whole wheat rhubarb streusel muffins

Aren't these purdy? They taste as good as they look.

Rhubarb is one of those ingredients that wonderfully transforms once it's cooked. Raw, its bitter and tough. Heat brings it to life, and morphs it into something so delicious. Kinda like when I throw my cranky, grumpy 4 year old into a warm bath...

I realize this is the third sweet recipe in a row...sorry. It's all beans or sugar around here.

Many of you know that our family has recently increased by 1. T's sweet little baby boy has captured all of our hearts. ;) I thought another sweet recipe would be perfect way to celebrate his awesomeness.

These muffins are delicious, moist, not overtly sweet and moderately healthy! They call for white wheat flour, which I've been using to make bread lately (post to come). It's a great option for those who are opposed to full-fledged wheat flour, and it's right next to the white flour at the store so it's easy to grab.

I used vanilla yogurt instead of the author's recommended sour cream. I also added a bit more rhubarb than recommended. Next time I'm going to add 1/2 cup of chopped strawberries or blueberries - just because.

Follow a recipe verbatim? That's just too much like following the rules.

Here's the link to the recipe. Thanks Smitten Kitchen! Sooooo yummy.

Mangia~

Lora

Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

Headline news:

Momma G breaks her silence...

The Pie Queen is going to let you in on her secrets. Grab a pen.

And, yes, you should be excited. We (I) don't call her the Pie Queen for nothin'.

Oh, and BTW, I don't have to make pie because my sisters and mom do it so well, and I reap all the reward. ;) But you must make pie. You must make this pie. Typically I post recipes here so I don't forget them. But, I'm posting this recipe so that YOU don't forget it. So you can make if for me (again and again).

Momma G never made pie in a round pie plate when we were kids. Pie came in square slabs. That's right. She made a yard of pie crust and baked pie in an extra-large cookie sheet. Yup, a sheet of pie. A sheet pie. A round 9" pie only feeds 4 in our family. And we had 5. And I got spanked once for sneaking in the kitchen and picking 80% of the streusel topping off of one her legendary apple steusel sheet pies. All I can say: It was worth it.

In fact, my mother's pie is so well regarded in our family that it's requested for birthday and Christmas presents. Gramps always requests this lemon meringue or the apple, and Poppa G just asks for "pie". They eat the entire pie themselves, with a quart of milk. I don't blame them a bit. Oh, and my gramps is going to be 87 this year, healthy as an ox. That's good pie.

So here it is, people...enjoy! Thanks, Mommasita!

Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie

(Original recipe by Julie Miltenberger)

Prep: 20 min. cook: 24 min. Bake: crust at 425 for 20 min; pie at 325 for 33 min. Refrigerate: after cooling for 1 hr.

1 pastry crust for a 9 in pie

FILLING

3 to 4 "large" lemons

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

6 egg yolks room temp. (save whites for meringue. careful not to get any yolk in the whites meringue will not whip well.)

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter cut up

MERINGUE:

6 room temp egg whites ( i use 7 with a little extra cream of tartar to get a really high meringue)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

1. Heat oven to 425. Fit pastry in 9 in. deep pie plate. Roll dough under and crimp for fluted edge. Check for cracks in dough repair then prick dough well, with fork; Line with thin foil

fill with dried beans or pie weights. ( I found pie weights at the Christmas Store. They worked wonderfully!)

2. Bake at 425 for 12 min. Remove foil and weights or beans. Put crust back into oven for 8 more min or until golden.....COOL

3. Grate 2 tbls lemon rind set aside. Squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons(no seeds please). Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Stir in 2 1/4 cups water and lemon juice. Cook over med. heat,

whisking, 15 to 20 min or until thickened and bubbly. Cook another 2 to 3 min. stirring. Remove from heat

4. Beat egg yolks lightly in a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup hot lemon mixture into yolks quickly, then stir this yolk mixture back into full lemon mixture in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for

1min. (DON'T OVERCOOK) Take off heat add butter and grated lemon rind. Pour into baked cooled crust.

5. Reduce oven temp to 325

6.Meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl (not huge) until foamy. On high speed, beat in sugar one tablespoons at a time, until stiff peaks form. Spoon meringue over pudding mixture, spreading to edges to seal meringue to the crust. Swirl into peaks.

