Cherry Berry Bars

If you ever find yourself with a mess of berries and cherries that need be consumed quickly, this recipe is your new best friend.

After buying more berries than my family could eat, I decided to cook them in a saucepan to make a compote to serve with yogurt or ice cream. When my oldest son started asking for a cherry pie, I improvised.

These dessert bars were delicious, with a dough that reminds me of shortbread. My kids put them in their school lunches and ate them for after school snacks. They disappeared from my kitchen in just a few days.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cherry Berry Bars
Inspired by this recipe from the Kitchn

7 to 8 cups of berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries) and cherries, hulled or pitted, and halved
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon water
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon course sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place berries, cherries and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until berries break down and release their juices, stirring frequently to avoid burning and lowering the flame if needed.

In a small bowl, mix corn starch with water until dissolved. Stir into berries. Continue to cook until berries thicken. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Insert the blade attachment on your food processor. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add egg yolks, almond extract and butter. Pulse in short intervals until dough comes together (about 1 minute). The dough will be crumbly and soft.

Transfer about 2/3 of the dough to the baking pan. Use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Spread the cherry mixture evenly over the dough.

Scoop tablespoons of the remaining dough into your hand and flatten them into an oval shape, then place on top of berry mixture. Repeat until you use all of the dough, evenly spacing the dough ovals on top of the fruit. The berries will not be completely covered.

Brush the dough pieces with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Bake until the dough is light brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Jack Fruit Three Ways

My youngest son Sam is on a mission to try a new fruit whenever possible.

This means picking something exotic from the produce section at our local grocery store and trying it out. Sam's quest is known by our regular cashier and the produce manager. They often give us tips and previews on what we'll find inside a small spiky orb or a giant bumpy-skinned melon.

Some of the delicacies we've tried this summer are:

Passion fruit.

Dragon fruit.

Prickly pear.

Rambutan.

And then there is the Jack Fruit. At just $2, this baby supplied us with enough fruit for more than a week. It took some work, but it was totally worth it.

If you're a vegetarian, you might eat jack fruit all the time, as the yellow bulbs inside this behemoth can be used as a meat substitute in tacos and many slow cooker dishes. The seeds are edible, too, if you cook them.

The fruit is somewhat firm and tastes like a cross between a mango and a peach.

We went online to learn how to open this baby and harvest the edible parts. This video from Instructables.com was pretty helpful. A note if you watch the video: Do not be deterred! Our jack fruit was not as sticky as predicted and we were able to pry it open with just a knife.

It took me, Sam and my husband about an hour to remove all the fruity pods and seeds from the tough shell. We tackled the job on our patio to make clean-up easier.

Cut the jack fruit in half, and then into quarters.

Once your jack fruit is in quarters, you can start peeling away the stringy white pulp to reveal the yellow pods.

The jack fruit.

Jack fruit seeds can be seasoned and cooked.

The aftermath of our work.

Jack Fruit Salad

Once your jack fruit is ready to use, you can dice it into a fruit salad with strawberries and some mint.

Jack Fruit Salsa

Jack fruit holds up really well in a salsa, adding a sweet note.

2 cups jack fruit, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
2-3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Chill or serve right away with tortilla chips.

Jack Fruit Fries

If you like sweet potato fries, you'll love this side.

2 cups jack fruit, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl, toss sliced jack fruit with the oil until the fruit is well coated. Spread jack fruit on a large cookie sheet, leaving space between each piece of fruit. You may need two cookie sheets depending on the size of your pans.

Roast for 10 minutes, then flip fruit pieces over with a spatula and bake for another 10 minutes or until fruit is crispy and browned.

Remove from oven and let cool. Add more salt if needed. Enjoy!

Watermelon Pizza

We had friends over for dinner last week. The moms and four girls went to the pool first. Between pool time and it being nearly 100 degrees out, my goal was to keep it easy and to turn up the heat as little possible in the kitchen. So, Jeff smoked a beautiful salmon. I threw together a salad and pulled out the pasta salad I'd made the night before. For dessert, I thought it would be fun for Lucy and Penny and their friends Hannah and Sophie to make the watermelon pizza I'd seen in my latest Good Housekeeping magazine.

Aren't they all adorbs?

