My favorite things: Rhubarb and tulips

Tulip 'Monte Carlo' -- double early tulip -- fragrant and wonderful.

Rhubarb crisp for breakfast. (Recipe from Martha Stewart website.)

These are but two of my favorite things!

Dutch Currant Bread

KRENTENBROOD
Dutch Currant Bread




My brother and sil serve the most wonderful currant bread at Christmas. It's a long, low loaf, so full of currants that there is only a little bread between each little black dot. I love it.

A box of currants in the pantry and a wintery day inspired me to find a recipe for Krentenbrood and try to make it myself. I used the recipe here.

The dough was easy to put together in the stand mixer and I hand-kneaded just a little bit before the first rise. I may have made a mistake on the yeast -- used two envelopes of yeast for the 2 tsp called for -- I think each envelope may have 1 tablespoon, but I compared the amount of flour in this recipe with another and two envelopes seemed right. The first rise was proper, and once the loaves were shaped, the second rise seemed right, too.

My only other changes were to proof the yeast in 1/4 cup + 1 T of the sugar before putting it in and to plump up the currants. The currants appeared withered up to me, so I soaked them in hot water for 10 minutes and then dried them on paper towels. In the loaf, the currants are nice and plump -- so good.

Results? Pretty yummy! The two envelopes of yeast still seems right, but I may do it with two tsp next time and also not use loaf pans to see if I can duplicate the long low loaves. And MORE CURRANTS are needed!

Currant bread is so good toasted and spread with a bit of butter.

Time for another slice.

Red White Blue

I made Strawberry Rhubarb muffins, using Soulemama's recipe, and the taste reminded me of my Mom's Strawberry Shortcake. So -- I broke up a muffin into a bowl, added crushed, sweetened strawberries on top -- oh yum! Red.



White is 'Old Man's Beard' blossoms -- Fringetree, which blooms here in late May. So serene. White.


My cousin and I went on a merry chase for blueberries up north Michigan a summer or two ago. Samples are swell! Blue.