Strawberry-Basil Salad...

One of the dishes we had tonight we actually made first a week or so ago, but Jeff requested that we have it again. While this Strawberry-Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette was quite good, I think he was so excited that most of it was grown right in our back yard!

There isn't much to this at all, but the basic combination of ingredients sure made for a dramatic side! If you want a crispier green, by all means use a head of romaine - however, we have a couple rows of red butterhead lettuce that are still thriving and while tender, we've found it is firm enough to hold up to this type of salad. Hand torn, we tossed those lettuce leaves with slices of just-picked strawberries (the plants are still producing!), sweet crunchy arcs of Vidalia onion and fresh basil.

To let these ingredients shine, a straightforward dressing composed of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, spiked with salt and fresh ground black pepper, was all that we needed to moisten this salad. You could go and throw in chunky pieces of cheese, toasted nuts or grilled chicken if you must, cluttering the surface, but I think what was so appealing about this salad was just how clean and simple it was. I was intrigued at first by the addition of basil, but as its fragrance lifted from my plate and I got a taste of the combination, the refreshing anise-like flavor came sweeping through and made complete sense, anchoring this dish with such a pleasing note. This is the second time we've enjoyed this salad and I bet it won't be the last during this summer!

Recipes
Strawberry-Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake...

One item we keep handy in the pantry is crystallized ginger, if for no other reason to snack on for a sweet treat that backs itself with a warm, spicy bite. Nibbled on plain, or dipped in dark chocolate for an especially devilish treat, I also like to have it in the pantry to use in baked goods... like this Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake that we made for this week's Wednesday Treat Day.

To really grind the oils from the zest into this cake, maximizing its potential, I took the extra time to rub the fragrant zest into sugar with my fingertips, before creaming the sugar and butter together. Fussy? Yeah, maybe a little, but when you see how the grains of sugar are moistened and take on a light yellow hue, you know it's worth it. When you add the softened butter in, make sure you give it plenty of time for the mixture to become light and fluffy, rather than just creamy and combined.

With most cakes, the batter benefits from adding the eggs one at a time, rather than just dumping the whole shebang in. Besides being able to work in more air as you beat each one in, the batter stays in smooth and together, rather than curdling into a mess if too much is added at once. While we have lemon infused already, we added some pucker power by mixing in the tangy juice from the zested lemons once the eggs were all worked in.

Sour cream is a wonderful medium to tenderize and moisten a cake, which is why this cake has a full cup added in - though just like those eggs, the sour cream is not added all at once. Rather than just dropping in spoonfuls at a time though, the sour cream is alternately added with the dry ingredients, lightening the batter as the flour is absorbed. This is a ginger cake right? To impart that flavor, we snuck a good amount of minced crystallized ginger in with the dry ingredients - since ginger can be a little sticky, whisking it in with the flour first coated the tacky pieces, keeping them separate so they are evenly distributed.

Before you scoop this into your bundt pan, be sure you are using one that holds twelve cups as there is plenty of batter to go around - if you try and use a smaller one, you risk a messy spillage. Go with your instincts - if you still find that the pan looks like it won't hold all the batter, hold some back if you like and bake it off in a ramekin or a muffin pan for a baker's snack! Once it tests done, it is best to let the cake rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes or so, giving it time to finish setting up and allowing the crust to release from the sides.

Slicing into the cake once it had cooled down revealed to us what we had hoped for - a dense, buttery yellow cake that perfurmed the room with its light, lemon-y fragrance as soon as I guided my serrated knife out. Ginger can be a little staggering at times if it is too heavily used, but we both thought there was just enough that the cake didn't seem void of it, yet you knew it wasn't just a plain 'ol lemon cake either. See those darker bits around the edges? That would be the ginger chunks getting caramelized from being so close to the sides of the pan - almost the best part of the cake! If you wanted a more flashy finish than just a shower of confectioners' sugar, a simple glaze made from fresh lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and a touch of softened butter, slowly drizzled over the top, would definitely be appropriate.

Recipes
Lemon-Ginger Bundt Cake

Asparagus-Ham Lasagna

We picked up some asparagus from the market in anticipation of using it this week, but as the season has pretty much come to a close, it wasn't as brilliant as it had been the past few months. That's not to imply the asparagus was horrible or anything, but they just were not as snappy - rather than using it in a dish where it would be the star, we used the spears in this Asparagus-Ham Lasagna instead.

To set the color of the asparagus, we dropped them in a large pot of boiling, salted water for just a minute, then rinsed them in cold water to stop them from cooking any further. Don't drain away the water though to get at the asparagus - just fish them out with a slotted spoon. This way, you can cook the lasagna noodles in the same batch of seasoned water.

