Saying Happy Mother's Day with Honey Mixed Fruit Bars

The phone is ringing.

"Hello."

"Aunt Gin," it is Ellie." (my eleven year old niece)

"Hi Ellie. What are doing?"

"Nothing. What are you bringing for dessert for Nana (my mother) for Mother's Day?" asked Ellie.

"Oh, you want me to make dessert for Nana?"

"Yes," said Ellie. "Something you have never made for us before. Something special."

I present to you, Happy Mother's Day Honey Mixed Fruit Bars!

Honey Mixed Fruit Bars

(Filling)
2 cups dried mixed fruit
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 apple juice
2 tablespoons butter
the juice of one lemon
1/2 salt
2 eggs

(Base)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 inch Pan with cooking spray. (2) In a saucepan, cook all filling ingredients except egg over medium heat about 15 minutes. Cool. Pour mixture into food processor. cover and process pulsing on and off until fruit in finely chopped. Add egg and pulse processor until mixed. (3) In a large bowl, mix all base ingredients with fork until crumbly. (4) Pat half of the mixture in bottom of pan. Spread filling over base and sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Press lightly. (5) Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
(6) ENJOY!!

These bars are unique, versatile, moist and big in flavor. They are a great choice for an everyday treat or good enough for special occasions like Mother's Day. You certainly can change the filling flavor to your liking. My friend makes them with dried apples. She serves her bars with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt and homemade Carmel topping. They are out of this world delicious.

Make sure that you cool these bars completely before trying to cut them. I am always too eager to have one, so I cut them way before they are cool. Do you know what I end up with? A BIG MESS! Of course they are good with the standards, coffee, milk and hot chocolate. They are great to take on picnics, boating, hiking, and book club. If you take them to book club, you might as well take copies of the recipe because you will be asked.

Have a wonderful day!

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo With One Spicy Walnut

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

This is going to be short, sweet and and spicy. To buy flavored nuts is insanely expensive. You can fight the high prices by making your own. Whatever your choice of nut is, the flavor possibilities are unlimited.

I personally love spiced walnuts. The spicier, the better. When I decided that I wanted to give some of my friends a little Cinco De Mayo gift, I looked no further than the big bag of walnuts that I always have in my pantry. I was lucky that Dar had brought to my attention Charmane's Gourmet Seasonings. Charmane has some of the most unbelievable flavored sea salts that you will ever come across! Don't take my word for it, give her a visit and see what I am talking about!

Gin's Spicy Walnuts

2 cups walnuts

1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

1 teaspoon Lime Fresco Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Habanero Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1/2 onion powder

1/2 cup finely chopping fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon melted butter

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (2) Put all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake, shake, shake. (3) Bake for 12 minutes and cool. (4) ENJOY!!

Here is my suggestion to you. Make, bake and bag these for gifts immediately. They are addicting. I know that walnuts are good for you, but I pretty sure they are not talking about 2 pounds at one time? The possibilities for the use of these walnuts are also unlimited. They can be eaten plain, on a salad, in a cheese ball, on pasta, used as ravioli filling, and so on....

Have a happy Cinco De Mayo.

PS Spicy Walnuts are also good with a "big" icy Margarita or a cold Mexican beer!

A Tower of Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

Being the resident "foodie" of the neighborhood, sometimes things just show up at my doorstep! Tuesday I was out running the neighborhood, preparing for a June triathlon (another story see below) and came home to find a bag full of fresh rhubarb.

I absolutely love rhubarb. It is sweet-tart and lends itself to jams, pies, sauces and of course coffee cake. Rhubarb is easy to prepare and even better to eat.

I recently have come into procession of a mini square Calphalon baking pan. I love it!! It didn't take long for me to start thinking Mini Rhubarb Coffee Cakes.

Tangy Rhubarb Mini Coffee Cakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup fat free half n half
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon coffee extract
3 oz cream cheese
4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/2 flour
3/4 sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 packs of instant oatmeal flavor of your choice (I used Maple and Brown sugar)

(1)Heat oven to 325 degrees. (2) In a large bowl beat cake mix, half n half, vanilla, almond extract, coffee extract and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for at least two minutes. (3) Boil a pot of water and remove from heat. Add 2 cups of the fresh rhubarb to the water for approximately two minutes. Gently drain. (4) By hand, gently fold the additional two cups of fresh rhubarb that you have coated in 1/4 cup of the flour and the "cooked" rhubarb. (5) In a small bowl mix sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, butter and oatmeal to coarse crumbs. Fill muffin cups (or in my case the mini squares) only half full. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. ENJOY!!

These mini coffee cakes are really good. They are perfect with coffee, milk or tea. They are sweet with a tang to awaken your taste buds. So get baking!!

Why did I bring up the fact that I am doing a triathlon? BECAUSE I don't want to do it!! I participated the Little Miami Triathlon in October with my husband (honey) being my partner. The triathlon consist of 6 mile canoe, 5.5 mile run, and an 18 mile bike race in that order. It literally took me days to recover from this gruelling race! Let me just tell you that we were awful! We didn't come in last, but darn close. We totally underestimated the canoe part of the race and spent most of the time in the water! A bunch of people in our neighborhood participated in this triathlon and they beat us by over an hour. So, with honey it is kind of a pride thing. Me on the other hand, I just plain don't care. At neighborhood parties we are kind of made fun of and I pretty much take it stride. This kind of harassing just eggs honey on.

So, at the beginning of the year, Lo and behold, I got an email congratulating me on signing up for the Little Miami Triathlon! I have remained strong in my commitment NOT to do this triathlon, but my resolve is wavering. Honey wants to do it, now my sister is doing it, and how the heck can I say 'NO?"

Any suggestions for how I can say "no" just pass them my way! Other than that, have a wonderful day!

Gin is Serving Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

Is there such a thing as beyond delicious?

My obsession with canning continues with Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles. I ate these things for breakfast this morning! They have a snappy texture and are wonderfully spicy. They have an authentic taste that put store bought pickles to shame. That is all I have to say about that!

Gin's Homemade Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

7 lbs small salad cucumbers

6 cups water

2 1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup minced dried onions

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 5 oz Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix

8 tablespoons dry white wine

4 hot small green peppers

1 head of fresh garlic

8 (16 oz) Pint Glass Preserving Jars

(1) Cut ends off cucumbers and then cut into spears. (2) In a sauce pan combine water, vinegar, minced onions, red pepper flakes, Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. (3) Cut hot peppers in half leaving seeds for more spice. (4) Put half pepper in each jar. (5) Pack cucumbers in jars. (6) Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch head space.. (7) Top with 1 garlic clove and 1 tablespoon wine. (8) Follow preserving instructions on the back of the Ball® Kosher Bill Pickle Mix. (9) ENJOY!!

If you have no desire to preserve these pickles, you can put them in jars and enjoy them now. They will last for approximately three months. If you preserve them the will keep for over a year. For added flavor you should allow the pickles to stand in the refrigerator for two weeks. This is close to impossible. I made them Friday morning and could not wait to open a jar! I gave four jars away to friends and family.

Pickles are synonymous with summer picnics and grill outs. These pickles would be great on top of a Chicago Style hot dog, grilled hamburgers, or folded in homemade ham salad. They are spicy with a small hint of sweetness. They are crisp, fresh, impressively tasty, and healthy!

I am already thinking ahead to the holidays! Can you believe it? I am going to can these all summer for holiday gift giving. After all, "it is the season to be jolly." Who would not be jolly eating one of these things? Of course, you do have to like pickles!