Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb is only in season for a short period of time, so when we saw locally-grown stalks at the store we decided to take advantage of its availability.  Rhubarb can be turned into any number of sweet dishes, and on a warm evening we decided to make a compote to top some yogurt.  We didn't add too much sugar to the rhubarb to let its natural flavors shine and the natural tartness works well with plain yogurt.  This compote would also be great on top of ice cream, pound cakes, fruit pies, cheese cake, or even as a sweet topping for breakfast oatmeal.  Take advantage of spring and try rhubarb any way you like it!

Whole Wheat Pizza

Ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle we have tried to follow her lead and have a weekly pizza night.  Not only is pizza delicious, but it's also easy to make, great for any season, and can be very healthy.  Homemade pizza crust is something many people have tried and struggled with, and we are no exception.  However, through our trails and errors we have found a recipe that works well every time and come out great.  Our resulting crust is flavorful and crisp, while not overpowering the pizza toppings themselves.  It also freezes well, so we typically make double batches and freeze away three doughs for later use.  The morning before use, just put the dough on the counter and it will be ready to roll by dinner time.

Here are a few of the things we have found most helpful for creating great crust:

• Roll out the dough evenly thin with a long rolling pin.  This will ensure that the result isn't too doughy.
• Preheat the oven and pizza stone well before cooking.  Pizza stones are heavy blocks of stone that help regulate oven temperatures and cook food, especially pizza, evenly.  We leave ours in the oven at all times, which helps keep the oven at an even temperature.  These stones can be bought quite cheaply and are a great investment.  
• Prior to baking the crust, poke holes in it with a fork to prevent it from puffing up and yielding a thin, crisp crust instead.
• Bake the crust for about 10 minutes before putting on the toppings.  This gives it a chance to crisp.
• Don't overload the pizza with sauces and toppings.  The pizza doesn't need to be oozing with cheese and sauce to taste delicious.

As for toppings, the options are almost unlimited.  See below for what we have tried, but we encourage you to experiment.  Utilize whatever toppings are currently in season and whatever mix of cheeses you like (it doesn't always have to be mozzarella and parmesan).  This part is especially great to let guests or kids do as each person can make their own individual pizza or pizza half anyway they like.

Even if you've tried to make pizza from scratch before, we would urge you to give it another try and see how easy and delicious it can be when using our suggestions.  

Whole Wheat Pasta

At first, one might ask why would anyone bother to make their own pasta.  After all, it's easy to find 100% whole wheat decently tasting pasta in any grocery store.  However, once you make and eat your own pasta just once, you'll see what's so great about it.  Traditional pasta making requires carefully crafted flour wells, quite a few eggs, and special pasta rollers.  Here we are presenting a method that is far simpler and produces great results.  From this recipe, we've made fettucini, linguini, and ravioli.  The heartiness of the whole wheat gives a wonderful nutty flavor that stands up well to many sauces.  So far we've tried pesto, brown butter and sage, tomato, butternut squash, goat cheese, and beets (recipes to come).  

This dough freezes very well, either as a ball or in cut form, so make extra to store away for a busy evening.  We hope that you will try this delicious and easy recipe and learn to love making and enjoying fresh, homemade pasta just like we have.

Spring Salad

At first glance, this recipe may seem too simple to write about, but it captures what we love most about spring - fresh and bright flavors.  Spring salad mixes are just coming in around central Virginia and a recent trip to a farm inspired us to buy a variety of greens.  A local store sells a generic "spring mix" in bulk that contains all sorts of lettuces.  We combined that with a handful of spicy arugula, which added an extra bite.  With just a bit of subtle seasoning the freshness of the lettuces really stands out.  As an added treat, if you have a bottle of nice olive oil (we used some that we bought in Italy) splurge and use it.  The extra flavors really come out in this application.  We hope this inspires you to find some fresh local lettuces and enjoy the flavors of spring.