7. Bake on lower rack at 325 for 25 to 30 min. cool on rack ( away from drafts, something I learned through the years) for at least 2 hrs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.( Better if more) before slicing.

This recipe has been tried in my kitchen 4 times and each time was a success. If you follow each step exactly you can not go wrong. I do not recommend boxed or already made crust for this pie.Won't work! Besides this pie deserves a wonderful home made crust. I use an old Amish recipe, that I switched up a bit. But any homemade crust will do.

The Lemon rind in the pudding and the butter make the pie really special and Yummy. ENJOY!

Love, Momma G

Spring Marshmallow Treats

This book Tracey references in her Tortilla Snowflake recipe, inspired this special treat. I was looking for an Easter treat, and these little bird nests looked so cute, easy, and delicious. The recipe in the book used candy coating. I thought, why mess with that when this was the perfect opportunity to leverage the delicious butter/mallow binder in rice crispie treats? So I stole the ingredients and wrapped it in something else, and added a dash of almond extract. Of course!

Vi and Abel had a great time helping with these. Vi's idea of help was eating every crumb of flake, noodle or rouge egg that hit the table. She's lucky she's so cute.

Happy Easter!

Mangia~

Lora

Spring Marshmallow Treats

3tbsp unsalted butter

1 package large marshmallows

2 tsp almond extract

Blue and green food coloring

1 cup sweetened coconut

1 package small malt eggs

Place 1 cup sweetened coconut and a considerable number of drops of green food coloring in a zip lock bag. Shake until coconut is completely coated. Set aside.

In large pot, melt:

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 package marshmallows

Add:

2 tsp almond extract

Dashes of green and blue food coloring, until the desired shade

Stir in:

4 cups corn flakes

1 1/2 cup Chow Mein noodles

Shape mixture into small nests. Press thumb in center of each while still warm.

Sprinkle coconut in center of each nest and press small malt eggs into nest.

Store extras in air-tight container.

Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages & White Beans

I had a meeting until 5:30pm today, and as I embarked on my crazy commute (from basement office to basement stairs, take a right) a delicious aroma began to fill my nostrils. That smell that draws you in and makes you instantly hungry. Nothing like the aroma of a delicious dinner to erase the stresses of the day from your mind. If not for a few moments.

Rich and Vi threw this together. It's a recipe from my new favorite cookbook Perfect One-Dish Dinners. Ok, it's my new favorite, yet this is only the second recipe we tried. 99% of the pages are dog-eared. Pointless, I know.

I realize that 10 out of the last 15 recipes we've posted here include beans. At risk of further alienating some of our readers (sorry you two), I give you another post with beans. If you haven't tried any of the other bean recipes here, I implore you to try this one. So much flavor, so easy, so cheap, kids eat it. Do it.

Mangia~

Lora

Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages & White Beans

Serves 4ish (her recipe serves 8, we paired down the sausage, tomatoes and beans. Basically, it's scalable.)

1 1/2 lbs sweet Italian Sausage links (kind of figure 2 links per person)

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 med onion chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp EVOO

1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

3 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

2 cans white beans (we used cannellini), rinsed

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425.

Toss all ingredients (except beans) in roasting pan and roast until sausages are browned and tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce (i'd break-up a few at this point), about 45 mins. Pull out, add beans, mix lightly, return to oven to bake 10 more mins.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs (see below) and serve. In hind-sight, this would be excellent with crusty bread and crisp, fresh steamed green beans sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Toasted Breadcrumbs

Melt 2 tbsp butter in med skillet on med heat

Add 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Sprinkle with salt

Mix almost constantly and until the crumbs are golden brown (about 15 mins)

Gallo Pinto (Rice & Beans, Costa Rican Style)

I met some pretty fantastic people while I was in college. Heck, I married one. The friends I still keep in contact with are kindred spirits and one day, when we are very old, very gray-haired (hmmm...a milestone I've already tackled), toothless, and achy, we'll share a porch-swing at some old folks home near the everglades. Ok, probably not the everglades. Maybe New England, near the ocean. If I somehow earn a boat-load of money between now and then.

