Rhubarb Cake

I am not a rhubarb fan, so my recipe files don’t contain rhubarb recipes. Tim loves rhubarb, especially rhubarb desserts. On an envelope in his scribbles is his mother’s rhubarb dessert recipe.

I didn’t have cream so I substituted evaporated milk. I remember Tim’s daughter making this a few years ago and thinking it was a little runny, so I didn’t put in two full cups of milk.

Tim says this dessert is a yummy combination of cake and rhubarb. Even with the decreased amount of milk, it was still a little runny. Maybe it’s just supposed to be that way? Since this recipe was scribbled on an envelope, it didn’t have any instructions for storage. I think it keeps longer if you store it in the fridge.

Rhubarb Cake

Yellow Cake Mix
4 cups rhubarb, sliced
1 cup sugar
1 pint of cream or half and half

Mix cake mix as directed on the box. Pour in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan. Put rhubarb on top of cake mix. Sprinkle sugar over rhubarb. Pour cream over the top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's and Tuesday's at the Table.

And The Winner Is!

As chosen by random.org, the winner of the CSN stores gift certificate is the talented blogger, Chaya of Sweet and Savory!

Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Pink Saturday & Chocolate With Francois

It's not often that I have two blogging events on the same day! Today's one of those days. Both of these events deserve their own post. However, this blogger saved Chocolate With Francois until the last minute and after a long week at work didn't have the energy for two posts.

First we have Pink Saturday! Today I am featuring a beautiful pink flower from my garden. I have seen these called "Dinner Plate Hibiscus". This description is so fitting, these flowers are the size of dinner plates.

Now we're switching from beautiful pink flowers to delicious chocolate treats. This month's Chocolate With Francois creation is Chocolate Beignets. I love beignets but I have never made them. They're actually on my Top 50.

Since these need to be eaten right away, I decided to make 1/4 of the recipe. I had a little trouble with my math skills and ended up making the yeast mixture three times before I got it right. I know my division was accurate but the batter was way too thick. There was no way you could dip anything into the mixture. I added more beer until it was the consistency of a batter to be used for frying. I didn't feel like my ganache set up like it should but that could have been because of the heat and humidity. Once the ganache is set you roll the balls in egg, dip them in bread crumbs and then in the batter. This seemed more like something you would do for a main dish than a dessert but I assume it's to help keep the chocolate together while frying in the oil. The recipe called for a creme anglaise as a dipping sauce. It was already getting late so I skipped the creme anglaise.

Finally after an hour in the freezer, time to fry them. A couple of mine, exploded in the oil, maybe I didn't get enough bread crumbs around the chocolate? I had quite a bit of leftover batter. I put it in the fridge and am hoping to thin it down just a bit and make onion rings tomorrow night.

The verdict...I liked them but I didn't love them. They didn't really taste like a traditional beignet.This recipe is the pick of Julie from Always Leave Room for Dessert. If you want to give these a try, you'll find the recipe on her blog. Stop by Chocolate With Francois and see what the other members had to say!

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Time is running out to enter my giveaway. The winner will be chosen on Sunday. Good luck!!!

Have you cooked with fennel? Except for a slaw we made in the cooking classes I took earlier this year, I've never cooked with fennel. I am fascinated by the anise flavor and the fronds. Did you know the tops were called fronds? I didn't until I did some research on fennel. I couldn't pass up the beautiful fennel and leeks at the farmer's market. One of things I love most about cooking is finding recipes for ingredients I haven't used before. Of course, I turned to the internet and found this recipe on Epicurious for Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup.

If you like potato soup, you'll love this soup. It's a kicked up version of potato soup. The fennel gives it a great flavor. It doesn't have a strong anise flavor, just enough to enhance the taste. I used russet potatoes, added garlic and shallots. Besides the flavor, I love that this soup is creamy without any cream!

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup
Adapted from Epicurious

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 cups sliced fennel bulb, fronds reserved for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/2 shallot, minced
4 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks, fennel, garlic, shallots and sauté until leeks are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer soup until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup in blender. Return to same pot. Rewarm soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with reserved fennel fronds and serve.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum. Also, this is my entry for Souper Sunday's, hosted by Deb at Kahaki Kitchen.

In My Garden

Doggie Treats for Copper

I am having a giveaway, go here to enter! Good luck!

Tim and Michael went kayaking on the Niobrara River a couple of weekends ago. Copper always misses Tim when he's gone. To help him feel a little better, I decided to make doggie treats. Despite the 95 degree heat and humidity of 60 plus percent, I baked these. Copper thanked me by beeing a good dog for the rest of the weekend.





Copper loves peanut butter. It's what we use when we give him his heartworm medicine, so I knew he'd love these treats. My first inclination was to roll this dough out much thinner than it should be. These are different than cookies, there's nothing in them to make them rise. They pretty much bake in the same shape as when you put them in the oven.






Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

½ cups water
½ cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.

I am linking this to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tasty Tuesday's.

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

I am having a giveaway, you can enter here!!

Although I don't make them often, Lemon Bars are one of my favorite desserts. I love anything made with lemon.

The crust for this recipe goes together easily. I did feel like the crust was pretty sticky and soft. Maybe that was because it was hot and humid? Concerned about the crust being so soft it would spread, I put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. It turned out perfectly. This crust is delicious. As I scraped out the inside of the food processor, I tasted the batter. I could have eaten this by the spoonful. I made a 1/2 recipe. It worked beautifully in a 9" square pan. The filling is really runny but it sets up nicely.

I try to share the sweet treats I make. My taste tester, Tim ate one, make that two bars. I said "How about taking these to work tomorrow?" "Can't we keep them here? Michael and I will eat them this weekend." My guess if you make these you won't want to share them either. These are delicious! The almond crust gives them a nice hint of nutty flavor, a great contrast with the lemon.

You can find the recipe on Rebecca of the Indecisive Baker's blog. Rebecca, thanks for choosing a fabulous recipe! The links to all of the other SMS baker's are here!