Rhubarb Crisp Bars

I went after my rhubarb plant again so I could try another new recipe.  It didn't disappoint.  I'm a rhubarb super fan anyway, so it would be hard to find a treat I didn't like.

You can find the recipe here:  Rhubarb Sugar Cookie Crisp

The original recipe name is a wee bit misleading.  I don't know where the sugar cookie part comes in.  You mix up what is essentially a crisp topping, press half of it into the bottom of the pan for the crust, spread out your rhubarb, then top with the remaining crisp goodness.  Bake and eat.

Here they are coming together at my house:

And hot out of the oven:

The recipe says that they need to be refrigerated in order to get them to cut up nicely into squares.  I didn't find that to be necessary.  Mine cut up perfectly, and held their shape, once they were cooled.

Good stuff, kids!

Looking for more rhubarb treats?

This is my most favorite rhubarb recipe in all the land:  Rhubarb Takes The Cake

It's like coffee cake, with rhubarb in it, and it's AMAZING.

This Rhubarb Nut Bread doesn't suck at all either.

For more rhubarb recipes, sweet and savory, you can check out my Rhubarb Pinterest Board.

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Oven Baked Trout & Shaved Rhubarb Salad

A friend of ours had caught some trout and shared the wealth a while back, so I pulled it out of the freezer with the intention of brewin' it up on the grill like this one.  The weather wasn't exactly cooperating, so I figured I'd try somethin' new.

I roughly followed this Martha Stewart recipe: 

 Whole Baked Trout With Cherry Tomatoes and Potatoes

I added kale, more potatoes, and a ton more garlic.  

Surprise.

This is how it came together at my house:

Preheat your oven to 400.

First up, I layered the bottom of a baking dish with whole kale leaves.

I'd recommend chopping them up to make them easier to serve.

Chard would be yummy, too.

I doctored it up with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Next up, toss some sliced potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), halved cherry or grape tomatoes, and a whole head of peeled garlic cloves, with olive oil, fresh oregano, salt and pepper.

Layer the taters on top of the kale, then evenly distribute the tomatoes and garlic.

And FYI, just this alone, without the fish, as a side dish would be deeeeelicious.

My daily kitchen helper.

She's gettin' pretty good with a knife, for a six-year old.

Okay, now throw that in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until your taters are just barely tender.

(If you're following the Martha recipe, it won't take as long to bake because there's only one layer of potatoes.)

Now you can lay your fish out on top of the potato/tomato mix.

I had six small ones.

Drizzle everyone with some olive oil, then season them up, inside and out, with salt and pepper.

The recipe calls for lemon slices, but all I had was lime, so that's what I used.

Stick those inside the fish.

Throw it back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the fish are done.

It will depend on the size of your fish.

Here they are, all cooked up and ready to eat:

Now I'm not gonna lie, fish and I and finicky.

I didn't try a single bite.  

I just wasn't feelin' it.

But The Dad and Baby tore it up and The Kid ate two whole trout all to himself.

I can vouch for the garlicky potatoes and tomatoes.
They did not suck at all.

To go with, I tried another new recipe out of my, Cooking From The Farmer's Market, cookbook that was super tasty and a fun way to eat rhubarb.

That recipe is here:

Shaved Rhubarb Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds

Here's dinner on my plate:

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Brie, Ham, Apple, White Cheddar, and Rhubarb Chutney Paninis

Soooo, you're gonna wanna go ahead and make this asap.  That was a mouthful of a title (pun intended), but I didn't want to exclude anyone.

I've been itchin' to try some new recipes with my rhubarb from the garden, and this chutney was up first.  My sister got me the Williams Sonoma, "Cooking From The Farmer's Market", Cookbook for Christmas and I can't eat my way through it fast enough.  The chutney recipe came out of it.  It was actually meant to go with pork, but I wasn't feelin' the pork, so I brainstormed a bit with my fridge open.  And this sandwich happened.

I don't wanna toot my own horn or anything, but it was SO FRIGGIN' GOOD.  Okay, it could be partly because I was starving. And partly because melted cheese between two pieces of bread is my version of heaven.  But still.  I think I can safely say it's a winner.  Annnnnnd, I wanna throw it out there that you can totally skip the ham if you want.  I had cooked a whole one a few days prior, so we had leftovers.  I don't do that nasty packaged lunch meat, so mine would have been meat-free otherwise.

Okay, I'll stop rambling and share the chutney recipe first.  I made a few substitutions that I'll make note of.

Rhubarb Chutney
Printable Recipe

1 C brown sugar
1/2 C cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon zest (I substituted lime zest)
3 - 4 rhubarb stalks, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cinnamon stick
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (I substituted ground to taste)
1/2 C golden raisins (I substituted a mix of diced dates and dried cranberries)
1/4 C chopped walnuts (I substituted pecans)
1/8 tsp salt

In a saucepan over low heat, cook the sugar, vinegar, and lemon zest, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.   Add the rhubarb, cinnamon, and ginger.  Raise heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the rhubarb is soft, about 15 minutes.  Remove the cinnamon stick.  Add the nuts, raisins, and salt, and cook for about 3 minutes.  Let cool.

Super duper easy, right?  It filled a mason far, so I have plenty of leftovers after our sammies.  I stuck it in the freezer and will save it for when I need an appetizer.  Brie and rhubarb chutney crostini anyone?

Here's the chutney, all brewed up and ready for spreadin':

And now, for the piece de resistance....

I used a yummy sliced deli bread.

Spread some of that rhubarb goodness all over one side .

Lay your brie out on the other side.

Now you need some ham.

Or not.

Prosciutto would be delicious, too.

Apples up on top of that.

I used Granny Smith.

And finally, more cheese.

White cheddar to be exact.

Or some other white cheese.

Asiago, Manchego, Gruyere, none of them would suck.

Now slap the lid on that bad boy, butter up the outsides, and throw it in the panini maker.

Or, you could use a pan on the stove.

Or the oven works, too.

Here's heaven:

The Kid doesn't learn from strangers.

"That one's mine."

I made a simple salad of mixed greens, candied nuts and orange vinaigrette to go with.

Here's dinner on my plate:

So flippin' good.

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