Rhubarb Recipes

So, what do you do with all the rhubarb that is growing like a weed in your yard?  If you ask my kids, they would say, "dip it in sugar and take a bite!"  I however, would prefer to make some pie and jam!  These two recipes are my favorites (thus far) for using rhubarb.  They also include strawberries which are in season at the same time.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
(This came from my mom who got it from who-knows-where)


Pie Crust: (makes 1 double crust pie)      

1 ½  cup flour

2/3 cup shortening

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water

 Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening with fingers.  Stir in water with fork until all of mixture is moistened and dough holds together in a ball.  Roll out and place in dish. 

Filling:

Mix and place in pie crust:

1 cup sliced strawberries

3 cups rhubarb

Mix together and pour over strawberries and rhubarb:

1 ¼ cups sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup flour

3 oz. sugar free strawberry Jello

Put a few slices of butter on top

Cover with top pie crust (I put a couple of little chicken scratch slits in the top).

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
(From the "Ball Blue Book: Guide to Home Canning, Freezing, and Dehydration") 

4 cups crushed strawberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 4 stalks)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
5 1/2 cups sugar

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and pectin in a large saucepot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.  Return to a rolling boil.  Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim foam if necessary.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.  Yield: about 6 half-pints. 

*My sister, who knows alot about canning, says that if you are bottling something with enough acidity in it, you can skip the water bath and just turn the jars upside down.  I don't know how to test for the level of acidity but she did say that jam has enough.  So, instead of doing the boiling-water canner for this, instead, I turn the jars upside down for 10 minutes.  Then flip back to right side up.  As they cool they will seal on their own.   

Just in time for Valentine's, I thought I would post this one. It's really quite easy, cute, and delicious. This is from kraftrecipes.com.

Strawberry Heart Pillows

time prep:

1 hr 10 min

total:

1 hr 10 min

servings total: 16 servings, one heart each

what you need

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed

1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserves

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

4 large strawberries, each cut into 4 slices

1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Unfold pastry. Cut into 16 hearts with 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 20 min. or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

CUT each heart horizontally in half. Spread 1 tsp. of the jam onto bottom half of each heart; top with 1 Tbsp. of the whipped topping and a strawberry slice. Cover with tops of hearts. Drizzle with chocolate. Serve immediately. Or, cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

How to Melt and Drizzle Chocolate

Place 1 unwrapped square chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into small resealable bag; seal bag. Snip off one bottom corner of bag; twist top of bag to drizzle chocolate over dessert as desired.

How to Thaw COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Place unopened 8-oz. tub of whipped topping in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Do not thaw in the microwave.

servings

total:
16 servings, one heart each

Smart Cooking The Costco Way

I received a free "Smart Cooking The Costco Way" cook book a couple of years ago from a holiday promotion they were having. Every recipe I have tried in it thus far, has been MORE than satisfactory. You can view the entire cookbook by clicking HERE.

Below is listed a couple of the recipes I have made and LOVED. Also, I included one full recipe that we made tonight because I made some alterations with what I had and it turned out great.

Rafael's Honey Ginger Salmon
Grapefruit Alaska (minus the rum)
Penne with Walnut Pesto

Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables
This recipe is one delicious way to use vegetables from an Eat Smart vegetable tray.

1/3 cup peanut butter or hoisin sauce (I used chunky peanut butter)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (I only had regular vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (I didn't have this and therefore did not include it in the recipe)
8 oz. linguine (I used 1 cup of Quinoa instead)
5 cups vegetables of your own choice from an Eat Smart vegetable tray (I used broccoli, peppers, onions, and carrots = whatever we had in our fridge)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
8 oz. top sirloin, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.

*(See below for what I did instead, with the Quinoa) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. add carrots, snap peas and broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and rinse under hot water.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add garlic and sirloin; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until almost cooked. Add grape tomatos and continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the meat is cooked. Pour the sauce mixture over the top to warm.

Return the linguine and vegetables to the pasta pot and stir in the meat/sauce mixture. Thin with the reserved cooking water if necessary. Garnish with sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.

*Instead of cooking the noodles and veggies together, I cooked my Quinoa in my rice cooker while I sauteed the sirloin and garlic together. Remove the sirloin from the pan and saute vegetables until they still have a little bit of a crispness when you bite into them. Combine sirloin/garlic with veggies in the pan, remove from heat, and pour in the peanut sauce. Stir to coat. Eat over Quinoa.

Tip from Costco: leftover party trays make great salad toppers, soups and stews. Or mix with light olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and roast in the oven (400 degrees F).

Papa's Whole-Wheat Pancakes

We made these pancakes this morning and they were delicious! This recipe is from the "Essential Mormon Celebrations" recipe book by Julie Badger Jensen.

Papa's Whole-Wheat Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine milk and flour and beat in a blender on high speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat on high for 2 more minutes. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour pancake batter on hot griddle and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with butter and warm syrup. Makes about 12 pancakes.

Christmas Tomato Cheese Soup

We had a "soup kitchen" night at our house 2 years ago, with our friends, and Emily brought this soup. I LOVED it and have to share it for anyone looking for a good Christmas soup.

Christmas Tomato Cheese Soup
From Emily

1 can tomato soup
1 can Campbell’s Beef Consomme soup
1 can water
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 tbs. butter
Few squirts of Maggi (you can try to substitute Worchestershire sauce and soy sauce if you don’t have magi
– it will taste a bit different, but probably still good)
Sugar to taste (about 1 tsp.)

Combine in a pot and heat to a boil, then simmer for an hour.

Serve with cheese of your choice. ( I use Swiss and Monterey jack). You may want to double or triple the recipe.

Vegetarian dinner

Tomato and Butter Sauce Pasta
(from our Nielsen family cookbook, submitted by Marisa)
1 (29oz.) can whole tomatos, with juice (I use diced tomatos)
1/4 c. butter
1 onion, cut in half
1 lb. pasta, (penne, gemelli) cooked
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan (I use the canned stuff)
Cut tomatoes into pieces and add to saucepan with juice, butter, and onion. Simmer until butter separates from sauce, 20-30 minutes. Mix with pasta and top with Parmesan.

Glug

LOVE this drink.

Glug
Aunt Wendy

1 pkg. red Jello (raspberry is best)
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 46 oz. can pineapple juice
1 can frozen orange juice, no water added
Sprite (I think a 2 liter bottle is enough but maybe get 2 just in case)

Dissolve jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add 2 more cups of hot water, and sugar, and stir making sure all is dissolved. Then add 7 cups cold water, pineapple juice, and orange juice concentrate. Freeze in convenient containers. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving. Add Sprite to slush consistency, as desired.