Welcome to My Kitchen

It is one of those years! You think because you made it past Mother’s Day you have escaped frost damage to your flowerbeds and gardens. Low lying places got hit pretty hard in some areas this past week. You may be able to salvage some plants that only got nipped by trimming away withered foliage, watering well and holding off on fertilizer until new growth starts.

Fortunately, rhubarb is not affected by spring frost so we can continue to enjoy it’s bounty. I have included former Odessa resident, Karma Henry’s recipe for Baked Sticky Rhubarb Pudding in this column several times over the years, but it bears repeating for those new to cooking with rhubarb. The recipe is easy to prepare and sweet enough to appeal to almost anyone’s taste buds.

Baked

Sticky Rhubarb Pudding

3 cups diced rhubarb

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup milk

2/3 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan. Pour chopped rhubarb into the prepared pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, milk, melted butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour over chopped rhubarb and spread evenly.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the surface of the batter. Pour the water evenly over all.

Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream. Yield: 9 servings.

Note: I have found this recipe may be made with frozen rhubarb, but don’t thaw before using. It may take an additional 5 minutes of baking time.

Freezing rhubarb is easy. Wash and pat dry. Slice or chop as desired for your recipes. Place in a single layer on baking sheets and freeze solid. Then package in recipe amounts and return to freezer. I find slicing 1/4 inch thick works well for me. It is easy to dice finer while still frozen if I need.

Mint is flourish in many area gardens, if it didn’t get nipped on the recent frosty nights. Don’t worry it will come back. Mint Jelly, a flavorful accompaniment to leg of lamb or other roast meats, takes several steps to prepare, but is not difficult to make.

Mint Jelly

1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh mint leaves with stems

2 1/4 cups water

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Few drops green food coloring

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 pouch liquid pectin

4 half pint jars or 2 pint jars with new lids and rings

To prepare the infusion, wash the mint leaves and stems. Place in a 6 to 8 quart saucepan and crush leaves with a wooden spoon. Add the water and bring quickly to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Have sterilized jars at the ready in a 200 degree oven.

Strain liquid from leaves and measure 1 3/4 cup of the liquid into the large saucepan. Add lemon juice and food coloring for desired color.

To make jelly, thoroughly mix sugar into the mint infusion until nearly dissolved. Place over high heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Immediately stir in the liquid pectin.

Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Remove jars from the oven and quickly ladle jelly into the hot sterilized jars. Wipe jar rims clean and cap with lids and rings. Screw bands on tightly and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Remove from canned and cool on a towel cover surface.

Note: when canning just a few half pints, you can use a large soup kettle as a canner. Place a layer of jar rings in the bottom, after filling with water, to act as the rack. Also note: mint doesn’t work as well with powdered pectin, so please stick to the liquid in pouches for this recipe.

Odessa resident, Brenda Wagner shared a recipe she recently tried for Homemade Chicken Nuggets. Just a few ingredients and cooking is done in an air fryer. I have not personally tested this recipe as I do not have an air fryer, but I have tasted the results as Brenda shared some with us.

Homemade

Chicken Nuggets

1 pound ground chicken

2 eggs

1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

Favorite seasoning mix

Avocado Oil Spray

Mix chicken, egg and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese together in a medium size bowl. Season with you favorite seasoning mix.

Shape mixture into small balls/patties and dip in remaining parmesan cheese to coat.

Place in air fryer basket and spary with avocado oil spry. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Halfway through, flip over.

Note: Brenda used panko bread crumbs in place of the remaining parmesan cheese to dip her chicken nuggets in before cooking. Yield: about 4 servings.

My observation is these chicken nuggets could be baked in a conventional oven for about the same amount of time. Check internal temperature with an insta-read thermometer as you are dealing with raw meat in this recipe. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees.

Share your favorite spring rhubarb recipes and homemade versions of popular store bought items with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, Attn: Laura, P. O. Box 151, Odessa, WA 99159 email pandl@odessaoffice,com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in WildRoots Market, Odessa. Night temperatures are still in the cool range, but warmer days should have our gardens flourishing again soon. This means the weeds will be flourishing as well. Spend a few minutes each day plucking out those weeds while they are small so they don’t drain moisture and nutrients.