From left to right: Penny, Hannah, Lucy and Sophie hard at work making watermelon pizzas.

The girls loved making their "pizzas," but didn't love eating them so much. The "sauce" — made of cream cheese, ricotta and honey — was weird and I tended to agree. But they liked the berries and the watermelon itself, of course. In the future, I'd turn this into a fruit salad, cutting the watermelon into bite-sized chunks and mixing in the berries and a little mint. I bet they'd gobble it up.

Still, it was fun to watch and a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen.

XOXO,
Amy

Watermelon Pizza
Adapted from Good Housekeeping

1 seedless watermelon, cut into four rounds
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons honey
Couple handfuls of coconut, toasted
Variety of berries of your choosing -- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Kiwi, optional but could serve as your "pepperoni"
1 bunch of mint, roughly chopped

Mix cream cheese, ricotta and honey together. Spread this "sauce" on your watermelon rounds. Next, sprinkle toasted coconut and top with berries and fruit. Sprinkle chopped mint.

Cut each round into quarters. Enjoy!

Blackberries and Pineapple with Basil Simple Syrup

I love a good fruit salad. But you know what's even better? Fancy fruit salad.

A couple weeks back, I was bringing fruit to my mom's night out, and I wanted to class things up a bit. An herbal simple syrup seemed like just the ticket, so I headed to the grocery store to pick up fruit (truth: I got whatever was on sale) and fresh herbs. Since it's spring (hurray!!), Trader Joe's had giant pots of basil and mint. I promptly bought one of each and texted Amy and Andrea to determine which I should use.

The vote was speedy and unanimous: basil. And it was absolutely the right choice.

Basil simple syrup was an unexpected but delicious twist on the standard fruit salad. Check out this gorgeous bowl of sunny pineapple, tender blackberries, and ribbons of basil glistening with a drizzle of basil simple syrup. Don't you want to dive right in there?

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Blackberries and Pineapple with Basil Simple Syrup

1 pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
20 ounces blackberries
1/4 cup (or to taste) basil simple syrup (recipe below)
1 tablespoon chopped basil for garnish, optional

Gently stir everything together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Basil Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup basil

Combine sugar, water, and basil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Allow syrup to cool for about 30 minutes. Strain syrup into a small container to discard basil. Press on the basil to make sure you extract all the good stuff from the herbs. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it. Yield: 1 cup simple syrup

Three Ways to Bake with Bananas

Ripe bananas are regular residents on my kitchen counter – and in my freezer – and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to put the fruit to work in our daily diets.

We love banana bread, but I wanted to jazz up our snack and breakfast routine, and find ways to add more fiber and vitamins to my boys' between-meal munchies.

So I've been recipe testing. I've hit on three yummy ways to turn those sweet bananas into something special – in the form of cookies, blondies and muffins.

My boys and their friends tried these treats and gave them a thumbs up. They're also approved by several moms and a few dads, too!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Oatmeal, Banana, Date & Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Inspired by this recipe from the Food Network.

Note: I made a few batches of these cookies. The kids didn't really like the original recipe (above). Adding banana and putting chocolate chunks on top made them a hit with the kiddos.

2 cups of rolled oats
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg
2 medium to large bananas
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 cup chocolate chunks or chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread oats on a baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn or mix once during cooking time. Transfer toasted oats to a bowl to cool. Wait until you taste the nutty flavor the toasted oats add to the cookies!

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Beat sugar and butter on medium high speed until the mixture is slightly fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add egg and vanilla and beat until very fluffy, about another 2 to 3 minutes. Add one banana and bet until fully combined. Set aside.

Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt to the mixing bowl with the oats. Whisk or stir to combine. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until just combined. Mash the second banana and stir it into the cookie dough with a wooden spoon. Add dates and 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips and mix by hand.

Drop level tablespoons of cookie dough on the baking sheet. Leave about 1 inch between cookies. (You should get 28 to 30 cookies out of this recipe.)

Top each cookie with 2 or 3 chocolate chunks.

Bake for about 12 minutes or just until cookies are a light golden color. Let cookies cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Chocolate-Bottom Banana Blondies
Inspired by this recipe from the New York Times.

