Hello, I'm back and I have lots in store for all of you!
Moving into the new place was a lot of work, and while we are still trying to get the design right, the hard work is finally out of the way. I've been working on a variety of new crafty things, and I am prepared to share some new foods as well. So get ready!
Shortly after moving in, my mom gave me four large stalks of rhubarb. I like rhubarb but the boyfriend doesn't much care for it. I think it's because the last time he had it, it was very sour and wasn't mixed into anything.
Moving into the new place was a lot of work, and while we are still trying to get the design right, the hard work is finally out of the way. I've been working on a variety of new crafty things, and I am prepared to share some new foods as well. So get ready!
Shortly after moving in, my mom gave me four large stalks of rhubarb. I like rhubarb but the boyfriend doesn't much care for it. I think it's because the last time he had it, it was very sour and wasn't mixed into anything.
So I was determined to change his mind!
The first thing that came to mind was strawberry rhubarb pie. I had a handful of over ripe strawberries sitting in the fridge I could use, but I didn't want pie.
I decided to cook the two together, throw in some apples, and voila! APPLESAUCE!
So here's what you need:
-4 stalks (about 4 cups) rhubarb. *Please Note- if you are using rhubarb for the first time, do NOT eat the leafy green part on top. It is poisonous.*
-1&1/2 cup strawberries (greens removed)
-5 large golden delicious apples.
-1/2 cup - 3/4 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want your applesauce and how bitter your rhubarb is!)
-2 tablespoons water
-2/3 cup juice. I used V8 cherry pomegranate because it's what I had handy and it doesn't affect the flavor much. You could probably use whatever you have lying around, just be mindful of the flavors, citrus drinks or grape probably wouldn't work well, but Apple juice would!
-4 stalks (about 4 cups) rhubarb. *Please Note- if you are using rhubarb for the first time, do NOT eat the leafy green part on top. It is poisonous.*
-1&1/2 cup strawberries (greens removed)
-5 large golden delicious apples.
-1/2 cup - 3/4 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want your applesauce and how bitter your rhubarb is!)
-2 tablespoons water
-2/3 cup juice. I used V8 cherry pomegranate because it's what I had handy and it doesn't affect the flavor much. You could probably use whatever you have lying around, just be mindful of the flavors, citrus drinks or grape probably wouldn't work well, but Apple juice would!
Prepare the apples by washing, peeling, and chopping into small cubes. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook.
Place the apples in an extra large sauce pan. Cover and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
While the apples are cooking, wash, peel, and chop the rhubarb into sections.
Add the juice, rhubarb, and strawberries to pan. I also added some leftover applesauce I had in the fridge.
Continue to heat on medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally. I'll be honest, I forgot to time how long it took to cook, but it was definitely more than 20 minutes. And like most of my baking/cooking experiements, this was the middle of the night, so I was not focused on timing it.
Be patient and give it some time. While you stir, test to see how soft the apples are. You want everything to be soft enough so that you can mash it (think: mashed potatoes). Fork tender?
Once everything begins to soften, add the sugar to taste.
Continue to heat until you've reached your desired consistency.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mash any remaining large lumps.
I then poured the applesauce into a few jars I had available. I think it made about 8 cups applesauce.
The best part though? It passed the boyfriend test! He loved it despite the fact that he hates rhubarb. It always makes me happy when I can get someone to eat something they don't normally like to eat. Just add a little something to make it different, and it creates a whole new flavor.
