Strawberry -Rhubarb Crisp

 Daffodils ,pussy willows, forsythia, garlic chives, various perennial herbs and best of all RHUBARB! If you have never had rhubarb it is a bit sour bitter flavor but when stewed, baked or cooked with sugar or fruit or both it is magical.  It is a shame that it is not a vegetable (fruit by are standards) that is highlighted in our diets.  It grows anywhere and you can harvest it basically all summer long.  When you plant it , it needs to be left alone for a year and then it is fair game!!

Went to Kroger's yesterday and saw that the stems were $4.99 a pound.  Really?  Yes, stems.  The leaves are toxic  but they can go into a compost pile or lay them down around the plants. They did have pretty red stems.  Mine are green and red.  Some from my Dad and some from my mother-in -law (god rest their souls). If you know someone that has plants ask them for a start.  They can be divided and then planted.  Well enough about my favorite spring food. 

I watched Anne Burrell , who made a strawberry-rhubarb crisp. So excited, I ran out and picked some rhubarb and grabbed the strawberries that were earmarked for something else and made it.

 

 

The recipe calls for 1 quart of strawberries and 4 stalks of rhubarb but a fruit dessert always deserves to have 8 cups of  fruit so I added more fruit and increase the cornstarch to 1/3 cup.  It calls for balsamic vinegar but I used peach balsamic vinegar.  It is only two tablespoons but it added another dimension in flavor. Don't leave it out.  If you do not have some, try a bit of red wine vinegar.  I made mine in a 9 x 13 dish and served it after dinner.  Four stuffed people ate three-fourths of the yummy concoction.

 

We also had it over vanilla ice cream which melted under the warmth of the crisp.

 

For the recipe go to foodtv.com, click on Anne Burrell, click on top one hundred and it is on the first part of the list. Enjoy!!





Chicken Provencale in the slow cooker

I am sorry that I have been so neglectful in writing this blog.  There hasn't been anyone to really cook for except my husband and I, so sometimes we eat like we were back in college.  Last night for dinner we had buttered popcorn and a movie. I have promised my self to write at least a few times a week on this blog.  Today I knew I wanted to work outside and would not feel like cooking when I came inside so slow cooker it was!

I was looking at food sites and came across this recipe for Provençale Chicken Supper(Cooking Light Mag. September 1999) on the Recipe.com site.  It had good bone but not a big hit with the reviewers because it was somewhat bland.  Okay, there was the challenge. Here is my adaptation of that recipe.

Chicken Provençale Supper                                                

4 chicken bone in breast,skinned
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon Herb Provence
1/8 teaspoon each  salt and pepper
1 cup dice yellow or orange pepper
1 (15.5 oz.) can cannellini bean, rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes in basil, garlic and oregano
1 chopped onion
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 zucchini, chunked
1 8 oz. package of mushrooms, quartered
splash of red wine vinegar ( 1/4 of cup or less)
1/2 cup water

Place chicken in slow cooker , sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper.  Put veggies on top.  Stir to mix and add water.  Cook high 4 hours or low 8 hours.

I was going to use wine but all I had that would go with this was a big bottle and it was way to early in the morning to open a bottle and find myself with a glass of wine instead of coffee. I, therefore, opted for the red wine vinegar which turned out to be a good choice. I normally keep those little bottles of wine from the grocery but I had none that would go well with this combination of food.

This recipe is a keeper if I say so myself.  Filling, tasty and easy to prepare.

If you haven't got Herb Provence you can make It yourself which takes a lot of different herbs or you can get it from Penzy's.  There is a Penzy store in Columbus ,Ohio and several are scattered around the country.  They have a wonderful catalog you can order from, or order on line.