Bird's Nest Bites

A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest

Recipe Posts

Rhubarb Crumb Bars

 

They say good things come to those who wait, and I think we’ve all waited long enough for Rhubarb Crumb Bars. Truth be told, these guys are really more like crumb cakes than any resemblance to a cookie-type bar.  The bottom layer is a whole lot like a pound cake batter, which makes it tender, rich, and quite buttery I’m not afraid to say.  Add a layer of ruby red rhubarb for a nice, tart center, and top the whole works with a brown sugary crumb topping.  They are sturdy, pack and travel well, but also are right at home at a bridal shower or graduation party.  The recipe comes together in three phases, so let’s get going!

…

Read More

Lemon Bars

I’m blaming the creation of these Lemon Bars on my mother, Neeners, who is 87 but don’t tell her I told you.  I arrived at her house the one day to pick up a watch I needed to borrow.  She looked up and said “You’ve come empty handed.  Where is my treat?”  Since I often spied bakery lemon bars lurking in her kitchen, I hoped this would do the trick.  These Lemon Bars have a crisp shortbread crust and creamy, tart lemon topping.  She got a few.  I ate the rest.  Oh, I later found out she took some to a restaurant and used them to tip the waitress.  Luckily they are easy to make since she appears to be using them for currency. Here’s another recipe that can be made from start to finish in a food processor.  If you don’t have one, doing it the old fashioned way is nearly as easy….

Read More

Holiday Peppermint Bark

To me, Peppermint Bark is the ultimate Christmas candy, full of Chocolate, White Chocolate with Peppermint, and Candy Canes.  What could be better?  I must confess to being unwilling to pay the small fortune it costs to purchase it, however.  So I decided to take the bull by the horns and figure out how to make it myself.  This resulted in a few semi-failures (all of which I ate), but now I’m at the point where I can unsqueamishly share all of the quirks and secrets of this super simple holiday treat.

holiday-peppermint-bark-15holiday-peppermint-bark-11…

Read More

Chicken Salad with Blueberries in Crispy Filo Baskets

If you are hosting a brunch, luncheon, shower, or any of those types of things and are in need of a recipe you can make pretty quickly that will keep you out of the kitchen on the big day, this one might just do the trick.  I am speaking from experience since I first made this for Mother’s Day for my mom, otherwise known as Neeners.  This worked particularly well in that event, since Neeners must eat each meal on time or all hell breaks loose. Neeners usually gets up at 6:00, is wolfing down a lumberjack sized breakfast by 6:10, then takes off in a squeal of tires to do whatever she has up her sleeve for that day.  She is home by 11:00, has a linebacker sized lunch, and then a glass of wine and dinner by 5:00.  This is her schedule, and woe be to anyone who veers from it.  This makes holiday dining somewhat of a challenge in our family, since we do not typically adhere to her feeding schedule.  Let’s say we decide to have dinner at 6:00.  Just like clockwork, she will come stomping into the kitchen at 4:45…”When are we going to eat??!!  I am on my face!!”  I think ‘on my face’ means she is faint with hunger, but it could also be that she was feeling the results of happy hour.  She is, after all, pushing 87 and a little wine goes a long way. If there is a Neeners in your life, never fear.  This recipe can be all done ahead of time and assembled in seconds right before serving.  Problem solved.  Let’s get organized…..

Read More

Rhubarb Snack Cake

This is one of my all time favorite recipes, not only because it’s from my Grandma Liz, but also because it tastes so darned good. It’s so light that it’s kind of hard to stop eating it – so I don’t. This is why I am calling it a snack cake – any guilt factor I may have had is much less if I think of it that way. My advice to you: Do not fight yourself. Dive in headfirst.

…

Read More

Rhubarb Bread with Strawberries

I’ve just got to say that this is one of those recipes that, if ever lost, would result in me losing about half of my friends.  It’s the one that gets requested over and over again and I would be shown no mercy if it disappeared.  It’s mildly adapted from an Oregonian Food Day recipe from eons ago, and that’s all I know about it.  My copy is yellowed, faded, and covered in batter – and we all know that’s the sign of a keeper.  It’s a one bowl wonder that you can make at the drop of a hat. I make it a couple of different ways: with fresh strawberries shingled on the top, or if I’m feeling particularly lazy, I just slice a few and chomp on them on the side…

…

Read More

Crab Cakes

Happy New Year Everyone!!  We had such big plans for some brand new recipes to share this week, but unfortunately the flu bug decided to arrive on Christmas Day instead of Santa, and it was a doozy.  Never fear – those recipes will keep until later, but in the meantime, I present to you my very first blog posting, cooked and photographed New Year’s Eve 2014.  I present to you:  The Crab Cake – only slightly edited from the first version.  Hope you enjoy!!

Here we are in the Pacific Northwest, home of the Dungeness Crab – one of nature’s most perfect foods in my opinion. While many Dungeness devotees prefer to dine straight from the shell, I do not have sufficient patience for that endeavor. Instead, I’ve whipped up a few crab cakes.

Cakes on the griddle

…

Read More

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Love Fall.  Love pumpkin. Not that crazy about pumpkin pie. No matter how hard I try, my pumpkin pie is usually a disappointment.  In fact, after nearly 35 years of fruitless attempts I have only received one compliment from Neeners.  It was several years ago on Thanksgiving Day, and time for dessert.  Neeners very reluctantly took a piece, tasted it, and said “Good pie this year…..Finally”.  Since I didn’t bother to write down the recipe I made up that day, replicating it is an impossibility.  So we will punt – how about some Pumpkin Streusel Bars?  Gingersnap cookie crust, rich and creamy pumpkin pie filling, and a buttery streusel topping.  This recipe makes nearly the equivalent of two pumpkin pies, so feeding a crowd is a cinch. Perfect for a tailgate, potluck, or Thanksgiving dinner.

IMG_0095…

Read More

Sweet Cherry Parfait

Cherry season is here!  I can shove handfuls of them into my mouth nonstop for the entire season, but even I occasionally need a break from the fresh ones.  And here you have it:  A sweet, slightly boozy (I used Cognac because I couldn’t reach the Brandy on the shelf, but you can use whatever you want) concoction, layered with super thick and slightly sweetened Greek yogurt.  Come on along and I’ll show you how easy it is to make…

IMG_5181…

Read More