While the noodles were busy, we started creating the sauce we were going to smother this dish with. Butter, melted into a golden pool, gave us a spot to soften a finely chopped onion before we sprinkled in the flour used to thicken the sauce. Make sure you stir that flour around for a minute or two, giving it a chance to cook out its raw pastiness. Using entirely milk as the liquid for the sauce gives you a silky mouthfeel - however, you could use equal amounts of milk and broth to make the sauce a little lighter. To make sure the flour has been activated to thicken the milk, be sure it comes up to at least a boil. After stirring in a duo of cheeses, fresh grated Asiago and Parmesan, our milk sauce turned into a cheesy pool that was ready to be lifted with a bit of fresh grated nutmeg (try not to leave this out as it adds an intriguing complexity that works well in a white sauce).

Built as a typical lasagna, the assembly included the cheese sauce, noodles, thinly sliced ham, the crisp-tender asparagus and a bit more Asiago and Parmesan in each layer. To trap the moisture inside, creating a steamy package to finish the noodles off and warm through the dish, we covered the top with foil just before we placed the heavy dish into the oven. While it could be considered done after a half hour, to finish off the top layer, that foil is removed during the last ten minutes of baking. You could serve this pipping hot out of the oven, but I highly suggest setting aside an extra fifteen or so minutes to let this lasagna meld and cool down first. This gives the sauce a chance to set, allowing you to pull out slices that don't slip and slide off your plate!

Lasagnas loaded with meat and tons of cheese are certainly lip-smackingly delicious, but they can also come across as being heavy and quite rich, which doesn't always sit too well during the warmth of spring or summer. What Jeff and I both liked about this version was how clean and refreshing it felt, with the lighter ham, tender fresh asparagus and nutty cheese blend. It also happened to make plenty to go around, leaving us with a few nice lunches to look forward to!

Recipes
Asparagus-Ham Lasagna

Four years!

Jeff said to me this morning "Do you know what day it is today?" I said, "Um yeah... it's Sunday?". He looked at me when one of those single eye brow raises and then I said "Okay... other than being Sunday, it's market day?". That got an eye roll... so I asked what else could it be and he said "Did you forget it has been 4 years since you started the blog?!". Oh crap - he's right! Really? Four years already? Dang!

Jeff and I decided to sit down a little earlier and go through our recipe sections to pick out some of our favorite recipes to post - but once we started scrolling through and figured out we have taken pictures and posted about 1,690 recipes, we figured there was no way that was going to happen. That's at least one new recipe every single day for 4 years straight! Craziness. Will we make it to five years? I'm not sure, though I do know I can't wait to find out.

Other than that news, it is a fairly busy day today... but I do want to take some time to share another treat we made with our bounty of fresh strawberries! When Jeff and I were going over our options on what we should do with them, the dehydrator came up - we thought about drying the berries themselves, but then decided on making Strawberry Fruit Leather!

There actually isn't much to this at all and it is surprisingly easy, with quite the short ingredient list to boot! It can also adapt to several variations, allowing you to choose what direction you want the flavor to be.

With our first batch, we were looking for just the pure essence of strawberry, so the only ingredients we used were strawberries, honey and a pinch of Fruit Fresh. Fruit Fresh is basically ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and is used in home canning to retain color - this is what I use when I make dried banana chips to keep them from browning. If you can't find this in your market, a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice would be a good substitute. Honey isn't there to sweeten the leather, especially important since our strawberries are plenty sweet already, but it helps keep the final product pliable.

Pureed until smooth, we poured the ruby sauce onto our dehydrator's fruit roll-up sheet and set it on the machine to dry. After a few hours and a few peeks later to check on the progress, the puree was finally leathery and not sticky to the touch anymore - which meant it was ready! Chewy and full of potent strawberry flavor, we decided that the crunchiness from the tiny seeds was a plus and were glad we opted to leave them in. Straining them out is an option though if you wanted an extra-smooth leather.

We tore through the first fruit leather in no time and it didn't take us long to make another batch. Three more, in fact! We made another simple strawberry version, but then saved a handful of the berries out of the next two and replaced them with a ripe banana in one and applesauce in the other. We didn't measure for this, but we took out roughly a half cup of strawberries and added the same amount of the other two fruits. I did find that those two needed an extra hour or so to dry and while the flavor change was pretty subtle with strawberry still dominate, the banana and apple did come through in both taste and aroma! You can store them rolled up as sheets between parchment paper, but how about breaking out the cookie cutters to start stamping out shapes? Which, by the way, could be a fun and an edible activity for the kiddos - can you tell Gus had a say in what shapes we chose?!

Recipes
Basic Strawberry Fruit Leather

On this Fourth...

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone is having a safe holiday! Jeff, the pups and I will be heading out to the deck soon to watch the fireworks - it looked a little ominous earlier, but the blue skies reappeared an hour or two ago, leaving us with a beautifully clear evening!