Note: There seemed to be too many cookie crumbs and not enough butter the first time I made these blondies, so I tweaked the recipe a bit. I also left out the nuts because my boys won't eat them.

3 sticks unsalted butter, plus more to grease pan
2 1/2 to 3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (you can make your own in a food processor.)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-by-13 inch pan with parchment paper and grease with butter.

Melt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter in the microwave or in a saucepan.

In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups cookie crumbs, melted butter, light brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Process until the mixture is like damp sand. If the mixture is too wet, add the rest of the cookie crumbs.

Dump cookie crumb mixture into prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. Press crumbs down into an even layer. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the surface is firm. Remove from oven and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter and let cook until foamy. Stir and continue to cook until the foam goes away and the melted butter turns a nutty brown color. (Hint: Use a metal or light colored pan so that you can see the color change when it happens.) Remove browned butter from heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, brown sugar and vanilla. Add browned butter and whisk until incorporated. Add flour and salt and stir to combine. Pour mixture over the prepared crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using.

Place pan in pre-heated oven and bake until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean, or whiter just a few crumbs attached, about 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.

Lift blondies out of pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into squares (about 24) and indulge.

Healthy Banana Oat Muffins
From this Food Network recipe.

Note: These muffins were delicious the first time, but they seemed to dry out as they cooled, so I added more banana to keep them moist.

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled (old fashioned) oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 medium bananas and 1 smaller banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and cook until it gets foamy. Continue cooking while stirring until the foam goes away and brown specks start to appear. Pour into mixing bowl and let cool.

In a large bowl combine flour, 1/2 cup of oats, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

To the browned butter, add sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add bananas and mix. A few lumps are OK.

Divide batter evenly among the muffins cups. Sprinkle remaining oats on top.

Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean – about 20 to 24 minutes. Cool in pan. Enjoy as a snack or for breakfast.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Growing up I always liked cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, even though all my family ever did was open up a can of Ocean Spray. Imagine my surprise when many years later, I discovered the awesomeness of homemade cranberry sauce.

At Thanksgiving 2006, I found my forever cranberry sauce -- the kind I have been making every year since and will contine to make for ... well forever. That year, my editor Mike and his wife Alison invited us to celebrate the holiday at their house. I was three weeks away from having my first baby, so you can imagine how relieved I was not to be cooking. I had nothing else to do but stuff my face. What I remember the most: the cranberry sauce, spiced with cloves. I liked the cranberry sauce so much that Alison kindly shared the recipe, which she'd gotten from Mike's mom.

I've shared my forever cranberry sauce recipe with so many friends and  now with you, dear readers. Enjoy and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Check out Erin's Thanksgiving Round-Up, in which she offers up Citrus and Ginger Cranberry Sauce a la her mother-in-law.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 pound fresh cranberries
1 cup pineapple juice

Combine all items in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Adjust heat down to medium or medium high and cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot or cold. This cranberry sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks or frozen, too.

One final thing: I always double this recipe so that there's enough for Thanksgiving leftovers and even some for Christmas. It's easy to do since the recipe calls for a pound of cranberries but Ocean Spray packages berries in 12 ounce bags; just buy three bags of berries to double.

French Yogurt Cake

I've read about yogurt cake in beaucoup French books and memoirs. In Pamela Druckerman's Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, par exemple. And more recently in Elizabeth Bard's Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes. Both books make me a teensy bit wistful that I didn't pick up and move to the City of Light while in my 20s.

Anyhow, yogurt cake is a popular treat in France. It's often the first cake that les enfants learn to make and I can see why. No electric mixer needed. Most ingredients are always on hand. It's quick to put together, which means you don't have to wait long -- just a little over an hour really --- until you devour your slice. Of course, Mom or Dad should handle the lemon zesting.

French kids use the same 8 ounce yogurt cup to measure the sugar and flour. I couldn't find 8 ounce yogurt cups, so I bought a 24 ounce container, so Lucy, Penny and I could make this cake multiple times.

I adore this cake. It's quick. Simple. Sweet, but not too sweet. No icing required. Tastes even better the next day.

