Rhubarb bars

CRUST
1 c flour
5 tbls powdered sugar
1/2 c butter, softened

FILLING
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups rhubarb
1/4 flour

Mix the crust ingredients.  Pat into a 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Mix filling ingredients and pour over the top of the baked crust.  Bake at 350 for an additional 35 minutes.  Cool and cut.

NOTES:

• Delish and easy!
• The crust was buttery and delicious.
• The filling was a little sweet and could have used more rhubarb.  Next time try three cups of rhubarb with this amount of sugar or 1 1/4 cups of sugar with the 2 cups of rhubarb.
• Source: Parish cookbook from Sacred Heart in Norfolk, NE (p. 222)
  
  
  
  

Crockpot Orange Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts3/4 cup orange marmalade3/4 cup barbecue sauce2 tbsp. soy sauce

• Cook the chicken breasts in the crockpot on high for 3 hours.
• Mix the three sauce ingredients together in a bowl
• Drain the chicken and pour the sauce over it.
• Continue cooking on high for an additional 30 minutes.

NOTES:

• Source
• The sauce is pretty outstanding.  I'm actually going to freeze the leftover sauce and try it on grilled chicken or pork.  It would also probably be excellent on baked chicken.
• The original recipe recommended starting with thawed chicken (which I did), but it would also work with frozen.  The chicken was pretty overcooked, almost falling apart, but it was still very moist.
• Everyone liked it :)

Basic Lentils with Carrots

I don't know when we became Lentil People, but they seem to have become a Friday go-to for us. No photo, because they're lentils and not very attractive, but trust me, they're good. This is also a very versatile recipe: add more water/chicken stock for soup, add ham or bacon on a non-Friday, etc.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  1 medium yellow onion, chopped

  1 carrot, chopped

  3 cups water

  1 cup French green lentils, rinsed

  1 bay leaf

  1 teaspoon dried thyme

  Sea salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add carrot, water, lentils, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer until lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasoning and serve.

Via Whole Foods

 

World's Best Hamburger Buns

• Source: King Arthur Flour's Beautiful Burger Buns.  These were easier to make than going to the store for buns, and infinitely better. 
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• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• *For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.

topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

1) Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy.

4) Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.

5) Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.

6) Cool the buns on a rack.

Yield: 8 large buns.