Out of all the strawberry goodies we've made over the past couple of weeks, I think what we did with them tonight almost (but not quite!) trumps them all! No real recipe here - all I did was slice up a mounds' worth of strawberries and gave them a light shower with granulated sugar, making sure to show restraint since the berries are already plenty sweet. On top? Fresh cream from a friend who runs a dairy, whipped into a pillow-y blanket with a pinch of salt, a drizzle of vanilla and a touch of confectioners' sugar. To complete the holiday theme? Blueberries, almost bursting at the seams with their juicy insides, dropped all around the plate. Definitely the way to go when you want the essence of summer all wrapped up in an unpretentious, delicious portion.

Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza

You may have to do a little searching for one specialty ingredient in the Friday Night Pizza we made this evening, but I'll tell you now it is worth seeking out.

What makes this Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza top notch was the sausage used on top. Calabrese is a dry Italian sausage that is made with pork and seasoned with hot chile peppers for a vigorous bite - you'll often also find it flavored with garlic and fennel. If you absolutely couldn't get your hands on some, you could swap it out for salami or even pepperoni.

The other way this pizza is tuned up? Sliced potatoes! Waxy Yukon gold potatoes, in fact, which are sliced as thinly as possible - preferably using a mandolin to get paper-thin slices. They need to be as thin as possible as they are not pre-cooked before arranging them onto the pizza. If you do end up with thicker slices of potato, you may want to give them a quite dunk in salted boiling water for a few minutes to give them a head start - tender potatoes are a good thing, where raw potatoes might not be as pleasing!

We used the twelve ounce version of our whole-wheat pizza dough to give us a thinner crust, but if you wish for more chew, try out the pound version instead. Once the stretchable dough was pressed out, the top was slathered in marinara sauce, followed by the thinly sliced potatoes and spicy sausage rounds.

For a savory herbal note, we snipped a few leaves from our sage plant outside and gave them a quick run through with a knife, leaving us with shreds to sprinkle on top. Cheese was on tap next to be added, but we didn't go single here - we went with two... mozzarella and provolone!

We didn't opt for just any provolone - we decided on one that was aged, luring us in with its full, extra-sharp jolt. Baked on our stone until the crust was richly golden and the cheese on top melted together, flooding the top of the pizza in a slick of gooey browned cheese, we made sure to give it a few minutes (though not many) before we sliced into it, giving it a chance to set. I couldn't even get the whole thing cut into wedges before I swiped a bite from one of my slices! I tuned out all the background noise and just stood there for a couple silent minutes, letting the flavors wash over my taste buds, shocking them from their slumber as that heat in the sausage brought them to life. Jeff was getting antsy, so he had to cut himself a slice (oops...) and found out exactly where I was taken to. Seven ingredients coming together to create one naughty pizza and a couple of stuffed stomachs - what a way to start the weekend with a bang!

Recipes
Calabrese Potato Provolone Pizza

Next up... Freezer Jam!

Because we wanted to preserve and enjoy the plethora of strawberries throughout the rest of the year, Jeff and I were already planning on making a couple batches of jam before we even put the berry patches in!

Last year we went with that Strawberry-Lavender Freezer Jam and because that whole process went so smoothly, I went with another freezer jam this time, preparing this Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam! Because we wanted this to taste more of the natural fruit, rather than loaded with sugar, we used that "no sugar needed" fruit pectin this time. However, don't read into that too much because sugar is added, but you don't need nearly as much and you can control of the amount needed without concern of the jam not setting.

In that previous version, there was no cooking involved because all you needed to do was smash the strawberries to break them down. However, since we were introducing rhubarb into the fold, the sturdy stalks do need to be briefly cooked to soften them and to activate the jelling properties. After mixing the pectin with a bit of sugar in one of our larger saucepans, we tossed in the diced, tart rhubarb stalks and enough water to get the process started. Once it boils, it only takes a short three to four minutes stint - we didn't let it go too long as we want the rhubarb softened, but still have enough oomph to hold its shape. To be sure the pectin will set after chilling out, we dribbled a bit of the rhubarb mixture on a cold metal tablespoon - if you turn it over and it doesn't immediately run off the spoon, you're good to go! If it does run, let it cook for another minute and check again.

Now we were ready to introduce the strawberries! They don't go in naked though. Before we got to work on the rhubarb, we chopped up the berries and tossed them together with sugar and fresh lemon juice. Doing this beforehand gives the sugar plenty of time to pull out the strawberry's own sweet juices. The groovy mixture was poured in and stirred around with the hot rhubarb, then divvied out between sterilized jars to be capped off. Before stashing them away in the freezer to enjoy for several months, be sure to let them cool off and place the filled jars into the refrigerator for 24 hours to set.

