Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! I am excited to see that some of my Gardens are growing. Rhubarb is up and it won't be long before I can make my first dessert with that. Raspberry bushes are growing and strawberries are starting to come up and the first asparagus is peeking through. More of that to come. I can't wait to have my first asparagus omelette..

Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
4 C rhubarb, chopped
1 box of "red" gelatin (raspberry, cherry, or strawberry)
1/2 granulated sugar
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 C flour
3/4 C old fashioned oats
1/2 butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine chopped rhubarb, gelatin, and white sugar in a bowl and toss to coat.
• Combine in a separate bowl, the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
• In a greased 8x8 baking dish, scoop in half of the oats mixture and press in to the bottom of the dish.
• Spread rhubarb mixture evenly over the crust.
• Crumb remaining oats mixture over the top of the rhubarb.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

Make It Monday: Slow Cooker Strawberry Rhurbarb Compote

This is so tasty served on top of pancakes and waffles or ice cream. Do some food preservation and can your compote so that you can enjoy it year round.

Slow Cooker Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
4 C strawberries
4 C rhubarb, chopped
1 pkg strawberry jello
1/2 C sugar
1 C orange juice

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a 6Qt. slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Using a potato masker or hand blender, puree the ingredients to your desired compote consistency. Freeze or can any compote you will not use within a week. Enjoy!

Make It Monday: Berry Good Rhubarb Sauce

This is so delicious, you are going to want to make more than one batch so that you can freeze or can some to have other times of the year!

Berry Good Rhubarb Sauce
4 C rhubarb, chopped
2 C berries (I used Very Cherry Berry blend from Trader Joe's)
1 1/4 C sugar
1 T Triple Sec
1 T water

Directions: 
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Taste great on it's own, over vanilla ice cream or on pancake or waffles. Enjoy!

Make It Monday: Apple Rhubarb Jam

Apple Rhubarb Jam
3 C apples, cored (3-4 med apples)
3 C rhubarb
2 C white sugar
1/2 C water
2 T red hot candies
2 oz pectin

Directions:

• Process apples and rhubarb in a food processor until mostly smooth
• In a large saucepan, bring to a boil the apples, rhubarb, sugar, water and candies then cook over medium heat for 20 minutes
• Stir in pectin and boil for 5 minutes
• Scoop in to hot jars and seal with lids and jars. Process in a hot bath for 10 minutes.
• Store unopened jars in a cool dark spot, refrigerate opened jars.

Make It Monday: Rhubarb Dream Bars

This recipe came from my mom. Not sure where she got it or if she came up with it herself. Maybe she will post on here the origins. Regardless, this is a family favorite. Actually, most people who enjoy rhubarb love these bars - what's not to love when you see how much sugar and butter is in these!

Rhubarb Dream Bars


Crust:
2C all-purpose flour
3/4 C powdered sugar
1 C butter

Filling:
4 large eggs
2 C granulated sugar (if you want to make it pink/strawberry use a packet of jello & add sugar to make 2 C)
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 C rhubarb, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour & sugar, Cut in butter until crumbly. Press in the bottom of a jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
In the meantime, blend eggs, sugar (& jello), flour & salt. Fold in rhubarb
Spread over baked crust. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool. Drizzle with icing (if desired - looks prettier!) Cut into squares.

Make-It Monday: Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

3 C Strawberries
2 C Rhubarb (sliced)
7 C sugar
1/3 C (or 1 box) of Fruit Pectin

Instructions

• Let jars, rims and lids stand in hot water until they are ready to be filled.
• Measure the Strawberries and Rhubarb into a 6-8qt saucepan.
• Stir pectin into fruit.
• Bring to a rolling boil.
• 

  Using a blender wand or hand masher break up the rhubarb.
• Add sugar.
• Return to a full boil and boil 1 minute. (It will increase in size.)
• After 1 minute of boiling, remove from heat and immediately ladle into jars leaving space of 1/8" at the top.
• Put rims and seals on jar and tighten as much as possible.
• Invert jars for 5 minutes then turn upright.
• Let sit for 24 hours before serving.