Rhubarb Lentils

I encouraged my daughter, being the Vegetarian she is, to try the lentils on a chip with sour cream and cheese.  Like, how can you go wrong?  But alas, she tried one and was not having any more of it.

I personally loved it but I like vegetables.  Let me rephrase that, I love vegetables.  But I didn't always, so, I will be patient as her taste buds grow up.

 

Rhubarb Lentils
I got the idea from a cookbook I have been looking at.  Its called Locavore. Though I seen a very similar recipe here on My Recipes. I didn't want a soup but rather a thick stew kind of thing.  

2 cups water for boiling
1 cup dried petite green lentils
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups chopped rhubarb (about 12 ounces)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

sour cream


In a saucepan sauté onions and celery in oil.  Once the onions are translucent, add in the water and lentils.  Add the remainder of the ingredients except for the tomato paste and cook until lentils are tender.  Add in past and bring to a boil again.  Remove from heat and serve with a dollop of sour cream.



 Anyela's Vineyards in Skaneateles NY- Finger Lakes Region.

TOFFEE COCONUT BARS

Sure feels nice to get out and walk in the sunshine.  I think everyone was out yesterday walking, doing chores, or just sitting outside.  Warmth, glorious warmth. 

We have thought so many times about moving out of the area because of the cold.  I am okay with it but my husband is not.  He prefers tropical type climates really.  But he resigned himself to this area because of the fact that Rochester is a great place to live.  We have almost no natural disasters.  Thats not to say that we are immune to disasters but in general we don't have earthquakes all the time, or tornadoes or hurricanes or tsunamis.  Here we stay.  It's a family oriented community with a lot of culture.  A great public library system, all kinds of activities for children and families, the lake- Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes are nearby, lots of theaters, the RPO...  

TOFFEE COCONUT BARS
Recipe from Taste of Home.  Find it here.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

1 egg
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 

In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan (no need to grease). Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown; cool slightly.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, brown sugar, vanilla and baking powder until blended. Stir in coconut and pecans. Spread over crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 2 dozen.

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are kind of old fashioned aren't they?  I remember seeing a recipe for them in my Victoria magazine in the 80's.  I made them and brought them to work. They disappeared.  I dont think I have made them since then.  Geez, has it really been that long since I made them.  I guess so.

This old fashioned dessert pairs nicely with these pics that I am sharing with you.

We have the good fortune of living near the Genesee Valley Country Museum.  It is a Village.  It is filled with all sorts of amazing things.  This past weekend they had Laura Ingalls Wilder days.  That was my favorite show growing up.  I think of all the television shows that are out there or were out there- that one really shaped me. Here are a few pics from our day there.

A guy making pickles- little did he know I was about to make some the very next day.

This one here has sauer kraut on the left.  And it just so happens I chopped mine up today- its in the crock now- three huge heads.

 Freshly churned butter mixed with herbs.  A must do for me.

 The oxen- the one on the left has some attitude.

 Some seeds in an old seed package.

 Some St. Johns Wort and salve.

Lemon Bars


crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 yolks

filling
4 eggs
1½ cups white sugar
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
4-6 lemons, juiced (about ⅔ cup)


Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat butter and sugar together for a few minutes.  Add in yolks, beat until combined. Add in flour and beat just enough to combine.  If it is crumbly, no worries, just press into your 9 x 13 evenly.  Place in a 350F oven for about 15 to 30 minutes.  The crust should be lightly golden.

Pour the filling directly over the hot crust and place it back into the oven for 20 minutes.  Now, I know it is going to look way to jiggly to remove it after 20 minutes but it is done.  As it cools, it will set perfectly.

 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

When I was picking strawberries the last time, a woman there who was picking asked if I have ever had fresh strawberry pie.  Out of curiosity I made the pie.  It has elevated itself to a definite yearly dessert.  Delicious.


It did not totally set up as you can see, probably because I slice them.  So when you make them, follow the directions and use small strawberries, uncut.

Charlotte Beach House, Rochester, NY

Fun at the beach

Chasing gulls

After a day out in the sun, this is a very refreshing pie.

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Adapted from this recipe at My Recipes.

2 cups ripe strawberries
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon zest of a lemon
6 cups small ripe strawberries
1 baked pie shell ( I try to make some of these or tart shells before the hot weather begins and then I freeze them)

Mash 2 cups strawberries with a fork or potato masher. Combine the strawberries and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the strawberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and reserve 1 cup strawberry liquid (add enough water to measure 1 cup, if necessary). Discard pulp.