We actually made this a few times in a row to make a good dent in the supply of the fresh berries we have picked! Some say you can double a jam recipe without worry, but others say that the ratio of ingredients need to be changed slightly and if you don't get it quite right, the jelling process could be upset. We decided not to risk wasting the ingredients (wasting is a strong word though... you would just end up with a sauce, rather than jam!) and just spent the time needed to go through the process three times.

We broke into the first jar as soon as the waiting period clicked over - what we found when we slid in our spoon to take a taste was a thick, chunky jam that was just sweet enough to tame the rhubarb, leaving us a clean and vivid strawberry-rhubarb flavor. While eating it from a spoon was good and all, it was begging to be smeared over a piece of hearty whole-wheat toast or a craggly English muffin - perfect for a speedy breakfast or tasty snack.

Recipes
Strawberry-Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Italian Meatball Burgers...

For tonight's dinner, we took a pound of plain 'ol ground sirloin and ramped it up to make these Italian Meatball Burgers.

Before even getting to the details, just from the title alone these burgers sounded too good to pass up. Into the beef, the seasonings we mixed in were dried oregano, basil, a bit of garlic and crushed fennel seeds for its distinct zing. While those started us off well, what really cranked these up were the addition of a couple links of hot Italian turkey sausage! You could use a pork sausage if you like, but I tend to always have a few links of the leaner turkey in the freezer.

Use a light hand when mixing the combo together - just work it enough so it looks like the sausage is fairly even throughout. When you divide the meat into six portions, don't go hog wild and use all your strength to compact it into tight rounds - while you do want it to hold together, it doesn't take much to form the burgers. When you finish that, take your thumb and give each patty an indent in the center - this helps the burgers retain their shape and keeps them evenly thick as the cook. Once our grill was toasty and ready, the burgers went on and were only flipped once, then cooked for a couple extra minutes before we graced the top with thinly slices of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Timing is somewhat important with these and you won't want to add the cheese too early. It would wise to have an instant-read thermometer handy - while I'm all for a medium-rare burger, since these have turkey in them, you'll want to let the inside warm up to 165 degrees before you whisk them off the grill to be safe.

I figured it had been too long since I made our favorite homemade burger buns, so I carved in enough time today to make a batch of them. I'm so glad I did that because I had almost forgotten just how good these buns are! Split and toasted, we topped those buns with the cheese-smothered burgers - what would be an appropriate condiment? Warmed marinara sauce, of course! While we did use ground sirloin, tossing the sausage in added extra moisture, which kept the burgers lean, yet still plenty juicy. The spice blend used drew us into each bite as it complimented that sausage, while the cheesy hat on top and contrasting sauce made for such an appealing presentation.

Recipes
Italian Meatball Burgers

Strawberry Cobbler...

For this week's Wednesday Treat Day, I gave Jeff full control on what we would bring in. I did nudge him towards a few cookbooks and recipe piles, but he really wanted to use our home grown strawberries and decided on this Strawberry Cobbler he found in one of our King Arthur Flour books.

Because we wanted to use the freshest just-picked berries, we actually bumped up the treats a day and he brought this into the office today. Usually when I think of cobbler, it is a hot bubbly layer of berries that are topped off with a biscuit dough-like crust. The version from this book is fairly different though, so maybe it is regional?

Instead of the fruit being on the bottom, a golden batter is spooned into the baking pan first. The preparation was interesting as the eggs where beaten with the sugar first, instead of the fat, then the butter was mixed in with a few splashes of milk. Once done and in the pan, we moved onto the berries, which were coated in a hot syrup-y mixture of bright lemon juice, vanilla, a touch of almond extract and water. The original recipe actually opted for using liquor (using sherry, brandy or bourbon) with the sugar to create the syrup, but Jeff wasn't too keen on using alcohol for a work treat on the off chance people couldn't have it. If this is an option you would like to explore, remove two tablespoons of milk from the recipe, along with the lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract and water - replace them with half cup liquor of choice and melt that into the sugar.

The hot sticky berries were then poured over the raw batter, then immediately placed into the oven to bake. This was definitely a fun one to watch in the oven - as the liquid-y batter bubbled up, it slowly began to envelop the berries, one by one, leaving you with a lovely marbled effect as the juices from the red berries stained the cake. We used small to medium berries and decided to leave them whole - if you wish to make this and have to use especially large strawberries, I do suggest at least halving them first.