XOXO,
Amy

French Yogurt Cake
From Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard

1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
A large pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Zest of one lemon
One 16-ounce can apricots, drained and quartered (Note: My store had 8-ounce cans only, so I got two of those.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly butter a 10-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, salt and vanilla, stirring or whisking until smooth. Add oil in a steady stream, while whisking to combine. Add eggs one by one, whisking to combine after each one.

In smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour mixture little by little to the yogurt mixture, whisking along the way to combine. Stir in lemon zest. Pour cake mixture into prepared cake  pan. Top with chopped apricots.

Bake on center rack for 45 minutes, until golden brown and slightly risen; a toothpick inserted in the center should  come out clean.

Lift cake by parchment paper and place on wire rack to cool.

This cake is even better the second day -- provided it sticks around that long. It gets more moist as it sits.

Elizabeth Bard points out in her book that this cake is a "blank canvas" that you can  make  your own based on the fruits you like or have in your fridge at the time. Try fresh raspberries or pears sprinkled with brown sugar, she suggests.

My girls enjoyed this cake. They ate it several mornings for breakfast -- with a banana on the side, so no judgment. But they didn't love the apricots and asked that next time I try peaches instead, so that's what I did the second time around. I used canned peaches (in juices, not syrup), drained and chopped. I sprinkled some cinnamon over the peaches as I would when making a peach cobbler.

Verdict: The girls preferred the cake with peaches; I liked the apricot version better.

Bottom  line: This is a great go-to dessert for any day of the week. I plan to make it beaucoup times.

Grilled Nectarines

The fruits of summer are great to cook with. When we get overloaded with nectarines, I like to use my grill to add a touch of caramelized flavor. And as our own Erin points out, "This is the perfect way to use nectarines when you don't think they are juicy enough yet."

These gently cooked fruits make a luscious side to pork chops or a sweet dessert topping.

Grilling stone fruits couldn't be easier. All you need to add is a little oil to prevent the skins from sticking to the grill grates.

Be sure to use semi-firm nectarines. Very ripe fruit will fall apart on the grill.

I recommend trying this with peaches and plums, too.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Grilled Nectarines

6 to 8 semi-firm, yellow flesh nectarines
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
Vanilla ice cream or pound cake (or any other dessert that needs a topping)

Heat your gas grill to medium. Prepare charcoal grill as you normally would.

Wash and dry nectarines. Cut each fruit in half and remove the pits. Place nectarine halves in bowl and toss with oil to coat fruit.

Put nectarines skin-side down on heated grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip fruit and cook for another 5 minutes, or until fruit is soft.

Remove nectarines from grill and let cool in a bowl or on a deep plate to catch any juices. As the fruit cools, the juices will form a sweet, syrupy sauce.

Slide skins off nectarines and slice or dice fruit. Combine cut fruit with any juice from bowl and use as a dessert topping. Refrigerate any leftovers to use tomorrow!

Strawberry Shortcake

My daughters and I have an Easter tradition. Lucy and Penny can pick any dessert and I will make it. They chose crème brûlée last year -- giving me the excuse to buy a kitchen torch and ramekins -- and raspberry tart the year before that and cheesecake the year before that.

This year, I asked them to pretty please pick something quick and easy and that didn't require crazy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients as we'd be spending the holiday at my parents' house. At one point, one of them mentioned strawberry shortcake. Perfect!

I've made this strawberry shortcake since then, whipping it up for a casual dinner party Chez George. And I am pretty sure I will be making it a few more times between now and the end of summer. 

This version reminds me of the strawberry shortcake my mom used to make, using Bisquick for the cake. At some point, I want to mix in a few basil leaves with the strawberries. My favorite Charlotte restaurant serves this amazing strawberry cake with basil gelato. Mmmmm...I'm going to be thinking about that cake for a while now.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this delish classic.

XOXO,
Amy

Strawberry Shortcake

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Yields 1 8-inch round cake

2-3 pounds fresh strawberries

1/3 cup white sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 cup whipped heavy cream, sweetened to your liking

Place a metal bowl in the freezer. You will use this bowl at the end to make your whipped cream.

Trim and slice strawberries and toss them with 1/3 cup of white sugar. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. Slice the softened butter into the dry mixture and use a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly. (Note: My mom and I don't have pastry cutters, so I used a potato masher, which worked just fine.)

Press batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially until you are ready to serve.

