Rhubarb Bread Pudding

With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, I thought I might share this new lovely recipe I happened upon while deepening my love affair with rhubarb. Behold, Rhubarb Bread Pudding:

Whether you're charged with bringing a dessert for the Saturday picnic or if you're taking it easy and finally have time to make a nice breakfast for the fam, this recipe is the way to go. I like standard bread pudding but sometimes it's too sweet for me. This with the kick of tart rhubarb???...oh my. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should mention that it's totally fair to have desserts for breakfast and breakfast for dessert. That's just how I roll.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding - Serves 6 ( or, two for 3 days)

Adapted from This Recipe at allrecipes.com (a great source for all sorts of recipes.)

The original recipe calls for regular sandwich bread with crusts removed and a lot more egg than I like in my bread pudding... I'm a fan of dense bread pudding- more creamy and doughy than eggy so I altered it to suit my needs. If you like your bread pudding more on the "pudding" side of life, you might check out the original.

Onward...

6 slices French Bread with crust on- toasted and cubed ( like, literally toasted in the toaster.)

4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon ( plus more for dusting)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8-1/4 cup walnuts

Raw sugar for sprinkling

.

.
.

.

That's all...

Oh, and 1 cup of diced rhubarb. Don't worry baby...I didn't forget you.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.

2. Arrange cubed pieces of bread in a buttered baking/casserole dish (about 2 qt.)

3. Combine milk and butter in a sauce pan and bring to the point just at the boiling point...like if allowed to stay one more second it will boil. Remove from heat and pour over bread. Allow to set for 15 minutes or until it is all absorbed. Your kitchen will smell really good right about now...

4. Combine eggs, rhubarb, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour over bread and top with walnuts. Mix lightly.

5. Sprinkle with raw sugar to taste and more cinnamon if you love it like I do...

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until browned. Notice I didn't destroy it this time?

Round Two of Rhubarb baking goes to Amanda ( Oven smackdown!)

At this point you can go solo like I did, or serve it with a basic cream sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup cream

(optional- 1/8 cup Jack Daniels? P-dub's idea, not mine... though, I might steal it.)

Heat all ingredients in sauce pan on low heat until boiling. The end.

Yum.

Mmmmm....I wish I had more of this. I'm fresh out of Rhubarb now! Good thing I'll be in Tulsa this weekend...

A Swiss Engagement- E-DAY Pt.1

Did you know Aubrey and I got engaged in Switzerland? Seriously, we did exacty 4 years and 1 day ago. It would have been in Paris if I hadn't been noncompliant with making a nighttime trip up the Eiffel Tower (by the way, I'm glad I was stubborn. It turned out great!)

E-Day started out like any other day. I got up, brushed my teeth, hopped in the shower... Oh, wait... I was in flippin Interlaken, Switzerland! This was the view from our window:

(By the way, this is pure straight out of the camera color...oh. my. gosh....beautiful.)

Think that's some high priced luxury suite window? Think again. This view was at the righteous price of 13.50 Euros per person courtesy of the Backpackers Hostel-Interlaken. You can't really ask for more than a roof and clean sheets... oh, and perhaps a bed you don't have to climb. Bonus! The staff was awesome and there's an attached bar. Double bonus!

Note: That is not a fanny pack. That is a travel belt wallet and our travel belt wallet can beat up your travel belt wallet any day of the week.

We made our way to the train station and made the journey up to Gimmelwald, which could quite possibly be my favorite European destination save Paris. This journey consists of a regular train ride, a switch to a local line and, *gasp* this:

I'm okay...

Holy Crap....
Oh, look, a waterfall...
AUBREY! IF YOU SHAKE THIS THING ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!

It's just the nerves talkin... gondolas will do that to you.

But, oh, was it worth it...

Breath deep....

Go ahead, I won't stop you...

Now, that's some fresh mountain air!

This was actually my last chance to take it all in before Aubrey took my breath away...
(but not before I got to yell, "RIIIIIIIICOLAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Don't act like you weren't thinkin' it.)

Stay tuned for E-day PART 2...

Happy Anniversary, Us!

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of me officially gaining a last name that everyone can spell and Aubrey gaining a personal chef and toilet cleaner!