While it wasn't exactly what I was expecting when Jeff said cobbler, what we ended up with was a fantastically moist and homey cake that was studded with enticing strawberries, exuding their sticky sweetness throughout the crumb. Jeff and I were eager to find out what the lemon, vanilla and almond would bring, instead of using the more potent liquor - their supporting role was noticed and their subtle tones matched well, but still let our strawberries be the star. I did make sure to tell Jeff if they wanted the best experience, to be sure to let them know that a quick 10 or 15 seconds in the microwave to warm their pieces up ever-so-slightly would be nice. Of course, if you wanted to be extra decadent, a heaping dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of your best vanilla ice cream would finish this off with a bang!

Recipes
Strawberry Cobbler

Crusted Pork Chops...

Looking for a way to perk up a pound of lean pork chops and have a little extra time to get messy? I was, and did, which is why these Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops ended up on our plates tonight!

Okay, so maybe the messy part is a little dramatic, but when I end up breading meat, I usually end up creating plenty of cleanup for myself. To get prepared, I needed fresh breadcrumbs that were made in a snap by whirling a single, but fairly large piece of slightly stale bread in our trusty food processor. Bread that is a day or so old ends up being a little easier to work with and doesn't seem to end up as gummy. To pack a punch into those crumbs, we combined them with sharp Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a dose of fresh sage, along with the requisite salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Flour and an egg were needed, which we also seasoned - the flour with salt and pepper, while the beaten egg was pumped up with a dollop of tangy mustard. The flour and egg are used to ensure the cheese-laced breadcrumbs stick to the pork - just remember, using this trio method to coat, it always goes flour first, then egg and finally the crumbs. Going the route of pan-frying to cook these through, you won't want chops that are on the thicker side thick - each chop we used was about four ounces and maybe a half-inch thick. With the fresh crumbs and cheese, if the chops are too big, you might end up blackening the outside before the heat has a chance to reach the centers. If all you have are chops that are pretty thick, you could butterfly them, or perhaps start them on the stove and slide them into the oven to finish each one off.

Cooked up in a flash (just under 3 minutes per side for us!), our chops had a crisp, golden brown outside, while each was still plenty moist on the inside with just a hint of pink left in the center. Don't groove on pork? I bet this would be a delicious way to change up chicken breasts too - think about playing with the herb if you like, using fresh oregano or basil instead.

Recipes
Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops

Chipotle Pulled Chicken...

While we only talked about 5 new recipes I made this week, I did prepare a slew of others (including a few strawberry!) that we'll eventually get to. I have so many new recipes now stacked up to show you, but I just don't have nearly enough time to sit down and post about them! Out of the ones from this week, our favorites were those fun Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks, the Upside Down Rhubarb Cake and that fresh-tasting Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella.

PS - the strawberry poundage we've picked from our patch as of last night? 25 pounds in total! Woo doggy!

Tonight's dish is definitely one you want to wait until a day where you have plenty of time to play in the kitchen without much interruption if you want to get it on the table for dinner, which is why I opted for a Sunday night do this. While I wouldn't say this Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread is all that complicated to prepare, there are a few steps that happen at the same time that need attention.

Poaching chicken breasts was on tap first, which we did simply by covering the meat with water and adding a bit of extra flavor in the form of chopped onion, a garlic clove, a touch of cilantro and salt. You need about a pound and a half of chicken for this, but the time needed to cook through will depend on the size of the meat you start with - we went with 6 four-ounce portions and they only needed to simmer for about 12 minutes. However, if you use 4 larger six-ounce portions, up the time to 18 to 20 minutes.

As I waited on the chicken to cool down enough, the next part I worked on was a saucy chipotle pool we used to flavor the meat. To a skillet with softened onions and garlic, we stirred in a dollop of concentrated tomato paste and gave it contact with the heat to bloom. Fire-roasted tomatoes, that we pureed smooth with a couple smoky chipotle chiles, were poured into the mix and left to simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken.

Now that the sauce was off on its own, I had to turn my mind in a different direction to take care of preparing the spoon bread! Who needs down time? Spoon bread is somewhat similar to cornbread, except the end texture is extremely moist and could almost be described as pudding-like. There is only enough flour used to give the spoon bread structure and hold together the generous moisture content coming from the creamed corn and tangy sour cream used. For a sharp note, shreds of white cheddar were also tossed into the lumpy batter just before we scooted it into the oven to bake.

Not too long after the spoon bread went in, the chicken was cool enough to shred by hand and just when I finished that task, the timer ticked off for the sauce. Which is where that chicken needed to go, along with dried oregano for depth. Once the chicken had a chance to warm up in the sauce, it was finished off with a bit more fresh cilantro.

Giving the spoon bread a short time to cool down, we found it to be extrememly moist when sliced into, but it was thick enough that we were able to pull out triangles to serve. For a creamy bite, with the benefit of off-setting the heat in the chipotle, after we got the spoon bread and chicken onto the plate, we dropped a dollop of sour cream on each serving, along with rich avocado slices. My sauce ended up a little on the liquid-y side as you can see, so I wonder if I didn't have it on a high enough simmer? It didn't seem to dampen our experience though as we both made short work of our portions! Spread out over six servings, using just two chipotles in the sauce didn't empower a fiery heat, but left it with a savory smokiness that had enough punch to keep us happy.

