I can not remember ever being able to pick fresh rhubarb in the middle of May here in northern Alberta, Canada. We are definitely seeing some serious changes in the weather.
I love everything about the plant — how good it tastes, the beautiful huge foliage in the garden and how it can keep on producing all season long. The uses of rhubarb are endless. For most part, I think it is usually thought of as a dessert ingredient. I tried making it into a spicy chutney with pork tenderloin for supper one night and it was real nice.
Bordering one side of my mother’s large country garden grew six or eight rhubarb plants. I can’t even imagine how much they would produce. I recall that special taste of her Saskatoon-Rhubarb Pie. Saskatoon berries grew wild in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This was a good reason for our family to pack a picnic lunch and make the drive on a Sunday afternoon to pick saskatoon berries. Not only did it make for quality family time but those fresh berries were soooo– good!.
Here are a couple of dessert recipes I made with some of my first rhubarb stalks of this season. One is Rhubarb-Blueberry Cobbler, an old fashioned baked dessert with a tender biscuit crust sprinkled with sugar. The other one is Rhubarb-Orange Cheesecake Parfait. If a rhubarb plant isn’t growing somewhere in your back yard you can usually locate some at a neighborhood Farmer’s Market throughout the summer.
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Rhubarb Desserts
Enjoy a little rhubarb nostalgia in two different presentations.
Mix chopped rhubarb & blueberries together in a large saucepan. Blend sugar & cornstarch together & stir into the fruit mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup cold water.
Place on medium heat & bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low & cook until juices flow & fruit is soft. Pour into an 8-cup casserole dish.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1 Tbsp sugar & salt. Blend well. Cut in margarine with a pastry cutter until mixture is a coarse texture. In another bowl blend milk & egg.
Make a well in center of flour mixture; add milk/egg mixture & stir until flour is moistened. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the fruit mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar evenly. Bake about 25-30 minutes. Serve plain or with a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream.
Rhubarb-Orange Cheesecake Parfaits
In a plastic bag, coarsely crush gingersnap cookies; set aside.
Chop rhubarb stalks & place in saucepan with water. Cook over low heat until soft. Remove rhubarb from heat. Add sugar, Cointreau & cornstarch; mix well. Return to heat & stir until thickened; cool completely.
In a large glass bowl, dissolve jelly powder & boiling water, making sure it is completely dissolved before adding to cream cheese. Blend in cream cheese with a hand mixer on low speed. Whisk in juice & zest of orange as well as the Cool Whip.
In parfait glasses, spoon a layer of cream cheese mixture; sprinkle lightly with gingersnap crumbs then add a layer of rhubarb sauce. Repeat layers one more time making sure to divide cheesecake, rhubarb sauce & crumbs evenly between parfaits ending with cheesecake mixture.
Refrigerate about 4 hours; garnish a bit more orange zest & a fresh mint leaf if desired.
Mother’s Day is our time to reflect and show gratitude to the women and mother’s who have been mentors and caregivers; ultimately those who have helped to shape us into who we are.
When my mother passed away in 1978, a friend said to me, ‘she will always be with you’. At that time I hadn’t really understood that comment fully. As the years go by I realized that is so true but of course it is never the same. Never a day goes by without something triggering a special memory of her.
Beauty lives deep in the heart of a mother and all she does for her family. This blog is especially to celebrate: the special memories of my mother for her endless giving of selfless love — my mother-in-law, Dolores, for her loving and kind ways and raising that ‘special’ man I love sharing my life with — to my sisters, who have given so much of themselves to be such great moms.
My choice of recipe for today’s blog is one that I have always enjoyed to make for special occasions — No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake.
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Strawberry Cheesecake
A showy, light cheesecake tasting almost like you were eating a strawberry mousse dessert.
Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine crumbs, coconut & butter; press into bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven & cool. Line sides of pan with a strip of parchment paper wide enough to reach the top of pan.