My friend Zaida will be on that porch with us (wherever it is). She'll be the one cracking jokes, making sure our lap blankets are on just right, mixing up some antacid cocktails, and zinging me about my socks not matching my panty hose.

Even though we are currently separated by many States, I know if I ever needed her, she'd be here. And she'd bring a big pot of gallo pinto to comfort me. Zaida is Costa Rican, and when it comes to cooking, she can throw. it. down. She taught me to make this dish our senior year, and I now keep the ingredients on hand at ALL TIMES. This is that go-to, I don't have time, I need comfort food-stat, type meal.

Growing up, we always cooked our rice and beans separately (beans were always frijole style). But...once they hit the plate, their marriage was inevitable. Rice and beans are just made for each other...

This rice and beans dish is one of the easiest things I now know how to make. And it's actually pretty insane that something so simple, tastes so amazing. And since I learned Zaida's trick of serving it with a fried egg on top - I can't eat it any other way. When you split the warm yolk over the rice, it adds richness and a buttery flavor to the entire dish. A nice side salad makes this meal complete!

Thanks, Zaida, for sharing this recipe with me, so I could share with others (hi, mom!), and open their eyes to the power and simplicity of rice and beans - together - how nature intended.

Gallo Pinto

1 can black beans (drained)

1 cup rice (see instructions below - also works well with left over rice)

1 med onion chopped (I also add two cloves garlic, minced. shhh...don't tell her!)

1-2 tsp cumin (I had 3 or 4 sometimes, depending on my mood)

Chopped cilantro (to taste)

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan on medium heat

2. Saute onions (and garlic) until soft, about 5 mins

3. Add beans, cumin and cilantro

4. Add cooked rice

Mix all together and let cook for a minute or two so the flavors come together.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Cooking Rice - if you don't have a rice cooker, obviously!

The ratio my mom taught me: 1 extra cup liquid to every cup of rice. So, if you are making one cup of rice, add two cups liquid. Making two cups of rice, add three cups of liquid, etc. For gallo pinto, I usually use one cup of rice (2 cups liquid), but I have been known to frequently double the recipe above, ;)

Add rice and liquid to a medium pot that has a tight fitting lid

Heat rice and liquid over high heat until boiling

The second it comes to a rolling boil (a heavy boil, not a simmering boil) lower heat to low and cover

Cook for approx 15 mins and fight the urge to peak! Do not stir!

Peak at 15 mins. When the rice is cooked through the liquid will be gone, and the rice will be tender when taste tested. If it's still hard, cover again and let cook for a few more minutes.

When cooked, turn the heat off and move to a cool burner. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Fluff with a fork before serving (I use a fork to serve it, actually.)

Cherry~Blueberry Pie

Yes. I did soften the edges on this picture just a tad. I had to make it look as angelic as this pie tasted.

Abel and I made this the other night to bring to a friends for dessert. It had only been out of the oven a little over an hour when dessert time rolled around and I was a wee bit nervous cutting into it so soon. But we couldn't wait. And I was very relieved when it actually held its shape pretty well! Then, within a few hours it had set up perfectly. Can't say that always happens with my berry pies, so that is why this recipe needed to be written down somewhere other than my brain.

A very tasty spring dessert, if you don't mind using frozen fruit for now. With fresh fruit it could easily be an ace every time. I used frozen sweet cherries and blueberries of the Wegmans- "Just Picked" variety. Danny does it again.

Cherry~Blueberry Pie

Adapted from Peter Sterk (a Foodnetwork.com recipe)

2 cups frozen or fresh cherries (tart or sweet)

2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

1 1/4 cup sugar

4-5 T cornstarch

1 T tapioca

1/8 T almond extract

Your favorite pie crust recipe doubled (mine is below)

1 1/2 T butter to dot fruit (I used honey butter)

Berry Filling

Mix all four cups of fruit in medium saucepan and cover. Place over medium heat until the fruit loses a fair amount of juices, about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch, sugar, and tapioca and reduce heat to simmer and simmer until juice becomes thicker. Adjust amount of cornstarch/tapioca if it still seems very runny. Add almond extract and remove fruit from heat. Place in cold bowl and then put in fridge to cool while making the crust.