Recipes
Chipotle Pulled Chicken on Corn Spoon Bread

Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

Our rhubarb plants seem to still be going strong, so after plucking a bunch of stalks to stash in the freezer for later in the year, I took the rest and prepared this Upside Down Rhubarb Cake to have as a treat today.

I used our common practice of using half all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour to retain a lightness to the cake, yet still impart a nutritional bonus. To impart a whisper of spice, I looked to our favorite Vietnamese cinnamon and shook just a touch over the dry ingredients to whisk in.

The wonderful pair of butter and sugar set the tone of the batter, with a splash of vanilla for its liberal floral notes. Keeping the batter from curdling and to allow the flour to be evenly absorbed, without being overworked, the dry ingredients are alternately added in with the milk needed to smooth it out. Could you skip this and just add the milk into the creamed butter mixture first? Maybe, but why not take the extra minute to give you the best result possible?

Because we wanted the top to look tidy, for extra insurance when preparing the pan, I lined the bottom with parchment paper before I started the assembly process of the cake. To prepare the rhubarb, after I sliced the stalks and scattered them into a baking pan, I doused the chunk pieces with granulated sugar to wrangle down their tartness. There isn't a ton of batter here, so to get the best coverage, we dropped dollops of it all over the top, then connected them all with an off-set spatula. It doesn't need to be perfect though, as the cake bakes, the batter will spread out and weave itself through the rhubarb, finding its way down to the bottom to hold everything together.

After baking, don't try to flip the pipping hot cake out of the pan right away - give it a ten to fifteen minute rest so it holds together. Just sweet enough, this cake was quite moist with an intriguing, shiny mosaic on top from the tender rhubarb. I didn't know if the rhubarb would play well with the cinnamon in the cake, but we were pleasantly surprised to find just how well the two work together! While I don't think this cake needed any adornment, a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top of a warm piece certainly didn't hurt!

Recipes
Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

Pizza Sticks...

Yesterday we checked out the berry patches on the hill and guess what...

8 1/2 more pounds of perfectly ripe berries! And today, while the berries were a little smaller, we managed to pull off another 6 3/4 pounds. Dang! We are swimming in strawberries and lovin' every sweet minute.

Nothing really struck my fancy when I was looking for pizza recipes to make for our Friday Night pizza, so I thought we would just stick some of our favorite ingredients on top and wing it. After playing around, I ended up with what we'll call Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks.

For the roasted garlic, I looked to a recipe we made back in March and prepared the garlic much the same way by roasting the individual cloves (just ends up being a little quicker) and mashing it to create a garlic smear. We took that now sweet and mellow paste and spread it all over the top of (wait for it....) our favorite whole-wheat pizza dough. What, did you think I'd actually branch out to another recipe? I know... not just yet - I just can't get over how easy to prepare and a dream to work with this dough is. Ok, ok I'll stop now... but really, try it if you haven't yet!

Since we had the idea to make sticks, we stretched the pound version of the dough (giving us thicker sticks) into a large rectangle just before that lovely mashed garlic went on. Next came a wealth of Asiago cheese that we used our handy microplane to grate into tiny, fluffy shreds, which looked like snow as it fell from my hand and hit the dough. After looking at our patches of fresh herbs, Jeff said these flavors so far reminded him of those Cloverleaf Rolls we make every Thanksgiving and suggested we chop a few leaves of fresh rosemary to add.

Once that fragrant herb made it on, I took a pizza wheel and sliced the dough in half lengthwise, then went back crosswise to make the sticks. I did this now to ensure the pepperoni slices I was about to add stayed intact, but I also wanted to be able to just pull the sticks apart from one another after they've baked. Doing it this way lets me complete the assembly of the pizza as a whole, rather than trying to fit the toppings on each individual stick too. I did use turkey pepperoni simply because we find it less greasy and think it tastes just as good, without the guilt. Since we had it anyway, we swiped a couple ounces from a hunk of mozzarella we had in the refrigerator and shredded it to add on top. I mean really, as if we were going to just stop at the Asiago!

To give the dough a little boost, I did give the topped dough a rest, allowing the yeast to do its business and add a little height. This doesn't take too long to bake either - these sticks were ready as soon as the dough was golden and that mozzarella we added on top had melted and turned golden in spots. Give it just a minute or two to cool down so you don't burn your fingers, but if you tear into it while it is still warm, the pieces come apart without any effort. However, if you let it sit, you might want to score through the cheese first so each piece isn't stripped of its topping.