We have grand plans to go to Six Flags over St. Louis to celebrate! Roller-coasters are the perfect way to celebrate a happy marriage, don't you think? So, here's my awkward tribute- Husby, life with you is like slowly climbing the "big drop"........

I can hardly stand the anticipation for adventures lying ahead and I'm always willing to stand in line to do it all over again. I love you!

Photographing People- Tips on Approaching Strangers

"Hey, that's bread, not people!" Well, unless you have lots of practice hiding in trees with binoculars, photographing people is sort of a new and scary venture....I'm easing my way into it, here!

Remember my last post about adding people to your travel photos? Well, as a beginner, I can tell you that it's scary enough when someone is willingly posing for you... I mean, what if the exposure isn't right? Can you ask them to stay still a little longer? People are much more intimidating subjects than say, a loaf of bread. Perhaps this is why I like photographing food... no backtalk.

Lucky for me, I didn't have to take my first crack at photgraphing people I don't even know all by myself. The Tulsa Digital Photography Group had their latest meetup at Blue Dome Arts Festival in Tulsa on Saturday and it was a blast. Our challenge was to get photos of strangers and practice technique in requesting their permission. Marty Coleman, Napkin Dad artist and co-organizer of the Meetup group shared some tips before we started out and here's my take on them...

1. Have a reason for requesting the photo. Just telling someone they're pretty won't get you far ( especially if you're a mid-age white male...just sayin'.) Find something specific you want to focus on. You can come up with your reason on the fly or even be working on a project ( say, you're really into unique earring photos, or something.) I happened to love this woman's focus on her work. She was making art right there on the spot and her necklaces were awesome so, I told her so...

2. Legitimize yourself. If you're part of a group (like we were) say so. Have cards so people know where they can go to see these photos ( psst, you can see all the group photos here.) Of course, this might not always be practical when traveling, especially when you are barely speaking the same language. Just do your best to give yourself credibility, actually BE credible, and if they aren't down with it, leave them alone. (Chances are, people are more than willing to be your subject.

3. Get permission for photographing minors. No exceptions. The kid may be more than willing to ham it up for your camera, but unless there's a parent there, you're getting yourself in a potential world of hurt. This amazing red head was too cute to pass up and his parents were happy to oblige. I even sent them the out takes and other crops. It's awfully encouraging when people actually like the photos you take!

4. Don't always ask for permission. There's no better way to ruin a great candid shot than telling people you're taking their picture. I know, I know I just gave the no exceptions rule on asking for permission. However, from afar, there is a boundary and you need to be aware of it. Riding that boundary carefully can get you some great opportunities. This is probably how you'll shoot most travel photos of people. Just remember rules 1-3 if you get into their personal space.

5. Don't forget about composition. Once you've scored the subject, don't forget about good composition, non-distracting backgrounds, etc. Sometimes, the shot just won't work. But, othertimes, you have a chance to reposition people, ask them to move into the light, or even move hair out of their face. After getting this guy to move to the side, I tried moving that dread lock over but he liked it there...and that's okay, too!

Marty had a lot of great ideas for composition and themes. He does photo collages and attempts to portray personality without faces. I really like this take and have a couple more tips of my own to add that I found helpful to get the shot...

6. Make your subject comfortable through conversation. You know how you go to the dentist and they start asking you all these questions and you can't really answer because you're jaw is pryed open? Well, same technique but better execution....chat 'em up to make them comfortable! I'm not much for small talk but I found it very helpful to talk while framing up a shot. It really helps eliminate the auto-smile or the blank stare.

Plus, you can focus on whatever you want and they need not know.

7. Appreciate the unexpected. So, you've framed up a great shot of some guy's hair and then his buddy comes and grabs his nipple. Go with it! You can get frustrated or you can capture the experience happening in front of you. (They proceeded to bite each other, too.)

I hope this has inspired you to add people in more of your photos on trips...even if you don't know them! Don't forget that you're a person, too. Jump in front of the camera once in a while... Even though you may dread it (like I do) it's nice to remember that you're a part of your travel experience, too.

Travel Photo Tip - Sharing the Experience versus the Cliche

Travel photos are a weird thing. Everyone asks to see them but few really want to see all 824 them (ah, the joy of digital photography.) You ever get the sense that your family is counting the minutes they'll never get back and your friends are secretly plotting your death after they see that fountain that looks just like that other fountain for the 10th time?

