go with the oats

the beaches may be open and the wrigleyville streets filled with rowdy cubs fans, but it doesn't officially feel like summer until i have the smell of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb making its way through my apartment. crumbles are wonderful because they're typically easy to put together and difficult to mess up. at least that has been my experience.

every time i make one of these i have to resist the urge to eat the whole thing. luckily i have friends who come a runnin' when the mere possibility of my making a crumble is mentioned. those are good friends to have.

this is my all-time favorite summer crumble recipe, so take care of her. she is a recipe to be cherished and made over and over again until there are no more stalks of rhubarb to be found at the farmers market.

and yes, i do have a favorite fall crumble recipe, in case you were wondering. just wait until november rolls around. i will be happy to introduce the two of you.

the best part of this crumble is the topping. the oats add a lovely density that i find other non-oat recipes lack. i recently tried a different recipe without oats, because i could not for the life of me remember where the following recipe was hiding, and i was greatly disappointed with the outcome. thankfully i remembered to look through my old bon app magazines and this recipe and i were happily reunited. 

so trust me, go with the oats. 

strawberry and rhubarb crumble
adapted from bon appetit magazine, may 2010. original recipe by tamasin day-lewis (daniel day-lewis' sister. seriously.)

the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of husked hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped) instead of a full cup of oats. the first time i made this crumble i wasn't in the mood for nuts so i left them out and haven't felt like putting them back in. so if you want more crunch, by all means use the 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. i use an extra 1/2 cup of oats instead.

3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar (one for the topping and one for the filling)
large pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup old-fashioned oats (or 1/2 cup of oats + 1/2 cup of chopped nuts)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla bean as the original recipe suggests. however, i know not all of us have vanilla beans at the ready.)
1 pound strawberries, hulled, halved (about 4 cups)
12 ounces rhubarb, ends trimmed, stalks cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
vanilla ice cream (most important)

combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. add butter. rub in with fingertips until mixture sticks together in clumps. mix in oats and nuts (if using). cover and chill. topping can be made 1 day ahead, if ya want.

preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. place 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. add vanilla extract (or vanilla bean seeds); whisk to blend well. add strawberries and rhubarb to sugar in bowl. toss to coat well. scrape fruit filling into prepared baking dish. sprinkle oat topping evenly over filling.

bake crumble until filling bubbles thickly and topping is crisp, about 45 minutes. let cool 15 minutes. spoon warm crumble into bowls. serve with ice cream. (highly recommended)

yield: about 8 servings (or less depending on how hungry you and your friends might be)

vacation in the desert (preview)

i just got back from a vacation visiting my parents in arizona, or as i often refer to it, the desert. it was a week full of sun, 100+ degree days, grilling out, redboxin' it, and laughing at my crazy/weird/wonderful family. 

we also got caught in the massive dust storm. did you hear about it? apparently it broke a few records. as you can see, my sister and i were very scared.

more photos and stories to come!

hi..

..so, remember that one time i was incredibly busy and not motivated and i didn't write on here for two solid months?

did you think i ran away or something? did you give up on me? i apologize.

i really want to be on here more. i'm working on it.

so stay with me folks. this space will be exciting again sometime soon.

doughnut attempt no. 3 = SUCCESS!!

FINALLY! i have conquered the line that has kept me away from the sweet fried dough that is the product of the beautiful, hard working people behind the doughnut vault. no longer will i be thwarted by the hoards of people eager to get their own circular piece of heaven. i have finally stepped inside the vault and emerged victorious.

since we're friends, i'm willing to share the secrets to my success. listen up.

secret #1: get up early.
seriously, i don't have to be at work until 9am but my butt was getting off the brown line stop at the merchandise mart at 7:30am to make sure i got a good spot in line. in fact i was so early that there wasn't a line yet. ha, imagine that. but i didn't want to be that weird, eager-beaver girl (even though i secretly am), so i walked around the block a few times and eventually found myself 5th in line. "oh yes, this was happening," i thought to myself.

secret #2: bring something to keep you busy.
the doughnut vault doesn't open until 8:30am so plan on bringing a book, ipod, podcast, or just your friendly face because you will more than likely chat with the other people in line. typical conversations begin with: "so are they as good as they say?" "is this your first time?" "which one is your favorite?" prepare to bond with strangers over your shared love of doughnuts.

