Rhubarb Recipe Roundup

Our garden is overflowing with rhubarb --

From a few email questions lately, I realize many of you have questions about this delicious veggie.

Dining Room Table - Help Needed

Okay, friends.  I need your help.

Frog Prince and I have a kitchen we adore, but a dining room that needs some serious help.

Let me say first, that we are changing the table -- I've been drooling over this table and have plans to refinish one this summer.

{Image from Little Bits of Bliss}

Putting the table aesthetics aside, we don't know what shape of table is best, or where to put the table.

With the bar stools, the dining room table needs to be pushed farther to the right {centered under the light}.  That just makes things awkward.  Make no mention of how to hang decorations/photos on the wall when the table is off center in the room.  Sheesh.  

So, now we are thinking of a corner booth in the right back corner. An aerial view might look like this {note, it is not to scale}:

So, what do you ladies think?  I've always loved the idea of a breakfast nook, and I think this might help with the space issues in the dining room.

Ideas please!!!  

  

Menu Plan - May 29

Heading into this week, I thought we held to our menu plan pretty well.  Then I looked at last week's menu.  Oops.  Somehow, this was not the menu that ended up on our fridge - and thus, not what we ended up eating.  But, we did stick to the menu hanging in our kitchen!

Here's what we ate last week:

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Chicken and Brown Rice Bake

Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins
{new}

Grilled Smokehouse Maple Chicken Fajitas 

{new}

Wheat Buttermilk Bread with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Pasta and Creamy Mushrooms

Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini Bake

BBQ

{brats, 40-minute buns, grilled corn, macaroni salad, fresh fruit, brownies}

 This coming week, we're looking forward to:

Sunday
B - Buttermilk Pancakes {and waffles} with berry sauce.
D - Mexican Bake {new}, cornbread {new}

Monday - Memorial Day!
B - Berry Crumble
D - Grilling! Bring: Crockpot Bake Beans {new}, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

Tuesday 
B - Veggie Scramble
D - Risotto Primavera {new}

Wednesday
B - Yogurt and granola, fruit
D - Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries
{Dessert - Rhubarb Cake}

Thursday
B - 1-minute Cran-Apple Crisp
D - Leftovers

Friday 
B - Rhubarb Apple Bread {new}
D - Mixed Veggies and Pasta {stovetop meal}

Saturday 
B - Leftover Apple Bread
D - Grilled Pizza

Macaroni Salad

Do you need a quick and delicious salad for tomorrow's Memorial Day BBQ?

Frog Prince requested his mom's macaroni salad; he listed off the ingredients and I set to work. While the traditional macaroni salad has celery, we used green pepper in its place and I loved that switch.

This salad is easily made in 30 minutes and keeps well in the refrigerator. You might find that you'll need to add a bit more mayo the next day because the noodles will absorb the mayo as the salad sits - but the flavors mix wonderfully!

Macaroni Salad

14.5 oz box of macaroni (we used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 C baby carrots, sliced
1 T minced onion
4 oz. frozen peas
1 C mayo (we used mayo made with olive oil)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 T cider vinegar
paprika
parsley
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; be sure not to over cook the pasta so that the noodles become overly soft.

Add the frozen peas in the last minute of cooking. Then, drain.

While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggies.

Allow the pasta and peas to cool down and then place in a large bowl.  As the pasta cools down, stir every few minutes to prevent the noodles from clumping together as they dry.

Add the chopped up veggies.

Stir to combine.

Add the minced onion, and stir these veggies in too. Alternatively, you can use fresh onion here.

Stir together the mayo, sugar, dry mustard, and cider vinegar until smooth and creamy.

Pour the mayo mixture over the pasta.  Do this in small batches.  Add a little, stir it in well and repeat.  This way, the creamy sauce gets all over the pasta and you can stir it in well.

Stir in the mayo mixture until the pasta and veggies are coated.