Using the pound of dough left us with sticks that were puffy and chewy, with enough crispness to the bottom that you could pick up each piece without if flopping around, keeping the topping in plate and not on your lap. As suspected, Jeff was spot on with suggesting the fresh rosemary - I figured its punch would match well with the roasted garlic, but more interesting was just how well we thought it worked well the spice in the pepperoni and nutty Asiago. Quite fun to make and chow down on, I can see these sticks being enjoyed by all ages - I'd even think about doubling the recipe just to freeze the extra pieces for easy snacks!

Recipes
Roasted Garlic, Asiago and Pepperoni Pizza Sticks

Holy buckets - the strawberries are here!

So, we've been anticipating the first pick... we went out this afternoon to survey our plots and guess what we ended up with?

Whoa baby - just over 9 pounds of fresh, juicy and devilishly red strawberries, with many, many more to come. Yeah!

I always end up over buying on pasta just because I like to have a variety of shapes and kinds (whole-wheat, multi-grain or good 'ol regular) handy in the pantry. This works in my favor with recipes like we made for dinner tonight, Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella, as even if I don't have the exact shape called for, I always have some sort of backup that works just as well, if not better.

While I was waiting for the roomy pot, filled with salty water, to bring itself up to a boil, I stashed the cubes of fresh mozzarella I needed into the freezer. Fresh mozzarella can be quite squishy and delicate to the heat, but letting it hang out in the freezer makes a world of difference in the end result, which I'll explain in a bit!

After the pasta splashed around in the water and softened, I scooped out some of the cooking liquid, then drained away the rest. To keep the dishes down to the minimum, I let the pasta hang out in a colander while I prepared the sauce in the same pot (woo - go one-pot meals!) for this dish. Starting with a couple glugs from our bottle of olive oil, we tossed juicy grape tomatoes into the pot, along with sliced sun-dried tomatoes, an ample amount of thinly sliced fresh garlic and the reserved cooking liquid. This isn't a sauce that takes a long time to cook so its freshness can shine - all you need to do is heat the tomatoes until they begin to pop, soften and break down, which happens to be just enough time to rub the harsh razor edge off the garlic.

The pasta is tossed into the mix, along with those chilled cubes of mozzarella and a dose of mild chives snipped right off the plant in our backyard garden. Back to the cheese - if you tossed in the cheese that either came right from the refrigerator or had warmed up from being on the counter, as soon as you toss them in, the residual heat would have began the melting process, leaving you with a stringy mess. Which, in all honestly, isn't that big of a deal and wouldn't bother me, but if you want them to stay in their tidy cube shapes for those cheese pockets, this freezer business does the job quite well. The cheese won't stay cold or cool down the dish too much as the warm pot quickly brings their temperature back up.

The original recipe called for penne rigate as its ridges would work well to catch the bits in the sauce, but when I noticed I didn't have near enough on hand (used most of it in last week's pasta dish!), I grabbed for the shells. I figured their little pockets would make a perfect catch-all for the tomato, garlic and chives in this dish. Don't have either? Rigatoni would be another shape that would be a good match here. Plenty of pasta, a decidedly easy sauce and enough cheese to please... how could one go wrong?!

Recipes
Shells with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Gingerbread Bars...

Today and tomorrow, Jeff is in meetings with his local co-workers, along with a few that had driven up or flew into Minneapolis to participate. He asked if I could make a treat to bring in today, in addition to the regular Wednesday item - when I asked what he thought might be nice, his only suggestion were those dangerous Oreo Truffle Balls that we've made several times now! Yesterday I got rounds dipped and to change them up a bit, we sprinkled Oreo crumbs over the top.

I also suggested for those peanut butter and chocolate lovers out there that we do a version with Nutter Butters! I used the same proportions, expect we used a darker chocolate dip, rather than the white chocolate we do with the Oreo version.

To be a little unconventional with this week's Wednesday Treat Day, especially after sending in those truffle balls this morning, I offered up these Gingerbread Bars and Jeff jumped right on board with the idea!

I think of fall and the cool winter time when I hear gingerbread, but that doesn't mean it has to only be made during that time! Peppering the dry ingredients with familiar, richly aromatic spices in these bars are pungent ginger, sweet cinnamon, fresh grated nutmeg and a pinch of seductive cloves.

To sweeten the batter, instead of using a lighter brown sugar, a more robust dark brown is used, adding moisture and a little chew, with a good measure of granulated sugar for depth and a touch of crispness. Giving gingerbread its classic darker golden color, along with a potent essence that is faintly bitter, yet still sweet is of course molasses! A little does go a long way here as you don't want the viscous syrup to overwhelm the bars. This recipe used an interesting technique that drew me to it - once the batter was spread into the baking sheet, flour was dusted over the top, followed by a light sprinkle of granulated sugar for crunch.

