>This is a variation on a theme. I was feeling lousy, wanted something sweet and comforting, and didn’t have the energy to work very hard or very long in the kitchen. The solution was this. I pulled a small zipper bag of rhubarb from the freezer, used two apples I had nearby, and the rest? Well, I keep the kitchen stocked with baking goods. The rest of the ingredients were all in my cupboards. It’s a variation on a rhubarb crumble cake that I’ve made in the past.

1 1/2 cup sugar, divided

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cup rhubarb, 1 1/2 cup apples, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/8 cup quick or old fashioned oats

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup each almonds and walnuts, finely chopped

1 beaten egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan and stir in the rhubarb and apples. Cook over a low to medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Cool and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and lemon juice and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly. Remove 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and set aside. To remaining flour mixture add the oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts. Combine the egg and milk combination and pour over the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Spread 2/3 of the batter over the bottom and sides of a agreased 8-inch square pan. Spoon the rhubarb/apple filling over the batter. Drop the remaining batter over the fruit filling by spoonfuls. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool (somewhat) in the pan. Cut into slices and serve with whipped cream or ice cream — or coffee, of course.

This was dessert. It makes a good breakfast, too. The rest of the meal? Remember how sick and tired I was feeling? Supper was a frozen pizza.

>This recipe reminds me of Ranger Cookies. In my lovely home state of Wisconsin, we don’t have rangers, but we have lots of farms! We also have rabbits that look like cows, but that’s another post entirely.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
a teaspoon vanilla
2 cups uncooked quick oats
2 cups cornflakes
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375 dgees F. In small bowl, combine flour, baking poowder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugars; beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat until well combined. Stir in oats, cornflakes, and nuts (dough will be stiff). Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets; flatten slightly with a fork or the bottom of a glass. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 – 10 minutes, or until done. Makes about 4 dozen.

I didn’t have cornflakes, so I used what I had in the cupboard: Smart Start cereal. It worked very well. I baked these on a cold, cold day when we were all housebound, and they hit the spot with a cup of hot cocoa – or coffee, of course.

Recipe from 80th Anniversary We Energies Cookie Book.

>A simple breakfast or brunch dish from my Plurk buddy Barb in Nebraska

In a large oven-safe pan, melt a stick of butter at 425 degrees.
While butter is melting, break 6 eggs into a blender and whirl at high speed for 1 minute. While motor is running add ½ cup of milk. Then slowly add 1 ½ cups flour. By now, the butter is melted. Slowly pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check periodically to pop air bubbles. They look frightening, but they taste just fine.
Use pizza cutter to cut into pieces. Serve with maple syrup or jelly.

This reminds me of when my kids were young and I made French Toast regularly. Sourdough bread from the day-old bread store, half a dozen eggs, and a little syrup made an easy and inexpensive brunch for the family. If the grocery store had a sale we might have had bacon on the side.

As is my style in the kitchen, I’ll experiment with the Dutch Babies recipe. I might try it with wheat flour or oatmeal added, cranberry sauce on top, or other goodies. Maybe egg substitute for half the eggs, too. In spring and summer, the eggshells will go in the garden or the compost, of course.
Enjoy! My next planned kitchen experiment: Monkey Bread!