We have gigantic rhubarb growing in the side yard.  For most of the spring a wheel barrel was lying over top of it.  That definitely didn’t slow it down, now there is more than I could ever use. So here is my first use, Rhubarb Crumble Muffins.  Next time I will add some strawberries or raspberries to the batter.  I almost did that for this batch but thought I would give the rhubarb a chance to be the star for this one.  Unfortunately it wasn’t.  Don’t get me wrong the muffins are delicious. The rhubarb just didn’t really stand out for me.  The batter is nice and light and who doesn’t love crumble.

I was very sceptical of only adding 2 tbsp of fat to the muffin mixture.  Honestly, I really couldn’t tell.  They are absolutely a low-fat muffin and for a large portion they come in at only 210 calories.  I was pretty impressed!  I plan on packing them in out lunches for the week and hopefully I’ll make another batch on the weekend and try a strawberry-rhubarb version.

Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

Ingredients

FOR THE MUFFIN MIX

• ¾ cups sugar
• 1 ¼ cup rhubarb, small dice
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

FOR THE CRUMBLE

• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 390F.  Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.  Stir together sugar and rhubarb and set aside while you make the crumble topping.
2. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon.  Then rub in the butter until clumpy.  You can use a fork or your fingers work well also.
3. Stir the oil, egg, vanilla and buttermilk into the sugary rhubarb.  Now, add the flour, baking powder and baking soda and stir well.
4. Spoon into the cases, the scatter each with a thick layer of crumble mixture.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.

TIP:  If you don’t have buttermilk on had put 1 tbsp of vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup and top-up with milk.  Let rest of 3-5 minutes then use the amount require in the recipe.

SUBSTITUTIONS:  You can use a mix of fruit to go along with your rhubarb.  Just make sure that the total amount of fruit doesn’t exceed 1 ¼ cups.  Some possibilities are strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

ENJOY!

Tuscan Chopped Salad

I’m going to be completely honest with all of you, lately I just haven’t been in a good cooking space.  I know, it’s scary!  But don’t worry too much because I have figured it out.  For a couple of months I was trying to watch my spending be a little more tight with my money.  One of the first things that I stopped buying was cooking magazines.  I guess I get a lot of inspiration from looking at hundreds of recipes and reading the magazines word for word from front to back, sometimes several times through. 

I figured this out one evening this week when I took out a stack of old magazines that were kicking around.  All of these ideas started flowing and I felt like my old self again.  What does all of this mean?  Go to Chapters and buy all of the magazines I can!  Well 3 of them to be exact.  With the official start of summer just around the corner all of the magazines are BBQ/summer inspired.  So that’s what you’re going to get for the next little while.  I spent last night doing my first and second scans through each magazine and there are a ton of recipes I want make so you’re all in luck.

Here’s the first one, Tuscan Chopped Salad.  Served with a nice lite piece of grilled fish this would make a perfect summer meal.  I think it would work perfectly as a lunch all on its own.  The bread and cheese turn this into a great meal salad.  I thought it was great and I plan to bring it to my next family BBQ.  I hope you try it soon.

Tuscan Chopped Salad

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 slices of multi-grain or focaccia bread
• Olive oil
• ½ red pepper
• ½ English cucumber
• 1 container mini bocconcini mozzarella
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halfed
• ¼ cup sliced oil packed sundried tomatoes
• ¼ cup snipped chives
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp capers
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp hot red chilli flakes
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F.  Brush both sides of bread with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  Spread out on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 5 minutes, stirring half way. 
2. Slice peppers and cucumbers in to bit size pieces.  Place in a large bowl, add bread, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and chives.
3. Whisk remaining ingredients together in a  small bowl.  Season with fresh pepper. 
4. Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad and toss to mix.
5. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate up to 1 day. 
6. Add remaining dressing before serving.

ENJOY!

Better Than Crack Brownies

These brownies are for the hubby and the ladies at hockey.  The recipe might seem like a lot of work but it is well worth it!  And to be honest it didn’t seem all that bad once I got going.  The recipe also makes a ton of brownies so you can make a batch and get some for home and for someone else.

I’ve added two recipes, one is for the most sinful brownie you’ll ever eat.  The other is for a standard brownie you can use for the Crack Brownies.  Honestly feel free to use a box mix, it will help to shorten up your baking time.  I used the oooey gooey fudgey brownie recipe mostly because I didn’t have  a box mix and all of the ingredients were kicking around.

Better Then Crack Brownies

Yield - 24 Brownies

Ingredients

• 1 Batch of Brownies (box mix, oooey gooey fudgey brownies from below)
• ½ cup Peanuts (salted or unsalted)
• 1 cups Chopped Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
• 1 ½ cup Chocolate Chips
• 1 ½ cup Peanut Butter (I used creamy)
• ½ tbsp Butter
• ½ cups Rice Krispies
• ½ cup Skor bits

Directions

1.      Mix brownies according to recipe.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until almost done in a 9x13 pan.

2.     Remove from oven and top with peanuts and Reece's peanut butter cups, then bake for another 4-6 minutes.

3.     While they are finishing baking, melt the butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips together.  Stir in the Rice Krispies.  

4.     Remove the brownies from the oven and top with the cereal mixture.

5.     Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Ooey Goooey Fudgy Brownies

Yield - 24 Brownies

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, unsalted
• ½ cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips or bakers chocolate
• 2 cups Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips
• 2 cups Mini Marshmallows

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350.

2.     Melt butter and 1/2 cup chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

3.     Pour the melted mixture into the bowl of your kitchen aid.  Cream the mixture for 2 minutes.

4.     Add in the sugar and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes.

5.     Add in eggs one at a time.  Add flour just until combine.

6.     Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows.

7.      Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until just done.

8.     Continue with the Better Than Crack recipe from above, or eat plain.

ENJOY!

Bro's Brownies

I’ve made these brownies a few times and brought them to BBQ’s or given them to friends.  They are always a big hit!  I was trying to come up with something to bring to my little bro’s B-Day dinner tonight and I wanted to make sure it would be something that he liked.  That can be a little tricky at times, it does get easier as he gets older but you can never go wrong with a brownie. 

The recipe comes together quickly and easily.  You can also switch up some of the ingredients and get a different flavour every time.  I’ve made these with chocolate chips instead of the butterscotch chips for a double chocolate chip brownie or add peanut butter chips for a chocolate peanut butter brownie.  As I was going through my baking cupboard I noticed some Skor bits, which would also be a great addition to the recipe.  You could add about ½ cup with the marshmallows.

Since there was cake for the party today not everyone had a brownie, but my dad and brother were happy to have the leftovers.  The hubby was disappointed when I told him I didn’t keep any at home for us, so I promised to make another batch.  Keep reading the next post to see what I came up with for him.

Disappearing Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2.       Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butterscotch chips and butter together in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3.       In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the melted butterscotch chips, then the flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth. Stir in the marshmallows and chocolate chips last. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.

4.       Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven. Cool, and cut  into squares.

ENJOY!