what's for your sweet tooth {rhubarb bread pudding}.

my grammy used to be a wonderful cook.  she'd spoil us with popover breakfasts per our tradition after a sleepover, our favorite pies and cakes, her famous parker house rolls and an almost weekly sunday lunch after church with all the fixins.  her cooking (and thoughtful heart and the joy she took in doing it for others) was so fundamental not only in my childhood, but in who i am to this day.  i love people through food, and i only hope that my girls, friends and family remember things i've lovingly prepared for them just as my grammy did for me.

one of my favorite things she made (that i requested often) was homemade rhubarb bread pudding.  it was delicious.  ever since moving back to maine, every summer i have craved it.  i can only make it a couple times each summer, lest it take up permanent residence on my backside, but oh is it delicious.  i have all of my grandmother's recipe cards and cookbooks stashed away, so i'm sure i have her original recipe somewhere, but i found this one last year and it is perfect.  warm and gooey goodness, just perfect topped with a scoop of ice cream, melting into it.  

have i made your mouth water yet?  yep.  you have to try it.

rhubarb bread pudding

* 8 slices of bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (I use any bread that's egg-y... challah is great, and I used a really flaky loaf of "portugese bread" last night.  I also cut some of the crust off so it's nice and soft... and I toast it lightly before cutting)

* 1 1/2 c. milk

* 1/4 c. butter

* 5 eggs

* 1 t. vanilla

* 3 c. rhubarb, chopped

* 1 1/2 c. sugar

* 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

* 1/4 t. salt

* 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

- place cubed bread in the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish (i HIGHLY recommend investing in some pampered chef stoneware... it really makes the hugest difference in baking!  and keeps everything nice and hot for a long time while you serve).

- in a saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until it bubbles around the edges.  remove from heat and stir in butter until it's melted.  pour over bread and let stand for 15 minutes.

- in a large bowl, whisk eggs and combine with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and rhubarb.  pour over bread mixture.  

- sprinkle top with brown sugar.  bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until custard is set.  serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

this recipe alone is why i am working on growing my rhubarb patch in the backyard nice and big.  if you've never tried rhubarb, this would be a great introductory recipe... let me also suggest pairing it with strawberries in pies and crisps.  DELICIOUS.  and so totally new england.

so, go make it now.  but don't blame me if you feel compelled to eat it every day from now until august ;)  you're welcome!

what's for your sweet tooth {homemade apple pie}.

one of my favorite things about this time of year is baking.

i love the memories that are made in my kitchen.  i love how baking in the oven will cause my whole house to smell of cinnamon and spice; i love how warm and cozy and happy everything feels.  i love the nostalgia of it all.

it doesn't get much more nostalgic than a good homemade apple pie.  in fact, it's one of my favorite things to bake this time of year.  i love making pie.  it feels accomplished and at the same time rustic and very suzy homemaker.  i feel so 1950's when my husband comes home to a homemade pie.  

and 1950's in a good way.

i've tried a few different types of apple pie, but i think i've just developed my own go to version.  here is my recipe; and by golly, please make your own crust!  it's so easy (i promise) and so very, very delicious.

homemade apple pie

crust:
* 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
* 1/2 t. salt
* 1 c. butter flavored shortening, diced and chilled
* 6-8 T. ice water

- dice up your shortening and stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes until it's nice and cold.
- combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs.  add in ice water until a nice dough forms.  wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least an hour to chill.

filling:
* 8-9 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (i used a combination of macintosh and red delicious)
* 1/8 c. cornstarch
* 3/4 c. brown sugar
* 3/4 t. cinnamon
* 1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

- combine everything and stir until apples are coated evenly
- roll out half of the pie crust dough on a floured surface and transfer into a greased pie plate.  fill with apple mixture and dot with 1 T. of butter.
- roll out second half of pie crust dough, and place ontop of apples.  pinch crusts together and fold under, crimping along the edges with your fingers. (optional: i like to jazz it up a bit and save a bit of extra crust dough to roll out and cut with leaf-shaped cookie cutters to arrange on the top of my crust.  just feels extra fancy).
- whisk an egg with a drizzle of water and brush the top of your pie.  bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven, you may have to adjust the baking time a bit).

top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you've got a little bit of heaven on a plate.
enjoy!  happy fall :)

what's for your sweet tooth {healthier strawberry rhubarb crisp}.

