.
3. Cook for several minutes. Stir and cook one minute at a time until berries are cooked down and slightly thickened. Add lemon juice.
4. Strain hot berry mixture through a fine sieve. Discard seeds.

Fresh fruit: To serve 4

• 2 peaches cut up
• 1 1/2 -2  cups fresh raspberries

To Serve: Pour warm raspberry sauce over pancakes and top with fresh fruit.

Potato Bean Salad

 

Last summer, when Lovella and I were in Waterloo, we were guests at a pot luck hosted by the former president of Herald Press. It was delicious food, I must say. This is a recipe I asked for. I finally got around to making it. So, thank you, Joan.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs mini red potatoes, cooked with peel
• 1 lb green beans, fresh or frozen (about 3 cups)
• 1 lb yellow beans ( I used 1 can yellow wax beans)
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped ( I used a small shallot)
• 2/3 cup chopped dill ( or 1-2 tsp dried)
• 1 cup mayo ( I used half mayo, half low fat sour cream)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. In medium sized pot, cover potatoes with water, add 1 tsp salt, bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until done. Drain water and let cool. Cut in half.
2. Steam beans, making sure you don't overcook to keep color and rinse with cold water. I also boiled eggs to add. Cool eggs in ice water for ease of peeling.
3. Combine all ingredients and chill.

Mocha Mousse Torte

If you want a quick and easy dessert that is sure to please the taste buds, this dessert is for you.  I received this recipe from a dear woman in our church, Lena Braun who just recently passed away well into her 90's.  She loved to have people over and make them feel very special.  In fact she had us over and made this dessert for us nearly thirty years ago, and we still have fond memories of her. I just loved trying new recipes and she gladly shared her recipe with me, that I gladly share with you.

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1-400 gm / 11 oz bag of mini marshmallows
• 2 cups of whipping cream whipped
• 1 package chocolate wafer cookies
• 1/3 cup of melted butter or margarine

1. Take the serving cake plate you wish to use and place the ring of a 9" or 10" springform pan on the cake plate.
2. Place 12-14 wafer cookies around the springform ring.
3. Crush remaining wafers into crumbs and mix with 1/3 cup of melted butter or margarine.
4. Make a crust on the cake plate.
5. In a large microwave safe bowl put in the boiling water, instant coffee and marshmallows.
6. Melt the marshmallows in the microwave stirring every 45 seconds.  Watch the microwave carefully. It makes a huge mess if this gooey mixture boils over.....trust me, you don't want that to happen :)
7. Cool this mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour stirring at least three times as it cools so the marshmallows and coffee don't separate.
8. Whip the whipping cream until stiff.  Fold into the marshmallow mixture.
9. Pour into crust.  This is best served after it has been refrigerated for at least 8 hours or over night.

*For a gluten free option pour this filling into coffee mugs and serve as a mousse.

Chocolate Pudding - naturally gluten-free

Chocolate Pudding fills the spot of my earliest dessert memory !
 It has been a life-long comfort food even though my first memory of it involves something less than 'comfort' .
I was about 3 or 4 years old and I was sitting in my spot at the kitchen table - the window behind me.   Our home at the time was a little two room cottage without indoor plumbing or running water  -  I believe at that time we did not yet have electricity either. The wood stove Mom cooked on was also what kept our little house warm.
Mom had made chocolate pudding for dessert that day and I could hardly wait to eat it!
I remember Mom served it in soup bowls and handed me a generous helping.
I enjoyed  it  and wished for more.
Chocolate pudding has never been my Dad's favorite and I looked over to see that he was not finishing his serving.  I asked if I could have it and with a twinkle in his eye he gladly passed over his bowl and I eagerly ate it.
I still was not satisfied and asked Mom if there was any more.
I remember Mom's face as she asked, "You want MORE?"   but to my delight she got up and scraped the last of the pudding out of the pot into my bowl.
I had almost finished it when I began to have a funny feeling ... the pudding wasn't sliding down quite so easily but I tried to ignore the unfamiliar sensation.   I must have started to look a little green because suddenly Mom jumped up, grabbed the pudding pot and held it under my chin.
 Hmmm... how shall I say this delicately ?  I'm sure you guessed it - the pot was once again filled with chocolate pudding !
That experience, however, did not spoil my love of the simple dessert ... though I never again ate three generous helpings!

When I make it now it is a memory trigging taste taking me back to my childhood , something the packaged instant or cooked chocolate pudding just doesn't do  for me!   The flavour of the from scratch, home cooked pudding is just soo much better !
So here is my recipe ...

Chocolate Pudding

• 3 cups whole milk 
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder 
• 4 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/2 cup sugar (less if your tooth isn't as sweet as mine) 
• 1 tsp vanilla flavouring 

1. Place milk in saucepan to heat,  reserving 1/2 cup 
2. Mix together cocoa, cornstarch and sugar and then sift to ensure a perfectly velvet smooth pudding
3. Stir dry ingredients into 1/2 cup milk , then add to heated milk 
4. Cook, stirring continuously  until it begins to bubble and the pudding thickens. 
5. Cool  
6. Garnish, if desired,  with toasted almonds and/or dab of whipped cream or ice-cream.  

PS. As noted by a commentor , this can be used as a pie filling. You may, however,  want to add a little more cornstarch  - maybe a couple of tsp more -- just to make the pudding a little stiffer. 

Creamy Broccoli Bake

This is a casserole presentation of broccoli that is nice for a change and would work well as a side dish with a barbecued steak or chicken breast.

Creamy Broccoli Casserole

1-1/2 lbs. of fresh broccoli, cut into pieces
1- (10-3/4 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1- tablespoon chopped pimiento
1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup golden round cracker crumbs (6 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In covered microwave safe dish cook broccoli with a little water for 5 minutes on high. Drain. Turn into 1-1/2 court oven safe casserole dish. Combine soup, mayonnaise, cheese, pimiento, and lemon juice. Pour evenly over broccoli. Top with cracker crumbs.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

This is what it looks like before you bake it with the cracker crumbs on top...