Once bottom crust is rolled out place in 9 inch pie plate and put somewhat cooled berries into pastry, dot with butter, place top crust and cut vents in top. Bake at 375 for about an hour or when top crust is golden and fruit starts bubbling through vents.

My favorite Pie Crust via Betty Crocker

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 c plus 2 T shortening

4-6 T ice cold water

Pre-heat over to 425.

Mix flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour mixture until pea sized crumbs form, Add water one T at a time and toss with a fork until mixture can shape into a ball. Cut in half for two crusts. Refrigerate for 15 mins before rolling out on floured surface.

Lentil & Sausage Soup (Stew), Two Ways

Not really sure why I don't typically pay attention to recipes on food packaging, but I'm glad I didn't ignore this one. I've been on the hunt for a great lentil recipe (ever since I read they are one of the healthiest things to eat, which explains why my mom fed them to us till they came out of our ears), and ever since we went on vacation and ate the most delicious lentils in the world.

So this recipe isn't nearly as delicious as the lentil salad that we had at Chez Panisse, but it is a hearty, flavorful and an easy way to get more nutrients into your body (and kids seem to like it).

This is pretty much the same recipe that's on the back of the Goya lentil package (found in the Goya section, of course!), I just added more veggies (quantity), more garlic (shocked?), more sausage, added tons of fresh thyme (because, what isn't better with fresh thyme?), and removed the bouillon cube. I've even made this with just water (didn't have broth or stock on hand), I just added some Goya adobo seasoning, and it was really good.

I love this soup because of its earthy, sausage-y flavor. And also because it thickens so well. You can add more stock to loosen it if you prefer, or you can leave it thick and eat it like a hearty stew. For a second dinner, you can put it over noodles, rice or Tracey even put it over perogies once. Great one pot-two dinner thing going on here.

I've made this at least 6 times in the past 2 months, and Rich hasn't asked me to take it off the list yet. That's a great sign. ;)

Mangia~

Lora

Lentil & Sausage Soup

1lb lentils (rinsed)

3 glugs of olive oil in a soup pot

1 large sweet onion, minced

4 largish stalks celery, chopped fine

4 largish carrots, chopped fine

10 sprigs of fresh thyme - leaves picked

1lb sausage

3-4 largish cloves of garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

8-9 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, celery, and carrots in olive oil for 5-7 minutes until slightly soft (add fresh thyme immediately after all three are in the pot). Sprinkle veggies with salt and pepper. Add sausage and brown. Then add bay leaves and garlic. Saute 2-3 mins more.

Add lentils and saute for 1 min - then add the stock. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and lower to a simmer. Simmer until lentils are cooked through and soup thickens a bit. Add more hot stock if you want it looser. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve with warm biscuits or crusty bread.

Our Family's Sauce (or a loose translation) + Meatballs!

I say it's some sort of translation because in my family, it changes depending on the day and what's in the pantry. Any way that you throw it together the guarantee is that if you let it simmer for a few hours your house will smell like heaven. No pictures available of the meatballs. We always eat them too fast.

Red Sauce

1-2 lbs of either pig's feet, pork ribs, or pork neck bones

1 large onion minced

5-6 cloves garlic minced

olive oil

medium can of tomato paste

1 super large can of sauce, puree, or many fresh tomatoes pureed, or 5-6 smaller cans combined (some diced if you like chunks)

salt and pepper

2 large whole carrots or splash of sugar

some red wine to taste

dried or fresh basil

rosemary (just a tiny pinch)

parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper the meat. Saute meat in olive oil, about 4-5 minutes per side... not cooked through.

Remove meat and set aside, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. After the onions & garlic are tender, throw in a can of paste and saute it for awhile. Add a little salt and pepper.

After paste has been flavored for awhile, dump in the rest of you tomato products.

Put in two whole carrots to sweeten the sauce. Then about 1 cup red wine at this point and about 1 Tablespoon dried basil, some fresh rosemary (just a little), and the meat at this point. Bring to a boil and then set on simmer. Once it has cooked down check flavor and adjust salt/pepper and add another splash of wine and parmesan.

Let simmer until cooked down... I will taste and season again at this point. After it cooks down enough for the right flavor you can cover until ready to eat.
Add more wine, and parmesan cheese to taste.

