Rhubarb Bread

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup applesauce

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Using an electric mixer, beat brown sugar, applesauce and egg until well mixed. Add flour, buttermilk/yogurt, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on low speed until well mixed. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour into 2 well greased pans sprayed with Pam. Bake until tested done (when knife is inserted and pulls out clean). Place aluminum foil over pans about 1/2 way through to help speed up process. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 to 70 minutes.  Cool on rack.

Rhubarb Jam

Mix together and set aside until a juice forms

6 cups rhubarb sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

3 cups sugar

Next:

Add one can of pie filling (cherry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry)

Cook these ingredients for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 package of 3 oz jello (use Jello that is of the same flavor as the pie filling). Mix well. Pour into containers. Refrigerate or freeze.

Fresh Asparagus

Wash asparagus, then using knife gently remove the arrow shapes on the stalk. Cut into about 1 inch pieces. Place in bowl with a small amount of water. Cook either on top of stove or in microwave until you can insert a fork easily. Over cooking makes it to soft and limp.

Once cooked, place on plate and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Fresh Chives

Rinse and remove brown or dead areas. Cut into 1/4 or smaller pieces using a kitchen sheers.

Fresh chives with Potatoes on the Grill

Slice potatoes into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Place on alumnium foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Top with desired seasonings and a few small pats of butter.

Sprinkle chives over potatoes.

Wrap in the aluminum foil.

Cook for about a 1/2 hour.

Lemon Parsleyed Turnips

Cook 2 cups turnip sticks in boiling salted water. Boil until tender. About 20 minutes. Drain.

Add:

1 Tablespoon butter

2 teaspoon snipped parsley

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Toss. Serves 4.  Note: Norma cut the recipe in half for just her and dad.

Salad using Turnips

Salad greens, turnips, almonds , walnuts, and a few blue berries with her favorite dressing on the side.

Turnip Sandwich

Mom also loves radish sandwiches so she is going to try a turnip sandwich. Slice either vegetable thin. Place on buttered bread.

Sources: Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (1960’s edition) and my mom, Norma Campbell

Quick and Easy Tomatoes

*Cherry Tomatoes quartered and eaten with Cottage Cheese.

*BLT without the bacon. I love bacon!! But I don’t always have the time to make it. So at work when I need a quick-lunch, I bring some of the garden lettuce and one of the varieties of tomatoes, and I have a refreshing quick-lunch.

Rhubarb Muffins

This weekend I thawed out some of my frozen rhubarb and enjoyed these delicious muffins. My apologies – I forgot to get the camera for a step by step. I have rhubarb thawed in 2 cups or 6 cups amounts. I doubled the muffin recipe so I could freeze half the dough in a Ziploc bag. When I thaw the batter out, I simply snip off the corner of the bag and use it like a pastry bag and squeeze into the muffin tins.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup applesauce

1 egg

1/2 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup finely sliced rhubarb

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Combine sugar, applesauce, egg, yogurt and vanilla in a bowl. Sift flour, soda, and salt together and stir into liquid mixture. Blend in nuts and rhubarb. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Topping: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts and sprinkle over batter in muffin tins. Tip: I always spray the liners with a spritz of baking spray so the muffins don’t stick to the liners. Bake at 325 degrees  for 25-30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. This can also be baked in a greased loaf pan for 45 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Potato Bread

1 package of active dry yeast

1/4 cup of war water

***

1/2 cup mashed potatoes

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup milk, scalded (link to how to scald milk)

1 egg

4 – 4 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Soften yeast in warm water (to speed up the yeast add about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and stir in). Allow the yeast to begin to rise (fun science experiment with the kids). In a separate bowl combine hot potatoes, shortening, sugar, salt, and scalded milk. Cool to luke warm

Add softened yeast and egg. Stir. Stir in 2 cups of flour. Stir in remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes). Here are two links one to show you how to knead by hand and the other with your stand mixer and dough hook.

Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease both sides of your bread. Cover with Saran Wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise until double. About 1 hour. Punch the bread down. Shape in ball, Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into rolls, place on greased baking sheet. Let rise until double (about 1 hour). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

Pumpkin/Squash Pancakes

If I have any extra leftover. I freeze the dough in muffin tins. Once frozen, I will place in a small container or a bag. Meals in a minute another night.

1 cup flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I often use strawberry flavored)

1/4 cup canned pumpkin/squash

2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled plus

1 Tablespoon for the skillet

Preheat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. In a bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat egg then add yogurt, pumpkin/squash, and 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Beat well. Stir in dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Grease skillet lightly with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup batter per pancake, flip with spatula when tops bubble and edges are slightly dry. Cook until other side is golden brown, 2 minutes per side.

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

4 eggs2 cups sugar

1- 16 oz can pumpkin or squash (I use squash I have frozen.)

1 – 1/2 cups applesauce

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups miniature chocolate chip

sIn a large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin/squash and applesauce until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in miniature chocolate chips. Fill greased  or lined muffin cups 3/4 cups full. Garnish with a few miniature chocolate chips. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 16-20 minutes until they test done. (When you press your finger on the top of the muffin and it pops back up.) Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to cool on wire rack.

Butternut Squash

My family loves this recipe, and the boys eat it like crazy. I also use the prepared squash in place of pumpkin in many recipes. Butternut

Cut squash in 1/2 add enough water to cover pan (about 1/2 inch up on the side of the pan).

Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.

Take out of oven. Scoop out seeds. The seeds can be kept and roasted.*Using a large knife cut off skin and place in another bowl.