It's That Time of Year

Rhubarb Time!

 

As you know, I love rhubarb. You get to eat it for dessert and still count it as a vegetable. But please don't tell the food police. Rhubarb desserts are usually a little tart, which means they pair well with ice cream. You knew there was a motive for my love of rhubarb. Rhubarb also pairs will with strawberries. Remember, they are both spring crops. Things that grow together, go together. If you want to test this idea, here is a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie.

The rhubarb plant is a perennial, meaning it will return next year. It produces large leaves, with long stalks that resemble celery. When preparing rhubarb, discard the leaves and use the stalks. Rhubarb has a strong, tart flavor and is usually consumed, cooked with sugar.

Since I cannot allow you to have a rhubarbless year, this is my first rhubarb recipe for 2015. Yes, there may be more.


Rhubarb Orange Sauce

Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice
½ cup sugar
3 cups sliced rhubarb

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.

2.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is falling apart and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.

3. Serve sauce with ice cream or yogurt.

How to Make Your Colleagues Happy!

In 1984, President Ronald Regan declared July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day.  So use this month to eat as much of the good stuff as possible. 

Before you scream about the amount of calories in ice cream, remember, you only have one month to eat as much of the stuff as you can.  Also one of my dietitian friends told me that if I ate 1½ cups of ice cream, I would have the same amount of calcium that is in one cup of milk.  Now, mind you, she did not suggest that eat 1½ cups of ice cream. 

Can you guess the five most popular flavors of ice cream?  They are, in order, vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, strawberry and cookies n’ cream.  About ¼ of all ice cream sold is vanilla. 

Old Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream

Makes 2 quarts.

Ingredients:

1⅓ cups sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
2 eggs
4 ounces dark chocolate
1 can (5 ounce) evaporated milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla




Directions:

1.     In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Stir in whole milk.  Stir over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer. 

2.     In a small bowl, beat eggs.  Gradually stir about 1 cup hot milk mixture into beaten eggs.  Stir egg mixture into remaining hot milk mixture.  Cook and stir over low heat until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

3.     Finely chop the chocolate.  Stir into hot mixture.  When chocolate has completely melted, strain mixture into large container.  Add evaporated milk, whipping cream and vanilla.

4.     Refrigerate mixture for several hours or overnight. 

5.     Pour mixture into ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Ice Cream Fun Facts

Americans consume an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year, more than any other country.

In 2003, residents of Portland, Oregon purchased more ice cream per person than any other US city. 

Kids between the ages 2 – 12 and adults over 45 consume the most ice cream.

More ice cream is purchased on Sunday than any other day of the week.

It takes about 50 licks to finish a single scoop of ice cream. 

The ice cream cone’s invention is linked to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.  An ice cream vendor reportedly didn’t have enough dishes to keep up with the demand, so he teamed up with a waffle vendor who rolled his waffles into cones.