Reserve several strawberries for garnish. Cut two 1/4" slices from center part of enough strawberries to press in a single row of slices around base edge of pan. Cut up remaining strawberries to make 2 cups.
Process strawberries in food processor slightly; add softened cream cheese, sugar, orange & lemon juice. Continue to process until very smooth.
Soften gelatin in cold water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Beat into cheese mixture. Refrigerate until mixture just begins to mound. Fold in 1 cup whipped cream; pour into prepared crust &
refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove cheesecake from pan; carefully remove parchment paper.
Garnish with whipped cream, strawberry slices & fresh mint leaves.
Recipe Notes
In the picture for the blog I chose to dip some strawberries to use in the garnish. Other times, I have made a floret of whipped cream on top of each serving piece topped it with a slice of strawberry & a piece of fresh mint.
On occasion, I haven't baked the crust if time was of the essence & the cheesecake would be used right away.
If you prefer a stronger strawberry flavor the 1 cup of whipping cream can be omitted. The cheesecake seems to have no problem 'setting up' without it.
In 2015, my husband Brion and I spent three months in Ecuador. Other than a holiday, we were wanting to check out this country as a possible ‘winter haven’, away from the cold ‘Alberta’ winters. It didn’t quite make the list but it was another adventure in our travels that is valuable in the big picture.
Cuenca is Ecuador’s third-largest city and the economic center of the southern sierra. The city sits on a plateau surrounded by mountains which explains the name Cuenca which means ‘basin’ in Spanish. Four rivers are found in the Cuenca basin and one, the Tomebamba, runs right through the center of the city.
An artistic mecca of southern Ecuador, artisans produce fine leather goods, custom made guitars, filigree jewelry, ceramics as well as the famous Panama hats, which originated in Ecuador not Panama.
Although near the equator, Cuenca sits high in the southern Andes at an altitude of 8300 feet and its residents enjoy year round spring-like weather. Temperatures rarely go beyond highs in the 70’s F.(21 Celsius) and lows in the 50’s F.(10 Celsius), so a sweater or light jacket is sufficient all year long. Rainfall averages around three inches per month.
Cuenca’s two ‘seasons’ are rainy and dry. The rainy season, roughly from January through May, features warm sunny mornings and frequent afternoon showers. During the middle of the dry season (June through December), you can expect long periods of chilly weather and overcast skies.
The apartment we had rented was in central Cuenca where we discovered a nice little place called ‘Tutto Freddos’. It was a unique spot where you could enjoy having a variety of things to eat such as pizza, sandwiches, ice cream treats, cakes and pastries with your coffee. It was like a bistro in appearance with its small tables as well as a mezzanine floor. While you enjoyed your coffee and treats you could watch the activity in the streets. Of course being the nature of the country, it never failed to be interesting! One of the treats we had numerous times was what seemed to me like a version of ‘Dutch Apple Pie’. I tried to find out anything I could about it in hopes of duplicating the ‘Taste of a Memory’. Here is my interpretation of this special ‘pie’.
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Dutch Apple Pie
Apple-cream cheese filling with a wonderful blend of 'Dutch' spices, baked in a shortbread cookie crust.
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar & cornstarch. Cover & process until combined; add butter. Pulse with on/off turns until mixture forms fine crumbs. Press mixture onto the bottom & 1 1/2" up the sides of a 9" spring form pan.
Beat cream cheese & 1/4 cup sugar with mixer until well blended. Add egg & vanilla; mix well. Spread onto bottom of crust. Mix remaining sugar, 2 Tbsp flour, & spice blend. Add to apples in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spoon over cream cheese layer.
Mix remaining flour, brown sugar & rolled oats in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over apple mixture. Lay a piece of foil loosely over pie to prevent over browning. Bake in bottom third of oven for 20 minutes, uncover & continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until apples are tender.
I would like to thank all of you who downloaded my Ebook in the last week’s promo on Amazon.