Prepare the whipped cream. Pour the cream into the chilled bowl, add about 2 tablespoons sugar. Set mixer to medium and whip cream for a minute or two before upping the speed. Mix until soft peaks form and it looks like the consistency of what come out of the Reddi-Wip can. (Note: Erin uses powdered sugar and vanilla extract. She also has instructions for ensuring you don't end up making butter. Click here.)

Cut cake into wedges and plate. Top with strawberries and some of their juices and the whipped cream. You can also garnish with fresh mint or basil.

Crockpot Applesauce

It's time for the annual pilgrimage to the apple orchard, folks. Don't know where the closest one is? The Pick-Your-Own website is a handy resource for all manner of U-Pick information. (And they're not paying me to say that; I just think it's a useful website.) So find a farm and get picking!

{Note: The preceding paragraph about apple picking was really just an excuse to show you a picture of my boy and his fluffy hair when we went apple picking. I have no shame.}

Once you've made it home with your bounty, you'll surely be thinking to yourself, "What am I supposed to do with fourteen bushels of apples?" Then an apple will roll off the counter and smack you on the foot and it will really smart and you'll hang your head in shame. It's really hard to exhibit self control when one is picking apples. Really hard.

Allow me help you out with some of that fruit. Today we're making applesauce, and we're doing it in the crockpot.

I have made applesauce many times. Why in tarnation did it take me so long to make it in my crockpot?! This is by far the easiest way to make applesauce. Bonus: Your house smells unbelievably delicious all afternoon. Seriously. If I could bottle this scent, I'd put Yankee Candle out of business.

This recipe calls for lots of apples, but they cook waaaaaay down. And it's not a bad thing to have extra applesauce on hand. It keeps well in the refrigerator and also freezes beautifully. Or you can get ambitious and can your applesauce. (Which I did. Yikes. More on that later this week!)

For now, let's get (slow) cooking.

Crockpot Applesauce

20 apples* (approximately), peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup light brown sugar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup water

Fill your slow cooker with apple slices. I wanted to make a lot of applesauce, so I really piled those babies in there. Sprinkle apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour water over top. Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for about 6. If you like your applesauce chunky, you're finished at this point. If you like smooth applesauce, you can puree it in the food processor or food mill until it reaches your desired consistency.

*I used primarily McIntosh and Cortland apples. I think that using a variety makes for extra delicious applesauce.

Rhubarb Compote

As I've lamented plenty of times, it takes a good while for Spring to show it's face here in Milwaukee. And since we're battling frost deep into May, we wait patiently for bountiful displays of produce at our local farmer's markets. (Although I probably shouldn't admit that my first stop at the farmer's market is usually for a triple berry muffin or a seven layer bar, and those vendors are gratefully peddling their bliss-inducing delicacies all season long.)

So as I maneuvered Danny's buggy through the throngs at the market, I greedily peered into each stall to see what the farmers managed to coax from the chilly ground. Frilly mounds of lettuce. Spindly seedlings of tomatoes and cucumbers. And then I spotted it, in all of its magenta-hued glory: rhubarb.  

My mind reeled with the possibilities. I love rhubarb! I grabbed a fistful and headed home to make something delicious. Well, after I paid for it, of course. I didn't need to star in the headline, "Rhubarb Robbery at Tosa Farmer's Market!"

Today I'm sharing a recipe for Rhubarb Compote. It's the perfect springtime topping for your ice cream. Add pizzazz to your morning with a dollop in your oatmeal. Spoon it over a slice of pound cake or biscuits for rhubarb shortcake.

Oh, and come back on Friday for Skinny Rhubarb Muffins. I'm keeping the rhubarb party going.

Rhubarb Compote
Serves: 4
Adapted from epicurious

1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 heaping cup rhubarb cut into 1/4" pieces

Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high until sugar dissolves. Stir in rhubarb. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the compote thickens to a jam-like consistency, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Strawberry Peach Smoothie

I had a serious crazy pregnant lady moment the other day. Like "is she for real?" crazy.

It started with a hankering for a smoothie. I'd been thinking about it all afternoon: an icy cold, sweet, refreshing smoothie.