Then, season, to taste with parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  If desired, you can also add tuna fish or chicken (either canned or grilled chicken breast).

Enjoy!

Linked to: Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Tasty Tuesday, This Week's Craving, URS(2). 

Friday Favorite Finds

Thanks so much for joining us this Friday for Friday Favorite Finds!  

To go with the new look here at Finding Joy in My Kitchen, I have two new images to offer you for Friday Favorite Finds.  The first is a banner you can feel free to include in your post (see above).

The second is a badge for your blog that you can snag if you have been featured in a Friday Favorite Finds post here at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.    

If you have never stopped by on a Friday, 

please consider linking up a post that contains 

links to all the yummy recipes you bookmarked on your "to-try" list. 
{All photos below are from the recipe creators} 


Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
{Eats Well With Others}



The Best Burgers Ever
{A Pretty Life in the Suburbs}




Strawberry Lemon Shortbread Bars
{The Country Cook}




Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars
{The Baker Chick}




Cheesy Egg and Rice Bake
{Cooking During Stolen Moments}

Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Buns

{Mommie Cooks}

Now it's your turn!  Link up a post with the recipes you've bookmarked this week.  I so enjoy reading your lists each week; can't wait to see what you have linked up this week.  

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

If you are looking to put some of that rhubarb in your garden to good use, make this jam right away!

DIY Cooking Creme

I have to admit, when I first saw the new cooking creme's on the market, I laughed.  I thought - why on earth do we need this product in our cooking?!  Can't we just make this on our own?  

So, that is what I set out to do.  I haven't tried the store bought variety, so I have no idea if this even comes close to the cooking creme sold for $3-$4, but we loved it.

Pineapple Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Our garden is overflowing the rhubarb right now!  And, strawberries are just about in season here too.  So, combining this veggie and fruit with sweet pineapple made for a delightful {and easy} dessert!

Excuse the dust...

Frog Prince and I started renovating again... making our online kitchen look and feel a little more like our IRL kitchen!

If you're reading from a feed reader, you'll want to click over to see some of the new features.

Menu Plan - May 22

I have to admit, not having any planning or grading to do today felt strange.  It's a sure sign that I survived my first year as an assistant professor of biology and that summer is officially in session!

As I watched the seniors that I taught this past year, and those I worked with as TAs walk across the stage at commencement yesterday afternoon, I can't believe how fast it went and how much God taught me during this year.

Finals week went well, and in between the exams and grading we enjoyed:

Rainy Saturday Oatmeal Cookies

because every rainy Saturday needs an oatmeal cookie.

Friday Favorite Finds

Gotta Make It Strawberry Pie

{Stop Short}

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

This decadent chocolate ice cream made the perfect bottom layer for Frog Prince's 30th birthday cake.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream - Adapted from Cuisinart

1 C milk
1/4 C sugar
1 C dark chocolate chips
1 C whipping cream
1 C half and half
1 tsp. vanilla

Begin by warming the milk in a large saucepan.  Warm milk until small bubbles form around the outside.  Stir often during this process.  Then, set milk aside.

Using a food processor, pulse the sugar and dark chocolate together until chocolate is finely chopped.

Then, pour the mixture into the warmed milk.

Stir well.

Turn the burner on to low, and place the saucepan back on the heat source.  Stir constantly, to help the chocolate pieces finish up melting in the milk.

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.

Then, pour the chocolate mixture into a large 4 C measuring cup, or a large bowl; preferably with a pour spout.

Allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Add in the half and half, cream and vanilla.  Mix well.

Then, pour the mixture into the ice cream maker.  Make according to manufacturers directions.

Remove from the mixer and transfer to freezer-proof containers.

Allow the ice cream to harden up for 1-3 hours; or serve right away at a soft serve consistency.

This is amazingly rich -- perfect for a 1/2 C serving and delightful with fresh raspberries.

Linked to: Mouthwatering Mondays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday (2), Totally Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday, Tasty Tuesday, Ingredient Spotlight