Combine 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a pan; add strawberry liquid, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Arrange a layer of small strawberries, stem sides down, in the crust. Spoon about one-third of sauce over the strawberries. Arrange the remaining strawberries on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over the strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Tortellini Salad

It's summer. A time for being out in the sunshine, walking the dog, playing catch, swinging on a swing, swimming in a pool or lake or ocean, drinking lemonade, sitting on the porch, picking fresh fruit at the farm.  Summer is about so many things.  We try and  do as much as we can while the days are long and the temperature is right. It's no wonder that summer slips away so fast.  So much to do.

We went to Stony Brook Park which is in Dansville, NY. A beautiful place, lots of trails and waterfalls.  The signs said no swimming but tell that to the 100's of people that were walking in the creek and standing under the waterfall.  So wonderfully refreshing standing under the waterfall.  Fresh, spring fed water pouring down on you.  Lovely!

The rocks are slippery so you have to super careful.  It is worth the risk though.  The air was 98 degrees F that day and the water was probably around 75F. 

You wouldn't know it from this photo but there were so many people standing under this later in the day.  Dogs too.  Our dog, Caina, was not exactly thrilled about swimming.  It was her first time in the water.  She seemed so shocked when she felt her weightlessness for the first time.  She looked like she was in a state of panic.  Every time we would head toward the falls, she would turn around with her doggy paddle and head the other way.

Peaceful, eh?

Well, summer, is also a time for salad.  Light and refreshing.  Real nice at the close of a really hot day.


Chicken Tortellini Salad
Recipe adapted from this recipe from Southern Living, June 2011


2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups chopped cooked chicken I used thigh meat)
1 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare tortellini according to package directions.  Combine olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Stir into tortellini, chicken, and next 3 ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Great Bowls of Fire

We had a little chili cook off here in RaChaCha.

I think I went for the bowl.

My husbands bowl.

Some really different chilis.  Some with cumin as the star, some vegetable ones.  Chipotle ones.  So varied.

Some of the volunteers dishing out chili.

Getting to the bottom of the barrel.  This one was my husbands favorite (#7).

We had a really great time taste testing chilis from 12 of Rochester's restaurants.   The event was hosted by Genesee Center for the Arts.  They have many classes there for pottery, printing and other fine arts as well as a community dark room- (which I used back in the day - pre- kids)

It is official now- here are the winners!
Best Veg: Owl House
Best Met: Sticky Lips
Spiciest: India House
Most Unique: Owl House
Overall: Sticky Lips

The Key:

1 = India House, 2 = O'Callaghan's, 3 = Aladdins, 4 = Sol Burrito, 5 = DogTown, 6= Jines, 7 = Nathan's, 8 = Jeremiah's, 9 = Sticky Lips, 10 = Stock Exchange, 11 = Stock Exchange, 12 = Owl House.

What I would really like to do now is go to Texas for some chili cook off.  That would be awesome.  But you know I would have to have the recipes and I don't think they would give them out.

Fun at a Local Farm, Stokoe Farms

The Pumpkin Patch

Adults having just as much fun as the kids.

Fun races.

Corn maze.

For those of you who celebrate, Happy Halloween.

Pickled Peppers

Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca NY.  This picture was taken close to the bridge. This park is home to the Grey Petaltail Dragonfly, a species that flew with the dinosaurs.  Cool, eh?  The trail, taking the first bridge, is about a mile long.  It rises in elevation rather quickly.  You can find out more information about the park here, at NY Falls.

I like to take pictures of everything.  The main attraction certainly isn't the only beautiful thing here.  Lots of neat things, like these gnarly tree roots.

Jagged edges of rock protruding along the trail.

Mist and rock make some interesting textures.

Buttermilk Falls at the bottom.  If you come to the park, and are able to, you absolutely must take the trail up the gorge because it gets better and better.

This is so much more impressive in person.  My picture does not do it justice.

This was our picnic lunch after our hike up the gorge.  I brought some pickled peppers that I made a few weeks ago.  They went perfect with the wine, sharp cheese, crackers and apples.

Here's what I did to make them.  They were not canned - I just refrigerated them.  After they were gone I added some boiled onions to the brine to pickle them as well.

Pickled Peppers


2-4 bell peppers, depending on size, clean, and sliced
2 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt

In a saucepan combine water with white vinegar.  Add sugar and kosher salt.  While that is coming to a boil, clean and slice your peppers.  I like a mix of colors for aesthetic reasons but you can pickle any color.  Fit them into a jar and then pour the boiling brine over them.  Let them cool to room temp and then place them in the refrigerator.  They will keep for a long time.  I had mine for about a month.