Honey Rhubarb Sweethearts

Honey Rhubarb Sweetheart

My Aunt Maddy (on my mother’s side) presented me with an oblong Tupperware container as a wedding shower gift. 

It contained two different kinds of screwdrivers, a hammer, a small crowbar, and written instructions to “hide it from my husband.”

She emphasized the importance of having my own tools.

By the end of the year, my husband borrowed from the kit; after a while, he stopped returning them. 

Today, I needed a hammer to bang a broken farmer’s market display back together.  It wasn’t where I stored it at the end of the season.

I found a mallet under the thick layer of sawdust on his workbench.  In all probability – all the “good tools” have migrated over to the to the farm and will not be coming back.

A few well-placed whacks put the cheese case back together.

I bought a hammer and a roll of duck tape the following day, and added them to the plastic box where they belong.

Aunt Maddy was right. Rest in Peace.

This rhubarb drink recipe has a refreshing sweet/sour flavor – and is perfect for sitting out on the porch in the evening, taking it all in.  

Honey Rhubarb Sweethearts

Makes ¾-1 cup of syrup

Syrup Base:

½ lb. of Fresh Rhubarb, roughly chopped

½ Cup Water

3-4 Large Sprigs of Mint

½ Cup Honey

Zest of Lemon

Zest of Lime

Zest of Orange

Equipment: Strainer, saucepan

Combine water, mint, and rhubarb in pan.  Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. 

Turn off burner, stir in zest and honey.  Let cool.

Strain into a bowl, stirring with a spatula to get as much liquid and pulp through as possible.  Discard solids (I fed mine to the chickens).

Rhubarb Syrup

Chill and store under refrigeration.

Syrup can be added to lemonade, or enjoyed over waffles and pancakes.

Sweethearts for Two

Sweethearts

Serves 2

3 Shots Rhubarb Syrup (6 oz.)

1 Lemon, juiced

1 Lime, juiced

1 Orange, juiced

1 Shot White Tequila (2 oz.)

½ Shot Cointreau (1 oz.)

½ Cup of Ice Cubes

Mint Sprigs for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and give it a go.  Strain into glasses and garnish with mint.

If too sugary, add a squeeze of lemon to bring the tartness into balance. 

Enjoy!

Things are Better, Thanks

It's been a while since I've posted weekly, but I x-d my 20-year gig at a local paper and wasn't feeling it anymore.  But, life builds up - and all the real storytellers (like me) have to find a way to let them out.

So, I'm feeling more myself than I have been in the past 6 months, and hope to bore regale you more frequently in the very near future:)

Clearing the Dashboard: First Quarter 2013

Candied Bacon Photobomb

You know the drill - photos are taken, and then no words come out.  Here's what's been hanging around my computer screen.

Downy Woodpecker

Two females and two males frequented the suet cakes and seed feeders all winter.

MikeMike

 MikeMike continues to race around the house like mad.

Grumpy Max

Yes, my very own grumpy cat!  And he's sleeping with a weapon as a pillow... (backs slowly away)

Quick and Easy: Buttermilk Cheese

Homemade Buttermilk Cheese

You know that time when you brought home a quart of buttermilk from the supermarket thinking how awesome it would be to have pancakes for breakfast?

Weeks later, there are still no pancakes and the expiration date on the carton was days ago.

There’s something you can make quickly with that buttermilk: boursin-style cheese.

It takes that no special equipment or ingredients, and the whey can be used for breadmaking.  Whey also freezes well, in case it’s going to be a while before finding the time to bake.

*Have a pint or less of cultured buttermilk left?  Add milk or cream to the container and leave out on the counter for 12-24 hours.  The buttermilk will re-culture. 

Finished cheese rolled in Herbs de Provence

Buttermilk Cheese

Serves 4, about 5 ounces

Adapted from a recipe published at urbancheesecraft.com

Ingredients:

1 qt. Cultured Buttermilk

Salt

Dried Herbs (I used Herbs de Provence)

Cracked Black Pepper (optional)

Equipment:

Shallow baking dish, coffee filter, strainer, bowl

Allow buttermilk to come to room temperature; place baking dish in cold oven and add buttermilk. 

Set temperature at 375f for 25-30 minutes, or until curds cleanly separate from whey.

 

Curds and Whey

Ladle contents into the filter-lined strainer set over the bowl.  Strainer should not touch the whey.

Cheese Curds Draining

Let drain 40 minutes, stir curds once, and place in refrigerator to continue draining for the next 24 hours.

Salt to taste, add a few cracks of pepper if desired, and knead into a round shape.

Both the texture and flavor will change with salting.  

Roll in fresh or dried herbs. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to let the flavors come together.

 

Delicious Homemade Cheese and Gluten-Free Bread

Finished cheese should not be “sqeaky”– if it is, add a bit more salt.

Crockpot Beef Shanks

Crockpot Beef

Two kitchen appliances made lasting impressions on my wee self.

The first was the toaster.

Specifically: an unending parade of ten-dollar bread-browners that burst into flames after a few months of use.  

There may have been some ‘cajiggling’ with a butterknife going on – but, whatcha gonna do?

After the spring lever stopped ejecting pastries and the degree of doneness became ‘best guess before incineration’, we adjusted our expectations and made do until it became a fire hazard.

(Smoke and flames! No ten-year-old forgets that.)

I remember our first crockpot, for similar reasons. 

Back in the ‘70’s, slow cookers were one-piece and came with two warnings: Do not immerse in water.  Do not touch the sides.

Eventually, they followed the path of the toasters - either boiling away at full speed and scorching the contents, or taking two full days to finish a stew.   

At least it was easy to clean (dishwasher’s confession).

Don’t get me wrong; I use the most modern incarnations of each regularly.

 Tender Vegetables from the Crockpot

“Crocking’ creates a rich, moist, comfort meal that tastes like I spent hours over the stove. 

And there is no substitute for properly toasted bread to eat with it.

Beef Marrow

Crockpot Beef Shanks

4 lbs. Beef Shanks (about 3)

1 ½ lbs. Carrots, peeled

2 lbs. White Potatoes, halved

1 Large Red Onion, diced

1 Head Garlic, minced

1 qt. Beef Stock (preferably homemade)

Cracked Black Pepper

Salt

Equipment: 8-qt. Crockpot

Set Crockpot to lowest setting.

Salt and pepper shanks on both sides. 

Layer onions, beef, and garlic.

Crockpot Recipe

Cut carrots to fit and crowd vegetables into every open space, until the crock is full.  

Add stock.

Cover crock and let cook until meat is fall-apart tender, 5 - 6 hours later.

Adjust for salt.

Crockpot Beef Shanks with Potatoes and Carrots