{source}

nothing says summer in new england like strawberry rhubarb.  baked in a pie, crisp, crumble, whatever... it's delicious.

{ever had rhubarb?  it grows in red stalks (that almost resemble celery) and it's pretty sour.  however, when baked, it takes on a similar flavor to a granny smith apple.  tart, but delicious when paired with some sweetness.  yummy with strawberries, and one of my fav desserts my grandmother used to make was a rhubarb bread pudding.  whatever dessert, it's a must-try!}

i had friends from out of state in town last weekend so i wanted to treat them to this supah maine-ish combo.  i decided on strawberry rhubarb crisp, and i found this recipe from the blog skinnytaste, which has great healthified recipes.  i was sold.

swapping out honey for white sugar, and whole wheat flour for white this recipe still doesn't give up any of the deliciousness or bold flavors of a good, traditional strawberry rhubarb dessert.  definitely try this recipe if you're looking for something scrumptious, but for for less calories!

healthier strawberry rhubarb crisp

* 1 lb. strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
* 1 lb (5-6 stalks) rhubarb, sliced into small pieces
* 1/2 orange, juiced and zested (next time i think i'll add a little less)
* 1 T. cornstarch
* 1/4 c. honey

for topping:

* 1 c. quick oats
* 1/2 c. brown sugar
* 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (i love king arthur's whole wheat white)
* 1/2 t. cinnamon
* 1/4 c. butter, melted

- combine filling ingredients and place in an oven safe dish.
- mix ingredients for topping and spread over fruit filling.  bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbly; approximately 40 minutes.
- top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  delish.

ayuh.

what's for breakfast this morning {homemade strawberry jam}.

{source}

i know, i know... i realize march is a strange time to be posting a strawberry jam recipe.  but my mom had a bag of strawberries, frozen from last summer that she graciously gave to me.  bella is a huge jelly-jam fan and loves her pb&j's at lunchtime.  i hadn't bought any strawberry jam in a while because i just didn't like the options i found in the store.

and, it makes me excited for summer, as i'm watching snow fall down outside our window.

sooo... when mom gave me her frozen berries, i found this barefoot contessa recipe.  gotta love good ole ina.  really, she is my fav.  i love her, love her recipes.  everything i make of hers is super delish.  this strawberry jam is no exception.

i made a couple of adjustments in this recipe; halved the amount of sugar and added juice from an orange instead of the orange liquer.  i loved that the recipe incorporated other fruit (apples, blueberries and oranges) plus it didn't call for any gelatin or pectin.  instead, the grated apple acts as a binder, thus keeping this strawberry jam more natural and ever-so-delish.  it is a bit runnier than normal jam, and chunkier (which bella didn't like), but i think next time i'll just blend it a bit after it's cooked to smooth it out a bit.

homemade strawberry jam

* 3 pints fresh strawberries (i used frozen and they worked just fine)
* 1 1/2 c. sugar
* 2 T. juice squeezed from an orange
* 1/2 apple, grated
* 1/2 c. fresh blueberries

- rinse, drain and hull strawberries (if using fresh).  cut larger berries in halves or quarters.  place strawberries into a large pot, mix with sugar and orange juice.
- bring berry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.  add apple and blueberries, keep at a rolling boil until jam reaches 220 on a candy thermometer which should take anywhere from 25-35 minutes.
- skim off any foam that rises to the top.  allow mixture to cool until room temperature (it will firm up as it cools).  store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or you may pack and seal in canning jars according to their directions.

this jam is really delicious and has a great depth of flavor.  perfect for your kiddos pb&j's, as topping for biscuits or toast, and it works perfectly as filling for homemade pop tarts... i will share that recipe soon :)

enjoy!

what's for breakfast this morning {apple pie muffins}.

yes, you read that right.

