Friday, June 21, 2013

Strawberry-Rhubarb

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I am relatively new to the whole rhubarb craze. I didn't grow up eating strawberry-rhubarb pie, and my mom never stood over the stove, stirring a pot of bubbling compote. Instead, a couple of years ago, a coworker requested a strawberry-rhubarb pie in place of a birthday cake, and I instantly fell in love. Now, it doesn't really taste like June unless I've had a rhubarb fix. I like mine in all of the ways that food bloggers suggest- with a spoon, on top of greek yogurt, or over ice cream. For my mom's annual St. John's day/Midsummer bonfire and strawberry party tonight, I'm going to fold some into whipped cream to make a fool.

I don't really write recipes, but I happened upon exactly the right proportions when making compote the other day and I thought I'd store them here in case you were looking for a little taste of June, too. (And also so that I never run around my kitchen screaming about putting too much sugar in the compote again, too.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Frozen Strawberries (one bag of organic ones from whole foods- about a cup and a half)
three mediumish stalks of rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
healthy pinch of salt
half a vanilla bean

Add everything to a pot with about a half a cup of water- just enough to make sure nothing sticks. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture, then toss the pod in, too.
Cook on medium-low, stirring much of the time, until everything kind of disintegrates into strawberry-rhubarb mush. There might still be some chunks of strawberries; that's fine, just smash them with a spoon. Let it cool, then pour compote into a jar (vanilla bean, too) and refrigerate.

Happy summer, friends!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A Weekend in Vermont

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Last week, I went up to Vermont for the most glorious weekend.
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Chris, Betsy and I were going to run a half marathon, which we did in the 85-degree heat (it was a little messy and a lot slow), but mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed a weekend with our friends. 
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Elizabeth likes cooking even more than I do, so we ate well. We also explored and swam in a river (it was FREEZING, and I was a little worried about getting swept away by the current). I took a million and a half pictures and read almost all of this book.
I feel like now that I've been on that trip, I'm really ready for summer to begin. I plan on swimming a lot, reading even more, and spending plenty of time on my porch.