Rhubarb Crunch

A few years ago, my neighbor Nancy handed a Rhubarb recipe and stated it was the best….. I am not sure where it originated…it states from the “kitchen of Peg” on the card. This year our Rhubarb was plentiful & we are finally we are going to try it!  There is not a lot of explanation on the “how-to” for this one so we will wing it…. Tis the season for Rhubarb!

Rhubarb Crunch

On the card --- recipe from the kitchen of Peg

1   cup flour

3/4 cup oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 of this is for the top and ½ is for the bottom, pat in firmly

4 cups raw rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Cook until thick or clear – add vanilla – pour over rhubarb in pan

       Makes 9 inch square pan, Bake 350 – 1 hr

                   

Tupps Tidbits & Deanna’s Tidbits ~ (we worked on this recipe together) we

 recommend chopping up the rhubarb, set aside, and then mix the flour, oatmeal,

sugar and cinnamon& cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry blender & place

½ firmly in the bottom of a 9 in square pan.

Next on the stove top cook the sugar, cornstarch until thick & clear & mix in

vanilla

        

Next time we would probably add a bit more rhubarb but otherwise this was delicious….Definitely a KEEPER and worth trying with ice cream next time!

Salsa Skillet Pork Chops

Sean found this recipe from Taste of home’s current issue.  It was under the “eat smart, fast fix” section.  It will be good for a busy week night meal and no need to heat up the oven on a hot day.

Salsa Skillet Pork Chops

6 boneless pork loin chops (6 oz. each)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 cups fresh whole kernel corn

1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed & drained

1 1 /4 cup chunky salsa

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp ground cumin

1. Sprinkle pork chops with salt & pepper.  Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.  Brown chops on both sides in batches.

2. Add all chops and remaining ingredients to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 6-8 minutes or until thermometer read 145 degrees.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

                 

  

Tupps Tidbits ~       it would be best to have pork chops of all the same size for even cooking

          

The presentation look yummy and the pork chops were tender but it lacked flavor....Definitely not  KEEPER!

Country Blueberry Dessert

This recipe comes from the healthy site www.livebetteramerica.com.

In the past, we have found some pretty good recipes from this site.

It states that as the dessert bakes, the batter rises to the top, creating a delicious pudding like creation that is irresistible!

Country Blueberry Dessert

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup fat-free skim milk

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 Tbs butter, melted

2 bags (8 oz each) frozen blueberries

2 tsp finely chopped crystallized ginger, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350F.  Spray 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.  In large bowl, stir flour, sugar, milk, baking powder and salt until well blended.  Stir in melted butter.  Pour into baking dish. 

2. Pour frozen blueberries over batter; sprinkle with ginger. 

3. Bake uncovered 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set.  Let stand 15 minutes before serving.  Serve warm.

                  

Tupps Tidbits ~ Deanna’s Tidbits ~ since I am the baker, Sean did not test out the recipe this week, excepting for tasting….for some reason my batter only raised to the top on the sides and not in the middle….we did use a larger 9 inch pan, I am not sure if that made the difference

          

I would suggest to top servings of this dessert with whipped cream or ice cream.  We both enjoyed this dessert, I thought it could be a bit sweeter but I like my desserts rich. Sean thought it was perfect….Definitely a KEEPER and worth trying it with ice cream next time!

Beefy French Onion Pot Pie

This recipe came from the Taste of Home magazine, April/May 2013 issue.

It looks like a hardy, quick weeknight meal with minimal ingredients.

Beefy French Onion Pot Pie

• Cook 1 lb of ground beef & 1 chopped small onion in larger skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. 
• Drain meat & onion and place back in skillet.
• Stir in 1-101/2 ounce can of French Onion soup and bring to a boil.
• Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9 in deep dish pie plate and sprinkle with 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350 for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Top with 1-12 ounce refrigerated tube can of buttermilk biscuits and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Tupps Tidbits ~ I cut the biscuits in ½ when topping them on the meat mixture

          

This dish came out a little “soupy” and lacked really any kind of flavor but onion.  You could probably use it for something like loose meat sandwiches but really the best part of the dish was the biscuits!  Definitely NOT a KEEPER at our house!

Sweet Baby Ray’s Crockpot Chicken

I found this one day on facebook, someone had shared it & we thought we would give it a try. It looks like a pretty simple/healthy recipe and with just a twist to “just” barbeque chicken. Also, Crockpot meals are so nice to prepare in the morning on busy days.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Crockpot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts

1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce

¼ cup vinegar

1 tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix everything but chicken

Place chicken in Crockpot (frozen is ok)

Pour sauce mixture over chicken

Cook on low 4-6 hours

Tupps Tidbits ~   the sauce was pretty thin, we cooked it uncovered for 30 more minutes to thickien

          

We both enjoyed this dish & next time we will probably shred up the chicken for sandwiches.  It made the boneless skinless chicken breast extremely moist.

Also, I am pretty sure it is Gluten Free! Definitely a KEEPER!

25 Min Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss

We found this recipe actually from another blog!  The Slow Roasted Italian blog is a family friendly food blog focused on making life simple!  They are all about simplifying mealtime; making meals fast and easy using real ingredients.

25 Minute Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss

www.theslowroasteditalian.com

-adapted from Kraft

½ lb linguine, uncooked

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

3 Tbs. Hunt’s tomato paste

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 can (14.5 oz.) Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, undrained

½ cup water

¼ cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing

½ cup Kraft Grated Parmesan & Romano Cheese

1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.  Add chicken; cook 8 minutes or until done, flipping once
• Stir in tomato paste & garlic powder; cook & stir on medium-high for 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes
• Add dressing & water
• Using tongs, lift pasta from water and place into skillet
• Toss pasta & cover with sauce, Cook 2 minutes
• Sprinkle pasta with cheese & parsley…serve & enjoy!

Tupps Tidbits ~ slice chicken thin & evenly so it cooks properly; use very large non skillet since you have to add the noodles into this dish!

          

This dish had a dynamic flavor with such few ingredients and all less than 30 minutes!  We would suggest adding more red pepper flakes & more seasoning.  Also, making a hearty garlic bread/toast would definitely complement this meal.

We both agreed this dish is just OK; it was good, but just not great.

So we are going to put this under the – IT IS NOT A KEEPER category.

Grilled Apple Crisp

Grilling on Mother’s Day is pretty common & we found this unique way of making Apple Crisp on the grill and thought we would give it a try. Hopefully mom will love it!

Grilled Apple Crisp

Tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

• Thinly sliced peeled tart apples
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• Vanilla ice cream, optional  

Directions

·         Place the apple slices on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 24 in. x 12 in.). In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

·         Fold foil around apple mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until apples are tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Serve warm with ice cream if desired. 

Tupps Tidbits ~ as soon as your burgers are taken off the grill place this apple foil packet on and your will have dessert in no time!

This tasted just like the old-fashioned apple crisp but made on the grill!  Topped with a scoop of ice cream and the warm cinnamony dessert became…..DEFINITELY A KEEPER! Happy Mother’s Day everyone!