{this moment} onstage

Linking to Soulemama for a Friday ritual.  This is a moment that I want to remember and reflect upon with such joy and excitement:

Wishing you a wonderful Friday!

{this moment} dig

Linking to Soulemama for a Friday ritual:

Coloring page compliments of my 3 year old--I think she did a great job staying in the lines!

Happy Friday!

pine mulch

I anxiously await the taste of our first strawberry this year.  I have switched to pine needle mulch this year as I read that it helps to produce a "wilder" tasting strawberry.  And, unlike the straw mulch used in years past, it's free and gathered from our land.  Regardless of any taste difference, I will probably proclaim these berries as the sweetest.
My oldest daughter was excited to learn of the wild strawberries she found in the asparagus patch and potted them in hopes of tasting the tiny berries.  I just love kids in the garden.

multigrain banana muffins with chocolate chips

The promise of warmer weather has not yet arrived and so my baking continues.  Hot muffins fresh from the oven are what I like to serve my little ones to help them start the day (it helps this mama too).

As you can see above, I baked some of the muffins with paper liners (I like using these) and others without.  These muffins have such a tender crumb that I would advise the use of paper liners.

My recipe is adapted from the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins by King Arthur Flour

1/2 cup melted butter or cooking oil of your choice
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup mashed very ripe banana, about 2 medium of 1 1/2 large bananas
1 large egg (preferably free ranging)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk or half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons Bob's Red Mill Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour
1 cup Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup rolled oats
Streusel topping, if desired

1.  Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir with a whisk.
2.  In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar for approximately 3 minutes.
3.  Beat in the mashed banana, the egg, vanilla and the milk.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
5.  Stir in the chocolate chips and oatmeal.

At this point, you could scoop the batter into your muffin tins, top with streusel (if desired) and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven.  I like to make the batter up the night before and store it covered, in my refrigerator.  The next morning, I bake and serve these delicious muffins.

Do you have a favorite muffin or breakfast recipe?

{preserving} Rhubarb Chutney

With the arrival of 5 pounds of rhubarb (that's what happens when I comment on the lushness of my dad's rhubarb plant), it was time to start canning.  The last month has found me gathering my canning equipment, marking pages in my cookbooks, and trying to come up with a plan.

Rhubarb Chutney
 Adapted from The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich

2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 pounds rhubarb, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 orange
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1.  In a non reactive pot over medium heat, heat the vinegar and sugar, whisking until the sugar dissolves.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Simmer about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.  Remove the cinnamon stick.  Scoop the chutney into seven half-pint mason jars, and close the jars with hot two-piece caps.  Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.  Remove jars and listen for jars to seal.  Any jars that do not seal, store in refrigerator.  There may be a small amount of chutney left in your pot to enjoy immediately.

Makes 3 1/2 pints of a tart, sweet and spicy chutney.

I enjoyed this chutney last night with roast chicken and it will be a great addition to my Thanksgiving table this fall.

What recipes do you enjoy making with rhubarb?

{this moment}

Linking to Soulemama for a Friday ritual:

Rhubarb Chutney

Happy Friday!