I was delighted to find some late season rhubarb at the farmer’s market this past weekend. I’ve been pining for Rhubarb Crunch. It’s late enough in the season so I added some apple to the dessert to celebrate fall. This actually was the first rhubarb of the year because I totally missed rhubarb last spring. In fact, we missed the farmer’s market. We heard it was going to move but not where. In May, a facebook page celebrating the move came through my feed – but the farmer’s market was not on the highway where it was supposed to be. Then one Saturday morning I happened to drive through the mall parking lot. And there was the farmer’s market on the OTHER side of the mall from where it was last year. The fb page? Turns out it was the same city name -- but in a different ... [Read More]
desserts
Lemon Cookies with white chocolate chips
A light lemon flavor combined with creamy white chocolate and a crisp chewy texture, Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate Chips are a study in contrast and complements. Compliments too, because that’s what you’ll get when you make them!! I’ve mentioned before that I don’t own or use a lot of kitchen specialty tools. I’m a quick and easy cook, as a general rule, so my tools have to fit into the very useful category before I pull them out. And they have to fit in the kitchen drawers. A pastry cutter for cutting shortening/butter into flour was the only “special and limited use” thing for a long time. It was joined by a good digital thermometer a few of years ago that has vastly improved meats served here. Then a cookie scoop wandered in on a sort of whim and was found to be incredibly ... [Read More]
Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars
I love rhubarb, especially in the spring. Put it atop a creamy cheesecake with a nutty crust --- mmmm. Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars – heavenly. So good you won’t want to stop eating until it’s all gone. One pound of rhubarb makes 3 cups of sliced rhubarb. The redder the color of the rhubarb, the sweeter the taste. So I hear. To me, it’s all relative and all tart! In fact rhubarb is one of the few tart things I do like. By the way, it is not a fruit. It’s considered a vegetable and is also sometimes classified as an herb. And the big green leafy top is poisonous so be sure to trim and discard it if you are harvesting directly from the garden. Place stems in plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Rhubarb will keep 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. To prepare, ... [Read More]
Cowboy Cookies
Bytes and some of his cousins met for a workday last week. Big guys and big jobs deserved big cookies. Cowboy cookies are big in size – four inches across on average. And they are big in flavor with three kinds of chips, pecans, coconut, butter, oatmeal and corn flakes. It’s like the cook used all the good stuff in the chuck wagon. Toasting the pecans is optional, but they do have a deeper flavor if you take the time to put them in a small skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant. Takes about 3-5 minutes and you can gather ingredients at the same time as long as you remember to give the skillet a shake or three. They’ll cool while you make the cookies. I thought I had peanut butter chips in the pantry, but when I was ready to bake, it turned out they were ... [Read More]
Loaded Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Meet the birthday Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Chocolate Ganache! ‘Tis birthday season at our house. Bytes has a birthday at the end of March and Bytes Big Brother (the short one) has his birthday in the first half of April. They had the same due date, too – neither one was on time! Birthday celebrations are a little more challenging since they outgrew the pirate and Star Wars themes – although new Star Wars movies are still a big priority! Celebrations are an important part of life. But birthday cakes or themes don’t have to be the star of the day. The Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake with Chocolate Ganache is a perfect celebration in a pan. This recipe goes together just like a chocolate chip cookie. It has wonderful flavor – not too sweet – and a nice smooth ... [Read More]
The Ultimate No Bake Cheesecake
The Ultimate no Bake Cheesecake started out in January to be a St. Patrick’s Day post. Cheesecake with a St. Paddy twist. Sounds good, right? Wrong. Total. Fail. Forget St. Patrick’s Day – this was personal now! Never one to back away from a challenge, I stirred my way through many cheesecakes searching for THE recipe that tasted great, looked good and came out the same every. single.time. Strangely, my taste testers never complained. They just urged me to keep trying. But that team effort paid off. I created a wonderful baked cheesecake – coming soon. And then this no bake winner! The Ultimate No Bake Cheesecake! This is a soft cheesecake. Meaning, the cheesecake holds its shape well, but does not have the fork firmness especially associated with baked cheesecake. ... [Read More]
