Simple Rhubarb Jam

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Simple Rhubarb Jam

rhubarb abound

For as long as I can remember, there has been a huge rhubarb plant in the garden. It is abrasive and tries to overtake and suffocate the other plants. It is a conquering tyrant. My mother refers to it antagonistically as a weed.

varied stalks

Growing up, my family never ate rhubarb and that is the sad, sad truth. The rhubarb plant would sit, lacking attention like a middle child. During sunny afternoons, we could spot the neighbors eyeing our plant with green envy. And then, in the dead of night, they would sneak over with a pair of hedge clippers and steal as much as they could get away with. I kid you not.

no more leavesrhubarb texture

I decided this desperately needed to change and so this rhubarb jam was born. It is quick, easy to make, and goes well on just about anything.

Because it was a hot afternoon, I was not about to spend my time canning in the kitchen. Since I am not looking to save up for winter, making one jar sufficed. It takes less than 15 minutes to have a tasty spread. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if necessary.

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Bittersweet Chocolate Sherbet with Coconut Rum Sauce

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Bittersweet Chocolate Sherbet with Coconut Rum Sauce

bittersweet chocolate sherbet with coconut rum sauce

This weekend I spent well over an hour scanning recipe books agonizing over whether I needed to consume something with excessive amounts of chocolate or coconut. Both of these sweets are near and dear to my heart so this was not a decision to take lightly. Thankfully, the great dessert gods spotted my great indecision, took pity, and swooped down from their fluffy whipped cream heaven to bestow this bewitching recipe on me. Bittersweet chocolate sherbet with coconut rum sauce. The perfect solution to my problem.

The sherbet is rich, so a little goes a long way. While delicious on its own, the coconut rum sauce gives the sherbet a true dimensionality. It balances the richness of the chocolate and brings a slight sweetness to the combination. Plus, you can put the leftover sauce on anything from fruit to muffins.

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Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

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Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

arabesque

My little sister is graduating from high school this weekend. This means that she is now property of the beast known as the Real World, but (much more importantly) this also means she is having a graduation party. With cake. And ice cream. And cookies.

sugar cookie crotch shot

My sister has been a ballet dancer for over ten years, so these cookies are an ode to her and her many accomplishments. The ballerinas are doing a lovely arabesque (yes, I did have to ask exactly what that pose was). How my sister can balance on the tips of her toes will continue to remain a great mystery to me. It appears to defy everything I know about physics. And I know a lot about physics.

So, dear sister, congratulations and good luck for the future! My first advice to you as a diploma carting member of society is to keep these cookies far away from me or you will not get the chance to bite off some itty bitty ballerina limbs for yourself.

baked ballerinastippy toes

These sugar cookies are sweet (but not too sweet), soft, and fluffy. They puff up nicely in the oven and stay that way. Forever. Your sugar cookies no longer have to be two-dimensional! Flower petals can really blossom. Pumpkins can have the correct dimensionality. Santa Claus can have the appropriate amount of chub. The possibilities are truly endless. Now go forth and be creative.

ballerina army

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