Meatballs

1 lb meat (any combo you like)
4 med cloves garlic or 2 large minced very small or pureed with back of heavy knife and some salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 c Parmesan
3 sprigs fresh thyme, de-twigged
1 c panko breadcrumbs
Salt/pepper
Canola oil

Mix garlic with beaten eggs, thyme and cheese. Mix in meat until well combined. Add a little salt and lots of pepper. Add breadcrumbs plus a little more if mixture is too wet. Form into 2 inch balls.
Heat sauté pan on med heat until hot and 3 t/l canola oil. Add meatballs and brown for 1 min on all sides then add to sauce. Allow to simmer in sauce for up to an hour.

Mangia~

Tracey

Chicken, Cheese, and Apple Chili

It's tempting to call this more of a stew but there is chili powder in it and beans, so I suppose it is an actual chili. Cheesy and dreamy chili. There is a slight kick from the mexican chili powder I used but it is well balanced by the sweetness of the apples. Great with a side of toasted tortillas.

I'm not sure what makes the bulk chili powder my mom bought for me "mexican", but the result is probably a little spicier than the traditional. I finally remembered to ask her the name of the company she gets her spices from, and then promptly forgot it. So hopefully she'll comment on here as a resource for anyone looking for some great online spice shopping. I recommend their cinnamon, cumin, and cloves, oh and the above chili powder, of course. And ginger too.

The best part of having toasted tortillas around is that any leftovers are reserved for dessert. Slathered with jam. :)

Mangia~

Tracey

Chicken, Cheese, and Apple Chili

adapted from Everyday Magazine

2 lbs chicken breasts or tenders cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 apples cut into 1/2 inch peices
1 med onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 cans of white beans drained and rinsed
2 cups monterey jack cheese shredded or colby jack blend
toasted tortillas
olive oil

In a dutch oven type pot heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat, add chicken, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for a few minutes and then add chopped garlic, cook another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and transfer chicken to bowl. Salt and pepper the chicken.
In same pot add another 2 T of olive oil over medium heat and cook the apples and onions together until soft, about 6 minutes. Remove apples into bowl with cooked chicken.
In same pot melt butter and add flour. Whisk together for one minute over medium/low heat. Add milk and broth and whisk over medium heat for several minutes until thickened.
Add chicken and apple mixtures and bring to a simmer, then add beans and cheese. Stir until heated through.

Israeli Cous Cous with Dried Cranberries & Almonds

We were craving Moroccan flavors last weekend. I found this recipe for a Moroccan lamb tagine (basically, a lamb stew - pictured below) and thought that this delicious cous cous recipe from my friend Beck would be a perfect side.

The cous cous are made with Israeli cous cous, sometimes referred to as pearl cous cous. They have a more pasta-like texture than the traditional variety, and they seem to absorb more flavor while they cook.

You do have to go to the Mediterranean section of the store to find them (they can't be found with the box varieties in the rice aisle). I bought this big container because I knew once I made them again I would want them again very soon.

Thanks, Beck!

Also, I highly recommend the tagine recipe. The lamb was flavorful and moist. I added a touch of greek yogurt for some creaminess, and to balance the spicy kick (from the red pepper flakes I added).

Mangia

~Lora

Israeli Cous Cous with Dried Cranberries & Almonds

(I actually forgot to add the almonds this go around - hence the almondless pictures above. Don't make that mistake! They add so much flavor and texture.)

1 med onion minced

1 lrg carrot chopped fine

2 stalks celery chopped fine

l tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp ground tumeric (if you have it, no biggie if you don't)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (only if you add the tumeric - they work well together)

1 cup Israeli cous cous

2 cups chicken broth (brought to a boil in a separate pot)

1/2 c dried cranberries or raisins

1/2 c slivered almonds

Simmer onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until soft, about 5-7 mins. Add spices, a pinch of salt and pepper and then the dry cous cous. Saute until cous cous are toasted, about 2-4 mins. Stirring regularly. Add hot broth. Add dried cranberries. Cover and simmer on low for 7-8 mins, or until the cous cous taste tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Take off the heat and adjust seasoning to your liking if necessary. Add almonds. Serve! Would be great with some fresh parsley.