Microwave Crumble!

We know. Most of you out there are asking "What in the world is rhubarb and why is it in my dessert?!" Well if you ever see in in your local market you'll probably be seeing the trimmed stalks. It's the stuff that kinda looks like skinny red celery. It turns out that various parts of this vegetable are used as herbal medicines and remedies except for the large, triangle leaves which are poisonous. The most common use of rhubarb is what we're using it for here: in dessert. Pairing the strong, tart flavor of rhubarb with the fresh sweetness of strawberries is an award winning combination. Here's how we cooked up a strawberry rhubarb crumple in the microwave in less than 20 minutes!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients:
1/2 lb rhubarb stalks
1 lb strawberries
1 Tbs corn starch
2 Tbs granulated sugar
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
6 Tbs melted butter
2 1/2 cups of quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups of packed brown sugar
2 Tbs flour


Wash and cut the rhubarb and strawberries into 1 inch pieces. Toss with the corn starch and granulated sugar then pour the lemon juice over and set aside. Melt the butter and mush it into the brown sugar. Add the oats and the flour and mix well until it's crumbly. Sprinkle 2/3 of the topping over the fruit and set the rest aside. Nuke the topped fruit on high for 5 minutes then on 30% power for 10 minutes. Let stand in the microwave for 5 minutes to firm up. Top with the rest of the oat mixture and serve with whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Ready to present to neighbors

Any sort of fruit would work in this. And if we're being completely honest, the two of us would probably eat the topping all on its own and be perfectly happy. Four out of four chemists loved this crumble. If you made this for home economics class you would get an A+ (gotta love Old Greg) for sure.


Well that's all for now. Keep cooking and remember:


No kitchen, no problem!


-K&M

Not Short on Taste Short Bread

What dessert screams summer more than strawberry short cake? And no we're not talking about the store-bought, overly sweet, dry cake topped with a practically jellied strawberry sauce - this is the real OG. We're going to tackle this titan of taste in two parts. (Don't you just love alliterations?)

Short Bread!

Ingredients:
1 lb of fresh strawberries
1/2 and 1/4 cup of sugar
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

The Strawberries:
Wash and cut the strawberries into bite sized chunks. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and the lemon juice and mix well making sure that the strawberries are evenly coated. If you don't have a lemon then any citrus fruit would work - orange, lime, even a splash of lemonade. Let sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours. This is kind of like cheese and wine; the longer it sits, the more delectable it becomes.

The Short Bread:
Cream together the butter/margarine and the sugar. For those who don't know, this means mashing them together until it's light and fluffy. If you wish to avoid fork-shaped dents and cramps in your hand feel free to use a mixer. Next work in the flour 1 cup at a time. Add the vanilla and the cinnamon to taste. On an ungreased, round glass plate (we actually used a pie pan but it was a little hard to get out) spread half the dough into an even slab like a huge cookie. Prick the dough into 16 even sections. Nuke for 4 minutes and 30 seconds on medium high and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Cut along the dotted line (hey, it's kindergarden all over again) and serve with the strawberry sauce and a dollop of your favorite whipped cream.

Strawberry Shortcake!

This recipe makes dense, decadent short bread. With the cinnamon in the dough it tastes kind of like a little scone but hey, that is totally fine with us. If you prefer a fluffier base for your strawberries then try adding 1/2 tsp of baking powder to the flour before you incorporate it into the butter/sugar combo. Also putting a spoonful of the strawberry sauce in your glass of lemonade makes for a refreshing twist on the classic summertime staple.

So until next time, friends, keep cooking and remember:

No kitchen, no problem!

-K&M

Ooey Gooey Microwave Brownies

Hello there everyone! For our first recipe we thought we would start off with something simple so here's how to make Ooey Gooey Microwave Brownies:

Ooey Gooey Microwave Brownies

Ingredients:

-your favorite box mix (hey, there's no shame in it)

-one packet of Starbucks Via Ready Brew*

-cinnamon

-all the necessary ingredients for cake-like brownies

-one 9" x 9" microwave safe baking dish (make sure it can rotate for even cooking)

Start off with your favorite box mix (if there's an option go for the "cake-like" consistency- these babies are fudgy enough as it is). Add the Starbucks Via* (or something like it) and a teaspoon of cinnamon then mix well. Follow the instructions on the back of the box. Pour into a greased microwave safe dish approximately 9"x 9".

IMPORTANT: do NOT under any circumstances use a METAL baking dish. It will cause sparks and possibly set the microwave on fire. Remember, NO METAL!! Glass and ceramic are the best.

Nuke your batter for 9 minutes and let it rest for 15 minutes. Letting them rest is important because not only will they be very hot after the 9 minutes but they will also be underdone. These 15 minutes are devoted to carryover cooking. After letting them sit, cut into 9 squares and let cool further on a plate. Enjoy!

*the Via is completely optional. If you don't have any available you can sub the water in the directions with coffee. Or if you prefer peanut butter, soften 1/4 cup for 20 seconds and stir into the batter before nuking. (that would work with carmel as well)

4 out of 5 chemists thought they were awesome! One lonely chemist thought they were too mushy but hey, what does he know? After the taste test, we let the brownies sit uncovered and they firmed up beautifully.

But don't take our word for it, try them yourself and let us know what you think. We would love your feedback!

Well until next time, friends, keep cooking. And remember: No kitchen, no problem!

-K & M