Joy in the Kitchen!

A few years ago we got some rhubarb starts from my Dad.  (or maybe it was my brother, Kim, my memory is fading with age LOL )  We planted four hills of rhubarb to be sure at least one of them took off well.  To our amazement, all four plants are thriving!  The dilemma?....  what to do with all of that rhubarb?!   I like stewed rhubarb, but the kids aren't wild about it.  We do love Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup, and I can make several batches of that and bottle it to use later.  But one of our favorite ways to use rhubarb is by baking it up in these YUMMY Rhubarb Bars! A friend on Frugal Families posted this recipe in 2005.  It fast became a favorite.  It is easy, tasty, and elegant enough for a special occasion!  (Today is Saturday!  I'm counting that as a special occasion! LOL)  Even if you're not usually a Rhubarb lover, you might give these a try - they're rich and sweet so the tartness of the rhubarb is m...

Years ago I was a waitress at a Chinese restaurant.  I loved the people there and I learned a lot about a different culture.  I also learned a few tips on how to cook some of the foods I loved.  Fried rice is one of those foods!  I'd tried making fried rice before with less than delicious results... often mine came out mushy and it was missing a flavor I couldn't figure out.  I found out it is critical to cook the rice ahead at least a day so it can cool and dry a bit... and that missing flavor?.... sesame oil! Often when I make fried rice now it is the main dish rather than a side dish.  I use leftover rice, and whatever appropriate vegetables I have on hand - usually carrots, celery, onion, peas.  I LOVE bean sprouts in fried rice, but I leave them out unless I've had time to sprout my own... I just can't bring myself to pay for a bag of sprouts that I only need part of.  (Sprouting mung beans is SUPER easy by the way - anyone can do it! Maybe ...

Holidays are always a fun time to add excitement to your family!  Some years I make a bigger deal out of them than others, especially smaller holidays like St. Patrick's Day.  Maybe if we had some Irish lineage, we'd be more inclined to Corned Beef and Cabbage (which we tried last year and with a huge fail from the family) but as we're Danish and Scottish, we lean more to celebrating with "color" and theme. This year I'm being a bit lazy.  I THOUGHT about doing green shamrock pancakes for breakfast ....  but mornings have been tough lately and I'm on day 2 of a headache, SO....  I'm settling for Lucky Charms and green tinted milk.  Can't you just picture how festive the table will look with the green milk AND a leprechaun! My lunch crew tends to prefer peanut butter sandwiches - and are too young to understand the holiday anyway so I'm off the hook there. Dinner will be our main festivity and will include: Shepherds Pie (which IS a co...

T his cookie recipe was in an old Watkins Cookie Book.  They really taste a lot like a ginger snap.  They are especially good right after they're baked and still warm.  Mmmmm!  I played around with the recipe as usual.  I'm not a huge fan of shortening so I substituted butter, and this time I subbed 1/2 C. whole wheat flour for part of the white.  They're good either way, but the whole wheat makes them a little chewier and a step closer to a healthier choice. :-) Dusty Millers 3/4 C. butter 1 C. sugar 1 large egg 1/4 C. molasses 2 1/4 C. flour (or sub in 1/2 C. whole wheat and another 2 T. white flour) 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon cinnamon sugar Cream butter and sugar.  Mix in egg and molasses.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Add flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon.  Mix well.   Roll into teaspoon sized balls, roll in cinnamon sugar and flatten with the bottom of a glass.  Bake at 350 for 8-9...

I didn't get a menu done for the past week and it has been hard to think up something I want to eat, and feel like cooking.  I tend to procrastinate deciding until I've only got an hour or so until dinner and then my choices are pretty limited. Planning a menu make eating and cooking a lot more fun and allows me to use my Bountiful Basket produce more effectively. Today on Facebook I asked for help with menu ideas and got a bunch of great ones!  One of the best parts of this menu, is that I have everything on hand!  LOVE having a well stocked pantry!    This is what we'll be enjoying the next week or so: Wednesday -    Breaded steelhead with lemon, broccoli, Oven Fries, and strawberries with whipped cream Thursday -        Spaghetti and Meatballs, tossed green salad,  home made French Bread Friday -            Chicken Enchiladas (I have a pa...

Much to my kids' dismay, I've been avoiding baking a lot the past few weeks because I'm watching calories.  BUT today I've got 5 extra kids for afternoon snacks AND I volunteered to bring treats for my 8 year old daughters basketball game tomorrow.  I've been craving chocolate, and since I KNOW I'll sneak some of whatever I make, I figured I just as well tend to that craving. :)  (We know it's important for Mom's to take care of their needs so they can tend to the needs of the family, right?  At least that's how I'm justifying it today. LOL ) These cookies are an adjustment to another recipe I have for plain chocolate chip cookies.  I just added the cocoa, adjusted the eggs and flour.  This makes a large batch - about 6 dozen cookies.  (I've never heard any of the kids complain about that.) Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies 2 C. butter or margarine 2 C. brown sugar 1 1/2 C. white sugar 3/4 C. baking cocoa 4 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 3 tsp. baking p...

  Cupcakes (or pupcakes as my 2 year old calls them) are an easy, pre-portioned treat to make.  They can be simple and undecorated, filled, or fancied up for special occasions.  Most of the time, when I'm not using them for a special occasion, I just spread the frosting with a knife... which is very tedious or I let the kids frost their own with a knife - which is messy.  However, if I don't mind adding extra frosting to the top, using a decorating bag and a larger tip is a super fast way to make a cupcake look dressy.  Add sprinkles or edible glitter for extra fun! I used a regular cake mix.  (which I was not wild about - they always turn out too light & crumbly) But this time I added a good sized spoonful of sour cream, and replaced about half of the water called for with yogurt.  Not quite so dry and a little heavier.   I used a basic decorator icing recipe with my own twist to get a good chocolate flavor: Creamy Chocolate Frosting...