Really Rhubarb Muffins

 My Really Rhubarb Experiment (click here for more details) 

has inspired me to create my own muffin recipe! 

I have A TON of rhubarb.  All the recipes I found didn't use very much rhubarb at all.  Maybe only half a cup!  I needed a recipe that would use two cups or more!!!  I couldn't find one, so I made one.  I hope you enjoy!

Rhubarb Muffins

Yield 12 muffins; Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes

Ingredients
2 c minced rhubarb (click here for tips to easily mince rhubarb)
1/2 c sugar

1 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg
1/2 cup milk (lactose free)
1/3 c grape seed oil

Here's how it's done:

1. Combine minced rhubarb and 1/2 c sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Sugared Rhubarb

 2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisking

 3. Whisk together egg, milk and oil.  

Add wet mixture and rhubarb mixture to the dry ingredients. 

 Fold in all ingredients until combined.

Folding until combined

4. Line 12 muffin tray cups.  Divide batter among the lined cups.

 Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes.

  

Cool and eat!!

Really Rhubarb Cupcakes

The recipe I created is sweet and easy.

It was the next recipe because I had all the ingredients on hand.  Ha!
It seems more often than not I am simply inspired by the ingredients I have in my cupboards.

I created the recipe after being inspired by a Pinterest pin (click here to view)
After creating the original recipe my husband commented on how sweet they were.
 He thought I'd made cupcakes not muffins.

So I modified it from a muffin into a deliciously sweet cupcakes!

Rhubarb Cupcakes     

Yield 12 muffins;  Bake at 400F for 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 3/4 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar
3/4 tsp salt

1 egg lightly beaten
3/4 c milk (lactose free)
1/3 c grape seed oil

1/2 c sugar
1 1/4 c  minced rhubarb

Here's how it's done:

 1. Combine 1/2 c of the sugar and with the minced rhubarb 
 in a small bowl (think cereal sized).

Click this link for tips on how to easily mince rhubarb.

2. Mix remaining dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork.

3. Whisk together egg, milk and oil in a medium bowl.

Add wet ingredient to dry and mix with fork until just combined. 

Fold in sugared rhubarb (created in step 1).

Batter after "just combined"

4. Divide batter among 12 paper lined muffin cups of a dark muffin tin.

5. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

 

Simply Delicious!

 Simply Sweet!

 And Simply Made.

How To Mince Rhubarb

Welcome!

Tips for Rhubarb Mincing

A Mincing with a knife is slow and tedious as the rhubarb is very fibrous.
This method takes a lot of effort. More effort than I wanted to put in.

B Using a hand chopper doesn't work too well.
 It seems to squish the rhubarb (and it's long fibers) as opposed to chopping them.

C Combining of knife and hand chopping works well.
I found the easiest and fasted way to achieve a mince was to slice the rhubarb into 1/4 inch sized coins then use a hand chopper to mince.

D  Using a food processor may be the easiest way for you to mince rhubarb.
 Mine takes a lot of work. Lugging it out.  Setting it up.  Cleaning it.  Blah.

My simplest method is C (stated above).

You may need to perform your own Really Rhubarb Experiment

to determine which tip works best for you.

Merry Mincing! 

Really Rhubarb Juice

My most recent rhubarb harvest

Wow!  I'm so glad you are reading this!!

With a title like "Rhubarb Juice" I figured many folks will be flipping over the next blog instead of trying out this recipe.  Good for you for facing your fears and continuing to read!

This idea simply came from a ton more rhubarb harvested from my GIANT rhubarb bush (to read this post click here).  I was slicing up the "barb" while trying to think of recipes that would quickly use it  up all.  I noticed it was juicing quite a bit on my cutting board and thought, "That's it!  Juice!!"

I am no stranger to juicing!  Making juice from fruit that is.

Our yard hosts five apple trees and two crab apple trees.  Come fall we can have MANY apples on hand.  The best way to use them up is to juice them!  It's amazing how many apples it takes to create such a small amount of juice.

I know that raw rhubarb is sour, therefore the juice would also be sour. 

 Thankfully I have created a fantastic lemonade recipe that I have transposed the rhubarb into.

So this is more of a rhubarb-ade than an actual juice.

And it turned out wonderfully!  It is a very sweet and understated way to enjoy rhubarb.

Rhubarb-Ade

Ingredients
5 long rhubarb stems, washed and trimmed
2 c water
1c sugar
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
rhubarb stems as stir sticks (optional)


Here's how you do it:

1. Cut rhubarb to size and put through a juicer. 

 You will need to stop after 10-15 pieces and clean the blades.  