As I was starting to make dinner (chicken and the aforementioned smoothie, not exactly well-balanced, but somehow exactly what I wanted), I realized I had a problem:

I didn't have a straw.

Yes, that's right. I needed to drink my smoothie with a straw. NEEDED to. So, I texted the husband, "Can you bring me a straw when you come home from work. I need one for my smoothie." (I text in complete sentences and use punctuation. Further proof that I'm super lame.)

20 minutes later, and I hadn't heard back from the husband. That meant he was stuck at work. I had chicken on the grill, so I couldn't leave to go to the store and buy a straw. (Although I was very tempted to.) How, exactly, was I supposed to drink my smoothie without a straw? My anxiety levels were creeping higher by the minute.

So I went back to my trusty phone. Completely shamelessly, I texted my friends Ryan and Niki who happen to live up the street. "Can I borrow a straw? I need one for my smoothie."

And then Ryan saved the day. He brought me over a solid plastic straw from one of those pretty plastic cups that include their own straws. It was red. It made my day. Thanks, Ryan! I owe you a smoothie.

Strawberry Peach Smoothie
Serves: 2

5 ice cubes
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced frozen peaches
1 tablespoon honey

Combine ingredients in a blender. Blend everything together until smooth. You may need to stop and stir a few times to get the ice unstuck from the blades. Serve with a straw.

Peaches vs. Nectarines

I was at the grocery store recently, and I ran into a conundrum. There were two bins of sunset-orange fruit in front of me: peaches in one and nectarines in the other. Both were on sale for the same price. Both were high quality and seasonal. Initially I gravitated toward the peaches, but as I was loading them into my basket, another shopper started choosing nectarines.

And then it hit me. What in tarnation was the difference between a peach and a nectarine? I know peaches are fuzzy, but besides that why was I choosing a peach over a nectarine when I didn't know which I preferred? So I did the only logical thing I could think of; I asked the other shopper.


"Excuse me," I interrupted the wise-looking woman as she added another nectarine to her growing pile. "Can you tell me the difference between a peach and a nectarine?"


She furrowed her brow in thought. "That's a good question. I think that peaches can be a bit more mealy. And they're more finicky; you have to eat them at exactly the right time. Nectarines are more forgiving."


Well that was a darn good answer. I promptly put my peaches back in the bin and snagged a few nectarines.

I think that helpful gal in the produce aisle was right. I let my nectarines get a smidge too ripe, but they were totally forgiving. They weren't mealy like the smidge-too-ripe peaches I'd eaten the week before. 


Since I can't leave well enough alone, I did some very official interweb research on the fruits in question. (What I mean, of course, is that I Googled it. It wasn't very serious at all.) This is what I learned:


According to wiki.answers, peaches and nectarines are both part of the prunus family, like plums. "Peaches have a certain dominant gene and a certain recessive one. When the dominant gene is prominent, the fruit is called a peach; when the recessive gene is prominent, it is called a nectarine. Physically, peaches are larger than nectarines; have a larger, rounder stone (pit); and have a fuzzy outer skin. Nectarines are smaller, with a smaller and flatter stone, and have a smooth outer skin. Nectarines are also sweeter in taste than peaches."


So there you have it, folks. Go forth and make educated fruit choices!

Fluffy Strawberry Fruit Dip

I have had a taste for fruit lately like nobody's business. I want fruit. Serve it to me straight. Puree it into a smoothie. Let me dip it in glorious, fluffy dip. Just give me fruit. Okay? Okay.

Fluffy Strawberry Fruit Dip
Serves: Lots

8 ounces Cool Whip
12 ounces strawberry yogurt (I used fruit-on-the-bottom.)

In a large bowl, gently fold together Cool Whip and yogurt. Serve with your favorite fruit. (I used sliced apples, bananas, and grapes, but I can only imagine the wonderful combinations you could come up with. Strawberries and pineapple...yes, please!)

Gingered Fruit Salad

There is really nothing quite as refreshing as fruit salad. Ok, maybe an ice cream cone after a summer bike ride. Or a tall, frosty beer at the baseball game. Or water that doesn't have sand in it after you've been at the beach all day. Or...

Ok. Let me try again.

Fruit salad is nearly as refreshing as a number of things. It also tastes delicious. Try some today!