secret #3: don't be pushy or impatient when the doors finally open at 8:30am.
once you get inside, you'll understand why the line is moving so slowly. each customer is treated as an individual person, not a number or dollar sign. "first time here? welcome! let's chat for a bit. not sure which flavors to get? i can help you.." it's annoying when you're in line and it may make you anxious, but once it's your turn you'll be grateful for julie's phenomenal customer service. she's great. also, she's the only one behind the counter.

secret #4: be prepared to tap into your inner thug.
one thing i was not expecting as i passed through the worn blue door was to hear the beats and rhymes of the wu-tang clan. loudly. very loudly, actually. snoop dog is also known to make an appearance. so is house of pain. and outkast. the presence of hip-hop and rap makes me love this place even more.

secret #5: remember to bring cash.

the vault is cash only, folks. so be prepared. you don't want to wait in line for an hour, only to find out that you can't pay for the glistening mounds of fried dough sitting just out of reach behind the old fashioned cash register. how tragic would that be??

secret #6: try not to gorge yourself while you're enjoying your hard-fought doughnuts.

i know, it's difficult, but these doughnuts are ginormous. like, seriously big. like, the-size-of-your-hand-if-you-were-trying-to-palm-a-basketball kind of big. 

pace yourself! 

i walked away with one of each: buttermilk old fashioned, chestnut glazed, vanilla glazed, chocolate glazed and a gingerbread stack. my favorite by far is the buttermilk old fashioned. i'm pretty sure i could eat one every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of them. 

please promise me you'll brave the line and get these doughnuts. please, i beg you. and when you do get them, save a bite for me.

doughnut attempt no. 2 = failure

once again i have tried and failed. this time i waited in line for 40 minutes, only to walk away empty handed.

this was the line when i left. probably 50? 60 people deep? this is the longest i've seen it but i know that on the weekends the line can be 100 deep. yikes.

have no fear because i will press on! soon doughnut vault, soon..

saturday morning

seriously, is there anything better than fried eggs for breakfast? am i right?? except it might be better if i also had some fried potatoes. anything fried, really. but at least i had my alterra coffee. i swear this stuff is magical.

i have absolutely nothing to do today. nothing. whenever this happens, i try to come up with some brilliant way to spend my time. i should bust out my water colors! i should organize my closet! i should clean up the kitchen! i should catch up on all those podcasts i haven't listened to! i should finish those three books i'm reading!

and then when the day finally comes to a close, i find that i spent the majority of my day watching tv. what a waste.

so today, the tv is off! ok, so it was on earlier, but it's off now. time to find some trouble/inspiration i can get into.

doughnut attempt no. 1 = failure

we chicagoans take our doughnuts very seriously. i'm not talking about dunkin donuts here. i'm talking about good, old fashioned, hand-crafted doughnuts. there aren't many bakeries in the city that make good doughnuts, so we get excited when a new doughnut place opens up.

the doughnut vault opened on wednesday. hurray! leading up to the opening and the two days since it's been open, i have heard only wonderful things. i've been dying to go. since it's one block from my work, i figured i would leave a tad early this morning to pick up some doughnuts for a nice friday treat. apparently, i wasn't the only one with this brilliant idea.

this was the line at 8:30am. i have to be at work by 9am and i honestly thought i gave myself enough time. i just wanted three doughnuts. i would be in and out and on my way. it seemed like everyone else in front of my was walking away with boxes and boxes of doughnuts. no wonder this line was taking so long! i then started to worry that they might sell out. i've read that they've been making 350 or 400 each morning and that's it.

by 8:55am i was still 6 people away from the blue door. i waited three more minutes and then gave up, ran to work in a huff and sat at my desk pouting for a good five minutes. but then i got my coffee and i felt better.

but hey! i made the doughnut vault's tumblr page! that's me with the maroon umbrella standing under the gilt bar canopy.

and then that's me on the far left, giving up and leaving.

i had a laugh during my 30 minute, rainy wait in line. a car drove past with its windows down and the driver yelled, "it's only doughnuuuts!" he's right, but we really want these doughnuts!

this isn't over, doughtnut vault. someday i will be able to enjoy your fried dough. someday..