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Archive for July, 2011

Rhubarb Cobbler

Posted in cobbler, fruit, tagged , on July 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

fresh rhubarb cobbler

I grew up in the mid-west where we enjoyed rhubarb-strawberry pie and preserves.  I enjoyed but never had the thought to make it. Then I saw an entry on the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog and thought, hey that would be great to make.  I admit, her photo is much more appetizing which probably added to the appeal.

So I started looking for rhubarb, not very hard, but it was in the back of my mind.  I had looked at a few local stores and didn’t see it. And even inquired at one and was told they don’t usually get rhubarb. We visited a farm in Somis yesterday and they sold rhubarb – so I had to buy it. As I paid, I found out that it doesn’t grow well in California.  But apparently it’s practically a weed in the Midwest. Explains a lot.

I made a few adjustments due to the ingredients I had on hand and a few more suggestions for next time. Click here for the original recipe and beautiful photos.:

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Chopped Rhubarb (Next time I would up this to about 6 cups or half the topping)
  • 1-1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional – but really added to the flavor)
  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour (the recipe suggested all purpose flour)
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 cup Butter (the recipe suggests splitting this half shortening/butter – but I ran out of my soy-free shortening)
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 whole Egg

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and almond extract if using. Stir and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Stir together. Pulse with butter (cut up into small pieces).

Beat egg and milk together. Pour into flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined.

Pour rhubarb into a buttered baking dish. Tear off pinches of dough and drop it onto the surface of the fruit, creating a “cobbled” texture. Sprinkle additional sugar over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

everyone declared it a success, even the ones who had never eaten rhubarb

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Posted in Bread, chocolate, tagged , , on July 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

chocolate chip zucchini bread

I’ve been in the habit of making the same ol’ thing often.  Banana mini muffins have been very popular with the preschool crowd.  I have baked a few new things – but enjoyed them so much that I forgot to take a photo.  Like the blueberry cake, the banana coconut crumb cake and the blackberry muffins.

I was able to get my husband to capture a photo of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.  We’re harvesting really large zucchinis.  And we’ve been sharing them with friends.  My friend Jennie offered up a moist zucchini bread recipe with chocolate chips.  Not surprisingly her kids can’t say no to it.  Besides that it tastes great, it is low in oil/fat and it contains everyday ingredients that I almost always have in the pantry. I typically bake bread recipes in mini-loaf pans.  It helps with the portion control and bakes faster.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread  |  YIELD: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice) or 24 servings (1 slice) from 4 mini-loaves

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
  • Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
  • Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or four mini-loaf pans coated with cooking spray . Bake at 350° for 1 hour or (approximately 30 minutes for mini-loaves) until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Delicious!  And in case you don’t believe me about the big zucchinis…

My daughter is only 2.5 years old and small for her age, but this is REALLY big!

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