A way to avoid post-trip assasination attempts is to come back with something new to share and and something authentic to talk about. The fact is, when you're in Vegas, you're getting a pic of that welcome sign. Disneyland? Mickey's gonna be in there somewhere. And this is all well and good as they will represent to YOU the memories you cherish. Unfortunately, they don't do much to communicate your experience, which is usually the story you want to tell.

So, ask yourself...what is it that you love about being in a new place and what do you want to be able to share about your trip? Chances are, it's not the world famous landmarks that flip your skirt up and it's probably not what gets you excited for sharing. For me, it's all about immersion in a new culture and being around new people ( and new food, of course!)

See that pic above? How cool would it have been to get a photo of all the tourists with their hands up in the air? I love seeing my handy husband saving that poor leaning tower but what does it say about what it was like to be there? Not much. I found myself showing this picture and explaining what it was really like to be there more often than I desired. Ahh, to be able to communicate the experience!

Likewise, we all know what the Mona Lisa looks like ( and, I'm sure everyone's seen a better pic than mine.) So, why not try going for a bit of human interest? Why not make the crowd surrounding the Mona Lisa your subject? You could even develop a portfolio on tourists in action! You don't have to go to The Louvre to find tourists...they're everywhere complete with fanny packs and baseball caps.

People are the missing denominator in most travel photos but they're really what makes a trip memorable. This is actually a tip I need to take my own advice on more often... I would do this photo above much differently today, but you get the idea... Now, that's what the experience was really like (and we promptly left in search of a more authentic French experience a la crepe stand man.)

It's not always easy getting great photos of people, especially when they're strangers. Good thing the Tulsa Digital Photography Group had another meetup yesterday all on approaching strangers for photos. We'll cased the Blue Dome Arts Festival in Tulsa! More to come on that!

As you can tell from the pics above, photography skill itself is a journey, but so is understanding what you truly want to capture in your travel photos. Fortunately, there's nothing like a missed photo op to make me want to hop back on a plane! In the meantime, I can get inspiration ( and you can, too) from this travel photographer I happened upon- note how the people make the shot.

http://www.pennydelossantos.com/

Tarts- A Love Story with Rhubarb Tart Recipe

Aubrey and I discovered the joy that is a tart while on our first voyage across the Atlantic in May of 2005. It all started for us in Frankfurt, Germany when we discovered that,
a. It costs money to use a public toilet in Europe;
b. German police actually patrol with German Shepherds, and;
c. We would never be the same again after eating this:

Thus began our love affair with tarts and tart-like things...

But, it was really all about the tarts...

I patiently waited a year and we returned in May of 2006 to Paris for our honeymoon... and, guess what? So, you see my problem...we love tarts, we live in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, and I can't bake. I can't remedy any of these conditions but I like to go down fighting against my oven. Yes, yes, friends. I tried baking......................again. Enter, rhubarb tart.

Have you ever had rhubarb? This was actually my first time and I can't believe I lived without it for so long...

For an amazingly simple recipe, I managed to screw up the puff pastry ( premade pastry dough, people! How can I mess that up?) and burn the edges. So, both of these faults should make my next statement really hit home.... this was the best sweet I've had since our trip last November. I'm telling you the honest truth. It brought tears to my eyes.
Sure, my puff pastry didn't puff ( note: don't thaw puff pastry in the microwave. Oh, and you roll it out in a sheet, not from the melted ball you formed in the microwave. I learned that here, too late.) But, despite all the obstacles, this was amazing. Whoever first combined tart and tangy rhubarb with the sweetness of a sugar orange glaze will go down in history as a genius in my book. Without further ado...

Rustic Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze( adapted from Gourmet April 2009. It's "rustic" because I can't roll out a rectangle... hehe. Recipe found here.)

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced diagonally ( about 1/8 inch)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4-ounces package), thawed
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest ( I skipped this part and it was just fine.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 with rack in the middle.

2. Mix orange juice, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Add rhubarb and soak for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, cut the sheet of puff pastry in half and roll out into two rectangles approximately 11" x 7." I literally brought out my ruler but didn't need it since the blob from the microwave wasn't going anywhere near a rectangle.