Special appreciation to those of you who choose to take the time to write a review on Amazon as well as subscribing to my website. Although this was the third book I have written, it was my first Ebook to be published and good reviews definitely help me achieve better ratings in the ‘big picture’. To a ‘new’ author, this show of support is priceless and I Thank you Sincerely.
Although I can’t make today’s blog recipe for you and share it over a coffee, I think you will enjoy making it.
This was likely one of the first ‘cheesecake’ recipes. It dates back to the sixties, and probably preceded most of the baked versions. Affordable, easy to make, showy and simply delicious.
Dissolve jello powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, combine wafer crumbs & sugar; add margarine & mix well. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Press remainder into an 8-inch spring form pan.
Combine cream cheese, sugar & lemon extract in a mixer bowl; beat until combined. Stir in lemon jello mixture then fold in thawed whipped topping until well blended.
Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumbs & refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
In my opinion, no one could ever surpass my mother’s cooking. I think the only thing she ever made that I didn’t like was Cream of Wheat cereal, which really doesn’t count. Although we raised chickens, pigs and cattle, the meal we ate the most was always chicken. The reason being, whatever brought the most money when sold was raised for the family income. No matter how many times my mother served chicken it was always amazingly good.
I especially remember those Sundays when our family, along with some family friends, would drive up into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where we would just enjoy the peacefulness and great scenery. Mom would make her glorious fried chicken & potato salad. Without even realizing it, we were enjoying an experience that was truly a ‘piece of heaven’.
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Picnic Fried Chicken
Marinating the chicken overnight gives it a fantastic taste as well as making it extra tender.
In a small container, whisk together marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag, turn to coat & refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove chicken from marinade; shake off any excess & discard. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet.
Bake, uncovered for 45-55 minutes or until no longer pink inside when tested.
Today, March 28, was the birth date of my Mother. She passed away in 1978 at the age of sixty. Although 38 years have passed, it seems like it was only yesterday. She was truly an ‘Angel on Earth’, never to be forgotten by her family or by the people who’s lives she touched.
I have so many memories of her wonderful cooking and baking. In her honor today I decided to post a German Poppy Seed Coffee Cake.
Poppy seed has long been a popular ingredient in German and Austrian baked goods. Once again, as in the case of Easter bread, there are a great variety of versions. What always seemed to stick in my memory was that my mother’s poppy seed filling was never dry. It was almost as if the poppy seeds were in a vanilla pudding. If my memory serves me correct, she made it like a jelly roll.
Today I’m trying to re-create that ‘pudding filling’ and use it in a Bundt cake.
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German Poppy Seed Coffee Cake
A tender sour cream coffee cake with a custard-like poppy seed filling.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine pudding powder, sugar, poppy seed & lemon zest with cold milk, stirring constantly until it begins to simmer.
Simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat.
CAKE
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.
Using a hand held mixer on medium speed, beat sugar, margarine & eggs, scraping bowl occasionally, for 2 minutes.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt & walnuts. Fold into wet ingredients alternately with sour cream.
Spread half of the cake batter in Bundt pan, pushing it slightly up the sides of pan.
Spoon poppy/pudding mixture over cake batter.
Gently spread remaining cake batter on top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tests done. Remove from oven, place a wire cooling rack over pan. Invert & remove pan.
Serve with a dollop of Greek French Vanilla yogurt if desired or dust with icing sugar.
With Easter right around the corner I couldn’t pass up the chance to once again try to create ‘the taste of a memory’.
It seems that every country as well as anyone who enjoys to make bread has their own version of ‘Easter Bread’. My mother’s Easter bread was baked in coffee cans, a beautiful yellow color and slightly sweet. As the saying goes, it was ‘to die for’. Somehow my sister and I can’t remember it having fruit or special flavorings but it was almost ‘cake like’ in taste and texture.
With my Easter ‘braid’, I’ve tried to capture that same texture as well as making some additions of citrus peel and flavorings. Not quite as memorable as my mother’s but a good second. Hopefully you will enjoy trying it.
