Rhubarb- Muffins, Stewed,and Fooled.

Our garden here isn't great - poor soil and sloped - and we don't have a lot of luck. Potatos have never grown, or onions. Carrots do ok. A few years ago we tried kale and it went bonkers.

 Two things that grow well though, are our herbs (the chives, mint and oregano come back year after year) and the rhubarb. 

This year has been a banner year for the rhubarb. Pretty much the second the sun came out the plant just exploded with lovely red stems. I cut what felt like a ton of stalks off the plant last weekend to do some cooking. 

 First I made an old standby - Stewed Rhubarb. I decided to follow a different recipe instead of my usual. Big mistake. The recipe called for 1 cup of sugar and against my better judgement I put in the whole cup. It looked and smelled gorgeous, but when I tasted it, it was just too sweet. 

I figured I could buy some plain yogurt and mix it into that for breakfasts, but then I decided on a more decadent treat - Rhubarb Fool. 

Unlike the Rhubarb Strawberry Fool I made years and years ago for a Weekend Cookbook Challenge which also had sour cream and brown sugar, this one had just 2 ingredient. Stewed rhubarb and freshly whipped cream. It was good.

And to use up a bit more rhubarb, I made a batch of Rhubarb Muffins from the Canadian Living website.

They were really good.  The crunchy strusel like topping added just enough sweetness.  I should probably make another batch.....

Recipe Rhubarb Muffins

Paninis

I've had panini's on the brain lately.

 Made these ones from leftover rotisserie chicken with our trusty Foreman grill.

This is the kind of quick delicious meal that I need to remember to make more often. So good and easy, and the possibilities are endless.

 I made a chicken, cheddar and barbecue sauce one for my boy.

Like most food I give him, it was met with lukewarm enthusiasm. 

For the grownups, I made a masterpiece. 

Chicken, spinach, brie, and peach chutney. 

OMG. 

Stir Fried Pork in Lettuce Cups

I like to think that I eat a large variety of foods, but that's not totally true. 

 There is a lot of seafood that I don't like. Salmon, oysters, mussels, clams.  Tuna, unless it's mixed with mayo.

 I don't eat lamb, or goose or veal, or duck. 

 So when I found a Gordon Ramsay recipe for duck wraps, I thought it sounded great, as long as it wasn't made with duck.

Stir Fried Pork in Lettuce Cups

 altered from a Gordon Ramsay recipe

 1 head iceberg lettuce

 1 large pork tenderloin

 1/4 - 1/2 tsp roasted Szechuan pepper and salt, or salt and pepper mixed together

 1/2—1 tsp five-spice powder

 1 Tb oil

 1 cucumber

 2 green onions

 5—6 tbsp hoisin sauce

 For the lettuce cups, remove the outer layers from the lettuce until you get 6-8 nice lettuce "cups". 

Trim the pork and slice into thin strips. Toss the pork with the salt, pepper, 5 spice, and oil. 

Slice the onions thinly, and cut the cucumber into thin half moons, or small strips.

Heat at pan over medium high heat.  When hot, add the pork, and cook, stirring, until the pork is cooked through.  Stir in the green onions and hoisin sauce, and cook until  heated through.  

Spoon the pork mixture into the lettuce cups.  Top with the cucumber and serve.

Indian Tacos

Since the food channel rarely shows cooking shows anymore, my favorite shows to watch on the channel have become what we call "restaurant" shows - Diners Drive Ins and Dives, Eat Street, and You Gotta Eat Here - especially the last 2 since there are slim chances I may eat at one of the Canadian locations featured one day.

 I found this recipe on Food Network - Indian Tacos - and thought it would be a fun, different dinner. 

It was, and easy and delicious to boot. 

Indian Tacos