They get clogged easily with all the rhubarb fiber.  

I simply used running water and a scrub brush to remove the fibers.

Cleaning out the rhubarb fibers from my juicer

2. Juice all stems or until 1 cup of juice is achieved.

3. Heat water and sugar in a medium pot over medium heat.  

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

4. Add the juiced rhubarb to the pot and bring to a boil.

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla if desired.

6. Allow rhubarb syrup to cool.   

The syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Ahhh!  Delicious!!

 7.  Add 1/2 c of syrup to glass tumbler and fill with water.  

Add more syrup or more water depending on taste.  

Our household prefers a 1 to 1 ratio of syrup to water (1/2c syrup + 1/2c water).

8. Garnish with any leftover rhubarb stems.  

Washed. 

Trimmed. 

And dipped in sugar!

9. Share and enjoy!

 Simple, Easy and Delicious!

Thank you for reading my Rhubarb Juice post!

And a big THANK YOU to my helper

and son Jackson!!

The Really Rhubarb Experiment

As soon as the snow had melted our rhubarb sprung up! 

When it first came up I was happy to see life, FINALLY, after an excruciatingly loooong winter.  

Spring did come! 

 Hooray!

I thought, "Wow the pioneers must have really loved rhubarb.  It springs up ready to eat first thing after the snow.  And I'm sure after a winter of eating potatoes and carrots (or whatever they ate) you'd be craving some fresh fruit and veg.  Also you only need to plant it once. It just keeps coming back again and again."

I sat back and admired my little rhubarb patch.

I and my family then got to work busily preparing the rest of our yard.  Prune fruit trees.  Weed, fertilize and mow lawn.  Weed, fertilize and turn over garden.  Expand garden.  Plant seeds.  Plant annuals. Plant containers.  Water everything! 

And then my rhubarb patch became a HUGE rhubarb patch.

While I was busy preparing my garden for a yield in September, my rhubarb was busy yielding now!!

Thus began the

Really Rhubarb Experiment.

The purpose of this experiment, put simply, is to find the fastest, easiest and simplest methods to eat or preserve this wonderful fruit (or is it a veg?).  And it gives me an excuse to discover and create some wonderful new recipes.

Are you as excited as I am!?!?

Then let's begin:

Really Rhubarb Juice

Tips On Mincing Rhubarb 

Really Rhubarb Cupcakes

Kale Chips

Kale chips.  Ever heard of 'em?
I hadn't until a few months ago via Facebook.
It seemed many of my friends were big fans
of it.  So I investigated.  I found an easy recipe
.....and.....
quickly modified it to one I liked better (that's just my style).

Here's how it goes:
1. Buy a big bunch of Kale.
 It's really quite cheap (around $1 a pound) and comes in purple or green.
I chose this wonderful purple.
Well....maybe the kids chose the wonderful purple and I said, "okay."

2. Trim the stems off the Kale and wash.
I found it easiest to trim with kitchen scissors as opposed to a knife.  There is alot of trimming
to be done, but it goes by quickly.  Washing is definitely recommended!  My Kale came with
free dirt.  I didn't want to eat the dirt so I washed it off.

3. Dry the Kale.
You could air dry or pat dry or salad-spinner dry
.....but....
I prefer the "Windmill" dry.
You simply place all the Kale in a clean tea towel.
You then gather all four corners of the towel into one hand.
Step outside your home onto your deck/front steps/balcony/terrace/what-have-you
and wing it around like a windmill!!  Remember to keep your "winging" arm straight.
The centrifugal force created keeps the Kale in the tea towel bundle
while sending the water spraying out!
I love it!
Easy, free and no clean up (plus an added arm workout).
 My fav!

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the Kale in a single layer.
Sprinkle the Kale with:
 1/2 tsp Kosher salt and
3/4 Tbsp Olive Oil 

5. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.
They should come out crispy with dark edges but not burned.
I think they're great!
I wasn't expecting them to turn out so crunchy, but they do!
They're definitely a fantastic guilt-free snack that will
replace potato chips in our house.

Simple, Homemade and Guilt free!  
Fantastic!

Thank you for checking out this tiny blog.
Please come back again soon!

Many more wonderful recipes to come.

My To-Do List

Welcome, welcome!

Yes.  As you can see there are no posts on this blog yet.  Sadly.  They are on my to-do list.  But they are at the bottom of that list.  Changing diapers, doing laundry, making beds.  These things are on my list ahead of writing posts for this blog.

But....

I promise, promise, promise that they are coming.  The posts are coming. 
They are in the works and will be posted soon. 

I promise.

Andrea