Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

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Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

I grew up with a rhubarb plant in the backyard. The perennial plant was more of a fuss than it was adored, as it hung heavy over the marigolds and outgrew its home in the garden. The large leaves spread out over the lawn, becoming a nuisance when it became time to mow the lawn. The rhubarb plant has been there as long as I can remember, sprouting just as the grass began to turn green. Though my family never used its gift of fruit, we would encourage the neighbors to take what they wished and cut off stalks for family friends.

It wasn't until I began baking that I started to appreciate the rhubarb plant for its tart stalks.

Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

With a winter that overstayed its welcome, this year the rhubarb did not have a chance to sprout until late May. Though the season for rhubarb lasts all summer long, the vegetable is sweetest when the stalks are young and thin. I waited impatiently for the rhubarb to grow, desperate for a sign of spring, hoping that sharp taste would erase the endless snow and bitter wind. I had already drawn up a recipe list, finding ways to make the most of the stalks, and was simply waiting for my prize. Last week, I finally received my first batch fresh from the garden, hauled three hours to my doorstep by my younger sister.

Unapologetic, the rhubarb was as tart as my winter dreams had dared.

Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

Rhubarb is often buried beneath other flavors, playing second fiddle to fruits like strawberries. Spiced with a pinch of ground ginger or mixed with vanilla bean seeds, the vegetable can stand alone and shine. My love for sour and tart foods refuses to drown out the tartness of the rhubarb with cloying amounts of sugar, and it shows in this pound cake. This cake is a compromise between the tart rhubarb and sweet cake, a simultaneous play on both flavors.

With a dozen stalks remaining in my crisper, you can count on a few more rhubarb recipes appearing in the next couple weeks.

Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake

Rhubarb Vanilla Pound Cake is a heavy, dense cake in the most delightful of manners. The cake has a sweet, creamy quality which contrasts with the tart rhubarb pieces scattered throughout. Before baking, sugar is sprinkled over the batter which creates a crackly, sweet crust when it emerges from the oven. The cake is best served by itself, or with a glass of milk or mug of coffee.

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Vanilla Chia Pudding

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Vanilla Chia Pudding

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Growing up, I was fascinated by Chia Pets. These terracotta figurines, in which chia seeds are sprouted and grown to resemble fur, were the star of many Saturday morning cartoon commercials. The catchphrase "Ch-ch-ch-chia!" quickly became ingrained in my mind as well as my toddler sister, who spouted the slogan in her giggly high-pitched voice.

After the initial craze died down, my grandmother unexpectedly bought me a Chia Pet for Christmas. It was an Elmer Fudd, with grooves to grow chia hair, which I found deeply ironic since the cartoon character is completely bald. Nevertheless, I was excited about my new toy. I followed the necessary steps, spread the seeds around his head and waited. Nothing happened. My chia seeds, no matter how much I willed them, simply would not sprout.

My Elmer Fudd was determined to stay true to character.

Vanilla Chia Pudding Vanilla Chia Pudding

Many years later, while wandering through the food section of a department store, I stumbled across a bag of chia seeds. As this was before the health food trend set in, the thought of eating the seeds instead of growing them on pottery struck me as odd. I wanted to buy the bag simply out of curiosity, but the seeds never made it into my cart. I often thought of them afterwards, wishing they had made that journey, simultaneously wondering how I would have incorporated them into my cooking.

That passing concern became a real question when a bag of chia seeds finally found itself on my kitchen counter last weekend. After doing a bit of recipe searching, I settled on making a simple pudding.

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Chia seeds have several unique properties which set them apart. Firstly, chia seeds do not seem to have a flavor, not even a subtle one, which makes them easy to mix into other foods, such as smoothies or morning cereals. They are also packed with nutrition, including high levels of fiber and protein, which makes them a healthy choice and can help keep you feeling full longer. Lastly, and most unusual, chia seeds can absorb ten times their weight (or more) in water. When the seeds are mixed into a liquid, they will absorb it, creating a gel.

I used this last characteristic to my advantage. To make this pudding, I mixed the seeds into milk and simply let the mixture set. There is no heat, no additional thickening agents, or cooking required. In many ways, this may be one of the easiest dishes I have ever created.

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Vanilla Chia Pudding has a bright vanilla flavor with a texture resembling a tapioca or rice pudding. Chia seeds are simply mixed into your favorite milk and left overnight to gel—the process couldn't be any simpler. This pudding is healthy enough for a morning breakfast and sinful enough for an after dinner dessert. Serve with fresh berries for color and a swirl of maple syrup for a sweet taste. Chia seeds are available in the health food section of the grocery store (or in specialty health food stores).

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Pineapple Jam

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Pineapple Jam

Pineapple Jam

I turned twenty-five years old yesterday. I have been on this earth for exactly a quarter of a century. In many ways, I am having a difficult time wrapping my mind around it. For the first time I feel, well, older. Perhaps, somehow, more grown up. I am wrapping up my final semester of graduate school, focusing on coursework much more than the social life I prized during university. Soon, however, the shoe will move to the other foot. I have been offered a job teaching high school science this fall and will very soon have lessons to plan, homework to correct, and students of my own to tend.

The times they are a-changin'.

Pineapple Jam Pineapple Jam

I feel very much an adult, as if the child within me has headed off to summer camp and I've been left behind, waving her goodbye. I go to bed at a reasonable hour each evening, balking at the idea of staying up beyond one in the morning for any reason whatsoever. My refrigerator is full of fruits and vegetables; I optimistically pack a healthy lunch each morning so I'll be forced to eat it when hunger kicks in (this trick, by the way, works wonders). My work ethic is an employer's dream, but I find myself working so frequently that I rarely let loose, leave the house, and do something fun. It's easy to get caught up in responsibilities and forget there is anything outside of them.

Perhaps, you could say, I'm learning how to become an adult, learning to take on new obligations, but not allow them to slowly take over the other pieces of my life. Trying to find a sense of balance in a world that is leaning too far in one direction. Growing up is hard.

Pineapple Jam

I think we should all be allowed a moment to say goodbye to the age we are leaving behind, a moment to grieve, a moment to celebrate, a moment to embrace the future, a moment to call our own and for which no one can judge us. Turning twenty five caught up with me last weekend. I realized, for the first time, that any sense of childhood was officially behind me. I filled up a glass of red wine, and then filled it up again, lamenting my burgeoning spider veins and faint laugh lines to my boyfriend. I walked out on the third story balcony to the apartment, bemoaning my impending old age as the lights in the courtyard made slow circles through air.

As if to show my despair at leaving childhood behind, I threw baby carrots at a neighborhood rabbit who was scampering through the grass below simply because an adult would never do that (the rabbit, I might add, did not seem to appreciate the free dinner). I gave up when I ran out of carrots, collapsing on the couch in front of an episode of Game of Thrones. I had my moment then, a little messy, a little unrefined, and then it passed as if it had never arrived.

The birthday has come and gone since then. The gifts have been unwrapped, the wishes wished, the candles blown out, and the peace made with growing older. Twenty five no longer feels so old anymore and I feel ready and even a little excited to embrace a new number. Thirty? Now that's old. :)

Pineapple Jam

Pineapple Jam has a unique flavor, both sweet and acidic, and complements a toasted English muffin well. Fresh, ripe pineapple is blended into small pieces and cooked down on the stove until it thickens and slightly caramelizes. The addition of vanilla adds a bright tone while a touch of molasses adds a greater depth of flavor. The jam can be finished with a bit of lime zest for a bold twist, but it isn't necessary to create a rounded flavor.

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