apple

pie

muffins.

i devised a baking plan this weekend in order to use up all of the apples that we picked last sunday. there's not many things i love more than fall baking. it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. saturday morning i was craving an apple-y, struesel-y muffin and i stumbled upon this recipe on one of my favorite cooking websites, allrecipes.com.

oh-my-deliciousness.

my whole family (including myself) were big fans of these muffins. and they were relatively easy to make, which made me an even bigger fan.

apple pie muffins

* 2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

* 1 t. baking soda

* 1/2 t. salt

* 1 egg

* 1 c. buttermilk (a good buttermilk substitute i use: 1 c. regular milk and add a splash of vinegar)

* 1/2 c. butter, melted

* 1 t. vanilla

* 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

* 2 c. diced apples

topping:

* 1/2 c. brown sugar

* 1/3 c. flour

* 1 t. cinnamon

* 2 T. butter, melted

- preheat oven to 375 and prepare a 12 c. muffin tin.

- in a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. in a smaller bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and brown sugar. add to flour mixture and stir in apples. blend just until everything is combined. fill muffin cups.

- in a small bowl, mix ingredients for topping. sprinkle over tops of muffins.

- bake for about 25 minutes. enjoy!

it's a rainy fall day here and i am curled up on my couch with a mug of coffee and a warmed apple pie muffin. these make for yummy afternoon snacks aaaand delicious breakfasts :)

are you making them yet??

this post was linked to these *lovely* blogs:
southern lovely

what's for your sweet tooth {strawberry rhubarb dessert bars}.

summers in new england are filled with some of my favorite things. trips to the ocean. ice cream cones. days spent on the lake (we have about a million of them. yes, one million lakes in this state. and i'm not exaggerating a bit :) ). evening walks. wildflowers. sunshine. and lots and lots of strawberry rhubarb desserts. pies. bread puddings. crisps. and these yummy, yummy dessert bars.

delish, right?

if you're not from new england you may be very puzzled by this combination. and what is rhubarb you ask? well, it looks like celery stalks tinted with pink. it's very tart, but when baked has almost the flavor of an apple. it may sound strange, but it's worth a try. you only live once, right?? you won't regret it, trust me.

i got this recipe from my sister, gretchen, who is awesome. so head on over to her blog to fetch this lil gem.

(and while you're there, see how adorable her family is. especially our nephew, jude!)

and let me just say these are even more delightful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. scrumptious. have i sold you yet?

enjoy :)

what's for your sweet tooth {easy breezy peach cobbler}.

one of the things i love about blogging is staying connected with so many sweet friends from all over the country, from all the seasons of my life (and meeting new ones i've never even met!)

another bonus? recipe collecting. i have always *loved* getting new ones to add to my go-to-collection. what constitutes a go-to-recipe for me? a) few ingredients b) ingredients that i've actually heard of. although saffron is delicious, it does cost about ten bucks for a teeny tiny container. i do love cooking light recipes, however, who wants to buy about ten different kinds of flour just to achieve a lo-fat muffin? not me. sometimes, you just need those easy mix-together-in-the-same-pan-and-bake recipes.

a friend of mine from high school messaged me with this recipe and it fits this category perfectly! i've made it several times and it is simply scrumptious. it's the perfect summer dessert for a cookout or picnic. it just makes me think of warm summer nights, red-and-white-checkered-tablecloths and potato salad. happy, happy, happy. no fuss, no frills, just.plain.good.

and yes, it's not just easy. it's easy breezy.

peach cobbler

* 2 16 oz cans of peaches in light syrup

* 1 box yellow cake mix

* cinnamon&nutmeg for some spice

* 2 sticks of butter (eeeeeek. but sometimes you just need to splurge!)

- preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- place peaches and the syrup in a 9x13 pan. sprinkle with spices according to your liking.

- pour dry cake mix over the peaches.

- cut butter into slices and place evenly over the top of the cake.

- bake for 45 minutes. serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

see? i told you... so. easy. so spread out your red-and-white-checkered-tablecloth, light some citronella candles, kick off your shoes and enjoy.