I should never be on QVC.

Gingered Fruit Salad
Adapted from: An Occasion to Gather
Serves: 6-8

Begin by making ginger syrup.

Ginger Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, ginger, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring very frequently. Allow syrup to boil for 3 minutes, continuing to stir very frequently, until syrup has thickened slightly.

Off the heat, stir in vanilla. Allow ginger syrup to cool.

Fruit*:
3 apples, sliced or cut into chunks
2 pears, sliced or cut into chunks
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Once it's close to serving time and the ginger syrup has cooled, gently fold syrup into the sliced fruit. If you have some on hand, garnish with fresh mint. Chill until ready to serve.

*I used fruit that I had on hand. Feel free to substitute your favorite fruit or whatever is seasonal/on sale at your local market.

Berry Smoothie

It's the end of January. It's cold. It gets dark early. It's really cold.

I could sure use a little taste of summer.

Berry Smoothie
Serves: 1

10 frozen strawberries
15 blackberries
6 ounces Greek yogurt (I used honey flavored yogurt.)
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey, or more/less to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender.

Let 'er rip until everything is combined. If you're having trouble blending the smoothie, try adding a bit more liquid.

Applesauce

It's prime apple pickin' season here in Wisconsin.  Recently, I was lucky enough to spend a gorgeous fall afternoon picking apples with my mom.  Biggest success of the day: I didn't get a stomach ache from eating too many apples!  This was quite a feat.

One of my favorite things to make with our bountiful harvest is applesauce.  Serve it hot or cold, any time of day, and it won't disappoint.  Ah, applesauce.

Now, my recipe for applesauce is rather inexact because I learned how to make it while I was a grandma sitter in college.  Amanda was a lovely woman in her 80s.  Three days a week, I would head over to her house for a various entertaining activities.  Wednesdays we'd visit the dentist to have her dentures re-fitted.  The other days we would write letters to radio stations, take walks around her neighborhood, and order things from catalogues.  My favorite days, though, were applesauce days.

So, Amanda, this one's for you...

Amanda's Applesauce
8 small-medium apples*, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
1 cup water
Sugar, to taste
Cinnamon (optional)

Place peeled and diced apples into a medium saucepan and add about 1" of water to the pan  (about one cup.)  Amanda often replaced the water with apple juice or apple cider if she had some on hand.

Crank up the heat to medium high and bring the apples to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring often.  If the applesauce looks very dry towards the end, add a couple tablespoons of water. Add sugar to taste.  This will depend on how sweet the apples are.  I usually start with 2 tablespoons and increase from there.  I also add a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon.

Stir for a couple more minutes, smooshing any large chunks of apple with your spoon until your applesauce is the consistency that you enjoy.  Serve the applesauce warm or cold.

*I like to combine several varieties of apples when I make applesauce.  Granny Smiths are delicious because they're tart (and, let's be honest, often on sale), but I think MacIntosh apples are my favorite because they're tart and sweet and they cook down very well.

Grilled Peach Salad with Goat Cheese

The husband and I recently purchased approximately 100 million peaches at Costco.  Now, looking back, this may not have been the wisest move for a family of two.  It has been scientifically proven that peaches are ripe for 3 seconds.  So, when all 100 million peaches ripened at the same time, we had a lot of eatin' to do.

Grilled Peach Salad with Goat Cheese
Serves 4

2 peaches*, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mixed greens (about 8 cups)
3 ounces goat cheese

Heat grill to medium.  Brush both sides of the peaches with melted butter.  Place peaches on the grill; cover and grill until peaches are charred and softened, about 4-5 minutes per side.  (Please note, if you grill in the dark, it will be challenging to tell when the peaches are charred in a photogenic manner. See picture above.)  Quarter each half and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the greens and toss to coat.

Divide the dressed greens evenly among 4 plates.  Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.  Arrange peaches on the side.

*If you have 100 million ripe peaches, consider grilling several extra and serving them with vanilla ice cream.  You will enjoy it very much.

A final word about peaches:
There is a common misconception about peaches that they come from a can, and that they were put there by a man in a factory downtown.  While this fallacy was perpetuated by 1996 hit song "Peaches" by alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America, it is simply not true.

Peaches grow on trees.