Rhubarb Jellies

A well established rhubarb crap can be daunting to some but exciting to others.  Right now ours are not too big and very easy for us to use up.  When I visited my Uncle's house recently he had plenty to spare and he kindly shared some with us.
There are so many things I enjoy doing with rhubarb, from muffins, to cakes and stewing it but I felt like trying something new.  I looked online and came across a rhubarb special from Chatelaine magazine and the Rhubarb Jellies recipe jumped out at me.  I love jellies and I had everything I needed on hand so I got to work.
These jellies are so easy to make and have a very impressive taste.  They are best fresh but fine kept in the fridge for a couple of days.  When you are slicing them, I suggest small slices because they are sweet and in my opinion it is better to grab a couple than have one that is too big for you to finish.
*These are what Europeans consider to be jellies, but most North Americans would probably call them gummies.

Rhubarb Jellies

1 1/4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 tbsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup granulated sugar

42.5 mL liquid pectin (half a package)

2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting

1. Oil an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a heavy bottom pan, combine the rhubarb, water and lemon juice.  Heat on medium-high until the rhubarb is tender.
3. Transfer the mix into a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Return to the heavy bottomed pot and stir in 1 cup of sugar.  Boil until a candy thermometer reaches 210 (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Stir in liquid pectin and boil for another 2 minutes.
6. Poor into the loaf pan and allow to cool and firm (about an hour).
7. Flip out onto a cutting board and cut into small pieces.  Dust the pieces with sugar.

Zucchini Oatmeal Spice Muffins

If you have looked through my blog, you will see I make a lot of muffins.  I find muffins to be a wonderful snack to have on hand.  I will often make a double or a triple batch so I can have some in the freezer to pull out as I need them.  Muffins are easy to grab as you are about to head out the door.  They are great for little ones to much on in the stroller.
Here is a lovely muffin recipe to use up zucchinis.  I will often add extra cinnamon, raisins and pecans.  I used a giant one and scraped out the seeds.

Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flax seeds

1/3 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oats

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup mlk

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded zucchini

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 pecans

1. Combine the first eight ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Make sure they are well blended together.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients.
3. Pour the wet into the dry and stir until just blended.
4. Fold in the zucchini, raisins and pecans.
5. Bake at 400 for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

I guess this is my first zucchini post of the summer and I am sure it will be my first of many.  This year we have 4 plants in the garden.  I know you are probably thinking why on earth would you plant that many zucchini plants? We tend to have a bit of a problem with slugs in our garden so I always have to plant more than I think I will need so I can hope to have one or two plants survive.  If our garden was at our home, it would be a lot easier to deal with these pest but right now life is busy and we only get out to the garden once or twice a week.
My new vice is Pinterest and it is a great way to find new recipes (and waste time while your at it).  This is one I came across a while ago and decided to save it for the summer.  I think it is a perfect recipe to have in the summer, especially if you have corn and zucchini in your garden.  It does not take long to prepare and tastes wonderful.  It is one I will keep on hand to use in the future and use whatever I happen to have on hand in the fridge.

Corn and Zucchini Saute

1 medium zucchini, halved and cut into thin slices

corn cut off 3 ears of corn

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 cup torn basil leaves

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok.
2. Saute the onion until it is translucent.
3. Add the zucchini slices and garlic.  Toss around in the pan for a couple of minutes, until the zucchini is bright green.
4. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper.  Stir the vegetables until the corn is heated.
5. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar and basil before serving.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have not mastered the art of making the perfect amount of rice to feed our family.  I usually make too much and have leftovers of rice but not what I was serving with it.  I don't like to eat day old, reheated rice so our dog will often get it.
Tonight I decided to try and turn the leftover rice in the fridge into a rice pudding for dessert.  It was easy enough to make and we all enjoyed it.  The only one who I am sure will be disappointed about me using this recipe more frequently is our dog.

Creamy Rice Pudding

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 cups milk divided

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/3 white sugar

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp butter

cinnamon to garnish

1. In a saucepan combine the rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk and the salt.  Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is thick and creamy.  It should take about 15-20 minutes
2. Whisk together the egg, sugar and the remaining milk.  Pour it into the rice mixture and add the raisins if you are using them.  Stir the mixture continually until the egg has set (about 3 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.  

Blackberry Muffins

The fruit is ready early this year so not only are we frantically try to use up the berries from last year so we have room for this years lot! I find muffins so handy so I am turning most of the berries into muffins.  We love muffins in our house and I think they are the perfect gift for families with little ones.
These moist muffins are marvellous! I love how flavours of the cinnamon and blackberries blend so well together.  If you want to add a little extra sweetness to the muffins you could sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.  This recipe would go well with any berries you have if you don't have blackberries at your disposal.

Blackberry Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 rolled oats

1/4 flax seed

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt 

1 tbsp milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 cups blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Combine the flour, oats, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Whisk together the melted butter, yogurt, milk, vanilla sugar and eggs together.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir until just blended.  Fold in the blackberries.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Balsamic Dijon Chicken Marinade

Now that the days are getting longer, it is the perfect time to have a couple of friends over for a barbecue.  Tonight we had a great time with some friends and their kids.  I hope we can have many more nights like tonight this summer.  The kids were great, the company was great and the food turned out well.
I wanted a simple marinade to use on some chicken that would work well with grilled vegetables.  After looking at a couple of recipes I borrowed a couple of ideas and came up with a hybrid of a few. I marinated the chicken overnight and the flavours turned out wonderful.

2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Red Current Oatmeal Muffins

With the berry season nearing we are frantically trying to use up all of last year's berries from the freezer before we start picking this year's crop.  Judging by how the bushes look this year, I think there will be lots.  We still have lots of red currents in the freezer so I have decided to focus on finding recipes to use them in.
I have always loved muffins and with two young kids I have come to love them more.  They are so easy to eat while you are busy and my little ones like them too.
This recipe is very easy to make and the end result is delicious.

Red Current Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/4 cup quick oats

1 cup flour

1/3 sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup red currents

1. Preheat the oven to 425 and either grease the muffin tins or put in paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients together.  Make sure they are well mixed before making a well in the middle of the ingredients.
3. Whisk together the milk, egg and oil.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.  Fold in the currents.
5. Fill. the muffin tins 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.