It didn't say why this was done like this, but as I pulled the bars out of the oven, I found it to be a spiffy way to add an attractive, sparkly top that reminded me of an old-fashioned ginger cookie. Just before I retrieved the pan though, I kept thinking to myself how that the spicy aroma that flowed out from the kitchen to meander all over the house was reason enough to give these bars a chance!

Sliced into hefty squares, after Jeff and I sat down and gave these a try after dinner, I found myself attracted to the lovely texture - kind of like a cross between a moist, dense cake, a tender blondie and an exciting cookie. Jeff tried to go back for another piece, but I reminded him he needed to share and to slowly back away! Besides, I have a feeling it won't be too long before these are made again and he'll get his share.

Recipes
Gingerbread Bars

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes...

Jeff was excited to learn this morning that I was planning a breakfast-for-dinner night this evening, which was heightened when I told him it was going to be these Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes!

Making these a little more unique, I pulled out my stash of blue cornmeal that I keep in the freezer to use as part of the dry ingredients. Yellow cornmeal is perfectly acceptable, but I figured we might as well bust this out since we were using fresh blueberries... at least, that's what I told myself. Compared to yellow or white, blue cornmeal comes across as being a touch more nutty with a slightly sweet edge over the other two.

To give the pancakes a little fluff and tang, a combination of thick buttermilk, milk, melted butter and an egg form the base of the liquid ingredients used to moisten the flour and cornmeal. When you pour this in the dry ingredients, use just a few flicks of the wrist to combine the batter and then let it be while you wait for your griddle to heat up. Lumps are good - if you work the batter too much, trying to get the batter completely smooth, you take the risk of ending up with tough pancakes! Lumps don't mean you'll end up with flour pockets... rest assured they will cook out!

This batter is more viscous than you might be used if you've never used cornmeal in your pancakes before, so resist the urge to thin it out. What happened to the blueberries? Well, instead of tossing them into the batter, the plump berries are tossed with a bit of granulated sugar and then sprinkled over the top as soon as you dollop the batter onto the griddle. This way each pancake has roughly the same amount and you won't end up with a few pancakes at the end that have no blueberries! Don't look for the typical bubbles on top to let you know when to turn these since the batter is more thick - once the edges turn matte and look like they have begun to set, then slide your spatula underneath to turn them over.

Serve a stack of these simply with a couple thin pats of butter, maybe a drizzle of your favorite warmed syrup, or since these are plenty moist on their own, a snowy dusting of confectioners' sugar would also do just fine on top. Not too thick, yet not paper thin either, I liked how beefing these up with cornmeal brought a heartier texture that was a welcomed addition at dinnertime. Unless you have a humongous griddle, you'll want to barely heat the oven to keep the first pancakes warm as you wait for the rest to be done.

Recipes
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

Productive Saturday...

We got through seven new recipes this week - the ones we selected as our favorites were the Caprese Pizza with Bacon, that decadent Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze and those easy Turkey Wraps with Chipotle Mayonnaise.

We had a pretty productive day yesterday and I thought it would be nice to give you a peek into how it went. After we had those scones for breakfast, Jeff and I took Gus downtown to stroll through the artsy booths at the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts.

It was such a beautiful day (if a bit toasty!) that we had to get out - we first went to this festival last year and had to go back this year. The booths were littered with fun, unique and quirky items - come on, doesn't everyone need one of these?

Okay, so maybe that isn't our style, but I'm sure it will find a home!

We walked Gus over the bridge so we could feel the cool breeze and he just couldn't help himself - he had to go sit up by the railing and strike a pose with his happy little tongue sticking out.

And PS... Gus tends to be quite the people magnet... it took us a pretty long time to walk the whole event as we made frequent stops so people could pet him!

What's behind Gus? It's a great spot to stop and gander at the "falls" on the Mississippi River...

And you can't go down to St. Anthony Main without getting a snap of this old building!

Once we got home, I had the pleasure (well, I wouldn't exactly call it a pleasure...) of getting these darn trees trimmed.

You would think these trees are on a drip supply of steroids with how fast they shoot their branches - they are called "Austrees" and are a hybrid of the Willow tree. I first tried using scaffolding to get me up high enough, but that just didn't work as well... so I gave up and crawled up the middle of each tree - my legs are so sore from trying to not fall out! I cut about 3 1/2' to 4' off of each tree... and to think, this needs to be done at least twice, if not three times a year! I'm up about 18 feet at this point and all I could do was hope the branches wouldn't snap underneath me.

This would have been impossible if we didn't pick up this handy trimmer... although, it got darn heavy after a few hours of hauling it up and down.


Finally - all done and tidy... and the neighbors get their view back!