4. Place both rectangles on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Strain rhubarb (retaining the liquid) and arrange on both of the pastry sheets.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

7. While the tarts are baking, boil down the remaining liquid to reduce to a thickend glaze.

8. When tarts are finished, remove from oven and brush with the glaze.

9. Try not to burn yourself when you immediately attempt to eat the thing. Ahhh, what one does for true love.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimpys

Mmmm, spicy orange garlicy goodness….

Want to know how cool this meal is? So much so that I made it for Christmas Eve 2008, that’s how cool. I mean, it’s no Braums ( Flashback Christmas Eve 2007- sorry, husby…I’ll never do it again) but it’ll do. Also, so cool that it warranted getting a new plate just to enhance its awesomeness (stay with me, you'll see it in the photo...a bit.)

Seriously now, shrimp is one of those things that used to frighten me. I mean, it was up there in my list of scary things to cook like a whole chicken, ribs, a souffle, flan, or just about anything baked, in general. Anyway, shrimp has officially made a departure from that list. Not ready to open the world of seafood up in this kitchen beyond shrimp and salmon, but I’m making progress.

Something that makes a recipe decidedly NOT scary is pure simplicity. Give me a few ingredients and a skillet and I’m good to go.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp (Adapted recipe from The Pioneer Woman contributor, Pastor Ryan…you rule, man.)

Ingredients

1 lb frozen, raw “shell on, tail on, deveined” shrimp 26-30 per pound size ( “” means…yeah, right. I bought them ready to go.)
¾ cup Orange juice
2-4 gloves of minced garlic ( psst, don’t tell…this became 2 tbsp. of jarred minced stuff.)
3 Tbsp. SALTED butter
½ tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning ( I had to buy a can just for this. I told you I don’t do seafood…)

1. Prep, thaw and dry your shrimp. If you’re cool like me, this shouldn’t take long. If you go the shell on stuff, guess what? You have to take it off. Sorry ‘bout that.
2. Thinly slice the garlic if you used whole cloves and add to orange juice. I actually think you should do what he says here... the minced stuff makes for awkward deglazing. 3. Add seasonings to garlic/juice. Stir and let it hang out for a bit.
4. Meanwhile, heat up 2 tbsp. of the butter on high heat in a frying pan until it’s melted but just before it starts burning.
5. Quickly add shrimp one at a time so they all have a full side down. Wait 30-60 seconds from the time you put the last one in to flip the first one you put in. Tongs are ideal for this. Pastor Ryan says so, too.
6. Once the last shrimpy is flipped, wait another 30-60 seconds and they should be cooked through with a nice caramelized exterior. Remove shrimp to a plate or bowl and LEAVE THOSE BROWNED BITS. Leave the heat on until it starts to smoke a bit. This is important. I don’t know why, but it is. Look at all that poorly lit naked shrimp...

For some reason, a doctors office comes to mind when I look at this... yeah, anyway...

7. Add garlic juice mix to the pan and deglaze. Scrape up all that browned goodness and let it boil. 8. Add the final Tbsp. of butter and simmer the sauce down until thickened. You can leave it more saucy if you like (which I do because I like to pour it over rice.)
9. Turn off heat, toss in the shrimp and coat. Serve all on their own or over rice. It’s yum. So, stop looking at pictures of shrimp and go eat some.

Whip Me Up Some Pizza!

I've been super excited about getting into the swing of things in the kitchen now that my schedule has settled down a bit. I even went grocery shopping at a real live grocery store this Sunday on our way back from Porter, OK. The only problem is that my excitement as of late has got me as far as theory and shopping lists but no further. When it comes time to crack open a little sumthin' sumthin', I go blank. No inspiration. Only hunger. This happened to me tonight. I had grand plans of making a spicy orange shrimp dish ( which will hopefully make an appearance tomorrow) but instead I almost made a Taco Bell run.


As luck would have it, I did get some semblance of inspiration and made pizza (inspiration came in the form of an extremely low bank account...no eating out for us for a while.)
Fortunately, pizza is the easiest thing in the world to make, especially if you have a premade crust. I had been buying a premade thin crust but I find them cumbersome to store and not so tasty, anyway. Then, I discovered the wonders of Naan. It's a traditional Indian bread and goes great with currys and masala. It also makes an excellent pizza crust. It could probably also make a good one way boomerang.