Have a wonderful Easter!
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Easter Bread
The pairing of anise with citrus gives this bread such a pleasant flavor.
In a large bowl, warm water in microwave to lukewarm.
Whisk in yeast & sugar; let stand about 10 minutes.
With an electric mixer, beat together 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, oil, anise extract, lemon zest, lemon extract, salt & anise seed.
Combine egg mixture, melted butter & milk with yeast mixture.
In another bowl, combine 4 cups flour with mixed peel & add 1 cup at a time to wet mixture. Stir well after each addition.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface & knead until smooth & elastic, about 5-6 minutes, adding remaining 1/2 cup flour if necessary.
Coat a large bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl & turn to coat.
Cover with plastic wrap & set in a warm place to rise until it doubles in bulk.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently punch down dough & divide in half.
Divide each portion into 3 ropes. Braid ropes to form loaves & let rise until doubled in size.
If you prefer, you can brush with a little bit of beaten egg white.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Bake until golden, about 40 minutes.
If you choose to ice braids, cool completely before doing so.
When I was 2 and my older sister was 6, my parents made a move to a farming community in southern Alberta. The farm my parents were able to purchase had been neglected for many years and took strong commitment and perseverance to renew the land and dwellings. The morning after we arrived, we had our first snow storm, which caught us without any coal. Fortunately my father was able to get some for our winter use. Soon after, Dad made a trip back to our old homestead. He drove the tractor pulling the combine all the way to our new farm with only one stopover in a city half way in between, a distance
of 231 km (144 miles).
One of my mother’s brother’s had gone ahead driving a grain truck loaded with what furniture and possessions my folks were trying to move. Along the way, being the truck was not covered, the metal lid flew off Mom’s flour storage container. Another traveler came upon it lying at the side of the road and stopped and hung it on a fence post. When my father making his long journey on the tractor came by and recognized the lid, picked it up and brought it the rest of the way home.
In the spring, my folks had to burn weeds and brush from 8-10′ (2-3 m) high in order to find a suitable area to plant a vegetable garden. ‘Mixed’ farming was truly a necessity as success was totally dependent on ‘Mother Nature’ when it came to grain crops.
Cattle, pigs and chickens all came into the equation, meaning my parents never had any part of the year that could be a bit more relaxed. As a teenager, I never realized what a special privilege growing up as a farmer’s daughter really was. Coming home on the school bus and having to do ‘chores’ seemed so boring as opposed to being able to spend after school hours with your friends. As I look back on those times now, it all comes clear as to how treasured and valuable those life lessons were.
My parents farmed until 1974 when they retired. They have since both passed away leaving my three sisters, one brother and I with many treasured memories.
I remember my mother making this orange bread loaf. I thought it was so unique because it used the fresh orange zest. The flavor was so distinct along with the bread being wonderfully moist. This recipe was one that has remained with me over the years, long after I had left my parents home. One year, on a holiday in Hawaii the restaurant we were at was serving orange loaf made into french toast complimented with a strawberry compote. I brought the idea home with me and used it numerous times over the years in my food service career. This year my husband and I enjoyed it on Valentines Day, but I’m sure you will find it great anytime.
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Orange Bread French Toast with Strawberry Compote
Flavorful orange bread loaf with strawberry compote topping.
Peel oranges thinly and finely chop rind (zest).
Boil with sugar and water for 10 minutes; cool
Add egg and margarine
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder
Add flour mixture alternately with milk
Pour into buttered 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan
Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until bread tests done.
French Toast
In a shallow bowl, beat eggs; whisk in the milk, salt and spices.
Soak the slices of orange bread for 30 seconds on each side.
Cook on hot greased griddle until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
Strawberry Compote
Rinse, hull and slice strawberries.
Zest and juice lemon.
In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, water and corn starch.
Add strawberries, mixing gently while bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, cool slightly.
Serve with French toast. Top with French Vanilla Yogurt if desired.
