Sunday, June 26, 2011

Rhubarb Cobbler


What you need:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
2 c. 1/4" pieces rhubarb
1 c. hot water
1 c. sugar
Cinnamon
 
What to do:
Melt butter in 9" square or round pan. 
 
Make a batter of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and milk. Spoon over the melted butter. 
Looks kinda gross, I know :)

 
Place rhubarb over the batter. 

Stir the 1 cup sugar into the hot water until dissolved. Pour over rhubarb. 
 
Sprinkle with cinnamon. 
 
At this point I was pretty nervous about the contents of the cobbler.  I went back and double checked the recipe.  I measured and added everything correctly, but it looked realllllly liquidy.  Maybe it'll evaporate in the oven? 

 
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
 
Took it out and it looked pretty good... from the top.  When I got down to eye-level this is what I saw:
 If you look closely you can see that the bottom layer is still liquid.  Shoot.  Now I don't believe I've ever made a cobbler before and I was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be watery, so I made a quick phone call to mom... "Are cobblers supposed to be liquidy?"  We decided maybe after it cooled down things would look a little better- and they did.  :)  If I made this again, I'd probably change the 1 cup of water to 1/2-3/4 cup instead.  Still tasty though!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pom Poms!

I started this blog with the intention that it would be a way to archive recipes, crafts, projects, etc.  I've since realized that I don't do crafts and projects hardly ever, but my sister does!  One day when I was taking shots of one of my recipes she was sitting at the table making a tissue paper pom pom as a present topper.  I started taking pics of her project as well.  So this post is compliments of Michelle Kemper (holla!). 

Shell got the idea from Martha Stewart.  If you want to pretend that the idea didn't come from "She-who-must-not-be-named", feel free :) 

First, you need to get some sheets of tissue paper... about 8. You can cut them down if needed.



 Yes, I know this picture is blurry.  I'm not a professional photographer, but Michelle is!  (A woman of many talents!) Check her out on her facebook page or her official photography website.  Okay, back to the project...

Stack 'em all up.  You can use the same color tissue paper or alternate colors.  Shell used white and pink.
 
Oooh la la

Then make accordion folds like so
I know, not in focus again.  I was having issues this day!


Then tie off the middle with string or fishing line.  If you're going to hang these from the ceiling for a party, I would do the fishing line (Make sure to leave one end long).  They'll look like they're floating! If you're just attaching it to a gift, you don't need to keep the strings long.

Once your paper is folded and tied in the middle, trim the ends to make it a "flower" shape.  You can experiment and see what you like, just make sure to round them off somehow.
Hooray! It's in focus!
 Start pulling to separate the paper.  Shape it as you go.
Here it is!  This would be a cute way to jazz up a party table or add some festive decorations. 

Friday, June 10, 2011

Hot Spinach Dip

This is a healthy twist to a traditional spinach dip... pretty tasty too! The recipe originated from SkinnyTaste.com.  This is also a weight-watchers recipe. 

Here's what you need:
  • 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream (I used plain, non-fat yogurt instead)
  • 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 1/4 cup scallion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed (after the last recipe I was scared to use garlic again... but it worked!)
  • 1 cup (4 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (I just diced up some slices I had)
  • fresh pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Servings: 10 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 92.2 • Fat: 6.8 g Carb: 3.0 g Fiber: 0.7 g Protein: 5.3 g 



My Tip: Wipe the excess off the edges of your baking dish before putting in the oven to avoid the ugly brown edges.