rhu⋅barb: Any of several plants of the genus Rheum,R. rhabarbarum, having long green or reddish acidic leafstalks that are edible when sweetened and cooked.

Rhubarb is the fruit of the garden. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it.
There are desserts and jams. There's rhubarb torte, rhubarb cheesecake, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb bread, rhubarb muffins. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's berry rhubarb pie, lemon rhubarb bars, rhubarb soup, rhubarb salad, rhubarb chutney, rhubarb compote, rhubarb daiquiri. (Does this remind you of Bubba's shrimp mantra from Forest Gump?)

Rhubarb is a faithful and plentiful plant - it will sprout back each spring, spread and produce more rhubarb than you can use. In the spring, when the flower heads appear in the plant, snap them off to keep the rhubarb from taking over your garden. Rhubarb is a vegetable but treated more like a fruit. The stalks are tart. Do not eat the leaves as they contain a high level of toxin.

This weekend I made rhubarb muffins, rhubarb crisp and a pie.
Here is the recipe for the muffins:
Cream together 2 cups light-brown sugar and 1 stick unsalted butter. Beat in 2 eggs; add 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk and stir to combine. Add in 4 cups whole wheat flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; beat until smooth. Fold in 3-4 cups rhubarb, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes. Batter will be thick.
Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper cups. Spoon mixture evenly among cups. Sprinkle each muffin with course baking sugar. Makes 2 dozen. Bake about 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, turn muffins onto a wire rack, cool completely.
"That's all I have to say about that."

"Please Don't Eat the Daisies"

Don't eat the daisies but try the pansies instead! Edible flowers add flavor, create a beautiful presentation, and can add a touch of elegance to any menu. Not every flower is edible and sampling some flowers can make you very sick. A Google search for "edible flowers" resulted in 502,000 websites. So, do some research before adding any flower to your recipe. I learned that English daisies are edible.
My garden has mint, violet, thyme, and lavender that comes back every spring. I am going to add nasturtiums and scarlet runner beans, and since we have an apple tree that we do not spray, I am going to experiment with apple blossoms. Never use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that is edible. You could lightly wash the flowers but shaking and checking between the petals is best for removing bugs and insects. If you don't have a garden your local supermarkets and specialty grocers will have some edible flowers and buds in stock.
For the Vanilla-Almond Panna Cotta recipe I garnished with snap dragons and fresh blue berries. I was the Food Stylists for
Image Studios when this photo was taken. The recipe is from "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking 3".
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 package (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Chocolate fudge syrup, choice of edible flowers or fruit.

1. Pour 1/3 cup of almond milk into a small bowl and stir in gelatin. In a medium saucepan, stir together heavy cream, remaining almond milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, watching carefully as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan.
2. Pour gelatin and almond milk into cream mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add extracts and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour into six 4-ounce individual ramekins. Leave ramekins uncovered at room temperature to cool. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8.
3. To remove, run a knife around the sides of each ramekin and invert over a serving plate. Garnish as desired.

Vintage Fashion Show

I am digressing from my usual "food blog" to share with you how three Image Studios employees volunteered their time and talent. Julie, Vicki and Karla volunteered to be models for the Community Clothes Closet Fundraiser - a Vintage Fashion Show. The show was held on Sunday, May 3 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, WI.

Weeks before the show each of the "models" had to try on clothes for fitting and to decide which outfits we would be willing to model. A run-through was held the week before so we could learn how to walk the run-way, practice our turns, and make last minute accessory changes.
The day of the show we arrived early to prepare and review each other's outfits. The dressing room was well organized. Hair stylists were available and each model had an assistant who would help with wardrobe changes, zipping and buttoning, and accessorizing. Each of us had 6 to 8 wardrobe changes with clothes from the 1940s to 1980s. Julie and Vicki had one "fast" wardrobe change that I was afraid they would fall off their spiked high-high heels running to the back stage!

The Radisson Ball Room was full, the music began and the show was on. This picture is what each of us wore for our first outfit. After 2 hours of modeling, lots of laughs, and comments like "nice outfit" or "OMG" we were done. All of the clothes in the show plus racks and racks of other outfits along with accessories were for sale. The show also had a silent auction and door prizes.

We had a lot of fun and are glad we volunteered.
And, just so you know; "Talented and Experienced Models" for hire at Image Studios!

Sugar, Ahh, Honey, Honey!

"Sugar, ahh, Honey, honey. You are my candy girl, And you got me wanting you."
For the last year and a half I have seriously cut back on my sweets and treats. No sugar, no honey! No Oreo cookies, no ice cream! No candy, donuts, desserts! (o.k. I did have a small piece of the "Two Die For" cake and some Monkey Bread) I've lowered my blood sugars and cholesterol and lost weight. But for as much as I have cut back, I've discovered I still need "sugar" in my life.

On the web you can find several recipes that have eliminated, reduced or substituted sugar. Some recipes are great, others not so. The recipe in this blog has no sugar and no flour. It's not bad. It helped to modifying the original recipe to increase the cinnamon and peanut butter, and adding nuts. I did add (a small amount) of white choc. chips...... "You are my candy girl, And you got me wanting you!"

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
Preheat oven to 375.
Mix together 2 cups oatmeal (instant) and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
Beat 2 eggs and 2 cups milk together. Add 2 tsp. vanilla.
In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, fill with a 1/2 cup water. Add enough peanut butter to displace the water up to 1 and 1/2 cups. Pour into egg mixture (water and pb). Whisk together. Stir into oatmeal. Pour into an 8 x 8 pan.
Bake 20 minutes at 375.
Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup white or choc. chips in microwave until smooth. When bars are done, remove from over, drizzle with melted chips and sprinkle nuts (any choice) on top. Cool. Cut and enjoy!
Is that song stuck in your head now?

Too "Die-4" Cake

Over 50 years ago, while my mother was on her honeymoon, a restaurant owner gave her a cake recipe. This cake recipe has become our family favorite; "Mom, please make!" cake. It is delicious, moist, with hints of spice and a topping that is sweet and sinful. The problem is Mom will not give anyone the recipe. I told her I wasn't going to wait until she died for me to get it from her recipe box.  After 25 years she has finally given in! 

(i've modified the recipe to use whole wheat flour and Splenda Baking Sugar)

1. Soak 1 cup of Quaker Oatmeal oats in 1 1-2 cups boiling water. Set a side.

2. Cream together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup Splenda Baking Sugar. (use one cup regular sugar if you prefer).

3. Add oatmeal (step 1) with 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp. baking soda. Mix together with cream ingredients (step 2).

4. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan. (this recipe should be doubled because you'll want seconds!) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Use the toothpick method to check for doneness about 30 minutes.

5. While batter is baking make the frosting. In a sauce pan melt together 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and 1 cup brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and add 1 cup nuts (pecan or walnut or none if you prefer), 1 cup coconut and 1 tsp. vanilla. 

6. Remove cake from oven when done, spread frosting onto warm cake, and place back into oven for 5 minutes until coconuts browns slightly. Remove from oven and cool.

I told you this cake was "2-die-4"!

ps. you could add 1 cup choc. chips to the batter or 1/2 cup choc. chips in with the coconut and nuts.