I have no recipe to share other than what I threw on the Naan tonight. It turned out pretty amazing. So, when following a recipe starts to feel like a chore, whip out your intuition and go crazy ( as long as it doesn't get you into making a Turkey Burger.) Aubrey says he doesn't quite trust me yet but he doesn't NOT trust me anymore after the burger fiasco. Redemption!

Today's Naan Pizza - Serves Me

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place naan with a little bit of olive oil in the oven on a baking sheet to start heating up.

2. Meanwhile, saute sliced portabello, onion, and minced garlic until soft. Add swiss chard greens and cover with lid about 4 minutes on med/low heat until wilted. I didn't measure anything out...just determine how much topping you want.

3. Pull out bread and smear with a bit of basil pesto. Top with sliced fresh mozzerella, all that stuff you just sauted and sliced tomato. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and fresh basil leaves.

4. Broil and remove when melty but not burned yet like mine. It was still good but a little charred. Like my mind.

Tulsa Mom's Nite Out

I'm currently sitting across from Tasha at her house after joining up with Oklahoma women bloggers for the "Tulsa Mom's Nite Out." I'm occupying her couch tonight since my lovely parents abandoned me this week and moved back to California... but that's another story. I'm occupying her house tomorrow night, too, but she doesn't know it yet. Oh, wait, now she does.

Anyway, even though I'm only the mother of two hairy beasts, I had a pretty good time despite being nervous about tripping and such. I always feel really awkward in crowds and become very self conscious of my nostrils for some reason. So, I made Tasha wear me like underwear 'cause she's pretty good at networking. I think it's because she knows how to loosen up...

Also in tow was chic Sindy of Sindy In Tulsa. She's really helpful to have around when meeting new people, too. You just have to say, "she's from Germany" and conversations explode!

That's how we learned that Christine of Stine Stuff lived in Germany herself for a year. How cool is that? Of course, I already knew Tasha and Sindy. On to the new people! And a lot of new people there were...this was quite the happenin' event.

The crowd was friendly and chatty as we all went around with eyes at breast level to figure out who belonged to what blog. I finally met Holly with Tulsa Art Blog though we've been virtual friends for quite awhile now.

AND, I made a brand new friend...





Alicia of Penny Princess was super cool. She and The Coupon Queen will have me rollin' in dough in no time. The list continues...I met Jill of All Trades who won my guilt driven giveaway, Courtney with Homemaker Hero who helps me get organized with my home maintenance and so many more. Thanks to the lovely hostesses who set this up and I look forward to next year. It was great meeting everyone! And don't think for one second that I made it out without managing to be a total nerd...

It can't be done.

Turkey Burger FAIL

I ate this amazing burger in Detroit on a business trip a couple weeks ago called the California Veggie Burger at Uptown Grille. First of all, I didn’t get the veggie patty…I demanded beef. Second of all, it totally didn’t need ranch dressing. You see, I like ranch dressing on my burgers (as if they weren’t already enough of a caloric splurge) but this burger would have none of that nonsense. It was dressed with pesto, gorgonzola, basil, and avocado on a crusty bun. Yum. I set out to recreate the magic and, as Aubrey so kindly put it to me, “Hmmm, well, you failed.”

My first mistake was trying to make it a turkey burger. I figured somewhere between the intended veggie burger and my all beef substitution was the happy turkey patty. My first clue to the failure is that it started out looking like this…

I thought I’d get creative and actually mixed pesto, garlic, gorgonzola, a bit of Italian bread crumbs, some olive oil, and salt into the meat. Oh, and some parsley for kicks and since I had some. You know what? It made for a pretty moist burger! And, that’s saying something because turkey burgers are notoriously dry. It would have been alright, too, if the gorgonzola I had wasn’t flavor-challenged. It was actually better described as disgusting and WAY too close to aged bleu cheese to do anything for the delicate pesto I used. I literally took my second bite and spit it back out on the plate. I should have known it wasn’t meant to be when I accidentally burned the first set of buns.

Oh, what potential it had. Next time, I’m back to the beef… and ANYTHING but that awful cheese. Pesto, yes. Gorgonzola, no. Pesto, yes. Gorgonzola, no. I think I’ll stick to actual recipes for a while now.