Rhubarb & Vanilla Yogurt Scones with Rhubarb Curd

It's a rhubarb frenzy around our house while the prices are still low and so far I've made jam, pie, shrub, and tea bread. I thought, why not make some scones and curd too! I'm pretty happy with the base scone recipe I've been using for other versions like the Meyer Lemon Curd and Whole Grain Blueberry - this is just a slight adaptation to use vanilla sheep milk yogurt and added rhubarb pieces.

For the curd, I used my Meyer Lemon Curd recipe as a base but pumped up the amount of juice to up the rhubarb flavor. I also added more sugar since I was looking for a sweeter curd rather than a tarter version. For the rhubarb juice, I opted to boil down about 5 stalks of rhubarb since my research on the interwebs informed this would probably give me a sweeter and less tart version than simply running the stalks through my juicer. 

Speaking of rhubarb, while I was searching for more ideas on what to make with rhubarb I came across this nerdy Star Trek recipe for Aaktay, or Klingon Steamed Bread. So I'll have to try adapting it to be gluten free sometime while rhubarb is still in season. Anyone have a suggestion on what I could substitute for "all-bran cereal"? I was thinking brown rice flakes perhaps. 

Alright that's enough nerdy recipe talk, on to the scones and curd!

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Comfort, Relief, and Being Prepared: Blueberry Dutch Baby

In general, I try to steer clear of current events on this blog - it's my refuge. In my daily life, I work and think about things that one might refer to as "heavy". My blog gives me an opportunity to escape and maintain some semblance of calm in otherwise hectic and serious times, especially right now.

That being said, a few folks that I like very much and respect a whole lot have started efforts to support the survivors of superstorm Sandy and I want to support them and the work they are doing.

Jenn of Jenn Cuisine has asked that today, us food bloggers out there share a comforting dish we would make for those in need and encourage our readers to support the relief efforts. The link in the image above will take you to a donations page for the Red Cross. But I would also encourage you to review this great comprehensive page on volunteering and donating responsibly - it contains oodles of links for different states and organizations. Erin from Gluten-Free Fun has also been spear heading a movement to help with gluten free donations, so please visit her blog for ways to help those folks. In a few weeks or so, Joy of Frock Files will be setting up an Etsy Shop to sell handmade goods created by various artisans to raise funds. 

I encourage you to do what you can, when you can, in whatever way works most appropriately for you.

At the very least, please consider taking a moment to think about if you and your family are prepared for a disaster. We're all vulnerable, whether we like to admit it or not, so take action and prepare yourself as best you can. Ready.gov is a great place to get started with building your own personal disaster plan and kit - and to find ways to stay informed.

And now back to comfort and food. Recently, my go to comfort food dish has been a dutch baby that's totally loaded down with blueberries. It's warm, filling, and bursting with blueberry deliciousness; sure to bring at least a small bit of comfort to those in need.

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Bacon, Chive, & Cheese Omelet

Usually, I hate eggs - they make me feel queasy. Eating them in baked goods doesn't bother me, but just straight eggs can be trouble for me. And so I have no idea why, but I've been craving this particular omelet recently. I think it may have something to do with the recent increase in sunshine we've had here in Seattle. As well as the strong desire to go camping.

Camping always makes me think of omelets. When I was in Girl Scouts, we would make plastic bag omelets for breakfast. That's where you crack your eggs into the plastic bag, mush them around, add your cheese, bacon bits, chives, and whatever else - then seal and drop it into a pot of boiling water. Those were good memories.

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Breakfast Crepes Three Ways

Today is a big day, my first Gluten Free Ratio Rally! I feel fortunate and encouraged to be part of this community of ratio experimenters! T.R. from No One Likes Crumbley Cookies hosted this months rally for gluten free crepes and I've include a list of all the other delicious recipes at the very bottom of this post.

My journey with gluten free crepes really started in January, after I had recovered from the holidays and set about learning to use the new crepe pan that my mom and step-dad got me for Christmas. It's the kind that you just dip into a shallow plate or bowl and the batter sticks to form a thin crepe. My mom had one of these and I've always envied it. The recipe I used in the beginning was one included in the packaging, just adapted to be gluten and dairy free. When I weighed all the individual ingredients, a clean ratio did not appear. So I threw out everything that I had been doing and started from scratch. 

When I think of crepes, I think of breakfast and lingonberries, so my crepes are similar to a thin version of my pancakes. I ended up settling on the original ratio from Micheal Ruhlman's Ratio; 1 part flour : 2 parts liquid : 2 parts egg with an added 60 grams of coconut oil, 45 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of flaxseed meal. This recipe makes about 15 crepes which seems to be enough to snack on along the way, breakfast for two very hungry adults, and several folded up as snacks for later.

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Whole Grain Blueberry Scones

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