As I mentioned in my last post, this month was my turn to host What's Baking! I was so excited to be hosting at a time when Spring produce is at its finest! Our farmer's markets are starting to open around here and I'm always looking for ways to use the produce we find. At some point I hope to make everything submitted this month, and I hope something in this round-up inspires you to seek out Spring produce at your local farmer's market. There are so many great posts this month!

First up, we have Hezzi-D's Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables. I love that Heather went with a savory meal option. I cannot wait to see these vegetables show up at the farmer's market!

Next up is Beantown Baker's Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins. Jen's blog is one of my go-to's when I'm looking for baking ideas. 'I see these muffins in my near future, a great way to use of the extra rhubarb I put in the freezer.


Here we have a first time participant, Newlywed and Newly Cooking's Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Almond Streusel looks delicious. Joanna also provides us a little comic relief in the form of a kitchen mishap, something I'm sure we can all relate to!


Another first time participant here, Pursuing Domestic Goddess-ness' Savory Cheese and Chive Bread. Catherine was happy to put her chive plant to good use, and gives us a tip on how to prepare fiddleheads.


Just Baked's Brown Sugar Berry Shortcakes takes the traditional shortcakes to another level with the addition of brown sugar.


Next up we have Jenna's Cooking Journey's Blueberry Lemon Loaf from another first time participant. I absolutely love that we have so many new participants this month!


Sweet Beginnings' Pineapple Zucchini Bread is a recipe I've made before. I save shredded zucchini in my freezer every year so I can make it again! Jaida, thanks for the reminder!

We had another blueberry entry from Yudith. Blissfully Delicious' Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake is an indication to me that it is perfectly fine to eat cake for breakfast!

Eva Bakes' Strawberry Greek Frozen Yogurt reminds us that Spring produce can be enjoyed cold as well!

It's time once again for What's Baking. After participating for over a year, it was finally my time to host! The theme I chose was Bake in Season with Spring Produce. This time of year I am always itching waiting for the farmer's markets to open which inspired the theme. I figured even those who have farmer's markets readily available year round probably look forward to those first signs of Spring.

 

My original plan was to bake something savory, with asparagus, however, I haven't had luck finding good asparagus recently. My next thought was fiddleheads, but, I don't know, I couldn't bring myself to buy them and didn't really know what to do with them! So I changed completely and settled on something sweet.

While these are sweet, and use those bright red beauties growing in my back yard, they also incorporate the notoriously tart rhubarb. Rhubarb brings back fond childhood memories of picking a stalk from our neighbors plant, dipping it in a Dixie cup of sugar, biting down and feeling that punch in the jaw. 

 

These don't give you that punch in the jaw, instead the combination of strawberry and rhubarb make for a mellow dessert, reminiscent of a coffee cake. My husband especially loved them. He claimed they tasted like cream cheese, but I assured him there was no cream cheese, I'm pretty sure it was the buttery crumbs mixing with the creamy fruit center. I took these to a Memorial Day picnic and everyone who tried them had positive reviews as well.

 

Be sure to check back here in a couple of days for this months roundup where you'll see What's Baking in the other participants kitchens.

 

Here is what you'll need:

 

For the Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine fruit and lemon juice in a small non-reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft. 

Combine sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add to fruit mixture and stir. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and set aside.

 

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is crumbly.

Remove 1 1/2 cups of crumb mixture from bowl and set aside.

Pour remaining crumb mixture into greased pan and press into the bottom to form a crust. Pour filling over crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top of the filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 35 minutes). Cool completely before cutting.

Note: The original recipe included a drizzle which I omitted.

Source: Land O Lakes

I think I'm over my dinner rut. Making use of the crockpot helped me out of it, and now the grill is helping me stay out of it. Oh how I love to grill! Not only does the food taste great, it help keep the house cooler and reduces the amount of dishes to wash. Score (especially on that last one)!

So many days when I get home from work I really don't feel like cooking, but I find when I do some prep in the morning it doesn't feel so overwhelming when dinner time comes.  This recipe is a perfect example. And to make it even better, the kebabs magically skewered themselves while I was at work.

Here is what you'll need:

• 2 tsp grainy mustard
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp steak seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds of cubed beef (I used stew meat)
• Cubed vegetables of your choice (we used onions, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes)

Place all the ingredients in a medium container with a cover. Shake to mix. Open cover and add the meat.
Shake to coat meat.

Place container in the refrigerator to allow the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour (I left there all day while I was at work).

Place meat and vegetables alternately on skewers.*

Place skewers on a preheated grill and cook on high heat until meat is cooked to your liking. Serves 6.

Source: Adventures in my Kitchen original

*I used wooden skewers. I placed the wooden skewers in a dish of water before I left for work so they could soak all day. This prevents them from burning and disintegrating while cooking on the grill.

When I made the Barbeque Pulled Pork and Smoked Gouda Potatoes I mentioned I made a quick barbeque sauce since I didn't have any on hand. There is different recipe I usually gravitate towards, however, its more involved and I knew I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand.

This recipe was perfect because it had a nice kick to it but didn't overpower the pork, and had a limited list of ingredients. Ingredients that I'd guess you almost always have on hand. A great example of a condiment that's easy enough to make, making me think twice before I buy it again.

• 6 oz tomato paste
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely measured (not packed)
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp pork or chicken rub (or a barbeque/grilling seasoning)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 1/2 cups water

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and mix. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 20-30 minutes until it begins to thicken. Lower heat to medium (or medium-low) and continue to cook until it's thickened to your desired consistency. Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups.

Source: Claire Robinson via Food Network

Remember the Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork recipe? I was searching for ways to use the leftovers, aside from more sandwiches. As I browsed through Pinterest a Barbeque Chicken Baked Potato popped up and my dinner was planned. There was one problem though, I didn't have any barbeque sauce and really didn't want to go to the store.

I found and easy barbeque recipe online (coming soon), threw it together while the potatoes cooked in the microwave (gotta love the baked potato button!) and dinner came together in a snap. You really don't need to measure, just use all ingredients to your taste.

Since this was such a satisfying quick meal, I portioned the pulled pork and barbeque sauce in small containers in the freezer to have on hand for my next hectic day (or when I get in another dinner rut!).

Here is what you need:

• 2 medium baked potatoes (or 1 ginormous one cut in half)
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
• 2 cups cooked pulled pork
• 1/4 cup shredded smoked gouda
• 2 tsp chopped scallions

While the potatoes are in their last 15 minutes of baking (or while they cook in the microwave), place the barbeque sauce and pulled pork in a small pan over medium high heat.

To assemble, split potato in half, pile on the pork, top with cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Serves 2.

Source: Inspired by Once Upon a Cutting Board