Rhubarb Ginger Muffins

This past weekend was spent packing up my belongings. Taking clothing out of the closet, folding it in baskets, and dearly hoping that it doesn't wrinkle. Pulling the baking supplies off the shelves, wrapping them in layers of paper towels and coffee filters, and placing them in boxes marked with the word glass in thick black marker. I wondered what's important enough to bring along or trivial enough to leave behind. I wondered if I've chosen correctly. It's strange to see my life packed up into cardboard boxes (and stranger still to see them fit neatly into the back of my car).

It's moving day.

Moving has always been such a bittersweet process for me. It's one of life's true adventures. New cities, new countries, new stories, and new friends are all out there, waiting to be discovered. The thought is exhilarating enough for the butterflies to awaken and whirl and twirl around my stomach. I'm attracted to the idea of moving, of cutting ties and embracing something fresh with open arms. The spirit of moving is looking the unknown in the eye, shaking his hand, and greeting him with a hello.

By the same token, moving is hard. I don't want to have to say goodbye to the place I call home, to the city I've grown familiar with, or to the people I love. Though I wish all my goodbyes could be see you later's, the truth is that sometimes they aren't. People or places get left behind; they fade away into oblivion, into memories, despite best efforts to clutch tightly onto them. I've moved a dozen times in the last five years. I've left so many things behind.

This time I haven't moved very far—only half a state and three hours away. For the first time in my life, I'm living alone. My belongings are unpacked, finding refuge in closets and cupboards. I feel optimistic. My adventure no longer sits on the horizon, to be gazed at with all the longing emotion of a fading sun. It's here and now. It's today.

As I sit here on this new-to-me couch, with my feet propped up on a borrowed coffee table, I wonder how long it will take for this new place to become home.

These Rhubarb Ginger Muffins were a whim on a Tuesday afternoon. Whole wheat ginger muffins meet a wonderfully tart rhubarb and lemon jam, blending bold flavors seamlessly. Just before baking, the muffin batter is topped with a spoonful of jam. Due to the weight, the jam falls directly into the center of the muffin while baking, making these muffins self-filling and giving them an unique appearance. I was surprised by how taken I was with these muffins; they easily fall into my nearest and dearest favorites.

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Rhubarb Custard Tart

Many of my favorite vegetables are technically fruits. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and bell peppers all fall under that category. Botanically, the defining feature between fruit and vegetables are seeds—if it has seeds, it's a fruit; if it doesn't, it's a vegetable. In some ways, I feel like I should be ashamed. Under these strict rules, I'm certain I'll never meet my daily required serving of actual vegetables.

There are only so many carrot sticks one person can eat.

Rhubarb, however, is just the opposite. Though it's treated as a fruit in cooking and baking, it is technically a vegetable. Imagine that. Rhubarb grows from the ground on stalks, similar to celery, and sprouts poisonous leaves (which are only fatally poisonous if you decide to eat a few pounds of them). If it wasn't for all of the sugar needed to balance out rhubarb's tart flavor, I could have had a surefire way to get my vegetables eaten.

Perhaps someday I'll find a way to make dessert fall squarely into the healthier food groups...

I often feel rhubarb is an understated flavor. Given the chance to stand alone, it can be magnificently bold and tart all at once (a flavor profile I've truly grown to love). More often than not, however, rhubarb is paired with berries (particularly strawberries) in pies and desserts. While I do enjoy these combinations, every so often I feel like rhubarb should be given the chance to stand on its own. To gain a little independence and prove that it has what it takes to cook up a good dessert.

That is exactly the spirit in which these rhubarb custard tarts were created.

These Rhubarb Custard Tarts combine rhubarb, cardamom, and orange into a treat perfect for light lunches and sweet breakfasts. A whole wheat cardamom crust encases orange poached rhubarb with a sweet egg custard. The true star of the show, however, is the rhubarb orange syrup drizzled on top (it's simply a reduction of the liquid the rhubarb was poached in, but there is so much flavor). I enjoyed this tart both warm from the oven and chilled from the refrigerator as leftovers the next day.

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Citrus Roasted Rhubarb

I've been distracted a bit lately, which is why my posting schedule has become a bit erratic and my head has been somewhere else for awhile. My city, Bismarck, ND, is flooding. We only had a few days warning before the water level began to rise. There is a lot of confusion and fear about what will happen next.

The Missouri river runs between the two cities of Bismarck and Mandan in North Dakota. As the water in the river rises, both cities are scrambling to save homes, businesses, and, perhaps most importantly, access to roads to reach these threatened areas of town so we can attempt to save them. Sandbagging stations have been set up around town, major roads have been closed to allow access to trucks hauling dirt and sandbags, and volunteers are in short supply. The weather is cold, rainy, and wickedly windy, which only helps to kill the spirit of those trying to save their homes. My home is safe, but many aren't.

We received news today that we need 4 million sandbags by Thursday, an outstanding amount for our small town of 80,000 people (if you just so happen to have a few million lying around in your backyard, could you please send them our way?). Over 4,000 people have already been displaced and the number is growing. Even those not directly in the line of fire still have to fear ground water finding a way in their homes through their already plugged drains. The outlook feels bleak.

The flood is estimated to continue for the next three months and, despite the estimates, no one is really certain how much the water is going to rise in that time. Three months of people displaced from their homes and most of their belongings. Three months of stress on not really knowing what is going to happen next. Three months of worrying if the dikes and sandbags will hold and save our city.

Yesterday I spent the day sandbagging to try to save my great uncle's home. I helped fill hundreds of sandbags and moved around at least a thousand on my own. It rained. It was cold. My back ached and my arms were sore. It was my 23rd birthday. Despite all of this, I'm not sure I would have (or could have) spent the day another way.

We tried to build a wall of sandbags 5 feet high and 5-6 sandbags deep. We can only hope it holds and the water doesn't find another way to get in. After helping sandbag just one home, my back could tell you just how exhausting it is and my arms could tell you how hard it is to lift another sandbag after you'd moved a thousand. It's even harder to imagine there are hundreds of homes that need just as much help as this one.

For now, we can only wish for the best and hope the flood outlook turns a little less bleak and a little more bright in the coming days. If you live in the city or nearby area, I urge you to get out and help volunteer. There is so much work to be done and so little time to do it.

I would like to congratulate Leah O and Sara on winning the vintage aprons*! I truly have the best followers. All of your wonderful comments continually inspire me to get back in the kitchen and keep creating delicious food. I can't wait to share more recipes, stories, and photographs with you over the next year. Thank you for being awesome!

*The winners were chosen by a random number generator (aka my sister).

Citrus Roasted Rhubarb is a subtle and understated way to enjoy rhubarb. So often rhubarb is paired with strawberry (like in this Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade) or buried deep within breads and crumbles, but rarely is it enjoyed on its own, for its own merits. Rhubarb is a tart fruit, true, but when roasted in freshly squeezed orange juice, a hint of vanilla, and a dash of sugar, the flavor of the rhubarb really shines through. Serve this rhubarb drizzled in leftover juices from the roasting pan. This is truly a different way to enjoy this fruit.

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